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Trying to plan my wedding, we got prices thru a travel agent and it seems like you can get a better deal booking thru couple's website. My fiance makes everything difficult! Wonder if I will ever make it to couples? Just wondering what most couples do? Thanks
I always book the room directly through the resort but I book my own airfare.
I also book hotel with resort and I book my own flights
I booked right through couples.com I found it to be alittle cheaper.
We booked online and havent used a travel agent in years but that is just us and we always book our airfare on our own too! Good luck with the wedding planning and getting to Couples!
We booked thru our travel agent. I absolutely love her. We got the exact same pricing.
We had always booked through a TA until this last time. We booked the room direct, and used our TA for the flight. My husband has some health issues, and it is always easier to have the TA handle anything that comes up when it comes to the airlines. I just like to have a backup person if anything goes wrong.
We have booked both ways, have always gone with the better deal. Two occasions with CN room only and frequent flyer miles, two times entire packages thru travel agent, one occasion room direct and air myself. I have found better fitting flights and less costly booking the air myself when booking the room direct with Couples.
When you book through a travel agent, you're also enlisting their "service after the sale", so to speak. For example, if you're not comfortable dealing with the airline, or insurance claims, or scheduling issues, you need an advocate to help you out. That's where a reliable travel agent comes in.
If, however, you have the moxy to deal with the airlines, cut your own deal on your airfare. At that point, you're also a free agent on how you want to book your resort.
Good luck, and enjoy!
We also booked through the website because of the savings. We also booked our flight.Quote:
Originally Posted by CMoore
We have booked both ways, but have the past few visits booked through a Travel Agent.
We book room with couples on website and find flight separately. This has seemed to be the most cost effective, and since room is booked so much earlier than flight, we can watch for deals. And we always buy separate travel insurance separately (Travel Guard most of the time).
I booked with a travel agent and it came out to the same as what I would have paid through the Couples website (hotel only, haven't booked airfare yet). Maybe try a different travel agent, especially if you are doing a wedding and will have a lot of people booking, it might make it easier.
We have always shopped around different websites and travel agencies and have gotten much better deals than booking direct with Couples. You just have to have the time to do it and I love the challenge. In fact this years trip is about $600 less than our last trip 4 years ago with both trips being the exact same. I also book our own air.
We book through an agent and the big reason for that is she does all the leg work.... and she does a lot of it as far as searching for best flights and airports and the dates/rates etc. And we also like having her there in case something happens. So far we have only one issue happen and it was our first trip but we were SO glad we had her to deal with the situation and after that we will always go through an agent. After working with the same agent for years you build a relationship also which is really nice. So it may be cheaper to go through couples and do your own leg work (I'm not sure the difference is that drastic to be honest) but that is why we go through an agent. I think there is a pretty good mixture of people that go through Couples and agents. I guess its just a personal preference. Congrats on your wedding and however you choose to book it, it will be amazing!
we use a travel agent and she matches or bests the Couples prices...and, she is there for us if we have any issues with the airlines!!
We always book through American Express (Platinum Card) and use AMEX points to help pay for the trip. We also get 20% of the points back for next year!!!! We include air in the package and get a better or the same cost as directly with Couples, then pay with points to get it way donw. We like the 'one person to call if there is a problem' concept.
We booked our couples trip thru an online travel agent. Not only did we change the resort but we also changed the room with no issues or problems at all. You can book airfare and hotel on the one site and make payments instead of having all the funds up front.
We used a travel agency when we brought our big group down in June. We got the same rates that were listed on the Couples website and all the extras at the time we booked as well. It was nice not having to worry about a thing. We jsut had to put our name at the bottom of the paper and all was fine.
Ditto! I too enjoy the challange of finding a better deal. But, as much as I check around, we always end up booking through the same online TA. They have been the cheapest for the last 6 years. I just checked last week and they are about $350 cheaper than the Couples site for a Penthouse at CSS for next April. I know I can't post who they are on the message board but, Google away. All but 2 times we got a better deal booking our own airfare and it's easier to choose the flight times that fit better when you book the flights yourself.Quote:
Originally Posted by momof2
I always end up booking through a travel agent just so I have someone to go to in the event something goes wrong and for the piece of mind that I have a contact person. Before booking however I always do my homework by pricing out using couples.com as well as other travel websites, etc. This year I found it cheaper elsewhere but our travel agent matched it! In the end I got the lowest price and a contact person.
I forgot to add to my previous post that the service we received from our online TA has been fantastic.
On 2 of our trips we had to change the dates and it was taken care of in a matter of a couple hours. On another occasion, 2 years ago, we were heading to CSA with my wifes sister and husband. About 3 months before going, he was diagnosed with cancer (he beat it!). While going through chemo, he was told no flying, sun, alcohol or fruit. That pretty much ruled out going to Jamaica. We had the trip insurance offered by the TA and it was all handled within a matter of days. Even though they are an online TA, you can speak to your rep at any time. The service is fantastic and they are the cheapest I have found. Believe me, I spend hours searching for the best deal on any major purchase and a trip to Couples is pretty major for us.
I always use a TA, I actually have become great friends with her. Pricing is always the same. My TA has booked most of ours through Worry Free Vacations and FunJet. Plus she has always gone the extra step with us :D
Disclaimer: I am a travel agent.
Couples is VERY travel agent friendly and I have never had them undercut me on price. If a TA is giving you a higher price than the Couples direct price, find a new TA. Plus TA can sometimes get you what is called bulk airfare which means it is less than what is available to the general public. Also if something like a resort credit is available through Couples it is also available through your TA.
Travel agents also have a local Couples rep (yea Mike) who can help out if there is a problem.
Couples is not only a great resort it is a great company to deal with from a TA stand point.
Now I shall get off my soapbox.....LOL.........:D