Perks or OBC from travel agent?

[HappyTravels4ever]

Hi,

 

I am not asking (yet?!?!) for TA names, but trying to get an idea of what perks your TA might give for a $20,000 cruise. Gratuities? OBC? Other?

[AMHuntFerry]

6 minutes ago, HappyTravels4ever said:

Hi,

 

I am not asking (yet?!?!) for TA names, but trying to get an idea of what perks your TA might give for a $20,000 cruise. Gratuities? OBC? Other?

Well, I can't address the $20k cruise, but our next ~$2k per person cruise-only has $200 per person OBC via our TA. Some other similar cruises had ppg.

[FetaCheese]

Per CC terms, one cannot give TA recommendations.  Had recently seen one, a link, on another O thread,  that was later taken down.

[LHT28]

47 minutes ago, HappyTravels4ever said:

Hi,

 

I am not asking (yet?!?!) for TA names, but trying to get an idea of what perks your TA might give for a $20,000 cruise. Gratuities? OBC? Other?

have had PPG & OBC in the past

We get PPG as club benefit so just OBC  from TA

[pinotlover]

Travel Agents are compensated differently, very differently, so expectation must be adjusted accordingly.

 

Now, if your question was regarding the Travel Agency not the individual Agent, then the realm changes. For some the perks are actually coming directly from the Agency. So you must understand how the individual relationships between the Agencies and their Agents work.
 

I believe it’s best for one to determine and know what they want out of the relationship perks and services wise. That’ll help determine what you receive from your Agent and Agency. Some of the bored DIYers here think nothing of spending hours on the phone at 1-800, and avoid using a TA. Is that what you want? My monetize perks may not be as great as some here “ claim “, but I have not done Dial a Clerk in years and have no interest in starting so now. I gladly surrender a couple of percent for that privilege! You need to figure all that out before you can even ask the question intelligently. Different strokes for different folks.

[Flatbush Flyer]

With the caveat that perks are not the only factor in picking a TA for O (O “preferred partner” status and mastery of O’s idiosyncrasies is priceless):

 

When it comes to add-on TA perks, you want a share of the TA commission (at an average of approx. 5-10% of the commissionable fare. Besides that, you want coverage of gratuities if paid by the TA using O’s incentive OCAPP pass through $ for select cruises. In most cases, pursue that even if your O Club status gives you gratuities. In that situation, if the TA covers grats from other than their own pocket (e.g., with OCAPP $), O Club will give  your cabin $250 “in lieu” of its normal coverage. You don’t want the TA paying for grats out of pocket. If they do, your share of the commissionable fare commission would be reduced. 
 

Because commissionable fares can vary significantly based, in part, on itinerary, there’s no way to pinpoint what 5-10% of the commissionable fare might be when you’re bottomline fare on cruise x is $20k.. Another factor is that O pays commissions on a sliding scale. So, using top producing agencies can make a significant difference to the $ back in your pocket.

 

But, as a rough guesstimate, figure that a $25-30k O cruise should be able to net you $2k +\- as a rebate or refundable SBC.

BTW: Ask around on your O cruises regarding who other O regulars are using for TAs. Eventually, you’ll be hearing a lot about the same handful of US Travel Agencies more than all others.

 

Edited June 1, 2023 by Flatbush Flyer

[alcpa1]

We've had everything from gratuities, OBC's, gratis shore excursions, to rebates and combinations of the above. Not to mention flowers, sparkling wine and fruit is our cabin. 

But we also had one of the top selling O agents offer absolutely nothing when trying to book two cruises. She got a polite thank you and we moved on. I guess booking three or four cruises a year on some of the "better" lines just wasn't good enough. My point is shop around and create a working relationship with your travel agent.

 

[AMHuntFerry]

Under "Other"...I contacted my TA about something non-urgent during the airline mess in Europe last year. I received a reply, something like, "I am trying to help two families who are stranded in Rome. Do you mind if I get back to you tomorrow?". Now, she calls me one of her more-independent-travelers, but I like to know someone knowledgeable will bend over backward if I need assistance (she has lightning fast replacement flight powers!). She will also find flight/hotel/transport options within my parameters, or find me any deals/perks on hotels I short-list (I just can't resist the hunt). It's not just about booking on O, but that's what I want in a TA - others have different priorities. I'm even letting her trainee get her feet wet helping me with a land trip in the fall...can't hurt and maybe we'll get some free breakfasts 😉

[HappyTravels4ever]

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

have had PPG & OBC in the past

We get PPG as club benefit so just OBC  from TA

Can you give me any sense of the amount of OBC for a  $10K or $20K cruise?

[HappyTravels4ever]

2 hours ago, FetaCheese said:

Per CC terms, one cannot give TA recommendations.  Had recently seen one, a link, on another O thread,  that was later taken down.

Oops, I think I knew this, so glad I was not asking for a TA recommendation!

[Classiccruiser777]

Cash rebate post cruise, typically about 7%.

 

[LHT28]

8 hours ago, HappyTravels4ever said:

Can you give me any sense of the amount of OBC for a  $10K or $20K cruise?

it is minimal  but her service  is what I like 

When things go pear shaped she  gets  it fixed

 

 I would not  give up my pay   so I do not expect  an agency or agent  to give up theirs

YMMV

[Heartfelttraveler]

Oceania - 5% of cruise fare plus $200.

It varies for the different cruise lines booked through them.

We also book top suites, so lots of OBC - some of which, if you don't spend it, the cruise lines gives you cash on the last night.

Some of the other cruise lines, they give 10%

 

[Sthrngary]

12 hours ago, HappyTravels4ever said:

Hi,

 

I am not asking (yet?!?!) for TA names, but trying to get an idea of what perks your TA might give for a $20,000 cruise. Gratuities? OBC? Other?

@HappyTravels4ever $20,000 is quite the cruise and I envy the experience you are about to have. 

 

My question is, would you still take the same cruise if you got nothing from your TA except the booking and service?  If so, then here is the strategy I would suggest.

 

1. Choose the Cruise/Brand:  Select the date, time, brand and suite category.
2. Select the best credit card you have with the very best perks for cruises. Make sure when and if you book, who ever you use, at absolute minimum give you those perks.
3. Select a T/A first on quality of service and then on special perks if you choose to go down that path.  

 

The T/A is the last selection because it is also the hardest.  Do you want direct control of your reservation, choose the brand and lose the credit card perks.  Do you want the cheapest ticket than consider third party booking sides that offer great discount with low service.  Or do you want the best perks, and service that would be T/A but always remember.  The more discounts, you have to ask yourself, how much of the service would be discounted as wall.  Just my two cents.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

[DrHemlock]

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

it is minimal  but her service  is what I like 

When things go pear shaped she  gets  it fixed

 

 I would not  give up my pay   so I do not expect  an agency or agent  to give up theirs

YMMV

I would add, as a person who has booked via the same small-but-connected agency the past 20 years, that my agent is coming off of virtually no commissions during the Covid disaster.  My pension and SS kept coming throughout, but her bookings did not.  She's now in catch-up mode and it's my turn to help her by not expecting rebates or other financial goodies after all the great service she's provided (and continues to provide) for so long.

As Lyn said, YMMV.  If I were seeking a new agent for a first-time booking, my attitude might be different.

[pinotlover]

I don’t dictate what, and the form of, any perks my Travel Agent gives me as some here apparently do. Besides OBC, and PPG back when we had to pay it, we’ve been comped La Reserve dinners, pre cruise hotels, and other things appreciated by us. We always say thank you for what we received. In these times actually find it a bit distasteful of those folks demanding a spreadsheet analysis of income along with their take. Wonder if those folks demand kickbacks from their doctors on Medicare payments, or from their pharmacy for the Pleasure of doing business with them?

Edited June 1, 2023 by pinotlover

[Flatbush Flyer]

34 minutes ago, DrHemlock said:

I would add, as a person who has booked via the same small-but-connected agency the past 20 years, that my agent is coming off of virtually no commissions during the Covid disaster.  My pension and SS kept coming throughout, but her bookings did not.  She's now in catch-up mode and it's my turn to help her by not expecting rebates or other financial goodies after all the great service she's provided (and continues to provide) for so long.

As Lyn said, YMMV.  If I were seeking a new agent for a first-time booking, my attitude might be different.

While I understand (and somewhat appreciate) your point, the issue of TA “service” is multi-layered.

There are those of us who, for the most part, DIY. We book onboard or via a trusted long serving O rep (no waiting if you have their direct contact info). Once the O parameters are set, we transfer that cruise to our preferred TA. We manage our own air, ground transport, pre/post cruise land stays, excursion purchases (both O and private) and keep an eye on O sales. In short, zero TA “handholding” required.

Collectively, we are the poster children for “low maintenance” clients and most TAs with whom I have dealt are glad to see us coming back again and again to book 2-3 long O cruises per year. Moreover, they appreciate our knowledge of O policies and idiosyncrasies.
 

The usual efforts for these TAs consist primarily of a handful of brief phone calls/emails for each booking (e.g., the initial booking transfer and sale et al. price adjustments plus the extremely RARE situation where the heft of a high volume preferred O partner TA needs to fix a FUBAR).
 

Sharing commissions is a very common practice in the TA industry. Always has been. Always will be. And zero “handholding” for regular repeat customers makes for happy TAs.
 

All that said, let’s not forget that there is also a group of passengers to whom money doesn’t matter or who would love to get a significant rebate but are too lazy or confused to seek out (or renegotiate) a better TA situation.  

To each his own.

[Harters]

I know that the OP is North American, as are all other contributors to the thread, but I'd be interested in reading any experiences, about perks, from British cruisers who have booked through a TA here. Have you received any of the perks that seem to be commonplace on the western side of the Atlantic?  I have a sense that the TA industry operates differently on this  side of the "pond" but confirmation, one way of the other, would be good.

[FLConnie]

13 hours ago, HappyTravels4ever said:

Can you give me any sense of the amount of OBC for a  $10K or $20K cruise?

We are getting $1700 OBC per cabin for our $29000 cabin from our TA.  Then the O perk we chose.

[VAWCB]

No one has mentioned travel insurance as being a perk offered by their travel agent.  My guy provides full trip and medical insurance which, at my age, is worth at least 10% of the cruise cost.

[cruiserchuck]

1 minute ago, VAWCB said:

No one has mentioned travel insurance as being a perk offered by their travel agent.  My guy provides full trip and medical insurance which, at my age, is worth at least 10% of the cruise cost.

One agent recently offered insurance, but it excluded those 65 and over.  Some policies also do not provide much coverage.  I am always surprised when I do price comparisons how little coverage some policies offer compared to similarly priced policies.

[sunlover12]

My TA gave us PPG on our upcoming August cruise. We're not at the O Club level yet to get this so it's a nice perk that we're very appreciative of. We're in a group with a few other couples - we were all given the PPG.

Establishing a relationship with a good TA can give you valuable benefits and service.

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 minute ago, sunlover12 said:

My TA gave us PPG on our upcoming August cruise. We're not at the O Club level yet to get this so it's a nice perk that we're very appreciative of. We're in a group with a few other couples - we were all given the PPG.

Establishing a relationship with a good TA can give you valuable benefits and service.

Check your Oceania invoice: if the gratuities coverage says OCAPP next to your TA’s (or his/her consortium’s) name, those $ are pass through incentive funds from O via your TA.

[sunlover12]

45 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Check your Oceania invoice: if the gratuities coverage says OCAPP next to your TA’s (or his/her consortium’s) name, those $ are pass through incentive funds from O via your TA.

Thank you for that information.  That's good to know.

My Oceania invoice doesn't say OCAPP but it does say "Group Amenity Prepaid Gratuity". So, it's hard for me to know if it's coming from O or the TA.  I just know that we don't have to pay it. 🙂

[Hlitner]

We just booked (this week) an O cruise priced in the range mentioned by the OP.  The perks we are getting through our cruise agency are equal to about 10% of the cruise fare.  In our case it is a combination of pre paid gratuities and a generous OBC.   We book a lot of cruises (usually about 100 days a year) and view the transaction as business.  We have used 3 different cruise agencies for many years and always do a comparison (total deal) vs booking direct with the cruise line.  We do not ask to hear sob stories from the agencies/agents, but simply expect the best deal and good service.  The agents we use are all very professional, know the industry, and understand that my loyalty is only as good as the latest deal.  

 

I agree with Flatbush Flyer that the right TA, with the right contacts, can do a lot of good.  This is especially true if something goes wrong and you need the skill of the agent to resolve an issue.  High volume agencies/agents will generally have more contacts (and clout).  In the case of "O" are agent gave me her take on the various "O Life" options which confirmed what we have learned on this board from O regulars like Flatbush Flyer.

 

Hank