Transferring Reservation to Another TA

[Psoque]

I'm wondering if any of you have managed to transfer your reservation from one TA to another. I initially booked two cabins with one large online agency and made a deposit for both. Then I found another agency which quoted about $150 less per person ($600 less for the entire reservation) for the same category cabins for the same sailing.

 

I called the original travel agency to see if they can "match" the new quote from another agency. They just said "we don't match anyone." When I asked if they can release the reservation to a differnt agency, ther person on the phone did not understand this concept. She thought I wanted to cancel. I told her that I did not want to cancel, just wanted to transfer the reservation to another agency. Since we were going nowhere, I gave up and asked her not to do anything to my reservation at this time.

 

Anyways, is this the usual treatment when you want to transfer your reservation?

[bUU]

I got pretty-similar treatment from three cruise-specific TAs I spoke to. I'm coming to the realization that they're in a no-win situation. There doesn't seem to be a viable business model for them to sell cruises and make profit. The cost of customer acquisition is sky-rocketing, because for every potential customer an agency cultivates, they can count on at least a few of them getting all the way to the point of booking (or beyond, as in your case), and then have the sale (and the profit) swept away to some artifact of the new technology, which won't provide any service but will shave some money off the price. I am really beginning to appreciate what Dickenson (Carnival's President) has been saying.

 

So either we will end up with a market, like bookselling, wherein there are just a bunch of supermarkets with prices posted on the shelf, and weekly sales circulars, or we'll end up with a market like automobiles, wherein manufacturers set prices for their products and require retailers to comply with very strict rules about discounting.

[serene56]

Does the agency you are dealing with no have a fee for cancellations??

 

If not just cancel and rebook with the new agency. (are you in the final payment stage?)

Make sure the new agency has no hidden costs- like if the price comes down after final payment will they give you a credit. cancellation fees- documents fees. agency fees. (this stuff can all add up and the 600 you jsut saved costs you in the long run

[cruisintwinsmom]

I got pretty-similar treatment from three cruise-specific TAs I spoke to. I'm coming to the realization that they're in a no-win situation. There doesn't seem to be a viable business model for them to sell cruises and make profit. The cost of customer acquisition is sky-rocketing, because for every potential customer an agency cultivates, they can count on at least a few of them getting all the way to the point of booking (or beyond, as in your case), and then have the sale (and the profit) swept away to some artifact of the new technology, which won't provide any service but will shave some money off the price. I am really beginning to appreciate what Dickenson (Carnival's President) has been saying.

 

So either we will end up with a market, like bookselling, wherein there are just a bunch of supermarkets with prices posted on the shelf, and weekly sales circulars, or we'll end up with a market like automobiles, wherein manufacturers set prices for their products and require retailers to comply with very strict rules about discounting.

Have you been to the Celebrity board lately. The buzz is all about the new discounting policy.

 

As to the original question. Apparently you should be able to transfer to the new TA; I think one of the most named .com companies on this site has a FAQ regarding transfer. As mentioned above, check out all the extra fees that may be involved. Like is there a document fee? Charge for name changes? Etc. Also, what kind of service will they give you? Sometimes there's more to it than just price.

[calliecat]

Psoque,

We just transferred our cruise booking three days ago to another TA.

I was told not to call the my 1st TA to let her know I was transferring the booking because she would cancel the cruise. This would be bad if the cruise was filling up and you wanted a particular cabin selection.

The Original TA (further known as OTA) called me at home when she received the fax from Princess and wanted to know what was going on. I told her that it was a matter of simple economics. The price the 2nd TA gave me was considerably less that what she had quoted. The OTA took immense offense to what I had done. She told me over and over she was going to cancel the booking (I told her over and over I did not want the booking cancelled). She told me that this was HER BOOKING AND THAT SHE HAD DONE ALL THE WORK ( she booked the cruise...I book the air, the transfers, the hotel, the excursions, I completed my own forms on the Princess website, etc) so I guess I wasn't sure just what work she had done. I had also called the TA last month when I noticed that the cruise had gone down in price ($594). When I brought this up the other night she told me she didn't have time to check all the bookings to see if there were decreases! What I really got a kick from was when she asked where I got this TA......Did I get them from the INTERNET???.....I told her I got them from a "friend". It was none of her business.

She asked why I hadn't called her before I did this..."We could have worked something out" I told her she should have given me her best price the first time and I felt this cruise was mine to do whatever I wanted to do with it since I hadn't paid the final deposit yet. She then accused the 2ndTA of being underhanded because OTA couldn't come near what I now was paying.

All in all, this was a terrible experience with OTA but I knew what I wanted and wasn't going to let her get the best of me.

The new TA is great. I contacted her after the conversation and she calmly told me the OTA could not cancel the cruise and not to worry.

As far as the OTA whom I had booked two other cruises with before this...I believe I'll stay out of the knife aisle at the department store when I see her!

[Psoque]

Thanks for sharing your experiences and/or your thoughts on this matter. I also came to realize that most TAs hate the fact that a reservation can be transferred to another entity. However, some TA will take the high road, while some will do everything they can (and threaten their customer with things they can't technically do) to keep their reservation with them.

 

What I don't understand is this: The original agency I reserved with is probably one of the largest travel agencies in the world. I assume if anybody can, they might get a break from the cruise company. I actually got a lower quote from a much smaller agency. I can understand if a smaller agency might resist a transfer away from them, but for a huge agency to do this...that makes no sense to me.

 

This was the second cruise I booked with this large agency. I got a really good deal from them before, but I think they did lose any future business from me.

[HOSKI]

I find this thread very interesting and want to keep reading the responses as I once tried to transfer a booking and was told by the cruise line that the first TA would have to be willing to release the booking.

[bwolfe8140]

My rules for booking a cruise:

(1) Get a hard copy of the cruise lines brochure showing cruise dates, ship layouts, etc.;

(2) Pick out cabin categories and decks you are interested in, noting obstructed views;

(3) Surf the internet to get a feel for prices (and subscribe to their emails because they will show special deals). You can find them in travel mags (at the library) and at cruisecritic.;

(4) Decide what you are willing to pay;

(5) Call or visit AT LEAST 3 TA's. You have to be comfortable with and have confidence in your TA. Even if you have cruised before you should ask questions as if you haven't. It is interesting to hear the answers based on the TA's own experience and knowledge of cruise lines, ships, and ports of call. You should also ask if the price includes all the fees and taxes and what, if any, fees they charge for cancellation. Cancellation fees are a bigeee. Show no loyalty - you have to do what is right for you.

(6) Bite the bullet, make your choice, stick with it, and don't worry about it. You have done your best.

Betty :D