Will Never Book Thru an online TA again

[ALEX122495]

We have used both PVP and TA. However, before I book I always know what the prices are, what cabins I want and any past guest, military prices. I then call my TA ( from a big warehouse company) and get the prices, which on my current cruise has saved me over $600 compared to the PVP price. I was also able to get two price drops and one free upgrade by watching the carnival web prices every day. As people had said - you can use this board, do your homework , and save. Some people prefer to book directly with a Carnival PVP because there are less hassles when getting a price drop. All in all , im my opinion, I think it is really based on how much time you invest yourself.

[tiyana4]

I have to chime in and defend the good TA's. Not all of them are great but there are still great ones out there. In this particular case, I think much of the problem stems from the OP transferring their booking so close to final payment.

 

Most TA's have an automatic billing system that charges your credit card on your date of final payment. No need to call and make arrangements, it's automatic. I like this system because if I forget to call it in, my TA takes care of it. The other thing is that OP talked to the first person (then 2 or 3 addt’l people) at the agency without establishing a rapport in order to get OBC/a price drop. Sometimes OBC is not worth it if the service does not accompany it. The other part is that OP did not (could not...too close to sailing) qualify for ES. Only with ES can you continue to get OBC after final payment. If the TA gave you even a glimmer of hope you qualified - that was wrong on their part, but only those booked ES would qualify for a price drop after final payment. The insurance portion is a moot point because that can be purchased anywhere online (i.e., insuremytrip).

 

OP says they did their homework, but some things should only be attempted after much experience (i.e., transferring a booking). IMO, a couple of months on CC is not enough time to learn all there is to know. Some have been on these boards for years and can always learn something new.

 

We have a wonderful online TA who always beats the cruise line's pricing, often by a couple hundred dollars. Plus we get OBC, a bottle of wine, and free insurance. Not only is this person my TA, but over the years we have established a camaraderie and are actually contemplating a cruise together. For all these reasons, I have no desire whatsoever to book direct. I am truly sorry that others have not had the same good fortune with TA’s.

[dan40]

Even though I have only cruised 5 times, 4 times I booked with my PVP and once I booked with a TA. When I could start answering my own questions better than the TA could, I knew to go back to my PVP.

 

I prefer my PVP. Others prefer a TA, whether they are a brick and mortar or online. Its all personal choice.

 

 

I assume you booked the Ruby Princess with the TA since you could not have booked that cruise with a Carnival PVP. And because I cannot and will not be locked in to one cruiseline, I use a TA that can book me on any line. And YES, I could answer 99.9% or more of all the questions myself and could just book online, but why not let a TA make a buck. It costs me nothing, and OFTEN saves me some.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I have to chime in and defend the good TA's. Not all of them are great but there are still great ones out there. In this particular case, I think much of the problem stems from the OP transferring their booking so close to final payment.

 

Most TA's have an automatic billing system that charges your credit card on your date of final payment. No need to call and make arrangements, it's automatic. I like this system because if I forget to call it in, my TA takes care of it. The other thing is that OP talked to the first person (then 2 or 3 addt’l people) at the agency without establishing a rapport in order to get OBC/a price drop. Sometimes OBC is not worth it if the service does not accompany it. The other part is that OP did not (could not...too close to sailing) qualify for ES. Only with ES can you continue to get OBC after final payment. If the TA gave you even a glimmer of hope you qualified - that was wrong on their part, but only those booked ES would qualify for a price drop after final payment. The insurance portion is a moot point because that can be purchased anywhere online (i.e., insuremytrip).

 

OP says they did their homework, but some things should only be attempted after much experience (i.e., transferring a booking). IMO, a couple of months on CC is not enough time to learn all there is to know. Some have been on these boards for years and can always learn something new.

 

We have a wonderful online TA who always beats the cruise line's pricing, often by a couple hundred dollars. Plus we get OBC, a bottle of wine, and free insurance. Not only is this person my TA, but over the years we have established a camaraderie and are actually contemplating a cruise together. For all these reasons, I have no desire whatsoever to book direct. I am truly sorry that others have not had the same good fortune with TA’s.

 

Enjoy it while you can. Starting Aug 1 they will be selling for the same price as Carnival.

 

Bill

[dan40]

Enjoy it while you can. Starting Aug 1 they will be selling for the same price as Carnival.

 

Bill

 

 

That is not true with other lines and it will not be true with Carnival either. A half brained TA can work around it.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

That is not true with other lines and it will not be true with Carnival either. A half brained TA can work around it.

 

In the smoke filled back rooms of the cruise cartel they are already coming up with ways to give you free insurance, OBCs, wine etc.:)

 

I even saw a post already that somebodys TA on another cruise line writes them a personal check for the amount they would have discounted.

 

We'll see how much teeth this will have.

 

Bill

[SB2788]

I think it's important to not lump all PVP's or all Travel Agents as being bad. Some of them do indeed look out for the customer's best interest.

I've recently become a part time travel agent and have realized that there's no way I'm going to make millions of dollars doing it so I'm not gouging anyone's eyes out.

 

For example: A client booked a cruise for August '10 a week ago and qualified for the past guest rate. Today, I noticed that the resident rate opened up for that sailing. The difference was $110 for the entire cabin. I remembered when making the booking that the client was completely satisfied with their cabin location. (they qualified for a free 8D upgrade but chose to stick with an 8B because of the location) I immediately called Carnival, got the approval for the rate switchover and informed the client via e-mail that they could choose to get $110 back to their credit card of have it in OBC. When the responded, I called Carnival and got the money issued to their credit card.

 

Sure, I lost about $30 in the process, but $30 to me is a lot less important than $110 to a satisfied and hopefully repeat customer!

[tiyana4]

Enjoy it while you can. Starting Aug 1 they will be selling for the same price as Carnival.

 

Bill

 

I don't sail exclusively with Carnival, so I'm not bothered by this. Not to mention the fact that Royal Caribbean has been doing the same thing for a number of years. Yet, my TA always manages to make it worth my while. I don't expect the new rules at Carnival to be any different.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I think it's important to not lump all PVP's or all Travel Agents as being bad. Some of them do indeed look out for the customer's best interest.

I've recently become a part time travel agent and have realized that there's no way I'm going to make millions of dollars doing it so I'm not gouging anyone's eyes out.

 

For example: A client booked a cruise for August '10 a week ago and qualified for the past guest rate. Today, I noticed that the resident rate opened up for that sailing. The difference was $110 for the entire cabin. I remembered when making the booking that the client was completely satisfied with their cabin location. (they qualified for a free 8D upgrade but chose to stick with an 8B because of the location) I immediately called Carnival, got the approval for the rate switchover and informed the client via e-mail that they could choose to get $110 back to their credit card of have it in OBC. When the responded, I called Carnival and got the money issued to their credit card.

 

Sure, I lost about $30 in the process, but $30 to me is a lot less important than $110 to a satisfied and hopefully repeat customer!

 

how did you get money back after final payment? Bill

[SB2788]

Hi Bill,

All I had to do was call CCL with the booking details and explain the situation to the representative. She put me on hold for a while, came back on the line, and said that they would give two options: refund the $110 or give it as OBC.

[deepnite10]

i ve delt with a TA once..and that s all it took..why talk to the horse s

butt when you can talk to the head?:confused: