I always thought a TA could not sell for less then Royal?

[tomahawk246]

Learned something new Friday, a TA can sell for lower then Royal, They just can't advertise a lower price. My TA quoted me the same price as Royal and was going to give me 360.00 on board credit. He then asked me if I wanted to reduce the price by 360.00 instead. I said sure better for me.

[LovesCruising]

He can't sell for less - he is paying Royal the price quoted - he is giving you the reduction out of his commission or he has group space with perks/obc etc.

[Tee & Chilli]

My TA has group rates by buying a block of rooms.

[tomahawk246]

He can't sell for less - he is paying Royal the price quoted - he is giving you the reduction out of his commission or he has group space with perks/obc etc.

 

All I could tell you is he charged me 360.00 less then Royal very simple math.

[LovesCruising]

All I could tell you is he charged me 360.00 less then Royal very simple math.

 

Interesting - have you received an booking invoice from Royal?

 

Another poster may have the answer - he has group space that has locked in a lower price. That price would be lower than what is currently being advertised by Royal. The TA has a certain amount of time to sell that group space before "his" rates are gone. I should have been clearer.

 

Other than that - its OOP money from the agency.

 

Travel Agents are not allowed to sell below the rate the cruiseline is advertising unless it group rates.

[tomahawk246]

Interesting - have you received an booking invoice from Royal?

 

Another poster may have the answer - he has group space that has locked in a lower price. That price would be lower than what is currently being advertised by Royal. The TA has a certain amount of time to sell that group space before "his" rates are gone. I should have been clearer.

 

Other than that - its OOP money from the agency.

 

Travel Agents are not allowed to sell below the rate the cruiseline is advertising unless it group rates.

 

Credit card was charged from Royal, and I can see my booking # on royal. My info is on Royals site.

[josumello]

Credit card was charged from Royal, and I can see my booking # on royal. My info is on Royals site.

 

 

I have a Celebrity B2B booked for SO America. My TA had over $2000 less than cruise line. I am assuming it is a group rate. My credit card was charged thru Celebrity and it shows up on Celebrity web site. Also got the drink and gratuity perk. That also shows up on web site. We always book thru TA because of much better pricing. Sometimes it ends up being a generous OBC. Can't imagine booking thru cruise line. Good luck.

 

 

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[LovesCruising]

Credit card was charged from Royal, and I can see my booking # on royal. My info is on Royals site.

 

If your booking invoice is showing $360 less than the advertised price direct thru Royal - that tells me the TA has group space rate. If he didn't he wouldn't be able to discount - its not allowed

[Desert Cruizers]

A year from July we are under a Group Rate as we are going with friends and family to celebrate their 50th Anniversary, our E-1 Category room is less then what the online price is showing.

[skrapngal]

or you could have a Royal agent make a mistake when TA calls to reprice due to sale.

 

My scenario, TA called to reprice, Royal agent mistakenly quoted US price on CDN invoice. Result: we got our cruise at PAR... saving us $1000 on a D1 balcony. Given it was a great sale, our CDN price is currently LESS than price quoted on RCCI's US website.

 

Unfortunately, that will only happen once in a lifetime, but I equate it to the upgrade fairy... We just lucked out!

[jmckay331]

Going through TA and getting a discounted rate is like when you trade in a car when buying a new car. They may offer more in discount off new car rather than offering more for trade in...it's an accounting thing. While it means the same to the customer ie$500 less, it's better for dealership since they turn around and sell old car and want to make a profit. So for the $360 either as OBC or bill discount it doesn't matter it was money already available to customer so basically TA used the OBC to pay down bill by $360

[Texasopa]

On my September cruise my TA was $500 less then Royals, plus my TA gave me OBC and a small perk package, where Royal was offering no extra's. I'm sure my TA had a block of rooms, as several days later they were sold out and Royal still had lots of rooms left. Now my TA shows rooms available, but at same price as Royal's.

[nikinakinoo]

Not sure if this applies in the UK but an online TA had a cruise for less than Royals price plus the TA added a booking fee and was still cheaper, I called Royal and asked if they could price match the TA but was told they couldn't and if I wanted the cheaper price they suggested I used the online TA!!

[Clarea]

Not sure if this applies in the UK but an online TA had a cruise for less than Royals price plus the TA added a booking fee and was still cheaper, I called Royal and asked if they could price match the TA but was told they couldn't and if I wanted the cheaper price they suggested I used the online TA!!

Sounds like the TA had group space reserved when the price was lower.

[Paulxyz2004]

I´ve used my TA for many years and he discounted my Cruises before the rule about no Discounts went into place and he still does it. It´s definitely not due to Group space. They simply pass on some of their commission.

 

I don´t care how they do it and what deal they have with RCI about it, but I´m pretty sure it´s not getting them into Trouble.;)

[erby2283]

When a family member was considering joining us for our Oct Anthem Cruise, prices has increased over $2500k from when I paid according to RC's website. I emailed my friend, who is also my TA, and they had group space available at the same price that I paid when I booked last May. They only had one balcony and some insides left at that rate but sometimes it pays to book through a TA!

[tomahawk246]

Sounds like the TA had group space reserved when the price was lower.

 

Could group space be an X category?

[Desert Cruizers]

The TA our friend is using to block say #20 rooms, gets a price from the cruise line based upon the category rooms the individuals request, she notifies the individuals, their category room is Price X$. she will need to release any rooms not picked up by a specific date so the cruise lines have a chance to sell them. This works much the same way as running a Convention where a group blocks a number of rooms, any unsold room has to be released back to the hotel within 2 months of the Convention. I know our final date is much earlier then normal. Example, for our July 2, 2017 sailing, final is March 27, 2017, while our August 26, 2017 TA, the final is June 5, 2017.

Edited May 16, 2016 by Desert Cruizers

[Jenjer]

TA's make a commission I am sure Royal consultants make a commission also. If you book with a TA they can give you some of that back to save you money they make a little less you save a little and everyone is happy.

 

If you book thru Royal they don't have to pay a TA commission just their own employees.

[allie3490]

I have a Celebrity B2B booked for SO America. My TA had over $2000 less than cruise line. I am assuming it is a group rate. My credit card was charged thru Celebrity and it shows up on Celebrity web site. Also got the drink and gratuity perk. That also shows up on web site. We always book thru TA because of much better pricing. Sometimes it ends up being a generous OBC. Can't imagine booking thru cruise line. Good luck.

 

 

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Same here. We got over $2000 discount from our TA for our Harmony sailing. Can't even begin to tell you what an amazing deal we got on 2 cabins. Plus OBC.

[Baron Barracuda]

The TA our friend is using to block say #20 rooms, gets a price from the cruise line based upon the category rooms the individuals request, she notifies the individuals, their category room is Price X$. she will need to release any rooms not picked up by a specific date so the cruise lines have a chance to sell them. This works much the same way as running a Convention where a group blocks a number of rooms, any unsold room has to be released back to the hotel within 2 months of the Convention. I know our final date is much earlier then normal. Example, for our July 2, 2017 sailing, final is March 27, 2017, while our August 26, 2017 TA, the final is June 5, 2017.

 

Curious as to the agreement between ta's and Royal on these.

 

If TA takes down block of say d1's at $1,000 and later price rises to $2,000 can TA sell to me at $2,000 (or $1,500, or $1,200) and make additional profit, or must they sell at the $1,000 they paid Royal?

[Desert Cruizers]

No, once once they get the price from the cruise line on a block of rooms, E Cat, D. Suites, then that is what they offer them to you, minus any discounts like Platinum, Diamond and deposit. They may get some other discounts but since I am not in the business I really don't know what all they get along for the block of rooms.Once you get your price, they can't raise them, but not sure what happens if the price drops.

Edited May 16, 2016 by Desert Cruizers

[sumik]

I've never used a TA. Everything sounds like all good things, is there a downside? How do you find someone who's reputable? We live in FL and cruising is pretty much our vacation of choice. Any input is greatly appreciated. Thanks =)

[sandancer]

Sadly it is not allowed for members to name a reliable and generous travel agent although most of us know one. It's against the rules. All you can do is search online and then do lots of research on the agents you find.

 

 

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Edited May 16, 2016 by sandancer

[critterchick]

Curious as to the agreement between ta's and Royal on these.

 

If TA takes down block of say d1's at $1,000 and later price rises to $2,000 can TA sell to me at $2,000 (or $1,500, or $1,200) and make additional profit, or must they sell at the $1,000 they paid Royal?

 

I don't know of any prohibition against charging more than the price at which the cabin is held, but it would be a terrible business practice. If the TA sends the RCI invoice (which IMO the client should always request), it will be clear to the client that there's a substantial markup. Would you do business with that TA again?