Travel Agent or HAL Personal Cruise Consultant

[donandmelissa]

My experience is very similar to Hank's experience.  I book with the same agent every time and I ALWAYS get a better deal than booking directly with the cruise line.  Generally speaking, I either get a reduced fare or an OBC equal to about 10% of the fare, excluding port fees and taxes.  Sometimes, I get more.  Whenever I need something addressed, I call my agent and it gets done.  This includes changing dining times, upgrading rooms and other similar tasks.

  

Want to have some fun with this?  There is a website out there where travel agents compete for your business. I can't put the name here but if you run an internet search for "travel agencies bid for your cruise business", you will quickly find the site. You submit a request for a quote and you will get multiple quotes from multiple agents.  Some are no better than booking directly with the line, but most will give you some kind of additional benefit, either extra OBC or throw in perks (upgraded drink package, internet, etc.  This is how I found my current agent, but now I call him directly without going through the other site.  The agent values me as a repeat customer and gives me his best pricing, which he can do because he is not sharing his commission with the bidding website.

[alyssamma]

5 hours ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

You're almost correct.  I believe the data and I am at least skeptical about your claims.  Maybe you are the smartest cruise shopper in the world and the rest of us just don't get it.  However it looks like you are the only person currently making that claim.  

 

You also didn't understand the example.  $100 off the cruise rate plus the standard $50 OBC is better than your $100 off after the cruise.  That's why I switched from a big box TA to an individual TA for other cruise lines.  I just haven't been able to find these same type of offers with HAL.

 

As an example, here's the type of difference that I have been able to get on my October cruise on another cruise line.  I booked onboard through the cruise line and my pp fare for a 14-day balcony cabin was $3100.  When I switched to the group rate when I got home the fare was reduced to $2600 pp plus I will get a couple hundred OBC.  I booked on-board to get the onboard booking bonus.   I'm reasonably new to HAL looking for the same kind of discounts.

Yes, again, I understood what you said. You are making a claim I am not . Go back and read what I said carefully. I gave an example almost like yours, except instead of 150 and 100 I used 100 and 50.

 

You are arguing a point I never said.

 

You can believe it not believe, but I'm just talking math. 150 before vs 150 after is the same. That's just a fact and it's true whether or not you believe it 

 

Please go back and read what I said carefully.

 

And my only claim.was that you can get about 10% off with the right TA...I am not the only one on this thread making that claim, so I'm not even close to the smartest cruiser, lol.

 

TAs are all very different and some work closely with certain lines. Shop around if you want to get the best deals.

 

You gave me a specific example so I will give you one. For my 14 day midnight sun HAL cruise I am getting off of today, I paid just over 4k total for 2 people for a verandah. Another 420 for CO to upgrade that to a VB category for the extended balcony. This included HAI with prepaid gratuities. On top of that I got 1350 in OBC.

 

On MSC in July I'll take a 21 day cruise to Iceland and Greenland for 4500 total for 2 which includes wifi and drinks...but no gratuities...and 300 OBC.

 

Great cruise deals are out there. I spent a LOT of time to get those deals, but travel (not just cruising) is something I love and the time spent is fun to me.

Edited May 28, 2023 by alyssamma

[alyssamma]

Ack...sorry! Typed the above when I was trying to disembark. The HAL cruise was just under 7k, not 4k.

[Ipeeinthepools]

6 hours ago, donandmelissa said:

My experience is very similar to Hank's experience.  I book with the same agent every time and I ALWAYS get a better deal than booking directly with the cruise line.  Generally speaking, I either get a reduced fare or an OBC equal to about 10% of the fare, excluding port fees and taxes.  Sometimes, I get more.  Whenever I need something addressed, I call my agent and it gets done.  This includes changing dining times, upgrading rooms and other similar tasks.

  

Want to have some fun with this?  There is a website out there where travel agents compete for your business. I can't put the name here but if you run an internet search for "travel agencies bid for your cruise business", you will quickly find the site. You submit a request for a quote and you will get multiple quotes from multiple agents.  Some are no better than booking directly with the line, but most will give you some kind of additional benefit, either extra OBC or throw in perks (upgraded drink package, internet, etc.  This is how I found my current agent, but now I call him directly without going through the other site.  The agent values me as a repeat customer and gives me his best pricing, which he can do because he is not sharing his commission with the bidding website.

 

I'll give that website another try.  I tried that awhile back, maybe Covid was still affecting things, but I didn't have any success.  Maybe this is more Agency specific than I realized.  I have tried with my current TA but she was not able to offer anything but a small amount of OBC.  I also have friends who cruise a lot that use a different TA but the same agency and they have never got this type of discount.

Edited May 28, 2023 by Ipeeinthepools

[Ipeeinthepools]

10 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

I haven't found differences in TA pricing post covid but one of my TA's are no longer giving me referral credits. I used to get $75 OBC for every referral and that has dried up. I still get $50 return passenger credit.

 

There are still a plethoria of travel agents who automatically give 10% back in OBC. This OBC is refundable and goes back to you on your registered CC if you don't use it. I didn't think anyone was booking for less than 10% back anymore.

 

I can usually negotiate 12-15% because each TA I use has different cruise lines they specialize in. These travel agents are paid higher commission based on volume. You have to find the TA that specializes in your particular cruise line, but 10% back should be the minimum. 

 

This ad crossed in my email just a few minutes ago for HAL. I have a NCL, CCL, and HAL cruise booked. I used different TA's for each trip based on promos. It's not difficult.

 

 

Just out of curiosity, were you able to get this type of discount on our upcoming trip on the Konigsdam?

[alyssamma]

53 minutes ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

I'll give that website another try.  I tried that awhile back, maybe Covid was still affecting things, but I didn't have any success.  Maybe this is more Agency specific than I realized.  I have tried with my current TA but she was not able to offer anything but a small amount of OBC.  I also have friends who cruise a lot that use a different TA but the same agency and they have never got this type of discount.

It is 100% agency specific. Like I said in an earlier post, I rotate between 3 TAs...each has their own specialties. 

 

If you have a TA who helps you a lot, then it makes sense to be loyal. My TAs simply push the buttons I tell them to... I do all of the research. As such I don't have loyalty to any specific one. It's a lot of work, so I get why some don't want to do it.

 

A good place to start is with that site that others have mentioned that lets TAs compete for your business. Another good place is simply google...go through the first 10 or 15 agencies that pop up and see what pricing you get.

 

It all depends on how you value your time. I search for travel deals while watching TV, so pretty easy for me 😀

[alyssamma]

52 minutes ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

Just out of curiosity, were you able to get this type of discount on our upcoming trip on the Konigsdam?

Sorry, I know you didn't ask me this, but I wanted to add something. Often you may not get this deal initially, but if you keep.checking a price drop or new sale will come along. If you want to get the really good deals you have to keep checking your reservations.

[Ipeeinthepools]

1 hour ago, alyssamma said:

Sorry, I know you didn't ask me this, but I wanted to add something. Often you may not get this deal initially, but if you keep.checking a price drop or new sale will come along. If you want to get the really good deals you have to keep checking your reservations.

 

It's always a good idea to keep checking and sometimes there are price reductions.  However lately I've evolved to booking most of my cruises when they just open reservations and most of the time the prices only go up from there.  HAL also seems to have some very good promotions within 90 days of the cruises opening up for sale.   However, these 10 percent OBC offers still seem to fall short of what I have found on other cruise lines for group rates and then I received additional OBC over and above the group rate.  I just checked the rebates on my upcoming HAL cruises that I'm receiving from my toilet paper TA and they are in the region at the published HAL prices.   Perhaps HAL just doesn't offer group rates.

[ontheweb]

11 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Two things about that.  When they owe you over $1000 they are not paying cash.  and #2.  If one wants to spend over an hour (typical on that last evening) waiting at Guest Services than that is fine.  We actually used our onboard account on debarkation day since we were in no rush to get off the ship (in Seattle)l  We stayed aboard to after 9:30, drank Bloody Marys and Mimosas, and relaxed as others waited in various queues to get off the ship.  I also do not know how they can do cash since they must inventory the cabin mini fridge (we had ours emptied at the beginning of the cruise so we could not be charged for things we did not use).

 

We have this silly habit of not wanting to spend our cruise time standing in line at Guest Relations.  On our cruise we met one very nice elderly lady (President's Club) who spent many hours at Guest Relations because of various complaints.  She became so frustrated she cancelling her two future HAL bookings....a full World Cruise and a full Grand South America cruise.  We learned this from her at the Ocean Bar where she was drinking away her misery (of waiting at Guest Relations where she got no satisfaction).  A very nice lady who told us all her future cruises would be on Oceania.

 

Hank

Interesting, I have read complaints on the NCL board that passengers are summoned to the guest relations desk to get their cash back with OBC left, and not allowed to leave the ship until they do. They would rather have it credited to their credit card than to have to wait in that line.

[Florida_gal_50]

9 hours ago, donandmelissa said:

My experience is very similar to Hank's experience.  I book with the same agent every time and I ALWAYS get a better deal than booking directly with the cruise line.  Generally speaking, I either get a reduced fare or an OBC equal to about 10% of the fare, excluding port fees and taxes.  Sometimes, I get more.  Whenever I need something addressed, I call my agent and it gets done.  This includes changing dining times, upgrading rooms and other similar tasks.

  

Want to have some fun with this?  There is a website out there where travel agents compete for your business. I can't put the name here but if you run an internet search for "travel agencies bid for your cruise business", you will quickly find the site. You submit a request for a quote and you will get multiple quotes from multiple agents.  Some are no better than booking directly with the line, but most will give you some kind of additional benefit, either extra OBC or throw in perks (upgraded drink package, internet, etc.  This is how I found my current agent, but now I call him directly without going through the other site.  The agent values me as a repeat customer and gives me his best pricing, which he can do because he is not sharing his commission with the bidding website.

I think everyone knows that site.  I haven’t been the least bit impressed with anything I received from there.

[Tampa Girl]

2 hours ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

I think everyone knows that site.  I haven’t been the least bit impressed with anything I received from there.

 

I agree.  I have always used that site.  Before the pandemic, we always got around 10% reduced fare.  Since the pandemic I have used that site for at least six cruises, and the basic fare was unchanged from the HAL site.  Nor have I found that being given OBC's make up the difference between 10% of a reduced fare and 5% or less in OBC's.  To be clear, I am talking about  HAL, and only HAL.  Some of the posts appear to be comparing other lines with HAL.

 

A final observation, the statement made by some that 10% fare reduction is the same as 10% OBC's is questionable.  To begin with, HAL's CPP, as well as many other insurance carriers, quote the insurance cost on the fare paid.  If one gets a  10% fare reduction, their  insurance costs will be less.  I must admit, however, that I have never had the experience of getting OBC's worth 10% of the published fare.

[donandmelissa]

1 hour ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

I think everyone knows that site.  I haven’t been the least bit impressed with anything I received from there.

 I have been using an agent I found via that site for years. The agent I used prior to him also became known to me from that website. I guess we definitely have a “your mileage may vary” situation. I’ve saved thousands of dollars using these two agents. Perhaps you are willing to forego savings for the convenience of dealing directly with the cruise line.  I have many friends who would agree with you. However, I am kind of partial to getting the savings, provided that the account servicing is up to snuff. 
 

What I learned from the first agent I used from the website is that when you use that website, the agents have to pay the website. That limits what they can afford to kick back to you. But once you have identified an agent you like, you no longer need to go to the website for future cruises.  That is where the real savings began. 
 

Couple of recent examples:  We booked an aft balcony on a TA on the Rotterdam for 2024. We saved $500 on the fare and got an additional $75 in OBC.  We booked a balcony on a Western Caribbean in October and saved $250 and got an additional $50 in OBC. These are calculated by getting the online quote from HAL and comparing it to what our travel agent gave us on the very same day. 

[Florida_gal_50]

1 minute ago, donandmelissa said:

 I have been using an agent I found via that site for years. The agent I used prior to him also became known to me from that website. I guess we definitely have a “your mileage may vary” situation. I’ve saved thousands of dollars using these two agents. Perhaps you are willing to forego savings for the convenience of dealing directly with the cruise line.  I have many friends who would agree with you. However, I am kind of partial to getting the savings, provided that the account servicing is up to snuff. 
 

What I learned from the first agent I used from the website is that when you use that website, the agents have to pay the website. That limits what they can afford to kick back to you. But once you have identified an agent you like, you no longer need to go to the website for future cruises.  That is where the real savings began. 
 

Couple of recent examples:  We booked an aft balcony on a TA on the Rotterdam for 2024. We saved $500 on the fare and got an additional $75 in OBC.  We booked a balcony on a Western Caribbean in October and saved $250 and got an additional $50 in OBC. These are calculated by getting the online quote from HAL and comparing it to what our travel agent gave us on the very same day. 

The biggest savings on there I saw came from non refundable fares.  I’m not interested in that.  Every day it seems there are people on here thinking those fares are refundable.  Don’t really get that.  It’s in the word.  

[donandmelissa]

6 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

The biggest savings on there I saw came from non refundable fares.  I’m not interested in that.  Every day it seems there are people on here thinking those fares are refundable.  Don’t really get that.  It’s in the word.  

Agree. The best savings come from non refundable fares. We are good with that. We are not interested in paying a premium for a refundable fare, mainly because we don’t see the value of it. We are good with having an FCC if we need to cancel. Indeed, we sometimes change plans and our agent has always been able to transfer our deposit to the new cruise. 

[alyssamma]

2 hours ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

I think everyone knows that site.  I haven’t been the least bit impressed with anything I received from there.

I think as @donandmelissa said, YMMV, but more importantly, once you get an agent and BYPASS that site you get great savings.

 

I personally use it as a benchmark to see what most will give me. I almost always get a better deal with one of my normal agents, but every once in a while I'll get something incredible from that site.

 

18 minutes ago, Tampa Girl said:

final observation, the statement made by some that 10% fare reduction is the same as 10% OBC's is questionable.

I might have missed that specific point, but I am one who said 10% and I compared it to a check after the cruise. I think if you get X as fare reduction or X after the cruise it's the same. I agree neither are as good...or the same...as OBC, unless it is refundable. If it is refundable, then there MAY be a slight insurance cost, but at least with the carrier I use, they go in blocks of 1k and is usually pretty negligible. I can also specify the cost. If my cruise is 2134, I can say 2000.

 

18 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

he biggest savings on there I saw came from non refundable fares.  I’m not interested in that.  Every day it seems there are people on here thinking those fares are refundable.  Don’t really get that.  It’s in the word.  

You can specify you only want non refundable...or specify you want both to see the difference.

[Florida_gal_50]

Why is it on every thread like this the people that use a ta are absolutely brilliant and those that use a pcc are morons that want to waste money?  It one thing to make a suggestion but to have to convince those that don’t care to book the same way is another.

[alyssamma]

5 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Why is it on every thread like this the people that use a ta are absolutely brilliant and those that use a pcc are morons that want to waste money?  It one thing to make a suggestion but to have to convince those that don’t care to book the same way is another.

Sorry you feel that way. I certainly dont think that and made it clear that there is a trade off in both time and convenience...using a PCC is absolutely perfectly acceptable IMHO. I think above @donandmelissa said the same thing.

 

Everyone has different priorities and things that are important to them. If someone chooses to stay in a suite that is certainly more than an inside, but they aren't stupid for doing that. 

 

Book how you want to...that's why PCCs are there to begin with. Obviously a lot of people use and like them.

[BermudaBound2014]

6 hours ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

Just out of curiosity, were you able to get this type of discount on our upcoming trip on the Konigsdam?

 

Yes. I'll sign into my online account and show you all my quotes onboard. Then you can see the exact TA's and their pricing.

[Ipeeinthepools]

1 hour ago, donandmelissa said:

 ....
 

What I learned from the first agent I used from the website is that when you use that website, the agents have to pay the website. That limits what they can afford to kick back to you. But once you have identified an agent you like, you no longer need to go to the website for future cruises.  That is where the real savings began. 
 

...

 

So after you've dealt with this agent for a while are you actually cutting out the larger agency?  Is that correct?  If that is true do you also give up other benefits from the agency such as booking travel insurance with improved benefits?  What about errors and omission coverage?  What happens if the TA makes a mistake that costs you thousands of dollars or your trip gets cancelled due to a mistake?  Does this TA carry their own insurance policy?  You might be paying a high price for your additional discount.

[BermudaBound2014]

20 minutes ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

So after you've dealt with this agent for a while are you actually cutting out the larger agency?  Is that correct?  If that is true do you also give up other benefits from the agency such as booking travel insurance with improved benefits?  What about errors and omission coverage?  What happens if the TA makes a mistake that costs you thousands of dollars or your trip gets cancelled due to a mistake?  Does this TA carry their own insurance policy?  You might be paying a high price for your additional discount.

 

Let me see if I can answer based on my experience:

 

1) I've never booked travel insurance thru the cruise line or a TA. IMO this presents a conflict of interest. I book my travel insurance direct through the insurance company. I've always found this cheaper too. This year I'm booking an annual policy with a rider.

 

2) Not sure what you mean by 'errors and omissions coverage" but no TA should ever charge your card to their name. The charge will show up from HAL (not the TA). Once the TA makes your booking, you can see it on the HAL site and check for any errors so they can be rectified immediately. I do everything by email so there is a paper trail on both ends. I have no need for the TA to carry their own insurance policy since they never touch my money. 

 

We can sit down over a beverage and I'll pull up my quotes for the Tahiti trip. You will see that my discount off the HAL price was near the 20% range. That's unusually high, and I know that's hard to believe, but I'll show it to you in black and white :). 

 

BTW: Do you have HIA? If so, you're buying 😉 🙂 😄 

Edited May 28, 2023 by BermudaBound2014

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

1 hour ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Why is it on every thread like this the people that use a ta are absolutely brilliant and those that use a pcc are morons that want to waste money?  It one thing to make a suggestion but to have to convince those that don’t care to book the same way is another.

When it comes to money, some folks have blinders and ear buds. And some will never change. Lazy, to much work, trust trust trust. Afraid.

[alyssamma]

35 minutes ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

So after you've dealt with this agent for a while are you actually cutting out the larger agency?  Is that correct?  If that is true do you also give up other benefits from the agency such as booking travel insurance with improved benefits?  What about errors and omission coverage?  What happens if the TA makes a mistake that costs you thousands of dollars or your trip gets cancelled due to a mistake?  Does this TA carry their own insurance policy?  You might be paying a high price for your additional discount.

I think there is a misunderstanding. The point is this website is the middleman...that is what is being cut out.

 

Think of it this way...I'm a TA and if you book with me, my contract says I pay the cruise line 100. But if you get my name via this website, I have to pay the cruise line 100 *and* pay 10 to the website...so 110 in total. 

 

But I want your business, so next time you book *directly* with me, I pay the cruise line 100 and the 10 I would have paid the website, we split. So you get 5 and I get 5 and everyone is happy 

 

It's the exact same agent and agency, so whatever they had before they still have.

Edited May 28, 2023 by alyssamma

[Ipeeinthepools]

6 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

Let me see if I can answer based on my experience:

 

1) I've never booked travel insurance thru the cruise line or a TA. IMO this presents a conflict of interest. I book my travel insurance direct through the insurance company. I've always found this cheaper too. This year I'm booking an annual policy with a rider.

 

2) Not sure what you mean by 'errors and omissions coverage" but no TA should ever charge your card to their name. The charge will show up from HAL (not the TA). Once the TA makes your booking, you can see it on the HAL site and check for any errors so they can be rectified immediately. I do everything by email so there is a paper trail on both ends. I have no need for the TA to carry their own insurance policy since they never touch my money. 

 

We can sit down over a beverage and I'll pull up my quotes for the Tahiti trip. You will see that my discount off the HAL price was near the 20% range. That's unusually high, and I know that's hard to believe, but I'll show it to you in black and white :). 

 

BTW: Do you have HIA? If so, you're buying 😉 🙂 😄 

 

Thanks, sounds like a plan.  I'll buy whatever's included in the basic drink package. 😉

If you got a 20% discount, I think you're the leader in the clubhouse.   I doubt anyone will do better.

 

1.  I wasn't referring to cruise line insurance.  Several agencies have contracts with name brand third party insurance companies and offer slightly reduced rates and often a waiver of pre-existing conditions.  That's important for anyone with some sort of medical concern as well as anyone with relatives with medical concerns.  The TA also provides some additional OBC.

 

2.  TAs are no different than anyone else, they occasionally make mistakes.  Maybe they book the wrong cruise, maybe they miss final payment, perhaps they were confused about something and misrepresented the cruise or some other part of your trip.  Who pays for those errors?

[Ipeeinthepools]

6 minutes ago, alyssamma said:

I think there is a misunderstanding. The point is this website is the middleman...that is what is being cut out.

 

Think of it this way...I'm a TA and if you book with me, my contract says I pay the cruise line 100. But if you get my name via this website, I have to pay the cruise line 100 *and* pay 10 to the website...so 110 in total. 

 

But I want your business, so next time you book *directly* with me, I pay the cruise line 100 and the 10 I would have paid the website, we split. So you get 5 and I get 5 and everyone is happy 

 

It's the exact same agent and agency, so whatever they had before they still have.

 

OK, got it.  Thanks.

Edited May 28, 2023 by Ipeeinthepools

[BermudaBound2014]

1 minute ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

Thanks, sounds like a plan.  I'll buy whatever's included in the basic drink package. 😉

If you got a 20% discount, I think you're the leader in the clubhouse.   I doubt anyone will do better.

 

Like I said, it's rare and I booked it on the spot. I'll show it to you in black and white because I know it's hard to believe. 

 

As far as insurance, I'm not an expert in this area. I'm doing a lot of research this summer, but right now annual policies seem to be the way to go. Fortunately, I have no pre-existing medical conditions and I'm relatively young which makes policies reasonably priced.

 

As far as errors, I do all the research myself. I know exactly what I want and what is included from the cruise line long before I contact agents directly for quotes. I know that agents are dipping into their own commission to serve me so I do my very best to make it as easy as possible for them. It's up to me to make sure the correct cruise is booked, know exactly what is and is not included in my purchase, and know all my payment dates.

 

Typically, i speak to my agent only twice and that is via email. Once to make the booking. They immediately give me a booking number. I log into the cruise line web site to make sure all information is correct. The second time is at final payment. 

 

I will say this, TA's make a large commission percentage selling insurance. Often it's a larger percentage than they make selling the cruise itself. But if they are passing along a discount than perhaps it's a win/win.

 

I will make sure to stay within the basic package. I'm cheap and easy like that. 😉