by Connie George

“I’m thinking about booking a cruise on the internet, but I’m not sure if I’ll be able to book an accessible cabin on-line. I’m not opposed to working with a travel agent, but I want a good deal. According to the newspapers, cruise travel is the only way travel agents still make good commissions; so I figure if I cut out the middle man and deal directly with the cruise line, I’ll save some bucks. Plus I hear that the internet is the best place to get a good deal, so why should I even bother with a travel agent?”
Tamara
Phoenix, AZ

It makes sense to stretch your vacation dollars by getting the best value for your money. Notice I said “best value” and not “cheapest.” Sometimes the two can go hand-in-hand, but other times there’s a big difference. The internet can exacerbate that difference.

It’s true there are some great deals on the internet, but they aren’t as numerous as sometimes reported in the press. And those “deals” can come with a hidden price tag. For every couple of “I got a great deal” stories, there’s at least one “my vacation was screwed up” story. Those negative stories are often relayed by someone who has special needs.

Yes, with the scaling back of airline commissions, many travel agencies now actively sell other types of travel. Cruises are one of those alternatives. Actually it’s more cost effective for cruise lines to sell through travel agencies (and pay commissions), than to burden their own reservation staff. The cruise lines don’t pass on commissions on direct bookings, because direct bookings are labor intensive and actually cost more to process.

As far as on-line bookings go, no major cruise line offers accessible cabins in their on-line inventory. This is done to insure that accessible cabins go to people who need them. If you want to book on-line, you have to book a non-accessible cabin and then call the cruise line or dot com agency to see if an accessible cabin is available in that category. Then you have to change your reservation. Bear in mind that most dot com agencies operate on volume and their agents (who aren’t usually trained in disability travel) can’t afford to spend time on the telephone fielding questions.

If you book on your own, you’ll also have to follow through with the cruise line regarding any special needs; such as medical equipment allowed on board, rental equipment delivered to the ship, specific access features of your cabin and accessible transportation to and from the port. You’ll have to research each port, determine its accessibility and in most cases plan your own accessible shore excursions. The cost of these calls alone (many of which are international) can far outweigh any money saved by booking on-line.

In the long run, it’s easier (and cheaper) to deal with an agency that specializes in disability travel; one that also has a good working relationship with the special needs departments of many cruise lines. Am I biased? Well, maybe but I’ve just heard one too many horror stories about wheelchair-users who were booked in inaccessible cabins on sold out ships, passengers who were stranded at airports with no accessible transportation, and clients who needed insurance but didn’t know it was available.

Many people assume you’ll get the most accurate access information by going directly to the cruise lines. That’s not always the case. For example, one of my new clients was previously informed by a cruise line representative that two power wheelchair-users could comfortably get around in the accessible cabin on a particular ship. When she mentioned the ship, I groaned because I know the accessible cabin measures 185 square feet and only has one 5 X 5 turn around. It’s just not (realistically) big enough for two wheelchair-users. Their cruise was ruined. They got off at the first port and returned home. A well educated disability travel specialist would never have booked two power wheelchair-users in that cabin.

In short, your travel agent should be able to handle all of the details for you. They should directly handle or guide you with cabin selection, and plan for your ground transportation, special equipment and shore activities. Additionally they should inform you about any shortcomings of the ships or ports. For someone without a disability, a travel agent is a reservationist, friend, guide and trouble-shooter; but for someone with a disability, the agent also takes on the added role of advocate.

Connie George is the owner of Connie George Travel Associates. She can be reached at (610) 532-0989 or connie@cgta.com