PCC or TA?

[DesertRat46]

I know you can't mention of refer specific agents or firms, but I have a question I think can be answered.

 

Since my first cruise more than 20 years ago I used a couple of TAs in my hometown. With COVID they have all retired and the agencies closed. I have use a HAL PCC for several cruises since traveling started again. I have been generally satisfied but...

Reading post on this site has made me wonder if I might be able to get more perks or a better deal with a TA.

The nearest "live" TA is more than 100 miles away.

 I'm just looking for opinions and options now.

Thanks in advance for thoughts.

[FlaMariner]

It's a personal decision....but I use a TA...Why?

 

• It's a large purchase and I'd like to have an "agent" represent me and handle any issues.....and the agent has much more clout (company has lots of bookings) with the cruise line that I would booking it directly with the line (just today, she had to go deal with HAL over a refund they were late handling....she succeeded and I am grateful I did not have to deal with that mess).
• I use a big internet TA and when I compare prices with other TA's and HAL directly I always save some $$$
• I do not need/nor want to visit a TA in person (perish the thought).....Email is my preferred way and phone when necessary.....The big internet TA does a great job answering and helping....in a timely manner.

 

[USN59-79]

I have used a big internet TA located in Texas for years.  I look at it this way:  The TA is working for me and a PCC is working for HAL.  Which one is going to be on my side when something goes wrong?

Ray

[REOVA]

Some people have used their PCC for many years and built a relationship, others have had PCC retire/quit and got someone that wasn't trained properly. I have previously used a PCC, Big Box, National Auto agency and now a small family TA that does alot of cruise bookings and passes on discounts (as lower price) at booking that beats all of my prior relationships. When I need something, I can call, email, or text and if my contact is not there, her team is available to help to get something done. They are located 1000 miles from me but so are PCCs (if they are even in US). So price and service tops distance for my choice. 

[ebtrip]

I usually used a TA, but I receive casino rates and my PCC gives me the best rate. I was told by my TA that they can not discount casino rates.  Also I get Club Orange and my PCC has been able to get that for me.  For other cruise lines I use an online TA

[Fouremco]

We use a big box TA, and the perks work out to about 10% of the booking fee. They charge the same fare as HAL, so with the 10% perks, we're well ahead of the game.

[REOVA]

29 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

We use a big box TA, and the perks work out to about 10% of the booking fee. They charge the same fare as HAL, so with the 10% perks, we're well ahead of the game.

Except you have to spend the 10% at the big box store via a shop card. We had a lot of balance on the card since we book longer cruises and ended up giving cards to family that might use them. We liked the old way of receiving checks which they don't do anymore. We found a TA who gives same discount upfront on price plus OBC so we switched. 

[crystalspin]

My PCC may "work for HAL" but she has saved me money and hassle many times. Latest was just this week when I realized I had booked the wrong (2) cabins for January 2026. I thought because I wanted to move to lower category rooms that I would have to cancel and rebook at a higher deposit. I was willing to do so, to get the cabins I desired, so I e-mailed her specifying the cabins and other details.

 

She called me and informed that I did not have to cancelled and rebook under the current deposit, but moved the four of us. Saving me $6K as well as deposit dollars tied up for 1.5 years. If she is supposed to be wringing every dollar out of me for HAL, it's a major fail.

 

I do not believe I would get this service from the BigBox store (that we are members of).

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

There are guest who love PCC...

Edited May 31 by Gail & Marty sailing away

[Mary229]

It really depends on the level of knowledge the person has.  Since the lockdowns cruise lines are sending it back to the agencies.  They found out how valuable outside agents were to them.  If you can find a very experienced PCC then go for it but you likely will find more experience and service from an agency in the next few years. New PCCs I have talked to recently are simply order takers. 

[chisoxfan]

Go for the T/A and grab some cash. It is unlikely you will receive much if any knowledge from

PCC or T/A unless you are really fortunate. More disheartening is when you receive and act on incorrect information which has happened to us several times. During recent booking I made on MSC with a three decade TA who was experienced with the line I asked some general opinions on YC cabin locations and could not even generate a recommendation. 

Bottom line is to educate yourself through CC and internet and not rely on advice from PCC's or T/A's unless you find that rare gem.

Our current program is to book with cruise line when we know what we want and then transfer to box store TA. We will usually check fares with a big internet agency but have been amazed how stingy they are in benefits.

 

Note: in fairness to T/As unless they specialize in a cruise line it is virtually impossible to stay abreast of the many changes in the Industry.

[Mary229]

One important thing to note is you will usually be best served by booking onboard and booking early then you get the booking early for the Mariner bonus, getting the refundable deposit and the extra OBC and getting the experience about the ships.  Then you can send it where you want - TA or PCC

[jlawrence01]

Before I make my comment, prior to retirement, I managed a call center in the Philippines for two years.  I judged the communication of all prospective employees prior to hire.

 

I prefer to use my large corporate travel agent based in Houston.  He worked hours with the HAL accounting staff when we had an issue with one of the $500 HAL gift cards that I purchased from AARP.  They used the card but for some reason, it never hit my account.  After a number of calls, the issue was resolved to our satisfaction.  He represented our interest when we got nowhere with the HAL staff.

 

The problem that I have dealing with the HAL and Celebrity call centers is that the English proficiency is a real problem.  The staff knows English but the accent is so strong that they are difficult to understand.  Problem resolution always takes several calls as opposed to one with the travel agent.

[rodndonna]

17 hours ago, ebtrip said:

I usually used a TA, but I receive casino rates and my PCC gives me the best rate. I was told by my TA that they can not discount casino rates.  Also I get Club Orange and my PCC has been able to get that for me.  For other cruise lines I use an online TA

 

I don't understand your TA saying they can't give you Casino discount?

 

We just booked a Casino discounted cruise last week through a TA . When I go on any big on-line TA site and I add in my Mariner number as past passenger, I get my Casino discounted fares.

[ebtrip]

17 minutes ago, rodndonna said:

 

I don't understand your TA saying they can't give you Casino discount?

 

We just booked a Casino discounted cruise last week through a TA . When I go on any big on-line TA site and I add in my Mariner number as past passenger, I get my Casino discounted fares.

The TA stated in most cases the casino rate can’t be transferred and the rate is as low as they could give me.  Said they would give me a couple of hundred extra in SBC, but I felt my PCC is always helping me get things it takes the TA too long.  When I book other cruise lines I always use an online TA and get great deals.  

[lcand1923]

I had a great TA who was well versed in HAL and took excellent care of me.  She retired and passed me to a co-worker.  This TA has been OK, but she does not know HAL very well.  When booking, I specified the type of cabin I wanted, she told me that the ship did not have that type of cabin.  She booked me in a “good cabin” based upon what other customers prefer.  I found out after much research on Deck Plans that the ship did have those cabins.

 

I was assigned a PCC quite a few years ago.  She would not have made the mistake my TA made.  I have additional bookings with my PCC.

 

So, all I can say is, it depends.

 

[Woofbite]

On 5/30/2024 at 8:27 PM, REOVA said:

Except you have to spend the 10% at the big box store via a shop card. We had a lot of balance on the card since we book longer cruises and ended up giving cards to family that might use them. We liked the old way of receiving checks which they don't do anymore. We found a TA who gives same discount upfront on price plus OBC so we switched. 

I discovered the big box rates after the discount were still higher than available with the two big agencies in Houston and Albuquerque so I check both of them and use the one that is cheaper for a particular cruise.

[chisoxfan]

On 5/30/2024 at 9:27 PM, REOVA said:

Except you have to spend the 10% at the big box store via a shop card. We had a lot of balance on the card since we book longer cruises and ended up giving cards to family that might use them. We liked the old way of receiving checks which they don't do anymore. We found a TA who gives same discount upfront on price plus OBC so we switched. 

You make a valid point on gift cards although ours were always a manageable amount to use.

Higher memberships pay an additional 2% and their credit card adds 2%. No AMEX which is not a big deal (a few HAL AMEX offers in past year). Also no MSC.

Their service is not as good after Covid and they have added many inexperienced agents. The online booking tool is sometimes less helpful ie. they may only show non-refundable fares sometimes. That said I like the fact that someone is always available and even if not experienced their people are generally enthusiastic and professional.  We will continue to use unless we get a better offer from online TA which has not been the case in our last five cruises.  

[terrydtx]

I use a TA I met when I lived in another state and trusted her very much for the past 15 years. I now live in Texas 800 miles away but dealing with her by phone and internet is no different than being back in my old location. Most of my family and friends also use her after my referrals. She is a franchisee of a bigger national travel agency that deals primarily with cruising. They also have their own independent travel insurance that usually costs less than the cruise lines charge with more benefits.  I can reach her 24/7 by her cell phone which came in handy when we caught covid on a cruise in 2022 and had to quarantine on the ship and in Italy. She got us home and then filed all of the insurance claims without me having to do a thing. I can call her over a weekend to book a trip if needed. No PCC can do this for me. Since she doesn't work for a cruise line, I can use her to book with any cruise line that best fits our needs and budget. This probably the best reason for using a TA over a cruise line PCC.

 

 

 

I look at it this way, no matter what you think, a PCC who works for a cruise line has their employer's best interests in mind as they sign the paychecks. I want someone who works for me and my best interests and it independent of the cruise line. For the same reason I would never buy a home from the seller's Reat estate agent who works only for the seller.

Edited June 1 by terrydtx

[Fred321]

Another vote for a TA. Used to live in NJ and began using a Local agent that specialized in cruises around 2011. Since then we have moved to Fla. but still use her for all of our cruises. Some Celebrity but mostly HAL now totaling over 1000 sea days. She is always easy to get in touch with regardless of the miles separating us and we always know she is on our side if there is an issue.

Some big box agencies might throw in a few extra perks but not able to match her experience and personal touch. 

[terrydtx]

32 minutes ago, Fred321 said:

Another vote for a TA. Used to live in NJ and began using a Local agent that specialized in cruises around 2011. Since then we have moved to Fla. but still use her for all of our cruises. Some Celebrity but mostly HAL now totaling over 1000 sea days. She is always easy to get in touch with regardless of the miles separating us and we always know she is on our side if there is an issue.

Some big box agencies might throw in a few extra perks but not able to match her experience and personal touch. 

We tried the big box agency one time a few years back and it was a total nightmare for us, zero after purchase customer service.  

[Horizon chaser 1957]

It all depends on the TA. We have an excellent TA after having had a terrible one, both in the same agency. A TA works for you, a PCC works for the cruise line. In case of a dispute, a PCC may do their best for you, but their best is constrained by an obligation to uphold the companies best interests. Our TA has no such constraints and has fought like a tiger for us on several occasions. As a side note, when your TA gets you a sizeable refare, their commission gets cut proportionally. When our TA gets us a refare and a good chunk of money back, I always give her a thank you card a couple of hundred in it. It’s not an official thing, but it makes no sense for her to be payed less for working harder for us. That may be part of why she’s willing to go to the mat to get us those refares, come to think of it.🤔

[chisoxfan]

1 hour ago, terrydtx said:

We tried the big box agency one time a few years back and it was a total nightmare for us, zero after purchase customer service.  

I think we would all like and appreciate the super knowledgeable thorough T/A who offers big OBC's. Tough to find unfortunately. We actually have had fairly good follow up from big box store. One nice thing is that you can 'sort' through agents on phone to find one that is intelligent and willing to work for you. They also have a customer oriented management team that you can use if things are not moving in the right direction. To me another big factor is access..... if you find a desirable cabin that opens up or need a quick 'reprice' you can always reach someone quickly and are not dependent on personal schedules, vacations, etc. When we had used a PCC (or T/A) previously there was often an element of delay. JMHO

[REOVA]

5 hours ago, chisoxfan said:

I think we would all like and appreciate the super knowledgeable thorough T/A who offers big OBC's. Tough to find unfortunately. We actually have had fairly good follow up from big box store. One nice thing is that you can 'sort' through agents on phone to find one that is intelligent and willing to work for you. They also have a customer oriented management team that you can use if things are not moving in the right direction. To me another big factor is access..... if you find a desirable cabin that opens up or need a quick 'reprice' you can always reach someone quickly and are not dependent on personal schedules, vacations, etc. When we had used a PCC (or T/A) previously there was often an element of delay. JMHO

We found long wait times with them and and not be able to call direct was an issue. I had to go to warehouse (even though they are separate) and complain and they had to look up the regional manager to contact someone to call me. Then the agent was not happy he had to call me. Last time the agent messed up my booking (even the person that corrected it said they must be new). My current TA is on vacation at times but either she or her team responds to text or messages. The ability to reach someone directly is great and the discount plus using box CC still gets the 2%

[Mary229]

On 5/31/2024 at 6:17 AM, Mary229 said:

It really depends on the level of knowledge the person has.  Since the lockdowns cruise lines are sending it back to the agencies.  They found out how valuable outside agents were to them.  If you can find a very experienced PCC then go for it but you likely will find more experience and service from an agency in the next few years. New PCCs I have talked to recently are simply order takers. 

I quote myself only because almost immediately after I wrote this I received a new survey from HAL.  It seems HAL is asking this very question and quite a few questions about how to make it easier for me to book my cruises directly on the website with no assistance