Booking a Radisson cruise through a TA

[lizf]

We are on the verge of booking the 12/17 PG 11-day Christmas cruise. I am working with a TA because the price is a LOT less than Radisson has for it. I really prefer to book our cruises with a cruise line for better service, etc for the reservation. We don't mind paying a bit more for this service, however the amount is significant and it really requires us to book with the TA. I was under the impression that if we booked with a TA, we could still call Radisson direct for things. I find out today that this isn't true. If you book with a TA, you must go through the TA for everything according to Radisson.

I had asked the TA to let us know the price for the 2-night pre-cruise in Papeete so we can rest up a day after the flight. She said only the LeMeridian was available. So I called Radisson and they said no, both the Intercontinental and the Radisson were available. Gulp! What do I do now?

From what I've read over many, many threads here, the LeMeridian is not good. The others are wonderful. Can anyone give me their experience working with a TA as opposed to booking directly with the cruise line. Thanks.

[Dolebludger]

lizf:

 

Actually, I'd wager that most who book Radisson do so through TA's. If you have a TA who is "heavily" into Radisson, it can be a real help.

 

As for your land stay in Papeete, It sounds like your TA was trying to book your hotel direct, instead of through Radisson. The reason the Radisson Resort and Intercontinental were showing "full" could have been that RSSC itself had reserved a block of rooms to re-sell to its guests. You are correct that Le Meridien has gone down hill badly in the past several years, and is generally not recommended. In your case, I would simply tell the TA that RSSC has rooms available at these two resorts, and have the TA check into it.

 

Thanks,

Richard:) :) :)

[lizf]

Thank you both. I sincerely appreciate the quick responses and Jim- you have an email. Liz

[Jeanne S]

My TA is a RAdisson user having sailed at least 10 times so she knows this line quite well. I once had the misfortune of once having a TA book me on QE2 who had never been on the ship (I later found out). I swiched to my present TA as she was experienced with Cunard and Radission.

[JoAnne B]

A good travel agent is worth his/her weight in gold. I would never book direct with most cruise lines, as they are strictly representing the line not you as a customer. Can't say that's true with RSSC because I've never booked direct with them.

 

At the same time, all TA's are not created equal. I have one full-service TA that I use for complicated itineraries or cruises requiring a lot of specialized service. For RSSC I've been really happy with an online agency. I get immediate personal service and better pricing. Problems have been promptly resolved. Because this agency only deals with high-end providers, she knows the line, the ships, and how to make things happen.

 

I almost never book hotels through the cruise line because I can always beat their price by a mile. Plus I like smaller boutique type hotels rather than the large chains. And I hate showing up to find an unsatisfactory "preassigned" room (like the room facing into an airshaft at the Wyndham San Juan..what happened to the ocean view?) and encountering a disinterested hotel staff not at all motivated to resolve the situation. After all, I'm not the customer, the cruise line is. And I don't need help getting between the airport/hotel/pier. All of those factors help determine how I handle the reservation. Same with air. I like maintaining control of my reservations and travel schedule. With the advent of the internet I can handle most of this on my own.

 

Consider how much assistance you will need from this agent for this particular trip. I would suggest that you tell the TA what you want and that if he/she can't handle it you'll transfer the reservation to a new agent.

[Dreps]

I agree with JoAnneB on almost every point--I think we may even use the same TA--and we generally book our own air and hotels. My only caveat would be that when it comes to booking air for the PG, I think you will probably do better with Radisson. Unless you can effectively use FF miles, I don't think you will do as well on your own in getting a good fare to Tahiti. Radisson even used to provide free air for most PG cruises in Jan.-March, but my understanding is that it is a thing of the past.

 

Dreps

[petlover]

Lizf, I'm currently away on the World Cruise but please do email JimB and take his recommendation. He uses the same TA as I do....the BEST!! Have a great time on the PG.

[sita]

Lizf -- just want to offer my experience with the hotel options in Tahiti....we've stayed at Le Meridian and the Intercontinental... we like Le Meridian...but it's really a matter of personal taste. Intercontinental is offered post cruise as the day room to the lower cabins and Le Meridian is offered to the balconies/suites. Le Meridian felt more refined, it's smaller, has a lovely sandy bottom pool but is farther away from town. The Beachcomber has more of a Hawaiian resorty feel -- Kinda glitzy -- the infinity pool is nice but the service and buffet were not as nice as Le Meredian. There was a lot of construction occurring both times we've stayed at Intercontinental.... if you have one of the remodeled rooms, you may be happy; otherwise, it can be disappointing. We're doing a pre-day 2 night stay at the Tahiti Radisson this summer, we've heard nice things about it, like the location and proximity to town. I'm a little concerned in knowing that GCT offers their PG customers a 2 day pre-cruise at the same hotel... I have not liked what I've read about GCT on this site.

You will not regret your cruise choice, that's for sure.

[lizf]

Thanks to everyone. We did book with our online agency, although we are very appreciative of your recommendations. It was such a significant amount that we couldn't just ignore it. We had booked before with this company and received an upgrade to boot, so we haven't had bad luck with them. Its not the most personalized service, but $800.00 is a lot to us on this trip. I like the looks of Jim's agency and thanks Petlover, for taking time out of your exciting trip to respond. Definitely on a future trip.

Dreps- We booked air through RSSC. ATN is a member of our ff club, but alas, we had just used our complete stash of ff points on first class seats to Africa last month, so the cupboard is bare for awhile. :(

I sure hope this 12/17 sailing doesn't get chartered out on the PG as we are really thrilled to get a spot after reading pages and pages of wonderful posts made by you folks. How very informing they are and what a treasure for newcomers like us. They cover just about every subject and we've printed out portions to take with us to remind us of things to pack, or things to do once we get there.

[Jim B]

Good job Lizf

After studying everything it is always nice to be able to finally make a comfortable choice.

[lizf]

Thank you Jim. And thank you for taking the interest in us and the time to share your own find. I think you have a true gem and I have it on our 'favorites'. Trust me I will one day drop in on them and mention who took the time to steer us to them. :)

[JoAnne B]

Yes, absolutely, there are some destinations when it makes sense to let RSSC do the air. Plus on last minute bookings, they can sometimes manage seats on planes that look sold out. Also, when they offer special deals like low-cost upgrades it can be a real bargain. Okay, I'm spoiled. I can't handle coach class any more for these long trips, and over the past year there have been bargain basement fares on Continental for First Class making it worthwhile to book my own. Plus, I love collecting those FF miles that contribute to platinum status.

[Thymegirl]

I just booked an Oct. 8 cruise on the Paul Gauguin today. Can any of you remember the absolutely wonderful feeling that gave you? I love the anticipation and planning almost as much as the cruise! I booked through an agent that was recommended on the RSSC website and have been thoroughly pleased with the service and professionalism of this TA. I do love this Cruise Critic message board as it seems many others share my enthusiasm for cruising French Polynesia. Maybe I won't drive my co-workers crazy if I can share here!:)