Booking a future cruise while onboard

[EJL2023]

2 hours ago, Tranquility Base said:

If you book onboard and then refare to a lower price a month before sailing, what happens to the excess fare you have now paid ?

Is it turned into SBC, or can you transfer that excess to another booking ?

If the new promotion includes a price reduction after final payment, the difference will be given in the form of SBC, stateroom/suite upgrade or a FCC, at their discretion. 

[Tranquility Base]

1 hour ago, EJL2023 said:

If the new promotion includes a price reduction after final payment, the difference will be given in the form of SBC, stateroom/suite upgrade or a FCC, at their discretion. 

Thanks.

An FCC would be OK, as that should be able to be applied to an existing booking (I hope).

If SBC would that be Refundable SBC ?

[EJL2023]

7 minutes ago, Tranquility Base said:

Thanks.

An FCC would be OK, as that should be able to be applied to an existing booking (I hope).

If SBC would that be Refundable SBC ?

I’m not really sure on the SBC and I would not want to assume since it has not happened to me. However, the other part of my post was taken directly from the letter I received with my invoice for my onboard booking from just 11 days ago. So they do have a procedure in place and it would not happen because someone slipped up.  

Edited February 14 by EJL2023

[Elismoots]

What benefit does my travel agent get when I book a future cruise when I'm on a cruise?

[1985rz1]

16 minutes ago, Elismoots said:

What benefit does my travel agent get when I book a future cruise when I'm on a cruise?

If you transfer it to you TA, he/she still gets credit and the commission.  

[Elismoots]

Thank you. I was hoping this was the case

[osandomir]

1 hour ago, Elismoots said:

What benefit does my travel agent get when I book a future cruise when I'm on a cruise?

When you book on board the booking will automatically be assigned to the TA on file for your current cruise unless you specify that you don’t want it. Then you will have 30 days to transfer the booking to any TA of your choice so they can get commissions for that booking.

[EJL2023]

1 hour ago, 1985rz1 said:

If you transfer it to you TA, he/she still gets credit and the commission.  

Just curious, anyone have any idea what type of commission goes to the travel agency?

[ak1004]

6 hours ago, EJL2023 said:

Just curious, anyone have any idea what type of commission goes to the travel agency?

 

I think it depends on the agency, but for high volume agencies, it can easily be 15-17% I believe. Also depends on the line. Our TA gives us around 10-11% rebate for O bookings and ~13-14% for SS, so I assume she gets more for SS bookings.

[Vallesan]

10 hours ago, osandomir said:

When you book on board the booking will automatically be assigned to the TA on file for your current cruise unless you specify that you don’t want it. Then you will have 30 days to transfer the booking to any TA of your choice so they can get commissions for that booking.

I think the 30 day limit has been  reduced to 14 now. Worth checking!

[Harters]

Vallesan (and/or any other Britons) - knowing that the British travel agency industry works differently from that in the States, can you confirm that it would be as simple for us, as it is for Americans, to transfer an onboard reservation to our preferred TA here?

[Vallesan]

45 minutes ago, Harters said:

Vallesan (and/or any other Britons) - knowing that the British travel agency industry works differently from that in the States, can you confirm that it would be as simple for us, as it is for Americans, to transfer an onboard reservation to our preferred TA here?

Yes it is. Oceania will have your TA on file and will automatically transfer it over unless you prefer another agent. I can’t remember exactly what happens on board but when I book a cruise directly with the Oceania agent in the UK I just have to send an email to her to transfer my booking over to the TA but I think it may be automatic on board. Just one point to remember is that the change over time has reduced from 30days after booking to 14 (I think!).

[Harters]

1 hour ago, Vallesan said:

Oceania will have your TA on file and will automatically transfer it over unless you prefer another agent.

Thanks for the confirmation, V.  We will, probably, change TA (to the one you hinted at some time back) as they do seem to be offering a better deal than our existing. 

[Vallesan]

23 minutes ago, Harters said:

Thanks for the confirmation, V.  We will, probably, change TA (to the one you hinted at some time back) as they do seem to be offering a better deal than our existing. 

I must admit I cross check prices with a few other agents before I book but my TA always does better even if is only by £100 or so but it’s often a far more substantial amount. The real plus as far as I’m concerned is if I ask for information or a repricing if there’s a sale they always come back to me very quickly. I have been using them since maybe 2017 and never had an issue.

[Harters]

41 minutes ago, Vallesan said:

I cross check prices with a few other agents

We've just been doing that with a few on Cruise Critic's own list of recommended TAs. The variation in quotes is quite  surprising from over 10% discount to next to nothing off O's list price. And with a couple throwing in the upgraded drinks package (not a big thing for us, as I don't drink and my partner only sparingly) and others offering chauffeur driven car service from/to home and Southampton. Still, it's all going to give us an idea of cost that we can check out against on onboard price.  

[Vallesan]

1 hour ago, Harters said:

We've just been doing that with a few on Cruise Critic's own list of recommended TAs. The variation in quotes is quite  surprising from over 10% discount to next to nothing off O's list price. And with a couple throwing in the upgraded drinks package (not a big thing for us, as I don't drink and my partner only sparingly) and others offering chauffeur driven car service from/to home and Southampton. Still, it's all going to give us an idea of cost that we can check out against on onboard price.  

Yes it will. I can only tell you from my experience I get roughly 10% discount on the on board price. Good hunting!

[Harters]

19 minutes ago, Vallesan said:

I can only tell you from my experience I get roughly 10% discount on the on board price

Am I reading this correctly? 

 

You've booked on board, at a discount from website price (plus whatever perks are offered). You transfer that to your TA and can negotiate  a further approx 10% discount on your already discounted price? 

 

Sorry if I'm being slow on the uptake here but I've no experience in how this works, moving business placed with one company to another one. You wouldnt think I had years of professional procurement experience. 😀

[Vallesan]

1 minute ago, Harters said:

Am I reading this correctly? 

 

You've booked on board, at a discount from website price (plus whatever perks are offered). You transfer that to your TA and can negotiate  a further approx 10% discount on your already discounted price? 

 

Sorry if I'm being slow on the uptake here but I've no experience in how this works, moving business placed with one company to another one. You wouldnt think I had years of professional procurement experience. 😀

Yes you are reading this absolutely right. Whatever offer I have booked on board I get a further 10%,  or maybe a fraction less 9.5% , from my TA. I can only say ‘go for it’! The TA still gets  commission on the trip.

 

We met people, who are now friends, on a Regent cruise. They always sail Regent, hated their one and only cruise with Oceania, but that’s another story!  Anyway, they always use/used the UK Oceania/Regent UK rep but never transferred to a TA so were/are losing out on the extra discount. 
 

The good thing about using the Oceania rep is that she has all the cabin availability right there in front of her so you don’t have to go back and forth with an agent if you require a specific position, deck etc. In the UK we have a great rep,  can always pass on the  information …. if that’s allowed!

 

 

[Snaefell3]

12 minutes ago, Harters said:

Am I reading this correctly? 

 

You've booked on board, at a discount from website price (plus whatever perks are offered). You transfer that to your TA and can negotiate  a further approx 10% discount on your already discounted price? 

 

Sorry if I'm being slow on the uptake here but I've no experience in how this works, moving business placed with one company to another one. You wouldnt think I had years of professional procurement experience. 😀

The best way to describe O's pricing is "opaque".

• "Hidden sales" that TAs simply don't have access to.

• A program [OCAPP] that give perks available only thru certain TA consortiums.

• Some TAs will rebate part of their commission, but I believe it's frowned upon.

• "Combinablility" restrictions on stacking deals.

 

On my first O cruise, the in-house agent offered a deal not available to TAs, but when I transferred the booking, my normal TA was confused because it was "not combinable" with the OCAAP perks they normally provide.

[Harters]

9 minutes ago, Vallesan said:

In the UK we have a great rep,  can always pass on the  information …. if that’s allowed!

Probably not. But I'm sure we're on the same page about which company we're referring to. My partner had the phone call with them and I'm sure that there was mention of  a "best price guarantee", so we will be in a good position to negotiate. Thanks for the help, V.

Edited February 19 by Harters

[Vallesan]

37 minutes ago, Snaefell3 said:

The best way to describe O's pricing is "opaque".

• "Hidden sales" that TAs simply don't have access to.

• A program [OCAPP] that give perks available only thru certain TA consortiums.

• Some TAs will rebate part of their commission, but I believe it's frowned upon.

• "Combinablility" restrictions on stacking deals.

 

On my first O cruise, the in-house agent offered a deal not available to TAs, but when I transferred the booking, my normal TA was confused because it was "not combinable" with the OCAAP perks they normally provide.

I’m guessing you aren’t in the UK. Things are quite different here …. we pay $$$$ more!

[SATaxman]

2 hours ago, Harters said:

Probably not. But I'm sure we're on the same page about which company we're referring to. My partner had the phone call with them and I'm sure that there was mention of  a "best price guarantee", so we will be in a good position to negotiate. Thanks for the help, V.

I wish there was a way to learn who these TAs are. Spoke with a couple, one "promised" a check for a percentage after the cruise. The other said any refund/rebate/check is frowned upon by O and those TAs might lose their ability to book O cruises in the future. Who to believe or trust? OBC now (lesser amount) or counting on a promise of a larger percent in the future knowing that TA might not be able to book O by then?

[Snaefell3]

2 hours ago, Vallesan said:

I’m guessing you aren’t in the UK. Things are quite different here …. we pay $$$$ more!

Yep.  But then, you have more recourse if itineraries get a major change, no?

[AMHuntFerry]

3 hours ago, Snaefell3 said:

The best way to describe O's pricing is "opaque".

• "Hidden sales" that TAs simply don't have access to.

• A program [OCAPP] that give perks available only thru certain TA consortiums.

• Some TAs will rebate part of their commission, but I believe it's frowned upon.

• "Combinablility" restrictions on stacking deals.

 

None of these are unique to O (or NCLH). In other words, they are common even if the general public is unaware of the existence.

[Harters]

1 hour ago, SATaxman said:

I wish there was a way to learn who these TAs are.

Worth a look at Tripadvisor's cruise forum which has no problems about names being named. I did that cross-check after I'd come across Cruise Critic's own list of recommended UK travel agents.