Please help with these 3 Cruise travel questions!!?

Question

1. Did you buy your cruise through a travel agent? Why or why not? Have you ever had a travel agent before?

2. In your opinion, who are the three most important cruise line staff members you came in contact with during your cruise? Why did you choose those three?

3. Did you ever entertain the thought of being a travel agent? Or working on a cruise ship (and in what capacity)? Why or why not?

Answer 1

1. i have bought cruises online and through a travel agent.  I liked working with the travel agent when i wanted a certain room and help with an itinerary. I like the online reservations because of price.

2. room steward, cruise pursars desk staff, the person who smiles at you and makes you feel welcome.(may be ships medical staff; may be a bartender. could be a future cruise consultant.

3. yes, i thought about being a travel agent, yes i thought about working on a cruise ship.  I guess i thought the

TA part would not last for me.

why your questions?

cruiseclues.com

cruisecritic.com

Answer 2

1. I was a Travel Consultant and Tour Director for 32 years....planned plenty of other peoples cruises (and was very good at it).  I do my own now - I use 2 websites and always check directly with the cruiseline to compare prices.  Unless you are familiar with cruising, pricing for cruises, cabin categories, etc., I suggest you use a Travel Consultant the first time.

2.Room Steward, Wait staff, bartenders

3. The travel industry has changed so much over the last 10 years.  Unless you have a specialization and PLENTY of experience, you will never make a living in the retail travel industry today.

I thought, briefly, of working on a cruise ship...not FOR the cruise line but for one of the vendors who operate the Shore Excursion Desk or the shops....but decided I'd rather cruise on a ship than work on one.

Since retiring, I find that having a "no-brainer" part time simpleton job is perfect.........  20-25 hours a week in a retail pharmacy clerking is all the "work" I want to do.

If  you decide to work on a cruise ship, remember, you will be WORKING, will not be able to leave the ship all the time, will share a cabin with 2 or 3 others and will go months before you can take time off.  While it might appear that cruiseship jobs are wonderful, there are drawbacks.

Answer 3

1. Ive done it alot of ways...travel agent, web sites and direct thru the cruise line...who ever gives me the best price

2. The room steward and the table waiter. The purser only if i have issues

3. Its a great way to travel more but i'd never work on a ship...rather play on one

Answer 4

1. been on 21 cruises, used travel agent once. I have found most travel agents have never been on most cruises they are booking. They go by the brouchure, cruise lines & what people tell them.

2. the reception desk staff, room steward & as many others as possible. All come in handy when you have a question.

3. no to both. Why I prefer to be a guest. My free time & I want to enjoy it.

Answer 5

1.  Travel agent.  Our "cruise lady" only books cruises.  Always gets us a deal - we always have a very large suite.

2.  Room steward - he takes good care of you.  Makes you funny towel animals.  Will keep your ice bucket full for you.  

Waiters/assistant Waiters - they make me laugh.  Will always remember your name.  Bring your drinks immediately.  Know what you like and what you don't like even after the first night.

Pool Bartender -  Make friends with this person.   You'll never have to wait in line for a drink!!

3. NO - I enjoy going on cruises - I don't want to work there.

Answer 6

1. Prefer to book thru the Cruise line but there is nothing wrong with a travel agent as long as they are CLIA members.

2. Room Steward, Waiter, and favorite Bartender.  These are the ones I see durring the cruise the most so its nice to have a good relationship with them.

3. Thought about being a travel agent but decided I am not the people person it would take to do so.  I don't think I could take 14 hour days, 7 day weeks for 6-10 months at a time to work on a cruise ship.

Answer 7

1. On my very first cruise I used a travel agent and I paid too much and recieved too little. Since then I have used a variety of on line sites but I prefer to deal directly with the cruise line. I personally prefer Carnival and I will contact my "personal planner" who then proceeds to get me the best price and best upgrades. He also keeps me posted about changes and additional benefits that might occur so I can get them.

2. There are actually five people you should bet aquainted with on the ship. The first two are obvious, your room steward and your dinner server. Your room steward should introduce himself/herself the first night you are there. Look to him/her for anything you need in your room. You can go throught the purser (like a hotel front desk) but you will end up waiting. Your room steward will deal with your problem then and there. Get friendly with your dinner server, you may not realize it but you can get anything you want at dinner including multiple entries or desserts. So if you don't like something let him/her know and they will get you a replacement ASAP. The other three people are the Cruise Director and the two people who will handle shore excursions and shopping. The shopping person will give you valuable information on where to buy items and how to get discounts and free things. We met up with our shopping expert on the Triumph in Cozumel and he took us to Diamonds Inational and helped my wife purchase a Phillips Stein watch for me at an unbelievably good price. The Cruise director will let you know everything that is going on onboard the ship including things not generally known. There is no way they can inform you of all that is going on, so meeting these people will help insure you don't miss something you would have enjoyed going to. They will also be happy to assist you with anything you need as it is their job to be sure the guests have a good time and they will do their best to make sure that happens.

3. I have never entertained the though of working a cruise ship, that is probably because I like what I do and it pays well so I can afford to travel.

Answer 8

1. No way, this website has cruises for up to 80% rack rates: http:www.choiceretreat.com

2. The people who check you in and look at your passport.

     The waiter

     The guy who lets you back on board in port.

3. Yes, it would be a nice way to travel and get paid.

Answer 9

Yes we go thru a travel agent and she gets us really good deals.  Plus she works hard to get all our rooms very close together.  If there is some sort of problem they are there to assist.  They also handle our paperwork and get them filled in for us.  They put in our request for bed arrangements and dinner seating places and times. 3 MOST IMPORTANT 1. room steward. 2. Dining room waiters.  3. I would have to pick the captain who makes it a safe and enjoyable trip!

Yes did think about being a travel agent but could not pronounce all the cities and had no clue where they all were!   Yea I could see working on a ship but going as a passenger is so much better :  )

Answer 10

1. I just got back from my first cruise a couple of weeks ago.  I went on Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas.  But to answer your first question, I booked through my AAA travel agent.  Whenever I do any travelling, I use them to book my arrangements.

2. The 3 most important people on the cruise?  I'd have to say my stateroom attendant, who I saw almost every day, her and her crew were very friendly, and helpful w/ any questions I had.  I loved the silly towel creatrues they would make every night.  Then I'd pick my bartenders at my usual bars.  They were great guys, met lots of new people because of them.  

3. After my cruise, I have thought about working on a cruise.  I couldn't be a travel agent, unless it paid really good money.  But being a bartender on a cruise, I could see myself doing that.  I've been a bartender for 4 years now, and I would have a blast.

Answer 11

1.  I purchased cruise tickets through iBtraveling.com because you can find the cruise and price you want.  You can compare prices from all the big companies just like a travel agent does and you don't have to pay the travel agent's fees.

2.  The waiters and waitresss are the people I can in contact the most.  If they were happy and outgoing, then they made the cruise special.  The cabin stewards were out of sight, even though they fixed the room up each day, but were appreciated just the same. :)

3.  Working on a cruise ship is for twenty somethings.  They work hard and live in cramped quaters, therefore, no I wouldn't want to work on a cruise ship.  Being a travel agent...I hear it's a big headache finding people tickets at good prices and then they say "sorry, I found something else and bought tickets elsewhere."  So, no I don't want to be a travel agent.

Answer 12

1)  My first cruise was purchased for me.  My next five cruises I did not use a travel agent.  However, for my last cruise and three of my next four cruises I am using a travel agent.  First of all the prices are the same.  Second, I am interested in taking more exotic and/or unusual cruises, and I want the experience a travel agent can provide me.  Third, I want someone with some influence with the cruise line on my side should something go wrong.  Fourth, on my last cruise I wanted a very hard to get cabin.  There are only four on the ship and my travel agent was able to get one of them for me.  The four cabins sold in within the first hour of the first day that the cabins were made available for booking.  Since I was on a cruise myself that day, I would not have been able to get the cabin myself.  Fifth, I want the advise of someone who knowns more about cruising than I do.  Sixth, he offers me gifts while on the ship (though I have made it clear to him that it is his service that interests me, not any gifts that he arranges for me to get).

2)  The CRUISE DIRECTOR is the passenger's senior staff contact for the cruise.  A good cruise director can make a fun cruise special.  The WAIT STAFF (waiter & waitress) are the staff people I spend most of my time talking to.  Though the cruise director is a senior staff member who spends a lot of time talking to the passengers (via announcements and as MC for all the shows), I don't spend much time talking to the cruise director.  My room steward usually is trying to clean my cabin while I am not there, so that only leaves the wait staff to speak with.  I have been lucky that most of my wait staff have been very interesting people and willing to spend a little time speaking with me.  Finally there is the ROOM STEWARD.  The room steward is the person responsible for cleaning the cabin and making sure it is stocked with the things I need.

3)  I am well established in my career, so I have not considered seriously changing careers and becoming a travel agent.  Perhaps when I retire I might consider it, but not now.  As to working on a cruise ship, those people work too hard.

Answer 13

1.  Bought 2 cruises through a travel agent and 5 directly from the cruise line.  tip: if possible, use a credit card to purchase your cruise as well as any on board or in-port purchases.  If something goes wrong you can dispute it with the credit card company.  Our first cruise was going to be a Hawaii cruise, but the company went out of business.  Thankfully we had purchased it on our credit card and we got all our money back without having to hassle with the bankrupt cruise line.

I have not found travel agents to be all that helpful or knowledgable.  I found more info on the internet and it was very easy to book the cruise and shore excursions via the web.  I also booked directly with RCI via 1-800.  I have used travel agents in the past.

2.  Waiter, room steward, bar waiter at dinner.  Waiter - can make or break your dining experience.  I consider the sit down dinner in the dining room one of the most important aspects of the cruise.  The waiter and his assistant can make it a really memorable experience.  You want him/her to be efficient yet friendly.  It's fun to learn about where they are from.  A good waiter will make you feel like royalty.  Room steward - because you want a nice clean room and bathroom, fresh ice when you come back from the daily excursions.  Chocolates on your pillow.  Towel animals to amuse you each evening.  A big smile and friendly greeting each time you arrive and depart your room.  Bar waiter in the dining room - sometimes you just need a drink fast.

3.No to being a travel agent.  Working on a cruise ship - yes as IT support.  Why - decent pay, considered an officer, don't have to work as long hours as regular staff.  Why not - 24 hour on call, very tight living quarters, away from friends and family for extended periods.  It's really not like the "Love Boat", all the staff on the cruise ships work really hard long hours and have very little free time.  I'd rather be on a cruise than work on one.