Sometimes You Don't Need Me. Here's When.

Not every cruise needs a travel advisor. Some don't need one at all. That's an odd thing for an advisor to write. But "The trip is yours. The work is mine." only means something if there's real work to hand off. When there isn't, my fee is just a fee. So here's when I'd tell you to book it yourself. ## The short, simple sailing Three or four nights out of a port you can drive to. No flights, no hotel, no group. You pick a ship, pick a cabin, and go. There isn't much to plan there. My fees don't shrink to match a short fare, so on a four-night sailing they take a much bigger bite of what you spend. And a short cruise is a good way to find out whether you like cruising before you put real money into a long one. ## The casino offer If a cruise line's casino program sent you a free or reduced-fare offer, read the terms on it. Depending on the line and the offer, the cruise may have to be booked through the line's casino desk, or even online in your own account. When that's the case, that part's yours. Call the number on the offer. The rest of the trip isn't locked up the same way. Flights, the hotel the night before, transfers, a train to the port, excursions: I can still handle all of that around a cruise you booked yourself. If the offer is the whole trip, you don't need me. If it's the centerpiece of a bigger one, you might. ## You love the planning Some people enjoy the hunt: deck plans at midnight, fare-watching, every review of every specialty restaurant. For them, planning is part of the vacation, and handing it off would take something away. If that's you, keep it. ## Five hours and the lowest fare [Expedia measured](https://www.expedia.com/newsroom/eg-path-to-purchase-research/) how long travelers actually spend with travel content before they book. It's a little over five hours, on average, across the 45 days beforehand. For a lot of people, that's the whole job. Search, compare prices, check out. Planning a cruise all the way through, on your own, runs closer to thirty hours. Matching the ship to how you travel. The cabin to how you sleep. The flight to a day-early arrival. And the plan B for when something slips. If five hours on a booking site and the lowest fare gets you the cruise you want, go book it. Enjoy it. What my fee buys you is the other twenty-five hours or more, the ones most people don't know they skipped until something goes sideways. ## When the math changes Add flights, a hotel night, a second cabin, a milestone, or a "which line is right for us" question, and it isn't a simple booking anymore. That's where the hours go, and that's what I'm for. Counterpoint: how I bring value to your trip.
One more thing worth knowing. On the lines I work with, a future cruise you book onboard transfers automatically to the advisor who booked the cruise you're sailing. So if you think you'll want help down the road, the first booking is the one that sets that up. Not sure which side of the line your trip is on? Ask. If the answer is "book it yourself," I'll say so.