How does one find a good TA?

[bzv143]

I know that no names are ever to be given on CC. Thus, in generalities, how does one go about finding a really good TA who offers excellent pricing and service? Is it just luck of the draw? Google? Trip Advisor?

 

 

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[easyboy]

In general, big box TA's are more preferred. They have a reputation to protect and risks are minimal.

But sometimes, one can spot a new deal for better price and perks earlier than the TA, which can then be referred to the TA for negotiation with the cruise line. So a parallel monitoring of these is suggested.

Edited November 18, 2016 by easyboy

[Judyumcer@aol.com]

A long time ago we were on a certain cruise line. We talked to a few people that mentioned that had a great TA, got several perks, good pricing, etc. She only booked two luxury cruise lines, she has very loyal repeat cruisers. So, I have to say, word of mouth. If you are sailing on a line you like, ask around who the other cruisers use. You might find a great agent. ⚓️

 

 

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[SadieN]

Our TA just passed away [emoji80], the new one is a referral from her widower. The new one needs to be 'broken in'. TA's are few and far between these days.

Edited November 18, 2016 by SadieN

[PIGSKIN]

Word of mouth , AAA

 

 

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[Lis2065]

We found our TA through our extended family. Wonderful woman based in another state in Australia.

 

We do everything via email or phone - she runs her own business but is affiliated with a larger brand/group here in Australia.

 

I wouldn't go to any one else now - very lucky.

 

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[mame42]

Our TA just passed away [emoji80], the new one is a referral from her widower. The new one needs to be 'broken in'. TA's are few and far between these days.

 

I inherited mine; she was my parents' TA. She is my age, but still traveling solo, as I do; we often joke about who is going to "go" first.

[Krazy Kruizers]

There wasn't any Internet when we started to travel.

It did take us about 15 years of trying various TA's before we found a good one. We have been fortunate to have had her for over 25 years.

We just moved from one agency to another in our area.

[take us away]

For me it was luck of the draw as used this TA for the 1st time in 1982 and have stayed with him since then. His agency belongs to a huge consortium so I get wonderful perks and pricing on fares and even insurance from the agency and the consortium, a real person to talk with and who knows what I want, and the company is able to trouble shoot if needed. Recommend you go with an agency that belongs to one of the consortiums but who offers personal service not just 'book and ignore'.

 

Word of mouth is best - sorry but my TA is not taking new customers..

 

You can google travel consortiums, find them, then go to their site to find a local agency. I would 'interview' the agent to make sure you are compatible.

Edited November 18, 2016 by take us away

[Randyk47]

I was lucky 12+ years ago to cruise with a fellow CC'er who in essence took me under his wing and educated me on the savings benefits of using an Internet based TA. Over the years we've discovered and developed our own list of TAs. We now have a great basically Internet based TA who gives us the service one might more likely expect of a brick and mortar TA but still gives us a 10-12% cash discount. Bottom line is that it's been "word of mouth".

Edited November 18, 2016 by Randyk47

[janmcn]

I found a local TA when we moved here who was outstanding, but she retired 2 years ago (like hairdressers and doctors they shouldn't be allowed to do this [emoji30]) so I tried her replacement who gave no service , so asked lots of people while on cruises. I found some consistent recommendations so have used this large travel agency that does only cruises BUT at the same time I keep checking with a big box store's prices. So far my TA has beaten them for the perks we are interested in (not interested in things like Explore4). So check around on your next cruise and that should help.

 

 

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[jtl513]

Ask friends or neighbors who cruise.

[drakes2]

I also like the ta's from the big box stores. Never had a problem with any of them and they always do their best to please.

 

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[jhannah]

I had a good TA who gave great service ... until one day when she didn't. So I went with a large Internet-based agency. Adequate service, though not personal. The agents seemed to be "hungry," so they responded quickly when I called or e-mailed. Good pricing and perks, so I've stuck with them. You might also look into agencies affiliated with your bank or credit card company.

[1of4]

Excellent question! I have not found one yet. Some swear by one but others can have a different experience using the same TA.

 

We have tried bricks and mortar and offshore and are now back to a TA based in Ontario, the province we live in, so we are covered by TICO which is the "Travel Industry Council of Ontario". When we purchase travel services from a TICO registered travel agency we are protected by an industry financed Travel Compensation Fund.

[Hlitner]

Oh my, but we are contrarians. While the Big Box stores are fine, we have never been impressed with their overall pricing packages (we can save more money elsewhere). As to local TAs, they can be great for hand-holding (for those that want their hand's held) but their ability to get decent pricing and overall good deals (considering OBCs and other amenities) is limited unless they are part of a large consortium. As to AAA, our own experience where we live (AAA is the largest travel agency in our region) is that they have pretty good deals on their "group" bookings (which are limited) but do not do well on other bookings.

 

So where to look? We always say, "shop around among major online high volume cruise agencies" and make sure to conduct your own due diligence as to the reputation of the agency. This can be done by simply using Google to look for negative/positive comments, the BBB ratings and info, word of mouth (we are always talking to other cruisers about their own experience) etc.

 

When it comes to "good deals" we generally expect to save 7-10% over the best offers found on cruise line's owns web sites. For our longer cruises the savings are often in the thousands of dollars (per cruise) and the pricing differences are quite large between competing agencies. Spending an extra 1 hour shopping around can generate huge savings (we are talking real money). Over the years our personal formula is to have 2-3 agencies on our favored "short list" which means we get their pricing on every potential booking (this often takes less then a minute) and we will also add 1 or 2 other agencies to our list (to get pricing) based on what we hear from others and our own experience. If an agency does not live up to our service expectations, they are quickly history :). The fact that we often cruise over 100 days a year does help get us very good service from agencies, but it does not necessarily translate into a better deal versus any other cruiser.

 

Anotherl irony is that we have sometimes learned good/bad about agencies from onboard future cruise staff. This has happened in onboard social settings. Last year when we talked to Celebrity onboard rep and talked about possibly doing an onboard future booking and transferring it to particular cruise agency we leaved that the particular agency was actually the highest volume agency for Celebrity bookings (this was a big surprise since the agency in question is far from the largest agency in the states).

 

As to HAL, we have often met HAL cruisers who use one particular cruise agency (who also has their own people on many HAL cruises). Because so many HAL cruisers love this particular agency we have added it to our mix when we price out HAL cruises and found that they are not even close to competitive to any of the other agencies on our own short list. We mentioned this to a fellow cruiser on our most recent HAL cruise and she responded that she knew they did not have the best deals, but they had some nice parties aboard. So for some folks, there are priorities other then the best deals or simply saving money,

 

Hank

Edited November 18, 2016 by Hlitner

[Texasnee]

Do you have the social network Nextdoor in your neighborhood? It has been an invaluable source of information for recommendations on everything from plumbers to dentists to TA's. Anytime I need a rec on something or someone it's the first place I turn. Neighbors helping neighbors!

 

 

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[RocketMan275]

All of those providing inputs to this thread have done a great job so I won't try to cover the same things.

 

Here's my advice.

First and foremost, forget googling. Holland and Princess allow discounting but do not allow advertisement of prices below the website. You will have to call and ask. Sometimes email works.

 

It's a good sign if the agency website has a "quote" button.

 

Regardless, you will have to call.

Approach this call like a job interview where you are the person who is doing the hiring. Generate a list of questions. For example:

- Do you charge any fees in addition to those charged by the cruise lines, ie, cancellation or change fees.

- Does your agency place the charge to your credit card or does the cruise line. (very important as some agencies have gone out of business leaving you holding the bag.)

- Does your agency handle airlines, hotels, and rental cars. (Not important to me but is to some.)

- When do you require final payment. Should be no more than one week before the cruise line does.

- Does your agency process price drops? (the agency should cheerfully do so with no additional charge.)

 

Compile a list of agencies using the tips provided else where in this thread.

 

Plan a cruise, line, ship, date, itinerary, cabin class, etc. Know exactly the cruise line price.

 

Call those agencies on your list.

Tell them you're looking for an agency and have a few questions. (see above)

Those that pass the interview, have them price the cruise.

 

Do not feel obligated to book a cruise they have priced. Tell them you're price shopping and will get back to them.

 

Repeat down the list.

[slidergirl]

Back when I started on CC, there were actually a few independent TAs on here. I looked at what they were saying on the various forums to get a sense of them. I chose one, chatted with him, discussed what I wanted for my first cruise, and he was able to set up an excellent experience for me.

Nowadays, I do my own due diligence before selecting anything. I'm kind of my own TA for most items. I will compare and contrast what I can do vs an online TA (NO TAs in my town - the last one closed up shop about 10 years ago).

Since I travel solo and, unfortunately, on the cheap, the perks I can receive are usually not that much. I have to weigh what I can receive vs having to give up control of my reservation - something I am never comfortable with doing.

 

I also have a little distrust of Big Box shops, since I discovered a specific CRUISE ONE that I found had hired a former manager of mine who was very ethically sketchy (and ended up being fired for it). Any shop that would hire someone like that...

Edited November 18, 2016 by slidergirl

[iancal]

We have had both ends of the spectrum. From fabulous to awful. Both for business travel and pleasure. The one thing we do is keep the relationship on a business basis. Especially important if we are not happy about something and want to speak our mind. Friendships can get in the way of that.

 

We do do almost all of our own booking now. We typically use TA to actually physically book our cruise and of course do re-prices, change cabins etc. She is on line, her agency is available at un social hours and on holidays plus we obtain good OBC's. We do the research and then pick up the phone or send an email.

 

One thing that we discovered was that by using TA's (or booking directly) in the country (for cruises and for some land travel) where we are going we can end up with better information, more choice, and a lower price. On occasion we have booked directly with TA's in the UK, South Africa, and SE Asia. The only real barrier is time zones and this is an easy fence to jump. The internet has made the world a much smaller place and a much easier place to arrange travel of all sorts.

Edited November 18, 2016 by iancal

[bzv143]

Thank you everyone for your wonderful comments. Question: who first books on Holland America with a PC and then asks to transfer the booking.? Do the PCs get upset? I have a booking number from HAL from my PC but want to transfer to an agency for the better perks. I'm nervous about doing so.

 

 

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[Platoon Leader]

We just transferred our booking from a PC to a TA for additional perks. There were no hard feelings or problems. PC understood we were doing our due diligence.

 

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[bzv143]

You all are awesome. Yesterday, my PC called for the deposit on our cruise, and I got my courage up and explained I may be transferring to a TA. She was super understanding and said that if she gets the deposit from me, then she gets the credit for the work she did, so all would be fine on her end. I told her I certainly wanted to be fair. Made the deposit. And will be transferring the booking once I find a TA.

So what I learned: use the PC first for any inside connections they have (cabin space only they know about, etc) and deposit. Then transfer the booking to a TA who offers the best perks. [emoji108]🏼

 

 

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[Tampa Girl]

You all are awesome. Yesterday, my PC called for the deposit on our cruise, and I got my courage up and explained I may be transferring to a TA. She was super understanding and said that if she gets the deposit from me, then she gets the credit for the work she did, so all would be fine on her end. I told her I certainly wanted to be fair. Made the deposit. And will be transferring the booking once I find a TA.

So what I learned: use the PC first for any inside connections they have (cabin space only they know about, etc) and deposit. Then transfer the booking to a TA who offers the best perks. [emoji108]🏼

 

 

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What are you accomplishing that you could not have obtained by directly booking, first, with the outside TA? The PC is not going to give you the discount that a TA may be able to give.

[bzv143]

Tampa Girl. Behind every post is a secondary story. We HAD booked with a TA but, not going into it, had a major fiasco and would have lost our non refundable deposit had HAL not stepped in. Now, thanks to HAL, deposit saved, booking saved. And with their blessing I can take my newly saved rez and find a new TA. Only caveat--have to do it before final payment.

 

 

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