SeaMatesNYC

Yeah, we had one too our last trip with the agency I wrote about above. Nice gesture. $8.95 I don’t drink alcohol so let my other half try it. One sip and used the rest to unclog the sink. Memories of Welcome Aboard Pol Acker on Cunard.

They sell HIA once aboard? Or the beverage package? What’s the onboard price for HIA?

There was a sale on Have it all? What was the price per day? Roughly (with $55 being the prevailing price).

Let me give you the history of how I found my current TA. I had booked a cruise for 28 days that was $18,000 in a Vista Veranda ($17,100 before taxes and fees). I asked for OBC from my then TA and they offered $350. I was not pleased and voiced my view that this was not going to do it. I was told they would see what they could do "later." I shopped around. I found 1 agency offering 11% in cash discount, another 10% in OBC, the big box at about 7-8% in shop credit, and another affinity group at about 5% cash discount, as I recall. I went back to TA #1 with these quotes and in light of their Best Price Guarantee, they raised their OBC straight to $1,500 (they said the big box was a member only, so not a public quote, but that they just could not get to the level of the others and stay afloat - fair enough). They were their own undoing - if they had come in to start or even after I asked at the get go, with $1,500, I might never have looked around. In the end, I was not willing to stay with an agency that would not live up to its own best price guarantee which had become "you do the work and we may sweeten our deal, but reserve the right to say 'take the other one.'" The "other" one has been in business 15 years. They grew up as a mainly internet business. But they also have great service and a responsive TA that I can call and email. She gets results. Asked for Mariner Welcome Back to be applied at 5:00pm on a Friday, and by Monday 8:30am she had it done.

What exactly do you believe “their arrangements” to be? Is the agency buying it, but in no way taking it into consideration when your TA gives it to you? If it does not impact your TA’s commission then the agency is absorbing the financial effect. Either way, it’s a reduction in the total profitability of the enterprise. You of course are well within your rights to not ask for a discount. Leaves more for the rest of us, I suppose. And the discounts I am receiving are unsolicited, and I assume are available to anyone willing to create an account and become a “member” of this travel agency. The one I use shows a cash discount, another provides the same amount in OBC, and the “big box” gives store credit. But with HIA plus, I don’t have a use for thousands more OBC, even for a longer cruise and I don’t shop that much at the big box. I am amused by the moral tone taken by a number of posters herein who seem to believe seeking a discount is somehow dirty or ethically unseemly. To each his/her own.

My TA will still give the discount in cash off on transferred bookings. Yours is just being rigid when they say “no, only OBC.” They likely have to “buy” the OBC anyways, so they may be getting a discount when they “buy” it, and want to use that transaction to beef up their revenue. It works just the same on the transfer as when you book up front with the TA. They are in both cases obligated to the cruise line for the non-discounted fare amount, but only collect the lower amount from you and have to make up the difference from the commission amount.

Agreed. But the ones who want to make their business rise and fall on volume, and are highly discounted as a result, must find a way to simply import that cruise line confirm into a template for the agency with little to no TA or staff data entry other than to “adjust the price” for the discount. My TA shows the price from HAL and a line item for their discount. They really change little else that I can see. Even the “discount” line is likely just a figure created by a “percentage off” table that management controls.

60 days, and here is when you need to be vigilant about credits as I’ve had them drop off for no reason during a transfer. Resolutions fixed it.

An 18% gratuity will be added to the upgrade price. Both packages include canned soda and canned and bottled still and sparkling water. For Elite, the non-alcoholic beverages do NOT count against your daily 15 drinks under the package, whereas for Signature, they do.

I think a frank conversation with the TA is in order. And I hope you got 10% on those …

For every concern I register on Let Us Know, I try to send one commendation. It feels good to know someone’s day (or more) is better as a result.

You caught them from the TA confirm you got while still onboard….

The other consideration here is are we talking a commission on a $1,000 booking or a $10,000 booking plus? Clearly, I don’t expect as large a rebate on the low price booking. Same time to book and support each but much lower commission to start with so expecting 2/3rds of $300 back is not really fair.

No, they’ve wanted it, but sometimes credits have dropped off. Not sure why and they have to call to get things reapplied that “fell off”. Additional bonus type things beyond the onboard booking bonus that were tied to Mariner number. Should go seamlessly, but I’ve found sometimes don’t, perhaps due to input error onboard?

And find someone who can cope with taking in an onboard booking and ensure everything’s transferred correctly. And still gives you a discount (especially then since you and the Future Cruise Consultant did the heavy lifting!).