Onboard Credits....Best Use

[JADS64]

We have $700 to spend on our cruise leaving this Friday.

big-better-best promotion: $300 OBC

+ credit for booking future cruise while on previous cruise: $200

+ credit because Celebrity cancelled a previous cruise that we had booked: $200

 

I have already "spent" about half of it. Now that you can use OBC before sailing, I have purchased shore excursions and kept some for the luggage valet service that is now available.

[varoo]

Any rule of thumb on what you should expect from a TA? Is there a threshold dollar amount where an online TA starts to kick in more OBC? I've booked cruises onboard with Celebrity and haven't transferred to a TA - seems like I've left money on the table. Looking for any tips.

There are a number of variables involved, so it depends on a combination of different factors. There is no one rule of thumb that applies to all TAs or all cruise passengers.

 

In general, the large TAs that do high volume business with a cruise line get paid a higher commission than the small, independent operators.

Therefore, they usually have a lot more flexibility in the amount that they have available to kick back to their customers.

 

If they hold group space on a particular cruise, they can often offer you a lower price than you would otherwise pay.

Those who book top suites generally receive better perks from TAs than those who book inside cabins because the TA receives more money for selling the more expensive cabins.

 

But even that does not always apply. For example, those who receive a rock bottom discounted rate for a top suite cannot expect the same perks as those who pay the regular advertised rack rates.

As to the confusion about whether or not OBC from a TA is refundable, some TAs advertise that if you book with them, you will receive X dollars of OBC.

But what they neglect to tell you is that some of that OBC they claim to be "giving" you is actually coming from the cruise line, and is non-refundable.

 

 

We find it at least worth checking to see what various TAs will offer for each cruise.

For some cruises, we find it very worthwhile to give our booking to a TA, but for others (when the TAs can offer us very little or nothing) we prefer to keep the booking ourselves and deal directly with the cruise line.

Aside from the additional perks, some passengers, especially those new to cruising, also enjoy the "hand holding" and personalized attention they receive from their TA.

Others do not want or need any of that.

 

Then there are also some passengers who have family members or friends who are TAs, and give them all their bookings so that they will be the ones who receive the commission from the cruise line.

[tabby50894]

Thank you for your reply. It looks like with all the variables, I have more homework to do when I book.

And just to throw another variable into the mix, we have had very good luck with getting upgrades when we have booked with Celebrity. From what I have gathered from the boards, there is no rhyme or reason with how a passenger is selected for an upgrade offer, but we've received several and I wonder if booking with Celebrity and not a TA may have helped.

[Mytravellove]

We find it at least worth checking to see what various TAs will offer for each cruise.

For some cruises, we find it very worthwhile to give our booking to a TA, but for others (when the TAs can offer us very little or nothing) we prefer to keep the booking ourselves and deal directly with the cruise line.

 

 

[Mytravellove]

Sorry about my previous post...I meant to ask Varoo how do they go about getting quotes from various travel agents so that they can best compare not only prices but also the OBC? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I have just booked 2 cruises while I was onboard a TransAtlantic last week and have 60 days in which to transfer it to an agent or leave it with Celebrity. The prices quoted by the Celebrity Future Cruise centre are higher than I have paid for longer cruises, so I'm looking for the any advice on paying less for them and still keeping the $200 OBC (for one cruise) & $250 OBC (for 2nd cruise). These cruises are only in October & November 2017...so I still have time before the final payment is due. Thanks

[IamJo]

There is a site out there where agencies COMPETE for your CRUISE business. All pricing and perks are detailed. Sometimes the best deal isn't even through a TA in your country.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[tabby50894]

There is a site out there where agencies COMPETE for your CRUISE business. All pricing and perks are detailed. Sometimes the best deal isn't even through a TA in your country.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Thanks for the info!