Why such a difference?

Not allowed to mention any names but we are really puzzled as to why a certain TA has the pricing policy that it does. If anyone is in the trade we would love to know. We have been following the price of a 17 night cruise to the Greek Isles in May and have signed up for "price alerts" from our TA. (WE have booked with this TA many times, always good) Every other TA wants around £2299 for a balcony on this cruise, However, our TA has wanted around £3599 to £3700, a difference of £3000 for a couple for the same grade cabin, this price difference has been going on for months now. It's almost as though they don't want to sell this cruise. We have had 22 cruises in 10 years and have never come across anything like this before. Has anyone any ideas why they are doing it. (And before you ask, yes I have asked them, twice, via their web site, but not had any reply. I could phone and ask but I would like an impartial answer. Thanks in advance.

Have you checked to see if the difference is because your TA's price includes ALL taxes and port fees, and the other prices you're finding do not?

So why not just book with a TA that wants your business ? Ignoring emails doesn't really suggest a great service to me...

Have you checked to see if the difference is because your TA's price includes ALL taxes and port fees, and the other prices you're finding do not?

Thanks for your reply, Yes absolutely, We actually booked this cruise with them before Christmas and paid around £2200 with £700 OBS (£350 each) so we've been monitoring it. And as already said we've booked with them several times before and the price has been more or less what every other TA wanted. Plus the Taxes wouldn't amount to around £3000 for the cruise.

There is a reason why we have recommended, for many years here on CC, that cruises shop around (among several reputable online cruise agencies) and compare the offerings (including amenities) with what is offered by booking directly with the cruise line. In most cases, cruisers should be able to save 7-10% by simply shopping. But there are some interesting exceptions. Some high volume agencies will have special deals (authorized by the cruise line) which can be based on group rates or other arrangements. In your case it is likely that the lower price TA has some kind of group rate (or promotional rate) on your specific cruise. We have previously saved thousands of dollars (on a single booking) by simply shopping around among our favorite cruise agencies. But since the OP is in the UK, there may be other issues (restrictions) that we do not encounter here in the USA. In our country (USA) if we had booked a cruise and later saw a much better offer elsewhere, we would ask the booking agency to match the offer. If they refused, we would likely cancel the cruise and simply rebook with the other agency (this cannot be done inside the final payment period). In our country, there is usually no penalty for canceling outside the normal cancellation period.

Hank