Oh baby take me on a sea cruise! For a great price start at Vacationstogo!
Written: Jul 19 '02 (Updated Aug 17 '02)
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You just find out you're able to get a week off next month. You want to do something fun and exciting and not spend a lot of money. What you'd really like to do is take a cruise but, where would you find a great deal so close to your time off? Vacations To Go is one of the places I would suggest you START LOOKING ~ it may or may not be the best place to END!
This is a hard one for me to rate, as there are things I do like and things I don't like about the site. They have SOME good deals but they also list deals that you can easily beat in prices elsewhere! So, bottom line is look it over and see what they have to offer, check other sites and if Vacations To Go has the best price, use them. If someone else can offer you a better one, use them!
WHAT EXACTLY IS THIS SITE?
Vacations to Go is a travel agency that sells cruises. Their site also has information on different ships and different informative topics but, they are in business to do one thing ~ sell you a cruise!
They have been in business since 1985 and specialize in selling discounted cruises that leave within 90 days.
UPFRONT, THE 3 MAIN THINGS I DON'T LIKE ABOUT THIS SITE
1. When I go to a site looking for information, I don't like to register before I can see ANY of the deals and at Vacations to Go that is precisely what you must do! You must register with your name(they even ask for a middle name, but I left mine out and it went through), your address, email and a password. I know it isn't a lot of information but, it is more that I want to give out when I just want to look and see if there is anything I am interested in.
2. If I am at an online site, I would like to do my business ONLINE. I am not one that likes to look around, choose something and then call it in! I LIKE doing business via the web and one of the reason I do it that way, is so I can do it on MY schedule. I live a very busy life and in the past I have booked everything from cruises, to hotels to international travel to cars to trains online. If I wanted to talk on the phone and have someone tell me things I already knew and try to sell me something else, I'd do it that way. But I prefer controlling my own schedule and therefore, (I'll say it again) If I am at an online site, I would like to do my business ONLINE!
At Vacations to Go you may request a quote by emailing them but they will CALL you back with it! So, there goes the whole, doing it on MY schedule idea! You may call them for the quote but there again, I am stuck on a phone! This site would have made A LOT more points with me if they would have the ability to do a booking either right there or at least let the guest communicate via email if they wish. They give NO estimated time as when the call will come (no your call will be returned within 4 hours or even a between the hours of 8-11 AM) and some of us have teenage daughters who LIVE on the extra phone line!
3. I do NOT like HURRY! HURRY! flashing at me when I am trying to look at a deal! I do not like pushy things(including signs LOL), I do not like feeling rushed and I especially don't like having my intelligence questioned and yet here I do! I feel like any minute some voice will bellow out "if you call in the next 10 minutes and book we will throw in this handy dandy chopper. It chops, it slices and yes it even dices! No home should be without one. But you MUST call in the next 10 minutes!"
FOUR THINGS I DO LIKE ABOUT THE SITE
1. The topic section has some useful information especially for first time cruisers. They cover things such as A day at sea, tipping, dress codes and packing
2. Their Ships and Ratings section. Here all of the different ships are given a rating of 1 to 6 stars. You can then click on any of the ship names to get more details that range from the amenities to the ships stats. You can also bring up pictures and diagrams of the cabins and main rooms.
This area contains information you can use when you are looking at a cruise. If you want to narrow down the ship, this is a great place to have them all together so you can go from ship to ship and compare.
3. The Port Info section. I really like that all of the ports are right there for you to read about. They are divided up by regions and when you click on a ports name you are taken to a page with a short synopsis of the area, the currency used, the weather and the language spoken. The synopsis is really too short to help you decide if you'd want to visit but the other information may be helpful.
4. I also like that they are just selling cruises. Their entire site is about cruises, from tips, to ships to the trips, all the information is about cruises!
HOW THE SITE IS ORGANIZED
There are two main areas ~ the 90 Day Ticker and the newly added Find a Bargain ~ for locating a cruise.
Use the 90 Day Ticker If you are looking for a deal within the next 90 days. This will bring up their list of deals, divided by destinations and each with a clickable link for more information.
If you are planning to go further in the future (up to a year), use the Find a Bargain link. You will be asked more information (region, month of travel, length of cruise, etc.) to narrow down the choices. You are then taken to a page with all of their choices for that time period.
There are also links to bring up the different cruise ships and ports.
THIS AND THAT
** Their phone number is 800-338-4962 and they can be reached Mon-Fri, 7am-10pm and Sat-Sun, 9am-6pm (CST)
** ~~ ** ~~ ** 2BUZY'S FINAL THOUGHTS ON THIS SITE ~~ ** ~~ ** ~~
I cannot recommend or not recommend this site for booking a cruise but I can recommend it for the information. I was able to MATCH and usually BEAT ALL of their deals and so can you! By simply visiting the cruise companies web site or giving them a call, you can get the same deal and most times, even beat it!
I have done this over and over and EACH time I was able to either match the Vacations To Go price or get a better deal. What is very important to me is being able to do it on my own schedule and not having a HURRY HURRY flashing at me. I do want to mention that EVERY time I checked, there WERE cabins available.
I REALLY don't like that you can't do the whole process via email, that is one MAJOR strike for me! The thing is that you can book cruises online at many other sites, and I really prefer that.
It is a wonderful place to gain the knowledge you will need when you are looking for a deal. You can see which one has cabins available and then either visit that companies website or give them a call and see what price they can offer you. It also gives you a starting price to see how it compares to other sites and agents.
I am not saying you should NOT buy from here, I am saying that BEFORE you book with ANYONE, check, check and then check again for a lower price! This is true with ALL types of travel ~ NEVER jump on the first offer! Knowledge is ALWAYS a good thing and in travel it can save you both time and headaches!
I have trouble with a site that won't let me make a purchase online and/or my own schedule. But I must stress, that if they do end up offering the best price, I would not hesitate to go with them.
With all that said, I will have to go with 3 stars and recommend it to a friend ~ after all they provide you with a lot of information and they just might be able to give you the best price as well!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
2buzy
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Location: In front of the computer!
Reviews written: 381
Trusted by: 294 members
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"I'm for a stronger death penalty." - President George Bush
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