Cruises who did you book with?

[WAMUMOF4]

On the advice of some dis boards i am thinking of booking a 7 day cruise when i am in the USA with the 3 kiddies on my own so just wondering who you all booked with agent or direct?
I am restricted to going on Carnival as i want to leave from Galveston and they are the only ones who leave from there for the dates and i was spending my last week in Houston anyway so it just makes more sense.

 

[australiankaren]

hey

my travel agent in the usa is awesome, if you want to pm me i'll give you her email

 

[BigDisneyOE]

I'm booked with Carnival for April 2013 - out of LA. It's a girls getaway, first time in several years. I booked via a coupon I had with a company, so I had to use them. Other than that I book everything I can direct with the company and haven't used a travel agent for several years - would love to know a good one in the USA tho'.

 

[battymum]

I booked our recent Royal Carribbean cruise through Dreams Unlimited - I then read somewhere that US travel agents shouldnt take bookings from Australian residents - and that usually they could not even enter such a booking into the systems -

I had no confidence in this agent, and thought he was useless (it was a different agent to our Disney part) but I could check the Royal Caribbean website and see that we had a booking.
There are plenty of threads about it on cruise critic, I think it is a scare tactic by Australian TA's - anyway I was completely paranoid that we would be turned away at the pier.

Best to book it direct through their website I say!

 

[battymum]

WAMUMOF4 -
I thought I read somewhere that you guys did not like WDW, I just tried searching for the post, maybe it was someone else -

Did you have a change of heart?

 

[BigDisneyOE]

I booked our recent Royal Carribbean cruise through Dreams Unlimited - I then read somewhere that US travel agents shouldnt take bookings from Australian residents - and that usually they could not even enter such a booking into the systems - QUOTE]

Wow you lucked out - RCCL don't allow bookings from the UK/NZ/AUS except via authorised resellers in the home country. Fabulous luck, I'd love to do an RCCL cruise but not at the mark up they sell at down here. Surely everyone should pay the same price, given the global recession I'd have thought any dollars are good dollars.

 

[battymum]

Well thats what I found out after I booked - I was pretty worried about it. But I knew I had a booking on the RCCL site -

Although I found, I could book directly through the RCCL Australian site - and the price was pretty much the same, they do add the gratuities to Australian bookings though, so you need to take that into consideration.

 

[Jade+3]

We have just done a Carnival cruise from Miami. I booked through VAustralia, there is a cruise link on their website. I would NOT recommend using them. Nothing but trouble. If I was going to do another Carnival cruise, I would book directly. The only reason I didn't was that you need to speak with a certain department to use an overseas credit card, and that department was only open during US business hours and I was too impatient to wait.

 

[WAMUMOF4]

Thanks guys but I am now wondering can I book direct as an Aussie or is that only through an agent there is a problem?

WAMUMOF4 -
I thought I read somewhere that you guys did not like WDW, I just tried searching for the post, maybe it was someone else -

Did you have a change of heart?

No we did not have a change of hearts we are going to DL this trip will be cruising out of Galveston TX. DH says if we went to Florida for something else we would only go to DW if it was the only way to go to Disney said it would only be to MK.
Will be flying to LA from Dallas crazy I know but it was double to fly in and out of LA if only they would change the dates of the speedway to not in peak time

 

[battymum]

Its only through the agents, but then I read of many people doing it, and noone had any problems boarding the ships - (I can only speak for RCCL) - you can book directly through their website - but you will be directed to their Australian site, and it will have different prices.

 

[WAMUMOF4]

I found this and thought it might be helpful to someone.http://www.cruisesfrom.com/register/international-customers.htm
It tells you which cruises USA can book for you and which ones they can't.

 

[WAMUMOF4]

Next question is to do the 2015 cruise we have to get a room with the bunks and a porthole because all the other category's are already sold the idea of doing this cruise is to make sure i can cope being on a cruise ship i get dreadful sea
The closest i can get to what we would have to sleep in is an inside cabin so now i am not sure if i should just book an inside cabin with the bunks or just get the one with the window and 1 upper bunk

 

[WAMUMOF4]

I have paid the deposit on my Disney cruise doing the 8 Day Bahamas cruise from New York at this stage unless DH changes his flight then will be doing the 7 Night Alaska one

 

[BigDisneyOE]

I have paid the deposit on my Disney cruise doing the 8 Day Bahamas cruise from New York at this stage unless DH changes his flight then will be doing the 7 Night Alaska one

When are you going to go WAMUMOF4?

 

[WAMUMOF4]

When are you going to go WAMUMOF4?

We are going on the 25th of August only 280 days to go so the Disney website told me when i paid which means we only have 239 days till we leave

 

[arje]

I've used and my father as well has used Vacations to Go. They are cruise specialist (I think) and are based in Texas. They not only book for Australians, they cater for us as they have agents on the phones during our business hours and advertise the fact as well. They are very reputable and I had excellent experience with them. They do Disney and all other companies.

 

[Travel Mum]

I've used and my father as well has used Vacations to Go. They are cruise specialist (I think) and are based in Texas. They not only book for Australians, they cater for us as they have agents on the phones during our business hours and advertise the fact as well. They are very reputable and I had excellent experience with them. They do Disney and all other companies.

I subscribe to their newletter too and I remember that a few months ago they advised that, for non-U.S. and non-Canadians, there are now a few cruise lines that they can no longer make bookings with. I can't remember which ones but probably the ones from that website that WAMUMo4 gave us.

 

[shushh]

This unfortunately has been in place for a while and it is imposed by the cruise lines (the ones listed in the previous post) and not the agents. This is to force us Australian to pay the Australian prices. I, personally, am annoyed by this. Why should be at a disadvantage simply because of geography? We already have to pay airfares to get on most of the cruises!

 

[WAMUMOF4]

I booked direct with Disney in the end I was going to to go with Dreams unlimited but i found with my constant checking of the Disney site i was able to get what i wanted and they offered me a category higher than i wanted so i am happy with that i can change the cruise over to them but not with as much OBC as i would of got if they booked it for me i have been reading on the cruise board that people are not changing it over to an agent until just before the cruise.

 

[Travel Mum]

I, personally, am annoyed by this. Why should be at a disadvantage simply because of geography? We already have to pay airfares to get on most of the cruises!

I totally agree - it is so very unfair to us