Working with a Travel Agent

[moki'smommy]

Forgot one. The right credit card can save you quite a bit. I'm not talking about those offered by the cruise lines, you can do much better. Typically, the cruise line card will give you 1% on all purchases and 2% on cruise line purchases.

 

I have credit cards from two different big box stores. Both of them give 3% cash back on all travel and restaurants. That's more than the cruise line and it also applies to airline tickets, hotels, and dining. It's cash back so I can use it for anything. Cash can also be combined with all offers and promos. I'm not locked into a specific line but can use it anywhere. Sure, there is a membership fee but I save much, much more.

 

Good point, RocketMan--I also have a bank credit card (not thru cruise line) that gives me 2% on all travel and restaurant charges It adds up quickly!

[RocketMan275]

Good point' date=' RocketMan--I also have a bank credit card (not thru cruise line) that gives me 2% on all travel and restaurant charges It adds up quickly![/quote']

 

The two big box cards are fairly similar. Both are actually from a major bank just like the cruise line cards. Sam's uses Mastercard and Costco has changed from AMEX to VISA. Both offer 4 or 5% on gasoline, 3% on travel, 2% in store, and 1% elsewhere. I have another card for the elsewhere which pays 1.5%. These cards are so much better than those offered by the cruise lines. The only drawback is you do have to go to the store to cash the check. You don't have to buy something but you do have to go there.

 

Ten percent discount from the TA. Three percent from the credit card. Thirteen percent off a cruise isn't bad at all.

[Genessa]

I shop and research the cruise I want to go on, check out prices from Princess (using my cc number) and then I contact a travel agent (agency) that dh & I have been using since 2002.

 

both an on-line and brick and mortar place they provide excellent service and always give me a number that is substantially discounted from Princess' price. and on board credit. and provide me with a detailed invoice that shows what is their credit, what is my credit from FCC or from specials that are going on.

 

they don't typically contact me when prices drop but will make changes if they do for no fee. no cancellation fees, no change fee.

 

apparently people think it's too good to be true, I've met people on board who tell me they will stick to booking directly with Princess. I am not and never will be a sales person, but if someone is talking/complaining about what they paid, service they did or didn't get, I'll suggest the agency I use.

 

I don't look at it as giving over control of my reservation to anyone. I make all the decisions, including the one to save myself extra money for excursions or my bar bill, lol.

[Coral]

 

apparently people think it's too good to be true, I've met people on board who tell me they will stick to booking directly with Princess. I am not and never will be a sales person, but if someone is talking/complaining about what they paid, service they did or didn't get, I'll suggest the agency I use.

 

I don't look at it as giving over control of my reservation to anyone. I make all the decisions, including the one to save myself extra money for excursions or my bar bill, lol.

 

I agree with you 100%.

[ibfishing2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cruzsnooze View Post

Nobody cares about my booking more then I do. I don't need a middle man mucking up the waters. If there's a price drop the TA looses commission, so not all will watch prices for your benefit. An up sell that goes through your TA will likely get to you after those who booked directly so you could loose out on that. Only you know if the perk a TA offers you is worth giving up control.

 

Again, this isn't true. On both of my last sailings, I did get 2 upsells through my TA. I have a very good TA who notified me right away of the offers, who got me the upsells, on top of a generous discount.

__________________

Nina

 

My experience with my TA has been the same as Nina's. I have been notified of upsells in a timely fashion. My TA was aware that we could not afford the mini-suite on our Antarctica Cruise, so we booked a Lanai. Sometime after we had paid our final payment, we received an e-mail AND phone message about the upsell that was an unbelievable offer ($5000 less) and we "jumped" on it. She knew how much that meant to us. That's just one of many advantages we have found. And that "my two cents"

[Cairn Mom]

TA's work with consortiums to get better rates, and extra OBC. As others have said, you need to be a good consumer. Make sure there are no hidden fees. In my area, some agents charge $200 for their time. If you are taking a detailed trip with lots of hotels, tours, train tickets/ car rentals and dinner reservations it can be worth it for a top agent to plan the trip. My TA does not does not charge a fee. Personally, I would not pay anything for someone to book my cruise. I do all the research and tell my agent what I want. Then, she gets it for a better price-lol. She also keeps track of upsells and upgrades.Get recommendations from your friends and neighbors. We have found that using a TA is a benefit.

[pris993]

I don't see any reason to use a TA for cruise, air, hotel and insurance.

 

Can do just as well on my own. Do my own monitoring... when price drops, call and get the lower price.

 

I like to be in control of my own bookings and making the changes.

[Colo Cruiser]

I don't see any reason to use a TA for cruise, air, hotel and insurance.

 

Can do just as well on my own. Do my own monitoring... when price drops, call and get the lower price.

 

I like to be in control of my own bookings and making the changes.

 

 

We prefer the savings. ;)

[PrincessLuver]

Nobody cares about my booking more then I do. I don't need a middle man mucking up the waters. If there's a price drop the TA looses commission, so not all will watch prices for your benefit. An up sell that goes through your TA will likely get to you after those who booked directly so you could loose out on that. Only you know if the perk a TA offers you is worth giving up control.

 

Totally agree....we always have way more OBC's on cruises then our friends who us TA's and we book directly. Have traveled for a long time and it is no big deal to get perks from airlines, hotels and cruise lines. As another thread indicated recently....TA's belong to a bygone era in the day and age of the internet.....;)

[Iamcruzin]

I am not a Travel Agent but have some friends who are. Here is my take on things from my limited knowledge, right or wrong. Agents feel free to correct me.

 

A TA who does a lot of business with Princess is going to get 15% commission off of the cruise fare. They don't get commission off taxes, port fees, etc.... Most agents have to pay their parent company something - sometimes 3-4% give or take depending on many variables. It can be much higher if a brick and mortar, etc..So that gives agents 10-12% to work off of. Now, if they want any commission whatsoever, they will take a few percentage points for themselves. So anytime you get 9-10% off of fare, you are doing really well. That means the agent is only making a few percentage points. Remember - they have to make a living also!

 

So if the commission is 15%, how do some say they get 20% off discounts. There are only a few possible ways and some probably don't happen every day. One would be an example of group space and the cruise going up quite a bit in price. For example, they grab Cabin A at $2000 pp when it opens and all of a sudden the cruise is very popular and the cabin is now selling quite a bit more. Because the agent has group space, they can sell it at their contracted price.

 

A second possibility and I don't know if this still happens is that there are some sailings that Princess gives group space away initially at a much cheaper price then they are going to release it normally to people. For example - spring transatlantic used to be give aways. They used to give really good pricing below regular price.

 

These ways below are probably more common but not 15-20%:

 

A third possibility would be flash prices. Princess allows agents to have flash pricing that they don't show on their website. These are last minute pricing but they are often significantly cheaper than through Princess direct. This is not the same flash pricing that goes out to people from Princess in emails. This is restricted to Travel Agents.

 

A fourth possibility is someone qualifies for significant discounts based on their CC# (resident rate, elite rate, having sailed awhile with Princess rate, etc..). So if someone is comparing a price on Princess's website or any travel agents website with out logging in and then they qualify for a great rate by the TA putting their phone number in or Captain Circle # in, they may think they are getting a great deal.

 

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So realistically - 20% is not realistic. Even 15% is not very realistic either when basic commission is 15%. Somewhat possible given a few odd scenarios but not going to happen on most sailings.

 

I think 7-9% off cruise fare (not taxes) is a great discount.

 

I value the knowledge of travel agents. I have benefited from calling my agent to say "I am thinking of A" and they would add "Would you be interested in B - it is much cheaper, just a week off". Or I will call and say "get me out of the country for next month cheap" which opens the door to hear of specials they have seen that they think I may benefit from. If something goes wrong on a trip - I want my TA there. They are going to find out about cancellations often before we do, and mine has automatically secured me on another cruise before others have the opportunity to do so. So I value Travel Agents. I understand those who have been bitten by them - I had one of those bad agents also.

 

 

This makes perfect sense and explains why I don't find the deals that others get. I book directly with the cruise line monitor price drops until final payment and then close to final payment I look for a TA to transfer it to. I have never received any offer that would compel me to transfer my booking.

 

 

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