Question about fares....

[Ken the cruiser]

The difference for me:

HAL price $4700

TA price $2972

 

That's a big enough difference for me.

Just curious as that’s a pretty good discount. Do you get that 37% discount if you pick a specific cabin over a year out or does your TA give you a group discount because they have secured a certain number of rooms the last few months before the cruise and you just get to pick from those?

[DaveOKC]

The difference for me:

HAL price $4700

TA price $2972

 

That's a big enough difference for me.

 

Thats a GREAT discount! Best I have ever seen. I need to find that TA!!

[Vict0riann]

These online TA's - do you speak to a real person on the phone, or is it all by internet/email?

 

I was just checking a cruise we are interested in on a website, and it is a little bit less than HAL's price, and we would get a rebate, I think, when we finally pay, but I wondered, if we book it with our HAL PCC, and then, before final payment, transfer to the online TA, how do I go about it?

[Ken the cruiser]

These online TA's - do you speak to a real person on the phone, or is it all by internet/email?

 

I was just checking a cruise we are interested in on a website, and it is a little bit less than HAL's price, and we would get a rebate, I think, when we finally pay, but I wondered, if we book it with our HAL PCC, and then, before final payment, transfer to the online TA, how do I go about it?

From our experience you speak to a real person or leave a VM when they are on vacation. For us we initially book with a cruise line’s PCC, get everything just as we want it and then transfer it couple of weeks later, once we know what the TA will give us in return (a rebate, OBC and/or free gratuities).

 

We then send the email transfer request to the cruise line POC our PCC gave us along with a copy to our PCC and TA’s email accounts. The transfer request usually contains the booking number, the travel agency, official phone number and your TA’s name.

[welovetocruise1234]

Just curious as that’s a pretty good discount. Do you get that 37% discount if you pick a specific cabin over a year out or does your TA give you a group discount because they have secured a certain number of rooms the last few months before the cruise and you just get to pick from those?

 

I booked this cruise last week, for winter break of this year. I had my pick of cabins and secured an aft wrap.

[welovetocruise1234]

I am sailing on the Rotterdam, 12/30/18 in a category B vista suite, 3 people.

 

When I booked this cruise, HAL quoted me $4700. My TA got the exact same cabin and date for $2972.

 

 

Now, I will say, the price via the TA has gone up $400ish since I booked.

[OlsSalt]

Lesson of the day: it is okay to nickel dime HAL, but it is not okay for HAL to nickel dime us. The animal spirits have spoken.

[DaveOKC]

I am sailing on the Rotterdam, 12/30/18 in a category B vista suite, 3 people.

 

When I booked this cruise, HAL quoted me $4700. My TA got the exact same cabin and date for $2972.

 

 

Now, I will say, the price via the TA has gone up $400ish since I booked.

 

The HAL website is stuck again - I will try later. However, the other site I mentioned (a travel one) is showing a fare of $3096 to $3237, depending on which level of Vista B (there are 4), just now.

[Vict0riann]

From our experience you speak to a real person or leave a VM when they are on vacation. For us we initially book with a cruise line’s PCC, get everything just as we want it and then transfer it couple of weeks later, once we know what the TA will give us in return (a rebate, OBC and/or free gratuities).

 

We then send the email transfer request to the cruise line POC our PCC gave us along with a copy to our PCC and TA’s email accounts. The transfer request usually contains the booking number, the travel agency, official phone number and your TA’s name.

 

Thanks, Ken - Going to try it!:D

[welovetocruise1234]

Lesson of the day: it is okay to nickel dime HAL, but it is not okay for HAL to nickel dime us. The animal spirits have spoken.

 

 

 

I don’t consider $1700 nickels and dimes. I would happily book through HAL if they had the same price.

 

 

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[DaveOKC]

I am sailing on the Rotterdam, 12/30/18 in a category B vista suite, 3 people.

 

When I booked this cruise, HAL quoted me $4700. My TA got the exact same cabin and date for $2972.

 

 

Now, I will say, the price via the TA has gone up $400ish since I booked.

 

Finally got today's price for a category B on your sailing - $3321 with $100 in OBC. Of course, this does not include taxes and port fees.

[welovetocruise1234]

Finally got today's price for a category B on your sailing - $3321 with $100 in OBC. Of course, this does not include taxes and port fees.

 

I just did it again, $3956. Down $1000 but still more than $2972

[welovetocruise1234]

I am not trying to argue with anyone. I am certainly not lying about the price discrepancy and I have other things to do than prove what I am saying.

 

Thank you all who answered my initial questions.

I am quite satisfied with the price I am paying. I have found my TA to always be cheaper if booked prior to final payment. After final payment, it's a crap shoot. Last November, I booked a last minute xmas cruise direct with HAL as the online TA had a similar price.

 

 

 

Happy sailing all.

[iancal]

We select a cruise. Usually inside the final payment window. We ask our on line TA for a price. Sometimes we will do the compete thing to check her pricing.

 

She will email us the price and the OBC. We will call her to book. She then increases our OBC, if it is a cabin cat. we will let her know what cabin we want. She takes our credit card details. We get the details from her agency about ten minutes later. Credit card charge through the cruise line. Cruise line reservation number. We go into the cruise line site and verify with what we agreed to.

 

Once or twice, when booking our on line TA made us aware of a more advantageous offer on another ship/cruise line. Med cruise . We jumped at it since it yielded a very nice savings on a ship that we considered equal to our original choice. Just one more reason why we prefer a TA over a cruise line consultant.

 

You did really well on your cruise. Congratulations..well done. I do not understand the 'prestigious' business or why it matters. As long as the agent books the cruise, provides the OBC, etc. What does it matter if it is a so called 'prestigious' agency or a back room in an industrial area. As long as the credit card charge goes through the cruise line and you verify your booking details with the cruise line you are all set.

 

The only time we hear back from her is if the cruise line is offering something additional such as a move over offer, etc.

 

We are happy to book with Cash and Carry Cruises or whatever they call themselves. Bottom line is price and service. We get both.

Edited July 6, 2018 by iancal

[HELENPSL]

Maybe someone can clarify for me...I have read that the TA's cannot undercut the actual price of the cruise posted by the cruiseline. I know they can give you back OBC from their commissions but can they actually cut the price? I have always booked with a PCC. Thanks for the info.

 

Helen

[iancal]

We do not care if the fare is reduced or we get an OBC. The net is the same to us. So, in most instances we have been charged the same fare as the cruise line BUT have received OBC's and/ or had the TA prepay our gratuities..

 

Once, on a Carnival cruise, we did in fact get a lower price on cruise than the cruise line was quoted PLUS some OBC's. The reason was that our booking showed us a part of a group of some sort organized by the TA. So, that gave us a lower fare and a subsequent cabin upgrade. Then we also had OBC's. We have also had complementary shore excursions from our TA.

 

We have friends who have been able to score some very large discounts-twenty percent plus over what the cruise line quoted. Perhaps this is for longer cruises. We typically do 14-21 days, leaning to 14 rather than 21.

[Floozama]

We do not care if the fare is reduced or we get an OBC. The net is the same to us. So, in most instances we have been charged the same fare as the cruise line BUT have received OBC's and/ or had the TA prepay our gratuities..

 

 

 

Once, on a Carnival cruise, we did in fact get a lower price on cruise than the cruise line was quoted PLUS some OBC's. The reason was that our booking showed us a part of a group of some sort organized by the TA. So, that gave us a lower fare and a subsequent cabin upgrade. Then we also had OBC's. We have also had complementary shore excursions from our TA.

 

 

 

We have friends who have been able to score some very large discounts-twenty percent plus over what the cruise line quoted. Perhaps this is for longer cruises. We typically do 14-21 days, leaning to 14 rather than 21.

 

 

 

We get so screwed on price in Australia - we just don’t have the options you guys do in the US -and have been told that if we book with a US agent the booking (better deal) won’t be honoured (by Princess) as the TA Must be Australian based

 

 

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[iancal]

It is not always that way. We did a late booking RCI 21 day Oz and NZ. Booked it while we were in Port Macquarie.

 

We got a price from our usual on line US based TA. We also checked the price on the RCI North American site.

 

We then emailed an Aussie TA firm. No response so the following day we called RCI (Australia) direct. Bottom line pricing from then was 33 percent less than the pricing on their North American web site and about 25 percent less than our US TA quote.

[syesmar]

. . . .I was just checking a cruise we are interested in on a website, and it is a little bit less than HAL's price, and we would get a rebate, I think, when we finally pay, but I wondered, if we book it with our HAL PCC, and then, before final payment, transfer to the online TA, how do I go about it?

What I do is hold a cruise with HAL as long as I am comfortable while I work out airfare, etc. (I usually book within 2 months of sailing due to my schedule, so YMMV). With my TA, I receive rebates back after the sailing as long as I transfer the booking before any money has been paid. They also have a 110% price matching guarantee that gives some back if lower fares are found elsewhere within a couple days of booking. Most of the time, the lowest fares for me are found after I log in to HAL’s website (my husband’s Mariner account usually has better pricing than mine, for some reason), although I have caught sales on other sites before. Someone else mentioned asking about the price without the explore4 promo; I did something similar once when HAL was offering flight + cruise specials and was pleasantly surprised (and immediately booked it:>). The reason I transfer is so that I can receive the rebates.

 

To transfer, I call HAL (they put me through to the appropriate department) with the name of the TA, proper company name and phone number and let them know of my request. Then I call my TA. He puts me on hold, calls them for the confirmation and then comes back and takes the payment.

Happy Sailing! :)

Edited July 7, 2018 by syesmar
spacing

[RocketMan275]

Maybe someone can clarify for me...I have read that the TA's cannot undercut the actual price of the cruise posted by the cruiseline. I know they can give you back OBC from their commissions but can they actually cut the price? I have always booked with a PCC. Thanks for the info.

 

Helen

I've seen it argued both ways. What I've heard is the TA cannot ADVERTISE a lower price. What they charge you is between you and them. One TA I use will discount some cruise lines and pay a rebate on others. The rebate is in the form of a check the TA sends after you complete the cruise. I think the TA waits to get the commission before mailing the check but doesn't have to do that with the discount.

[iancal]

We have booked many travel products, including air, in other countries. Occasionally we have be quite surprised and pleased with the savings.

 

Exactly the same with some consumer items as anyone who uses Amazon can attest to. It is not unusual for vendors to practice in country pricing but this is getting more difficult to control as the world gets smaller.

[epixx]

I do not understand the 'prestigious' business or why it matters.

 

I believe this was a clue to the name of the travel agency.

[Jade13]

Maybe someone can clarify for me...I have read that the TA's cannot undercut the actual price of the cruise posted by the cruiseline. I know they can give you back OBC from their commissions but can they actually cut the price? I have always booked with a PCC. Thanks for the info.

 

 

 

Helen

 

 

 

Mine has.

 

 

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[iancal]

When we book a cruise we only care about the bottom line. It does not matter if the fare is lower, or how much OBC's or whether gratuities are pre paid by the TA.

 

It is fairly easy to figure out that bottom line. Does not matter to us if our balcony cabin is booked direct from the cruise line or through a TA. The cabin will be the same. The only difference will be the price. We prefer a lower price to a higher price. Most people do. The trick then becomes finding that lower price. These days, that lower price is typically only a few keystrokes away. Almost like driving down the road and seeing the price of gas listed on the signs of gas stations. Why pull into the most expensive filling station when the gas is all the same?

 

I cannot imagine that there are any bragging rights for booking through the cruise lines PCC, or should I say the cruise lines direct salesperson.

[Toofarfromthesea]

Regardless of where or with whom you book a cruise the golden rule is the same:

 

Ignore the words, Do the math. Include everything.