Cruise Lines Stopping Agent Discounting!!??!!

[Susie]

I'm concerned about several cruise agent e-mails I've received recently indicating that Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity are mandating that their agents stop their discounting to their customers. This is very disturbing and would seem to end up having a very negative impact on the cruise lines by increasing the prices of what customers are paying. I receive many e-mails from various agencies weekly and I am alarmed at this recent news. I spoke to one agent and was told that after this Friday, August 13, they must stop discounting or they will be retaliated against by the cruise line. If I had only seen it from one agency, I wouldn't be so alarmed but I've seen it several places now. I don't know the specifics of how the agency will be impacted by the cruise line if they do offer discounts to customers but this results in the cruise line's "bread and butter" (the cruiser) incurring much higher prices. We already experience so many additional fees and now this! Comments anyone?

Thanks for your input on this important topic to all avid cruisers!!!!

[bUU]

All cruise lines offer discount pricing plans. What the cruise lines are doing, apparently, is working to protect the service-oriented travel agencies, who are getting ripped off as a result of the electronic booking engines taking over many of their sales. This has happened in many industries -- friendly, helpful, customer-facing organizations do all the leg-work, provide assistance in making the right choices, etc., and then have their business (and profit) ripped away because some other outlet is offering the same product, without all the service provided, therefore at a lower price. Electronics was hardest hit -- ever tried to get into an intelligent discussion about VCRs at a Circuit City?

Service companies are working to protect against that. Companies like Cingular, Verizon Wireless, TiVo and DirectTV don't allow retailers to sell their service below the prices on the standard pricing sheets, so there is incentive to sell these services with knowledgeable, friendly, helpful, service-oriented salesfolk.

Each industry needs to make its own decision, driven by its customers, of course. Bookselling went one way, cell phones went the other. It isn't clear which side will win out here.

If the cruise lines succeed in protecting the service level of their sales apparatus, then customers will gain a level of confidence that the price they're quoted is the best price available. It seems that about half the people on this board (from preliminary results of the poll) would actually cruise more often if they had that level of assurance. Of course, half wouldn't.

[fodorspeter]

on this subject for a different opinion about the contribution of travel agents.

Peter

[hello]

I just received a message from a travel agent that I sometimes use. Basically, she said the same thing. That everyone would now could be selling the cruise at the same discounted rate. She said that the agent would not be able to lower the cruise price, by reducing her commission. This just sounds so strange!

[Nasmas]

Why should the cruise industry be any different than any other small business?
Wal-Mart has done the same thing and no one thinks anything about buying at Wal-Mart with no after market service. We as a nation have come to expect this or they wouldn't be the largest retailer in the country. I think the on-line agencies are just following suit. I understand that Wal-Mart even has some travel agencies in some of their stores. If the on-liners don't push out the smaller agencies, Wal-Mart surely will.

[srphnx]

[b][color=black]TA's are being short sighted, as booking direct is much easier in many repescts if there is no difference why should we use them?[/color][/b]

[b][color=black]"leveling the playing field only works until you start playing again, how do you think it got un-level in the first place?"[/color][/b]