Beware of Flash Sales

[Del Rio]

Does anyone know whether cruise lines give TA's any commission? If not, that might account for the shortage of Windstar Travel-friendly Travel Agents.

 

Cruise lines do pay commission. I know of no cruise line that does not commission TA's and this includes Windstar. I have seen nothing to make me believe there is actually a shortage of TA's selling Windstar. But since, in any given week, there are far fewer cabins to sell on Windstar than say NCL; the visibility of the sales will be lower. And some TA's have some they sell more than others, but I know of no good TA who is unwilling (or unfriendly) to any cruise line.

 

I truly think that: "the shortage of Windstar-friendly TA's" is merely supposition of a small minority of posters on CC.

[marama]

Del Rio, that may well be the case in the USA but I can assure you it is different in Europe.

[Del Rio]

Del Rio, that may well be the case in the USA but I can assure you it is different in Europe.

 

 

I am sorry to hear that. You may want to consider working with a TA in Canada or the US. I have had an occasional client from the UK or Italy in the past. And I regularly work with suppliers based in Europe. I generally think of leisure travel as having no real borders. But I may be living a fantasy life.

[marama]

I am sorry to hear that. You may want to consider working with a TA in Canada or the US. I have had an occasional client from the UK or Italy in the past. And I regularly work with suppliers based in Europe. I generally think of leisure travel as having no real borders. But I may be living a fantasy life.

 

 

 

Well, Windstar is a small line. However, we are doing our best to pass the word around here! It could be to do with bigger commissions from the larger lines - In UK they seem to know about Regent, Silversea, Seabourn, etc. Or it could be just that Windstar has its own call centre and prefer to handle things that way.

[Orangeman68]

This is my suggestion: I 've dealt with NATHAN a few times at Windstar and he is terrific. He will absolutely find you the best cabin and best price. Try him and tell me what you think. Hopefully I will not steer you wrong. If you can, go with the Suite on the Windsurf. Like staying at a five star hotel. The amount of room and amenities are awesome . Enjoy!

[Sunprince]

Well, I still fail to understand some of the messages here. If I am reading this right the message is that dealing with Windstar directly will give you a better price and benefits. That is not my experience.

 

If you have a travel agent that specializes in premium or luxury cruises then they know Windstar and have a relationship with them and will get you the same or better price, plus a refund or OBC paid from their commissions. In addition who will be there for you if you run into problems...like your flight is cancelled at the last minute. A good TA will help you out when you need it. If you've booked your own flights, Windstar will not do this for you. Do not use a mainstream cruise agent. You need a specialized agent.

 

For my upcoming cruise I have a $700 OBC, plus a BS1 at an S best rate. So very happy with that. We normally cruise Seabourn, which is a premium to Windstar, but using a TA gives us the most value, no matter the price or the cruise line.

 

 

 

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Edited February 18, 2017 by Sunprince