Upgrading at Princess

[O2Bcrusin]

Please see my comments in red.

 

If you use a large online TA they will probably not check rates for you or keep on top of your booking. It will be up to you to stay on top of it and call them. They don't really care and are too large with too many clients to watch each booking closely. Many also charge a fee to change your booking. If you use an individual TA they are more likely watch prices for you. They are also notified of sales in advance so have a heads up. You will get more personal service and they will do all the work.

 

It is true, if you book through a TA, Princess won't talk to you and you must go through your TA but either way it is a phone call whether to a individual TA or a Princess TA.

[TracieABD]

To th OP:

Thank you for letting us know how this worked out for you! So glad you had a positive outcome!

[Coral]

I am not trying to argue, however what I stated was my expierence. I have used TA's and never got a better deal that using Princess. Sometimes you can get a good deal using a TA if they have blocked out group of cabins and treat it tour, however, even those cabins have to be returned at some point. That also does not happen on every cruise.

 

I have used and still compare my cruises with one of the largest cruise TA sites. I seldom can beat going directly to Princess. Can it be done? Yes. But it is not consistenly that way.

 

There are TAs who discount cruises, even if they are not in groups.

 

I get a discount on every Princess cruise I book.

 

I will not book direct because of this.

 

Web sites can not advertise a lower price but agents can give it. It sounds as you are a little misinformed.

Edited December 16, 2014 by Coral

[Coral]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I called Princess just now and was seamlessly upgraded to a balcony with all the current pricing and new OBC promotions. Very easy. It made me wonder - do people book their cruises a year or two in advance to get the exact room that they want, and then keep "re-faring" it as the price drops and the promotions get better?

Would a Travel Agent keep on top of this for a client?

 

Congrats!

 

A TA would try to refare it like Princess did. You most likely would need to call them like you did Princess but with a TA, you can save even more money as they can discount. If you are not past final payment date, you can still transfer to a TA.

[zidanefan]

What is the timeline to refare your booking? Does Princess or other cruise lines cut you off, say a week, before the sailing, or cut you off after a certain number of refares?

 

 

I do have a TA at a small cruise company that we have used in the past, so maybe I need to start using her to get even better deals. And obviously, I'd rather her talk to Princess instead of myself.

[AZbeachboy]

There are TAs who discount cruises, even if they are not in groups.

 

I get a discount on every Princess cruise I book.

 

I will not book direct because of this.

 

Web sites can not advertise a lower price but agents can give it. It sounds as you are a little misinformed.

 

Not misinformed. That is my expierence.

[Coral]

Not misinformed. That is my expierence.

 

Misinformed as you indicated that "normally you can't get better pricing with a TA". My TA discounts everything with Princess.

 

It sounds like you are working with the wrong travel agents. If you want to continue to pay retail, continue what you are doing.

Edited December 17, 2014 by Coral

[nana541]

Normally it's not the cruise fare discounted but rather the TA use a portion of their commission to reduce the total amount due and to provide benefits such as OBC....

 

Just my experience !

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Coral]

Normally it's not the cruise fare discounted but rather the TA use a portion of their commission to reduce the total amount due and to provide benefits such as OBC....

 

Just my experience !

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

This many times is true. There are also flash fares that are only available to Travel Agents. Plus, agents can get group space which can be beneficial.

[bhopal21]

Not misinformed. That is my expierence.

 

Your experience is costing you money.;)

 

Mike:)

[AZbeachboy]

Normally it's not the cruise fare discounted but rather the TA use a portion of their commission to reduce the total amount due and to provide benefits such as OBC....

 

Just my experience !

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Correct and not every TA does that.

[AZbeachboy]

Your experience is costing you money.;)

 

Mike:)

 

That is a big assumption. I don't just check with Princess, but as I have mentioned on other post I call TA and at one time used them. There was never much difference.

 

I keep control of my booking by going through Princess. I have had booking that were way cheaper that a TA could get me and sometimes I missed out on OBC by not using a TA. However, when that happened it was not much of a difference.

 

Coral, I don't know why you insist on arguing, I am not here to argue or with anyone elses experience. You seem to want to be a dominating force and throttle everyone who does not agree with you.

[nana541]

Hummm my last booking resulted in $1200 per person as an incentive for booking thru my TA vs directly with the cruise line.....

 

A very hard lesson of a lot of $$ left on the table by booking either direct of with my local TA who after 20 yrs gave me a bottle of wine and a $50!OBC.

 

This is real hard cash out of my pocket. Would not have gotten this by booking directly.

 

That $1200pp came directly off the bottom line and effected my final amount due. That was all I needed to know!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Edited December 17, 2014 by nana541

[caribill]

What is the timeline to refare your booking? Does Princess or other cruise lines cut you off, say a week, before the sailing, or cut you off after a certain number of refares?

 

 

 

Until the deadline for final payment, you can get refares as much as you want assuming the lower price is not "for new bookings only." Do realize that you also switch to the conditions of the lower price which could mean less OBC or a non-refundable deposit if you cancel or loss of an amenity such as a free dinner in a specialty restaurant.

 

After final payment, most (but not all) price reductions are for new bookings only and in most cases mean you cannot refare to them.

[caribill]

Normally it's not the cruise fare discounted but rather the TA use a portion of their commission to reduce the total amount due and to provide benefits such as OBC....

 

 

Lower prices from a TA can come from a variety of sources.

o A reduced commission as you mention is one.

 

o If the TA has a group of cabins reserved, there is a lower price for cabins in that group space. Some TAs will share that lower price with customers. Other TAs will keep that discount as additional commission.

 

o With group bookings, a TA gets "amenity points" that can be used either for the passenger's benefit or for the TA's benefit. For example, 4 amenity points on a 7 day cruise can result in $50/cabin additional OBC. Or, the TA instead could use those 4 amenity points to get $50 more commission.

 

So if someome is not getting lower pricing or better pricing from a TA, then the TA is most likely keeping the benefits of lower pricing for group space and using the amenity points to increase the commission.

[Coral]

Coral, I don't know why you insist on arguing, I am not here to argue or with anyone elses experience. You seem to want to be a dominating force and throttle everyone who does not agree with you.

 

I just know that after having booked 50 plus cruises, that there are a ton of discounting out there. You seem to insist that it doesn't make sense to book with an agent as there is no cost savings. This is not correct. Though, if you insist on paying full price, that is your choice. Just don't tell people that the price is always the same. Some people prefer to pay more for things when they can get them cheaper. Most of us are not like that.

 

The fact is that Princess still allows agents to rebate part of their commission to their customers.

 

It is amazing - people email me thanking me for this info all the time as many think the price with TAs is the same as with Princess based on posts like yours. Just trying to educate people and tell them they can save some money (which most people do appreciate).

 

So, those who want to save money, I encourage you to check with a TA who discounts. There are plenty out there. You will often get better service from a TA and several are experts in cruising and know much more then a Princess rep answering a phone.

Edited December 17, 2014 by Coral

[Casey12]

I have been with two TA's out of the 14 cruises I have been on. One had the software and would do it, however they would not rebook unless their was atleast $100 in savings. The other I keep researching and would call them and tell them of a price change.

 

I do not use a TA any longer. I call Princess every week or every other week and ask what specials they are running. But even if the price drops you have to look at the total package including OBC and gratuities.

 

Maybe you should reach out to your fellow cruisers on a future cruise. We have saved thousands by using a Travel Agent and our prices are always 10-15% less by not booking with Princess.

[CaribbeanIsland]

That is a big assumption. I don't just check with Princess, but as I have mentioned on other post I call TA and at one time used them. There was never much difference.

 

I keep control of my booking by going through Princess. I have had booking that were way cheaper that a TA could get me and sometimes I missed out on OBC by not using a TA. However, when that happened it was not much of a difference.

 

Coral, I don't know why you insist on arguing, I am not here to argue or with anyone elses experience. You seem to want to be a dominating force and throttle everyone who does not agree with you.

 

As opposed to arguing with people --- maybe you should learn from them. I have learned a ton from fellow posters.

[bhopal21]

As opposed to arguing with people --- maybe you should learn from them. I have learned a ton from fellow posters.

 

Since you brought that up, Coral was the first person to reach out to me before we took our first cruise over 10 years ago. I was concerned about my cabin selection and she was a wealth of information.

 

I wish that I had known about using a TA for those first 4 cruises as I could have saved some $$.

 

Mike:)

[sawtooth]

We live in a small town (Sun Valley) in Idaho and don't really have any travel agents. I have booked through Amex and directly through Princess. I would love to book through a TA and get a discount but I don't know who to call.

You see plenty of ads for big cruise agents at 800 numbers. Are those the people you are using. I would love some recommendations on who to use.

[Colo Cruiser]

We live in a small town (Sun Valley) in Idaho and don't really have any travel agents. I have booked through Amex and directly through Princess. I would love to book through a TA and get a discount but I don't know who to call.

You see plenty of ads for big cruise agents at 800 numbers. Are those the people you are using. I would love some recommendations on who to use.

 

We have never used a TA closer then 1000 miles away.

It has nothing to do with being local. ;)

Edited December 17, 2014 by Colo Cruiser

[bhopal21]

We have never used a TA closer then 1000 miles away.

It has nothing to do with being local. ;)

 

 

I agree.

 

And I also used Amex for my first 4 cruises or so until I found a great TA and lots of savings.

 

Mike:)

[AZbeachboy]

I just know that after having booked 50 plus cruises, that there are a ton of discounting out there. You seem to insist that it doesn't make sense to book with an agent as there is no cost savings. This is not correct. Though, if you insist on paying full price, that is your choice. Just don't tell people that the price is always the same. Some people prefer to pay more for things when they can get them cheaper. Most of us are not like that.

 

The fact is that Princess still allows agents to rebate part of their commission to their customers.

 

It is amazing - people email me thanking me for this info all the time as many think the price with TAs is the same as with Princess based on posts like yours. Just trying to educate people and tell them they can save some money (which most people do appreciate).

 

So, those who want to save money, I encourage you to check with a TA who discounts. There are plenty out there. You will often get better service from a TA and several are experts in cruising and know much more then a Princess rep answering a phone.

 

I am not insisting or arguing. I am very happy that some have had other expierences. My coments to you are because I connot understand why you cannot except what I have to say and want to condemn them as not valid. I have not intentionally come back and said your wrong. Every circumstance is different and many on this thread have has similar expierences as I have. Not every TA does give those discounts. I never said that some dont. It is your insistance to discredit me that does not make since.

[nana541]

Lots and lots of TA "DO NOT" give any discounts at all.... My long time TA gave me a $50 OBC, once....

 

Started hearing stories from other travelers about what discounts and benefits they received! Did some online research and now ask upfront about discounts and benefits for booking and get those offers in writing .....

 

Have not looked back..... You will normally not find these types of offers from your neighborhood TA. Google is your friend in these situations!

 

 

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Edited December 17, 2014 by nana541

[James in SA]

I do lots of shopping and have not been able to find these deals from TA's that are significantly better than what I have been able to find booking direct. Maybe I do not know the right TA or how to ask.

 

For example, I am currently booked on Emerald January 25th on a deal I got in an email (targeted?) from Princess that is $100pp lower than I can find on TA sites, and includes $100pp OBC. I am not sure why they offered that to me, but I am happy to take it. No, it was not a Casino deal, we never use the Casino.

 

I guess you just have to shop around and take the best deal, whether it is from from a TA or direct. I would like to know what TA some are using to get these discounts, as I have not been able to find them.