Extras received from your TA

[adx74]

I did not booked with a TA from the U.S until this year, so i would like to know what type of extras have you received from your TA when you booked the RC cruise. I've read that some have received a massage or shipboard credit. Please tell me how to get the extras (may i negotiated or ..?)

:)

[Clarea]

We usually an onboard credit from our TA that is based on the price of the cruise. We were referred to her by others, so did not have to do any searching.

[dorisis]

We have received many extras from Travel Agents. OBCs, Wine, Dinners, Chocolate covered strawberries.Travel bags and coupon books. But reduced prices are my favorite.

[BND]

Our TA's are friends and while they don't give us a lot (bottle of wine or beach towel), they are our dear friends and we don't expect anything. Anyway, when a TA "gives" you something it's because they're taking it out of their commission. So, if the day ever comes that cruiselines don't pay out commissions, then these "freebies" will also go away. Airlines, hotels, etc have already quit paying TA's.

[dacsmom]

I have gotten specialty dinners, OBC, spa credit, pre-paid gratuities, and half off travel insurance. I have never had to negotiate, it was offered when I booked. Sometimes I book directly with RCI and sometimes I book with a TA.

[Sitzmark]

I am getting a couple hundred bucks obc, didn't negotiate it, it's advertised on the TA website.

[nelblu]

For my upcoming Quantum cruise I'm getting prepaid gratuities and dinner for 2 up to $60 at a specialty restaurant and for my Oasis $150 in obc's and dinner for 2. Also, used NCC certs and getting add'l $150 and $100 in obc's

respectively.

[Esmerelda]

In the past we have received spa treatments, specialty dinners, OBC, prepaid gratuities.

 

This time coming up, we are receiving $355 OBC for our Jr Suite plus we we have $100 OBC from our NCC so that's a total of $455! Wooohoo

 

My son and his GF cabin received $150 OBC from RC plus another $150 from the TA giving them $300 OBC for their cabin.

 

I'm very happy with OBC as you can use if for anything. I book directly with RC then I transfer it in under the 60 day window.

 

:D

Edited May 24, 2014 by Esmerelda

[Alohaaloha]

I did not booked with a TA from the U.S until this year, so i would like to know what type of extras have you received from your TA when you booked the RC cruise. I've read that some have received a massage or shipboard credit. Please tell me how to get the extras (may i negotiated or ..?)

 

:)

 

 

We had $150.00 OBC and a huge price drop a few weeks before final payment.

 

 

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[Karter]

On a $699 pp balcony cabin on Oasis we received free gratuities, $100 OBC, spa treatment, specialty restaurant, and a $50 gift card from the TA. The TA we use has a loyalty program so some of the perks were because of our standing in their program – as you book more cruises with them you get better benefits. We also used the $250 RCCL balcony discount and $100 next cruise cert that the TA allowed us to use in combination with their promotions. We have found some TAs will not give you their perks if you use the RCCL balcony and/or next cruise certificates.

[liberiben]

We have a $60 voucher for dinner and a $100 spa thing. Is it going to show up as OBC or is there something we have to redeem?

[LetsGetWet!]

Our TA's are friends and while they don't give us a lot (bottle of wine or beach towel), they are our dear friends and we don't expect anything. Anyway, when a TA "gives" you something it's because they're taking it out of their commission. So, if the day ever comes that cruiselines don't pay out commissions, then these "freebies" will also go away. Airlines, hotels, etc have already quit paying TA's.

While you're correct about airlines, most hotels still pay TA commissions.

 

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[Surfguyxxx]

On a recent 16 night TA cruise, in a Grand Suite mind you, I got $100. And that was only because we had booked over a year before the cruise and I misplaced the original receipt. About a month before we left is when he "gave" use the $100.

 

While on the ship we had spoken to many many folks who got speciality dining, massage treatments, OBC, gratuities taken care of etc. One women we talked with everynight ended up getting about $500 worth of items. So, when we booked 2 more cruises while on that ship, we took our TA off of our listings stating that we wanted to have better options for future cruises.

[SnakeBitten]

Our TA gave us a really good price on our balcony cabin, $125 OBC and dinner for two at specialty restaurant for booked NOS cruise this fall. We got to pick the cabin number too. SB

[whitshel]

We just booked from a next certificate and transfered the booking to a t/a and got $200 obc, dinner in a specialty rest, and a bottle of wine plus the $100 obc from the next cert. Thats for an $865pp d6 balcony on Oasis 2016. I thought that was pretty generous :D

[MichaelCMTX]

Reading this thread with considerable interest-- and appreciating everyone's comments-- because we're "auditioning" a new T/A on this trip, specifically because we'd hear tales from fellow passengers of generous gifts from the T/A and our past ones weren't providing squat, half-squat or even essence of squat.

 

I look at it this way, the one upcoming is 8-days in a GS that we basically researched, picked out, booked onboard, used miles to upgrade our flights and delivered to the T/A booked and ready with a bow on top. It was explained that we weren't happy with our now-former T/A because we'd hear these glorious tales of "stuff" and didn't want to keep being left out. For whatever commission she has coming, effort on her behalf has so far consisted of periodically hitting up my CC for whatever RCL gets that month.

 

So we shall see once Summer comes to a close and final payments are made how the audition goes.

[Chris Copeman]

I usually wait for the BIG sale the TA has. 4 times per year where they up their perks. They also have promo codes that you can mention to get an additional $OBC amount usually $100 that you can combine. You just need to be on the look out.

 

Since I started using this specific TA, which does sponsor some of the emails from cruise critic - I have never booked a cruise where I have received less than the following.

 

$200 OBC

At least one dinner

Additional OBC or pre paid gratuities

When they offer the SPA credit I ask for them to change it to a dinner which they have no problem doing

 

I also ask them for a bottle of wine on top of the above which I will sometimes get as the cost to them for a bottle of wine is nothing compared to what it is on the ship for me to buy.

 

Then you mention the promo code and you get an addition OBC. Sometime the amount of PERKS I get is about equal to the cost of one person on the cruise after using a C&A balcony discount.

 

Note about this TA they do charge a fee if you change your ship or sail date however this has not been a problem for me.

 

In addition to that we also receive, after we cruise a 7 night sailing, a certificate for OBC of $25 dollars for my next cruise. When you refer someone to the TA and they mention your name and loyalty number you both get an OBC to spend.

Edited June 25, 2014 by Chris Copeman

[js]

I usually wait for the BIG sale the TA has. 4 times per year where they up their perks. They also have promo codes that you can mention to get an additional $OBC amount usually $100 that you can combine. You just need to be on the look out.

 

Since I started using this specific TA, which does sponsor some of the emails from cruise critic - I have never booked a cruise where I have received less than the following.

 

$200 OBC

At least one dinner

Additional OBC or pre paid gratuities

When they offer the SPA credit I ask for them to change it to a dinner which they have no problem doing

 

I also ask them for a bottle of wine on top of the above which I will sometimes get as the cost to them for a bottle of wine is nothing compared to what it is on the ship for me to buy.

 

Then you mention the promo code and you get an addition OBC. Sometime the amount of PERKS I get is about equal to the cost of one person on the cruise after using a C&A balcony discount.

 

Note about this TA they do charge a fee if you change your ship or sail date however this has not been a problem for me.

 

In addition to that we also receive, after we cruise a 7 night sailing, a certificate for OBC of $25 dollars for my next cruise. When you refer someone to the TA and they mention your name and loyalty number you both get an OBC to spend.

 

Thank you.

What do you mean sponsored e-mails?

I want to book 5 people in two balcony cabins the summer of July 2015 on Oasis.

[bighairtexan]

My best recent snag: The cheapest balcony cabin on Navigator 3/23/14. I paid "rack rate" but I got: $100 spa certificate, dinner for 2 in a specialty restaurant, $100 OBC and prepaid gratuities.

 

Also I booked a cruise for next April, during the BOGO sale and saved about $1,000 over the wonderful BOGO rate (ha) again on Navigator D2 (balcony w/ larger cabin.) Since I got in on a "Group Rate" and the price was so terrific, I didn't get much in perks. $50 OBC and dinner for 2 in a specialty restaurant.

 

This coming August on Celebrity Summit to Bermuda: I booked under the 123 promo and Celebrity was giving a free Classic (alcohol) beverage package which my TA upgraded to Premium. I also got prepaid gratuities and the price (again I was put in a group) was $100 less PP than the cruise line rate.

 

I price the cruise I want directly on the cruise line's website, then I email my TA w/ the information and ask what her agency is willing to give as perks or pricing or both. On every Celebrity and RCI cruise it's been excellent and I book w/ the TA. They don't seem to be as generous w/ Princess cruises so I often book directly w/ Princess in that case.

Edited June 25, 2014 by bighairtexan

[Chris Copeman]

Thank you.

What do you mean sponsored e-mails?

I want to book 5 people in two balcony cabins the summer of July 2015 on Oasis.

 

If you sign up for Cruise Critics Weekly top deals emails they are sponsored by 2 or three of big online TA's. The one I use is one of them.

[js]

If you sign up for Cruise Critics Weekly top deals emails they are sponsored by 2 or three of big online TA's. The one I use is one of them.

 

Thank you.

Been on here many years and never have done that.

Will do today :)

Thank you.

 

OK, just did it. Approximately how many newsletters do you get a month?

Edited June 25, 2014 by js

[Chris Copeman]

 

I price the cruise I want directly on the cruise line's website, then I email my TA w/ the information and ask what her agency is willing to give as perks or pricing or both. On every Celebrity and RCI cruise it's been excellent and I book w/ the TA. They don't seem to be as generous w/ Princess cruises so I often book directly w/ Princess in that case.

 

 

I also do the same find the cruise I want thru Royal and then call up the TA after looking at what PERKS they are offering on their website. This TA is so large that they usually have great group rates which is also a big savings.

 

The thing with Princess I have heard is because they give very little commission to TA's. So less money for the TA to give back to you in the form of PERKS.

[trolleydolly]

Ok. After reading through all the extras that can be got has anyone FROM THE UK got anything like this. Apart from OBC which from my experience has to be if RCI are doing that promotion at the time.

 

We have sailed about 9 times with royal and are from the UK and have never received any other 'gifts'.

 

Anyone??......

 

(I really need to emigrate!!:D)

[Priusprof]

We use one of the on line specialty cruise travel agencies and they have an internal menu of perks that they give out based on the price of the cabin. In addition they have a loyalty club that awards future OBC coupons depending on your level in the club. Base level is $25, then $50, etc. The perks include OBC, dinner vouchers, spa coupons, ppd gratuities(as an OBC). The big agencies book groups and commit to a block of cabins in a category. This provides them with a certain number of free cabins that they sell to generate the money for the freebies. They give it away, or not, as they see fit. Or it can come from the commissions too.

Edited June 25, 2014 by Priusprof

[John&LaLa]

I did not booked with a TA from the U.S until this year, so i would like to know what type of extras have you received from your TA when you booked the RC cruise. I've read that some have received a massage or shipboard credit. Please tell me how to get the extras (may i negotiated or ..?)

:)

 

My TA has never given me a massage, she rarely goes with us

 

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