What's Your Process for Comparing Online TAs?

[Sail Girl]

As other OPs have said about their questions, this may be another dumb question - but here goes!

When comparing the deals you can get fronm online TAs what is your process?

Do you do mock bookings to compare prices and/or deals? (Yes, I know TAs can't discount X's fares.

Do you call the TAs' toll free numbers and speak with an agent working for each agency?

Any hints on how to search for the best deal/perks would be appreciated!

Thanks

[iancal]

-Price, net of all OBC's

 

-No cancellation charge (assuming cancellation is within the cruise line's cancellation window)

 

-No charge for repricing for price drops, cabin changes, etc.

 

-Responsive to emails/phone calls

 

-Our cruise MUST be charged through the cruise line, not the on line agency

 

It is hard to find a good TA today because so many good ones have either left the business or have a closed list of clients and work from home. I do not care about a bricks and mortar agency-they can go out of business just as fast as an internet agency and often do not offer the same business hours. So far we have been very pleased with our agent. But we are independent travellers and do the research ourselves. Our business is basically book us on this ship, this date, this cabin. We do not want the other freebees...flowers, wine, food, etc. We want a good, competitive price. There is not much mystery in this business any more.

[harryfat1]

First rule in using a TA is that you should never be worst off than if you booked the cruise yourself. Meaning if the TA charges you $$ for booking as a “processing fee” or joining their club with a cost, forget it. Keep looking. You should never have to pay more than the official set cruise line price.

 

Depending on your personal preference, I personally do not like the big 800 number mega travel stores. I prefer personal service and knowledgeable folks that answers my anal questions with even more anal replies. I pass on those agents that just responds to my list of questions with short answers. If you are a cc fiend or have OCD, no detail is too small or irrelevant. But if you don’t care about the details, you want to make sure the TA is good with details.

 

Having just said I don’t like the mega stores, it doesn’t preclude from being on their spam list so I know when there may be price drops. I have a special email address just to sign up for these mass e-mailers so that you can see if there are any sales to your liking and not have them clutter up your regular email. Just get a free email address like “bobspammenot@yahoo.com” and just check that email when you are looking for a particular cruise/time frame.

[cmtom89]

“bobspammenot@yahoo.com” .

:D Love the name!!

That really is a good idea. ;)

[Sail Girl]

Thanks to those of you who responded to my question.

I'll be making calls to TAs today.

[CoachT]

If you want personal service, service that takes time, expect to pay for it. To just pick an agent's brain when you are not very knowledgeable and then go book what she has found for you for the best deal amounts to nothing less than theft.

[Sail Girl]

If you want personal service, service that takes time, expect to pay for it. To just pick an agent's brain when you are not very knowledgeable and then go book what she has found for you for the best deal amounts to nothing less than theft.

 

Did I say I wasn't knowledgeable or had picked a TAs brain and then booked on my own directy with the cruise line?

No, I didn't.

Quite the opposite.

I'm just transferring the booking to a travel agent.

I made the reservation directly with the cruise line in Jan of 2009 after doing the research myself.

I'm an experienced cruiser, so unless I need to book something complicated like a cruise and tour in the Orient, I do it on my own.

By transfering the booking now, the TA gets her/his commission and I get OBC or some other perk.

Sounds like a win-win situation to me.

Doesn't seem any different than contacting a number of agents to secure the best price (when cruise fares could be discounted).

The implication that I or the other posters on this thread were trying to "steal" knowledge from travel agents is disturbing to say the least.

[CoachT]

Well sorry. The response was not meant for you but a precious poster. However there is nothing in your first post to indicate you did such a thing.

 

I can promise you sooner than you think the ability to transfer a reservation from Royal to a TA will be limited to the first 30 days after making a res just as Carnival did last year!

[jagoffee]

Well sorry. The response was not meant for you but a precious poster. However there is nothing in your first post to indicate you did such a thing.

 

I can promise you sooner than you think the ability to transfer a reservation from Royal to a TA will be limited to the first 30 days after making a res just as Carnival did last year!

 

Perhaps you are correct, but I would not make that promise. Probably a higher probability for Princess since that are all part of the same corporation.

 

Do you have some inside information or are you just guessing? Not much of an upside for the TA, but I could see where it would reduce the workload for Customer Service.