Is it better to book thru NCL or online TA

[Staci0615]

I booked my upcoming cruise on the Breakaway directly thru NCL- and only placed deposit as of now. I keep getting emails from online TA's with OBC offers, but price is the same give or take a few dollars- Should I cancel my NCL reservation and rebook online to get the OBC? Or just leave it. FYI I did book a GTY category....

 

Thanks for any input

[RetiredArmyCruiser]

I booked my upcoming cruise on the Breakaway directly thru NCL- and only placed deposit as of now. I keep getting emails from online TA's with OBC offers, but price is the same give or take a few dollars- Should I cancel my NCL reservation and rebook online to get the OBC? Or just leave it. FYI I did book a GTY category....

 

Thanks for any input

 

Here's my experience so take it for what it's worth. I made a reservation once with an online TA. We needed to cancel, and the cancel policy was $50 per person fee, so we paid $100 for a cruise we never took. On our upcoming cruise I made the reservation with NCL to hold the cabin and price, then transferred to an online TA just before the final payment was due to get their OBC offering.

 

Make sure to check their cancel/change policies, and if you are comfortable with them, and you accept that risk, then I say go for it. If you think you may cancel or change the date, I'd be wary. YMMV.

[jdvmd]

Also, if you transfer to a TA, they will own your booking. That means you cannot call NCL and discuss certain things. They will refer you back to your TA. Check out for cancellation fees.

[SissasMomE]

I booked my upcoming cruise on the Breakaway directly thru NCL- and only placed deposit as of now. I keep getting emails from online TA's with OBC offers, but price is the same give or take a few dollars- Should I cancel my NCL reservation and rebook online to get the OBC? Or just leave it. FYI I did book a GTY category....

 

Thanks for any input

 

The price is the same because NCL does not allow TAs to discount. To get around that, the TA will either offer an OBC; free insurance; or a rebate after the cruise, which can be cash back up to half of the commission. I've done it both ways. When I book directly with NCL, I have more control over the reservation. If the OBC isn't significant, I will book directly with NCL. If I can get in on a TAs group space, or they are offering something substantial, then I will go with them. Also, I will not book with any TA that charges a change or cancellation fee.

[Carnac767]

A few years ago on a Canada cruise from NYC on Jewel, an issue with a bearing on one of the Azipod motors required NCL to drop one of the ports. This was because the ship's max speed was reduced and she couldn't adhere to the original itinerary. Everyone who booked through NCL or a traditional TA was notified about the change and given the chance to cancel with a full refund. However, on sailing day, I met at least 30 people who said they were never notified. In each case, they told me they'd used on online agency.

[nyc12345]

I would recommend getting a great TA, not the giant online agency. My TA is there to help me whenever I need to, plus give me up to 10% onboard credit and provides great service. A friend of mine booked through my agent with a land vacation in Hawaii and the plane was delayed on the way back. He called my agent and after a little wait, he was getting a free night at Ritz Carlton. While I don't expect this to happen all the time, it just shows how a great agent can help you in time of need.

[Junebug27]

I did get a really great discount through a TA, we lost a little piece of mind not being able to contact NCL about upgrades and such but I think it was worth the big discount...

[Florissouri]

I booked my upcoming cruise on the Breakaway directly thru NCL- and only placed deposit as of now. I keep getting emails from online TA's with OBC offers, but price is the same give or take a few dollars- Should I cancel my NCL reservation and rebook online to get the OBC? Or just leave it. FYI I did book a GTY category....

 

Thanks for any input

 

I book with the largest seller of cruises in the world and still get a personal TA (sounds like an Allstate commercial). That way if I have a problem I have someone going to bat for me that is not a cruise line employee. Plus, he has more experience than most of the cruise line agents which turnover quite frequently.

 

Also, since they probably book more NCL passengers than NCL does itself, they have group discounts and offer extra OBCs in addition to what NCL offers on many sailings. Even though I'm on NCL's Family and Friends program, I still book cruises cheaper and with more OBCs with this travel agency than I can through the Family and Friends program (not to mention anything I book through F&F doesn't count towards my Latitudes account).

 

I say take everything you can get, but just make sure they don't tack on any extra charges such as a booking fee.

[roe2ship]

Can you transfer a booking to a TA anytime before final payment?

[Florissouri]

Can you transfer a booking to a TA anytime before final payment?

 

That's what I have been told.

[jdvmd]

Can you transfer a booking to a TA anytime before final payment?

 

Yes.

[roe2ship]

That's what I have been told.

 

Yes.

Thank you.:)

[shelly11]

I've only booked with my NCL PCC and I've been happy.

[HokiePoq]

I think you should book it with the person or agency that gives you the best price. I mentioned this in other posts but I will repeat. My PCC for ncl told me that ncl does not necessarily offer the best prices. Costco or a similar type of place usually does.

I didnt understand it when he told me because it sounds so ridiculous but its true. When priced ncl was the highest

Enjoy!!

 

 

Our HAL PCC told us the same thing. The lines do not want to discourage travel agents from booking with them. We usually use an online agency as they package air, cruise, two nights hotel, and all transfers. When I check it's usually the cost of the air and cruise on the NCL website. An onboard credit is usually included as well. We use the same people each time at two different online agencies and call them and ask for service when we need it. We also use a local TA for land tours, etc., and have sent the offers to her but she does not have the same deals to offer.

[Love my butler]

I just booked a suite on NCL two days ago thru a TA. I did a mock booking with NCL first and the TA price was just under $400 cheaper than NCL. Saving that much money is a no brainer for me.

[Junebug27]

Love my butler-

 

I agree with you 100%. We did a mock booking as well to price it out. We had a TA price it out for $1000 less total. We called PCC and they said they couldn't match that price.

[Nudetypist]

I booked through an online TA and it was $200 cheaper than booking through NCL website. Same free upgrades and everything.

[camz]

We have booked 3x using one of the main travel agents and 3x with NCL directly. We are strategic in watching the NCL website for price fluctuation and OBCs. The last cruise we stacked up $275 in OBCs. Therefore, we like the flexibility of being able to deal with NCL directly without the go between with the travel agent. When we used our travel agent I would ask her about OBCs and such and she always had a reason why we were not eligible. From hereon out its directly with NCL when booking.

[punkincc]

We have booked 3x using one of the main travel agents and 3x with NCL directly. We are strategic in watching the NCL website for price fluctuation and OBCs. The last cruise we stacked up $275 in OBCs. Therefore, we like the flexibility of being able to deal with NCL directly without the go between with the travel agent. When we used our travel agent I would ask her about OBCs and such and she always had a reason why we were not eligible. From hereon out its directly with NCL when booking.[/

 

Good for you Camz! I never had much luck in accumulating OBC. Usually the price difference with the TA is way more than the OBC being offered so we usually end up going with the TA. But it really pays to do your homework and look at all the angles. Still learning!

[Love my butler]

We have booked 3x using one of the main travel agents and 3x with NCL directly. We are strategic in watching the NCL website for price fluctuation and OBCs. The last cruise we stacked up $275 in OBCs. Therefore, we like the flexibility of being able to deal with NCL directly without the go between with the travel agent. When we used our travel agent I would ask her about OBCs and such and she always had a reason why we were not eligible. From hereon out its directly with NCL when booking.

 

Then you had a bad travel agent. Virtually all OBC offered from NCL is also applicable if you book thru a TA.

[kylenyc]

Just rebooked a cruise with my TA ... Got an OBC from the NCL Dash Sale, one from Mastercard, and one from the TA ... oh and the NCL coupon book. :rolleyes: