TA OFFERING OBC

[ontheweb]

12 hours ago, iancal said:

I have never understood this 'control issue'.   I do not understand how we have any loss of control by dealing with a TA.  

 

From our perspective we actually have more control by dealing with an independent TA who represents many cruise lines and can compare their offerings and their business practices.

 

Really...what is a cruise line rep going to tell me when I ask about a certain cruise ship on in the fleet.  Will they tell me that the feedback has not been good and the last few clients who booked described the ship as a dog?  I doubt it.  Or will they remain silent and let us go ahead and book?  

To add to what you wrote, if a problem comes up a TA that does a lot of business with the cruise line should have more clout than you with a single booking. Plus the agent may very well have someone at the cruise line that he or she normally deals with, and this too can help resolve a prolem.

[Toofarfromthesea]

14 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

We have done both agents and direct bookings.   We don't do long cruise like you but have still experienced some great savings by using agents.      

 

When you say you target a 10% savings on every cruise are you meaning that the TA you go with is typically 10% better than the others you shopped, or are you using some other baseline?   

 

I suspect he means 10% off the direct cruiseline price.  Getting 10% is getting 10%.  Even if a different agent offered 8%.

[drsel]

 

 

 

 

  When you say you target a 10% savings on every cruise are you meaning that the TA you go with is typically 10% better than the others you shopped, or are you using some other baseline?   

 

He means that the TA basic Cruise fare is 10% better than the cruise line basic Cruise fare.

Obviously no discount on port fees and taxes, no matter how you book.

[ldubs]

8 hours ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

 

I suspect he means 10% off the direct cruiseline price.  Getting 10% is getting 10%.  Even if a different agent offered 8%.

 

"Getting 10% is getting 10%."

 

Well, If I used the brochure price then I can claim I saved 50%, but of course no one in the history of mankind pays the brochure price.  

[ldubs]

1 hour ago, drsel said:

 

He means that the TA basic Cruise fare is 10% better than the cruise line basic Cruise fare.

Obviously no discount on port fees and taxes, no matter how you book.

 

Thanks!  That seems so obvious now that you say it, I'm not sure why I asked. Haha.   We do the same.   We use the on-line price being offered by the cruise line for comparison.  We load in the perks for the good ol apple-to-apple comparison.  I say "we" but it is actually Mrs Ldubs who does that legwork.   

Edited September 24, 2020 by ldubs

[NIATPAC29]

On 9/21/2020 at 11:30 AM, Toofarfromthesea said:

 

Control over my booking?  I'd rather the TA spend time on the phone with the cruiselines than do it myself.

I've never experienced middle man headache as you call it. What is that, anyway?

As to money, the whole point of using a TA is to save money.

Have you ever even used a TA?  

Nothing but a problem.I gave up on the TA industry.I have them to be mostly self serving and unmotivated

 

[NIATPAC29]

On 9/22/2020 at 6:39 PM, Hlitner said:

Since the early days of CC I have often posted my personal opinion that it makes sense to shop around, among reputable cruise/travel agencies for the best deal.  What I have learned here on CC is that many folks have their own reasons for dealing with specific agents or directly with the cruise lines.  Those folks apparently do not care about saving money but rather find loyalty to a person, agency, PCC, etc. is more important then money.  When I read the OP's comments that immediately came to mind.  The OP prefers to deal with a specific TA and has been willing (or has been naïve) to pay the price.  The price can be heavy.  We have previously posted that folks can routinely save 7-10% (vs booking direct with a cruise line) by simply shopping around.  For those of us who take longer or more expensive cruises the savings can amount to thousands of dollars for a single booking/cruise.    We normally book 3-5 cruises a year (75-110 days) and shop among several cruise agencies on our personal "short list" as well as explore other new options.  I do have a favorite cruise agency/agent and I have told her that I am very loyal as long as she has the best deal :).  As a rule I expect to save at least 10% on every cruise although there are times when we must settle for a little less.

 

We have also noticed here on CC that the only folks who debate this issue are folks who claim to be "loyal" to somebody, an agency, etc.  To us there is no argument...if you are willing to pay hundreds or thousands of extra dollars because you feel some kind of "loyalty" or "bond" with an order taker (PCC, travel agent, etc) then that is your choice.

 

Hank

Very true. The TA is good at  making you think that are just all about saving you money.Odd how so many fall for their sales pitches and believe their BS. So many folks are easily mainipulated.

[Hlitner]

9 minutes ago, NIATPAC29 said:

Very true. The TA is good at  making you think that are just all about saving you money.Odd how so many fall for their sales pitches and believe their BS. So many folks are easily mainipulated.

We cruise many different lines and post on lots of blogs.    When it comes to the discussion about discounts the "loyalty" issue is huge on the HAL blog.  HAL has long had a program where they assign what they call Personal Cruise Counselors" (PCCs) to each customer.  The PCCs try to establish bonds with their "clients" and most think they do a good job.  But in reality the PCCs are just cruise agents/order takers dedicated to a single cruise line.  Up until recent times they have not had the ability to compete with the deals offered by some cruise agencies.  Since many HAL cruisers (including me) take long more expensive voyages the bookings are quite expensive  We have actually saved over $3000 (vs the deal offered by our PCC) on a single booking and this is not uncommon.  With HAL we can generally save at least 10%!   But even if you post that kind of information on the HAL blog you will get lots of "Loyal" HAL fans who defend using their PCC.  My attitude is different.  We once told our PCC that she could have our booking if it would match the deal we could get elsewhere.  The PCC told me that they could not match the deal but we could still book with the PCC and later transfer it to a cruise agency and likely get the savings.  My quick answer was "why should I go through those extra steps when I can simply book with the cruise agency."  

 

Lately there has been some rumors that HAL will now entertain matching some of the cruise agency deals, but we have not seen any proof that this will happen.  A senior Princess rep once explained to me that Princess (and other cruise lines) do not want to undercut the cruise/travel agencies since those agencies actually handle about 80% of all bookings.  The cruise lines think they need the support of the cruise/travel agencies and do not want to alienate those folks.  My question now is whether COVID is going to change everything regarding the relationships between agencies and the cruise lines.

 

Hank

[Toofarfromthesea]

1 hour ago, NIATPAC29 said:

Very true. The TA is good at  making you think that are just all about saving you money.Odd how so many fall for their sales pitches and believe their BS. So many folks are easily mainipulated.

 

LOL, they manipulate me by saving me money?  I'm sorry you've had so much trouble with TAs.  If it was one time then you shouldn't write them all off because of that.  And if it was multiple times, then I would conclude that either you were just really bad at selecting the TAs, or that you, not they, are the problem.  Too many people have had very good experiences with TAs and been saved lots and lots of money with them to give your blanket condemnation any credibility or validity.

[drsel]

Covid will not change anything related to travel agents, because cruise lines need their marketing reach

[drsel]

It's simple.
after deducting cruise line discounts (if any), just calculate 10% of the base fare (excluding port fees and taxes) and ask your agent to offer you that 10% as a discount or OBC.

If the agent wants your business and values you as a customer, I am sure they will oblige.

[iancal]

A number of years ago we decided on a  last minute ship, called our on line TA, and asked her for a final quote.

 

She told us that she had rec'd very recent feedback from several cruisers who said that the ship was, in their words', a disaster.  A/C issues, cabin  flooding issues, service issues, other mtce issues.  She suggested I do so on line research and then get back to her.

 

We  did.  Turns out the ship at that point in time was a mess.  It was a dog.  Had not been in the past but the recent on line reviews/comments matched what she recounted. And these issues, including staff issues were subsequently fixed over a period of time.

 

So we booked another ship.  It happened to be another cruise line but that is not the point.  Bottom line for us.....if we had been dealing directly with the cruise line would the PCC  have given us the heads up on this dog?  I very much doubt it.

Edited September 24, 2020 by iancal

[drsel]

Which Cruise ship was that, if I may ask?

[iancal]

It was a number of years ago. HAL Veendam.   The issues were long since fixed.

 

On a subsequent cruise we met a gentleman who had been on that ship twice in six months.  He was a very loyal cruise line customer.  He confirmed the issues, going so far as to say that he discovered that the crew referred to the area in which his cabin was located as the 'flood zone'.

[drsel]

I think they sold Veendam

[iancal]

There was a benefit to this. 

 

What it did was impress on us that we really had to spend some time researching ships on our late booking short list.  Not only for condition but to match their attributes with our preferences.  

 

It also made us focus on the ship first and not rely on our past cruise experiences on ships in the same cruise line. Especially if the cruise line had various sizes and ages of ships in their fleet. This is why we are not in any way 'loyal' to any one cruise line.   Plus we like to experience different cruise lines/ships.

 

  Fortunately we have never had a bad cruise.  Some better than others but no duds thank goodness.

Edited September 24, 2020 by iancal

[drsel]

I have had absolutely fabulous Cruises !

my Cruises have been some of the best days of my life!

 

 

[drsel]

The Cruise industry trade magazine mentions that the commission to agencies is 10 to 16 % based on their volumes so the giant agencies get 16% on the commissionable basic fare, which excludes port fees and taxes.

 

If you put your selected Cruise and cabin on the bidding site, many different agencies will offer you higher and higher discounts of approximately 8 to 10%.

So they earn only 8 to 6% on the commissionable basic fare.

 

Even price drops are done free of charge, but they might reduce the discount proportionately, because for every price drop their commission is also reduced proportionately.

 

Most of them have no change fees or cancellation fees.

This is clearly mentioned with their discounted price offer, which includes all port fees and taxes but excludes gratuities and tips.

[lenquixote66]

We had a TA who gave personal gifts to people who booked cruises.On our first cruise with her she gave us a travel bag.On our second cruise she gave us binoculars that were good quality.For our third cruise she gave us a carry on bag.Then she got married.Her husband became her partner and suggested that there is no need to give gifts.

 

We also used a TA who offered free basic travel insurance and free specialty restaurants.

[Nebr.cruiser]

We almost always use a travel agent too.  We usually use the same one, but will book with someone else if the price or perks are better.  We always expect and get perks and/or OBC.  Like others, I would expect in the neighborhood of 10%, or more, off the advertised price when OBC or other perks are added in.  And I don't mean things like a bottle of wine.  Actual OBC, and free grats are what we expect, as well as a discounted price.

 

Our TA will also adjust what we pay if the price goes down or better perks come along.  On one cruise to South America, our price went down over $800.

 

There is a site that lets you put in your desired ship, date and cabin type and various travel agents 'bid' on that cruise, so that you can pick the one that works best for you.  Once in a while we book on our own, if it makes sense.

 

I always do research first so that I know what the price of a cruise should start at--not the brochure price but the real (discounted) price.  I sincerely hope no one is paying the brochure price.

 

 

[Hlitner]

For us it just comes down to simple math.  We know (having booked far more then 100 cruises for ourselves) that we can save 7-10% (and sometimes more) by shopping around among a few of our favored high volume cruise agents/agencies.   That is simply a fact which I can easily support with invoices (I have no interest in doing this).  Those that deny this truth are simply incorrect.  The fact that some folks have never found those kind of good deals means they have simply not done enough homework and shopping.   I will admit that the savings do vary between lines and that some of the best ultra luxury lines (which involve very expensive cruises) can be the toughest challenge in terms of savings.  On the other hand there are other lines where we have routinely saved thousands of dollars (on a single booking) versus what it would cost to book directly with that cruise line.

 

My advice to those who are really interested in finding good agencies is to look for opportunities to get into these kind of discussions with other cruisers.  We have learned an awful lot from other cruisers.  I have sometimes joked that because DW and I love to share larger tables when dining on ships we have saved a small fortune (amazing what you learn at the dinner table).   In simple terms just socializing can reap big rewards in terms of new friends, fun, and very valuable information.

 

Hank

[iancal]

We try not to do business with friends or relatives.  It can make it a little dicey if there is a disagreement.

 

From our perspective buying a cruise is no different than buying a tank of gas or a bag of sugar.  Cruises are a commodity product.  Same product no matter where you buy it.  We do not require a high level of service other than the booking function.

 

The only differences are level of service required and bottom line price.  It is a tradeoff.  We are independent travelers.  So..we go with price net of TA provided OBC's.  Cannot imagine paying 5 or 10 percent more simply to deal with the cruise line or a TA if all you want and expect is for the person at the end of the phone line or email line to book the cruise. 

 

 We are not looking for a new best friend or someone to ask about how smart or cute our grandchildren are.

 

Of course, for those who want or need added levels of service there are agents that provide that.

 

 

[Incognito1]

Previously we always booked through the lines, but have changed that since restarting cruising post-lockdowns.  We should've been doing this from the beginning, but I guess the extra we paid has helped the cruiselines stay afloat 🙂

 

I have a quote from my agent (with whom we've booked two cruises so far and been happy with him) for a 15-day Carnival TA; the cruise fare is <$1000 for two inside.  The quote says $800 Onboard credit.  The fare is already almost $300 less than on the cruiseline's site.  

 

My question is this: How can a travel agency offer ~85% of a discounted fare in OBC?  (Or is more likely a typo?)

[Incognito1]

TY for pointing out that it's the ship's first TA to a new embarkation place (NYC).  Guess I will go ahead and book it.  It's too good a deal to pass up.