Travel agents and perks.

[sjb317]

you can start with checking the travel agencies that advertise on Cruise Critic ;)

 

 

I think that's how we found the TA we sometimes use!:D

 

Sherri:)

[BecciBoo]

Ditto;) And they will honor the reductions up to a point. As I said earlier.

 

Platinum is way lower than $350! Diamond discount on Balcony is only $225. Maybe Patti or Clarea can give you the exact amounts, it's on the RCCL C&A site. But you do still get the C&A discount even with a TA.

Edited November 26, 2013 by BecciBoo

[suzyluvs2cruise]

We have used a similar TA many times. It is legitimate for reasons already stated they can afford to offer the many perks.

 

Our current Allure offers about the same as your initial deal. But, there are a few hassles to deal with...namely not being able to handle your reservation when making changes, things like linking reservations etc. They also may honor price reductions you find on the RCCL site. This happened a month ago on our Allure deal, but if the rate goes too low they may recall some perks. In our case they recalled the $100 OBC to allow the new rate...so I ended up only gaining by $50 but hey, that's a smaller fare plus a $50 "OBC" if you will. Just the paid gratuities seem enough of a perk to use this particular agency. And it is nice to have free meals in Chops, etc.

 

And yes, if you cancel...in our case, it will cost us $50 per person cancellation fee.

 

We've also used a similar TA in the past and had several cruises booked with them at one time. Yes, the perks are nice but there were some things with this agency that didn't work for us.

 

1. Agency hours are 8:00am - 6pm ET. We live in California so no contact after 3:00pm PT.

2. We were only able to deal with the agent we booked with and couldn't talk with anyone else. If we wanted to change cabins, or take advantage of a price drop most of the time we couldn't reach our agent. It was rare that the agent was available when I called and I'd have to leave a voice mail or send an email. Also, this agency won't let you talk to anyone else. Time is of the essence in these situations and we missed out on a coveted cabin once and a very reasonable paid upgrade to a higher category another time.

 

I think this agency, and the perks they offer, work well for someone who books a cruise and doesn't look to change cabins or check for price drops. We now use a Big Box agency (that I can't name) that is open 7 days a week from 7:00 am - 7:00 pm and is set up so you talk to whoever answers the phone. The offer really good OBC too! :)

Edited November 26, 2013 by suzyluvs2cruise

[dacsmom]

I have used them before and the perks are great. I look at booking each way and decide which way is best for me. The drawbacks are if there are price drops the online agency will not honor them and they usually not give credit for a savings certificate. Other than that you can usually get a pretty good deal. Read the fine print though, there are conditions. They are not outrageous or difficult but are things like you have to book the specialty restaurant onboard. Some people have been angry when they prebooked a specialty restaurant and were charged. It specifically says you cannot book that way. I believe they are to be used in port days only but I have never had that enforced.

[suzyluvs2cruise]

I have used them before and the perks are great. I look at booking each way and decide which way is best for me. The drawbacks are if there are price drops the online agency will not honor them and they usually not give credit for a savings certificate. Other than that you can usually get a pretty good deal. Read the fine print though, there are conditions. They are not outrageous or difficult but are things like you have to book the specialty restaurant onboard. Some people have been angry when they prebooked a specialty restaurant and were charged. It specifically says you cannot book that way. I believe they are to be used in port days only but I have never had that enforced.

 

It appears that different online agencies may have different policies. The online agency we used allowed price drops and coupons. Taking a price drop may impact the benefits you receive and, for the most part, happens with whatever agency you use.

 

The spa certificate we got had to be used on a port day, and that was enforced when I had them, but the Specialty Dinner for Two was good any night......and needed to be booked once onboard.

[Guest maddycat]

One potential caveat in case this is a group booking: You will be locked in to that price since it's a group booking, even if Royal offers a lower rate further on down the road. Still a good deal, but future additional savings may be limited.

 

I book on board and have the booking put in my TA's name. I choose the cabin I want. Sometimes he puts me in a group. When he does that I must pay the rest of the deposit right away. Sometimes he has a lower price than what RCI quoted me on board. He gives me some ($75-$100) in OBC. I always get my balcony discount. He always gets me any price drops that I find on RCI's website. If I want to change my cabin there is never a problem. I've used him for several years. He's not the best deal around, but I trust him and he's available 7 days a week.

 

When I hear about some of the fantastic deals that some people post here, I'm tempted. However, I'm not sure that it would be worth it to me. I'd be worried that some how things would get messed up. Maybe some day I'll try one of the online agencies who offer the super deals. I really wish that we could share TA recommendations.

[Desert Cruizers]

The local TA I have used to book our cruises since 2002, when we first started cruising, checks her emails even if on the weekend and if I have a question regarding say a room change, anyone of her associates will look into this if she is not in the office rather then leaving us waiting until she is back. They will email me promptly with an answer. We have valued the service her office has given us over the years.

She looked out for me this past Sept when Princess decided to move me from my Mid ship cabin to forward and upon her getting the notice, she called the agent back ASAP and had them put me back in my original cabin. I just happened to be checking my booking and noticed the change and called her within 15 min of her contacting princess to inquiary about the switch.

[aubreyc1988]

The local TA I have used to book our cruises since 2002, when we first started cruising, checks her emails even if on the weekend and if I have a question regarding say a room change, anyone of her associates will look into this if she is not in the office rather then leaving us waiting until she is back. They will email me promptly with an answer. We have valued the service her office has given us over the years.

She looked out for me this past Sept when Princess decided to move me from my Mid ship cabin to forward and upon her getting the notice, she called the agent back ASAP and had them put me back in my original cabin. I just happened to be checking my booking and noticed the change and called her within 15 min of her contacting princess to inquiary about the switch.

 

That's great you found someone you can trust! We have went through only two local TAs and got NOTHiNG for booking with them...we were cruise n00bs so we didn't know any better. And as for the online guys, I currently just can't bring myself to trust these "deals" they offer. And a lot of them are not very professional, even their websites look like something out of a circus...so for right now, we are just sticking to booking though The cruiseline....peace of mind for us is worth the 100obc we don't get!

 

 

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[TEXASMUNK]

There was the horror story of the online agency closing their doors. Deposits never sent to the cruiselines, no paperwork, nada, zilch.

 

Using a TA is great, the perks are great. It all comes down to validating who you are using, checking references, etc.

 

And....here is my advertisement: If you have a local TA who is good and reputable, use them! They are probably about 100% more knowledgeable than someone who has been taught how to work a reservation web site and has little or no travel experience.

 

Which ever way you go, direct, online or local.....isn't it great that we get to board cruise ships!!!!!!

[Toddcan]

If I have made my final payment (before the cruise line's required final payment date), can I still transfer to a TA? I'm 102 days away.

 

I cannot cancel and rebook through a TA because the price I paid is about $1,000 less than the current price (for the cabin), so I would have to pay the higher amount if I rebooked.

[Clarea]

If I have made my final payment (before the cruise line's required final payment date), can I still transfer to a TA? I'm 102 days away.

 

I cannot cancel and rebook through a TA because the price I paid is about $1,000 less than the current price (for the cabin), so I would have to pay the higher amount if I rebooked.

No, once you have made final payment (even well before final payment date), you can no longer transfer the booking to a travel agent.

[chickadee1]

Have booked directly with RCCL and also through TA! Happy with TA - was able to get perks, they honored price drops, got credit for savings certificates. Only problem is $50 pp cancellation fee but that is small price to pay. We have been able to pick our own stateroom. Interestingly, although it didn't show it on the RCCL website, the TA said we were linked with another couple and when we were on the ship, we were linked - we all know about RCCL limitations!!

 

Have not had any problems!

[Desert Cruizers]

Aubrey, I always have told our friends, to book either directly thru the Cruise lines or if they find an excellant TA, I prefer to use one in our city to receive the personal attention, then go with whom you are happy with. Granted we may not get a lot of perks, like OBC but her honesty is worth far more to us and we have been pleased with their service. A friend of ours who used a local TA for years suddenly found themselves 2 months out, with a cancelled cruise, because she failed to call in final pymt but charged it back to her company and pocketed the money. They recovered the cruise, because the cruise lines on a 3 way conversation, held the couples room until she paid the deposit and final payment on a wire transaction. I know it can happen and understand ones concern with booking with a TA, yet the excellant ones will watch out for your Reservation and handle any problems that occur with your cruise. They have far more pull then we do. I say book with whom you are comfortable and what works for you.

[waterbug123]

Actually, that happened back in 2008, and we did get the lower price. I was surprised because I did not think they would honor it (and maybe they would not currently) but hey, it never hurts to ask!:D

 

 

That likely means your TA ate the difference. Many will not; once you're locked in at a group block rate, that's the rate you pay. Or the TA will let you get the drop but take away some of the perks they had previously been able to give you by including you as part of a group block.

[sjb317]

That likely means your TA ate the difference. Many will not; once you're locked in at a group block rate, that's the rate you pay. Or the TA will let you get the drop but take away some of the perks they had previously been able to give you by including you as part of a group block.

 

Maybe, but as it was a pretty significant drop, I find it unlikely that they were willing to eat the difference. And we were able to keep the perks. But maybe, we just got lucky!:D

 

Sherri:)

[nelblu]

It appears that different online agencies may have different policies. The online agency we used allowed price drops and coupons. Taking a price drop may impact the benefits you receive and, for the most part, happens with whatever agency you use.

 

The spa certificate we got had to be used on a port day, and that was enforced when I had them, but the Specialty Dinner for Two was good any night......and needed to be booked once onboard.

 

The price drops stipulation is in the contract which my TA sends me to confirm the price of the cruise, terms and the various perks. As a matter of fact I have an Allure cruise in Feb.,'14 which had a reduction in price. In addition, I had credits of $822 per person from RCL from our Serenade Medit. cruise due to our cabin being very very noisy. It wiped out the base fare and the TA 's commission, however did not get the full D balcony discount because of the port charges--I lost the OBC but they still allowed me dinner for 2 at specialty restaurant which surprised me. If there are TA's out there I have a question--Does RCl give recognition to those large TA's that generate a lot of business for them. As an example auto dealership receive some form of compensation directly from the auto manufacturers for generating large volumes.

[nelblu]

i agree.

 

It is because it's a new ship. However, our 11 niter in Feb., '15 and living in Jersey it basically costing us the same as a 7 niter leaving from SJ or a FL port. When you take into consideration air fare, insurance, transportation, higher D balcony discount, higher RCL OBC from using an NCC, and the various higher perks from our TA. This is the first time we're leaving from Bayonne, NJ and the only downside is losing days to the cool weather.

[Guest maddycat]

It is because it's a new ship. However, our 11 niter in Feb., '15 and living in Jersey it basically costing us the same as a 7 niter leaving from SJ or a FL port. When you take into consideration air fare, insurance, transportation, higher D balcony discount, higher RCL OBC from using an NCC, and the various higher perks from our TA. This is the first time we're leaving from Bayonne, NJ and the only downside is losing days to the cool weather.

 

You would have lost days by flying to another port. Airport time is not vacation time. This way your vacation begins in Bayonne.

[nelblu]

You would have lost days by flying to another port. Airport time is not vacation time. This way your vacation begins in Bayonne.

 

Not days because we fly the same day as the cruise. Return trip, maybe half a day, but you get warm weather as soon as you land, especially San Juan.

[Realtor at Sea]

We have also used this Internet TA and have found them to be very reliable. We even get a small credit to apply to our next cruise after each cruise along with the pre-paid gratuities, OBC, spa treatment and free specialty restaurant dinner. Plus they honor the discounts from your RCCL status. Really cannot be beaten in our opinion!