Changing Reservation from Princess to T/A Questions

[trbarton]

I have booked the Anniversary cruise with Princess on the Pacific for December 3, 2015. I have found a T/A that I want to switch my reservation to. Will the travel agent be able to take over my existing reservation or will I need to cancel what I have with Princess? My current reservation with Princess includes Vacation Protection and Future Cruise Credit plus early dinning.

 

Will I loose anything by changing my reservation?

 

Thanks for everyone's help!

 

Tom:)

[beg3yrs]

I do this all the time. Have lost nothing, everything transfers over except the cost! I have always gotten a lower fare and some OBC from the TA. After that the TA watches for fare reductions as well. The only time the TA had to match Princess in price was a super low non-refundable fare sale. Even then, I got their OBC.

 

All I've ever done is shoot the TA an e-mail asking them to take over the booking. I provide the booking number, they've got all the rest of my info. Within a day, it's done.

 

I've read other posts where some TAs need a form filled in or a form from Princess, but mine has never required anything like that.

[trbarton]

I do this all the time. Have lost nothing, everything transfers over except the cost! I have always gotten a lower fare and some OBC from the TA. After that the TA watches for fare reductions as well. The only time the TA had to match Princess in price was a super low non-refundable fare sale. Even then, I got their OBC.

 

All I've ever done is shoot the TA an e-mail asking them to take over the booking. I provide the booking number, they've got all the rest of my info. Within a day, it's done.

 

I've read other posts where some TAs need a form filled in or a form from Princess, but mine has never required anything like that.

 

beg3yrs:

 

Thanks for your reply. It's good to not loose anything and still get a lower fare.

 

Tom:D

[Colo Cruiser]

Yes its very easy.

[Happy2cruise]

 

I've read other posts where some TAs need a form filled in or a form from Princess, but mine has never required anything like that.

We use two different TAs, one can transfer by us just emailing them but the other needs a form to be completed:confused:

[paul929207]

We transferred a booking from Princess to a TA. FCC, Dining, insurance, etc. all moved with it. No problem

[Thrak]

I know that many do this as it is so quick and easy to book directly with Princess but transferring to a TA later can have significant benefits such as a lower price, extra OBC, etc.

 

My question for these folks is: WHEN do you make the switch? Do you do it soon after booking with Princess or do people mostly wait until closer to final payment to switch?

 

I love being able to take instant advantage of price drops, etc. when booked directly with Princess and worry that a TA won't be as nerdy about watching the price drops. I also worry about having to contact the TA for any changes when the TA may be out of town, off work for the weekend, etc.

 

When is the "best" time to make the switch from a direct booking to a TA?

[custompcsys]

My question for these folks is: WHEN do you make the switch? Do you do it soon after booking with Princess or do people mostly wait until closer to final payment to switch?

 

I'm not sure about the "best" time, but I will book direct if my TA isn't in or if I see a great cabin location that I want so that I lock up the cabin. Right after I book I will send her an email asking for her price and telling her I have the reservation already. She's beaten the Princess direct price every time by at least a little and I get their OBC and follow-up.

[beg3yrs]

My question for these folks is: WHEN do you make the switch? Do you do it soon after booking with Princess or do people mostly wait until closer to final payment to switch?

 

When is the "best" time to make the switch from a direct booking to a TA?

 

I'm not sure about the "best" time, but I will book direct if my TA isn't in or if I see a great cabin location that I want so that I lock up the cabin. Right after I book I will send her an email asking for her price and telling her I have the reservation already. She's beaten the Princess direct price every time by at least a little and I get their OBC and follow-up.

 

I agree with custompcsys. I suppose the "best time" is any time you get a better price and OBC from at TA and just do it.

 

Personally, we typically book during a cruise as that's when we get the inspiration for yet another cruise. Within a few days of getting home I e-mail my TA and ask for their price. To date, it's been between 10 and 15 percent better plus some minor OBC.

 

I used to "shop" my booking to several TAs I trusted or wanted to test. I've kind of settled on one who has come to be consistently as good as or better than the others in price and/or service.

 

After switching, I still check Princess' pricing and if there's a significant drop I'll notify the TA. Sometimes they're already on it, sometimes not. That's part of the game.

[caribill]

 

My question for these folks is: WHEN do you make the switch? Do you do it soon after booking with Princess or do people mostly wait until closer to final payment to switch?

 

I love being able to take instant advantage of price drops, etc. when booked directly with Princess and worry that a TA won't be as nerdy about watching the price drops. If you took advantage of price drops having booked directly with Princess, that means you were tracking the price. If you switch the booking to a TA, you just need to continue tracking the prices and contact your TA if you see a better price appear. Very few TAs will monitor pricing for booked clients.

 

I also worry about having to contact the TA for any changes when the TA may be out of town, off work for the weekend, etc.

 

When is the "best" time to make the switch from a direct booking to a TA? Some people like to wait as long as possible (must do it before final payment) so as to "keep control" of their booking. However, one of the ways some TAs can give lower pricing is because they are set up with a group booking which gives them a lower price. If you wait too long, the group booking may be filled and the TA can no longer give you as good a price as if you had done it sooner.

 

 

see above in red

[west coast cruiser]

If you tell Princess at the time you are booking they will switch over at that time.

 

In April we decided to switch to a TA after we were home and I had to send a letter to Princess authorizing the booking to be transferred to the TA.

No big problem

WCC

[cruisehappy001]

Howdy folks, I was wondering if it would still be of any benefit to switch to a TA on a sold out cruise? 95% of the time we have booked direct with Princess, and we were considering seeing what a travel agent could do this time, but did not expect it to sell out still a few months out. Do you think it would be worth trying to get quotes from a couple TA's still? Not sure if the cruise is sold out if the TAs can do much or anything? I know anything is better than nothing, but I do not want to waste their time or ours if being sold out is a factor. If it matters this is a fall Transatlantic. I figured I would ask the experts here for advice first. Thanks for everyone's time and advice.

 

Happy Cruising!!!

 

Mark

[caribill]

Howdy folks, I was wondering if it would still be of any benefit to switch to a TA on a sold out cruise? 95% of the time we have booked direct with Princess, and we were considering seeing what a travel agent could do this time, but did not expect it to sell out still a few months out. Do you think it would be worth trying to get quotes from a couple TA's still? Not sure if the cruise is sold out if the TAs can do much or anything? I know anything is better than nothing, but I do not want to waste their time or ours if being sold out is a factor. If it matters this is a fall Transatlantic. I figured I would ask the experts here for advice first. Thanks for everyone's time and advice.

 

 

As long as it is not after final payment, then a switch to a discount TA may get you better pricing or OBC.

 

Nothing would change about the reservation itself.

 

It does not matter if the ship is sold out or not.

[trbarton]

FYI....I have switched my reservation from Princess to a new T/A and saved $$$ in the cruise price plus additional OBC. If a agent has group bookings, if you wait to long, they may no longer have any group space available.

 

Yes as other people have said everything stays the same. The only thing that I had to give up was my cabin assignment and take a GTY Inside which I was willing to do in order to save $.

 

Tom:)

[bhopal21]

The only thing that I had to give up was my cabin assignment and take a GTY Inside which I was willing to do in order to save $.

 

Tom:)

 

Next time start with a TA and you won't have to give up anything and will have a lower price in the beginning.

 

Mike:)

[Casey12]

Howdy folks, I was wondering if it would still be of any benefit to switch to a TA on a sold out cruise? 95% of the time we have booked direct with Princess, and we were considering seeing what a travel agent could do this time, but did not expect it to sell out still a few months out. Do you think it would be worth trying to get quotes from a couple TA's still? Not sure if the cruise is sold out if the TAs can do much or anything? I know anything is better than nothing, but I do not want to waste their time or ours if being sold out is a factor. If it matters this is a fall Transatlantic. I figured I would ask the experts here for advice first. Thanks for everyone's time and advice.

 

Happy Cruising!!!

 

Mark

 

Yes. Just make sure you tell the agent you already have a cabin on the sailing and what the pricing is. Otherwise they will quote the current price. It is probably too late to get into a group but you can still save $$$.

[trbarton]

Next time start with a TA and you won't have to give up anything and will have a lower price in the beginning.

 

Mike:)

 

Mike...I only used Princess because this Anniversary Cruise on Princess sold out fast and I needed a reservation to make sure I had a booking, especially since this is one of the smallest ships that Princess has.

 

Tom

[Casey12]

Mike...I only used Princess because this Anniversary Cruise on Princess sold out fast and I needed a reservation to make sure I had a booking, especially since this is one of the smallest ships that Princess has.

 

Tom

 

Sounds like it all worked out. That is what matters.

[SoCal Cruiser78]

...The only thing that I had to give up was my cabin assignment and take a GTY Inside which I was willing to do in order to save $...

 

I've never had to do this. I was always able to keep the cabin I chose when transferring the booking to a TA. Did your TA require this, or offer an even lower price by doing this?

[shredie]

I've never had to do this. I was always able to keep the cabin I chose when transferring the booking to a TA. Did your TA require this, or offer an even lower price by doing this?

 

I think Tom's case was more complicated because it was the big anniversary cruise which is technically sold out.

[Colo Cruiser]

I think Tom's case was more complicated because it was the big anniversary cruise which is technically sold out.

 

 

Not sold out yet, just checked.

[shredie]

Not sold out yet, just checked.

 

That's good news. Yes, looks like four obstructed oceanviews. For those people who thought they missed the boat (haha) this could be a chance to grab something.

Edited July 10, 2014 by shredie

[Casey12]

Not sold out yet, just checked.

 

Someone on roll call cancelled 4 OV cabins yesterday.

[bhopal21]

Mike...I only used Princess because this Anniversary Cruise on Princess sold out fast and I needed a reservation to make sure I had a booking, especially since this is one of the smallest ships that Princess has.

 

Tom

 

Actually Princess was reporting as sold out when TA's had blocks of cabins available. The TA I use had available cabins last week.

 

Mike:)