Pricing comparisons TA vs Celebrity

[chloe68]

I'm very confused; my TA quoted me this price in Nov 07 for a 2C cabin.

 

Rates below are per person:

 

Cruise fare: $3170.00

Port Charges: $279.00

Taxes/Gov Fees: $86.26

Total for two $7070.50

Now, I just went to Celebrity's site and it doesn't say anything about Port Charges; the tax per person was 91.00 and there was a fuel supplement charge of 60 per person.

Can anyone provide me any insight on this?:confused: :confused:

[Putterdude]

Likely what has happened is that Celebrity has included the port charges in their price and your TA has overlooked the fuel surcharge or included in their quote. Campare the end price of both, normally the TA's price should be lower. We generally get a few online prices before talking to our TA and they will almost always match or beat an online price.

[cvanhorn]

look at the fine print on the Celebrity site and it may say something like "port charges and govt fees/taxes extra" Most quoted cruise fares on the internet, whether by the cruise lines or other agencies are usually just the basic fare per person if 2 are traveling and the rest is added on in the fine print, or after you have gone through the booking process up to the point of entering a credit card #.

[chrismch]

Trying to figure out your full charge is difficult as TA's and cruise lines calculate it differently. However, in the end you are still charged all the standard fees which will include port fees. If you called the cruiseline and asked what the total fare was, they would then add the port fees. These too can change prior to the cruise if the port changes their fees.

 

TA's occasionally have group rates so they can better the cruiseline's rates.

[Sky Sweet]

I'm very confused; my TA quoted me this price in Nov 07 for a 2C cabin.

 

Rates below are per person:

 

Cruise fare: $3170.00

Port Charges: $279.00

Taxes/Gov Fees: $86.26

 

Total for two $7070.50

 

Now, I just went to Celebrity's site and it doesn't say anything about Port Charges; the tax per person was 91.00 and there was a fuel supplement charge of 60 per person.

 

 

Can anyone provide me any insight on this?:confused: :confused:

 

Hi chloe :)

 

The cruise prices quoted on Celebrity's website include port charges, but list other taxes separately. That is why you didn't see a separate charge for port charges.

[rjg41]

........ Campare the end price of both, normally the TA's price should be lower. We generally get a few online prices before talking to our TA and they will almost always match or beat an online price.

 

 

 

Not likely. Love to see a valid example for RCCL or X. Travel agents are not permitted to discount or advertise discounted prices on those lines. Unless the travel agent has a group or other special price(cannot be advertised) available to them from RCCL/X, you will be quoted the same price as RCCL/X. The TA may offer shipboard credit, however.

[Addict]

Not likely. Love to see a valid example for RCCL or X. Travel agents are not permitted to discount or advertise discounted prices on those lines. Unless the travel agent has a group or other special price(cannot be advertised) available to them from RCCL/X, you will be quoted the same price as RCCL/X. The TA may offer shipboard credit, however.

 

Our TA ALWAYS prices lower than Celebrity (typically for a balcony cabin around £200 GBP per cruise).

 

However, if you pay by credit card they will add on additional fees and want final payment approximately 4 weeks before Celebrity. So not always worth it to get the discount. Sometimes it's better to keep it with Celebrity.

[Jade13]

Our TA ALWAYS prices lower than Celebrity (typically for a balcony cabin around £200 GBP per cruise).

 

However, if you pay by credit card they will add on additional fees and want final payment approximately 4 weeks before Celebrity. So not always worth it to get the discount. Sometimes it's better to keep it with Celebrity.

 

I thought discounting was not allowed but perhaps in the form of OBC or pre-paid gratuites?

 

Transfering to a TA is not worth it (in my opinion) for the cheaper short Carribean cruises because Celebrity will often refund money if the price goes down after final and many TA's will not.

[Schplinky]

I wouldn't bother breakig it down. I would just look at totals.

 

Particularly on group cruises, I have noticed TA lumping their own agency's fees in the "fees" area so be sure to make sure you're not paying more by booking with the TA. Obviously, this would have to be weighed against whatever it is that they're giving you as their valued customer, like wine, onboard credit, etc.

[Coastaljen]

I kind of like that Celebrity has a fairly standard price, it makes shopping for a cruise easier. Of course I feel the same way about certain brands of automobiles that are that way too.

 

My online gives me a nice size OBC for booking a Celebrity cruise, but I pay what is quoted on their website.

[wildescapade]

I am a TA, part time outside sales...mostly I book friends and family. I always check the cruise prices, all the way up to sailing. A few years ago when we sailed on the Mariner of the Seas, the price went down after we made final payment, WAY DOWN! I called the cruise line and got all four of my cabins a $520 refund! All the girls in my office do this, we always call to check. Also, if I book a large group and just so happen to get one free berth, I always give back to my clients. Last year, on the Crown Princess, I took my whole group on a shore excursion. It wasn't too expensive but there were 14 of us! As a TA, these days, you need to provide a little extra to keep your clients coming back.

[MacThespian]

Our TA ALWAYS prices lower than Celebrity (typically for a balcony cabin around £200 GBP per cruise).

 

However, if you pay by credit card they will add on additional fees and want final payment approximately 4 weeks before Celebrity. So not always worth it to get the discount. Sometimes it's better to keep it with Celebrity.

 

 

The rule (re no discounting) is for U.S. travel agents only. (I found that out on my last cruise.)

[Addict]

The rule (re no discounting) is for U.S. travel agents only. (I found that out on my last cruise.)

 

Ah, that explains it. Just to confirm to Jade 13, they do honour price drops as well (on Celebrity). HAL is a different matter entirely, you may as well save your breath with them.

 

But we don't generally get on-board credit etc, but the reduced prices are better anyway. Some of our online TAs do offer on-board credit etc.

 

We have also tried to use U.S. based TAs - they can't always beat the prices of the U.K. TAs, sometimes they can but it hasn't happened for us yet.

[Shirley and Les]

...my TA quoted me this price in Nov 07

...Now, I just went to Celebrity's site and it doesn't say anything about ...

I don't think you can compare pricing received on different dates. The cruise line will change prices on specific cruises(both up and down) depending on cabin sales. Prices will come down on cabin categories that have lots of vacancies. They will increase prices on cabin categories that approach a 'sold out' basis.

Over the time frame you mentioned, Celebrity did implement a fuel surcharge that was not in the original quote.

As others have stated, you have to look at the bottom line to get a good comparison. The quotes have to be obtained at the same time.

Les