How do you get a better deal than thru the Cruise line?

[Gracie115]

Yes it covers Trip Interruption plus Med Evac., plus high points for travel, don't need another CC.

 

 

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It's thru Chase, check their site and listing of cards.

 

 

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We have a Chase Sapphire card which has all those perks...BUT you should read the fine print on the Med Evac stuff....yes they have it IF the host doctor/hospital deems it "medically necessary" which makes it very difficult to use in many cases. We carry MedJet for medical evacuation...they will come and get you and bring you home if you are in a hospital and want to be treated at home NO MATTER what the host doctor or hospital states.

 

I have a friend that wound up paying a HUGE amount out of pocket because she needed med evac and the insurer she had stated it wasn't medically necessary they could operate THERE even though she was in a 3rd world country with inferior care.... Med Jet would have brought her home...so be careful and KNOW for sure what you are covered for.....

[blizzardboy]

How does changing from a PCC to TA affect the pay of the PCC?

Do they get credit for the booking and make the same or lose credit if you swap?

They get credit towards their bonus once a booking has sailed. They make some for the original booking, more if it stays in house. My PCC has said he would be transferring the booking for an additional 9 or 10% back in OBC or discount. I do leave about every other short cruise with him as an extra thank you. Dumb, I know, but it makes me feel better about the hours he spends answering questions.

[mllewis48]

We have a Chase Sapphire card which has all those perks...BUT you should read the fine print on the Med Evac stuff....yes they have it IF the host doctor/hospital deems it "medically necessary" which makes it very difficult to use in many cases. We carry MedJet for medical evacuation...they will come and get you and bring you home if you are in a hospital and want to be treated at home NO MATTER what the host doctor or hospital states.

 

 

 

I have a friend that wound up paying a HUGE amount out of pocket because she needed med evac and the insurer she had stated it wasn't medically necessary they could operate THERE even though she was in a 3rd world country with inferior care.... Med Jet would have brought her home...so be careful and KNOW for sure what you are covered for.....

 

 

 

The Benefit Guide clearly states, "the evacuation must be pre-approved by the Benefits Administrator in consultation with a Legally licensed Physician(Ships Doctor) who has certified the evac is warranted due to severity of the injury or illness".

 

If this occurs I see it is covered?

 

 

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[idiebabe]

I most often use the big-box that rhymes with Roscoe, as they give you about 9% in OBC of your fare, which is refundable if not used since it's not from HAL. If you're an Executive member at Roscoe, travel bookings made after Sept 01 will pay a 2% bonus. They do have a $100 cancellation fee on cruises..

 

We also use Roscoe (sometimes will transfer to them from PCC if we don't book it direct with them). I have cancelled cruises with Roscoe and have never been charged a Penalty Fee.

 

On our Kdam TA last Fall I originally booked with PCC with intent to transfer to the Big Box before Final Pay. It was still before final pay and saw that Big Box had the same Category Verandah for $400 less than HAL. I asked my PCC about it and she said it was "Special Pricing" by Roscoe and she couldn't honor it. Of course, we had it transferred over that day!

 

The one thing I do prefer booking with my HAL PCC over the Big Box is having the direct communication with HAL vs going through the Big Box. On the other hand that OBC sure is sweet and makes it worth while! :D

[Gracie115]

The Benefit Guide clearly states, "the evacuation must be pre-approved by the Benefits Administrator in consultation with a Legally licensed Physician(Ships Doctor) who has certified the evac is warranted due to severity of the injury or illness".

 

If this occurs I see it is covered?

 

 

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well....maybe.... Many accidents happen NOT on the ship and the ships doctor has little or nothing to do with the decision. In the case of my friend the hospital where she was taken was more than willing to do the surgery she needed, but she did not feel confident in their care( and she was right) and her med evac insurance said, NO, because the host hospital was willing to do the surgery, so the insurance company could AND did refuse to evacuate her, she had to pay for it out of pocket. Med Jet would have come and taken her home.....

[geoherb]

I frequently use the website that lets several different travel agencies compete for your cruise business. I'm amused when some of the quotes come back higher than I could get from the cruise line. But there are always some quotes that are lower. I used to be loyal to a particular agent I first found on that site. But his prices have not been better than the cruise line lately, so I went with another agency for our past few cruises. A piddly amount of OBC and a bottle of wine aren't worth as much as saving a few hundred dollars on the cruise fare.

[missmishka]

It is on the travel portal web page of the big box retailer, toward the bottom of the page.

 

Found it, thanks! And it actually says "For Executive Member purchases made directly from "Big Box" Travel departing on or after September 1, 2017, a 2% Reward will be earned and applied after travel is completed. Must be an Executive Member when travel starts. Excludes taxes, fees, surcharges, gratuities, trip protection, and portions of travel purchased through a third party such as activities, tours, baggage fees, upgrades, rental car equipment, resort charges, port charges, resort and cruise line fees and similar extras. Other terms, conditions and exclusions applicable to the 2% Reward apply.

[Lizzie68]

My piddly amount of OBC from my TA adds up to much more than a few hundred dollars. In addition to having almost instant response to every question I send her way.

 

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[Tampa Girl]

Another poster addressed this, but just to be clear... The Chase card we are talking about (Reserve) offers 3% in POINTS, not 3% OFF. The 3% in points is applicable on all travel, not just cruises.

 

For those who use a HAL PCC for the initial booking, and then later transfer the booking to a TA in order to receive further benefits, who do you go to if something goes wrong with your booking (such as problems with included air and/or hotel)? Do you contact the HAL PCC or the TA?

 

I think I used the wrong term when I said 3% off. I meant 3% cash back, such as one of Chase cards allows for quarterly designated purchases. If I am understanding the 3% points, that is not actual cash back but building up a balance which does have cash value for future purchases. Correct?

 

Re your question if something goes wrong with the booking, yes, you would contact your TA. But neither the TA or a PCC can assist in problems with air and/or hotel if that agent is not handling air or hotel. We never book either one through our TA, preferring to do our own. That having been said, on our forthcoming Grand Asia, I might let the TA handle any overland excursion reservations.

[RocketMan275]

We have a Chase Sapphire card which has all those perks...BUT you should read the fine print on the Med Evac stuff....yes they have it IF the host doctor/hospital deems it "medically necessary" which makes it very difficult to use in many cases. We carry MedJet for medical evacuation...they will come and get you and bring you home if you are in a hospital and want to be treated at home NO MATTER what the host doctor or hospital states.

 

I have a friend that wound up paying a HUGE amount out of pocket because she needed med evac and the insurer she had stated it wasn't medically necessary they could operate THERE even though she was in a 3rd world country with inferior care.... Med Jet would have brought her home...so be careful and KNOW for sure what you are covered for.....

 

is that the Sapphire Reserve or the Sapphire Preferred? And what is the annual fee?

[mllewis48]

is that the Sapphire Reserve or the Sapphire Preferred? And what is the annual fee?

 

 

 

The Preferred is $90/year, Reserve is $450 but many more perks!

 

 

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[Tampa Girl]

When TA's whether online or brick and mortar are rebating 8-10% of their approx 15% commission it is reminiscent of when agents were rebating airline commissions to large accounts....the airlines response ultimately was to say we must be paying you too much commission if you can afford to give half or more away in rebates....the ultimate end game was the airlines reduced agent commissions to ZERO. Of course right around the same time period the internet was exploding which made it even easier and less risky for the airlines to tell agents tough luck.

 

If the only way an agent gets your biz is by rebating half or more of their commission I suspect that one of these days the cruise lines will follow a similar logic that the commissions are too high. There are a lot of the remaining travel agencies who can ill afford to lose lucrative cruise commissions or remain in business by giving away half or more of their income.

 

I find it very strange that cruise lines let customers get info from cruise line employees, answer all their questions and requests, make the booking and then allow them to transfer the booking to an agent who has likely done nothing but reduce the ultimate yield that a direct booking could/should yield.

 

Some think it won't happen just as a lot of travel agents never ever thought the airlines would cut their commissions over similar practices...after all the airlines had promised agents for decades that they were all "partners in travel"....how'd that work out?

 

Agent commissions are a HUGE expense for cruise lines that i suspect a lot of the bean counters would like to reduce or eliminate.

 

 

Seems that a lot of passengers just love to brag online about how much commission rebates they have gotten. Maybe not all that wise.

 

First, you are assuming that we, as customers, know exactly how much of a commission a TA gets from HAL, much less how much of that commission that TA is giving up to give to the client. From what I understand, there is not a standard rate given by HAL to the various TA's. Sales agents, in most fields, operate on commissions and have long been willing to cut their commissions to make a sale. We don't know how much profit the TA makes on a sale, so your dire predictions and warning may not have much merit.

 

Secondly, commissions are a "HUGE" expense? Surely you don't think that HAL does not build these commissions into the fares that we are charged.

 

As for HAL being shortchanged by having to pay out commissions to TA's, there is also the consideration that HAL undoubtedly benefits by relieving the cruise line of having to deal with the customer, post-deposit. I can't even imagine how much time that frees up, and it frees up time which can be used by the PCC's to bring in new customer, even if ultimately the booking is transferred to a TA.

[albingirl]

I book through an online agency for the best price. I've used them several times. However, since they deal with a number of different cruiselines, they aren't as knowledgeable as a HAL PCC for Holland America. Therefore, it's pretty important to be careful when using them. They may not even be aware of the information relative to a nonrefundable deposit and how no changes can be made to the stateroom after that deposit is made. Buyer beware, sometimes. Not always, but certainly sometimes.

[RJ2002]

I think I used the wrong term when I said 3% off. I meant 3% cash back, such as one of Chase cards allows for quarterly designated purchases. If I am understanding the 3% points, that is not actual cash back but building up a balance which does have cash value for future purchases. Correct?

 

Here is the exact language from Chase Sapphire Reserve:

 

Earn 3X points per $1 spent on travel from flights, cruise lines and hotels to car rentals, trains and taxis. Plus, earn 3X points per $1 spent at restaurants - from fast food to fine dining.

 

So, you earn 3x points, which can be converted to cash, yes. However, the better values (IMO) are transfers to airline and hotel FF programs for free travel. You can also book travel through Chase's travel portal, where the points purportedly have a greater value (have not done this myself).

 

Re your question if something goes wrong with the booking, yes, you would contact your TA. But neither the TA or a PCC can assist in problems with air and/or hotel if that agent is not handling air or hotel. We never book either one through our TA, preferring to do our own. That having been said, on our forthcoming Grand Asia, I might let the TA handle any overland excursion reservations.

 

Thanks. We don't book air or hotels through cruise lines either, but that is what I was asking. If someone had booked a cruise, with hotel and/or air, with the PCC, and then later the booking was transferred to another TA, my question was who would handle a hotel/air mishap. Sounds like you'd need to go through the TA, who would then have to work with HAL to resolve the issue.

Edited July 23, 2017 by RJ2002

[sfaaa]

You should always shop around and look at both. Sometimes cruise lines have last minute blowout cruises or limited time promo that are only listed on cruise line's own website but not through TA.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Now with the internet it is very competitive. Which is good for the customer.

[Tampa Girl]

Here is the exact language from Chase Sapphire Reserve:

 

Earn 3X points per $1 spent on travel from flights, cruise lines and hotels to car rentals, trains and taxis. Plus, earn 3X points per $1 spent at restaurants - from fast food to fine dining.

 

So, you earn 3x points, which can be converted to cash, yes. However, the better values (IMO) are transfers to airline and hotel FF programs for free travel. You can also book travel through Chase's travel portal, where the points purportedly have a greater value (have not done this myself).

 

 

I tend to agree. My AA FF miles are worth a lot more to me that, for instance, 3% cash back when it comes to booking air, particularly in business class. So we usually put 90% of our eggs in that basket. Hotel rooms are so negotiable, and low cost air fares depend on what time of day or night you are willing to travel. OTOH, AA is getting really chintz with their international business seats. Essential to book at 330 days out if at all possible. And the good thing is, non-refundability is not an issue. Cancel at any time, as long as it is not downgrading the travel class.

[Tampa Girl]

You should always shop around and look at both. Sometimes cruise lines have last minute blowout cruises or limited time promo that are only listed on cruise line's own website but not through TA.

 

Of course, but I think what most of us do is pick the cruise first, get all the details, including perks, cancellation charges, etc. and then find a TA. The TA is our last call, not the first.

[sfaaa]

Yeah, the beauty of internet is real time with a click of your mouse. Markdown cruise deals and promo are capacity controlled and get snapped up pretty fast. If you snooze or wait for your TA or PCC to return your message, you may find the good deal already gone by the time they call you back.

[RocketMan275]

The Preferred is $90/year, Reserve is $450 but many more perks!

 

 

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Thank you. Will check that out.

[mafig]

What was the cruise line in the early 2000's that sought to do away with booking with TAs. Regent 7 Seas? Something like that?

 

Out of business now.

 

Oceania, Azamara and Princess (I think) bought their ships.

[RocketMan275]

Yeah, internet is real time with a click of your mouse. Markdown cruise deals and promo are capacity controlled and get snapped up pretty fast. If you snooze or wait for your TA or PCC to return your message, you may find the good deal already gone by the time they call you back.

 

That's good information and if you see such a deal that meets your needs then you should go ahead and take advantage of that deal by booking direct.

 

Then, you can transfer to a TA for the discount.

[mafig]

What was the cruise line in the early 2000's that sought to do away with booking with TAs. Regent 7 Seas? Something like that?

 

Out of business now.

 

Oceania, Azamara and Princess (I think) bought their ships.

 

 

Also, if I remember correctly when 9/11 hit, these passengers were left stranded because the cruise line did not have enough staff (TAs) to get them back home.

[iancal]

We search the web for attractive cruise, travel, and air offers. When we see something attractive we snap it up.

 

One reason we very much like our on line TA is the hours that her agency keeps. More than a few times we have had a re-price or a buy that we wanted to snag pronto before it disappeared. We always been able to reach her or someone else at the agency. Not so with our former B&M TA.

[RocketMan275]

Also, if I remember correctly when 9/11 hit, these passengers were left stranded because the cruise line did not have enough staff (TAs) to get them back home.

 

Lot's of people were 'stranded' because of 9/11. None of the cruise lines or airlines were staffed to handle that kind of an incident.