Missed out on an upgrade because my TA was closed!

You've got to find the right travel agent for you. Ours does check her email on the weekend and we've been able to take advantage of some price drops that occured on a Sunday.

I AGREE WITH BOB!! Your travel agent is lazy and isn't working for you!

This is the exact reason why I book directly through the cruise line! I want control over my booking. No "middle man" for me! :cool:

Over 20+ cruises with RCI and always owning my own bookings works for me too ;)

If you call and say you're the TA and provide the agency phone number (which is how they verify the TA) then they'll disclose stuff to you.

 

That being said, if your TA finds out you're doing a bunch of changes while pretending to be them they'll put a password on the booking.

The TA number that the cruiseline uses to verify is not the same you use

Tina,

Here's what I do... I book cruises ONLY when the cruise dates are first released, even it's 2yrs in advance or... if a TA can offer me a 'group' pricing. These two items virtually prevent any significant price drops for the duration of the cruise. This is the only way I've been able to take advantage of excellent pricing & TA perks.

I book all my cruises the first day they are released, and have had a few good price drops. I'm lucky to have a great TA that makes any changes I request, and it can be a few on a cruise. Sometimes if there is a price drop my TA OBC may go down a little, as it's based on a % of his commission.

If you're unhappy with your current travel agent you have to be careful making any sort of booking onboard the ship. The cruise lines will usually assign that booking to your current agent. You have to ask to have the booking with no agent assigned.

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Our long time TA always has a fellow TA answer when away.

Never had a problem.

Finding an Excellent TA is worth the effort. (y)

Now I know what? I asked a few questions in my OP and this doesn't address any of them.

Now you know:

1. That this TA doesn't want to be bothered with a lot of changes to your reservation

2. This TA is difficult to reach when you do need to make a change or have a question

3. That RC won't let you make changes on your own; your TA has to do it because they own the rez

4. That some offers are for "new bookings only" and wouldn't apply anyway

As to your question of why use a TA? Many people use them because of the perks they offer. Many TA's give up a big chunk of their commission to return to the pax in the form of OBC, wine, dinners and more. Some may also lump you into a group booking which gives them even more "money" to play with and return to their clients as perks. Lots of people make it a game to see which TA will give them the most stuff and then book with them. Personally I prefer to be in control of my own reservation, though I do sometimes book with a TA when I'm actually part of a group, but many people only book through a TA due to the perks offered.

You found yourself a TA that doesn't work for you. Fire the TA, not all TAs. Or just book direct and forget about any perks a TA throws at you. The only issue I have w/ using a TA is that overtime when we book a cruise at the Next Cruise desk while on a cruise, the TA that is listed on the current cruise is sent the reservation. Even if we request them NOT to. As the one who books the cruise, it should be I who selects the TA.

The situation that you mention (highlighted above) can be avoided by signing a form that the Next Cruise Desk has that tells RCCL that you do not want (insert name of TA) to be assigned to the booking you are making. The Next Cruise desk employee should have known that....but perhaps forgot. It prevents any problem. Then you would have 60 days to determine who gets the booking, if you decide to transfer to a TA, or leave it assigned to YOU as the cruiser.

Now I know what? I asked a few questions in my OP and this doesn't address any of them.

Just ignore her, Tina. She is not the most helpful poster here. As others have said look and ask around and find a GOOD TA. The one you used this time is lacking to say the least. Good Luck and Happy Cruising.:D

Ever try that????

The TA number that the cruiseline uses to verify is not the same you use

That's not always true. Most of the time it is.

I used a travel agent for the first time for my upcoming cruise on Harmony of the Seas and booked a D8 Superior Ocean View with Balcony stateroom. The entire experience has been a nightmare! Yesterday a Junior Suite Guarantee was cheaper than what we originally paid for our room but because it was a weekend I couldn't contact her so she could call RCI and get us the upgrade. When we talked today she said it's best to book directly if you want to make a lot of changes??? Is this true?? I can't understand why anyone would use a TA if they're only open M-F 9a-5p and you miss out on time sensitive upgrades....Is everyone who uses a TA missing out on deals that come outside regular business hours??

 

Also a few weeks ago the price dropped for our original D8 so I called her and asked about getting OBC or the fare repriced but we couldn't because we're past final payment. Afterwards I found out that we could upgrade to a D2 (Superior Ocean View with Large Balcony) since it was also cheaper than our original fare for the D8 but when I called the TA she said RCI wanted 1K to upgrade. After calling RCI and confirming with a supervisor then having RCI call my TA and authorize them to talk directly to me I finally got the upgrade (for no extra $$) but wow, this seems so much more difficult than just booking it on our own.

 

She also didn't mention the C&A Refer a Friend program which netted a $50 OBC after I found out about it and followed up on my own. So frustrating!!

Many people book a cruise and that's that. They never check for price drops or better rooms or promotions. They are the TA's dream client but they are not most of the savvy cruisers on cruise critic. I was actually fired - yes, fired - by a TA I had used a dozen or so times. She actually told me to switch the cruise I had booked with her for a future cruise back to the cruise line because I bothered her with frequent requests for upgrades or price drops on the current cruise. (And I foolishly thought that was sort of her job, silly me!). Anyway for an inexpensive cruise I go right to the cruise line, gladly forfeiting the $50 OBC. It's not just the savings in watching prices that I love, it's the challenge provided by the "game". For a higher priced cruise line, I will search for the best booking price and OBC (which is often several hundred dollars) and hope for the best. And, no, I avoid that TA like the plague.

I know I said I was gone, but I wanted to come back with an update. The JS Guarantee staterooms popped up again available again and our TA switched 1/2 rooms while the other disappeared during the time she was insistent that the rooms weren't available.

Many people book a cruise and that's that. They never check for price drops or better rooms or promotions. They are the TA's dream client but they are not most of the savvy cruisers on cruise critic. I was actually fired - yes, fired - by a TA I had used a dozen or so times. She actually told me to switch the cruise I had booked with her for a future cruise back to the cruise line because I bothered her with frequent requests for upgrades or price drops on the current cruise. (And I foolishly thought that was sort of her job, silly me!). Anyway for an inexpensive cruise I go right to the cruise line, gladly forfeiting the $50 OBC. It's not just the savings in watching prices that I love, it's the challenge provided by the "game". For a higher priced cruise line, I will search for the best booking price and OBC (which is often several hundred dollars) and hope for the best. And, no, I avoid that TA like the plague.

I was also fired by our TA Miss Judy! Well, sort of. She said in her last email "Due the amount of time involved to make your changes, we are advising you that we will not make any further changes to either of your reservations." but unfortunately the reservation wasn't able to be transferred back to RCL, so we're stuck. I think I like playing the "game" too, so I'll stick with booking direct.

I know I said I was gone, but I wanted to come back with an update. The JS Guarantee staterooms popped up again available again and our TA switched 1/2 rooms while the other disappeared during the time she was insistent that the rooms weren't available.

 

 

 

I was also fired by our TA Miss Judy! Well, sort of. She said in her last email "Due the amount of time involved to make your changes, we are advising you that we will not make any further changes to either of your reservations." but unfortunately the reservation wasn't able to be transferred back to RCL, so we're stuck. I think I like playing the "game" too, so I'll stick with booking direct.

Welcome back- I could foresee myself also getting fired by a TA if I used one. I can totally relate

Welcome back- I could foresee myself also getting fired by a TA if I used one. I can totally relate

Notice that I'm not saying anything here, and that took a bunch of self-control.:halo:

However, maybe Ken will come by ...

Notice that I'm not saying anything here, and that took a bunch of self-control.:halo:

 

However, maybe Ken will come by ...

I was going to add to my post "bring it on Bob and Ken" PS Love your HALO

Welcome back- I could foresee myself also getting fired by a TA if I used one. I can totally relate

Has RCI ever tried to fire you?

Has RCI ever tried to fire you?

Not yet!!

That's not always true. Most of the time it is.

No it's not. If it was, everyone would be saying to do it

Notice that I'm not saying anything here, and that took a bunch of self-control.:halo:

 

.

You're too good sometimes, LOL

 

I was also fired by our TA Miss Judy! Well, sort of. She said in her last email "Due the amount of time involved to make your changes, we are advising you that we will not make any further changes to either of your reservations." but unfortunately the reservation wasn't able to be transferred back to RCL, so we're stuck. I think I like playing the "game" too, so I'll stick with booking direct.

You called TA to make changes beside price drop (You know you can't get that past final payment),

Upgrading to a D2 from a D8 isn't really much special. Don't know if I would have bothered.

Upgrading to a JS would be worth taking a TA's time and I sure would have called too

What else did you call the TA about?

You called TA to make changes beside price drop (You know you can't get that past final payment),

 

Upgrading to a D2 from a D8 isn't really much special. Don't know if I would have bothered.

Upgrading to a JS would be worth taking a TA's time and I sure would have called too

What else did you call the TA about?

That's it, just the upgrades and the call after final payment r.e. the price drop. I've only sailed Carnival before and got OBC after final payment price drops so I wasn't familiar with the RCI policy. I think they had a a problem with me calling RCI directly but the only reason I had to do that is the TA was incorrectly telling me stuff cost extra or wasn't available and since I knew otherwise I wasn't gonna let her bilk me out of a better room.

Welcome back- I could foresee myself also getting fired by a TA if I used one. I can totally relate

Notice that I'm not saying anything here, and that took a bunch of self-control.:halo:

 

However, maybe Ken will come by ...

Look at all the fun I missed by working late today.:halo:

Trust me, once I get on that ship she's never hearing from me again but I always book directly and have never used a TA so I'm not sure of the etiquette. It could be that I'm the one asking too much or not following the norms, so that's why I asked. I guess you're saying that's not normal, to book and not make a lot of changes, just because you use a TA?

Correct.

I book, check prices ALL the time, change cabins, etc. I always contact my TA and there is never a problem getting it done. Last month, I even changed my ship from Oasis to Allure, four cabins.

I like the extra perks from my TA. Large discounts on NCL and excellent OBC on RCCL so for me it is worth it.

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Not yet!!

You could be the first.

You could be the first.

Yes!:D