Booking With US Sites & US TA's

[Sandielle]

Yes' date=' I did. Maybe now those "know it alls" that state that the higher prices are due to the tipping customs in Oz will slither back under their rocks. :D:D[/quote']

 

Ouch!!! :(

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

I'm not taking this personally, of course ,:) BUT I get a bit fed up with the continual suggestions that "I" may be a fool for choosing to book tired old ships that are sent down for our market (incidentally, the wonderful Rhapsody is, apparently, looking a bit tired at the moment). We, and I presume others, do not have the luxury of time etc to fly all over the world for cruising experiences.

 

We have done the research for our cruises and got very good prices for them. Even though overseas the base price is cheap, there appears to be many add-ons and extras, tipping etc, so I feel that we would still spend as much money if we were to travel on an American ship AND there is no guarantee that I would have a superior cruise or travel experience! Life is a lottery. :rolleyes:

 

I guess we can discuss this subject ad infinitum, but it all boils down to the fact that the Australian market is much smaller than the American market and probably always will be, so, ALL things considered, this 'fool' will continue to cruise from Australia while the experience is enjoyable - and it has been so far.

 

Happy cruising everyone, whatever your choices. :)

 

Exactly!

 

Sandi, I think what everyone who has travelled overseas is trying to say is that it is no more expensive to travel overseas (which includes airfares) than it is to travel to the same old islands time after time. The tipping is no different there (on the ships) than it is here. Unless of course you wish to take the tips off and not pay them at all. However, this will be moot after they take the tips off in OZ, but watch the prices go up to accommodate this action by the cruise companies.

 

I hope that one day you will find the time to cruise outside of the Pacific, and realise that what we have here IS truly on the lower scale of things. I myself love the Princess line, P & O just seems to lack that something, however, if I have a week to fill and the price reflects value I will book a cruise, otherwise we will continue to sail from other ports and explore other parts of the world.

[Sandielle]

Hi Eileen

 

I HAVE travelled overseas (more than once) and there are heaps of places I would love still to see - for one Pompeii (again). I was soooo impressed by that place and since we were there it has been excavated more. England/Scotland/Ireland - I feel it is my spiritual home and I could live there - love the history of the place. We have been inside the pyramids, to Luxembourg, Portugal, France, Spain, Hong Kong, Japan, to Uk via Suez Canal and back by Panama, Tahiti etc. So, you see, even though there are many places still to see, we count ourselves lucky to have seen so much (just wish I could REMEMBER it all :cool:)

 

Nowadays, (retired, but living very involved and social lives) we love the actual cruising experience as such - the ports are an added bonus and it suits us very well to be able to board a ship in Brisbane without the extra hassles of flights, overnight hotels etc., but we certainly go for the bargains as such that are offered here.

 

Given the funds we WOULD make the effort to get to Sydney for a world cruise! :D:D but meanwhile it irks me to be thought of as a fool for - at present - being happy to choose our cruises downunder. We are not ignorant, uninformed people but have always researched everything that affects us in our lives.

 

Maybe I'm getting 'touchy' after the harassment I have received here from (?) so please don't take me the wrong way - I'm really a peace-loving person who is reasonably satisfied with life and grateful that we are able to cruise again, however humble.

 

(Well, cruise friends, I'd better go or Jas - Cazz - will be getting out my soapbox again! Luv ya Jas! :D)

[bazzaw]

I say "To each their own" :)

 

We have had 5 really enjoyable cruises with P & O here in Oz over the past 3 years - on Star, Sun and Dawn. I REALLY like the Dawn.

 

Two of these were to the islands, one to NZ , one to TAS and another just a 2 nighter out of Sydney.

 

For me, I felt that I was starting to get a sense of "deja vu" - and thought it was perhaps time to experience something else( thinking it would probably be one of the two Oz Princess ships) .

 

However , life has led us elsewhere and , having now booked future cruises on P&O Oriana and Arcadia, I am told that we will notice a big difference. (well of course we will, they will have a lot of Poms onboard (PS I don't mind Poms - they live where my long Ozzie heritage has come from and I just love visiting the UK - when volcanos don't interfere with my plans , that is!) One of the differences will be the Poms attitude to "Formal" nights - apparently nearly everybody wears penguin suits for Formal dinner and then continue in that attire elsewhere on the ship for the rest of the night . Apart form the expense of having to buy one, it will be something that I have not experienced since I was in the Navy (dressing for dinner, that is) - and I am quite looking forward to it. I wonder if I will be able to get the Poms to think that I own a sheep station somewhere - like Bazza MacKenzie did?? :)

 

Personally, I think too much time, energy, and effort is spent in this Forum on the subject of Cruise fares. I am not wealthy by any means - but what we will all remember onwards is our experiences, not how much it cost us or how much we saved here and there. :)

 

 

 

Barry

[MMDown Under]

I'm not taking this personally, of course ,:) BUT I get a bit fed up with the continual suggestions that "I" may be a fool for choosing to book tired old ships that are sent down for our market (incidentally, the wonderful Rhapsody is, apparently, looking a bit tired at the moment). We, and I presume others, do not have the luxury of time etc to fly all over the world for cruising experiences.

 

so, ALL things considered, this 'fool' will continue to cruise from Australia while the experience is enjoyable - and it has been so far.

 

:)

 

I doubt anyone meant to suggest that you personally may be a fool, Sandy.

 

The issue is freedom of choice so that Australians can choose to purchase their overseas cruises, at competitive prices, whether with their local TAs or overseas TAs.

[Sandielle]

I doubt anyone meant to suggest that you personally may be a fool, Sandy.

 

The issue is freedom of choice so that Australians can choose to purchase their overseas cruises, at competitive prices, whether with their local TAs or overseas TAs.

 

No, M & B, I know no-one meant anything personally. :)

 

Anyway, with the news that you can once again book from Australia with US TAs, it should make things easier for those wishing to take advantage of these cruises. That is a good thing - freedom of choice - and I'm all for it.

(I just wish our Govt/s would stop taking away OUR freedom of choice in other areas!)

[Sandielle]

Hi Barry,

 

I just love the trip you are doing. Would sooo love that one and we could visit our rellies in Derbyshire and Cheshire. Yes, I'm married to a Pom, but he's 'housetrained' now. :D Actually he's become toooooo Australian and hates dressing up.

 

To think I married him because I fell in love with him when he turned up where I worked in his starched white shirts, neat shorts and long socks. Oh..and when he wore a suit...mmmmmm... ;)

 

(Just kidding - he'll kill me if he reads this!! :eek:)

[MMDown Under]

 

Personally, I think too much time, energy, and effort is spent in this Forum on the subject of Cruise fares. I am not wealthy by any means - but what we will all remember onwards is our experiences, not how much it cost us or how much we saved here and there. :)

 

Barry

 

Sorry, I disagree, Barry.

 

I devote time and energy to this forum, because I would like to cruise more often. I am retired and can travel at short notice, so one would think I'd be cruising more often.

 

If I lived in the US, I would be. However, as an Australian resident, I'm not, because I disagree with the cruise line policy which blocks Australians from purchasing the most competitive overseas cruise fares.

 

I agree many of us will always treasure our travel experiences, just not as many as we'd like will be from overseas cruises.

 

Fortunately, a number of cruise lines have now changed their policy, so things are looking up for overseas cruising.

[floatie]

Yes' date=' I did. Maybe now those "know it alls" that state that the higher prices are due to the tipping customs in Oz will slither back under their rocks. :D:D[/quote']

 

The reality is that if ships are being sold out easily then prices go up. Why not??... they are a business and they know what the demand is and what they can get. Currently demand here in oz is far higher than supply so they will get in for their chop.

Any association with tipping is a personal asumption.

You can always tip to your hearts content regardless of fare structure.

[Charlie Chan]

Thanks Erika for the trouble you took to help us out 'down south'.

 

We rang the same travel agent we had booked our recently cancelled cruise with (volcanic ash delaying flights) to see if we could book a similar cruise next year with HAL. We asked again about the problem of accepting bookings from Australians. He stated that he books people from all over the world. It is not possible on line, but can be done over the phone. Again, he rang us back with details to save us the phone call. The price for a 20 day cruise in May next year is almost identical to the price we had paid for this year. It is also cheaper than the price on the HAL website, though not as much difference as there was this year when we compared prices using a local agent.

 

The only problem is that the credit for our lost airfare will have expired by then and we can't afford a month in Europe before a cruise. We may have to start looking at a different cruise line.

 

So even though HAL is not allowing these bookings - it is still possible.

 

Now we just have to hope that the insurance pays up.

[sking140]

I am sorry to hear that it is so difficult for Aussies to book a cruise at a decent price. I can not say who it is I work for though I do work for a cruise line. I know that originally one of the reasons the cruise line I work for denied business from international passengers due to documentation reasons when documents are sent out. The one rule that we had was international passengers could book in the USD rate if they were traveling with a US or CAD resident. This way the US or CAD address could be utilized for documentation reasons. As recent as this year the line has gone ticket less so it should be less of a problem for an agency to book international passengers. No documents are mailed out anymore.

I am very much a fan of all nationalities when I get to talk to them via if they are having some kind of an emergency, I enjoy assisting to the best of my ability. Good luck to you in the future my Aussie friends and Cheers!

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

Thanks for that Sking 140. We all hope that Princess and HAL will now come to the party and allow us to book in the USA.

[rugbypopsie]

I am sorry to hear that it is so difficult for Aussies to book a cruise at a decent price. I can not say who it is I work for though I do work for a cruise line. I know that originally one of the reasons the cruise line I work for denied business from international passengers due to documentation reasons when documents are sent out. The one rule that we had was international passengers could book in the USD rate if they were traveling with a US or CAD resident. This way the US or CAD address could be utilized for documentation reasons. As recent as this year the line has gone ticket less so it should be less of a problem for an agency to book international passengers. No documents are mailed out anymore.

I am very much a fan of all nationalities when I get to talk to them via if they are having some kind of an emergency, I enjoy assisting to the best of my ability. Good luck to you in the future my Aussie friends and Cheers!

 

Thanks for posting and trying to seem things from our point of view...however "documentation" doesn't seem to be a problem when we book anything else anywhere in the world via the internet so I don't understand why it would be such a problem for cruise lines?

 

Hopefully Princess will see the light and join their competitors who are not excluding us from booking.:)

[newfarmers]

I'm not taking this personally, of course ,:) BUT I get a bit fed up with the continual suggestions that "I" may be a fool for choosing to book tired old ships that are sent down for our market (incidentally, the wonderful Rhapsody is, apparently, looking a bit tired at the moment). We, and I presume others, do not have the luxury of time etc to fly all over the world for cruising experiences.

 

Sandi

 

I apologise whole-heartedly and in no way did I mean to refer to anyone personally as a fool.

 

What I was trying to say was we have little choice in Oz but to cruise on what we are given and the cruise lines take advantage of that fact with their pricing. Radiance will be a step up from Rhapsody but we loved every second of our Legend of the Seas cruise and imagine we'd love Rhapsody as well. Any cruise is a good cruise and I'd love to sail out of Brisbane, just not at the prices I'm being asked to pay.

 

I would have jumped at the chance to sail on Pac Sun with my parents at $1870 for 21 days. It is truly a bargain and a fantastic itinerary. What I was saying is that the cruise lines are treating us like we don't know what's going on. They charge premium prices for a non-premium product and those Aussies who don't have the time to travel have no choice if they want to cruise.

 

Apologies again, please accept them

 

pete

[Sandielle]

Hi Pete, no need to apologise, but thank you for doing so. I know we are charged more down here but as you say we have little choice in some circumstances, however we, personally, make sure we keep up to date on the net and get the best price possible.

 

Yes, I agree the deal your parents got on the Pac Sun was wonderful - I'd love to do that cruise - and 21 days! If I saw another one like that, I might even be tempted to bomb myself out and make the flight to NZ. :D

[yatchet]

Hi Pete, no need to apologise, but thank you for doing so. I know we are charged more down here but as you say we have little choice in some circumstances, however we, personally, make sure we keep up to date on the net and get the best price possible.

 

Yes, I agree the deal your parents got on the Pac Sun was wonderful - I'd love to do that cruise - and 21 days! If I saw another one like that, I might even be tempted to bomb myself out and make the flight to NZ. :D

Sandielle,

I have seen from your previous posts that you don't like flying but the most dangerous part is driving to the airport, so no need to bomb out.

 

Ps, wunder wer our frend is tonit.:rolleyes::rolleyes:

[Sandielle]

Sandielle,

I have seen from your previous posts that you don't like flying but the most dangerous part is driving to the airport, so no need to bomb out.

 

Ps, wunder wer our frend is tonit.:rolleyes::rolleyes:

 

Yes, Yatchet, so my DH keeps telling me - and I know it's true - but that still doesn't help! :D

 

Re the PS - mmmmm - isn't it luverlie? :rolleyes:

[Whitemarsh]

The reality is that if ships are being sold out easily then prices go up. Why not??... they are a business and they know what the demand is and what they can get. Currently demand here in oz is far higher than supply so they will get in for their chop.

Any association with tipping is a personal asumption.

You can always tip to your hearts content regardless of fare structure.

 

The both of us (Billy and Charlie's Mum & I) were referring to various posters who were adamant that the reason Australians were charged twice the price to cruise than Americans was because Australians supposedly didn't tip - or didn't tip enough.

 

Considering the price difference is around $4000.000 Australian dollars cheaper for cruises I book with a US TA than an OZ TA I can only imagine that American's must tip like there is no tomorrow. :eek:

 

It turns out however (from Erica's report) that tips - or lack of them, isn't the key issue. Or any issue at all. :cool:

[Kinkacruiser]

I am sorry to hear that it is so difficult for Aussies to book a cruise at a decent price. I can not say who it is I work for though I do work for a cruise line. I know that originally one of the reasons the cruise line I work for denied business from international passengers due to documentation reasons when documents are sent out. The one rule that we had was international passengers could book in the USD rate if they were traveling with a US or CAD resident. This way the US or CAD address could be utilized for documentation reasons. As recent as this year the line has gone ticket less so it should be less of a problem for an agency to book international passengers. No documents are mailed out anymore.

I am very much a fan of all nationalities when I get to talk to them via if they are having some kind of an emergency, I enjoy assisting to the best of my ability. Good luck to you in the future my Aussie friends and Cheers!

 

Thanks for your support. True that with the e-tickets and other DIY documentation, it should be a lot easier for the major players to 'open the gates' to Aussies.

Who knows this thread may be instrumental in changing cruiseline policy.

We can love in hope.;)

Cheers,

Anna

[NSWP]

All a bit sus to me, I cannot see how on earth ticketing and documentation issues can put up cruise prices so high for non Americans. More like they give the good deals to the market - North America.

 

Be aware also that some cruise lines - Celebrity and Carnival ships put the automatic wage subsidy (auto tip) on the cruise price ticket for Australian pax and are non negotiable/adjustable.

 

I remember travelling on Carnival Spirit in 2005 and our auto tips being put on cruise ticket and unable to be 'adjusted.' Should be the same for all nationalities.

 

I don't give a stuff what the cruise lines say, we will never get the deals offered to North Americans, end of story.

[Gold Coast Cruisers]

I dont think for one moment they lie Jilly.

A lot of them are fresh faced kids who simply pass on the information they have been told to say.

We had one "run in" that could have been easily sorted out, but the "kids" on the desk did not have the authourity to access the computer , to make the changes, and they had been told under no circumstances to disturb the seniors, who could have done it in an instant.

 

 

Another tip to avoid the above situation is to go to the front desk just before the end of your cruise , and if you have some $US left over , put them into your account, then they know your account is in US$

 

You are quite right David. I think today in general the 'kids' don't like to 'enquire' if they don't know the answer, they prefer to say and do whatever instead.

Am I sounding old......hahaha:o

Jillybean;)

[Kiwi Kruzer]

You are quite right David. I think today in general the 'kids' don't like to 'enquire' if they don't know the answer, they prefer to say and do whatever instead...

Am I sounding old......hahaha Jillybean;)

 

Not at all Jilly,

In our day we were taught to think things through for ourselves,

and if we thought something was not quite right....

then we would question ...

rather than accept.

[Luckybee]

Discriminatory pricing is sadly, nothing new in the travel industry. We've seen it work in reverse(dont know if this will make any of you Aussies feel better though;) Dh and I have done a number of land based vacastions to Fiji, and French Polynesia. In each and every case we have found better resort rates available only to residents of Aus and NZ and im taking about resort only bookings so airfare is not relevant in the equation . As an example the first time we were doing the South Pacific we were booking Vatulele and found a good price online. Called to book....np until they found out we were calling from Canada, then it was "we have different promotions for our North America based customers" Those "promotions" available to us were 40% higher!!!!! I thought this was a fluke, but as we travelled to the SP more and more often I've since found out that these "rate differentials" seem to apply almost universally in the South Pacific. Where Fiji is concerned, and having stayed at a number of resorts there I can tell you it happens at quite a number of them (it could be all but we've tried at least 8 resorts there and can only speak for the fact that every one that we've booked with does this). One resort rep actually told me " its because you guys are willing to pay more" when I asked why :rolleyes:.

Yep its annoying as heck but it happens on both sides of the ocean.

[raringtogo]

I am sorry to hear that it is so difficult for Aussies to book a cruise at a decent price. I can not say who it is I work for though I do work for a cruise line. I know that originally one of the reasons the cruise line I work for denied business from international passengers due to documentation reasons when documents are sent out. The one rule that we had was international passengers could book in the USD rate if they were traveling with a US or CAD resident. This way the US or CAD address could be utilized for documentation reasons. As recent as this year the line has gone ticket less so it should be less of a problem for an agency to book international passengers. No documents are mailed out anymore.

I am very much a fan of all nationalities when I get to talk to them via if they are having some kind of an emergency, I enjoy assisting to the best of my ability. Good luck to you in the future my Aussie friends and Cheers!

 

 

clearly you can't be talking about RCI- we've just arrived back and we DID recieve documentation through the mail, as well as online.

I must admit your explanation doesn't make sense to me at all though.