What “They” Don’t Want You to Know

I don’t understand why someone would book directly with a cruise line. I just can’t think of any advantage. If I quit being a travel consultant tomorrow, I'd likely book my own cruises for a little while, but once I was removed from the industry for a while, I would search out a relationship with a travel consultant.

I can think of disadvantages for people booking direct. Cruise lines, obviously, want you to book with them and to spend as much as possible doing so. Hey, I don’t blame them at all. It’s just that, as a travel consultant, our “bread and butter” is the client so a good travel consultant is going to look at what’s best for their client. Cruise lines sell a product. Travel consultants sell a service.

To gain and keep your business, we have to look out for what’s best for you. That does not mean pushing you to “buy a cabin on my cruise line and spend as much as possible to do so.” Here are seven things you could hear from a good travel consultant, but are not likely to hear from a cruise line:

1. “In this case, I would not recommend upgrading to a higher category because………”
2. “There’s a third party travel insurance that, in your case, is a better choice than the cruise line’s vacation protection because……”
3. “There’s another option for an excursion in that port that’s offered by a third party that you might want to consider instead of the cruise line’s excursions because……”
4. “I would suggest booking with this other cruise line because…..”
5. “Don’t book this yet. You can save money by waiting until……”
6. “Are you flexible with your date because……”
7. (My favorite) “I’m calling to tell you that we saw that we saw a new promotion that you could qualify for so you are now saving……… “.

The next time you want to book a vacation with a professional who is going to watch your back, contact a good travel agency.  Call Connie George Travel Associates at 610-532-0989 or email us at info@cgta.com.

~ Connie