Travel agent perks

[stanbiker]

Hi,

 

When you book a cruise with a travel agent, when should you expect to receive the perks or confirmation of the perks?

 

Thanks!

[Sauer-kraut]

If the travel agent has given you goodies, you should contact the cruise line and request an Amenities Receipt ... make sure you print this out and take it with you in case the cruise line doesn't have record of it.

 

It is unlikely that agent perks will show up on line in your voyage check-in on the website.

[Keith1010]

This is something that you need to discuss with your Travel Agents before booking the cruise.

 

Often the perks involve on board credit or something along that nature that you receive on the cruise.

 

Keith

[stanbiker]

Apparently, I should have discussed the details. The agent said I should have received a voucher when I booked, and it is too late now. I'm thinking that I should have booked it myself from the cruise line.

[paul929207]

My includes them with the quote. I get something like:

 

Cabin A123, category q, $800 per person. OBC $50 per person.

[Keith1010]

Apparently, I should have discussed the details. The agent said I should have received a voucher when I booked, and it is too late now. I'm thinking that I should have booked it myself from the cruise line.

 

What you need to do is find a good TA. In the future before you book ask friends who cruise if they might have a reputable TA they can recommend. Also whatever amenities they will provide get it in writing.

 

Keith

[janetz]

Any perks you receive from your TA should be listed in your reservation confirmation that your agent sends you. If it is not there, call them. :)

[cruiseco]

Any perks you receive from your TA should be listed in your reservation confirmation that your agent sends you. If it is not there, call them. :)

 

And it should also state who is providing the perk. Maybe it's $250/cabin OBC from the cruise line + $100/person spa credit from the TA or something similar.

 

Where an perk comes from will often determine when the perk will show on your confirmation/voucher from the cruise line. Anything from the cruise line should show immediately but if it's from the TA the TA may not pay for the perk until the last minute because it's a mess unwinding it if the client cancels late.

[nana541]

In 20+ years of traveling my local TA only gave me a $50 OBC "once" and I would bet I booked over $100,000 in business with her over that time.

 

Call me stupid! I have since gotten a TA who not only gives excellent service but also provides benefits amounting to several hundred dollars on most trips.

 

You need you ask upfront "why you should book with them and exactly what benefits they provide" then have them put in writing along with when and how it is paid.

 

My invoice from the TA details the amount of my trip all broken down, less TA Promo = balance due. I do not take OBC, but usually pay less at final pmt. Note that this is not a discount on the cost of the cruise fare, but rather she is typically kicking back a portion of her commission.

 

If you are booking a trip where the price per person is very low, I would not expect much of a benefit if any.

 

There is also a certain Big Box membership store that also offers pretty darn good kick backs though they seem to pay after the trip by way of a gift card.... But food or gas is also good with me :)

 

 

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[Lionesss]

On our last Allure cruise there was two bottles of "bubbly" in the cabin. One from the cruise line, and one from our TA (a first).

 

Took many bookings with them to get anything.

 

Sea Ya

[cruisead]

You need to find the right TA. We get all kinds of perks from our TA, including OBC, wine and a goodie package. On our last cruise this package included a travel clock, a waterproof bag for beach excursions, small umbrella and other travel items. It was really cool.

[attilamom1217]

In 20+ years of traveling my local TA only gave me a $50 OBC "once" and I would bet I booked over $100,000 in business with her over that time.

 

Call me stupid! I have since gotten a TA who not only gives excellent service but also provides benefits amounting to several hundred dollars on most trips.

 

You need you ask upfront "why you should book with them and exactly what benefits they provide" then have them put in writing along with when and how it is paid.

 

My invoice from the TA details the amount of my trip all broken down, less TA Promo = balance due. I do not take OBC, but usually pay less at final pmt. Note that this is not a discount on the cost of the cruise fare, but rather she is typically kicking back a portion of her commission.

 

If you are booking a trip where the price per person is very low, I would not expect much of a benefit if any.

 

There is also a certain Big Box membership store that also offers pretty darn good kick backs though they seem to pay after the trip by way of a gift card.... But food or gas is also good with me :)

 

 

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There is another big box membership store that gives OBC. However they don't book a certain cruise line.

 

 

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[nana541]

There is another big box membership store that gives OBC. However they don't book a certain cruise line.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

 

I can't name a travel agent and that's why I described them as I did..... You however can name any cruise line why wish!

 

What was the point of your post??

 

 

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[mizLORInj]

One of the large warehouse clubs no longer sells Carnival cruises. That's ok. There are other TAs that do.

------------------

OP: our TA always offers some kind of perk to book with them and it shows on the invoice they send within hours of making a deposit on a cruise.

[attilamom1217]

I can't name a travel agent and that's why I described them as I did..... You however can name any cruise line why wish!

 

What was the point of your post??

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

I was referring to the comment about big box store and store credit after cruise is completed. I was just saying that there are other similar stores that give OBC not store credit.

 

 

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[nana541]

Yes of course you just gave to look around and on this particular booking a $500 store/gas/food gift card was the best Benefit I found. Better than what my normal TA gives which is usually 10%+ of the cruuse fare.

 

 

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[stanbiker]

Thank you for the suggestions. I will definitely do things differently next time, assuming that I enjoy the cruise

[ljw1127]

I guess next time we need to check around. Our TA hasn't offered anything. We booked last May, traveling this May. The price we are paying is exactly the same I could have booked online myself so no discount there. (DH wanted to go thru a TA). Not offered any OBC and I didn't know I could ask about it either. We picked a local agency that was reputable. I don't know, maybe we got a dud of a TA or we may be surprised. Time will tell.

[Hlitner]

We book with several different cruise agencies and expect to see any promised perk expressed in writing. Most agencies will have perks itemized right on the cruise invoice (which is often an e-mail). From my point of view, if I do not have it in writing it does not exist. This also goes for anything promised by the cruise lines. We have never had a problem with any of our cruise agencies, but have had several cruises where the cruise line did not give us the promised perks once we were aboard. We would simply stop at Guest Relations with a copy of the appropriate e-mail and the perk would normally be granted within a few minutes.

 

Hank

[brekia2000]

Great question. I was wondering the same thing. It's also good to know that I can tell my travel agent what others are offering and what can they do.

[TardisDance]

I use the TA through my Discover card. Through the Discover rewards website, gift certificates can be purchased. It's $40 for an $80 certificate (for inside rooms) and $80 for a $160 certificate (balconies). I think it's even better for suites, but I'm not sure what it is off the top of my head.

 

If a certificate is not redeemed, it's 5% cashback for paying with your Discover card.

 

I was also given extra $50 OBC with my last booking.

 

No complaints so far.

 

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[BigB0882]

Interesting. We booked with a TA for our cruise in December and there were no perks. Now, it was a very cheap cruise so even if I had known about this I don't think I would have even brought it up. We are booking again for one in April. We are going back and forth with Carnival directly and the TA. Maybe the TA will make us some better offers since A) we are going on two cruises within 4 months of each other B) this cruise is much more expensive and C) we are forcing the TA and Carnival to compete for who gets to book us. Would be nice for even a little OBC since we don't spend much on the ship.

 

Question, can OBC be used in the casino or only to purchase thing such as drinks, steakhouse dinners, stuff from shops, etc? Or can it be used for any and everything?

[gopro63]

Hi,

 

When you book a cruise with a travel agent, when should you expect to receive the perks or confirmation of the perks?

 

Thanks!

 

We were a group of people, booked through a travel agency. that person and family came with us on our cruise. they given out gifts, had ice cream hour, Bingo and prizes,, scavenger hunt, Christmas and hannukah gifts. Flowers and wine, And special treatment from the Staff.

 

not many travel agencies reach out like that. and why we use one!

[griffy116]

Royal pays them 15% of what you pay for the cruise. I would imagine if they had a group like yours on a cruise, your booking paid for the TA's family to go along and for the perks you got...and then some.

[SHayesShip]

Actually, TA's only get paid a commission on part of the total fare. TA's are paid only on the base fare which is MUCH less than the total fare. They are not paid commission on taxes/port fees and what are called NCF's (Non-commissionable fares). The commission rate also varies depending on the volume the agent/agency does. If the fares are in the $500 range for a 7 day cruise the NCF's/taxes can be over half of that fare.