TA versus PCL Vac. Planner?

[RetiredNTraveling]

We didn't start cruising until I retired. As such, I have always planned our vacations and cruises myself. So far on the last 3 cruises, I have booked mini-suites and at last minute was able to upgrade to a full suite each time. I know that luck can't hold.

I am wondering about TA's and can I get a better price or are their prices the same as booking through PCL VP's? :rolleyes:

[paul929207]

Princess does not allow a TA to advertise a discounted price. However, if you ask for a quote, the TA can discount it. Not all do, but I get about 15% off the Princess price from mine. Since we cannot name a TA on these boards, you have to shop around. Ask people you meet on cruises. I found mine by doing that. Anytime someone said they got a great deal, I asked the name of the TA. I kept a list. Each time I booked I worked my way down the list asking for quotes. Gradually found out who the discounters were.

[Pam in CA]

I am wondering about TA's and can I get a better price or are their prices the same as booking through PCL VP's? :rolleyes:

Princess allows TAs to discount but some choose not to. That's their prerogative. However, there are some out there who book a large volume of Princess cruises and discount. As Paul says, check at a meet & Greet. Stay away from any TA that asserts that there are no discounts. That may be their personal or corporate policy but it's not Princess'. You can almost always do better than anyone at Princess. Exceptions would be last minute cruises and very short cruises. Edited January 2, 2014 by Pam in CA

[deminggraham]

The other two posters are correct. I have always done better with a TA. If you book directly with Princess, you can transfer your booking to a TA before final payment if you find one with a better price or perks after you have booked on your own with Princess. The TA should be able to tell you how to do this. I have done this a couple of times when I wanted to quickly grab a specific cabin.

[cruzsnooze]

I always keep control of my reservations. If I see a cabin I want to switch to or a better price or an upgrade i want or any other offers I can call princess myself and accomplish my goal. TA's have limited hours and days and don't have as great an interest in your vacation then you have for yourself.

[Pam in CA]

TA's have limited hours and days and don't have as great an interest in your vacation then you have for yourself.

Not true. You're assuming that all TAs work 9-5 M-F. The top TA's check their mail constantly, even over weekends, holidays and during vacation. Email at 9pm Saturday? I get an email back within an hour. Email at 10am Sunday? Same thing. You lose no control, you get a 10-20% discount, OBC and perks, and service... someone to be your advocate should anything go wrong. If you are dealing directly with the cruise line, whether it's Customer Service or a Princess Vacation Planner, you are getting only what the cruise line wants you to get and are paying retail prices.

[krzi]

I always keep control of my reservations. If I see a cabin I want to switch to or a better price or an upgrade i want or any other offers I can call princess myself and accomplish my goal. TA's have limited hours and days and don't have as great an interest in your vacation then you have for yourself.

 

Cruzsnooze,

 

it seems you have had some bad experiences with TA's. Most TA's these days are 24/7 via email or phone. They might not answer you at that exact second, but once they get your message or email they will get to you. Calling 1 person who built a file on you is better than calling a call center where they really do not care.

 

Most TA's will also know the better rooms, better places to stay, better prices (discounts etc), while building the cruise based on your expectations and even offer additional OBC / Gifts.

 

In my opinion a TA is more interested in your cruise vacation than you would be because a happy client would mean a return client for them and that is what makes a TA money.

[cpj]

I always keep control of my reservations. If I see a cabin I want to switch to or a better price or an upgrade i want or any other offers I can call princess myself and accomplish my goal. TA's have limited hours and days and don't have as great an interest in your vacation then you have for yourself.

 

I would recommend that u book thru the cruiselines. You would probably drive a travel agent crazy.

[negc]

We didn't start cruising until I retired. As such, I have always planned our vacations and cruises myself. So far on the last 3 cruises, I have booked mini-suites and at last minute was able to upgrade to a full suite each time. I know that luck can't hold.

I am wondering about TA's and can I get a better price or are their prices the same as booking through PCL VP's? :rolleyes:

 

Prices will be the same but remember that the TA works for you while the PCL VPs work for the cruise line. In the unlikely event of a problem before or during your cruise which one would more likely be your advocate?

[caribill]

Prices will be the same but remember that the TA works for you while the PCL VPs work for the cruise line. In the unlikely event of a problem before or during your cruise which one would more likely be your advocate?

 

Some TAs will charge the same prices. Some will give significant discounts.

[negc]

Some TAs will charge the same prices. Some will give significant discounts.

 

And many lines prohibit TAs from offering "significant" discounts but my point was that an independent TA is more likely to stand up for his or her clients in any dispute with a cruise line while the cruiseline's employee (i.e vacation planners) first loyalties are to his or her employer. Not quite the advocate that one might want when there is a conflict. A TA is also more likely to advise a traveler when another line is offering a better deal for the same or a similar trip. Don't count on that VP mentioning that to someone booking with his or her line.

[Go-Bucks!]

My wonderful TA gives me about 15% (or more) off the Princess price and adds OBC and other perks. She is always available when I need something like a price drop or a change in my reservation.

 

I've recommended her to many others, so don't you think she's going to turn around and help me too? ;) You're not going to get this kind of help from a Princess employee. BTW, these so-called "vacation planners" are just "phone answerers", not experienced professional travel agents.

Edited January 4, 2014 by Go-Bucks!

[caribill]

And many lines prohibit TAs from offering "significant" discounts but my point was that an independent TA is more likely to stand up for his or her clients in any dispute with a cruise line while the cruiseline's employee (i.e vacation planners) first loyalties are to his or her employer.

 

Agree with your point 100%.

 

Since this is a Princess board, I did not point out that Carnival, RCCL, etc. do not allow TAs to discount their cruises.

[satxdiver]

I agree with the others about the TA working for you versus PCL employees. I would like to add though that if you go with a TA and decide that was a mistake, you can always request PCL take the reservation back from the TA if it has not reached full payment yet. I recently had a parting of the way with a TA I had been using and a request to PCL had the next several reservations pulled back to PCL. I since have had one of them assigned to another TA with a much better deal.

[Coolmama_1]

Not true. You're assuming that all TAs work 9-5 M-F. The top TA's check their mail constantly, even over weekends, holidays and during vacation. Email at 9pm Saturday? I get an email back within an hour. Email at 10am Sunday? Same thing. You lose no control, you get a 10-20% discount, OBC and perks, and service... someone to be your advocate should anything go wrong. If you are dealing directly with the cruise line, whether it's Customer Service or a Princess Vacation Planner, you are getting only what the cruise line wants you to get and are paying retail prices.

 

You are so right! I have emailed my TA on the weekend fully expecting an answer on Monday and she has either responded to my email or called me directly within the hour.

[Coral]

Agree with your point 100%.

 

Since this is a Princess board, I did not point out that Carnival, RCCL, etc. do not allow TAs to discount their cruises.

 

I do know with RCCL and Celebrity, they allow the agents to give up to a certain % in OBC (as opposed to rebating). So instead of a discount at booking, they get OBC on their sailing. Their clients seem happy with that compromise.

Edited January 4, 2014 by Coral