To TA or not to TA, that is the question

[LHT28]

Sadly, it appears the Oceania website's "Find A Travel Agent" tool does NOT return results for travel agents who specialize in booking Oceania cruises.

 

I think the search feature must have changed

In the past you could pick the State you wanted to search for an agent then there was another option to pick those TA's that were in the top 50 specialists with Oceania

This no longer is the case ...I guess they are tying to be impartial

 

The only way maybe is to ask on your next O cruise who people use & if they are happy with the services.

 

Lyn

[pinotlover]

Our TA is on a first name basis with the O customer service people. Using the TA we got all the gratuities comped, plus, plus. We only choose to interact with O's personnel a few of times, but the TA keeps all things running smooth.

 

One note, once you go TA, O doesn't talk directly to you much either. If you have a question, they may well tell you to call your TA to get the answer.

[JimandStan]

If you have a question, they may well tell you to call your TA to get the answer.

 

That is because a Travel Agent is not meant to be some boob that is picked out of a line up, strictly by virtue of their ability to procure the biggest pile of "free stuff".

 

Travel Agents are Professionals whom we engage as Experts to guide us through an expensive and potentially complicated business transaction. Of course we should be speaking with them rather than directly with the vendor.

 

Those who use an Agent for inappropriate purposes often feel thwarted by this process. :cool:

[pinotlover]

Jim;

 

I agree with you. I typically always go through the TA. Just saying for those trying to decide, one way or another, if you have the TA, expect to use the TA, because O will typically only communicate through them, on most matters. I have no complaint with that policy. Just telling it as it is.

[pacheco18]

I use a fabulous TA but that does not stop me from communicating directly with O if I need to. O has helped with glitches in booking dining reservations, questions about the CD or other officers, question concerning port locations etc. As long as you are not asking about the booking itself (e.g. payment, cabin selection), O will help you.

[Andromeda93]

Let's face it, Oceania has to at least pretend to be impartial in all this or else every other Agency except the top few would hate them.

 

Where is your sense of fairness anyway? If you owned a small business, would you like all of the referrals to go to the top dog? :cool:

 

Totally agree that Oceania should not discriminate among agents who can accurately represent the product. If smaller agencies make an effort to responsibly sell the brand, they should not be excluded in favor of the O heavy-hitters.

 

I was just taken aback that two of the four agencies O's search tool identified did not have any agents who actually had been on an Oceania cruise or ship, and who had to look up the answers to basic questions (e.g. 'not an O specialist'). These were agencies with large rosters of 'partner cruise lines' and seemed like brick-and-mortar versions of the Internet cruise discount websites. A third agency specialized in group tours of all sorts (land, ocean, river, adventure etc), rather than being a cruise-first agency. When they found out I was only booking one cabin for one cruise, their interest in helping me waned. The fourth didn't list O as a 'preferred partner' cruise line on their website, and never returned my call.

 

Of course, employees turn over and businesses evolve, so maybe agents who knew O had moved on before I called. No doubt O periodically vets the agencies to whom prospective guests are referred. I must have caught them late in the cycle. And of course O doesn't have any control over the customer service experience an individual has with an agency on any given day.

 

On the plus side, I later got a great referral from a fellow Marina guest to a TA who knows O well, and have been very happy with the TA experience in subsequent bookings. Not because we got a big pile of incentives (we didn't); rather because we got prompt, accurate answers to any questions, and we felt valued for our booking even though it's small potatoes.