Generally speaking, will I be able to get better prices from the cruise line itself, a travel agent, a third party website, or is it just a matter of time and place with each outlet?

IMO, a 3rd party website usually has the best deals. Except for when I book a flight on Southwest, I generally always find the best deals on these 3rd party sites. Two in particular where I see a lots of cruise deals are Book-It.com and Travelzoo.com. TripAdvisor.com will also lead you to some good deals thru other sites. (Sorry I didn't take the time to put in the links)

In addition I nearly always do a Google search for the particular situation, especially if it's a big trip or somewhere I've not been before. Just make sure it's a reputable site and good luck on your search.




***I was Aggie, when Aggie wasn't cool***

vacationstogo.com

vacationstogo.com

or

cruisecompete.com

galvestoncruises dot com
800-593-8679, x-207 (Beverly)

Anyone ever just show up at the port of departure
and be able to get on? if so, how did the cost compare with booking earlier? Other considerations?

My husband and I have talked about that too, but given that you have to have a passport, I wonder if they'll let you sign up that late. I would think they'd run some checks, but who knows. I'm curious to see if anyone has done this.

quote:

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Anyone ever just show up at the port of departure
and be able to get on?

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It's impossible for this to happen.

Check with tamulax33. He works for Vacations to Go. He set me up with a nice price on a cruise for January.

Nice find from 09...go tamulax all the way.

I think cruise companies have to submit their passenger manifests like 24-72 hours beforehand making it impossible to just show up...

I've had good luck with cruisecompete.com

I called VTG and booked 2 cabins at same price as I could directly with the Cruise line, except I got a $100 on board credit per cabin...$200 total.
The Cruise line never offered that or anything else.

I asked for the Aggie grad....the consultant laughed...they have 650 consultants working there.
His daughter goes to TAMU, so I went with him.
So far very satisfied.

VTG answered telephone quicker than the cruise line, and I was not on hold as long like the cruise line....and having to listen to their lame on hold info and jingle over and over.

I like vtg website. Easy to search for exactly what you want and they show the price and incentives listed.

Tamulax was great to deal with at Vacations To Go. I plan to use him on our next cruise as well.