How Do I Get Discounted Cruises?

Can websites offering discounted cruises be trusted?

• I am searching for a discounted cruise and sites like vacationstogo offer really great deals on cruises like carnival and royal carribean. But how do I know I am really buying a ticket for that ship. Or will the website charge their service fee that eventually make the price the add up to same prices listed on carnival or royal carribean's website?

• Answer:

  Some sites will offer a lower price and then once you get to a certain price you have to be contacted by someone with the company. Then they will give you the price with the fees and taxes added on. You may save a little, or you may pay the same price. The major concern here is when you get to the ship, whether or not you will actually have a room (sad to say, but this has happened way too many times to people not using reputable sites) There are good sites out there and there are sites out there that are going to be more damaging than helpful. If you are going to be booking a vacation on your own, be sure to do your research, check the BBB and online reviews to make the sure the company is reputable. Also do research on the cruise line and destinations you are going to to make sure that they are good. Be sure you know what you are getting it into when you book it. If you use a discounter, many times you will be on your own and have to take care of all your problems on your own. So just be sure you are able to handle this. Again, check with sites for reviews on the cruise to make sure you are taking a nice one, some aren't so nice. I know that my travel agent offer discounted rates for many, many cruises each year. Because she works with a big online agency they are one of the top booking agencies for most traveling companies. So they purchase group rates the day the cruise comes out and then offer the cruise at that rate until the rooms they purchased sold out. So it can save a lot of money over purchasing directly through the cruise line. Not only do I save money in most cases, but she will also take care of everything I need so I don't have any worries for my vacation. It is wonderful and the only way I choose to travel. So, there are some good cruise sites and there are some not so good. You just really need to do some research before doing anything to make sure that you getting into something that is safe. Make sure that you are able to handle the booking on your own, or find someone that you can trust to do the booking for you and take care of everything. Good luck and have a great trip!