{"id":43957,"date":"2013-08-02T19:44:22","date_gmt":"2013-08-02T23:44:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cruiseexperts.com\/news\/?p=43957"},"modified":"2014-10-16T16:13:49","modified_gmt":"2014-10-16T20:13:49","slug":"10-reasons-why-we-recommend-you-use-a-travel-agent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cruiseexperts.com\/news\/2013\/08\/02\/10-reasons-why-we-recommend-you-use-a-travel-agent\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Reasons Why We Recommend You Use a Travel Agent"},"content":{"rendered":"

WomansDay.com is taking a lot of heat from a recent article they published, \u201c10 Things Travel Agents Won\u2019t Tell You.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 The writer, Anny Roderique-Jones, was criticized for her lack of \u00a0knowledge or research on how a travel agency operates. Woman\u2019s Day has retracted one of her points and the article is now called \u201c9 Things Travel Agents Won\u2019t Tell You”. \u00a0<\/em>However, the information Roderique-Jones presented is inaccurate and a misrepresentation of travel agencies, putting well-qualified and seasoned travel agents on the defensive.<\/p>\n

In response, CruiseExperts.com would like to offer 10 Reasons Why We Recommend You Use a Travel Agent<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"Family<\/picture><\/a>#1 – Travel Agents take care of all the details. CruiseExperts.com<\/b> is a travel agency that specializes in cruises. Planning a cruise vacation can be complicated because of all the options\u2014cabin type, cabin location, where and when to cruise, ports\/itinerary, excursions, extending the vacation on land, airfare, shuttles, hotels and more.<\/b> We can make recommendations and help you plan your entire vacation down to the last detail.<\/p>\n

#2 – Reputable travel agents are CLIA certified.<\/b> In our main office located in central California, we have multiple agents that work hard at finding the right fit for each and every client, based on training in specific travel categories\u2014and by no means do we sway our clients choices based on a bonus or commission advantage. In fact we don’t let our travel supplier partners provide incentives to our agents so there’s never a question of whether they are looking out for your best interest.\u00a0 We find out what our client’s needs are, and research to find the best product at the best prices to meet their needs.\u00a0The top priority for our agents \u00a0is for you to have a memorable and fun trip so you\u2019ll come back for more.<\/p>\n

#3 – Travel agents stay up-to-date on “flash” promotions from the cruise lines.<\/strong> Our agents have years of experience and know when the deals are real, and therefore understand the importance of clients booking special \u201cflash\u201dpromotions quickly before they\u2019re gone. <\/b>Sometimes promotions only last a day or two.\u00a0Our travel agents aren’t being \u201cpushy,\u201d as the WD article described. <\/b>We simply work hard to make sure\u00a0our clients know about these great deals and have a chance to decide before it’s too late.<\/p>\n

#4 – Experienced travel agents know which cruise line would fit your lifestyle.\u00a0<\/b>Choosing a cruise line is your first step when deciding on a cruise vacation.\u00a0Cruise lines have different personalities and\u00a0therefore appeal\u00a0to different individuals.\u00a0 Things we consider are the\u00a0ages of clients, price ranges, and activity levels. Do you want a cruise that’s laid-back, active, romantic, party-oriented, or a little bit of it all?\u00a0\u00a0We\u00a0help you find the cruise that’s right for you and\u00a0 also\u00a0 help \u00a0you get all your documents in order and act as your vacation concierge before, during and after your cruise.<\/p>\n

#5 – Travel agents make airfare reservations as a service–no commission. <\/b>Airline fares were a hot topic in the WD article. It\u2019s true that travel agents do not make commission on airline fares. These days, it\u2019s easy enough for people to go online and book their own airfares. We often encourage our clients to do just that.\u00a0 However, when you\u2019re planning a vacation, and you need to fly to a particular port and be assured\u00a0of\u00a0making it to\u00a0your cruise ship in time, we’re happy to provide peace of mind and\u00a0book your airfare for you. Our airline booking fee is nominal and well worth the avoided hassle. \u00a0We have access to all the airlines and can quickly find and compare flights and prices and recommend the best route and connections.<\/p>\n

#6 – CruiseExperts.com agents have access to the best hotel prices. <\/b>We can make it easier for you by making your hotel reservations in addition to other travel arrangements. Again, this is a service we offer to our customers as a convenience when putting together a vacation package. If you’re cruising, we know from experience which hotels are closest to the embarkation ports and which have the best locations for walking around or\u00a0access to restaurants, allowing you to relax and enjoy the night before your cruise departure.<\/p>\n

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CruiseExperts.com can help with all your travel needs.<\/p><\/div>\n

#7 – Commissions are built into the prices by the cruise lines.\u00a0<\/b>Whether you buy your cruise directly from the cruise line or from an agency\u2014the commission is built into the price. You’ll never get it cheaper by going direct.\u00a0 Consider this, the cruise lines have to pay their reservation agents just like any travel agency does so they don’t lower the rate just because you called them direct.\u00a0 We, however, are your unbiased travel consultant.\u00a0 We can book your cruise with any cruise line to anywhere.\u00a0 Obviously the cruise line needs to convince you to book with them.\u00a0 They just don’t have as many options to offer. Additionally, CruiseExperts.com has become a preferred agency with\u00a0the major cruise lines, which allows us access to special offers that we pass on to our customers.<\/p>\n

#8 – A travel agent can help you determine if you need travel insurance.\u00a0<\/b>Travel insurance is another misunderstood\u00a0topic. We’d never try to sell\u00a0you something you don\u2019t need just\u00a0to make an extra buck. Absolutely not. Depending on the type of travel there are times when purchasing travel insurance just makes prudent sense and\u00a0sometimes it’s not such a big deal.\u00a0\u00a0We can explain the difference and outline the benefits of purchasing it when you need it–but you make the final decision.\u00a0For even more information here’s a link to\u00a0our previous blog \u201cShould I buy travel insurance?\u201d<\/a><\/em> .<\/p>\n

#9 – CruiseExperts.com can get exclusive low prices with promotional group contracts. <\/b>At CruiseExperts.com we\u00a0reserve contracted group space on hundreds of sailings as much as two years in advance, <\/b>holding cabins at\u00a0 locked-in prices. In addition, we\u00a0can offer extra amenities to our customers, like free onboard credit, bottles of wine, or chocolate-covered strawberries. \u00a0If the published price of the cruise goes up,\u00a0our\u00a0lower rate is\u00a0locked in\u00a0giving \u00a0our clients a better deal than if they had gone directly to the cruise line to book their stateroom! As an example, we have prices on many Norwegian Pride of America Hawaiian cruises for this fall that no one can beat\u2014not even Norwegian Cruise Lines can offer lower prices than ours.<\/p>\n

#10 – CruiseExperts.com agents ARE truly cruise experts.\u00a0<\/b>Our\u00a0team specializes in cruising and the travel that goes with it. We make it a priority to stay up-to-date on the cruise lines, the ships, destinations and every aspect of getting there and back.\u00a0\u00a0We really have been there and experienced most of what the cruise world has to offer and if that’s not enough, we have thousands of clients every year that come back and give us their perspective as well.<\/p>\n

The bottom line<\/b><\/p>\n

CruiseExperts.com agents work hard on behalf of their customers. Ocean and river cruises\u00a0are our specialty\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0<\/strong>we’re happy to help you plan and book your airfare, hotel, shuttles, excursions or anything else you need for your dream vacation. We want your vacation to be absolutely worry-free.<\/p>\n

Our website\u00a0is your best resource when searching for cruises or looking for the best prices and the most options. Our CruiseExperts.com News<\/strong>\u00a0section on the website is packed with really good information and tips on cruising and how to make the most of your vacation. PLUS<\/strong>, if you have questions, you can simply pick up the phone and call us – one of us will be happy to answer all of your questions. OR if you know exactly what you want, you can easily book your cruise right on the website and we’ll still provide you with every bit as much customer care as if you called us.<\/p>\n

Join our Inner Circle or “Like” us on Facebook<\/b><\/p>\n

Visit our website\u00a0and sign up for our Inner Circle <\/a>or “like” us on Facebook<\/a> to receive information on the insider\u00a0promotions being offered by cruise lines and the special group prices we’ve secured. When you’re ready to plan your next vacation, feel free to give us a call. Contact us anytime by calling\u00a01-888-804-CRUIse(2784) or visiting our website www.CruiseExperts.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

WomansDay.com is taking a lot of heat from a recent article they published, \u201c10 Things Travel Agents Won\u2019t Tell You.\u201d\u00a0 The writer, Anny Roderique-Jones, was criticized for her lack of \u00a0knowledge or research on how a travel agency operates. Woman\u2019s Day has retracted one of her points and the article is now called \u201c9 Things … 10 Reasons Why We Recommend You Use a Travel Agent<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":43961,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,36,30,12,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43957","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-did-you-know","category-general","category-informative","category-our-opinion","category-tips-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruiseexperts.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43957","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruiseexperts.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruiseexperts.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruiseexperts.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruiseexperts.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43957"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruiseexperts.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43957\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruiseexperts.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43961"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruiseexperts.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruiseexperts.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43957"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruiseexperts.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}