How to switch TA's

[mescat4]

On my recent AK cruise I made a future cruise reservation which was assigned to the TA who made the AK reservation. I recently had a problem with the TA re another cruise reservation and I wish to cease dealing with them. I understand I should be able to transfer the future cruise reservation to another TA but I don 't know where to start. Do I start with HAL or the new TA? any advice would be appreciated.

[JimVrhovac]

Find the new TA that you want to deal with and then tel them about the cruise that you have booked and they will do all the work with changing over the booking to them.

There is very little work requied on your part.

Try to find yourself a TA that works for you, not the cruise line. Interview the TA and make sure that you are satisfied with them.

There is a lot of turnover in the TA industry and we have been blessed with the same TA for over 10 years. In listening to all the problems that people are having with their TA's we consider ourselves lucky.

Ruth & Jim

[frankathy]

I have had many freinds call me and ask me to take over their bookings. As long as they have not paid the final payment any TA can take over and like the last poster stated very little work from you is required. Sometimes the cruise line will want you to verify it. That is why I became one. I had to tell the TA of the current deals and they were making the $$. Also check their CLIA level and education, licensing and the BBB or Attorney General in your state for problems.

[pms4104]

Doesn't the T/A who currently owns the booking have to agree to release the reservation to a different T/A? Comments on other old threads lead me to understand that switcheroo may not be such an easy cakewalk.

[frankathy]

No. The current TA does not have to be involved at all. I have done this with Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Princess, Carnival, HAL and Crystal. I just inform the line that this is my client and they want to move the booking to my agency.

[whogo]

What did the original travel agent do to annoy you? Enquiring minds want to know.

[Aunty Pat]

I am a TA. I recently worked with HAL on transferring a new clients booking.
1. You need to find a TA to handle the booking and all of the work involved.
2. You need to write a letter to HAL requesting the booking be transferred to the new TA. HAL requires that every adult listed as a passenger on the booking sign the request.
3. Give the letter to the new TA and they with forward your letter to HAL along with a letter from the TA saying they accept the booking.
4. HAL then notifies the old TA of the request to transfer.
5. If the old TA released the booking within something like 14 days HAL will pull the booking from them. The on line agency my client originally booked with didn’t respond to HAL so we had to wait a full two weeks after the clients letter was received by HAL to get the booking transferred.
6. HAL will then take a few days to complete the transfer and send the new TA a confirmation of all of your booking details – fare, deposits paid, special offers applied, etc.

This all takes time so if you are within 3 weeks of final payment you may not have enough time to find a new TA and transfer the booking.

Aunty Pat


Barefoot Windjammer - Phantom ‘81
K&D German Rhine Line ‘84
NCL - Norway ’85, Pride of America ’05, Southward ’87, Star ’97 & ‘05, Starward ’92, Sun ’02 & Windward ’93
RCC - Song of America ‘89
American Hawaiian - Independence ‘98
HAL - Volendam ’99, Noordam ’06, Oosterdam ’07 & ‘09, Statendam ’02 & ‘08, Prinsendam ’03 & ’06, & Zuiderdam ’04, ’06 & ‘07
Carnival - Spirit ‘05
Celebrity – Summit ‘05
Cruise West - Yorktown Clipper ‘06
Princess - Golden Princess ‘07
A & K - East Queen ‘07
Cunard - QM2 ’08
Pending Cruises:
HAL – Westerdam, September 6, 2009
Oceania – Insignia, June 17, 2010

[pms4104]

for your clarification of the procedure. I knew it wasn't as quick and easy as others implied.

It always has been my understanding that the original T/A "owns" the booking and the reservation can't just be scooped away on the word of another/new T/A.

[tooalto]

As a former TA I can tell you that, if you've boked with a TA, you must ask them to release the booking to another agent. This is usually done by a letter on the agency letterhead stating that they have released the boooking to either you or .....Agency.

[mescat4]

it is a FC reservation made on the AK cruise (Statendam) we took a couple of weeks ago. The FCC placed it with the TA who did the AK Cruise. The FCC told me ( and I believed him) that the reduced deposit and obc could be switched to another TA if I found a better deal or indeed I could cancel and still retain the credit and deposit for 4 years. The situation became more confusing when the current TA told me that the deposit and credit is associated with my passenger # and not with my booking #. In fact she told me that if I wanted to switch cruises a new booking # would be issued.
Could I, then. cancel this booking and rebook with a new TA maintaing the $100pp deposit and obc. I guess I'll call HAL directly and find out what to do.

The reason the whole bru-ha started is that the TA was insistent that I had to buy their Travel Insurance Package now even though the final payment date isnt until some time in May 2010. I could not see the rationale for this as that until the final payment date I essentially have NO RISK and hence don't need coverage. I'm afraid I lost my temper when they couldn't rationalize their position even though the written policy that accompanied my AK Cruise says clearly that Existing Conditions will be covered as long as the policy is bought before the final payment day of the cruise.

Also I was unhappy with lack of personal contact- evidently it is their policy to have you deal with whomever answers the phone, So three calls on the matter lead to telling the story three different times to three different agents.

And did I mention their price on the Cruise was $200 pp higher than I got from a cursory on-line search?

I'll take the blame for not doing enough research on the whole process- but we do learn from mistakes.

[pms4104]

No need to call HAL ... the $100/person deposit is linked in HAL's system to your Mariner #. If you cancel the booking that you now hold with your less-than-desirable T/A, the deposit monies will then link to your Mariner # and not to the cruise you are cancelling. You should then be able to apply that deposit to another cruise booked either directly with HAL or thru another T/A. The OBC available to you for making the onboard deposit would be valid for whatever new sailing you book. Be aware that your current/old T/A may assess a cancellation fee.

As for the insurance ... you can research third-party insurance and buy it directly yourself online. You do not have to buy it from the T/A nor from HAL. If you have concerns about pre-exisiting conditions, you will need to read the fine print and, for most insurance companies, purchase within 14 days of applying your deposit to a defiinite cruise.

[RuthC]

The FCC let you down. If you ever again want to purchase a future cruise credit, and aren't sure that you want to give the booking to whomever booked the cruise you were on, you can sign a paper while you are with the FCC. When you sign, you will be taking the booking away from the current TA, and letting HAL hold it. When/if the time comes that you want the booking to go to a TA, then HAL will release it without any rigamarole.