I book all land based trips on my own because I enjoy it and I do better that way. For cruises, I shop and then call the TA that I have used for several years at "an unnamed online cruise agency". We haven't taken a cruise in about three years and I knew that "Fern" had left that company and moved on to another. I had gotton a card a couple of years ago that I misplaced. I called an agency that I thought she went to. She had heard of her but said she was no longer working there. I needed to check a price so I called her old agency. The agent there knew her but said that she was no longer in the cruise booking business. That "she and her husband bought a muffin franchise and it took up all of her time baking muffins in the mall". That definately sounded like an "untruth" but I checked the rates and thanked the agent. As the fates would have it, I received a cruise flyer in the mail from FERN!!! They are closed weekends but I told her, via voice mail, the ship and the dates I am looking at (Millenium/Janurary) and that I was so glad to see that she wasn't in the "muffin business afterall". 
Cruise lines have pretty much done away with the agency type discounts but I have always gotton good service from her so we will see. I am sure that she will get a kick out of the story.....after she gets over being lied about. 
Cruise lines have pretty much done away with the agency type discounts but I have always gotton good service from her so we will see. I am sure that she will get a kick out of the story.....after she gets over being lied about. 
