My Cruise Booking Story (A vent and it is long) - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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I am usually not the complaining type. But...yesterday I feel like I was thrown under the bus by the AAA travel agent that was helping me book a cruise.
I have been thinking for a looong time that it would be nice to get away during the girls spring break. It would be so nice to see the sun instead of the gray clouds and snow here in Ohio!
So, I have been doing my research. As any good passporter would do! I looked at numerous cruise lines and finally found one I was happy with. And no it is not a Disney Cruise. There were no sailings at the time I was looking for with Disney.
Anyway...I had priced things myself online. It was reasonable. I was looking at airfare and found an okay price out of Cleveland.($289 to Miami, not bad)
But since I have never booked a cruise before I went in to AAA to have them help me. Mostly with choosing the right deck and stateroom since there are 4 of us going on the trip.
Let's just say I can't stop thinking about the whole encounter.
First of all I was supposed to meet this travel agent at 1:30. I got there and she was still with another client. I think it was around 2:30 that I finally got to meet with her. That is red flag #1 and I should have left right then.
So, we finally meet. I was telling this nice travel agent that if she couldn't get me a good price on airfare that I would just wait and get it on my own. That didn't go over well as she went on and on about the travel insurance and how I wouldn't be covered if I booked the airfare myself. I mean on and on about if my flights were delayed and I missed the sailing and on, and on, and on.(Red flag #2, which I didn't notice as a red flag! )
Essentially, she scared me into getting the whole package there and spending about $700 more than I wanted to spend. And that was basically on airfare alone!! The airfare, which I don't even know what carrier or what time at this point, was $469 per person! Yes, it makes you sick doesn't it?
I hope that I picked the right stateroom because I feel like that is what I went there to get help with and I didn't get any help at all!
I honestly feel like I got taken advantage of. I can't stop thinking about the whole thing. It is even making me feel NOT excited about the whole trip now.
I am really trying to just let it go. What can I do about it now? It is all said and done at this point. Just being able to tell this to all of you, really makes me feel better. I know this was a long posting! Sorry! I just needed to tell my story to a few of my friends! Thanks for listening!
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Sorry you had such a bad experience.
My advice would be to use a cruise agent in the future.
Can I ask what line/ship you are going on, and maybe I can give you some insight into that ship?
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yep, I belong to AAA only for the other discounts and the tow that I need every 10 years or so.
An AAA agent at a travel fair basically wouldn't answer my questions unless I would make an appointment with her. Sorry, you can sell me here just like you can there.
I'm so sorry you had this happen to you. I would go to the supervisor and let
them know that you aren't happy with the service. Then if they won't help you
I would cancel your trip with that travel agent and go to another one.
My first experience with our AAA travel person wasn't that great either....
I waited close to 2 hours for her (after having to come back 3 times) and
I just talked with her boss. I didn't like to do it, but sometimes that is
the only way they know something is wrong.
Oh I'm so sorry to hear you had such a bad experience. I'd definitely try to talk to a supervisor. Honestly, if you're not feeling excited about this trip the way it is right now, I'd cancel it and try again with a different travel agent. Not sure if you can cancel without a penalty, though.
I know how angry you gotta feel right now but if you end up keeping this package, try not to let the bad experience ruin the anticipation and the trip itself! Here's some pixie dust headed your way
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My advice would be to use a cruise agent in the future.
Thanks for the advice and I totally agree!
Thanks to everyone for the pixies and just the encouragement. I was really upset over the whole thing! I still feel a little miffed, but I am getting excited for the trip.
Thanks again! I knew you would all understand where I was coming from!
At the very least, by talking to a supervisor, you can get another agent who you may mesh with better (even if it's just because it's not the one who didn't listen). Or, because of the way it was handled, they may be willing to let you transfer it to another agent without penalty. If they don't, or the supervisor doesn't take care of your concerns, then THAT's what will tell you what kind of agency they are.
About This Page: 
My Cruise Booking Story (A vent and it is long)
I looked at numerous cruise lines and finally found one I was happy with. And no it is not a Disney Cruise. 
There were no sailings at the time I was looking for with Disney. 
It was reasonable. I was looking at airfare and found an okay price out of Cleveland.($289 to Miami, not bad)
I think it was around 2:30 that I finally got to meet with her. That is red flag #1 and I should have left right then. 
)
Yes, it makes you sick doesn't it? 
*Ginger*
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