Dear Sarah,

most ships rely on third party agencies to help them find guests - more so for the small family owned operations who don't have a big ability to market themselves internationally (this doesn't apply, for example, to Celebrity Cruises / Silversea / National Geographic cruises etc...).

It is standard practice, and prices are the same, whether you go directly to the ship owners or through a representative agency. And more often, a decent representative agency will give you much better service - as it's their specialty and depending on the jurisdiction in which they operate, you may benefit from good consumer protection regulations.

Warmest regards,

Heather Blenkiron

Also consider the Tip Top ships. We were on Tip Top II last year and had a great trip.

We will be returning in May to do a trip an Anahi (thanks to help from Heather as our travel agent.)