Booking price and final payment

[Kinkacruiser]

My friend booked a Princess NZ cruise well in advance at the high price and 3 months before the cruise (and her final payment) the price dropped significantly. She was told by the TA that she would have to cancel and rebook to get the lower price fare, as well as take a punt with the remaining cabin selection. She went ahead and paid the booking price balance.

So, my question is the booking price also your final price? Don't any TA's honour price drops?

[moyaroo]

Don't know about in Australia in particular and it differs from line to line, but often if the TA calls the res center they can get the new price (TA gets less commission so may not be happy, but most are happy because client satisfaction is what draws repeat business). That said often the price drops are for new business only and that means dropping out and hoping for what you wanted and maybe not getting . . .

 

If your price drop is new bookings only then you take some risks.

[bazzaw]

I bought a Kilo of margerine at Woolies last week - blow me down if it hasn't been listed for sale at a reduced price this week in the junk mail that just landed in my letterbox.

 

Has anybody had any success in getting the reduced price in this situation??

 

Barry

[The_Big_M]

Shh, don't tell the tabloid shows Barry. It'll give them another excuse to run "Supermarket Giants are Ripping Us Off!"

 

(Gets a bit old but yeah...)

[Kinkacruiser]

Don't know about in Australia in particular and it differs from line to line, but often if the TA calls the res center they can get the new price (TA gets less commission so may not be happy, but most are happy because client satisfaction is what draws repeat business). That said often the price drops are for new business only and that means dropping out and hoping for what you wanted and maybe not getting . . .

 

If your price drop is new bookings only then you take some risks.

 

Thanks moyaroo, I believe client satisfaction rates highly here and some TA's are more generous that others. Last year I did query the new discounted price on a cruise a few months off sailing date and received a sizeable reduction.

[ceejay3377]

Well it seems fine for the Cruise Companies to work it the other way. I booked a HAL Christmas/New Year cruise nice and early in April, and paid the (excessively high:eek:) deposit. Final payment was due today, and last week I was notified by my TA that HAL had increased the cruise fare by $95 pp ($190 in total added to my final payment). It was something to do with an increase in port taxes, and according to the fine print, HAL can do that.

 

I didn't question it, because, to be honest, I have no idea who to ask. I have used a number of TA's (both local and internet), and my experience has been that they are nothing more than middlemen who you play off to find the best price. I doubt that I would get much more than an "It's in the fine print answer" if I asked.

 

I am yet to find a TA like those that American CC members talk about - one who is proactive and works hard for the customer. And unfortunately, because I have never used an American TA, I am unlikely to find one now who would be willing to take my booking either.

 

But I still love cruising and I am willing to pay the price:D;)

 

Cheers,

 

Carina

[rugbypopsie]

A couple of years ago my Cherry Blossom cruise on the Dawn Princess dropped from $13,000+ to $9,500! We had booked 18 months in advance...needless to say a great deal of yelling on my part later....I got a little bit of our money back as OBC but nothing like the drop in price.:mad: My friends were even worse off...they decided, after the cruise line sectored the cruise, to join in Shanghai but they did not get any reduction in the cruise fare despite the cruise line reselling their cabin for the Sydney Shanghai leg!!!:mad::mad:

 

Hence my campaign against unfair booking practices here in Australia...that would never happen with a US agent.

[happyaussies]

Reading with interest this topic...as it must surely be happening regularly with the changing world economy.

 

 

So would it be an advantage to book cruises at the last possible minute? Ok you may not get the cabin favourite but does that really matter or does it?

 

Just a thought and interested in what others think?

 

 

B&B

[rugbypopsie]

Reading with interest this topic...as it must surely be happening regularly with the changing world economy.

 

 

So would it be an advantage to book cruises at the last possible minute? Ok you may not get the cabin favourite but does that really matter or does it?

 

Just a thought and interested in what others think?

 

 

B&B

I have never seen an "early booking" incentive that matched a last minute price...glad DH is now in semi retirement so we can grab a bargain or two...problems are..often the most popular itineraries sell out, also if you have problems with sea sickness or mobility you may want your cabin in a certain area of the ship so you would need to book early to secure your preference. Those with school age children need to be aware that the ship will only take a certain number of children irrespective of them using the kids clubs or not so they also need to book early.

 

With more choice for cruising from Australia and the growing realisation that Aussies and Kiwis love to cruise..I think competition between the various cruise lines may improve things in terms of both price and booking conditions...I certainly hope so but we need to keep complaining about the unfairness of the current situation.

[moyaroo]

Well it seems fine for the Cruise Companies to work it the other way. I booked a HAL Christmas/New Year cruise nice and early in April, and paid the (excessively high:eek:) deposit. Final payment was due today, and last week I was notified by my TA that HAL had increased the cruise fare by $95 pp ($190 in total added to my final payment). It was something to do with an increase in port taxes, and according to the fine print, HAL can do that.

 

I didn't question it, because, to be honest, I have no idea who to ask. I have used a number of TA's (both local and internet), and my experience has been that they are nothing more than middlemen who you play off to find the best price. I doubt that I would get much more than an "It's in the fine print answer" if I asked.

 

I am yet to find a TA like those that American CC members talk about - one who is proactive and works hard for the customer. And unfortunately, because I have never used an American TA, I am unlikely to find one now who would be willing to take my booking either.

 

But I still love cruising and I am willing to pay the price:D;)

 

Cheers,

 

Carina

The standard fine print allows for adjustments for taxes and fuel supplements.

 

Have you tried the approach of sitting down with a prospective TA and saying, I cruise a lot and would love to be loyal, but as of yet haven't seen much reason to be. What mutual advantage could we be to one another? Would you be willing to fight for a price reduction? . . .

 

It is worth a try. And remember the agent that works hardest for you may not be the one with the lowest price, those guys can't take the time to give service, it isn't in their business plan.

[The_Big_M]

I am yet to find a TA like those that American CC members talk about - one who is proactive and works hard for the customer. And unfortunately, because I have never used an American TA, I am unlikely to find one now who would be willing to take my booking either.

 

Just keep in mind the same thing can and does happen with US agents, that increases in port taxes (and surcharges) are passed on to their clients as well.

 

And incidentally, there are also just as many TAs over there who don't give any benefits, and most won't notify the customer of price drops. There are more cruise specialists given the number of passengers, and thus competition amongst those brings benefits, but it's not a standard truism that American agents work harder or do more.

 

(Very nice icon, by the way!)

[ceejay3377]

The standard fine print allows for adjustments for taxes and fuel supplements.

 

Have you tried the approach of sitting down with a prospective TA and saying, I cruise a lot and would love to be loyal, but as of yet haven't seen much reason to be. What mutual advantage could we be to one another? Would you be willing to fight for a price reduction? . . .

 

It is worth a try. And remember the agent that works hardest for you may not be the one with the lowest price, those guys can't take the time to give service, it isn't in their business plan.

 

Thanks for the advice, Moyaroo. I currently select my TA via the internet based on a few criteria. First is price, but I also take into account how easy they are to contact, how quickly they respond to my enquiry. If speaking to them on the phone, I also try to get a feel for them (do I like them?) and do they have a good understanding of cruise holidays (I might ask them about a cabin type or something else that I already know about a ship to see if their answer is honest and knowledgable). So the lowest price doesn't always get my booking.

 

Rugbypopsie, I am so with you on the unfair booking conditions!! For this booking (30 nights on the Zaandam with a C cabin guarantee), our deposit was a whopping $2100 pp. ($4200 for the two of us). So there would have to be a pretty serious price drop to make cancelling and rebooking worth our while. I wonder how many US passengers would be happy with those kind of deposit requirements? :D

 

Happyaussies, booking at the last minute can certainly get you some bargains if you are not fussy about the cabin you stay in. I personally would love to have the flexibility to book at the last minute, and in the past I have been able to do so, but I am currently working as a teacher, so my holidays are limited to peak times when prices tend to go up, not down. (Although I did book a mini suite on the Dawn during the next school holidays after the cruise was discounted - 4 nights, $549pp:D). However, this tends to be the exception rather than the rule. Still if you live near the port and don't need to book flights, there are certainly some fab last minute bargains out there. I have heard that you can also have yourself put on a standby list with TA's and cruise companies and you might get a cruise for a fraction of the price, providing you can leave with only a few days notice.

 

Cheers,

 

Carina

[ceejay3377]

Just keep in mind the same thing can and does happen with US agents, that increases in port taxes (and surcharges) are passed on to their clients as well.

 

And incidentally, there are also just as many TAs over there who don't give any benefits, and most won't notify the customer of price drops. There are more cruise specialists given the number of passengers, and thus competition amongst those brings benefits, but it's not a standard truism that American agents work harder or do more.

 

(Very nice icon, by the way!)

 

Thanks Big M! It's a photo I took recently of a daisy in my garden. Don't have much of a green thumb, but even I don't seem to be able to kill this plant. :)

[aussiechick7]

Hi everyone,

 

My cruise on the Seven Seas Voyager was $10,899 PP,now the price is $7,254 PP which is a huge price drop,I emailed my TA last week and he has been in touch with RSSC in America and has got me the new price,needless to say I am very very happy,well done Ross......

 

Dale....:)

[Aus Traveller]

Reading with interest this topic...as it must surely be happening regularly with the changing world economy.

 

So would it be an advantage to book cruises at the last possible minute? Ok you may not get the cabin favourite but does that really matter or does it? Just a thought and interested in what others think?

 

B&B

Yes. :D

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Hi everyone,My cruise on the Seven Seas Voyager was $10,899 PP,now the price is $7,254 PP which is a huge price drop,I emailed my TA last week and he has been in touch with RSSC in America and has got me the new price,needless to say I am very very happy,well done Ross......Dale....:)

 

 

Regent Seven Seas are great like that. We have had that happen on both our cruises with them.

Must point out however , that we had to inform the local TA of the drop , and then they took it from there.

 

Local travel agents are in no hurry to pass price drops on , as it means less commission for them.:eek:

I actually had a TA tell me that once. Needless to say she never got any of our bookings.;)