What are customers experiences of being looked after by your personal agent after booking?

[Peter Lanky]

I am wondering if this is the norm or if I am just being unlucky. I have a cruise booked for next year, and every so often a need a response from my agent on a variety of items, for example flight details, cabin allocation or invoicing. The problem is my agent is always 'on another call' and rarely gets back to me despite an immediate call-back being promised by a colleague.

 

Most of the time, my query is quite simple, but sometimes I have to ask three or four times along with a couple of emails (usually only read just before calling me), when the issue could easily have been sorted quickly and simply. Is this standard practice? This is only my second Silversea cruise.

[Tex1]

Is this a travel agent, or cruise consultant?  It seems many CC are now order takers, and have no interest in continued support. And it’s the reason most recommend TAs.

[Peter Lanky]

3 minutes ago, Tex1 said:

Is this a travel agent, or cruise consultant?  It seems many CC are now order takers, and have no interest in continued support. And it’s the reason most recommend TAs.

It's a cruise consultant. I booked this some time ago before I had been on any cruises. I will use an agent in future, but was just interested in others' experience with Silversea agent.

[Abuckett]

Have never had a problem. Yes - it takes a while for a response, but I’m not their only customer. I communicate by email mostly to make sure my point gets across and I have a record. At the moment we’re ‘in conversation’ about the new La Dame and Kaiseki pricing on the Nova which we are booked on for September 1 sailing. We have/had a comped dinner at La Dame and a reservation at Kaiseki, both of which are still showing as $0 for La Dame and $80 for Kaiseki on My Silversea. Will see if they honor these.

[fdnycruiser]

3 hours ago, Peter Lanky said:

It's a cruise consultant. I booked this some time ago before I had been on any cruises. I will use an agent in future, but was just interested in others' experience with Silversea agent.

Find yourself a good TA, and transfer the booking. You’ll probably get a few perks and answers too. Can’t give names here, but there easy enough to find.

[Peter Lanky]

Just now, fdnycruiser said:

Find yourself a good TA, and transfer the booking. You’ll probably get a few perks and answers too. Can’t give names here, but there easy enough to find.

How does one do that? I can't see Silversea letting go of a booking so easily.

[canderson]

3 minutes ago, Peter Lanky said:

How does one do that? I can't see Silversea letting go of a booking so easily.

There is traditionally a window during which this is freely allowed (e.g. 30 or 60 days after original booking).  I'm sure those here with more SS experience knows what SS uses.

[fdnycruiser]

It’s done all of the time . You can even book onboard and transfer it over, including the discount. Most if not all of the lines allow it.

[gnome12]

It is 30 days with SilverSea, I believe. 

[gcornell]

Yes. 30 days. It can be done by exception after 30 days if both SS and your new agent agree but the commission still goes to the CC so your new agent would be working for free. As I have said many times, the CC I previously used was really, really good at one thing… taking my deposit.  Then it became painful to get any assistance. 

[labrasett]

Have to say I have been well looked after by Silversea consultants.   In eleven years of sailing on Silversea we have only had three different consultants, the second one looked after us for some nine years and was very good although to be fair we are very undemanding customers.   Said consultant was promoted by Silversea a couple of years back and has now left to move on to pastures new but I was both surprised and delighted to receive a message from him the other day saying he had enjoyed our chats over the years and he was sorry he hadnt been in touch to say goodbye when he was leaving Silversea.   He did NOT mention the new organisation to whom he has moved although I looked on Linkedin and am aware where he has gone.   My new consultant is very good and attentive although he has had a few holidays recently, always very annoying just when you want to make or change a booking but others in the office have picked up my requests and I have received very good service.

   

[Peter Lanky]

It's almost 2 years since booking, so no chance of a change to a TA then.

 

I don't consider myself particularly demanding, with updating errors on my itinerary probably my biggest issue, or agreed credits to my account being missing, or even my cabin being shown as GTY (guarantee) rather than being specified as it should be. Other consultants seem reluctant to action these themselves, so I wait for that call back promised in 10 minutes that has still not happened a week later.

[toseaornottosea]

17 hours ago, fdnycruiser said:

Find yourself a good TA, and transfer the booking. You’ll probably get a few perks and answers too. Can’t give names here, but there easy enough to find.

Find yourself a good TA. Easy to say.  Not so easy to do. 

[ronrick1943]

I agree, you need a good TA.  We never have a problem—they handle all questions for us, plus you get some nice perks.

[Sunday golf]

We have always used a TA and over the years have seen the benefits. Recently noticed my cruise on silversea next year had been reduced in price. Emailed my TA and within an hour got quite a substantial discount. 

[canderson]

5 hours ago, Sunday golf said:

We have always used a TA and over the years have seen the benefits. Recently noticed my cruise on silversea next year had been reduced in price. Emailed my TA and within an hour got quite a substantial discount. 

We scheduled 15 nts during the 'restart' period of cruising.  Pricing was all over the map as lines tried to fill ships.  Our TA twice called me to advise that she was obtaining reduced fare on our behalf.  Absolutely no chance a line's own employee would have done that.  That kind of proactive service only comes when working with a really good TA.

[labrasett]

On 8/2/2023 at 4:12 PM, canderson said:

We scheduled 15 nts during the 'restart' period of cruising.  Pricing was all over the map as lines tried to fill ships.  Our TA twice called me to advise that she was obtaining reduced fare on our behalf.  Absolutely no chance a line's own employee would have done that.  That kind of proactive service only comes when working with a really good TA.

I am not sure that is quite so, our last (former) SS agent fixed us up with significant discounts on one particular trip, way beyond what I had been expecting or even hoping for.  I think it depends very much on your particular agent and the relationship you have with them although mostly the reports of UK London based agents are good.

 

[Pies4u]

Have only experience of 1 cruise - but 2 cruise consultants. Have to say, they were both fantastic. Very courteous, helpful, friendly and efficient service in my view.

 

I prefer the direct approach, as opposed to using a TA. At least you get to resolve your concerns & questions without waiting for a 3rd party, you sort your own queries and requirements with a dedicated member of SS.

 

The only downside to that seems to be that many (all?) TA’s can offer some obc, but I’m content to do my own bookings and save the extra legwork, phone calls or visits to a TA.

[canderson]

59 minutes ago, labrasett said:

I am not sure that is quite so, our last (former) SS agent fixed us up with significant discounts on one particular trip, way beyond what I had been expecting or even hoping for.  I think it depends very much on your particular agent and the relationship you have with them although mostly the reports of UK London based agents are good.

 

To be clear ... your SS agent called you to advise of discounts?  Yes, they will help with fare drops, but I've never heard of a line agent doing this proactively, only ever in response to a prompting communication by the customer.

 

 

[gcornell]

1 hour ago, labrasett said:

I am not sure that is quite so, our last (former) SS agent fixed us up with significant discounts on one particular trip, way beyond what I had been expecting or even hoping for.  I think it depends very much on your particular agent and the relationship you have with them although mostly the reports of UK London based agents are good.

 

This happened to me as well about 4 years ago.  Family of 4 trying to book an Antarctica cruise and every time I balked at the price he found additional discounts. However, I think those days are gone.  

[bahamamama11]

I'm a big DIY'er and am constantly on the Internet snuffing out travel deals. I wouldn't think of booking a cruise without a good TA. They bring so much to the table!

Years ago we would book our next cruise ( or a cruise credit) while onboard ship, and insist that we held the booking ourselves. I'd then shop this booking around to several agents, to see what perks they could offer. All of them brought extra value to the booking with additional shipboard credit etc. We'd try them out.

We finally came across an agent who always adds to the booking, is responsive to our calls, and has come through for us several times in a very big way. An agent who books a lot with a particular cruise line has a lot more clout with the cruise line when there is a problem than an individual cruiser has. 

[frankhi]

On 7/28/2023 at 2:03 PM, Peter Lanky said:

emails (usually only read just before calling me)

I email my CC so she can research my inquiry. She always calls back with the answer the same day. It's all a TA does too.

[crusinbanjo]

11 hours ago, frankhi said:

I email my CC so she can research my inquiry. She always calls back with the answer the same day. It's all a TA does too.

That is my experience as well.

[Xerxella]

I'm having the same problem.  Can I request a new cc?

[Peter Lanky]

An irritating development in my own personal case. As I said, my agent almost never returns calls, but in the rare times I had spoken, he had told me I could get a rebate if I didn't take the pre cruise hotel, and I could arrange my own accommodation, but didn't produce the new invoice 'later that day' as promised.

 

Now it is time to pay, and he's on holiday, but the person who answered asked if I had anything in writing to confirm my story as they 'don't normally' rebate if the hotel is not taken. Now I have to wait until he returns and hope he doesn't deny having told me this if he wasn't supposed to offer me the option. It really is a mess.