Self booking Vs Using a Travel Agent

Due to disability issues, I almost always book myself directly. However, I now have a guy at NCL that I can deal with, instead of a random agent. I have used a great TA in the past. Because we leave from NY, and I don't have to coordinate air and hotel, it's just easier to book the cruise I want. I find a cruise, and make a phone call. But that's me. I will say this though, don't use one of the large, national agencies. American Express Travel is supposed to be good, as is AAA. But I have never used either since I think I get better deals on my own.

I don't believe travel agents. I prefer to plan my trip on my own. This September I am going to Rome and I have already booked plane tickets on http://lowcost.club/ . I have enough time to plan my trip. There are many places that I must see.

I prefer to book cruises myself. That way I have control of my booking 24/7.

I like to book my own vacations, but I have recently found that when I let someone else do it. I get room credits etc. You cant always get that when you book directly with the cruise line itself. Recently, I've been booking with American Airlines for my cruises, I get the room credits etc and I don't have to pay the deposit up front. I am also an American Airlines member as well as a RCCL member. I earn air miles as well. Now I only use American Airlines when flying to Europe, but Jet Blue when flying south for a cruise. It's been working for me. As you probably guessed, I earn Jet Blue miles as well.

Being a bit of a control freak, I tend to book through the lines.

TA's and travel websites each have contracted hotels and air lines that they get more $$ for sending you to. They are not really there to gt you the best deal, they are there to make $$. I look at a few sites before I book as not all of them have the same hotels and flights. Also you can call some of the web sites and get a live person to get some combo's that are not listed on the site.

Oh that is one of the problem, my excitement is interfering! I did think this morning as I was continuing to scourer for flights and hotels that I could be a travel agent as well (I have nice highlighted, color coded and symbols to boot for my notes), but also wondered if a travel agent could save me more $$ or get better deals then what I am finding as well...

So true.

I have assisted a few friends book great cruises, both with an agent and without. It is like living/ cruising vicariously through others

Half the fun is the planning and looking and trying to figure out what to book, where and when. The first few cruises we did the leg work ourselves and then booked through an agent. We did not find much advantage to that so the last few we booked directly. It just takes out the middleman. Besides .. I love cruising through the cruise sites and doing the leg work. When you have to wait a year for a cruise you need something to feed the addiction to avoid withdrawal.

I tend to use one web site to book most of my cruises and then I do the air and land portion through other web site's. That way I get to pick the flight times and hotels. On my last trip I scored good price on non-stop round trip air L.A. to Orlando and a 600 Sq. Ft. hotel suite for a great price near the port. It would have been much more and nowhere near as nice a room if I went through the cruise line.

For the shuttle and information on the port I had posted here and other members gave me great information on attractions and what shuttle to use.

For me part of the fun of the trip is putting it all together.