Question about transferring a booking to a travel agent

[Stockjock]

I'm considering booking a cruise to Europe on the Solstice and as of this writing there's probably about a 50-50 chance I'd actually be able to do the cruise. I've received quotes from several travel agents who offered an obc, but I'm considering booking directly with Celebrity for now and then later (perhaps much later) transferring the booking to a travel agent when it looks like a done deal that I'll be able to go.

 

The question is, in your experience, is it likely that many/most travel agents would still offer that obc when taking over the booking at a later date even though they didn't actually book it per se? TIA!

 

P.S. Obviously, I'm not referring to the obc that Celebrity is offering as of this writing, which doesn't apply to Solstice anyway. I'm referring to the obc that some travel agents may offer.

[AZjohn]

The question is, in your experience, is it likely that many/most travel agents would still offer that obc when taking over the booking at a later date even though they didn't actually book it per se? TIA!

 

Yes they will. I think you are booking it the right way if you may not go. Some TA's have cancellation charges. No need to get involved in that at this point.

Good luck,

John

[Gonzo70]

So long as you transfer the reservation to them prior to making final payment they still get their full commission from the cruise line so it would not impact OBC they may offer to you. Be sure to start the process no later than two weeks prior to making final payment as it can take a few days to process.

[Hypo]

I just completed a transfer of a booking to my TA. It took two days to complete, and I have made our final payment for our Sept. cruise.

 

I had already paid all but $7.74 and was still able to successfully transfer the booking to my TA for some excellent OBC.

[jerseygirl3]

I just completed a transfer of a booking to my TA. It took two days to complete, and I have made our final payment for our Sept. cruise.

 

I had already paid all but $7.74 and was still able to successfully transfer the booking to my TA for some excellent OBC.

 

It appears you paid off most of your cruise early, before the actual final payment due date. Once you've passed the final payment date, you can no longer transfer a booking over to a TA.