Does booking a cruise through a travel advisor cost more?

In almost every case, no. The cruise line pays the advisor a commission out of its own margin, and most lines require the same fare to be shown whether you book direct or through an advisor. You are not paying extra for the help.

People ask this warily, and they are right to. Plenty of industries quietly charge you for the middle. Cruising does not work that way, and the reason is worth understanding, because it also explains why some travelers swear an advisor was cheaper and others swear direct was.

How does a travel advisor get paid?

The cruise line pays a commission, typically 10 to 16 percent of the cruise fare, after you sail. It comes out of the line’s marketing budget, not out of your fare.

Cruise lines would rather pay an advisor than run the sale themselves. An advisor brings them a traveler who is matched to the right ship, who is less likely to cancel, and who is far more likely to come back. That is cheaper than advertising, so the commission is a cost the line is happy to carry.

The commission is paid on the cruise fare. It is not paid on port charges, taxes, government fees or gratuities.

Then why do some people find it cheaper to book direct?

Usually because they are comparing two different things: a promotional fare that ran on one day against a standard fare on another, or a cash discount against onboard credit.

Here is what is going on underneath. Most cruise lines operate price parity, meaning the advertised fare has to match wherever it is shown. What varies is not the fare but what comes attached to it. An advisor may hold group space booked months ago at a rate the line is no longer publishing. Or the advisor may add onboard credit, prepaid gratuities or a specialty dinner, which is worth real money but does not show up in the headline number.

So two travelers can report opposite experiences in good faith. One compared headline fares on different days. The other compared the total value of what they received.

What does an advisor do that a booking site does not?

The work sits either side of the booking, which is why it is invisible when you are only looking at a price.

Before. Matching you to the right ship. There is an enormous difference between two ships on the same itinerary at the same price, and the difference is not in the brochure. Cabin position matters. Deck plans hide problems, such as a cabin under the buffet or over the theater.

During. Somebody to call. When a flight is late, a port is dropped, a cabin is wrong or a medical issue starts, the difference between an advisor and a call center queue is the difference between a problem and a ruined trip.

After. Price drops, upgrade offers and rebooking. Somebody has to notice.

Is it worth using an advisor if I have cruised before?

Experienced cruisers are often where an advisor earns the most, because they are booking longer, more expensive and more complicated trips.

A seven night Caribbean sailing is straightforward. A world cruise segment, a repositioning crossing with flights at both ends, a river cruise with a land extension, or a group of forty is not. The value of advice scales with the complexity of the trip and the amount of money at risk.

How do I find a good cruise advisor?

• Ask how long they have been doing it, and what they have sailed. First hand experience of a ship is not replaceable by a website.
• Ask about credentials. CLIA membership and a network affiliation such as Travel Leaders Network are the baseline.
• Ask what they specialize in. An advisor who mostly sells all inclusive resorts is not the right person for a Holy Land itinerary or a church group of forty.
• Notice whether they ask you questions. An advisor who quotes before understanding is selling, not advising.

What we do

Anchors Away World Cruise Specialists has been matching travelers to ships from West Palm Beach, Florida since 1985. A member of CLIA for forty years, a member of Travel Leaders Network, and specialists in world cruises, river cruising, group travel, accessible travel and faith based land and sea travel.

We listen first. Tell us where you are dreaming of and we will take the time to get to know you, so the first reply already has real options in it.