Serious question re: quoted price from Travel Agent

[monctonmama]

Hi all

 

We are just a few days away from "paying in full" for a Dec cruise. This is our FIRST cruise EVER!. So we are defintitley Newbies. From reading the forums here, I am not sure that we are getting the best deal from our travel agent...a distant friend.

 

Everyone seems to be saying they are getting discounts off the Oceania fares, and extra OBC's and whatever other perks.

 

We are getting none of that,.... only the price listed on Oceania's website, which is current right now. Am I missing something?

 

We only have a few days to figure this out before we commit, and it is way too late to find another TA. But I could ask some tough questions if I had some info from you all.

 

Basically, we are only getting the prices that are specisfied on the O. website. Should we be doing better?

 

Any help appreciated. ASAP if possible.

 

TIA

[LHT28]

I get the same price as the O website but I do get some perks from my TA At this point you may lose the admin fee if you cancel Ask your TA if they are giving any OBC as you noticed other agents do..maybe they will come through for you Lyn

[rallydave]

Unfortunately for this go around, you are probably too late to do anything about not getting benefits. Oceania put in a policy about a year or so ago to stop TA shopping in that you have 30 days from booking to transfer to another TA or any transfer after that time the new TA gets close to zero commission.

 

Yes, you should be getting something from the TA in the form of rebates, OBC, Gratuities, etc. You can't get "discounts" as Oceania does not allow that. The rebates just before you depart is money coming back to you after you pay the full price. Everyone pays the full price then rebates and other benefits come back to the passenger just before or on the cruise.

 

Think you should contact the TA and let him or her know what you know and ask for consideration. Depending on the TA, they could be getting as much as a 17% commission on the commissionable portion of the cruise. That is almost all except perhaps taxes and air. Assuming you are spending at least $10K, that is a minimum of $1,700 in commission.

 

Once on board you can ask your fellow passengers about TA recommendations. None of your business what they actually paid but, you should be able to get an idea of what they offer and how good they are. Then, next time you should be good to go.

 

Unfortunately, none of us on the boards can recommend TA;s, against CC rules.

[Iceberg 3]

Looks like best you can do is let him know what you know, and see if he is interested in securing your future business.

[Paulchili]

As has been mentioned on these boards elsewhere, you may want to speak to some of your fellow cruisers on your upcoming cruise re: TA recommendations for future cruises.

The rules do not allow us to make recommendations here.

[cdn.cruiser]

If I were you I would call my TA and tell them that you have heard that other TA's give their clients additional OBC and free gratuities when they book with them and you were wondering if they could do the same.

I think your TA will come through with something for you. This is your first booking with your TA so you can't expect too much but they should give you something.

[DOJO466]

I too would talk to TA....no offer...no future business with them....as stated in prior posts..listen to your fellow travelers. We personally found an incredible TA. Who has never let us down...in fact only lifted us up! Please pass this on to yourTA..sounds like he/she needs a re enlightenment

.

[Reggiefan]

To obtain a competitive offer from your travel agent, you may have to check with several travel agents, including those a distance from where you live. I have had no luck with local travel agents, who acted as though they had never heard of a TA providing onboard credit. It may simply be a volume game, but I have twice had success working with an agent located some distance away rather than somebody local.

[pacheco18]

Get a new TA for next time for sure.

 

The fact that you now have to ask for something extra tells me that this is not a TA you should be dealing with.

 

There are plenty of great Oceania TAs out there who offer great service and additional amenities -- included gratuites, OBCs.

 

When you are on your cruise, ask fellow cruisers. I actually carry my TA's card with me and give them out if anyone inquires. Many cruisers are shocked when they find out how much better they could have done with a better TA.

[TKS]

We don't get "discounts" off O's fares either, but, depending on the cruise, our TA provides OBC and/or gratuities in varying amounts. Some itineraries he has indicated before we book what he can, or what he cannot, give. Not the same perks are available for all sailings on all ships, or even all cabin levels on the same cruise. As a member of a network, he has access to aggregator tickets for some cruises, which allows him to give more generous perks. On other, "specialty" cruises he may be able to offer nothing.

 

Don't necessarily dump your friend, but have a discussion with them about your concerns, before the cruise. At least hear their side. Some agents specialize in some cruise lines and are able to be more generous due to volume of sales. And if you don't get a satisfactory answer, just move on. There are a number of wonderful agents available. (ie., We live in NM and our agent lives in California. He's great, with amazingly quick response times for questions, and he never pushes us away, no matter of how little import the question.) Fellow cruisers can give great suggestions during your cruise. Get several, then shop around.

 

And remember, the cheapest fare from an agent is not always the best indicator of a great agent - their SERVICE is what you're paying for. Make sure you get what you pay for.

[Mura]

It doesn't appear that anyone has specifically mentioned that some TAs specialize in Oceania (not necessarily exclusively) while others do not. It is very possible that your TA booked this cruise because you asked him/her to do so, and is not aware of various perks.

 

Then again, I'm not sure you get many of these perks on a first cruise. Some of them are tied to how many cruises you have taken.

 

Good luck. I agree that you should ask around on the ship and get a better idea of which TAs are considered to give the best service.

 

Mura

[pacheco18]

Mura

I got perks day 1

A smart TA gives you perks from his or her commissions, even if he or she does not get a group from O or some other special deal. That's the way to get repeat business and referrals.

 

I would dump this TA in a heartbeat for someone more generous, who wants repeat business and who wants to make it a win win. There are plenty of Oceania specialists out there who do that and give you great service as well.

 

In this day and age of competition there is absolutely no reason to book with a TA who gives you NOTHING. You might as well book with the cruise line and get the same nothing (another insane strategy but I know folks do it).

[cruisingxpert]

On another topic, what cruise are you on? You probably aren't aware of the Roll Call section. Go to Roll Call for your cruise date and sign on. You will be able to chat to others who are going on same cruise before you even get on the ship.

 

I'm on the Dec 2nd Riviera cruise. I wondered if that might be the one you are on because the deadline for payment is now.

 

Catherine

[Mura]

Mura

I got perks day 1

 

 

Actually, we did too ... but I was thinking of some of the O-generated perks that are triggered by the number of cruises (like are you bronze or gold). Not that they have anything to do with what a TA can give you! My bad.

 

We booked our first two Renaissance cruises with the cruiseline and so got nothing. Then we switched to our now beloved TA who shall remain nameless and immediately received benefits.

 

Mura

[kimanjo]

We rarely, if ever socialize with other passengers on our cruises. We like alone time together. We don't drink, and a LOT of mingling and meeting goes on while drinking...

'

When the next pax walks onto the elevator, I can't just say "so, how's your travel agent, can I have their name"...

 

There has to be a better way for great TA's to be found??? I understand the policies on Cruise Critic, but if I had a great doctor, or Realtor, I would love to give them more business.

 

I ok with doing the leg work, but don't referrals benefit everybody??

 

I was asking this on another thread that was about rebates.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

We rarely, if ever socialize with other passengers on our cruises. We like alone time together. We don't drink, and a LOT of mingling and meeting goes on while drinking...

'

When the next pax walks onto the elevator, I can't just say "so, how's your travel agent, can I have their name"...

 

There has to be a better way for great TA's to be found??? I understand the policies on Cruise Critic, but if I had a great doctor, or Realtor, I would love to give them more business.

 

I ok with doing the leg work, but don't referrals benefit everybody??

 

I was asking this on another thread that was about rebates.

 

You'd think so, but apparently not here. If you really don't talk to anyone on your cruises, then Google will have to be your friend I guess. Spend some time asking questions of several TA's, not just about rebates and obcs but about their knowledge of the line and the ships.

[kimanjo]

You'd think so, but apparently not here. If you really don't talk to anyone on your cruises, then Google will have to be your friend I guess. Spend some time asking questions of several TA's, not just about rebates and obcs but about their knowledge of the line and the ships.

 

 

We "talk" to people, just pleasantries, or if my husband is wearing a Red Sox polo, a "go Sox" comment will come up, but I guess thats not enough to forge a TA referral relationship!

 

I have sailed on Celebrity, way back on Mercury and Galaxy days, Millie, Equinox, Azamara Quest, and Oceania. You would think somewhere along the way these "hidden" great TA's would have risen to the top, so to speak.

 

My sister has cruised many more times than I (Princess, Carnival, Oceania, HAL) on more lines than me, and she has not found one of these elusive TA's either.

 

It almost seems like grade school, with the "I know something you don't know" chant.

 

Like I said, I am not opposed to doing leg work at all, I have done a LOT of searching, but nothing so far.

 

Will keep searching!!!

[pacheco18]

We "talk" to people, just pleasantries, or if my husband is wearing a Red Sox polo, a "go Sox" comment will come up, but I guess thats not enough to forge a TA referral relationship!

 

I have sailed on Celebrity, way back on Mercury and Galaxy days, Millie, Equinox, Azamara Quest, and Oceania. You would think somewhere along the way these "hidden" great TA's would have risen to the top, so to speak.

 

My sister has cruised many more times than I (Princess, Carnival, Oceania, HAL) on more lines than me, and she has not found one of these elusive TA's either.

 

It almost seems like grade school, with the "I know something you don't know" chant.

 

Like I said, I am not opposed to doing leg work at all, I have done a LOT of searching, but nothing so far.

 

Will keep searching!!!

 

The best way is to ask a fellow cruiser on board -- no doubt about it

[LHT28]

We "talk" to people, just pleasantries, or if my husband is wearing a Red Sox polo, a "go Sox" comment will come up, but I guess thats not enough to forge a TA referral relationship!

 

Have you checked Oceania website for FIND A TA then you can ask some of the ones recommended by O

 

Maybe you need to be a bit more social on your cruises ;)

No need to be in their pocket but a chat with fellow passengers in sometime enjoyable JMO

 

YMMV

[KruiserKat]

There are web sites which arrange for TAs to bid for your business. They can be located thru any search engine. You must do the research to evaluate the TAs!

[ORV]

There are web sites which arrange for TAs to bid for your business. They can be located thru any search engine. You must do the research to evaluate the TAs!

 

I tried one of the largest ones of those a few years ago when looking for a new agent. I was very uncomfortable with most of the responses I got. The #1 issue I had was response time to emails. 2 or 3 days to reply is just simply not acceptable.

[NC&KY]

Like I said, I am not opposed to doing leg work at all, I have done a LOT of searching, but nothing so far.

 

Will keep searching!!!

Several travel magazines periodically rate travel agents, including those who specialize in cruises. I know Conde Nast had an issue a couple of years ago that recommended agents depending on your cruise plans. You might go to the library and see if you can find it. Otherwise, buy a couple of magazines specializing in cruises and look for ads. Then "test drive" some of the TAs that appear promising. Send an e-mail and see how long they take to respond. Of those that pass that test, find a cruise where you know the cruise line price and ask the agents who have passed your checks so far to give you their best price. And don't be intimidated by geography. The agent I use is in Canada, but in this age of e-mails and electronic transfers, the days of feeling the need to be able to drive to the TA's office are long since gone.

[NC&KY]

I tried one of the largest ones of those a few years ago when looking for a new agent. I was very uncomfortable with most of the responses I got. The #1 issue I had was response time to emails. 2 or 3 days to reply is just simply not acceptable.

If you really want to try to find someone that you like, you're going to need to try more than one. Just because the first one didn't work doesn't mean that one further down the list might not be perfect.;)

[canuck.qc]

We changed TA's for similar reasons as OP, no perks for our 1st&2nd cruise. When we switched over the TA charged a 'cancellation' fee and the new TA paid that along with OBC, PPG, and our Deviation fee. We received good advice by e-mailing a few fellow CC Members by contacting them thru there 'send a message' link below their posts. We didn't know about Cruise Critic till after our 2nd cruise, good thing you've discovered CC early on, great source of info. Join your RollCall too.

[Hawaiidan]

Firs and formost everybody pays the published rate from Oceania...

 

What some refer as discounts and credits etc, are done after you make your payment. What is done after, can be discussed before, however

In the beginning we all pay full price.

 

What your final net/net cost to you can and will vary accordingly, whether it is called cash back, rebate, on board credit is between you and your agent

 

As to how much? well as Dave said at 17% a 10,000 cruise has a $1700 potential commission, and a $20,000 30 day cruise is $3400, whereas a cruise of $ 2500 the max commission is going to be $450.

 

Consider that an agent will have to do the same work for a 10 day cruise as a 30 day were he would earn 7.5 times as much for the same effort ! There is more in the pot to play with as the gross rises.

 

Even if you do all the leg work, everything has to go through the agent. It is less work for him but not significant for a short cruise.

But in determining what you might receive if you have everything all packaged neatly then that is a topic you should discuss in detail just as you would negotiate any business deal.

 

Good luck