I was asked by a few people last night the point of a travel agent. Some people feel like the practice is archaic. The fact of the matter is, when you have a solid travel agent, you have a right hand man in your travel endeavors. A second pair of eyes to watch for mistakes or unseen savings or values. I am often surprised at how many mistakes the vendors make. Some I see most often are; automatically adding transfers or packages that are unwanted by guests. Say you are driving to the port or having a friend pick you up, you don't need the cruise line to bus you. Its truly astonishing how many times cruise lines add this product without telling the guest. I assume many times, it goes unnoticed if not double checked by your agent. I just had to do it today. Another is information that is omitted. Say your flight time changes or boarding time is moved. If its a significant amount of time, that information needs to be relayed quickly. A lot of times, booking direct, you won't hear about the changes till your arrive at the airport or the cruise terminal. Its just nice to have a professional travel agent to handle your travel needs. I encourage everyone to at least give it a shot with an agent, build a relationship. You'd be amazed how much time you are saved, at the bare minimum, usually though, there are other incentives, bonuses and advantages you'll find along the way and maybe even a new friend!