Why are UK residents not allowed to use US travel agents to book cruises? Why should we pay inflated prices just because of where we live? Everything is done online so there is no problem regarding postage, which is what we were told, and any actual tickets that cannot be printed can be picked up pierside. Polly Styche, by email

A response from the Passenger Shipping Association: As far as pricing goes, cruise companies do not offer cheaper deals to US travel agencies as opposed to UK agencies. If a cruise from the US is cheaper in the US than in the Uk, it is likely to be because of flights.

There are no laws saying that people in the UK can't book with travel agencies in the US. The Passenger Shipping Association strongly urges customers not to do this though, because if they book through a US travel agency, they are not protected by UK or EU consumer protection for package holidays (European travel directive).

If the travel agency were to go bust, or a cruise was cancelled but the customer had problems getting their money back from the travel agency, the customer would have to deal with the US courts in order to get their money back.

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