Another booking with a TA or Celebrity question...

[urkidn]

I'm looking at booking a spring break cruise but my time off from work hasn't been approved yet. I would like to book now as the price is very good and the cabin I want is available. One major online site that offers good perks (10% of cabin price as OBC) has a $29 fee and another big one has a $50 cancellation fee. The $29 is no biggie but when I enquired if there was a charge for price adjustments or cancellations, she said "not at this moment but that policy could change at any time". In fact, by the way she was talking, I wouldn't be surprised if they soon begin charging like they have in the past. If I book direct with Celebrity and transfer the booking once we are sure we can go, would I get the same perks as if I had booked online?

[biker1972]

That is a "depends on " question. In general terms, since the TA would get the commission, you should get the perks. Most of us that have transferred bookings, do so for the perks and sometime negotiate to get better ones.

[CoachT]

Soon Celebrity and Royal are not going to allow you to transfer a reservation after 30 days of making a direct booking. In addition, they will pay a MAX of 10% to a TA when a reservation is transferred.

 

Those perks will soon be drying up. You certainly don't "deserve" them though.

[urkidn]

Soon Celebrity and Royal are not going to allow you to transfer a reservation after 30 days of making a direct booking. In addition, they will pay a MAX of 10% to a TA when a reservation is transferred.

 

Those perks will soon be drying up. You certainly don't "deserve" them though.

 

I'm not exactly sure what you're implying or why but just to make it clear, I'm the one who researched my cruise and I'm the one who will book it online. I have not asked a single question of any Celebrity booking agent so I have zero guilt for transferring a booking that I did all the legwork on. I did not sit in anyone's office or take up their time in long telephone conversations. As far as perks go, I think I do "deserve" them.

[nycruiser80]

I'm not exactly sure what you're implying or why but just to make it clear, I'm the one who researched my cruise and I'm the one who will book it online. I have not asked a single question of any Celebrity booking agent so I have zero guilt for transferring a booking that I did all the legwork on. I did not sit in anyone's office or take up their time in long telephone conversations. As far as perks go, I think I do "deserve" them.

 

 

Keep in mind if Celebrity will only pay 10% soon for transefered bookings that means the "perks" TAs will give will be much more scaled down. If you go on a cruise for $1000 per person about $250 dollars person of that amount is non comissionable therefore the TA will make $150 on the sale...that is not enough to cover free travel insurance, free tips. Most likely you will end up with a $25 OBC or a cheap bottle of wine. Just some insight into this. Celebrity/RCCL probably wants to curtail the transfering of bookings to TAs because it does not help them financialy!

[urkidn]

Then so be it. A scaled down perk is better than no perk at all. I'm not a travel agent so I'm not up on all the politics but I do know that if I were one and a cruise line changed their policy as such, I wouldn't exactly be pushing that particular line to my clients. Not sure why this thread got diverted as my question was simply do you get the same perks with an online agency when you transfer a booking as you would if you placed your original booking with them in the first place.

[LunaSeaRetreat]

Soon Celebrity and Royal are not going to allow you to transfer a reservation after 30 days of making a direct booking. In addition, they will pay a MAX of 10% to a TA when a reservation is transferred.

 

Those perks will soon be drying up. You certainly don't "deserve" them though.

 

Is this now stated on the Celebrity website? I always hold on to my bookings until just before final payment. Also, when is soon? I really am more upset about the 30 days then the reduced benefits.

Cynthia

[Richiebaseball]

Is this now stated on the Celebrity website? I always hold on to my bookings until just before final payment. Also, when is soon? I really am more upset about the 30 days then the reduced benefits.

Cynthia

 

The policy is not in effect at this time. Right now it's only in the "preliminary" stages. I am curious though as to why you would be upset with a 30 day policy. The transferring of a reservation from a cruise line to an agency is meant to be a convenience to both the client and the agency without being a detriment to the cruise line. If your agent is unavailable for some reason or you happen to be surfing the web in the middle of the night and see a deal and/or cabin you absolutely want, the transfer policy would allow you to reserve and then transfer to your agent. That was the original intent of the policy. It was never meant to be a vehicle that allowed someone to hold a reservation until just prior to final payment and then transfer to an agency for a perk. This puts most of the burden and cost of servicing that reservation on the cruise line but then they have to pay the commission to an agency due to that last minute transfer. So your options will be to either a) book with an agency and if you're getting a perk this will give you the maximum, b) book directly with Celebrity and transfer to an agency within 30 days possibly getting a smaller perk, or c) book directly with Celebrity and leave it there getting no perk but giving you the "control". To me that seems fair to everyone.

[tcocktail]

Is Celebrity still giving sbc for booking on board?

Are the agents still allowed to give sbc with the cruise line ving sbc?

If you are a share holder can hyou still get sbc plus your share credit?

If the travel agent doesn't have a sbc what would be the insentive to move the booking to an agent?

Is Celebrity looking to get out of the reservatio business? Most times I get better pricing from the agent then the cruise line.

[Richiebaseball]

Is Celebrity still giving sbc for booking on board?

Are the agents still allowed to give sbc with the cruise line ving sbc?

If you are a share holder can hyou still get sbc plus your share credit?

If the travel agent doesn't have a sbc what would be the insentive to move the booking to an agent?

Is Celebrity looking to get out of the reservatio business? Most times I get better pricing from the agent then the cruise line.

 

Celebrity does still offer shipboard credits for booking your next cruise while onboard your current one. The amount depends on the length of the cruise being booked.

Agents are allowed to offer shipboard credit however not all shipboard credit offers may be combinable. You'll want to ask your particular agency if their offer is indeed combinable with an onboard booking credit.

Currently Shareholder credit is not combinable with other Celebrity onboard credit offers.

The reasons people use agents vary. Some like incentives, some like the extra help, some like the fact that they have an advocate in case something goes wrong, some feel if they're paying the same anyway might as well give the commission to the person in my local community, some like to just book direct.

Celebrity is not looking to get out of the reservation business. They are looking to take advantage of any channel of distribution they can find. If you want to use an agent, great. If you want to book direct, great. The point is just book.

[LunaSeaRetreat]

The policy is not in effect at this time. Right now it's only in the "preliminary" stages. I am curious though as to why you would be upset with a 30 day policy. T

 

Thanks for answering my question. I still don't understand how you know about the "preliminary" stages. I appreciate your thoughts. My take is that many times I book a year out and things happen. I have canceled only one cruise and changed the date of another. It seems to me that it was easier all around that I made the changes. The TA never "lost" a commission, Celebrity only had to deal with me, and I only had to log in and hit cancel, or call.

Cynthia

[CLEMM]

Thanks for answering my question. I still don't understand how you know about the "preliminary" stages. I appreciate your thoughts. My take is that many times I book a year out and things happen. I have canceled only one cruise and changed the date of another. It seems to me that it was easier all around that I made the changes. The TA never "lost" a commission, Celebrity only had to deal with me, and I only had to log in and hit cancel, or call.

Cynthia

 

 

He knows about the policy because he is a TA. Look at his signature. I'm not sure why that is allowed.

[testifyoncruises]

Thanks for answering my question. I still don't understand how you know about the "preliminary" stages. I appreciate your thoughts. My take is that many times I book a year out and things happen. I have canceled only one cruise and changed the date of another. It seems to me that it was easier all around that I made the changes. The TA never "lost" a commission, Celebrity only had to deal with me, and I only had to log in and hit cancel, or call.

Cynthia

 

I have sat in on an advisory board meeting with executives from not just Celebrity and Royal but others. The lines are looking at ending the devaluation of their product by the discounters. They are also looking at further changing the tier system and commission scale.

 

Carnival already limits you from transferring a reservation after 30 days of booking.

 

Disney pays the lowest level of commission on a transfer, the exception being on an onboard booking going back to the original agent.

 

Perks will be harder and harder to find. If you are going to want to use a TA to book a cruise, expect in the future to pay for that service. If you don't know or need the services of a TA, then book direct. There are many though who do and most of us TA know that trying to explain to CC posters what services a TA provides is just a lost cause.

[Richiebaseball]

He knows about the policy because he is a TA. Look at his signature. I'm not sure why that is allowed.

 

Honestly, I'm not sure either. But it is allowed and I put it there simply so people can see where my information and point of view is coming from. However I don't consider myself a TA, I just happen to own an agency.

[Richiebaseball]

I have sat in on an advisory board meeting with executives from not just Celebrity and Royal but others. The lines are looking at ending the devaluation of their product by the discounters. They are also looking at further changing the tier system and commission scale.

 

Carnival already limits you from transferring a reservation after 30 days of booking.

 

Disney pays the lowest level of commission on a transfer, the exception being on an onboard booking going back to the original agent.

 

Perks will be harder and harder to find. If you are going to want to use a TA to book a cruise, expect in the future to pay for that service. If you don't know or need the services of a TA, then book direct. There are many though who do and most of us TA know that trying to explain to CC posters what services a TA provides is just a lost cause.

 

As long as there is a distribution system perks will always be available and there will always be agencies that operate on a volume business model and offer perks and/or discounts. Just the same as almost any other product or service. Whether someone chooses the best service or the best price or some combination of the two is something the customer must ultimately decide.

 

For someone that considers Cruise Critic a lost cause, why do you still hang around and post? Is it just to try to belittle anyone that doesn't see things your way? Most of the people on here are just like most everyone else. They're looking for information and they're looking to share information. And they're looking for value as well. Value means different things to different people. Some look for the best service at any cost and some look for the best cost at any cost and then there are the majority of people that are probably somewhere in between. Sure you have a few that are so anti-agent that their views are somewhat questionable and then you have the opposite side of the coin which is, well, you. So what gives?

[LunaSeaRetreat]

Well, we'll see what happens. This coupled with all the other changes and rumored changes in policies by Celebrity, will have me booking Tuesday Sales directly with Celebrity. (until they do away with them, too) Celebrity presently has $2700 of my money. If they don't need advanced bookings to keep them afloat, that's fine with me. I really enjoy the planning and anticipation of a future cruise. However, I can do that with a land vacation too. It will expand my horizons.:)

Cynthia

[testifyoncruises]

Back to the OP, you will not get the same perks or service from the cruiseline.

 

You will find sooner rather than later that the only way you will be able to use a TA to book a cruise is to pay them to do so. By the way it is not what you pay to a TA, but the service that you get that matters.

[gracecarmo]

I know that service from a TA is a real bonus. My TA resolved some issues recently, and she will have my future business.

I am also one that books with X, then transferrs. I have been doing it for years. I hope they do not do away with the transfer to the TA.

It sounds to me that X is just hurting the TA's.

[testifyoncruises]

I know that service from a TA is a real bonus. My TA resolved some issues recently, and she will have my future business.

I am also one that books with X, then transferrs. I have been doing it for years. I hope they do not do away with the transfer to the TA.

It sounds to me that X is just hurting the TA's.

Actually the ones who are hurting the traditional TA are the ones that rebate their commission. They are telling the cruise line, "We are being paid too much!" Any TA who thinks they can compete on price is playing a very dangerous and short-sighted game. You cannot offer superior service at a discount, it just cannot be done.

 

Most cruise critic posters seem to think that the only reason for using a TA is for discounts, OBC or perks. They are also short-sighted and missing the bigger picture. The funniest posters to me are the ones who expect their TA to be available 24/7 for a price drop and then get an OBC on top of that. Those are the types of clients most TA's want to move 100% of their business to the cruise line.

 

The day though is coming when Royal/Celebrity will no longer permit transfers to a TA 30 days after the booking is made.

[gracecarmo]

Well, I use X direct most of the time to book. I like to have control of my booking, and changes if needed. I think there are a great many of cruisers here on the boards that do the same.

If a price drop occurs....I am in charge. If I see a cabin that becomes available, I can change it myself.

Then, when I am satisfied with all my decisions, I transfer to my TA. And, this is not basically for any rebates etc. I just enjoy using these boards for information re the rooms and feel like I can change, even at midnight or on a weekend.

[chisoxfan]

The policy is not in effect at this time. Right now it's only in the "preliminary" stages. I am curious though as to why you would be upset with a 30 day policy. The transferring of a reservation from a cruise line to an agency is meant to be a convenience to both the client and the agency without being a detriment to the cruise line. If your agent is unavailable for some reason or you happen to be surfing the web in the middle of the night and see a deal and/or cabin you absolutely want, the transfer policy would allow you to reserve and then transfer to your agent. That was the original intent of the policy. It was never meant to be a vehicle that allowed someone to hold a reservation until just prior to final payment and then transfer to an agency for a perk. This puts most of the burden and cost of servicing that reservation on the cruise line but then they have to pay the commission to an agency due to that last minute transfer. So your options will be to either a) book with an agency and if you're getting a perk this will give you the maximum, b) book directly with Celebrity and transfer to an agency within 30 days possibly getting a smaller perk, or c) book directly with Celebrity and leave it there getting no perk but giving you the "control". To me that seems fair to everyone.

 

I guess I am in the same boat as Cynthia. I made a direct booking and intend to transfer it shortly before final payment to a TA for maximum OBC or perks available. I also plan to use my Platinum AMEX 'benefits' and shareholder benefits. Why shouldn't I take advantage of what the 'system' offers? As Cynthia stated in her case, I did ALL of my research and did not waste Celebrity's or a TA's time. This is my fifth cruise and I am just sorry that I wasn't more savvy in the past to take advantage of OBC's available from some TA's.

Frankly the whole system is a bit silly in that I should have to scramble around to recoup part of a TA commission if I want 'the best deal'. The cruiseline should offer some OBC's or incentives for those who book directly which is my preference. They are clearly saving money with passengers that book directly and don't require any hand holding. Of course I understand that the cruiselines are afraid of ticking off the TA's.

[Giorgi-one]

I have sat in on an advisory board meeting with executives from not just Celebrity and Royal but others. The lines are looking at ending the devaluation of their product by the discounters. They are also looking at further changing the tier system and commission scale.

 

Carnival already limits you from transferring a reservation after 30 days of booking.

 

Disney pays the lowest level of commission on a transfer, the exception being on an onboard booking going back to the original agent.

 

Perks will be harder and harder to find. If you are going to want to use a TA to book a cruise, expect in the future to pay for that service. If you don't know or need the services of a TA, then book direct. There are many though who do and most of us TA know that trying to explain to CC posters what services a TA provides is just a lost cause.

 

You appear to be knowledgeable on this subject. I remember seeing something about a year ago indicating that Carnival was considering doing away with their internal reservations so that all cruises would be booked thru TAs. Reason given was that it cost them more to book the cruises themselves. Have you heard anything like this?

[Funky Face Painter, UK]

That sounds good. Over here in the UK, if you want to change the booking with a TA on celebrity, it costs £150 per person (to a maximum of £400). Always cheaper to use a TA rather than direct with Celebrity...

[Oceangoer2]

The policy is not in effect at this time. Right now it's only in the "preliminary" stages. I am curious though as to why you would be upset with a 30 day policy. The transferring of a reservation from a cruise line to an agency is meant to be a convenience to both the client and the agency without being a detriment to the cruise line. If your agent is unavailable for some reason or you happen to be surfing the web in the middle of the night and see a deal and/or cabin you absolutely want, the transfer policy would allow you to reserve and then transfer to your agent. That was the original intent of the policy. It was never meant to be a vehicle that allowed someone to hold a reservation until just prior to final payment and then transfer to an agency for a perk. This puts most of the burden and cost of servicing that reservation on the cruise line but then they have to pay the commission to an agency due to that last minute transfer. So your options will be to either a) book with an agency and if you're getting a perk this will give you the maximum, b) book directly with Celebrity and transfer to an agency within 30 days possibly getting a smaller perk, or c) book directly with Celebrity and leave it there getting no perk but giving you the "control". To me that seems fair to everyone.

This thread is so timely. I'm a little confused with the booking I made on my last cruise which had a $200 OBC attached to it. I've always booked directly with -X-, but this time gave the booking to a neighbour (TA). I did the research, etc. She didn't mention any perk with her agency, just identical pricing to the cruiseline. Now I find out my OBC can't be transferred to my TA's booking as it's considered a booking with -X-. I filled out the forms and faxed as requested, but I think to get the OBC my TA has to transfer the booking back to Celebrity. Anyone experience this scenario? I don't want to upset my neighbour (a really good reason not to work with friends) but I don't want to lose my OBC either.

 

Second question: do ALL TA's provide perks or is mine not just mentioning it to me?

[Straitaway]

I recently booked with Celebrity and then transferred the booking to a TA. She said that all of my Celebrity OBC would also transfer. I guess I'll know when I get on board.