Confused About TAs

[luckyinpa]

There are thousands of small travel agencies who i call kitchen agents.They will give you back almost their entire commissions just to get a booking.

These agencies come and go.Be careful with your money.

long cruiser

 

so does the fact that my reservation shows up on princess and that all my CC charges are made under the princess name mean i probably found a legit TA?

 

thats what i'm going by. so the question is, how do you know when someone really is legit?

 

just checked my bill and it says Appears on your statement as: PRINCESS CRUISES PASSA

 

and the price drop from yesterday was already put back on my card..WOW thats amazing to get a credit in just one day. from ANY source

[57eric]

Thanks to everyone for the responses. I went with an agent at a medium-sized firm and saved 12% (including OBC).

 

I was actually more interested in getting better cabins than saving money. Curiously, the agent was unable to locate much of anything in the way of cabins, even though my cruise doesn't depart for nearly 18 months. She said that the Princess Revenue department told her that this was due to Guarantee bookings. Correct me if I'm wrong, but my assumptions are that most experienced cruisers don't book Guarantee cabins and most inexperienced cruisers don't book 18 months out.

 

I ended up keeping the cabins I had booked directly with Princess a few days earlier but transferred the reservations to the agent.

[RocketMan275]

Thanks to everyone for the responses. I went with an agent at a medium-sized firm and saved 12% (including OBC).

 

I was actually more interested in getting better cabins than saving money. Curiously, the agent was unable to locate much of anything in the way of cabins, even though my cruise doesn't depart for nearly 18 months. She said that the Princess Revenue department told her that this was due to Guarantee bookings. Correct me if I'm wrong, but my assumptions are that most experienced cruisers don't book Guarantee cabins and most inexperienced cruisers don't book 18 months out.

 

I ended up keeping the cabins I had booked directly with Princess a few days earlier but transferred the reservations to the agent.

 

I won't disagree with the Revenue Department, who knows. But, congratulations on your great savings. Now, you know it's true when some of us say that 10% savings can be had.

[dickinson]

Thanks to everyone for the responses. I went with an agent at a medium-sized firm and saved 12% (including OBC).

 

I was actually more interested in getting better cabins than saving money. Curiously, the agent was unable to locate much of anything in the way of cabins, even though my cruise doesn't depart for nearly 18 months. She said that the Princess Revenue department told her that this was due to Guarantee bookings. Correct me if I'm wrong, but my assumptions are that most experienced cruisers don't book Guarantee cabins and most inexperienced cruisers don't book 18 months out.

 

I ended up keeping the cabins I had booked directly with Princess a few days earlier but transferred the reservations to the agent.

 

Is your cruise part of another? ex - my 49 day SA cruise in 2019 is actually three cruise segments. It can be booked as a 49 day, 33 day, or 16 day. Princess alots different cabins to each segment. In our case it seems that the 49 day has the most choices. The shorter cruises have limited cabins. When looking online for one of the shorter cruises anything that is not available just says sold even if it is not (it just might be allocated for the 49 day).

[caribill]

I was actually more interested in getting better cabins than saving money. Curiously, the agent was unable to locate much of anything in the way of cabins, even though my cruise doesn't depart for nearly 18 months. She said that the Princess Revenue department told her that this was due to Guarantee bookings.

 

I ended up keeping the cabins I had booked directly with Princess a few days earlier but transferred the reservations to the agent.

 

Keep checking on your own. You may find the type cabin you want opening up. If so, then quickly contact your travel agent to re-book you. However, you may lose Princess amenities that were on your original booking and are not a part of current pricing.

[57eric]

Is your cruise part of another? ex - my 49 day SA cruise in 2019 is actually three cruise segments. It can be booked as a 49 day, 33 day, or 16 day. Princess alots different cabins to each segment. In our case it seems that the 49 day has the most choices. The shorter cruises have limited cabins. When looking online for one of the shorter cruises anything that is not available just says sold even if it is not (it just might be allocated for the 49 day).

 

See http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2513098

[tammigirl]

The big question is how do you find these TAs? Ask fellow passengers or Princess cruisers onboard or if you meet or know them.

 

I sure wish I had thought of this when I was on the Regal. I don't know who these mystery TAs are and don't understand why they are such a mystery. We have been on three cruises, two of which were booked straight with Princess. I love to research, but knowing where to look for this is a secret I haven't figured out how to crack.

Edited August 18, 2017 by tammigirl
typo

[luckyinpa]

I sure wish I had thought of this when I was on the Regal. I don't know who these mystery TAs are and don't understand why they are such a mystery. We have been on three cruises, two of which were booked straight with Princess. I love to research, but knowing where to look for this is a secret I haven't figured out how to crack.

 

well you can google cheap cruises or cruise sale and get a start then review them on BBB and other independent sites to see their corporate structure. thats what i did when looking up a competing agency to try to find the right cabin. its a risk in the end of course but since my reservation made it to princess' site and my CC was charged by princess and not the TA. i'm assuming this is all legit.

[tammigirl]

well you can google cheap cruises or cruise sale and get a start then review them on BBB and other independent sites to see their corporate structure. thats what i did when looking up a competing agency to try to find the right cabin. its a risk in the end of course but since my reservation made it to princess' site and my CC was charged by princess and not the TA. i'm assuming this is all legit.

 

Thank you. I'll give this a go.

 

I was trying to book through a big 'name your own price' site since I can get ten percent cash back with ebates - but wasn't finding cabins. I don't really want to do a guarantee. We got lucky with a guarantee once, and unlucky once. From now on I would like control of cabin assignment.

[luckyinpa]

do yourself a favor. dont google 'name of site' and problem because every single site has 'a' problem and it will scare you away lol. plus i'm sure competitors do bad reviews as well. sometimes you may get lucky and find a good cabin on clearance though ;) and sometimes those places competing for your cruise dollar are legit and you get multiple good offers

[Toofarfromthesea]

I sure wish I had thought of this when I was on the Regal. I don't know who these mystery TAs are and don't understand why they are such a mystery. We have been on three cruises, two of which were booked straight with Princess. I love to research, but knowing where to look for this is a secret I haven't figured out how to crack.

 

I used that site that lets you pick a specific cruise and cabin class and any perks you want included and then puts the request out and travel agents will quote on your choice. Once I got some of the quotes I was able to research the Ta's who had the best looking quotes. The site doesn't give the Ta's your contact info -- they only get that if you contact them.

 

in the quotes I received there were 2 that stood out and had good ratings (the compete site has customer ratings and a link to their BBB, plus I was able to see reviews on TripAdvisor) good prices and were responsive to my specific request. I threw out the quotes that didn't include the perk package I wanted on the basis of poor attention to detail, and some others for less than sterling BBB records.

 

Then I sent an identical email to the 2 'finalists' with some question clarifying that the quotes were for refundable fares and some Q's about any charges they had. They both responded promptly, and I ended up choosing the one with more years experience.

 

So I am booked and since I don't require any hand holding I expect things to go well. If so then next time I will give my TA an opportunity to match whatever comes up on the compete site.

 

I'm not sure if I am allowed to name the compete site but if you do a Google search on 'cruise quotes' it will probably be one of the first sites listed.

 

Hope this is helpful.

[Colo Cruiser]

I used that site that lets you pick a specific cruise and cabin class and any perks you want included and then puts the request out and travel agents will quote on your choice. Once I got some of the quotes I was able to research the Ta's who had the best looking quotes. The site doesn't give the Ta's your contact info -- they only get that if you contact them.

 

in the quotes I received there were 2 that stood out and had good ratings (the compete site has customer ratings and a link to their BBB, plus I was able to see reviews on TripAdvisor) good prices and were responsive to my specific request. I threw out the quotes that didn't include the perk package I wanted on the basis of poor attention to detail, and some others for less than sterling BBB records.

 

Then I sent an identical email to the 2 'finalists' with some question clarifying that the quotes were for refundable fares and some Q's about any charges they had. They both responded promptly, and I ended up choosing the one with more years experience.

 

So I am booked and since I don't require any hand holding I expect things to go well. If so then next time I will give my TA an opportunity to match whatever comes up on the compete site.

 

I'm not sure if I am allowed to name the compete site but if you do a Google search on 'cruise quotes' it will probably be one of the first sites listed.

 

Hope this is helpful.

 

 

CC does not allow the discussion of travel agents.

[Toofarfromthesea]

CC does not allow the discussion of travel agents.

 

Which is why I didn't name the agencies nor the compete site. Is that a problem?

[RocketMan275]

well you can google cheap cruises or cruise sale and get a start then review them on BBB and other independent sites to see their corporate structure. thats what i did when looking up a competing agency to try to find the right cabin. its a risk in the end of course but since my reservation made it to princess' site and my CC was charged by princess and not the TA. i'm assuming this is all legit.

 

It's been my experience that any website that advertises 'cheap' or 'sale' don't really deliver. All too often, the sales and the cheap prices are against "brochure" or "rack" rates.

[Todd320]

I sure wish I had thought of this when I was on the Regal. I don't know who these mystery TAs are and don't understand why they are such a mystery. We have been on three cruises, two of which were booked straight with Princess. I love to research, but knowing where to look for this is a secret I haven't figured out how to crack.

 

Somebody on the roll call was asking about maybe finding a new TA. I thought the following may be useful for some.

I have used both TA’s and Princess directly without meaningful savings. I would always see posts on CC about how much people were saving with their TA but it was hard to quantify fact from fiction. I’m here to tell you that there really are reputable full service TA’s out there that will normally discount 10%. Princess does allow discounting. The trick is to first find one and then determine if it is a good fit.

I put out a thread “ How to find a good TA” months ago and from that with a little detective work I was able to find my current TA that I’m very happy with. If I had her last season I would of saved $4000 (for two) on 80 some days. This season were planning 45 days and the savings is $1950 and that does not include $30 p/p per cruise of OBC that she gives. This TA has many awards in the travel industry and is use by many CC members.

 

Just so there is no confusion

Saving money from a TA who discounts is just getting an extra 10% of the best price (commission fare). Using the Tax return scenario, it is like filing a return by taking advantage of all the tax laws and codes and then using what ever amount you come up with and then take 10% off.

It’s not like your only getting to use the discount because your paying a higher fare that only qualifies for the discount. Using a TA who discounts becomes even more important if your booking a long cruise and/or a full suite.

 

 

Obviously there are many different reasons one chooses a TA or a Princess planner. Just because you use a TA who discounts does not mean you automatically lose any other advantages or benefits from a non discount TA or Princess planner.

The reason I initially posted this topic was that I was always frustrated because I couldn’t find a true TA that discounted. For us it is a good fit and I would think for a lot of others also but I understand for many cruisers it may not.

[dickinson]

Somebody on the roll call was asking about maybe finding a new TA. I thought the following may be useful for some.

I have used both TA’s and Princess directly without meaningful savings. I would always see posts on CC about how much people were saving with their TA but it was hard to quantify fact from fiction. I’m here to tell you that there really are reputable full service TA’s out there that will normally discount 10%. Princess does allow discounting. The trick is to first find one and then determine if it is a good fit.

I put out a thread “ How to find a good TA” months ago and from that with a little detective work I was able to find my current TA that I’m very happy with. If I had her last season I would of saved $4000 (for two) on 80 some days. This season were planning 45 days and the savings is $1950 and that does not include $30 p/p per cruise of OBC that she gives. This TA has many awards in the travel industry and is use by many CC members.

 

Just so there is no confusion

Saving money from a TA who discounts is just getting an extra 10% of the best price (commission fare). Using the Tax return scenario, it is like filing a return by taking advantage of all the tax laws and codes and then using what ever amount you come up with and then take 10% off.

It’s not like your only getting to use the discount because your paying a higher fare that only qualifies for the discount. Using a TA who discounts becomes even more important if your booking a long cruise and/or a full suite.

 

 

Obviously there are many different reasons one chooses a TA or a Princess planner. Just because you use a TA who discounts does not mean you automatically lose any other advantages or benefits from a non discount TA or Princess planner.

The reason I initially posted this topic was that I was always frustrated because I couldn’t find a true TA that discounted. For us it is a good fit and I would think for a lot of others also but I understand for many cruisers it may not.

 

Very well said! The savings are not fiction. Many, probably most, TAs do not discount so a lot of people don't know how to find the ones that do.

[dickinson]

It's been my experience that any website that advertises 'cheap' or 'sale' don't really deliver. All too often, the sales and the cheap prices are against "brochure" or "rack" rates.

 

Not for travel agents that sell Princess. I always look on Princess' website and see the price. Then I call my TA and get her price. Always lower. When she sends me the email confirmation she breaks the price down to her cruise price along with the non commissionable fare (which together equal what Princess quotes on their website). I always get 10% off the cruise price plus some OBC.

[tammigirl]

I'm not sure if I am allowed to name the compete site but if you do a Google search on 'cruise quotes' it will probably be one of the first sites listed.

 

Hope this is helpful.

 

Oh my gosh, thank you!