Can travel agents offer the free at sea offers?

[Nanaof17]

We are trying to plan/book our first cruise. I thought it best to use a travel agent and decided to use an online one (but located in our city) rather than brick and mortar.  The cruise we are looking to book is with NCL.   She sent me the quote today but it is $500 more than what I could book myself online.  Also, she did not mention anything about the Free at Sea offers.   I was under the impression that travel agents would never charge more than what you can book online.   I sent her an email regarding the Free at Sea offers but did not bring up the pricing difference.  Should I just book it myself online or switch to a different agent if I do not get a reasonable response?  

[itsnotjustme]

I would directly ask about both the fare difference and the FAS.  If the TA cannot match or do better than NCL, find a better TA.  My TA gives a lot of FF miles - 7/$ of base fare, and sometime free gratuities or OBC.

[ready2cruzagain]

7 hours ago, Nanaof17 said:

We are trying to plan/book our first cruise. I thought it best to use a travel agent and decided to use an online one (but located in our city) rather than brick and mortar.  The cruise we are looking to book is with NCL.   She sent me the quote today but it is $500 more than what I could book myself online.  Also, she did not mention anything about the Free at Sea offers.   I was under the impression that travel agents would never charge more than what you can book online.   I sent her an email regarding the Free at Sea offers but did not bring up the pricing difference.  Should I just book it myself online or switch to a different agent if I do not get a reasonable response?  

I think I would be looking for a different TA. We booked with an online agent for our next NCL cruise and received the Free at Sea offers, Free Gratuities (which is a big deal for us considering the cruise is 21 days) and obc.  

[LadyBerard]

The free at sea promos are not completely free, as when they are added to the reservations, the gratuities for the drink package and the dining package get added to the total cost of the reservation.

 

[SimplyAlbert]

My TA's price has never been more than NCL and we get all the promos that NCL offers.  He gives additional on-board credit and a specialty dining credit.

[Carrickbeg]

I would double check your pricing on the NCL site.  They have changed how the price is calculated.  It isn't until you put your full information in do you see your actual price (that includes port fees, taxes, etc.)  Your TA can give you the free at sea and the price should be identical if not better (depending if they have group space allotted.)

 

See the little tiny note they have now under the subtotal

 

"Excl. taxes, fees and port expenses, they will be added at checkout."

Edited May 17, 2023 by Carrickbeg

[Nanaof17]

Thank you everyone for your information.   I thanked the first person for their time and let them know I would not need their services at this time.  It was based on more than just the pricing differential.  I am now working with an in person agency and it is a much better fit for me.

[cruiseny4life]

I'm not offering to book for anyone on this site (plus, y'all hear me complain too much)...but when I book my friends and family, I'm able to select any of the available Free at Sea offers. This includes drinks, meals, WiFi, shore excursion discount, BOGO Airfare, etc. If your agent can't, then you need to rethink who you use (again, not moi)...unless, you're getting that big ole cash card and rebates. Depends who it is, whether I'll give onboard credit, chocolate covered strawberries, etc. 

 

A travel agent's quote should always be the same you see on the NCL site. If not, there may be a discrepancy in the category, someone's not accounting for taxes, fees, etc., or the agent is not a good one. 

[Griff4AU]

On 5/18/2023 at 12:29 PM, cruiseny4life said:

I'm not offering to book for anyone on this site (plus, y'all hear me complain too much)...but when I book my friends and family, I'm able to select any of the available Free at Sea offers. This includes drinks, meals, WiFi, shore excursion discount, BOGO Airfare, etc. If your agent can't, then you need to rethink who you use (again, not moi)...unless, you're getting that big ole cash card and rebates. Depends who it is, whether I'll give onboard credit, chocolate covered strawberries, etc. 

 

A travel agent's quote should always be the same you see on the NCL site. If not, there may be a discrepancy in the category, someone's not accounting for taxes, fees, etc., or the agent is not a good one. 

This. EXACTLY.

Your TA absolutely can match and usually toss in something else (unless you use the big-box TA's).

 

With the right TA, you will NEVER pay more and you OFTEN will pay less. 

 

I know these things.. probably for the same reason NY4Life does 

 

 

[nimbex1970]

On 5/17/2023 at 8:06 AM, LadyBerard said:

The free at sea promos are not completely free, as when they are added to the reservations, the gratuities for the drink package and the dining package get added to the total cost of the reservation.

 

This^^^ A good TA will also do a price drop for you with ease (should there be one).  A great TA will watch FOR your price drops! Mine is in the middle of those two, I just checked and am due a price reduction 🙂

[LadyBerard]

On 5/18/2023 at 1:29 PM, cruiseny4life said:

I'm not offering to book for anyone on this site (plus, y'all hear me complain too much)...but when I book my friends and family, I'm able to select any of the available Free at Sea offers. This includes drinks, meals, WiFi, shore excursion discount, BOGO Airfare, etc. If your agent can't, then you need to rethink who you use (again, not moi)...unless, you're getting that big ole cash card and rebates. Depends who it is, whether I'll give onboard credit, chocolate covered strawberries, etc. 

 

A travel agent's quote should always be the same you see on the NCL site. If not, there may be a discrepancy in the category, someone's not accounting for taxes, fees, etc., or the agent is not a good one. 

Many travel agents have group pricing which, many times, could be less than what you see on the consumer site.

 

[gcet]

Check to make sure that all fees are included in the price you see online. Port Fees, taxes, etc... can make up $500 easy. They usually don't show you those fees online until you checkout.

Your TA should never be higher than online so I would check that first... make sure you comparing apples to apples. 😉

[ontheweb]

8 hours ago, LadyBerard said:

Many travel agents have group pricing which, many times, could be less than what you see on the consumer site.

 

But note that they are not allowed to post those lesser fares; you have to call to find out about them.

[BirdTravels]

On 5/16/2023 at 10:20 PM, Nanaof17 said:

We are trying to plan/book our first cruise. I thought it best to use a travel agent and decided to use an online one (but located in our city) rather than brick and mortar.  The cruise we are looking to book is with NCL.   She sent me the quote today but it is $500 more than what I could book myself online.  Also, she did not mention anything about the Free at Sea offers.   I was under the impression that travel agents would never charge more than what you can book online.   I sent her an email regarding the Free at Sea offers but did not bring up the pricing difference.  Should I just book it myself online or switch to a different agent if I do not get a reasonable response?  

When you “book yourself online” are you fully quoted with all port fees and taxes, gratuities, etc?  It is more than the cruise fare. 
 

A good travel agent should get you a total price no more than your online booking. Then add their own perks (OBC, bingo, phone, photos, Wi-Fi, shore ex credit) and maybe a gift card for their establishment.