My husband and I have been cruising since the 1970s. We have dealt with dozens of agents throughout the years while sailing over 100 cruises. By far, the best Cruise Consultant we ever worked with is Natalia Chitorog from Cruise Vacation Outlet [800-797-4635 Ext. 140; 407-275-2244 Ext. 140; or Natalia@CruiseVacationOutlet.com]. Before we book a cruise, we research prices, perks, and we know the cabin we want. This makes our bookings easy for agents to handle. However, what makes an agent "stand out" is when there is a change in plans. For example, if our son has time off and wants to join us, or when we see a special deal offered on an upgraded cabin. In these situations, we can always count on Natalia to immediately contact the cruise line, get back to us promptly, and change our bookings accordingly. Natalia has superb customer service skills, knows her stuff, and how to get things done. We continue to recommend Natalia to many passengers during our cruises. She is a "one-in-a-million Cruise Consultant and certainly the "go-to" agent for us.......Every time. Thank you, Natalia!!! If we could give you 10 STARS we would! Betty and Angelo from New Canaan, CT read more

Carlos was very helpful and friendly during the booking process, but unfortunately the customer service after that was disappointing. Once I had questions or concerns, it became very difficult to get a response, and I had to follow up multiple times just to receive an answer. I was also promised onboard dining as part of my booking, but when I boarded the ship, the dining credit was not there. When I asked to speak with a manager to resolve the issue, the experience became even worse. The manager was extremely rude, dismissive, and unprofessional instead of trying to help. Based on my experience, I cannot recommend this travel agency. Good customer service shouldn't end once the booking is complete. read more

I must have met a completely different Dan, because I found him to be short tempered and rude. I told him the exact deal I was currently being offered which was priced better than what he had sent me on Cruise Compete, and he basically told me not to contact him with fake offers. I have the offer in writing, but his ego seemed bruised that he wasnt close to being competitive and he simply told me that I misunderstood the written offer that I had - glad others had a positive experience with him, but the industry is very competitive and the last thing I need was a condescending travel agent read more

Dan is absolutely the best! He is quick to respond and every booking with him is seemless. I highly recommend using him for your travel. I've been using him for years and the level of service is top notch! read more

I've been working with the exceptional cruise travel agent, Dan Roney for many years on creating several fantastic cruises for me and my family. Dan is very professional, detailed, thoughtful, patient, and knowledgeable about his profession. Best travel agent out there who is always quick to respond to my questions! I wouldn't book a cruise any other way. read more

Having read other reviews, I feel sick to my stomach. We booked a double couple family cruise through Paru for 2027 but needed to move it up to 2026 due to a devastating diagnosis of a family member who wanted to travel before his condition worsened. Paru was not only un-sympathetic, she was unprofessional and condescending. Complained about going a couple minutes past 5 PM and told me that the cabin I originally held was no longer available and so had to pay for the next level up. I told her that the inventory I was looking at online showed that it was still available, but she rudely and impatiently countered that she had more current information, so I deferred to her. After I checked with the actual cruise line itself, I sent her evidence that the cabin I wanted was indeed available and to please change us back. She made no apologies for her mistake. It was a very uncomfortable encounter and I'm nervous that we will not get the support we need if anything were to come up with the cruise later because of how unwilling she was to help. We will see how it goes, and I will come back and update my review if this company is able to prove that they are worth their customers' trust. Booking a vacation should not feel like we are an inconvenience or treated like dummies. I really hope Cruise Vacation Outlet is able to redeem this terrible initial encounter with better service moving forward. read more

Dan is the best! We have been using Dan for a few years now and he always gets us the best deals out there. When we go on cruises the topic of who got the best deal always pops up amongst guests. Our deals through Dan are always the best. I wish I could keep him for ourselves, but I have to share this recommendation. During our cruises I always recommend Dan and Cruise Vacation Outlet. read more

Very Rude! Was screamed at by Beth after telling her SHE made a mistake on my payment.

Mel from Cruise Vacation Outlet was amazing at getting us the best price on a Viking river cruise for us. His quote beat out 5 other agents we checked with and we received not only best rates for the room , but an awesome airfare deal, extra credit to be used on the ship which paid all gratuities and hundreds of dollars sent back to us as a rebate check once our cruise was complete. Published fairs are not the best price and only some travel agents can secure the best prices, credits and rebates. CVO totally came through for us. Mel was always responsive to emails and happy to answer questions by phone. I'd use them in a second for future cruises. read more

We have sailed on two Princess cruises booked with Cruise Vacation Outlet, and will soon be on a third. Paru Madhav has been a good travel agent to work with. While we have not had any problems that we've needed CVO's help on, our bookings have been handled well and there have not been issues. read more

Thomas Skillman is amazing! We booked a cruise with Thomas on Holland America last November. Once arriving on the cruise ship, Holland America, we were alerted that some of the perks we were promised were not on our account. I immediately contacted Thomas and Cruise Vacations Outlet and resolved the issue immediately. We will book all of our cruises with Thomas Skillman. I have already referred friends to Thomas. How you handle problems is the real test of any company. When we had an issue Thomas Skillman and Cruise Vacation Outlet exceeded our expectations. For that reason, we will use Thomas for all future travel requirements. My husband and I recommend this company as their number one goal is to make us happy and stand behind their commitments! read more

Cautionary tale: As a past cruiser with a popular Cruise line, was looking forward to our next cruise using this affiliate of this Cruise line where our personal information was unduly compromised. Not only was our personal information disclosed to an ex gf regarding the details of our future cruise, the level of detail of that information was particularly of concern, without any acknowledgment of this breach let alone an apology seemingly forthcoming. Guess it's just the "cost" of doing business with this affiliate. Using patrons personal info as "currency"? Puzzling to say the least. Consider this not only to be a HUGE boundary transgression but a risk to our safety overall. Was also "encouraged" by these folks who failed to protect this very sacrosanct information and I quote verbatim "don' t reach out to the Cruise Line" Can't imagine as a fist time cruiser having to cope with this kind stress and situation. However that is exactly the position this breach has sadly put us in. Not to mention the embarrassment. Not exactly sure what the issues are with Cruise Vacation Outlet per se. Perhaps some training at dealing with irate people is in line. Hopefully it would go a long way at instilling little faith and possibly avoid this surprisingly not "one off" situation as discussed with the Cruise line. J. Sarazin read more

We've worked with Hiram Mateo for the past few years to book all of our cruise vacations. Hiram is a terrific partner. He is extremely knowledgable of the cruise industry, and worked tirelessly to accommodate our itineraries. We've worked with him through Covid and its aftermath, which required a lot of agility and patience as cruises kept getting cancelled and rebooked for months. He's been able to consistently secure better deals than other outlets, and when we were supposed to receive a refund, he kept following up with the cruise line and with us until the money hit our account! We appreciate his hard work and how easy he makes it for us! read more

Hiram Mateo is wonderful-he really know his stuff and can help you with all of you cruise and other vacation booking needs. He can get you the best price available. He strives to make the guest happy and to give the best de as long as he can do he can get your return business. I have used Cruise Vacation Outiet several times and I add always get the best prices (onboard credits too). Trust me, I've been in over 40 cruises, call Hiram and book through him-you will not be sorry! read more

I travel 6 to 7 times a year and I have never been charged a cancellation fee prior to final payment to the cruise line. Vacation Outlet charged $250 cancellation fee for two cabins I booked on a Celebrity cruise. Also I left several message for Kim my reservation agent with not response. Dont use this company unless you want poor customer service and fees to cancel before final payment dates. I will tell everyone I know NOT to use Vacation Outlet. Denise read more

Do not even contact them for a quote! They placed a reservation in my name to prevent me from working with other agencies. When I tried to reach them to have the reservation released they were unresponsive. There are many honorable travel companies who deserve your business. This is not one of them. read more

Carlos Brignoni is a fantastic communicator who goes above and beyond what you would expect from a vacation planner. Whether it is a small issue or a large one , he is on top of it!! Pricing and benefits are great and very competitive. In this day of craziness with travel, it;s good to know that service is just an email away. His responsiveness and ability to get things taken care of is what makes him an outstanding professional. Of course you can always call, but since much of the work done with cruise lines is done on the phone, email communication is fastest. Doing multiple things at a time is what makes Carlos great Thank you to Carlos read more

I found Paru fro Cruise Vacation Outlet through cruisecompete.com. Paru was the first to respond to my inquiry and gave me the lowest price among 3 agents. She secured 2 cabins for me and hold them for me but they were not ideal, I asked for unobstructed balcony view with connecting rooms while the best she found was couple cabins apart. By calling Royal Caribbean directly, I was able to get the exact cabin type I wanted. After hearing I booked with RCCL directly, Paru asked for the details of my bookings, fare paid, passenger details, FCC applied and offered to give me $650 worth of OBC if I transfer my booking to her. I did mention to her that I had another offer from American Express Platinum Travel which I could get $400 OBC if I transfer it to them instead. I confirmed with Paru once again she would give me $650 before I proceed with the transfer. Due to RCCL's clunky system, the transfer took over a month with multiple phone calls and emails from both Paru and me. At the end, I spent 1h20min (not Paru) on the phone with RCCL to get it straighten out which the RCCL agent said Paru could have been the one calling them for the transfer as I marked on my booking that she was the main contact of my booking (even before the transfer was finalized). Once the booking was transferred, Paru then told me instead of $650, I would only get $325 worth of credits. She miscalculated on her commission so there was not much left for her. She did not honor what she quoted me (50% less) and she did not match what the other agency would offer me. Paru made a mistake and did not own up to it. Again, I gave her all the information upfront, no hiding on my part. I gave her 2 chances to confirm the OBC amount. I was the one calling RCCL for the transfer but I would be the one taking the loss on her mistake. I have limited time to transfer a booking (60 days from when I booked), and the transfer from Paru used up most of it that there won't be enough time for me to transfer to another agency. However, I would rather have the booking released from her to be back under my control then the $325 OBC she offered. Stay away from Cruise Vacation Outlet regardless of what they quote you! They may decrease it as they wish and you won't find out until it's too late. read more

We booked our family trip with Carlos Brignoni and he was a huge help; he was responsive, knowledgeable, and willing to spend some time making sure everything was perfect. Most importantly, he made sure we got the best deal available! read more

Digger at x125 has assisted us with many cruises for years, always cheerful, pro-active and helpful. Now she and the rest of the travel industry have suffered through the pandemic, with tons of cruises cancelled, clients needing help with refunds and rescheduling. She has confronted this mess with good humor and continued dedicated service to her clients, in a stressfull, and not-at-all-remunerative environment. If you are a seasoned cruiser or just want to try one out, you can't do better than Digger to help you with everything! read more

I will never use this company again!! I worked with Susan Carr as out agent for our cruise and she was horrible. She set up our group with Carnival and never stayed on top of it. We have been doing group cruises for over 8 years and never have this type of experience before. People who were trying to book with our group could never reach her. Some of them had special rates lower then the group rate due to them being past travelers with Carnival, and she does not catch that, so it caused several people to have to book outside of the group because she was unreachable. Then she lied and stated that she could pull them in the group to and it would still count in my group. Well that was a lie1 Now that we are back home and it is time to pay out our tour conductor credit/money, guess what? There is no payment now because of her error. I will NEVER USE THIS COMPANY AGAIN as I advise whoever reads my review to do the same! UNPROFESSIONAL! read more

I did not get the room category I paid for on a NCL cruise...I attempted to contact my agent, Dan Rooney as soon as I found out I was given a smaller room, and he did not return my messages. So for the few dollars I saved, I didn't save anything. Next time I'll book directly through the cruise line and then if there is a problem, at least some one will talk to me, unlike cruise vacation outlet! read more

My family was referred to Bob Durnan at Cruise Vacation Outlet. We were very excited about booking a cruise to Africa thru them, on a Oceania Cruise vessel. Bob, quoted a price for 3 people and we went ahead and booked it, based on that price. That same day, he sent us the invoices with the pricing breakdown and we found that he had misquoted us and charged us MORE than what had originally been agreed on. We went back and forth with him for several days before finally giving up and canceling the entire reservation. He told us that if we canceled, we would be responsible for 50% of the cost for the cruise. We reached out to both Cruise Vacation Outlet and Oceania Cruises, but neither would take any responsibility for the misquoted price. When i spoke to Bob's manager, he told us that he stands by his TOP agent and wouldn't even listen to the situation. We ended up paying for a cruise we never took and could not afford because they lied to us about the pricing and wouldn't help resolve the issue. We have tried several time to no avail. It makes me so sad to see these large companies getting away with treating customers in such an unprofessional manner. read more

After 15 years of doing business with Cruise Vacation Outlet, I found out the hard way. That loyalty, rapport and repeat business have no bearing when it comes to expecting basic client services. In the end, my bookings were just that; bookings, locators, destinations, and a confirmation of space, the name didn't matter or the company profile. Sadly, and despite my request assistances and understanding, it all came down to a missed email, which a call would have changed the entire outcome. In the end, I will only book at the cruise line level. read more

I've booked several cruises thru cruise vacation outlet and their prices are usually the lowest. I've never had to change anything or cancel a cruise so they didn't have to do much work. Due to covid, my 3/14/20 cruise was canceled and I selected the future cruise credit. Fast forward 10 months and royal caribbean is still not cruising. Fortunately, royal offered the option to change from future cruise credit to refund. I emailed Paru at cruise vacation outlet and quickly got a reply that royal is not giving refunds since I already chose the future credit. I quickly replied back with a link to royal's FAQs and copy/pasted the text that a refund is now allowed. Didn't hear anything for a week so I emailed again and Paru simply replied that I will get the refund. A "sorry we either lied to you" or, "we don't know cruise line policies that we book for" would have been nice. I will not book with Paru again. Not very professional. read more

So I'm a complete bargain hunter when it comes to cruises because you are just looking for a ticket to a boat so the cheaper deal usually always win in my book (who knows- it's the first time I've booked a cruise and used a travel agent because I am usually a DIY/hostel type traveler. Although cruising now has me sold. It was the EASIEST vacation ever - just don't miss your tender). I worked with Mark who I found through Cruisecompete for a cruise right before Christmas. I called around to several companies to try and get the best deal for the same room and boat. He was easily accessible and was able to give me the same extra OBC as a company that called me, but never picked up their phone again. I am also for the short and sweet - just let me know what is included and my total price (I don't care how the port fees and taxes and fare are broken up - I just want to know my total cost. The other numbers just don't matter) and he was perfect for that and did all the math for me. Everything was laid out clearly and he did email a copy of what we talked about (and broke it all down for those who care about how the price is broken down) After our first cruise, we were hooked! We tried booking on board, but those incentives did not match what we got through Mark so we emailed him when we got back along with a few other travel agents to be safe (this is what I did with my vacation time) and asked for lowest price that they could offer. And Mark won again (this time by a larger margin than last) even though we switched cruise lines and booked another holiday week. Living in Florida, cruising is definitely the most economical way to vacation and this makes it easier. Plus, any time I call, he is somehow there. read more

I used cruisecompete and got several quotes for a Disney Cruise. As Disney almost never discounts anything, Cruise Vacation Outlet had the lowest prices by far on our cabins/sailing date. I emailed Jaclyn Schultz with some additional questions that I had and she promptly got back to me with answers. We were looking for multiple cabins for a family trip. I called a day later to book things and Jaclyn was wonderful! Super friendly, and very proactive. Without me having to say anything, she had already held the 3 cabins and tried to get them as close together as possible. What a relief that was! We laughed and talked about New York (I could detect a faint Long Island accent) and she was like "you don't have an accent" but then realized I was upstate when I gave my billing address for the credit card info. I said I was a transplant from Colorado, that's why. Anyway, Jaclyn knew the ins and outs of the booking, linking the dinner reservations together, and the travel insurance and how best to handle that. It was a joy to work with someone who was on the ball, on top of things, and knows what they are doing!!! I would not hesitate to book with Jaclyn and Cruise Vacation Outlet again! Thanks so much, Jaclyn! read more

After reading the reviews on this company I was a little nervous since a few others didn't have a great experience but since I really liked the agent - Tom Skillman- that I had been speaking to about booking a cruise, I decided to book it with him. Tom was very knowledgeable and was able to give me the best price for our Hawaiian cruise. He assured me that we would get a free perk from the cruise line itself and an on board credit to use. Once we paid the deposit, we received multiple emails confirming our cruise and the items he promised. Once the cruise line itself emailed me, I signed onto to their site, located my reservation and confirmed again that the items Tom promised were included. I could not be happier with the customer service that he provided and of course the great deal he was able to give me! I will definitely use this company again for any future cruises!!! read more

Mel was very friendly and knowledgeable. I had a cruise booked through them that was cancelled by RCC and he was able to get the information to get it reset and apply the future cruise credit. Found them through Cruise Compete and would definitely use them again! read more

I'm a HUGE FAN of Cruise vacation outlet. Sharon Mauras (at ext. 133) has been my family's travel agent for years and has always been able to get me the best deals. I priced out the same cruise itinerary on discount website a with a few other agency's and her prices beat them by at few hundred dollar per person... if not more every time. I highly recommend you reach out to Sharon and Cruise Vacation Outlets for all of your cruise needs. read more

I had a terrible experience with agent Jacqlin Schultz, after spending the deal between us because she couldn't compete with the price of another site, she charged her $ 6,720 my credid card ,without my explicit consent. Only after 15 days and after many phones, contacting the credit card company Police and Fraud Investigations company made me very upset because she wanted to get revenge on me for not closing a deal with her. read more

I am not sure why other reviews are not good, maybe it depends on the agent you are working with. I would recommend Krystal, she is wonderful. First, she was very friendly, patient and explain everything to me, a first timer. As we were booking the cabin, the lowest price cabin turn unavailable, she tried very hard to negotiate the price down on the next available cabin as she knows we were on a budget. At the end, she went above and beyond by staying past her working hour to get me the cabin we wanted when it turns available again. Thanks Krystal ! read more

Gladys at Cruise Vacation Outlet has just been wonderful in handling problems we had with Princess canceling the remainder of their 2020 cruises and rebooking another one for next year (hopefully COVID-19 is history by then). Princess has been horribly inefficient in processing credits for those wanting to sail with them again but Gladys was on the phone with them about every 2 weeks over several months trying to get our future cruise credits posted. Then even after we booked the identical cruise for 2021 with her, months later she found a terrific all inclusive rate on this cruise which was better than what we started out with. We highly recommend Gladys and will certainly book with her for our future cruises. read more

April is an extremely rude Travel agent, she does not belong in the travel industry, all the others are so nice when I call to book a vacation. read more

Booked a cruise using Carlos Brignoni from Cruise Vacation Outlet. He answered all our emails in less than one hour and also answered the phone when I called. He is extremely professional and fast. He beat every other quote that we received which was great. We have taken many cruises over the years and I have never had an agent or cruise line that made the booking process so easy. We will defiantly be calling Carlos for our next cruise. read more

Danielle at Cruise Vacation Outlet is a poor excuse for a travel agent. I had to stop using her due to her lack of communication and the difficult time that I had getting a hold of her. I'm sure that there are great travel agents at Cruise Vacation Outlet, but Danielle is not one of them. read more

We have taken numerous cruises and mostly alternated using one of two agencies. For our recent South America holiday cruise on Celebrity Eclipse, I tried Cruisecompete.com and received competitive pricing from Mel Collins at Cruise Vacation Outlet. From our first phone conversation I was impressed with his knowledge and willingness to spend whatever time was needed to get questions answered. During the eleven month period between booking and sailing, there were several adjustments. Some were due to price drops, others were cabin changes. Each request was quickly taken care of and updated paperwork received quickly. For the first time, I felt as if I'd found "my" travel agent. We will definitely go to Cruise Vacation Outlet and Mel Collins first for our future needs, and I will recommend him without reservation to others. read more

I had a very negative experience with Cruise Vacation Outlet. We booked a very expensive tour with them and unfortunately had an accident on the tour which resulted in the tour company providing them a check of over $7300 for the missed portion of the tour. They have dragged their heels providing that money back to us. On August 14, they denied receiving the check. Then after I called the tour company and found out that the check was sent on August 1, Cruise Vacation Outlet admitted receiving the check, but that it would take time to process it back to me. My agent MJ mentioned that his manager was upset about having to give back the amount that the tour company calculated, which was accurate and much smaller than the $12,920 booked. They will still net a healthy $477 commission even if they reimburse us correctly. Just not the $1292 they had planned on. We will not receive a penny of the promised discount on the tour according to MJ. I understand that we would not receive all of it, but our portion would be fair. I have given MJ and Cruise Vacation Outlet lots of business over the past 10 years. I expected to be treated better than this since they have received lot of nice commissions from our travel. Just know if you have a problem on your trip, you will not receive any discount from Cruise Vacation Outlet and they will be difficult to deal with. read more

I was referred to Bob Durnan at Cruise Vacation Outlet. I was very excited about booking a cruise to Africa thru them on a Oceania Cruise vessel. He quoted me a price for 3 people and we went ahead and booked it. That same day, he sent us the invoice with the pricing breakdown and we found that he had misquoted us and charged us more than we had originally agreed on. We went back and forth with him for several days before finally giving up and canceling the entire reservation. He told us that if we canceled, we would be responsible for 50% of the cost for the cruise. Cruise Vacation Outlet and Oceania Cruises did not take any responsibility for the misquoted price. We ended up paying for a cruise we never took and could not afford because they lied to us about the pricing. I have tried several times to call both companies to resolve the matter but nobody will help us resolve the matter. read more

If you're looking for a cruise vacation with good customer service at a fair price, look here! The owner has over 20 years experience in the industry and he and his staff know what they are doing. The travel agency is well established and can book virtually all the cruise lines such as, Carnival Cruise Lines, Princess, Holland America, Costa, Seabourn, Cunard, Royal Caribbean, Azamara, Celebrity, Oceania, Silversea, Windstar, Viking, and etc. Give them a shot you just might be surprised! read more