Why is it uncool to talk about pricing?

[suzyed]

I have felt what you are expressing. When we booked our first cruise, we used a local brick and mortar TA. But even though we were newbies and pretty uninformed, we didn't feel that we got anything special from this TA in terms of knowledge or service. By the time our second cruise came around, 3 years later, our local TA had closed up shop, as so many have. So I had to find an alternative. In the intervening years, I had learned a tremendous amount of info from CC, and felt I knew enough to book my own cruise. I had been consistently researching cruise prices on one website, so I took the plunge and booked through them. Though I suppose I was a little nervous about it at first, I had no problems whatsoever. And I began to realize that lots and lots of folks book through online agencies, and I presumed most had good experiences -- I had never actually heard of anyone who had had a bad experience.

 

For our third cruise, we booked through the cruise line, but I didn't feel I got anything special in terms of service from them, either. For our fourth, I shopped around and found a different online agency who offered a great OBC. I even went to the online agency I had previously used and asked them if they would match this OBC -- but they said they couldn't. So I took a chance and booked with this unfamiliar agency. I had some tense moments because the very nice OBC did not show up on my account with the cruise line when I registered for the cruise -- the online agency said the OBC would show up on my account on board. I have to say that I was nervous the whole time because I just did not know if I could trust that I would ever see that OBC. But when I got on the ship, there it was on our account; everything went just as the agency said it would. So I am becoming more comfortable with booking through whatever agency will give me the best deal.

 

All that being said, I still long for a great TA with whom I can have a consistent and personal realtionship and whom I can fully trust to get me the best deal possible. I haven't found that person yet, but I am still searching. Though I understand the reason why CC posters can't help with this, I certainly wish they could!

 

We mostly use TAs for our cruises, but like you, I would love to find one to use all the time that looks out for me and gets me the deals!

Right now we just book with whatever online TA offers the best deal at the moment we want to book.

[Hlitner]

We mostly use TAs for our cruises, but like you, I would love to find one to use all the time that looks out for me and gets me the deals!

Right now we just book with whatever online TA offers the best deal at the moment we want to book.

 

Over a lot of years, and an awful lot of cruises (over 70 days a year) we gradually pared down our list of "favored" cruise agencies to 3! Whenever we are ready to book a cruise we will check with each of these agencies (2 have excellent online booking engines so we do not need to call...and the third usually requires a phone call) to see who has the best deal. One of those 3 seems to usually have the best deals with RCI products (RCI, Celebrity and Azamara) while the other two seem to be best for all the other lines (we have cruised on 14 different lines).

 

We also will usually check one or 2 other agencies just to see if they have better deals then our favored list. Our personal list is not "fixed" and we would change it if an when there is cause. I should also add that we always also check prices on the cruise line's own web site, but have never found any cruise line that can match our favored agencies.

 

Hank

[suzyed]

Over a lot of years, and an awful lot of cruises (over 70 days a year) we gradually pared down our list of "favored" cruise agencies to 3! Whenever we are ready to book a cruise we will check with each of these agencies (2 have excellent online booking engines so we do not need to call...and the third usually requires a phone call) to see who has the best deal. One of those 3 seems to usually have the best deals with RCI products (RCI, Celebrity and Azamara) while the other two seem to be best for all the other lines (we have cruised on 14 different lines).

 

We also will usually check one or 2 other agencies just to see if they have better deals then our favored list. Our personal list is not "fixed" and we would change it if an when there is cause. I should also add that we always also check prices on the cruise line's own web site, but have never found any cruise line that can match our favored agencies.

 

Hank

 

I have even called the cruise lines and asked if they would match the price we found on an online TA....I have always been told "No". :(

[iancal]

We do check the reverse bidding site BUT on at least two occasions we have found bait and switch tactics. Price is lowest, we call immediately only to find that the price has increased. We stay with our on line TA as long as her pricing is in line. Great service,great pricing and obc's.

[SeagoingMom]

Over a lot of years, and an awful lot of cruises (over 70 days a year) we gradually pared down our list of "favored" cruise agencies to 3! Whenever we are ready to book a cruise we will check with each of these agencies (2 have excellent online booking engines so we do not need to call...and the third usually requires a phone call) to see who has the best deal. One of those 3 seems to usually have the best deals with RCI products (RCI, Celebrity and Azamara) while the other two seem to be best for all the other lines (we have cruised on 14 different lines).

 

We also will usually check one or 2 other agencies just to see if they have better deals then our favored list. Our personal list is not "fixed" and we would change it if an when there is cause. I should also add that we always also check prices on the cruise line's own web site, but have never found any cruise line that can match our favored agencies.

 

Hank

 

You sound like my kind of cruiser -- someone who does not stick with one cruise line, and shops around for price. We have nowhere near your volume yet, but we have not sailed on the same line twice in four cruises, and we have used a different seller, including the cruise line itself, for each cruise. So I suppose we are in the process of "narrowing down," as you have done.

 

When you say "match", do you mean basic price, or OBC's and other perks? I have heard that agencies who sell a lot of cruises can opt to discount base price, but I have not been able to confirm that. Also that TA's get info from the cruise lines about various sales and discounts that are not advertised to the general public. Haven't confirmed that either.

 

What I wonder about is whether folks who get cruise line emails may hear of these quick sales, too, and whether email "specials" aren't the same as prices openly advertised on the cruise line's website. When I was on Celebrity's email list, I got so many emails there was no way I could keep up, and they did not seem to advertise any "special" prices, just the same prices I could find elsewhere online.

 

I do a lot of research, even though I don't cruise often yet, and I find, across the board at any given time, pretty much the same price for any given cruise. The offers I find that differ are OBC's, free excursions, drink packages, priority boarding, free bubbly, bonus flyer miles, and the like. I look for an agency that adds its own OBC and sometimes other perks to what is already offered by the cruise line.

 

The fact that you find better deals for particular cruise lines with particular agencies seems to verify what I have read, too -- that certain agencies are much bigger sellers of particular lines, so they can offer discounted prices or perks just because they are high volume sellers for those lines. I thought I found that the last time I booked -- the agency seemed to advertise itself as a volume seller of Princess cruises -- but perhaps if I had been looking at booking a cruise on another line, this agency would have said it was a volume seller of that line, too! As long as they offer me the best combo of price and perks, I'm happy.

[CPT Trips]

SeagoingMom

Whenever I see a "special," whether from a TA, booking engine or the cruise line I go to the cruiseline's web site and check their price.

 

It seems like fewer lines are allowing TAs to discount the fare. Some lines now are even prohibiting TAs from advertising special deals and perqs. That is making the reverse auction site less user friendly.

 

Last month I booked an NCL cruise. In response to an auction request I used to get emails from various TAs giving me their deal for the cruise I want. This time I got an email from the auction site advising me that NCL prohibited any advertising of special deals; but they gave me TAs to call. The best deal after calling and asking was 8% of cruise fare in obc. Obviously making multiple calls instead of sorting thru a bunch of emails is not nearly as convenient. But for several hundred bucks I'll do some work.

 

You can still get a discounted fare if you find a TA that booked a charter. Again, that's where the reverse auction site comes in really handy. One time we managed to get a Sweet Sixteen on X for less than a GTY balcony plus obc. That outfit is also a preferred agency, so I contact them if they don't bid on my cruise.

[Hlitner]

When we price out a cruise we usually a very basic formula to calculate passenger per day cost. We take the total price of the cruise (this includes all taxes and fees), add the amount of tips (usually $12-$15 per person day) and subtract the value of any amenities which include items like OBCs (On board credits), prepaid gratuities, value of included drink packages, etc. Once we get are true cost per passenger we divide by the number of days. We like to get to that cost per day because it is the only good way to do a comparison to other cruise options (which are usually for a different number of days).

 

Some of the best cruise agencies have "private sales" where they will offer additional amenities. Because of the requirements imposed by several large cruise lines, the agencies are often precluded from advertising their best deals...but are permitted to offer those deals on a private basis. This means that if you are registered with these agencies (this is usually free and requires filling out a short online form with basic stuff like your e-mail address and name) you might get bombarded with more e-mails, but will sometimes find some terrific deals.

 

Over the years we have found major advantages to getting on the mailing lists of multiple cruise agencies. Some of these e-mails have turned us onto some great cruise ideas which we ultimately booked. There is one particular agency (I cannot post names here) that seems to specialize in stringing together multiple cruises (back to back to back etc) and will even package those longer voyages with pre/post hotels and air. Since we like to take longer cruises (more then a month) we find this very helpful.

 

We would also remind folks about stockholder OBCs. Both major cruise companies (CCL and RCI) currently offer on board credits for those that own at least 100 shares of their stock. CCL is quite generous with these credits ($250 on longer cruisers) and usually allows customers to "stack" then with other sales and OBCs. CCL owns lines such as Princess, Carnival, Holland America, Costa, Seabourn, Cunard, etc and the credits can be used on any of these lines. RCI, who owns RCL, Celebrity, and Azamara are much more restrictive in when they allow you to use these credits. In fact, RCI has lately become so darn restrictive that we are thinking about dumping their stock :).

 

Hank

Edited September 18, 2014 by Hlitner

[suzyed]

We have had great luck with the TA site that searches for deals for us, once we decide what, when and where we want to cruise.

One time, A travel agency may have the best deal and the next time B travel agency will have a better deal....I do research and shop around and then when I get my best price, I might call the cruise line directly and see if they will beat, match, or neither the price I got!

 

We have had some amazing deals...almost one of a kind deals doing this!!

[time2travl]

I've been on about a dozen cruises. Sometimes I felt I got a great deal, sometimes just o.k. Shopping around doesn't really save you much today as prices are pretty much fixed by the cruise lines and the TA can't really cut a deal like he used to. Maybe a $25 obc or a bottle of wine, but not much more. Lots of luck and booking at the makes right time can make or break a good deal. I've booked as far as a year out and watched the prices simply climb. I always check the prices 30 days before final payment and if they went down I call my TA, cancel and rebook at the better price. Sometimes they may drop even more and I don't get the 'best' deal. It's really like the slots, lot's of luck.

The cruise I'm going on tomorrow, I booked a inside, bargain basement cabin. We now have a real nice outside I would have paid $100 more had I booked it. Best deal NO! others I know got upgraded to a balcony that would have cost $300 more, yet others got no upgrade. Same TA, 1st cruise for all on this line. Just the luck of the draw. My last cruise I booked a mid-ship inside, 2 days before leaving I called my TA and was offered an outside with large balcony for $50 more. Our neighbors paid much more for for a smaller cabin.

I did well a few times, but then again I've taken other cruise where others paid less than me. Win some loose some.

It also sometimes depends on cruise line loyalty, # of past cruise, residency, etc. The cruise I'm going on in 2 days I got on a 2 day presidents day special, I thought I did great as I watched it rise up to $200 more, yesterday I checked and it's only $10 more than I paid.

Since I'm doing a B to B my 2nd week has not fluctuated by more than $20 up or down. I had originally looked at another ship out of the same port

that was far higher when I decided to book, Now it's dirt cheap and had I known I would have booked my 1st cruise and this line & the 2nd on the other as I have never been on either and would have liked to try both.

It's just like at the casino, you always hear how much the guy won, but rarely how much he lost.

What I do wish would change would be to have the ships price posted like the airlines. Know the total price when you look it up. Some cruise look great, then you add port fees, taxes, etc. Today 2 cruises that are listed at the same price on a web site may turn out to be very different by the time you finally get the 'final' price.

If you're going to worry about who got the best price...you might as well stay home...it's cheaper

[iancal]

We are travelling now. We have a flexible period between Oct 20 and Oct 29 when we board an RCI ship.

 

If we see a great last minute offer on Med cruise (we will be in Sicily) we may just grab it as we did with the Oct. 29 cruise. If not, we simply make alternate land based plans based on weather and airline ticket costs. This is not unusual for us. So, when we see a great last minute fare reported we pay attention. Doing exactly the same in Australia next Feb/March. We appreciate the heads up on good fares/good offers.

[hamgela]

I never understood why people don't want to talk about pricing. I made the suggestion for a M&G to talk about TA's and pricing but no one wanted to. I don't understand the mentality that someone will get hurt. I would think if I ended up being the person who paid to much, I would rather listen and learn to get a better price on my next booking. And if I was the one with the better price, I'd be more then happy to let others know how I went about it, as I have done in the past on cruises. I personally think that the people who don't want to discuss pricing are people who just don't want to help others with theirs. JMHO

That. All of it.

[Hlitner]

We have our own theory why some folks do not want to ever talk about pricing...be it here on CC or anywhere! There are quite a few folks that get very set in their ways and "loyal" to a specific travel agent, cruise agent, cruise line booking person (called PCCs on one line) etc. These folks are adamant that their way is the best and their friendly agent always does the best that can be done. They do not want to hear about anyone who can do better because that will burst their bubble. Some would rather go through life overpaying for some things, will say they are happy to overpay, but do not want to know that they are overpaying! Does that make sense?

 

Hank

[CPT Trips]

We have our own theory why some folks do not want to ever talk about pricing...be it here on CC or anywhere! There are quite a few folks that get very set in their ways and "loyal" to a specific travel agent, cruise agent, cruise line booking person (called PCCs on one line) etc. These folks are adamant that their way is the best and their friendly agent always does the best that can be done. They do not want to hear about anyone who can do better because that will burst their bubble. Some would rather go through life overpaying for some things, will say they are happy to overpay, but do not want to know that they are overpaying! Does that make sense?

 

Hank

 

Your explanation is quite easy to understand; the mindset you describe seems on target but makes no sense. ;)

[Hlitner]

Your explanation is quite easy to understand; the mindset you describe seems on target but makes no sense. ;)

 

Guess some folks just cannot handle being proved wrong. So they find it best to either ignore the facts, dispute the facts (with no basis), or say something like "I do not want to hear it." Kind of like the 3 monkeys ("see no evil....etc). We like to think that the cruise agencies on our personal "short list" are among the best and at least one of them will have something close to the best deal on any cruise we choose. But we often will have folks (usually on cruises) tell us about an amazing TA, agency, etc. When this happens we will often check out this suggested agency or agent with our next booking and compare it to our own "short list" of agencies. If we happen to discover that one of these recommended agencies is competitive to what we normally use, we quickly add them to our own "short list" and continue to check out their offerings for the next few years.

 

Have to relate this tale from a recent long HAL cruise. There was a large group aboard who had all booked through one particular TA who has long had a good reputation among HAL regulars. So we approached their representative during the cruise to ask about their agency and were totally put off by the rep who said she would not discuss her agency onboard. We actually respected her attitude (although we did not agree) so registered with this popular agency to get their best rates on future cruises. After checking them out we found that they were not even close to the deals we can get from 2 other agencies (already on our short list) so this new agency has been jettisoned from our favorites.

 

Some might think that we are somewhat anal about this topic, but we do cruise over 70 days a year and try to stay within a reasonable budget. We appreciate the deals offered by some agencies, which can sometimes save us thousands of dollars on a single cruise.

 

Our long time advice to those on CC is simply to "shop around" before you book a cruise. This would seem like reasonable advice, but we often get flamed here on CC for making that "radical" suggestion.

 

Hank

Edited September 19, 2014 by Hlitner

[woodyren]

I was thinking in the same line of thinking you were. I thought even if we could start a post, and inform ppl it's just for ppl who want to talk pricing. It's not for ppl to say, "I don't discuss pricing" and what they think is rude etc."

 

It's already here. It was started by a few el cheapo Aussies but I am sure it would be great to have input from the rest of the planet as well. We do travel outside our own territorial waters every now and then.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=44160570#post44160570

[CruiseMore1]

Have to relate this tale from a recent long HAL cruise. There was a large group aboard who had all booked through one particular TA who has long had a good reputation among HAL regulars. So we approached their representative during the cruise to ask about their agency and were totally put off by the rep who said she would not discuss her agency onboard. We actually respected her attitude (although we did not agree) so registered with this popular agency to get their best rates on future cruises. After checking them out we found that they were not even close to the deals we can get from 2 other agencies (already on our short list) so this new agency has been jettisoned from our favorites.

 

Hank

 

She was being ethical. Agents are not allowed to promote their agency onboard at least some cruise lines. HAL may have that policy.

[iancal]

woodyren....thank you. Did not realize this thread existed. We have a Feb 20 cruise booked but we are keeping our eyes open for a last minute Aus/NZ cruise before or after. Too cold for us to return home in early March!

[kennev]

I've seen some posters allude to it being poor etiquette to discuss cruise pricing. Is that really true? Why?

 

I'm not an experienced cruiser so when I start shopping I have no idea what is a 'good' price. Further cruise pricing is far less transparent than, for instance, airfare or hotel pricing. It seems some people have 'secret TAs' and 'special promos' and so it becomes very difficult to know when to pull the trigger.

 

So we're cruising this holiday and feel we got a very good/fair price, but don't know. And when we buy our next cruise, how will we know then?

there are some precious petals answering this query. If i am asked how much i paid i am more than happy to talk dollars and if someone has a better price i ask how they achieved that price. not out of envy but in the hope that i can learn something for my next cruise. i get posts from three separate cruise websites and emails from princess and royal carribean so i am constantly looking for bargains. if a fellow cruiser can give me an insight into how to travel at the best possible price that is a godsend. Cruise lines want their ships to sail with a full contingent so they can maximise the onboard upselling. Consequently fares go up and down based on how well sales are going. What i have learnt from talking prices to fellow travellers has given me an insight into how to get the best price. Thank god i was lucky enough to talk to people who are happy to share and not the miseries who are frightened someone had a better deal than them!

[SeagoingMom]

SeagoingMom

Whenever I see a "special," whether from a TA, booking engine or the cruise line I go to the cruiseline's web site and check their price.

 

It seems like fewer lines are allowing TAs to discount the fare. Some lines now are even prohibiting TAs from advertising special deals and perqs. That is making the reverse auction site less user friendly.

 

Last month I booked an NCL cruise. In response to an auction request I used to get emails from various TAs giving me their deal for the cruise I want. This time I got an email from the auction site advising me that NCL prohibited any advertising of special deals; but they gave me TAs to call. The best deal after calling and asking was 8% of cruise fare in obc. Obviously making multiple calls instead of sorting thru a bunch of emails is not nearly as convenient. But for several hundred bucks I'll do some work.

 

You can still get a discounted fare if you find a TA that booked a charter. Again, that's where the reverse auction site comes in really handy. One time we managed to get a Sweet Sixteen on X for less than a GTY balcony plus obc. That outfit is also a preferred agency, so I contact them if they don't bid on my cruise.

 

Thank you (a little belatedly :o) for your very thorough and useful post! I have never used the "reverse auction" concept, because it is only recently I had even heard of it. Sounds like my future, though, especially as my life situation changes and I have the freedom to cruise more frequently.

[CPT Trips]

Thank you (a little belatedly :o) for your very thorough and useful post! I have never used the "reverse auction" concept, because it is only recently I had even heard of it. Sounds like my future, though, especially as my life situation changes and I have the freedom to cruise more frequently.

 

:) you're welcome

[travlnblueberries]

Thank you (a little belatedly :o) for your very thorough and useful post! I have never used the "reverse auction" concept, because it is only recently I had even heard of it. Sounds like my future, though, especially as my life situation changes and I have the freedom to cruise more frequently.

 

I realize we can't talk about TAs on here. But can you explain how this reverse auction works?

[SPacificbound]

"Cool" or "Uncool" is irrelevant to me.

 

I book the cabin & location I want, at a price I am willing to pay. I watch for price declines, but so far the cruises I have booked have all gone up in price. Once it is after final payment I no longer pay attention. I really don't care of someone else got a better price, or a worse price then I did. It's non of my business. :)

[CPT Trips]

I realize we can't talk about TAs on here. But can you explain how this reverse auction works?

 

You go to the website and enter the cruise you want to take . . . line, ship and date. You will then get, from the reverse auction website proposals from TAs . . . price and perqs. You contact the TA you select and go from there.

 

Search on the three words that logically apply. ;)

[lah66]

You go to the website and enter the cruise you want to take . . . line, ship and date. You will then get, from the reverse auction website proposals from TAs . . . price and perqs. You contact the TA you select and go from there.

 

Search on the three words that logically apply. ;)

 

This is exactly how I found the TA I currently use for all my cruise bookings. Most Cruise Lines do not allow the TA's to sell at a lower price point but we usually get about 8% in OBC. We usually cruise very inexpensively in inside rooms and always have at least $100 OBC. Up to $200 when we book our aft balcony rooms. You hear of some people getting $300-500 OBC and I assume they are paying big bucks for suites. I would have to work very hard to spend that much OBC. Other than tips, we usually come away with a $50 bill!

Good luck!

Lauri

[SeagoingMom]

You go to the website and enter the cruise you want to take . . . line, ship and date. You will then get, from the reverse auction website proposals from TAs . . . price and perqs. You contact the TA you select and go from there.

 

Search on the three words that logically apply. ;)

Ooh, now you have me intrigued -- the site I am familiar with has only two words in its title, not three. There must be sites I haven't found. I love a treasure hunt! :)