Travel Agents - Generic Discussion

[ghstudio]

Please don't mention any agencies in this thread.....that includes hints...

 

Since I booked my next celebrity cruise on-board, I have 60 days from the date of booking to move it from Celebrity to the travel agency of my choice.

 

First, there are two reasons to consider moving the reservation. 1) I would prefer not to deal with Celebrity HQ/reservations....most every call to them results in my getting incomplete or wrong info; 2) Some agencies give additional perks so why pass up more OBC's or whatever.

 

My "goto" agency decided a few years ago to charge a cancellation penalty of $50-$100 if we cancelled a booked cruise...which "could be" waived if I booked another cruise at time of cancelling the first one. While we generally never cancel a cruise, we have done so and I just don't like the idea of paying a penalty. Great prices/group rates...but that cancellation penalty has me only booking cruises we absolutely will take with them.

 

My "fallback" agency is quite good but the agent I've been using just doesn't return phone calls in a timely manner (sometimes not the same day). I could, of course just change agents.

 

My "alternative" agency was a big box discount store (they all have TA's) who used to send a check after you returned from the cruise but now only gives store credit. We don't shop that much at the store, so this is not interesting to us any more.

 

So I've been "shopping around". It's amazing the different offers....One agency offered me a great OBC, but then I found they have a $100 cancellation penalty also. Another had very small additional OBC but with no penalties. The last TA....the one that triggered this post...charges a penalty of 15% of the total cruise fare, applicable to another cruise if you book within a year. On the cruise I'm shopping, that would be a $900 cancellation penalty..."wow" why would anyone book with them...and they are one of the very large agencies.

 

I'm' not looking for a suggestion....I'm just openly wringing my hands...and suggesting to folks that you shop your travel agency....don't just assume that the agency you are using has the best deal or whatever.

 

Generically, what have you found when looking for a deal? I'm wondering if I should look further, or just give up and stick with my fallback agency and a new agent.

Edited February 1, 2017 by ghstudio

[sanger727]

I use a big online TA. Based on what people on here say they get I'm sure I could get more freebies and consistent benefits if I shopped around. However, I've found that, especially on celebrity, they often have access to significant savings over booking straight w celebrity. They always offer a little bonus OBC and more if you stay with one agent. They have absolutely no fees; no booking fees and no cancellation fees. Finally, and frankly the most important reason to me, is due to their size I can always get someone on the phone. On my last booking I called, was transferred to a new agent (I hadn't used them in awhile) and requested a quote via email which he sent. I called him back to book and didn't get ahold of him so called the general number. Right away they knew I had already inquired about my booking and said they could transfer me to an on duty manager who could assist me and allow the agent to retain my booking. Later there was a very short term price drop (just hours) and I shot my agent an email and left him a voicemail. I didn't hear back right away so called the number and asked for a manager who was able to check the booking and confirm the agent was able to grab the price drop. Overall have been happy with them.

 

 

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[Bo1953]

Your responses are encouraging, for sure! I Am leaving my TA after my next sailing after big changes to OBC proffered by RCCL on all lines in their fleet.

 

I will continue to research as I had all but given up due to the myriad of differences I was encountering.

 

Rejuvenated, I will commence search again to figure out the better agents to use for future sailings.

 

Thank you and bon voyage

[grandgeezer]

Please don't mention any agencies in this thread.....that includes hints...

 

Since I booked my next celebrity cruise on-board, I have 60 days from the date of booking to move it from Celebrity to the travel agency of my choice.

 

First, there are two reasons to consider moving the reservation. 1) I would prefer not to deal with Celebrity HQ/reservations....most every call to them results in my getting incomplete or wrong info; 2) Some agencies give additional perks so why pass up more OBC's or whatever.

 

My "goto" agency decided a few years ago to charge a cancellation penalty of $50-$100 if we cancelled a booked cruise...which "could be" waived if I booked another cruise at time of cancelling the first one. While we generally never cancel a cruise, we have done so and I just don't like the idea of paying a penalty. Great prices/group rates...but that cancellation penalty has me only booking cruises we absolutely will take with the.

 

I only book cruises that I absolutely will take and luckily, so far, I haven't had to cancel any cruises because of an unforeseen circumstance. I also use an online travel agency that charges a cancellation fee. We recently cancelled a cruise because the quality of the product was not worth the price we paid (buyer's remorse). We gladly paid the fee as over the last 15 years they have saved us well over $10,000 over booking directly through the cruise line. That sounds like a lot of money but we used to cruise 45-65 days a year, all in a balcony, or above and travel agency perks or usually determined on how much you spend.

[jb008]

I use a big online TA. Based on what people on here say they get I'm sure I could get more freebies and consistent benefits if I shopped around. However, I've found that, especially on celebrity, they often have access to significant savings over booking straight w celebrity. They always offer a little bonus OBC and more if you stay with one agent. They have absolutely no fees; no booking fees and no cancellation fees. Finally, and frankly the most important reason to me, is due to their size I can always get someone on the phone. On my last booking I called, was transferred to a new agent (I hadn't used them in awhile) and requested a quote via email which he sent. I called him back to book and didn't get ahold of him so called the general number. Right away they knew I had already inquired about my booking and said they could transfer me to an on duty manager who could assist me and allow the agent to retain my booking. Later there was a very short term price drop (just hours) and I shot my agent an email and left him a voicemail. I didn't hear back right away so called the number and asked for a manager who was able to check the booking and confirm the agent was able to grab the price drop. Overall have been happy with them.

 

 

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I've been using one of the large online TA Cos that uses a similar manager on duty service for when you need off-hours assistance. I do get a small OBC above and beyond what X would provide, and I've had pretty good luck with my TA being able to move my on-board bookings and retain the benefits (not 100% success, but good success rate). I tried to move a booking with X (I hedged and made a res in my name that went back to my TA, and a res in my wife's name that stayed with X) and X couldn't get the price quite as low or the same perks moved... I did not try HUCA (Hang Up, Call Again; aka Phone Agent Roulette) with X but from that limited test experiment I'm feeling even a little more confident about my TA.

 

I always like more freebies... but my current TA seems to be doing better than X so I'm not incredibly motivated to shop around. On 7-day sailings with a price point of approx. $725 - $1450 per person we've been getting anywhere between $25 and $50 obc per person. And on one sailing (Jewel OTS, I think?) we did get access to an unpublished group rate that saved me ~150-200 on the total cost of the booking too. My unscientific sense is that this agency doesn't grab blocks of rooms on X like they do on Royal because I haven't seen X rates that have beaten the advertised price on the X website.

[diesel1973]

For years I used a local TA . The service was great but she always complained about not making any money on cruises. On a cruise we were referred to an internet agency by some fellow cruisers. Their service was great at first and also offered 5-6% OBC or a check. Would book during a cruise or by phone to X an then turn over to TA. Their service eroded after time and just gave up on them even though we were quite pleased with the perks. Have tried another large internet TA on our next cruise an hope this one works out. Seems like whatever business you deal with lately,customer service is a thing of the past!:eek::eek::eek:

[Lastdance]

For years I used a local TA . The service was great but she always complained about not making any money on cruises. On a cruise we were referred to an internet agency by some fellow cruisers. Their service was great at first and also offered 5-6% OBC or a check. Would book during a cruise or by phone to X an then turn over to TA. Their service eroded after time and just gave up on them even though we were quite pleased with the perks. Have tried another large internet TA on our next cruise an hope this one works out. Seems like whatever business you deal with lately,customer service is a thing of the past!:eek::eek::eek:

 

Customer service is a thing of the past; that is why i am staying with my TA of five years!

[annie99]

I guess it depends on what you want/need from a travel agent. If you want the cheapest price and that is all that matters, then go with the cheapest price you can find. Just use the internet and look around every time you want to book something.If you want a travel agent who has your back when things go wrong or helps you save money on shore excursions or port information to DIY because they have visited those places then stick with one agent who gives you great service. I tend to look at the bottom line at the end of a cruise.....what have I spent on touring, drinks, gratuities, flights etc. If I can save some money on shore excursions by doing it myself ,then that can be a big saving -especially in Europe .Some of the big online agencies have people who have never visited the places that I want to go and they also will not call me when the price is reduced (by the cruise line). These things have value to me, so I stick with one reliable agent who knows me and what I like. Incidentally, if I can get a plumber or electrician to call me back the same day, I count myself extremely lucky.

[Flafun888]

One agency offered me a great OBC, but then I found they have a $100 cancellation penalty also. Another had very small additional OBC but with no penalties.

 

This is usually what I find when comparison shopping. But I think this will be the last cruise with my TA as well - I've booked 3 and they went from complimentary grats on 1st one to a $50/pp obc on 2nd to $25/pp obc on 3rd, all on roughly the same spend each time. Sort of like reverse loyaty. :rolleyes:

 

They're an online agency, but also spend a fortune on print advertising - they do a lot of volume, but for some reason don't seem to have many group discounts or incentives for their customers anymore.

[Pier290]

I'm new to all of this....so I can transfer my current Celebrity booking I made with a Celebrity agent to a travel agent to get better service and maybe better perks?? Flights too from Choice Air??

 

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[mandream]

I'm new to all of this....so I can transfer my current Celebrity booking I made with a Celebrity agent to a travel agent to get better service and maybe better perks?? Flights too from Choice Air??

 

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Once you find a TA and are happy with the offer, they can usually handle the transfer for you. There is an online form on the Celebrity website if the TA can't / won't do it for you.

 

Note that you have 60 days from the date you made the reservation to transfer. It also needs to be done before final payment.

[Beanb41]

It strikes me that some people want something for nothing. I particular the comments like large OBC but penalties for cancellation or small OBC but no penalties. One has to accept that the OBC offered from TA's has to come from somewhere and that somewhere is their commission. A simple solution in my mind is as soon as a booking is made and/or money is paid one takes out travel insurance that covers loss of deposits in event of cancellation. Surely by doing this and one should take out travel insurance anyway its a win win.

[bertrande]

I use an online agency based in the USA. Because we are not based in USA, I have had some of the larger online agencies tell me they can't do international bookings so my choices are limited. I am reasonably happy with my TA - using the website some of the others have posted, her perks have always come in consistently the best. My TA usually gives me about 7% back in OBC and we have been very happy with her - the downside is we are 12 hours apart and she doesn't work weekends so there's some scrambling sometimes. I could call the agency to get another TA on the line but the one time I did, the cover TA quoted me less OBC than what my regular TA had quoted me and when I raised it up, she said oh, then better check with her when she gets back to the office as what I have quoted you is our "standard" OBC offer.

 

My TA has never given me prepaid grats or bottles of wine but I believe she gives us the equivalent in OBC.

 

Having said that, they don't monitor price drops at all. I do that through the paid service website that some of the others here use. However, I am happy to note that our prices have always been good and there is almost never any need to rebook - I guess it's a consequence of booking so far in advance. Give and take I suppose. Also, we are starting to look at luxury cruising and my TA has huge volume in the mainstream/premium lines but not so much the luxury lines. Naturally she (and her agency) have little influence (IMO) on getting them to help us out. However, she tries her best so we are still inclined to stick with her for now.

 

I also don't do any business with any agency that charges cancellation fees - we book way out in advance and things happen now and then so I prefer to keep the flexibility (although our cancellation rate is currently zero because we prefer to shift cruises rather than outright cancel given that the bank and credit card takes a huge spread of the refund).

[mandream]

It strikes me that some people want something for nothing. I particular the comments like large OBC but penalties for cancellation or small OBC but no penalties. One has to accept that the OBC offered from TA's has to come from somewhere and that somewhere is their commission. A simple solution in my mind is as soon as a booking is made and/or money is paid one takes out travel insurance that covers loss of deposits in event of cancellation. Surely by doing this and one should take out travel insurance anyway its a win win.

 

A wise poster once said:

 

Not wanting something for nothing but what we are entitled to and if we are truly honest something for nothing would be nice

;)

 

Not sure the insurance would be a solution here in many cases. Unless this insurance included 'Cancel for any reason coverage' there is a good chance the cancellation fees would not be covered.

 

I agree with your point however and wouldn't regularly book a cruises on speculation (or multiple cruises) and transfer to a TA knowing that there was a good chance I'd be cancelling. I typically only transfer cruises that I have every intention to take. I have probably booked 6 or 7 cruises with my current TA and never canceled (including a family cruise where we booked several cabins). However, if I did need to cancel one - I would just chalk it up to the cost of doing business.

 

As long as there are those TAs that continue to offer cancellation with no fee - that will be my preference.

[Beanb41]

Getting a kick back from a TA for the business is something very new for us down under. We got the idea of shopping around our booking from speaking with Americans on our cruises for whom it is almost the norm. It took me a number of travel Agents who were prepared to play ball and our current one pays us 25% of their commission which is paid by reducing the amount due on final payment. As we don't deal in $US we have currency fluctuations to take into account unlike a US travel agent and the volume of business of NZ and Australian travel agents is small compared with US TA's

[spencerdrivecruiser]

Midsize Travel Agency.

No cancellation fees

Full service

Split commission. On a $5,000 cruise an OBC of $275.

Personal cell phone # of your Agent.

Very satisfied with the service.

Shop around because it is very competitive.

[Mr. Click]

I am always shopping for travel agencies. Started with my once favorite airline and got bonus miles, then discovered an online TA who would give pre-paid grats for a while and was pretty responsive to requests to follow up on price drops. in the past year that TA became much less responsive and dropped the pre-paid grats in favor os some OBC that seemed to vary day to day, cruise to cruise so I switched on another big online TA who gives store credit that works for me...and everything we have booked with them Celebrity has given us two perks or more so....like Jerry McGuire said "show me the money"....but take care of me too.

[Host Walt]

This article may be helpful:

 

Finding a Cruise Travel Agent

[Cruise Junky]

I use an agent in another country that I know is very popular on CC. She does tremendous volume which translates to discounts or OBC for me. Because of her high volume the cruise companies like to keep her happy which also benefits me. No cancellation fees.

[Luvcrusn]

We also use a large online TA that charges a $50@person cancellation fee. However, their rates are consistently less that Celebrity and they give more perks and OBC by a lot. We do take out insurance within 48 hours of booking, which will refund all, and not exclude pre-existing conditions, however if we cancel, we are out the cost of the insurance, which is more than the cancellation fee. On our last cruise we paid $300@person less than celebrity advertised rate for concierge class, had drinks, tips and $600 OBC. Our next cruise we are paying $100@person less than the advertised rate for a C3 and are in an Aqua A1. We have drinks, tips and $475 on OBC. So we accept the risk and figure that what the TA has saved us over the years far outweighs the possible cancellation fee we may incur. We shop each cruise, but so far have been unable to beat their deals. (In fact, we haven't even been able to find a match.) Good luck with whatever you decide to do. You sound like a savvy cruiser who knows the right questions to ask. :)

[Adammara]

I would be happy to cancel for $100!, On this side of the pond, if you cancel you loose your deposit. In October i booked a Cunard cruise, total cost £6198, the price is now a mere £3698! Cunard will do nothing about it, and I will loose my deposit (£930) if I cancel and re book.

 

We have had 40 cruises, and this is the third time we have had substantial price drops, P&O did it in 2009, and Celebrity in 2012, both for around a £1000, and I thought that was bad!

[Bo1953]

You still have a significant savings if you lose the deposit....

 

Just my take on it...

 

bon voyage

[cruisestitch]

It doesn't look to me like that U.K. Poster loses their deposit, it looks like they get a price drop, just not as much of one.

[chamima]

I use an agent in another country that I know is very popular on CC. She does tremendous volume which translates to discounts or OBC for me. Because of her high volume the cruise companies like to keep her happy which also benefits me. No cancellation fees.

 

 

 

Above poster is in Canada - we're in the US so she's in the same country for us but has told me she has clients from all over the world.

It's possible we use the same TA.

I can't say enough good things about her.

She has gone to bat for us with the cruiselines when we had a problem, she always answers emails or phone calls within hours and we get a decent OBC from her .

 

If anyone is sailing with us I can share her name in person - that's how I found her.

And that would be my advice to the OP - ask other cruisers while you're on the ship who they use, how long they've used that person, how they found them, etc.

Edited February 2, 2017 by chamima

[jagoffee]

 

 

 

Generically, what have you found when looking for a deal? I'm wondering if I should look further, or just give up and stick with my fallback agency and a new agent.

 

I shop around until I find a TA agent that does not charge a cancellation fee and offers a great additional OBC. I have talked to other cruisers while on a cruise to get suggestions. The TA that I am currently using was suggested by Wine-O.

 

I like to deal with a single person at the agency usually via e mail. Once I find one I stay with them and I do not shop around for the best price on every cruise. I believe I get the best deals by soliciting a quote and not just checking on line.

 

For Celebrity cruises I pay the same price with the same general perks as booking direct. This allows me to monitor for price reductions. Additional the TA gives me between 9.2% to 9.4 % of the cost of the cruise (without the taxes/port charges) in refundable OBC.

 

I usually book direct and then transfer. I really do not use a TA for anything except the additional OBC.