OBC from your TA

[need2bespoiled]

TRUE,

 

It is a messy business....of course you could ask how good a friend she is...However, as I have checked the other PH which is still open.....the price has gone up 4,000 I will let it go...just never use her again

 

That's a challenge of only having two cabins in the category. One books, 50% of available space is gone, and on the adjacent itineraries, as few book..and the price drives up...

 

Your right about the good friend part, we have a TA who is a good friend. He'll split commission with us (give use back about 5% in OBC) but we like his friendship so I doubt we'll use him, so if we have issues, he stays our friend.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

[dani negreanu]

I would also be very greatful for the info on the NH travel agent

 

please send it to criblord40@sbcglobal.net

 

thanks

 

LabGuy, just sent u the info, as was graciously provided earlier by sperkins:)

[RocketMan275]

I'd love to get the name of this NH agency also. My email is carbonear13@yahoo.ca. Thanks.

 

I'd like to know too.

 

RktCtySooner at gmail dot com

[dani negreanu]

I'd like to know too.

 

RktCtySooner at gmail dot com

 

RocketMan, just sent u the info, as was graciously provided earlier by sperkins:)

[RocketMan275]

RocketMan, just sent u the info, as was graciously provided earlier by sperkins:)

 

Thank you so much for providing so quickly.

[JasonV1]

8-12% for me, the higher cabin price the higher the percent (in my experience). I used to use a website where TA's would bid on your cruise but have since settled on a TA I met from that site. She is able to provide more OBC now since she doesn't have to pay fees to that site.

Edited December 19, 2014 by JasonV1

[sperkins921]

Some incorrect info here.

 

1. The OBC they give you onboard is COMPLETELY free, they give it back to you on the CURRENT cruise you were on, as OBC, which is refundable. That amount is then applied to reduce the booked cruise, so basically free deposit. It is COMPLETELY combinable with anything your TA is willing to offer on top of it OR other Celebrity promos, like 123

 

2. If the price drops, you get the lowest price. I have just never seen upper level suites at less than cruise line published rates, as you can find with other cabins. We do receive price drops. After you've made final payment, yes, you would have that bit of time when you may not be eligible for a price drop. I guess that's a gamble you take, but suites have, in general not come down much except for some very specific times like the very end of November and the first two weeks of December. If you want a deal in the Caribbean, that is the time period I have found with the best rates.

 

My experience tells me you should have booked ANY Cruise while onboard. We booked 2 cruises a couple weeks ago for itineraries that were not yet published. As soon as they were published, they transferred those bookings to the new itinerary, so the free deposit was moved, no penalty.

 

The ONLY time I can imagine is NOT better to book onboard, is if the actual group rate being offered is lower than the rate you agree to with Celebrity. I have yet to be offered a lower "group rate" from any published rate for a suite (Sky Suite and above). I'm curious, has anyone seen this? Usually they just give us the extra savings in OBC I guess, but it is hard to know completely. I think the percentage of OBC can actually be higher for non suites paying published rates when the TA has a group rate that is cheaper than the published rate. They make money on the difference.

 

This also answers some questions some previous posters had about how TAs give up 10% when their commission is 10%. In addition to the end of year kickbacks, the large NH TA has groups on nearly every Celebrity sailings so if they're charging you the published rate, but paying less, they have the commission AND the difference between what they're paying and the published rate in addition to their commission to give back as an incentive or amenity.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

 

In regards to #1, what if you don't want the OBC on the cruise you're on? Will they bump it forward to the cruise you book in the future? I get that it's refundable and what not, so in theory one could save the cash and use it to pay the future cruise bill; but so much easier not to have to do that.

 

 

Also, I'm not sure why you said my info was incorrect? I said that the two things I have been unhappy with was dealing with price drops and then the fact that final payment has to be so early. I never said anything about price drops AFTER final payment. I meant the two as completely unrelated statements. There were price drops on my most recent cruise (before final payment) and I was told both times I was ineligible for them. Thus my saying I have been unhappy in dealing with price drops through the TA. I meant both comments not to be so much as fact sharing as opinions on what I had been unhappy with.

 

As for booking just anything, we weren't in a rush because we have other cruises coming up in (Feb/May) which we will be able to take advantage if we decide that we're cruising in 2016/17. We've been tossing around returning to Europe and going with DH's family to visit their relatives in Phuket/Bangkok. If so, there may not be time to cruise. We'll see.

[need2bespoiled]

In regards to #1, what if you don't want the OBC on the cruise you're on? Will they bump it forward to the cruise you book in the future? I get that it's refundable and what not, so in theory one could save the cash and use it to pay the future cruise bill; but so much easier not to have to do that.

 

 

Also, I'm not sure why you said my info was incorrect? I said that the two things I have been unhappy with was dealing with price drops and then the fact that final payment has to be so early. I never said anything about price drops AFTER final payment. I meant the two as completely unrelated statements. There were price drops on my most recent cruise (before final payment) and I was told both times I was ineligible for them. Thus my saying I have been unhappy in dealing with price drops through the TA. I meant both comments not to be so much as fact sharing as opinions on what I had been unhappy with.

 

As for booking just anything, we weren't in a rush because we have other cruises coming up in (Feb/May) which we will be able to take advantage if we decide that we're cruising in 2016/17. We've been tossing around returning to Europe and going with DH's family to visit their relatives in Phuket/Bangkok. If so, there may not be time to cruise. We'll see.

 

If you don't want the OBC for the current cruise, you can book a cruise later OBC option under the old program, with higher deposits (Suites are $900 / person / cruise, I don't know what other levels are) with similar OBC amounts.

 

What was wrong was that you said you can't "double" the OBC. Almost anything Celebrity offers for booking onboard is combineable with another promotion Celebrity is offering. Right now the onboarding booking bonus is generally being combined with 123 All Inclusive, but this has and does changes. This is also combinable with TA amenities (TA OBC), in essence, for booking onboard you can TRIPLE your benefits. We're so used to 123 we forget that is a benefit (probably here to stay).

 

Another point I was trying to make is that no matter what cruise you booked onboard, you can actually transfer it to any different cruise, at the going rate. The essentially "free" deposit (they gave you back the full amount in refundable OBC) can be moved to another cruise, no problem. So as long as you knew you would cruise again, it didn't really matter when. My recommendation would be to book the longest cruise you can find, to get the most "free money" even if you transfer a deposit from a 15 day cruise to a 5 day cruise.

 

You are eligible for price drops in most case when booking through a TA, the same as you would when booking through Celebrity. You may give up some of the TA OBC that is offered, as the cruise price goes down, so does the OBC (it's a percentage after all). Additionally, you're TA might have connected you to a group, which comes with certain limitations so that may impact your ability to get a drop. The drop _may_ be for new bookings only. You can still cancel, as long as it is before final payment, rebook, and always re-tranfer to the same TA, or a different one, though the NH TA does often have a cancellation fee. Some pricing also doesn't come with booking benefits like resident and senior rates.

 

Finally, when we book with the TA from NH often mentioned in this thread, we ask about the benefits available if we join the group for that cruise, and if we don't. They give us the amenities both ways, let us know what the final payment would be in both scenarios, so we can decided if we're willing to take the extra OBC and pay earlier, or take a little less, and make final payment later. So far, the benefits of joining the group have out weighed the earlier payment for us.

 

Hapyy sailing,

Jenna

[sperkins921]

Sent it.

 

 

Nikki

[UsedCArCon]

can I also get the name of the agent houdeksplyn at hotmail.com

[grandgeezer]

I use the agency in N.H. and over the years they have saved me over ten thousand dollars over booking directly from the cruise lines. We always booked longer cruises, in a balcony, so we pay in more, so we get more back. We are flexible so I try to find cruises where they have group rates. On our B2B on the Equinox (27 days), we paid $700 p.p. less for a balcony, than if we had booked directly through Celebrity. They also have a loyalty obc, the amount based on how many cruises you have booked with them. At least twice a year, they sell $500 gift cards and give you an extra $100 card for each one you buy, max of 2. These are above and beyond the other obcs they give. I have never had a problem getting money back if the cruise price drops or changing cabins. I just shoot them an e-mail and they handle it. On the above mentioned cruise, I got a total of $1,000 in obc from them, of which I brought home $650 which was credited back to my credit card.

Somebody mentioned having to pay early, that's true, but think of it. I don't know what you get for interest on your savings account, but I get 1%. If the cruise cost $5900, and you have to pay $900 up front, you owe $5,000 at final payment. That means I lose $4.06 in interest. So actually, I only gained $995.94 by using them Maybe it was a mistake using them. For all payments, Celebrity is the one that bills my credit card so they know exactly what I'm paying and they're making the big bucks because of having to pay early. LOL

[need2bespoiled]

I use the agency in N.H. and over the years they have saved me over ten thousand dollars over booking directly from the cruise lines. We always booked longer cruises, in a balcony, so we pay in more, so we get more back. We are flexible so I try to find cruises where they have group rates. On our B2B on the Equinox (27 days), we paid $700 p.p. less for a balcony, than if we had booked directly through Celebrity. They also have a loyalty obc, the amount based on how many cruises you have booked with them. At least twice a year, they sell $500 gift cards and give you an extra $100 card for each one you buy, max of 2. These are above and beyond the other obcs they give. I have never had a problem getting money back if the cruise price drops or changing cabins. I just shoot them an e-mail and they handle it. On the above mentioned cruise, I got a total of $1,000 in obc from them, of which I brought home $650 which was credited back to my credit card.

Somebody mentioned having to pay early, that's true, but think of it. I don't know what you get for interest on your savings account, but I get 1%. If the cruise cost $5900, and you have to pay $900 up front, you owe $5,000 at final payment. That means I lose $4.06 in interest. So actually, I only gained $995.94 by using them Maybe it was a mistake using them. For all payments, Celebrity is the one that bills my credit card so they know exactly what I'm paying and they're making the big bucks because of having to pay early. LOL

 

The extra loyalty OBC is no more. They have not announced a new program to replace it. Paying early is not about having money in a 1% savings account and it is NOT the opportunity cost of what else I could be doing with that money, from stocks to business capital, I make a lot more than 1%, it's the fact once you pay them, even if you are still in the no cancellation fee period, they have their own cancellation fees.

 

The last 5 cruises I transferred from booking onboard I am sending to a different agency after using them for a long time, as they provided less OBC and have a less flexible change policy.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

[grandgeezer]

The extra loyalty OBC is no more. They have not announced a new program to replace it. Paying early is not about having money in a 1% savings account and it is NOT the opportunity cost of what else I could be doing with that money, from stocks to business capital, I make a lot more than 1%, it's the fact once you pay them, even if you are still in the no cancellation fee period, they have their own cancellation fees.

 

The last 5 cruises I transferred from booking onboard I am sending to a different agency after using them for a long time, as they provided less OBC and have a less flexible change policy.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

 

I make a hell of a lot more than 1% on 95% of my capital. I like to have a small slush fund that I can get like now. Cancellation fee is of no concern to me. I only book cruises that I really want to take and I've been lucky enough that I haven't had to cancel any because of any other reasons. If I had to cancel and pay the fee, I'll just take it from the $10,000+ I've saved by using them. If you found somebody better good for you. I'm happy where I am.

[teecee60]

I make a hell of a lot more than 1% on 95% of my capital. I like to have a small slush fund that I can get like now. Cancellation fee is of no concern to me. I only book cruises that I really want to take and I've been lucky enough that I haven't had to cancel any because of any other reasons. If I had to cancel and pay the fee, I'll just take it from the $10,000+ I've saved by using them. If you found somebody better good for you. I'm happy where I am.

 

HEY grandgeezer... How's my like minded, fellow bargain hunter?!? Any great deals as of late? :confused:

 

I am grieving over the recent loss of a wonderful opportunity... a 15 night Hawaiian cruise on Grand Princess on 2 February out of LA.

 

At $1099pp it was more than I usually pay, but I would have had $775 OBC! Unlike Celebrity, Princess lets you combine all OBC offers. :cool:

 

Keep up the shrewd shopping!

Edited January 9, 2015 by teecee60

[stickey_mouse]

I've recently ventured into the realm of travel agency, and it's very interesting. I've learned a lot so far. Basically, any extra OBC offered by a TA is commission they are willing to concede. Larger companies have a larger number of clients, so they can afford to kick more commission back to the clients. I asked the TA I'm working under about this a few weeks ago and was basically told that it's my discretion. I'm not in this to make a lot of money, so I plan on being very kind to friends and family.

[dani negreanu]

can I also get the name of the agent houdeksplyn at hotmail.com

 

 

UsedCArCon, just tried to send u the info (as was graciously provided earlier by sperkins), but your "mailbox is unavailable" :confused:

[BosoxI]

I do all of my own research and make my own decisions so I only use the TA for making the booking. I usually get OBC of around 10% (we book upper end suites). The good thing is with the TA's OBC, if we don't use it, it gets credited back to our credit card.

 

Same with us except we usually book Aqua and get 7-8% OBC

[cruisers5]

We booked while on board so ended up with the 123 All inclusive, so free gratuities, Classic Beverage Package and $550 OBC from Celebrity. Transferred booking to TA when we got home and got an additional $235 from them - so have $785 OBC for 7 day Southern Caribbean on Celebrity Summit.