For Clear Sailing On A Cruise, Spend Time Getting Right Agent

In the crazy world of cruise pricing, where everybody seems to be offering special bargains, who is most likely to give you the best deal?

There isn’t an easy answer, but a look at how the cruise lines and travel agents work in tandem to sell cruises can provide some guidance. Read on, and you also will be better prepared to talk price with your agent.

To book a cruise, forget about calling the major cruise lines directly. They generally market their cabins only through travel agents, although there are some exceptions. So you are going to have to find an agent, and here things begin to get a little complicated. Three different categories of agents are competing for your business - the full-service agent, the cruise-only specialist and the cruise discounter - and each category boasts its particular strong points.

Before choosing from among them, you should decide what is most important to you - finding the cheapest price for a cruise; getting good, helpful service; talking to someone who knows cruise ships well; or dealing with an agent with a proven record of fiscal stability who is not apt to go bust with your deposit. If you are lucky, you will find an agent (in whatever category) who does it all.

For many travelers, price is a critical factor in their ability to go on a cruise. And the cold fact is that - as the cruise lines themselves confirm - some travel agents are able to sell the same cabin on the same cruise at a cheaper price than others. Where do you find these agents?

Your best bet is to use an agency - typically a good-sized one - that does a large volume of cruise business. The big players in the industry get rewards from the cruise lines that they can pass on to their customers. You can get these discounts from cruise discounters, cruise-only agents or full-service agents.

The policy of Carnival Cruise Lines, the largest cruise company, is to make its cabins available to all agents at the same basic price, says spokesman Tim Gallagher. “Our approach is a level playing field for all.” But, not surprisingly, there are exceptions.

Agents who sell 50 or more cabins on a Carnival vessel can increase their commission from the standard 10 percent to 15 percent or even 19 percent. Some travel agents rebate the extra commission to their clients.

Donald Davidoff, director of marketing for Belair Travel, a full-service agency in Bowie, Md., suggests travelers dicker with their travel agent for a better price - provided they already know what they want and don’t take up too much of the agent’s time.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, another big line, also tries to keep the playing field level. The cruise line has been trying to encourage new or smaller agencies to sell cruises, “and the quickest way to kill a new agency,” says spokesman Rich Steck, is to offer preferential rates to more established agencies.

But Royal Caribbean does grant agents who buy cabins in bulk - for example, 15 or more cabins on a particular departure - a group rate that is lower that the single-cabin rate, he says. Other cruise lines do the same.

And then there are the hush-hush discounts. In addition to higher commissions and group rates, agents who do a very high volume of business may get an additional cut-rate deal. Or so claims Lawrence R. Fishkin, president of the Cruise Line, a major cruise discounter in Miami. Usually the deal cannot be advertised.

“If you call the lines, they’ll say it doesn’t exist,” asserts Fishkin, whose firm has been discounting cruises for 14 years. “But it exists anyway.” As he predicted, his claim could not be verified.

But price isn’t the only criterion for choosing a cruise or an agent. Agents compete on quality of service, knowledge of the cruise industry and financial stability - all important factors. The differing types of agencies maintain they offer certain strengths in these areas that other agencies don’t.

Full-service and cruise-only travel agencies argue that they can provide their clients with better service because they tend to be local firms where clients can sit down and talk to an agent face to face. Typically, cruise discounters operate via well-publicized toll-free numbers, usually in a distant port city such as Miami. “If you need a lot of help, go to a local agency,” says Belair’s Davidoff.

Your cruise deposit may be safer if you work with firms with ties to the community, these agencies also contend. “I don’t know too many people who would spend $5,000 on a large item without having the dealer in their own back yard,” says Patty Perry, president of Cruise Holidays of Rockville, a cruise-only agent. “I wouldn’t.”

Davidoff agrees. Discounters who rebate “really, really deep,” he says, often are operating on a “razor-thin” profit margin. “You’ve got to ask yourself, ‘What if something goes wrong? Is the Florida state’s attorney going to care about me? Am I going to fly there to complain?”’

A full-service travel agency handles all types of travel, including booking package tours, airline tickets, hotel rooms and car rentals worldwide. To Davidoff, this is a strength, because his agency is able to provide clients with information about land-based vacation options before or after a cruise - whether it is in Florida or the Far East. In addition, to sell airline tickets his agency must meet the fiscal requirements of the Airline Reporting Corporation, which monitors ticket sales. This is an indication of financial stability, he says.

Cruise-only agencies specialize, as the name implies, in cruises. Typically, they do not sell airline tickets, except as part of an air-inclusive cruise. If they are not booking flights, they do not have to meet the financial criteria of the Airline Reporting Corporation. “The cruise-only agencies have no such oversight,” says Davidoff. “Anybody can hang up a shingle.”

In their defense, cruise-only agencies argue that specializing gives them an advantage in marketing cruises. “When you do something every day, all day, you are going to know a lot about it,” says Myerson, the past president of the National Association of Cruise-Only Agencies. In contrast, full-service agencies have to be prepared to handle a variety of travel products. “You can’t be everything to everyone.”

If you are in doubt about a firm with whom you are dealing, check out credentials, Fishkin advises - and always pay with a credit card. His firm belongs to the American Society of Travel Agents, the National Association of Cruise-Only Agencies, the Cruise Lines International Association and the National Tour Association’s Consumer Protection Plan - all of which have special criteria for membership.

Travelers who want to book a cruise will have to decide for themselves what kind of travel agency best suits their needs.

But at least one additional criterion should be considered. The Cruise Lines International Association, which represents major cruise lines, sponsors an accreditation program for travel agents that requires them to know numerous cruise ships.

To get a master cruise counselor designation, an agent must sail on five ships and inspect 20. If you are unfamiliar with the cruise lines or ships, work with an accredited travel agent.