Transfer booking to travel agent

[cltnccruisers]

I've seen several mentions of transferring bookings to a travel agent. We have always just done our own bookings and never had any issues nor been dis-satisfied in any way. S what would be the benefits of such an transfer and how does it work?

[Lionesss]

We have always booked on board and then transferred to TA (Actually RCI does it for us now).

 

This way we have her finalize all our arrangements from Hotels to airlines, to insurance.

 

Yea I am sure it is something we can do, but we do not have the time with working full time.

 

Yea, we watch the airline prices and hotel savings, but she does the busy work.

 

We have always gotten free meals and drinks on board (usually bottle of something supposed to be champagne).

 

We are a member of the travel club so we use the benefits.

 

For us it works.

 

Safe travels.

[cltnccruisers]

We have always booked on board and then transferred to TA (Actually RCI does it for us now).

 

This way we have her finalize all our arrangements from Hotels to airlines, to insurance.

 

Yea I am sure it is something we can do, but we do not have the time with working full time.

 

Yea, we watch the airline prices and hotel savings, but she does the busy work.

 

We have always gotten free meals and drinks on board (usually bottle of something supposed to be champagne).

 

We are a member of the travel club so we use the benefits.

 

For us it works.

 

Safe travels.

 

Sounds like something for us to consider for our March, 2019, out of San Juan. We'll need airfare as well as hotels pre and post cruise for that one. You say RCL does it for you. Logistically, how does that work? Do you contact a specific department at RCL?

 

Thanks.

[Lionesss]

Sounds like something for us to consider for our March, 2019, out of San Juan. We'll need airfare as well as hotels pre and post cruise for that one. You say RCL does it for you. Logistically, how does that work? Do you contact a specific department at RCL?

 

Thanks.

 

 

The first time they asked us who to send the package to.

 

Now it is on file, so when we go to book at the next cruise desk, it is automatically sent.

 

Our TA got it in 2 business days.

 

We booked the cruise on a Friday at Sea and she had it on Monday in Ohio.

 

When their is a price reduction (we follow the price of the cruise) we call the TA and she gets it for us.

 

Safe travels.

[jelayne]

The benefits of transferring a booking to a TA vary. Lioness gets reservations for hotels, air handled and a free bottle of bubbly & dinner(s).

 

We use 2 large on-line TAs and we normally get additional OBC which is refunded to our credit card if we don't use it. The OBC is in the range of 8-10% of the cruise fare. Other times one of the TAs may have group pricing which reduces our cruise fare.

 

If you book with Celebrity you have 60 days from when you booked to transfer your reservation.

[cltnccruisers]

The benefits of transferring a booking to a TA vary. Lioness gets reservations for hotels, air handled and a free bottle of bubbly & dinner(s).

 

We use 2 large on-line TAs and we normally get additional OBC which is refunded to our credit card if we don't use it. The OBC is in the range of 8-10% of the cruise fare. Other times one of the TAs may have group pricing which reduces our cruise fare.

 

If you book with Celebrity you have 60 days from when you booked to transfer your reservation.

 

Our March, 2018, with Celebrity is already booked and paid. But we have a March, 2019, with RCL that we've only made the down payment on. It might make sense to talk to a TA on that one.

[wrk2cruise]

Make sure when talking with TA that you ask about any fees. Some charge a cancellation fee and some charge for changes to bookings like price reductions or moving the reservation to another sailing. There are some good ones out there that have no fees. I have used one of the big on-line ones that does charge a cancellation fee but I understood and was willing to accept it given the group deal I got. Just be an informed consumer.

 

Once you find someone they should be willing to do the processing to transfer the booking for you.

[GeorgesGal]

We ALWAYS transfer our bookings to our favorite TA. He gives addl OBC as well as prepaid grats! Saves us bunches of $$$$. :D:D

[gentlemancruiser]

Some times using a TA you can get access to OBC's or other perks because the TA might have group of cabins on a particular cruise.

[cltnccruisers]

Several of you have mentioned having favorite TAs that yo work with. Having never worked with any I'd appreciate referrals - assuming that doesn't violate any posting rules.

[coldweathergirl]

One thing to remember is that once you've transferred your booking to a travel agent you lose control of your reservation. Any cabin changes or anything that would basically affect your reservation has to go through the TA and not directly with Celebrity.

[lienf]

One thing to remember is that once you've transferred your booking to a travel agent you lose control of your reservation. Any cabin changes or anything that would basically affect your reservation has to go through the TA and not directly with Celebrity.

 

I always either book or transfer my reservation to a TA. I'm not sure you mean " lose control of your reservation", because I have never lost control of any of mine. It is very easy for me to make changes.

[coldweathergirl]

I always either book or transfer my reservation to a TA. I'm not sure you mean " lose control of your reservation", because I have never lost control of any of mine. It is very easy for me to make changes.

 

 

If you want to switch cabins or ask for a price reduction etc before final payment Celebrity won't talk to you, you have to go through your travel agent. At least that's been the case for me the few times I've transferred a reservation.

[jelayne]

I think coldweathergirl is referring to having to contact the TA rather than Celebrity if you want to change cabins, take advantage of price drops or upgrade. The hold time for the TAs I use is much shorter, if there is a hold, than X.

 

Things like dining reservations, booking excursions, purchasing speciality dining, Internet or photo packages don't have to go through the TA, as I am sure you know.

[fshagan]

Several of you have mentioned having favorite TAs that yo work with. Having never worked with any I'd appreciate referrals - assuming that doesn't violate any posting rules.

 

Cruise Critic prohibits any TA referrals (they have their own recommended travel agents so I understand the rule - it's the "price we pay" for participation here).

 

I did set up a Facebook Group to allow people to "review your TA" thinking we could refer people there, but CC also doesn't allow Facebook Groups to be linked in here (and therefore it is very slow). You can search Facebook for groups like that, or fan site groups that might have other cruisers who will share their recommendations.

[cltnccruisers]

Cruise Critic prohibits any TA referrals (they have their own recommended travel agents so I understand the rule - it's the "price we pay" for participation here).

 

I did set up a Facebook Group to allow people to "review your TA" thinking we could refer people there, but CC also doesn't allow Facebook Groups to be linked in here (and therefore it is very slow). You can search Facebook for groups like that, or fan site groups that might have other cruisers who will share their recommendations.

 

I thought that might be the case - hence my final words. :)

[Toofarfromthesea]

Several of you have mentioned having favorite TAs that yo work with. Having never worked with any I'd appreciate referrals - assuming that doesn't violate any posting rules.

 

Actually it IS against the rules to mention specific TAs or to solicit the giving or receiving of that info via PMs or emails.

 

I was in a similar situation and found some TA candidates by using one of the sites that lets you specify the sailing and cabin you want, and then allows Ta's to provide quotes (without giving the Ta's your personal contact info) which you can then review and only contact the ones that look like possibles. I don't think I am allowed to mention the site I used, but if you do a search on 'comparing cruise prices' I'm sure that site will be among the first half dozen hits.

 

Good luck and good cruising!

[Doctor G]

I, too, always have my reservations with a travel agent, but she is a private agent. What I like best is that she does any work needed with Celebrity. It saves me having to spend time on hold with Celebrity, and she really goes to bat for me if there is any issue with what I want to do. Another thing to look into is how available the agent or company is. I've heard that some can't be reached at times (like night, Sundays, etc.) I can contact my agent anytime day or night. If she is traveling she has colleagues who handle anything I need. I guess the disadvantage of a private agent is that she cannot offer group rates, but to me that is not a big concern.

 

Happy sailing to you,

Carolyn

[NantahalaCruiser]

One thing to remember is that once you've transferred your booking to a travel agent you lose control of your reservation. Any cabin changes or anything that would basically affect your reservation has to go through the TA and not directly with Celebrity.

I respect your opinion but have found that I still have absolute control over my reservation when I am working through a quality TA. I also find that using a large TA gives me more leverage in settling issues with Celebrity - and I only have to give the TA a quick call rather than spending a lot of my own time talking directly with Celebrity.

 

Even if there were some tangible loss of control, I would find a savings of 8% or more well worth the trouble.

[serendipity1499]

We always either book with or transfer an already booked reservation to our Travel Agent.. We consistently save 8% to 12% over any cruise line fare.. We sometimes get other perks such as OBC's which saves us even more..

We've been on many cruises & prior to our 2006 cruise always booked with either the Cruise line Directly or a Group Wholesaler which had a land tour..

For instance, In 2005 we booked an outside “F” cabin (mid-ship) on Holland America's 25 day Amazon Cruise for April 2006 directly with HAL..

Thanks to Randy & Heather who often posted on the HAL board, four months after booking, I checked a couple of on-line Travel Agents who advertise on CruiseCritic.. I Discovered one who could give us $1078 (8.9%) off the HAL fare with a better “E” class cabin (mid-ship) on Main Deck… With this Agent had to book by Internet only as the Agent could not be contacted by phone, which I normally like to do..

 

When I spoke to a HAL Supervisor, he informed me that they could not compete with the fares of their high producing Agents.. On his suggestion, we then Faxed HAL & had them release the booking to the on line TA..We then received the cheaper fare & better cabin…

 

I'm retired from an International Airline & was chagrined to learn that I had been a complete dummy..Should have realized that we always did the same thing in the Airline Industry..

In Nov. 2006 we booked a last minute 14 day cruise with the same Agent & their fare again was 9.9% less than HAL’s fare…This time he put us into his group allotment & in addition gave us the Pinnacle Grill ($30 per person extra) plus wine & 2 massages…

 

On our Oceania 26 day Cruise to the Amazon in Nov. 2007, we received a better rate with another Agent than Oceania could give us...This Agent gave us an additional $150 OBC & a wine package…

We've since been booking our Cruises with an on-line Agent, who we can also talk to by phone.. We've never met him as his office is out of town, but on one of our longer cruises our Agent gave us a bottle of wine, dinner in the Pinnacle plus $150 OBC in addition to a much less expensive fare...

 

As suggested by others on this thread, you have to talk or e-mail a couple of Agents & see what their bottom line fare is…Be sure they quote the total fare which includes, taxes, port charges & fuel surcharges…Find out what extra’s such as OBC’s, spa, wine, etc they will offer..Also be sure to read their Cancellation & Change policy very carefully …Check fares on some of the Cruise Lines which permit discounting by Agents on published fares... Some cruise lines which don’t permit Agents to discount may permit them to offer you OBC’s,wine, spa packages etc..Sorry can't give you the names of our Agents, but they do advertise on Cruise Critic...:cool:

I always check the published fare on every booking we make & then call our Agent for a quote..

 

Edited September 5, 2017 by serendipity1499

[sanger727]

I respect your opinion but have found that I still have absolute control over my reservation when I am working through a quality TA. I also find that using a large TA gives me more leverage in settling issues with Celebrity - and I only have to give the TA a quick call rather than spending a lot of my own time talking directly with Celebrity.

 

Even if there were some tangible loss of control, I would find a savings of 8% or more well worth the trouble.

 

'Losing control of your reservation' is fact, not opinion. If you book directly through celebrity, and have done so in the past; you would be able to call them directly to apply a promotion to your booking, take advantage of a price drop, etc. Once your TA has the booking, Celebrity won't even talk to you. If you have a good and responsive TA it's a non-issue. But if you have a local agent who takes weekends and holidays off... I've seen many posts from people trying to get a price drop and panicking because they can't get ahold of their TA over the weekend and are afraid the price drop will be gone by then. Again, with a good TA or large agency, that's a non-issue. And you can get around it by making a courtesy hold and what not. But it's certainly a turn off sometimes for people who prefer to be able to contact the cruise line directly.

[GordonJasmine]

So after reading this thread, I'm wondering if there are any reasons to stay booked through Celebrity instead of getting a TA.

[BosoxI]

During the course of my phone conversation with a Celebrity rep, I asked if I could transfer my reservation to a TA. The rep asked how much OBC would I gain. Once I proved the validity of the OBC offer, he was able to match it within $25. For $25 I stayed with X. He sent me an email saying I was entitled to the OBC but it would be nontransferable. No problem. I am curious to see if it shows up automatically when I board or if I will have to show the email to get it. Of course, I have no real use for the OBC and had I transferred it, the TA would have given me a debit card for its establishment. Maybe I outsmarted myself.

[CallyCruzer]

'Losing control of your reservation' is fact, not opinion. If you book directly through celebrity, and have done so in the past; you would be able to call them directly to apply a promotion to your booking, take advantage of a price drop, etc. Once your TA has the booking, Celebrity won't even talk to you. If you have a good and responsive TA it's a non-issue. But if you have a local agent who takes weekends and holidays off... I've seen many posts from people trying to get a price drop and panicking because they can't get ahold of their TA over the weekend and are afraid the price drop will be gone by then. Again, with a good TA or large agency, that's a non-issue. And you can get around it by making a courtesy hold and what not. But it's certainly a turn off sometimes for people who prefer to be able to contact the cruise line directly.

 

 

I agree with you - case in point what happened to me this weekend. The room that I have been watching for almost a year showed available Sunday - someone obviously cancelled their cruise. I had transferred my cruise to a travel agent - which was closed on Sunday and Labor Day. I called Celebrity to ask if I can change rooms through them - Nope I have to do it through my travel agent. I asked could they at least put a hold on the cabin - again - Nope. This morning when my travel agent opened up - room gone...... So yes, I lost control over my cruise.

[NantahalaCruiser]

I agree with you - case in point what happened to me this weekend. The room that I have been watching for almost a year showed available Sunday - someone obviously cancelled their cruise. I had transferred my cruise to a travel agent - which was closed on Sunday and Labor Day. I called Celebrity to ask if I can change rooms through them - Nope I have to do it through my travel agent. I asked could they at least put a hold on the cabin - again - Nope. This morning when my travel agent opened up - room gone...... So yes, I lost control over my cruise.

Celebrity told you wrong (another reason I do not work directly with the cruise line.)

 

All you had to do - and you can do it online - was take out a 24-hour hold on a new cabin as part of a new reservation. The following day your TA would then have been able to transfer your hold cabin to your existing reservation.

 

This is exactly what I did back in February to move from a 2B verandah to an A2 Aqua Class when at 1:00am I saw a great deal (A2 was the same price as an inside cabin.) My TA had no trouble picking up my hold and transferring it to my existing reservation - while maintaining my on-board booking OBC bonus. And after transferring the A2 to my reservation, my TA was also able to upgrade it to an A1 with the A2 price using the loyalty benefit.

 

Perhaps you do not wish to go through such additional efforts - and I can understand that - but to me it is well worth the extra 8% or more savings without losing any control of my reservation.

 

Sorry, just noticed that in your case a 24-hour hold would not have worked on Sunday - but would have worked on Labor Day if it was still available then.

 

That's why I use a TA that is available 7 days per week, although not 24 hours per day.

 

Please enjoy your cruise anyway :)

Edited September 7, 2017 by NantahalaCruiser