I attended a writers' retreat in New Orleans last month with travel journalists and editors. extremely I experienced this when planning a trip. A friend booked a large ship cruise but ran into a problem. Her experience has already been so negative that she doesn't want to travel now, she said.
I was surprised. “Did you book a cruise without a travel agent?” I asked. Now it was her turn to be surprised. “you Do you use a travel agency?” She said in disbelief. Certainly, I know something about ships, having been the editor-in-chief of Cruise Critic for over 12 years and having sailed on over 300 different voyages. But I wouldn't even consider booking a cruise on my own.
why?
Why not?
Wendy Perrin, a travel journalist who runs a website that connects travelers with top travel planners, answers this question much better than I can. “I would never book a trip without the right travel agent,” she says. “If something goes wrong, the right travel agency can advocate for you. We can prepare a special experience for you. Eliminate unnecessary logistics. We'll help you book smart flights, make land arrangements before and after your cruise, and choose the right travel insurance to suit your needs. They can recommend different layouts as well as cruise cabin categories and locations.
“Ultimately, it just enhances the service that the cruise line is already providing,” says Perrin, who is also the godmother of Windstar’s Star Breeze.
Throughout May, the cruise industry is celebrating its commitment to travel advisory partners by creating new programs and launching new software. To make their job easier. And that's something the average traveler might not even need to know. But in honor of this month, we encouraged some Windstar guests to share their experiences. Experience with a trusted travel advisor.
Why should I care about planning and logistics?
“She does everything,” says Judi Witt, whose most recent voyage took her and her husband to the Greek Islands and Ephesus. “Her agent served as host for the guests she booked the cruise.” said. “She arranges flights and travel and takes care of everything from A to Z without us having to think. She tells us what to bring and what not to bring. One day, when it rained suddenly, she ran into her store and bought us all clothes to cover up. She has never failed to live up to our expectations.”
And New Zealand-based Wendy London, who has just returned from her first Windstar cruise, insists it's not just planning and logistics that matter. It’s about understanding the traveler’s preferences and style. “Windstar didn't even catch my attention, but my travel agent suggested I join them on a seven-day New Zealand coastal cruise aboard Star Breeze just three days after completing a 78-day voyage on another route. It was a completely transformative experience given by my travel agent, who was also a great friend, who looked after my cruise life and opened my eyes to something different.”
When Real Life Happens
Sometimes things go wrong. Sandra Drewes' travel agency was instrumental in putting things right, even when matters became very complicated. Like, for example, when Sandra Drewes and her husband Warren were booked on back-to-back voyages that culminated in a crossing of the Pacific Ocean. Alaska. “We were sailing from Osaka to Yokohama and then from Yokohama to Alaska,” she said. Then her husband had to have unexpected eye surgery. This meant missing the first part of the sequence (ok, that's easy to change). Relocation. Since this is a trans-Pacific crossing, the efforts of a good travel advisor were essential as Windstar visits very small ports before crossing the ocean.
“There were three possibilities for us to connect with the ship,” she said. “One had to take a nine-hour train. Another had no customs or immigration office, which meant we wouldn't have been able to get on the ship. The last one was accessible by plane from Tokyo. We took it. He saved our trip.”
expanding horizons
Several guests mentioned that their travel advisors became their friends. Wendy London said she became a very close friend with Tasi, who was her longtime advisor until Tasi made her recent career change. Tasi “took a bus from Auckland to Wellington to celebrate her husband’s 80th birthday in Wellington”. All flights were booked. So the bus was the only way down.
And sometimes they do things that are not at all in their job description. But it goes beyond logistics and support and can make your trip special. I reached out to my travel advisor to find examples of the truly unique services she provided. This includes preparing mahjong sets for purchase and waiting for customers to board the cruise ship, as well as bringing another customer's favorite snacks from the U.S. and dropping them off at his hotel in Amsterdam six days before arrival. He was on a keto diet during the trip and was upset because his supplies were running low.” This is my favorite. “When guests couldn't get early check-in at their hotels, we changed our airport transfer service to 'driver pretends to get lost' and then the driver stopped by a farmhouse to check directions. It was such an amazing farm luncheon for them.”
Editor's Note: Thank you. Bruce Iacobelli, Mathy Simon Wasserman, and Claudia Cox helped connect us with travelers.