TA perks - what can I expect?

[FlamingJune1967]

We aren't big spender type cruisers.

We try to keep our cruise prices to less than $100 pp a day, and try not to spend more than $200 per person during the cruise. In the past we've always booked inside or promenade view cabins.

Our latest cruise is a 10 day on Eclipse in a 2C veranda. We booked gty - so no perks and it ended up being around $90 a day pp before gratuities.

 

So, my question is, at our spending level, should we expect any sort of perks or bonus from using a Travel Agent? We are using one for the first time this cruise - and we have been happy with his level of service (he's prompt to reply and helped us upgrade cabins when price dropped after final) However, he offers no extras (as far as I know), and I'm wondering if this is even something we should expect from any TA since we are so budget minded.

 

thanks for your help!

[Beanb41]

Some TA's especially on line TA's who a lot of cruises and can because of the volume they generate can and do offer incentives to get one's business. Other TA's offer nothing for the business. One is in a stronger position if one has made the booking direct with the cruise line and then shop that booking around to different TA's to see what they will offer for the business. If one has booked with a TA without any negotiations as to perks I wouldn't hold out much hope for perks after the event. From a business perspective having got your business without having to pay for it why would they now. If they are doing a great job great and perhaps next time negotiate a deal first. Commission for most TA's is between 10 and 15% of the cruise fare excluding taxes, gratuities etc

Edited November 3, 2016 by Beanb41

[roxievegas]

We booked our first three cruises with Celebrity and did not use a travel agent. If I noticed that the price dropped, I called Celebrity and they would make adjustments. I didn't know that some TA will give you additional OBC when you book with them, or transfer the booking to them. We went on a cruise and I saw everyone wearing t-shirts advertising an on-line ta, so when we got home I called and asked what they did for my business. I was told that based on the cost of my cruise I would get OBC. I called some local ta's and they could not match what the on line ta's do. I ended up going with the "big box" store ta and I get about 8% OBC. Working with them is the same as going directly with Celebrity.

[FlamingJune1967]

One is in a stronger position if one has made the booking direct with the cruise line and then shop that booking around to different TA's to see what they will offer for the business.

 

I never even knew you could do this... shop around afterward! Thanks for the tip!

 

I called some local ta's and they could not match what the on line ta's do. I ended up going with the "big box" store ta and I get about 8% OBC. Working with them is the same as going directly with Celebrity.

 

I'm working with a local TA now, which could be the reason for no perks. Of course, he has done an excellent job of assisting me in making decisions etc, so I appreciate that. And there is the whole "personal contact" thing that I'm not sure you can get from a "big box online" TA. I have been hesitant to "lose control" over my reservation by using a TA, but so far the experience has been positive. I'm curious... when you deal with the large online brokers do you get an actual person to contact (talk to on phone etc.)?

[sanger727]

I've never booked with a local TA. My experience in using a big box TA is that yes, you are put in contact with a specific person that earns the commission and works the booking. Usually the website advertises an obc or reduced deposit offer if they are offering one. But, I've found that after booking, if there's any price reductions I can often get a bigger deduction or better obc deal from the TA than what celebrity is directly offering. The company I prefer to use is nice because while you get assigned to a specific agent, their phone line is staffed 12+ hours a day, 7 days a week, and they will refer you to an on duty manager when your agent is unavailable if you need anything.

[Luvcrusn]

We aren't big spender type cruisers.

We try to keep our cruise prices to less than $100 pp a day, and try not to spend more than $200 per person during the cruise. In the past we've always booked inside or promenade view cabins.

Our latest cruise is a 10 day on Eclipse in a 2C veranda. We booked gty - so no perks and it ended up being around $90 a day pp before gratuities.

 

So, my question is, at our spending level, should we expect any sort of perks or bonus from using a Travel Agent? We are using one for the first time this cruise - and we have been happy with his level of service (he's prompt to reply and helped us upgrade cabins when price dropped after final) However, he offers no extras (as far as I know), and I'm wondering if this is even something we should expect from any TA since we are so budget minded.

 

thanks for your help!

 

Hi,

We're on your cruise on the Eclipse. We book with a big cruise online TA. We're in a C2 cabin that we chose, not a guarantee. We booked the cruise during one of our TA's four big sales each year (they have many more smaller ones) over a year ago. In addition to a good price for the cruise we received bev. package, pre-paid gratuities and $600 OBC. It's been our experience that the big online cruise TA's often have rates that are less than the advertised cruise line rates, and that even when their rates are the same they offer more perks than if we book direct. We've used the same TA for a long time now and have always gotten what was promised and been pleased. Just yesterday we received an upgrade to Aqua on our Reflection cruise for the same price we booked concierge and kept all our other perks because of a price reduction. We could also have chosen to keep concierge and get a $400 price reduction and give up $100 OBC that was not combinable with the lower fare. Generally the big TA's can do better than a smaller brick and mortar TA because of the big volume. The down side is that some (ours included) charge a $50 cancellation fee per person if you cancel after deposit.

[travelpeon]

My cruise specialist large office TA offers a loyalty club and provides OBC for continued business in addition to whatever OBC/perks offered for the sailing. Occasionally they'll also secure a group sailing price while it is low and offer it to customers at the lower price while direct booking price increases.

 

I value how the TA's customer service team handles things via e-mail as we're in different time zones and I prefer e-mail. Saves me time on hold and as they are large volume, they have access to contacts within the cruise lines that I do not.

[Luvcrusn]

I never even knew you could do this... shop around afterward! Thanks for the tip!

 

 

I'm curious... when you deal with the large online brokers do you get an actual person to contact (talk to on phone etc.)?

 

The one we use the answer is yes. I call, ask for customer service and speak with a person. I can ask for someone specifically or speak with anyone. Without fail everyone I've spoken with has been knowledgeable, pleasant, and willing to go the extra mile to please. Sometimes they can't do everything I'd like, but they don't mind looking into my questions and more often than not their answer is yes. You can book on their website or by phone.

[eandj]

You get perks when you book. Not after the fact. Unless you are satisfied with perhaps a bottle of wine in your room as an agent's thank you.

Next time you book a cruise shop around. If you don't need in person hand holding and guidance with regard to rooms, dining, booking sir etc. shop around. Many online agencies sell large quantities and can offer lower rates, ( especially if you can snag a group rate room), ship obc's or things like drink packages, free gratuities etc. And yes you can talk to an agent if needed during their office hours. Some include weekends.

 

Just be sure when you get quotes that they all include taxes and port fees. And be aware if there are any agency change or cancellation fees.

Edited November 4, 2016 by eandj

[Duanerice1]

I'm working with a local TA now, which could be the reason for no perks. Of course, he has done an excellent job of assisting me in making decisions etc, so I appreciate that. And there is the whole "personal contact" thing that I'm not sure you can get from a "big box online" TA. I have been hesitant to "lose control" over my reservation by using a TA, but so far the experience has been positive. I'm curious... when you deal with the large online brokers do you get an actual person to contact (talk to on phone etc.)?

 

I too had the "fear" of losing control so booked my first 5 or so cruises directly with the cruise line. Little did I know I gave away well over $1000 in OBC for those 5 cruises. But you don't lose anymore control that you have to begin with, just need to go through the TA. And yea, if it is a weekend and there is a great price drop, then depending on who you choose, you might not be able to contact them.

 

On the flip side I booked a last minute cruise on a Carnival ship (no Celebrity here in May) and a week later the price dropped so I called them back and they upgraded me to a spa cabin after some conversation. Not sure if TA would have done that or they'd have to call me and ask, etc.

 

Overall I usually book with Celebrity then transfer to an agent after.

[ClaudiaB]

I too had the "fear" of losing control so booked my first 5 or so cruises directly with the cruise line. Little did I know I gave away well over $1000 in OBC for those 5 cruises. But you don't lose anymore control that you have to begin with, just need to go through the TA. And yea, if it is a weekend and there is a great price drop, then depending on who you choose, you might not be able to contact them.

 

When we've needed to contact our TA during off-hours about a good deal on a cruise we just put a courtesy hold on the cabin through the cruise line and then when we get the TA on the phone (or email) they can sort it all out.

[FlamingJune1967]

These are all excellent suggestions. I honestly don't know how folks cruise without all the helpful advice on CC! Thanks everyone!

 

I think for my next cruise I will just book myself, then see what we can get to transfer booking. If the advantage of using an online TA is minimal, then I will stick with our current TA since he is local and I know him personally.

 

Our next cruise will be all 4 of us, however, so more $$ spent might mean bigger discounts or perks. I still haven't decided if we are going to stick with Celebrity or go back to Royal Caribbean when the kids accompany. Will have to assess after we board :D

[graceswan]

The other thing I would say, is don't be hard and fast on the $ per day cost. I have found that some of the perks are dependent on booking either oceanview or balcony or above. The price works out to more dollars per day, but when you calculate gratuity, OBC and/or drink packages it is really saving me money. I have walked off cruises only owing $2 when in the past it has been several hundred dollars. Plus I have a better room, can go to a speciality dining venue, get a massage, pick up some gifts, all while paying for it along and along before I even start the cruise.

 

I used to be cheap and only look at the price per person per day. Now I look at the value.

[Luvcrusn]

These are all excellent suggestions. I honestly don't know how folks cruise without all the helpful advice on CC! Thanks everyone!

 

I think for my next cruise I will just book myself, then see what we can get to transfer booking. If the advantage of using an online TA is minimal, then I will stick with our current TA since he is local and I know him personally.

 

Our next cruise will be all 4 of us, however, so more $$ spent might mean bigger discounts or perks. I still haven't decided if we are going to stick with Celebrity or go back to Royal Caribbean when the kids accompany. Will have to assess after we board :D

 

Sorry ahead of time, I don't want to hijack the thread, just add a comment. You will enjoy X as IMHO it's a great choice when cruising with your spouse. We've done both X and Royal, just DH and I. If I were cruising with my grandkids (6, 8, 10) there would be no question but to choose Royal. Especially with the big new ships there is so much more for them to do! X is definitely more targeted to adults. Don't know the ages of your children, but you'll love Eclipse, but understand what I mean about Royal after our cruise.

[Pstreet12]

I never even knew you could do this... shop around afterward! Thanks for the tip!

 

 

 

I'm working with a local TA now, which could be the reason for no perks. Of course, he has done an excellent job of assisting me in making decisions etc, so I appreciate that. And there is the whole "personal contact" thing that I'm not sure you can get from a "big box online" TA. I have been hesitant to "lose control" over my reservation by using a TA, but so far the experience has been positive. I'm curious... when you deal with the large online brokers do you get an actual person to contact (talk to on phone etc.)?

 

When you call the big on-line TA for information or to make a booking, you will speak to a specific person and be given that person's email/extension number, etc. When you have a question about the cruise in general or your specific booking, you will call that person. If you need to make a change to the reservation (hopefully, because the price went down :) ), you will probably be transferred to "customer care," and the people who work there and make changes all the time will make the adjustments for you or explain how it works/doesn't work in this case.

 

If the TA is big enough, they may purchase (by paying the down payment) a number of cabins on a specific sailing when it first is announced, which will generally be the lowest prices that are offered and may be as much as two years in advance. Once the TA "owns" those cabins, they can sell them for whatever price they want. That means that 6 mts. or so (whenever they choose) before the sailing, the TA can offer the cabins they own at a significant reduction from the price the cruise line is currently offering, and they can also offer other "incentives" for booking with them.

 

If they don't own the cabins, they absolutely cannot sell the cabin for less than the cruise line sells it--or they won't be selling that lines cabins any longer. However, they can offer "incentives" for booking with them: on board credit, a dinner in a specialty restaurant, spa treatment, etc.

 

Things to consider:

1. not all TA buy cabins on the same ships, so you may well find great

sales on one site that other sites can't match for a particular sailing.

2. You probably can't guarantee that you have gotten the best price

possible--but you can manage to get a good price by diligent shopping

3. Big sales tend to occur at some pretty predictable times:

around the 4th of July, after Thanksgiving, and a couple of other

times.

4. The TA may make you pay final payment 30 days or so earlier

than the cruise line does----but "final payment date" for making

changes is always the cruise line's final payment date.

5. The TA may with-hold a portion of the deposit if you cancel before

final payment date; the cruise line will not.

[NAYRB]

If you book onboard and want to transfer it to a TA later, you need to make sure that you don't have the reservation assigned to your current TA because that is what they have by default. Also you only have 30 or maybe 60 days to assign it to a TA, otherwise it stays with celebrity.

[Duanerice1]

The other thing I would say, is don't be hard and fast on the $ per day cost. I have found that some of the perks are dependent on booking either oceanview or balcony or above. The price works out to more dollars per day, but when you calculate gratuity, OBC and/or drink packages it is really saving me money. I have walked off cruises only owing $2 when in the past it has been several hundred dollars. Plus I have a better room, can go to a speciality dining venue, get a massage, pick up some gifts, all while paying for it along and along before I even start the cruise.

 

I used to be cheap and only look at the price per person per day. Now I look at the value.

 

Excellent advice