Benefit of using a PCC vs a TA

[summer slope]

I've always used a local TA and have been happy, though not sure I got all the benefits available. What can a PCC do for me that my TA cannot? Thank you in advance for your advice.

[summer slope]

After reading many boards and getting myself totally confused I've decided to go with our local TA. She has helped us with past cruises and I'm comfortable with her. Maybe the PCC would be able to do things faster but I feel our TA will watch out for us as well.

[IRL_Joanie]

I've always used a local TA and have been happy, though not sure I got all the benefits available. What can a PCC do for me that my TA cannot? Thank you in advance for your advice.

I did a search under thread tools, modifying your thread title, and found what I think may be a thread that will help answer your question(s) Starting with Post #7 in the following thread (where that very same question is asked): http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2104250&highlight=pcc+vs+a+ta

 

Joanie

[summer slope]

Thank you Joanie.

[DaveOKC]

One thing to consider - it really depends on the quality of the TA and the quality of the PCC. This is the determining factor IMO.

 

DaveOKC

[Krazy Kruizers]

Booking through HAL's PCC would mean $300 less in shipboard credit as the PCC's are not permitted to give us that American Express perk.

[summer slope]

Booking through HAL's PCC would mean $300 less in shipboard credit as the PCC's are not permitted to give us that American Express perk.

Which AMX card do you need to have to get this extra SBC?

[kazu]

One thing to consider - it really depends on the quality of the TA and the quality of the PCC. This is the determining factor IMO.

 

DaveOKC

 

exactly! A good TA/PCC is worth their weight in gold and if you can procur either obc or discounts, even the better :)

[IRL_Joanie]

Which AMX card do you need to have to get this extra SBC?

 

I believe KK uses AMEX Platinum.

 

exactly! A good TA/PCC is worth their weight in gold and if you can procur either obc or discounts, even the better :)

 

Very True.

 

We have only used a PCC and she is authorized to get us up to $400.00 per person per cruise segment booked (7 day cruises.) More if we do longer cruises.

 

As an example on our 2012 cruises on Nieuw Amsterdam and Westerdam (got off one ship and went directly to the other) we were able to get a total of $1000.00 per person OBC for both ships, most of which came from our PCC, which came after Final Payment price drops.

 

If the Price Drops are of greater value than any package deal you may be giving up it can be a great deal to you, it was for us:)

 

Joanie

Edited January 2, 2015 by IRL_Joanie

[Lizzie68]

There are people who rave about their PCC, and others who do the same about their TA. And some who have had bad experiences with both. In my very limited experience, I began my last cruise booking directly with HAL (not sure if that was a PCC) and later transferred to a TA who gave me a very handsome OBC. The rep at HAL was quite happy to assist with the transfer, so no hurt feelings. I have seen posts that said they got better OBC with a PCC, and posts that said the same about their TA.

 

So all in all, it's personal choice!;) I think if you have a good relationship with either, then stick with it.

[kazu]

I believe KK uses AMEX Platinum.

 

 

 

Very True.

 

We have only used a PCC and she is authorized to get us up to $400.00 per person per cruise segment booked (7 day cruises.) More if we do longer cruises.

 

As an example on our 2012 cruises on Nieuw Amsterdam and Westerdam (got off one ship and went directly to the other) we were able to get a total of $1000.00 per person OBC for both ships, most of which came from our PCC, which came after Final Payment price drops.

 

If the Price Drops are of greater value than any package deal you may be giving up it can be a great deal to you, it was for us:)

 

Joanie

 

well done. I use a TA and by the time everything was done on my P'dam cruise we went on with over $3,000 in OBC (and yes we spent more than that - it was 30 days after all :)). A combination of my TA's OBC, HAL's "make up" for a cancelled cruise and my FCD's and stock credit.

 

 

 

There are people who rave about their PCC, and others who do the same about their TA. And some who have had bad experiences with both. In my very limited experience, I began my last cruise booking directly with HAL (not sure if that was a PCC) and later transferred to a TA who gave me a very handsome OBC. The rep at HAL was quite happy to assist with the transfer, so no hurt feelings. I have seen posts that said they got better OBC with a PCC, and posts that said the same about their TA.

 

So all in all, it's personal choice!;) I think if you have a good relationship with either, then stick with it.

 

I do believe you have hit the proverbial nail on the head.

 

when you have a good person to book cruises with, never let them go :D

[chrispb]

Horses for courses. What suits one person perhaps won't suit another so everyone needs to suit themselves:)

[Hlitner]

We have no agenda when it comes to how we book our cruises (over 70 days a year) except that we seek out the best overall deal (which means money). In the case of PCC vs cruise agencies we can always find much better deals (especially on longer cruisers) by shopping around among several of our favorite agencies. On the longer cruises our overall savings can exceed $3000 when comparing a PCCs offer to what we can get elsewhere. Our PCC does tell us that she is happy to take care of any booking and then transfer it to the agency of our choice so that we can enhance our amenities. While that does sound good in practice (many cruisers do transfer bookings to an agency) it means we lose some leverage with the cruise agencies. An agency who might give us a few hundred dollars of additional OBCs if we transfer a booking to their agency...might be more inclined to further enhance their offering if we leverage the prospect of a new booking. We will sometimes contact 2 or 3 of our favorite agencies, tell them that we are going to book a specific cruise and cabin category in the next couple of days, and explain that we will simply compare the best offerings of several of our favorite agencies. Using this approach sometimes results in very good results :).

 

Hank

[KirkNC]

We have no agenda when it comes to how we book our cruises (over 70 days a year) except that we seek out the best overall deal (which means money). In the case of PCC vs cruise agencies we can always find much better deals (especially on longer cruisers) by shopping around among several of our favorite agencies. On the longer cruises our overall savings can exceed $3000 when comparing a PCCs offer to what we can get elsewhere. Our PCC does tell us that she is happy to take care of any booking and then transfer it to the agency of our choice so that we can enhance our amenities. While that does sound good in practice (many cruisers do transfer bookings to an agency) it means we lose some leverage with the cruise agencies. An agency who might give us a few hundred dollars of additional OBCs if we transfer a booking to their agency...might be more inclined to further enhance their offering if we leverage the prospect of a new booking. We will sometimes contact 2 or 3 of our favorite agencies, tell them that we are going to book a specific cruise and cabin category in the next couple of days, and explain that we will simply compare the best offerings of several of our favorite agencies. Using this approach sometimes results in very good results :).

 

Hank

 

We have had good success using the online TA (who shall not be named per CC rules). I think it in essence does what Hank describes. Several TA's offer their best deals and we pick the one that works the best for us. It is not always just about cruise price and OBC's as some throw in other perks that may or may not have value for us.

[KirkNC]

I believe KK uses AMEX Platinum.

 

 

 

Very True.

 

We have only used a PCC and she is authorized to get us up to $400.00 per person per cruise segment booked (7 day cruises.) More if we do longer cruises.

 

As an example on our 2012 cruises on Nieuw Amsterdam and Westerdam (got off one ship and went directly to the other) we were able to get a total of $1000.00 per person OBC for both ships, most of which came from our PCC, which came after Final Payment price drops.

 

If the Price Drops are of greater value than any package deal you may be giving up it can be a great deal to you, it was for us:)

 

Joanie

 

That actually sounds like a very good deal. I would be curious how the prices you see compare to ones I see. I also believe you travel in a better part of the ship than we do (Suites vs insides with an occassional balconey) so you are starting with much larger numbers to begin with.

[frankc98376]

One thing to consider - it really depends on the quality of the TA and the quality of the PCC. This is the determining factor IMO.

 

DaveOKC

 

So so true. We were unhappy with TA and booked our B2B last year online. We decided to give the PCC a try as we wanted to secure the same stateroom for both legs. I called her and was lectured that I should have not booked online as it was very difficult for her to take over the booking.

 

That was actually the highlight of our experience with the PCC- it got worse. Two emails and special requests ignored.

 

She didn't really see to care or want to put any energy into us. Baffled me as we pay full fare almost a year in advance for NS when we cruise.

 

Seattle office has yet to impress me with their customer service levels.

[PathfinderEss]

There are good TA/PCC and ofcourse there are bad ones. We use TA's and the advantages we find is better pricing and great service. I can email my TA any time day or night and she gets back to me in minutes.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Which AMX card do you need to have to get this extra SBC?

 

 

Platinum -- and the card must be the one from American Express -- not from Costco, etc.

It has a higher yearly fee than the regular cards.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Like a couple of others here, we like being able to go and talk to our TA or calling her any time we need to. We have her home phone if it is an emergency.

[taxmantoo]

Seems to me that PCC is just a fancy name for a HAL representative :rolleyes:

 

Most of the OBC's given to IRL_Joanie were, as she herself states, after price drops, so they can in fact be viewed as simple fare reductions or refunds. We get our fare reductions UP FRONT from our TA and have always come out way ahead of anything a PCC could do for us.

[DaveOKC]

Just to even the scale a bit - I love working with a PCC. This is my second one (the first moved onto another job at HAL).

 

Both have gotten me "extras" that I know my old TAs (I have had two different ones with two different size companies) never would have gotten.

 

Recently my PCC was able to get me an upsell before they were released to the general public, thus I was able to get a great pick of cabins. I seriously doubt a TA could pull that off.

 

Can I prove that a PCC can do more for you than a TA? Of course not. But the only important thing is that I am happier with a PCC than I ever was using a TA. Enough said.

 

DaveOKC

[serendipity1499]

To the OP.. Actually, I believe it makes a big difference on the type of cruise, the number of days booked, & if your Travel Agent has the ability to book into blocked space.. We always book cruises of 14 days on up..

 

When I retired from an International Airline, I was always comfortable booking our entire vacations directly with an Airline, Hotel, Cars & Cruise Line...

 

Several Cruise Critic members were always touting on-line Agents prices.. Some even raved about an on-line Agent who advertised on Cruise Critic.. In 2006, DH & I & another couple booked a cruise on HAL to the Amazon & also decided to ask for a quote from the same on-line Travel Agent who advertised on CC.. We were astounded to receive a quote of $1078 less (per couple) for an up-graded "E" Cabin, one deck up, in exactly the same area as our original "F"cabin..

 

Called HAL immediately & asked about the lower fare.. I was told by a Supervisor that they could not give us the same fare that their high-volume Agents were quoting.. I realized then that was exactly what we did in the airline industry.. Our fares were always higher than our Travel Agents who booked groups.. The HAL Rep advised me to release our bookings to the on-line agent, which we did..

 

Since then, we changed to another Agent who always gives us between 10 & 12% off the HAL fare in addition to OBC's.. He's about 200 miles away, but I can talk to him on the phone & he gives us great service.. On our last 68 day cruise on the Prinsendam he saved us 12 1/2 % by putting us into a group.. The wholesaler gave the group two shore excursions.. One we could not take due to illness & the other was a full day tour to Petropolis when we were in RIO.. A fantastic tour!

 

Some are willing to spend many hours doing their own research, know exactly what they want & can make an informed decision..They book their own air, cruises, car rentals, insurance etc. but are willing to pay full price.. And they are willing to handle problems which frequently arise, such as delays, lost baggage etc.. Others may want a discount, but are not willing to spend the time, & don't have the expertise that good Travel Agents have..

 

P.S. Our TA does not charge any extra fees for changes cancellations etc..

Edited January 2, 2015 by serendipity1499

[lcand1923]

I had a wonderful TA. She retired. I was transferred to another TA at the same agency. I contacted this agent last year for a HAL Alaska cruise with pre and post cruise stays and air travel. She booked everything through HAL and then charged me various agency fees. I had one extra request that took five emails to have her handle correctly.

 

So, I'm trying a PCC for my next HAL cruise. So far, I'm not overly impressed but I haven't gotten any extra fees.

[IRL_Joanie]

Seems to me that PCC is just a fancy name for a HAL representative :rolleyes:

 

Most of the OBC's given to IRL_Joanie were, as she herself states, after price drops, so they can in fact be viewed as simple fare reductions or refunds. We get our fare reductions UP FRONT from our TA and have always come out way ahead of anything a PCC could do for us.

 

No a HAL Rep is not the same as a PCC.

 

The following was just posted on another thread and as you can read, they have a VE

 

With this promo, there was also a price drop which I took advantage of promptly. We saved almost $900 each on our upcoming cruise when I called HAL. We have a VE booked.

Joanie

Edited January 3, 2015 by IRL_Joanie

[cruz chic]

Seems to me that PCC is just a fancy name for a HAL representative :rolleyes:

 

Most of the OBC's given to IRL_Joanie were, as she herself states, after price drops, so they can in fact be viewed as simple fare reductions or refunds. We get our fare reductions UP FRONT from our TA and have always come out way ahead of anything a PCC could do for us.

 

I've never had any problem getting a fare reduction UP FRONT for price drops before the final. I'm not sure why you think it would be otherwise. For me to have control over my booking is more important than a few $ in Obc. It's fine if a ta works for you. There is no need to put others down for not choosing that route. I'm not sure why every thread of this nature has to take the same tone. Book whatever way works for you but please have respect for the other side.

Edited January 3, 2015 by cruz chic