Booking a Cruise: comparing prices is almost an impossible task

I am just venting with this post/thread.

We booked two cruises, back to back, with Celebrity while on-board and made sure they were assigned to Celebrity, not to the TA who booked that cruise. I know we have 60 days to move those reservations to a TA, should we want to.....and of course, we do because travel agents (usually) will add on more Perks or OBC's. It sounds so easy.,..just go to the various web sites, look up the cruises, price them, look at the perks offered and you're ready to pick....you wish it would be that easy...

The first thing you run into is that some TA's show non-refundable fares and don't tell you (which is what Celebrity itself does)...others are more helpful, you can choose to not show non-refundable fares when you search.

Next you are good to go, just call and verify that what you understand from the web site is correct....and find out that it's not quite complete. Oh, with those fares you will have to pay the full deposit if you move them to us and want the extras. Oh, that extra OBC isn't really a refundable OBC, it will be applied only if you spend the money on-board....or you can get a check after the cruise, but you have to submit your bill because we only pay up to that amount, reimbursing you for what you spent...essentially they are giving us a non-refundable OBC.

oh, you've been looking at the C3 rates because that's what you paid for your C2 (captain's club benefit), but our special fares don't allow that...so you have to look at our special C2 fare.

Is there a TA cancellation penalty? Is that penalty per booking or per person? Is there a change fee (if the price changes or I want to change to a different cabin or class? Is there a booking charge?

These are B2B cruises...will my discount from the celebrity booking still be applied? (no, we are giving you a special fare??).

It goes on....and on....as you call each TA....I have a desk full of sticky notes with TA offers scribbled messily with what I think the cost, etc would be if I transferred the bookings to that TA.

I found that TA's fall into three groups. Some charge exactly what Celebrity charges with some nominal $50/75 extra OBC and what I call fluff (discount on shore excursions, etc). Some figure out what they can afford to give you out of their commission and offer you a rate that includes two perks instead of 1 plus some money. Some offer the Celebrity rates and then give you OBC that covers the cost of the second perk plus an additional OBC.

I sorted the scraps of paper....and then compared the prices/perks offered as best I could. I found that although the agencies presented their offering in various selling wrappers, the net cost after all refundable OBC, B2B discounts, etc was within $200 on a $10k + pair of cruises. I chose the one that didn't want more deposit money and had at least an average cancellation fee, should we decide not to go...and no booking fee or change fee.

Did I pick right....who knows...at this point, I'm not sure I even know what right is...but the decision has been made (just within the 60 days) and I'm now not going to worry about it (until I see a price change, of course).

This is one of the reasons we book with and stick with Celebrity. No tedious searches for a better deal after booking and we have control of our reservation. We were burned by a TA once or twice in our early cruising career and said "never again" we will do it on our own. The few extra $ in OBC or what ever is not worth it to me.

This is one of the reasons we book with and stick with Celebrity. No tedious searches for a better deal after booking and we have control of our reservation. We were burned by a TA once or twice in our early cruising career and said "never again" we will do it on our own. The few extra $ in OBC or what ever is not worth it to me.

We too stick with Celebrity. On our last cruise, we thought we would try a TA but I felt as though I had given up control of the booking and I got tired of chasing her up to action things. In the end, we didn't get any extras except a travel wallet. Guess it all comes down to the particular TA you choose.

Enjoy your cruise

Funny thing, but we have been shopping around for the best deals and using several online cruise agencies for many years and do not find it difficult to compare fares. As a general rule we save 7-10% by booking with the proper cruise agency versus the best deal offered on Celebrity's web site. Sometimes the savings are even greater. We cruise many lines and our most recent booking was on HAL (just did this 2 days ago) where we saved 11.2% by using a cruise agency versus the price on HAL's own site.

Celebrity does make comparisons difficult because of all their various marketing promotions. But we simply value each amenity at its real worth to us (we consider the X Premium Drink Package worth about $40 per passenger day) and then quickly calculate the true cost per passenger/day. With that number one can compare various deals, different cruise lines, etc. I should add that we often book long cruises (over a month) that cost substantial sums....so our savings can be in the thousands of dollars by simply finding the right cruise agency. If it takes me an hour of research then I figure I am being paid a lot of money for an hour's work

Hank

I use to use a site (not able to mention name) where you enter the cruise details and travel agents bid for your travel with perks and OBC. Over the years I have found 2 or 3 agents that I really like and trust. Now I simply book on board and then email them to ask what they are offering.

With the agents I use I don't feel that I have lost any control and they respond to e-mails or phone calls. Just my 2 Cents.

This is one of the reasons we book with and stick with Celebrity. No tedious searches for a better deal after booking and we have control of our reservation. We were burned by a TA once or twice in our early cruising career and said "never again" we will do it on our own. The few extra $ in OBC or what ever is not worth it to me.

Amen. By sticking with the cruise line, we have total control of the reservation. If/when we need to make changes, I go directly to the source, and do not have to deal with an intermediary, and their availability. That control is more than worth a few more $ in OBC. Same thing with airlines. Yes, I might save a few $ by booking thru an online site, but, when the flight gets cancelled, and I need to rebook, the airline doesn’t tell me to go thru the online agency.

We don't worry about making changes through a TA...we've dealt with many and it's really never been a problem.....as long as we deal with a large TA or one that's affiliated with a large company. I have tried the "bid for our business" site and haven't been comfortable with the folks that responded. No doubt though that it's a way to get a good deal...but only if they are functional and not just someone working part time out of their home and unaffiliated. I've changed reservations around with celebrity directly....and with a number of large travel agencies. The issue with the TA's is that some aren't open on weekends or evenings so sometimes you can get a bit frustrated trying to make a change...that's an acceptable risk as far as we are concerned.

I wish I had enough money to think that saving over $500 on a seven day cruise as “a few bucks”. I completely have control over my reservation as far as price drops and changing cabins. I never had any need to be able to contact them 24/7. After the initial booking, I’ve talked to my online travel agent, maybe four times, for the 44 cruises we’ve booked.

Like every other occupation, there are good ones and bad ones, you just have to do your homework. I’ve read some real horror storys about dealing directly througg the cruiseline too. Do whatever helps you sleep at night. I sleep great and have saved a ton of money over the years.

I feel your pain. Celebrity and the other cruise lines do make it difficult to compare fares and deals because they are always changing. Then you add in the TAs' added deals and it gets even crazier. I agree but for me I buy a package when it is somewhere I want to go at a price that I like. Sometimes I book on board for the extra perks and then shop two or three TAs that I work with for the best add ons. Then it comes to watching the fare for price drops. Over the years I have learned to read the fine print and do my own comparisons before calling the TA or Celebrity about a price drop. All in all I have done well with price drops both before and after final payment and in picking up extra perks or some OBC or even gift cards for one of the big warehouse stores. Since I am now retired I have the time to keep track and do the comparisons so when I make my follow up calls I have all of that information ready so I don't have to hear any BS. Most recently I booked a Bermuda cruise for this July directly with the TA de juor right around the time final payment was due. Paid it in full and of course 4 weeks later there was a big price drop. Called the TA, talked to the customer service lady, she called Celebrity and they said " well that new price is without the perks you have...." so I pointed out that I bought the cruise at one price and then added two perks because the price was right so if I added the two perks on to the price drop my new price was just below what an AX was compared the 2B we paid for.......so we are now in an A2. Yes, I feel your pain ghstudio, it is complicated, it is challenging but since I have time I play the game and hopefully save enough so I can book the next cruise.....

We used to keep our reservation with Celebrity because we wanted "control". About 5 cruise ago we started booking with Celebrity then transferring to a TA.

We basically get 10% of the base cruise fare in additional. So I was giving up a minimum of $250 a cruise. For what? I found out if I pick a large online agency I can get make any chances I need 7 days a week. I really didn't lose control of anything and get a 10% bonus in OBC.

I would never spend the time the OP did comparing prices, etc. My price is my price, I'm just looking for more OBC. Contact 2 or 3 big agencies and call it a day. Not worth the extra effort or frustration for maybe an extra $25 at best.

enjoy

We have 2 TAs that we use, one more than the other. I figure out what sailing, cabin, etc we want or book onboard & don’t transfer at that point. Then I call the 2 and see what they have to offer, pick one and it’s a done deal. Both have excellent customer service & although they have a minimal cancellation charge we have never cancelled without rebooking and the charge was waived.

I tried the bidding sight and got burned so never again with them.

As much as I like to save money and get the best deal my time is also worth something so I stick with the 2 TAs I trust. I also never book online as I like to understand the details which are rarely explained online.

We have 2 TAs that we use, one more than the other. I figure out what sailing, cabin, etc we want or book onboard & don’t transfer at that point. Then I call the 2 and see what they have to offer, pick one and it’s a done deal. Both have excellent customer service & although they have a minimal cancellation charge we have never cancelled without rebooking and the charge was waived.

 

I tried the bidding sight and got burned so never again with them.

As much as I like to save money and get the best deal my time is also worth something so I stick with the 2 TAs I trust. I also never book online as I like to understand the details which are rarely explained online.

Basically the same exact story for us. Always get extra goodies and sometimes even a few bucks off when we transfer to our on-line TA (usually many months after booking aboard)

I feel the same as the OP when I use to shop TA’s and pricing. I use to book my own and not transfer; went with an On Line TA, then found a local TA who has done an excellent job. She’s shown she does the job so I hand her the cruise I want and let her at it.

Use to do all the tracking and so on, and learned a couple of things: I never look at prices after Ive made my final payment; and that any OBC always must be spent on board, unless the OBC is in some way my money.

Funny example of what my TA did: we were booked on a land bus tour of Ireland. We went early so she go us our own flights because the tour company charged too much for nonstandard flights; she found ones much cheaper. It included a rental car which I didn’t need. When I pointed that out, she said, she got a good deal through an airline by adding the rental car, but I didn’t need to pick it up. Just use the deal.

That type of thing isn/t available to us duffers so I love using her.

Den

I am just venting with this post/thread.

 

We booked two cruises, back to back, with Celebrity while on-board and made sure they were assigned to Celebrity, not to the TA who booked that cruise. I know we have 60 days to move those reservations to a TA, should we want to.....and of course, we do because travel agents (usually) will add on more Perks or OBC's. It sounds so easy.,..just go to the various web sites, look up the cruises, price them, look at the perks offered and you're ready to pick....you wish it would be that easy...

 

The first thing you run into is that some TA's show non-refundable fares and don't tell you (which is what Celebrity itself does)...others are more helpful, you can choose to not show non-refundable fares when you search.

 

Next you are good to go, just call and verify that what you understand from the web site is correct....and find out that it's not quite complete. Oh, with those fares you will have to pay the full deposit if you move them to us and want the extras. Oh, that extra OBC isn't really a refundable OBC, it will be applied only if you spend the money on-board....or you can get a check after the cruise, but you have to submit your bill because we only pay up to that amount, reimbursing you for what you spent...essentially they are giving us a non-refundable OBC.

 

oh, you've been looking at the C3 rates because that's what you paid for your C2 (captain's club benefit), but our special fares don't allow that...so you have to look at our special C2 fare.

 

Is there a TA cancellation penalty? Is that penalty per booking or per person? Is there a change fee (if the price changes or I want to change to a different cabin or class? Is there a booking charge?

 

These are B2B cruises...will my discount from the celebrity booking still be applied? (no, we are giving you a special fare??).

 

It goes on....and on....as you call each TA....I have a desk full of sticky notes with TA offers scribbled messily with what I think the cost, etc would be if I transferred the bookings to that TA.

 

I found that TA's fall into three groups. Some charge exactly what Celebrity charges with some nominal $50/75 extra OBC and what I call fluff (discount on shore excursions, etc). Some figure out what they can afford to give you out of their commission and offer you a rate that includes two perks instead of 1 plus some money. Some offer the Celebrity rates and then give you OBC that covers the cost of the second perk plus an additional OBC.

 

I sorted the scraps of paper....and then compared the prices/perks offered as best I could. I found that although the agencies presented their offering in various selling wrappers, the net cost after all refundable OBC, B2B discounts, etc was within $200 on a $10k + pair of cruises. I chose the one that didn't want more deposit money and had at least an average cancellation fee, should we decide not to go...and no booking fee or change fee.

 

Did I pick right....who knows...at this point, I'm not sure I even know what right is...but the decision has been made (just within the 60 days) and I'm now not going to worry about it (until I see a price change, of course).

For your $10,000 booking, if you only received an effectively net $200 savings (2%) from a TA that has a cancellation fee, then you were talking with the "wrong" TAs.

As others have said, you should be able to get 7% to 11% from a reliable TA. I checked out several TAs and have settled on using a "big box" warehouse store's travel department since they:

- match the cruise line's price and perks

- give you a 7.5% to 8% savings

- have no extra fees for changes or cancellations.

Yes, I could spend some additional time searching for a little higher savings. But I am happy with the simplicity of receiving a consistent 7.5% to 8% without the additional shopping that, as you say, can be time consuming and sometimes confusing.

One time I used a large TA that ended up living to part of their name “con”. Can’t exactly remember of it was $25 or $50 pp to make any changes after booking. That included upgrades, changing cabins or price adjustments. They also promised robes as part of the promo. We never got the robes because they “ran out” and offered $50 off of the next cruise that we booked. Sorry but we decided it wasn’t worth booking another with them

We have found a good TA that gives personal service, group rates and some SBC plus always handles any problems. May be a better deal by a few dollars elsewhere but I like the service.

Happy Cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

One time I used a large TA that ended up living to part of their name “con”. Can’t exactly remember of it was $25 or $50 pp to make any changes after booking. That included upgrades, changing cabins or price adjustments. They also promised robes as part of the promo. We never got the robes because they “ran out” and offered $50 off of the next cruise that we booked. Sorry but we decided it wasn’t worth booking another with them

 

We have found a good TA that gives personal service, group rates and some SBC plus always handles any problems. May be a better deal by a few dollars elsewhere but I like the service.

 

Happy Cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

I guess there must be a few with “con” in the name as we have never paid for changes with our primary agency that has a con. There was a big box TA that started charging $25 for changes and it worked-I changed

For your $10,000 booking, if you only received an effectively net $200 savings (2%) from a TA that has a cancellation fee, then you were talking with the "wrong" TAs.

 

As others have said, you should be able to get 7% to 11% from a reliable TA. I checked out several TAs and have settled on using a "big box" warehouse store's travel department since they:

- match the cruise line's price and perks

- give you a 7.5% to 8% savings

- have no extra fees for changes or cancellations.

 

Yes, I could spend some additional time searching for a little higher savings. But I am happy with the simplicity of receiving a consistent 7.5% to 8% without the additional shopping that, as you say, can be time consuming and sometimes confusing.

I said the difference between ta’s was $200....not a saving of $200. That big box store gives a great rebate, but you have to use it at their store....which makes it a so so deal for us.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

For your $10,000 booking, if you only received an effectively net $200 savings (2%) from a TA that has a cancellation fee, then you were talking with the "wrong" TAs.

 

As others have said, you should be able to get 7% to 11% from a reliable TA. I checked out several TAs and have settled on using a "big box" warehouse store's travel department since they:

- match the cruise line's price and perks

- give you a 7.5% to 8% savings

- have no extra fees for changes or cancellations.

 

Yes, I could spend some additional time searching for a little higher savings. But I am happy with the simplicity of receiving a consistent 7.5% to 8% without the additional shopping that, as you say, can be time consuming and sometimes confusing.

It would be nice if there was a site that people could share the TA's they use that provide 10% savings.Cannot here.

The best we can do in Canada is use a big box travel department. Yes you get a gift card after the cruise and it has to be spent with them which is a pain but its easy and the service is there 7 days a week. When you also use their top tier membership you get a further 2% back. So 10% total less your membership cost.

What would be nice is if you could get to speak to the same agent all the time

That big box store gives a great rebate, but you have to use it at their store....which makes it a so so deal for us.

Our thoughts exactly. Even though we shop there my wife likes to see the OBC on the ship. I guess I could just use the rebate at the store, since we shop there anyway and take the cash to put into the OBC. If my wife doesn't have the OBC she won't spend any money on the ship so I need to convert it into OBC.

Small tip: If it's after final payment, you're not going to see a huge price discrepancy between agencies that are rebating. Get a rebate from an agency you like - it should be around 7-10%.

Before final payment you can find much larger price discrepancies from agencies that have groups available.

It would be nice if there was a site that people could share the TA's they use that provide 10% savings.Cannot here.

 

The best we can do in Canada is use a big box travel department. Yes you get a gift card after the cruise and it has to be spent with them which is a pain but its easy and the service is there 7 days a week. When you also use their top tier membership you get a further 2% back. So 10% total less your membership cost.

 

What would be nice is if you could get to speak to the same agent all the time

You still get OBC if you book on Princess. All other lines you get the store card.

For your $10,000 booking, if you only received an effectively net $200 savings (2%) from a TA that has a cancellation fee, then you were talking with the "wrong" TAs.

 

As others have said, you should be able to get 7% to 11% from a reliable TA. I checked out several TAs and have settled on using a "big box" warehouse store's travel department since they:

- match the cruise line's price and perks

- give you a 7.5% to 8% savings

- have no extra fees for changes or cancellations.

 

Yes, I could spend some additional time searching for a little higher savings. But I am happy with the simplicity of receiving a consistent 7.5% to 8% without the additional shopping that, as you say, can be time consuming and sometimes confusing.

It sounds as though we are using the same warehouse store's travel department. I have transferred a few cruises that I booked directly with Celebrity while onboard - and have been very happy with the "perk" they provide - a cash back card which amounts to approximately 8% of the cruise fare. And I receive an additional rebate for using my credit card to pay for the cruise (and other travel expenses such as hotels). In addition, any time I have seen a price drop, I simply called them and asked that they take care of a fare adjustment or a cabin category upgrade and it would be done while I was on the phone. I have never felt as though I lost control of my reservation and will enjoy using the rebates upon my return from my cruises.

I agree with the consensus. Experience and research pay off. We have used more than one TA over our cruising lifetime and have found one that has met our needs very well over the past 7 or 8 years.

Most of us who cruise somewhat regularly have developed a routine. Mine is to make the original booking directly with the cruise line and then transfer it to my TA (who has no change/cancellation fees). Her "perk" has historically been in the 8-9% range and in a discussion with her a couple of years ago, I found out I had the option to take OBC or get a rebate after completing the cruise. There is no real reason any good TA couldn't do that and, since we get enough loyalty perks to keep any on board spending to a minimum, I like a straight "discount". She has never failed to respond in timely fashion to my requests so even if some TAs may give more, it isn't enough for me to leave a comfortable, working relationship.

I am fine with making my own original bookings (that gives me all the control over cabin category, location, etc.) that I want/need and I have the time to watch for price changes/sales and contact her. She also works with me to book a placeholder to hold the exact cabin we want until such time as I cruise and can book on board. Then she takes the cabin we wanted and gets that into the booking with the perks and either refunds the deposit or applies it to the final booking at my option.

If you cruise relatively often, it is worth the time to be active here and talk to your fellow roll-call members on board.

It would be nice if there was a site that people could share the TA's they use that provide 10% savings.Cannot here.

 

The best we can do in Canada is use a big box travel department. Yes you get a gift card after the cruise and it has to be spent with them which is a pain but its easy and the service is there 7 days a week. When you also use their top tier membership you get a further 2% back. So 10% total less your membership cost.

 

What would be nice is if you could get to speak to the same agent all the time

Definitely not the best we can do in Canada. Use a US agent. I won’t use big box store now that they don’t take AMEX

My experience, thus far, is I Am using two (2) who bidded/offered services....

I shall soon find out about being burnt, as I can only guess it is in the realm of OBC? One sailing the OBC was overly generous, I thought but we will see and the other is a Group booking where the fare is great and both are booked as 'refundable' fares, my first question! LOL

It will be interesting, my second sailing there are 19 in our group and I told them that if they needed 24/7 access to someone, then they needed to book direct or through their usual agency. After seeing the price difference there were a few who decided that 24/7 was not critical... :) As I once thought, then went box now small TA's...

Thank you all for sharing your experiences and approaches...

bon voyage