TA increased fees on transfer from cruise line

This one is really puzzling. Last weekend I read on CC that RCCI had dropped the fare on our cruise from $899 pp to $746 pp. I transferred the booking to an online big agency who promised matching fare and free gratuities plus an additional $50 obc and dinner for 2 at a specialty restaurant. We received the invoice today: Fare only $699 pp but an additional $200 pp for port charges. That brought the package back to the original invoice from RCCI, to the penny.

We did not change cabins but the total additional fees are now $339.53 each on a $699 fare from the original (and current showing) of $139.53 each. What???? Could use some help here; this is not what I was told. Thanks for your imput!

I would ask for a breakdown of the fees charged. Is it possible that there is an agency fee for handling the booking involved? Some TA's charge fees separate from the cruise lines for originating, modifying, or canceling a booking. Maybe this is part of the issue? Just speculating.

I would also ask the TA for Royal's Guest Copy of your booking confirmation. That will show if the TA is adding charges over and above the cruise line.

Thank you for your expertise! TA is blaming RCCI, they are closed but I will pursue again tomorrow.

Please let us know how this turns out.

Keith

RCI did not increase any taxes or fees. What your travel agent did is move the port charges--which is the non-commissionable portion of the cruise fare, not any of the port taxes--from the base fare to the "other fees" line of your invoice. Just to make it look like they got you a larger discount than the price drop you inquired about. Which of course they didn't. They just used a loophole in the regulations that require the cruise lines to include that amount in the base fare but still allows TAs to arbitrarily break it out.

Thank you! It would make sense to me IF he had given me the advertised sale price last weekend but I ended up with the original full fare. It was supposed to drop to$746 from $899 pp. Not only that, but now realize that there is no mention of the pre-paid gratuities either. I feel really stupid now even though RCCI themselves recommend using a TA and many on here have done so successfully. We are talking the largest online cruise discounter, at that, not some upstart little outfit. Will let you all know if Royal will rescue me at all tomorrow. Rainey

Thank you! It would make sense to me IF he had given me the advertised sale price last weekend but I ended up with the original full fare. It was supposed to drop to$746 from $899 pp. Not only that, but now realize that there is no mention of the pre-paid gratuities either. I feel really stupid now even though RCCI themselves recommend using a TA and many on here have done so successfully. We are talking the largest online cruise discounter, at that, not some upstart little outfit. Will let you all know if Royal will rescue me at all tomorrow. Rainey

75% of all cruises are booked through TA's and if you simply transferred the booking to one nothing should have changed in the original booking. But if a lower fare was now advertised, the booking would likely have been cancelled and re-booked at the new fare and new RCI promotion by the TA, and perhaps the pre-paid gratuities would no longer apply. This too would be a question to ask.

Once a TA has a booking, they own it, and RCI will not have any connection or influence with it. I hope this works out for you.

Thank you, everyone. Here's the final verdict: I lost the price drop because the original booking was transferred and not re-booked at the lower price. It was my first time trying this and, though I explained why I was changing to a TA, I am ultimately responsible for making sure that it was done correctly. Second, RCCI was very timely in making the transfer and were unable to reference the booking again because it was transferred to a group booking. My problem, not theirs. I now understand (thank you, fishywood) that invoice looks so different so that agent could increase his commission. No problem. The agency's client service department verified that I did keep the original obc from RCCI for gratuities and got the $50 from them and is sending a revised invoice. The specialty dinner and spa treatment have disappeared. I can deal with that. Will I book my 2017 trans-Atlantic and Med cruise with this agency? Maybe, but that agent is history for me. Hope this gives someone else a heads-up if they try a similar transfer. You've all been great! Rainey

Thank you, everyone. Here's the final verdict: I lost the price drop because the original booking was transferred and not re-booked at the lower price. It was my first time trying this and, though I explained why I was changing to a TA, I am ultimately responsible for making sure that it was done correctly. Second, RCCI was very timely in making the transfer and were unable to reference the booking again because it was transferred to a group booking. My problem, not theirs. I now understand (thank you, fishywood) that invoice looks so different so that agent could increase his commission. No problem. The agency's client service department verified that I did keep the original obc from RCCI for gratuities and got the $50 from them and is sending a revised invoice. The specialty dinner and spa treatment have disappeared. I can deal with that. Will I book my 2017 trans-Atlantic and Med cruise with this agency? Maybe, but that agent is history for me. Hope this gives someone else a heads-up if they try a similar transfer. You've all been great! Rainey

Thanks for reporting back Rainey.