OBC from TA

[WeLuv2Cruz13]

Being fairly new I didn't realize different travel agents offer their own OBC. Mine obviously did not or I wouldn't be asking this question. Is this something offered up front or do I need to ask about it? Since they didn't say anything I'm assuming mine doesn't give that perk. Should I ask before final payment or is that tacky? How do you find these TAs?

[sandycruzr]

Hi Leslie

I would worry about it bing tacky. Since it is before final payment I would call the ta and say that you would like to receive some once for your upcoming cruise since online ta is offering $100 obc on top of the other perks celebrity provides. If you don't ask you will never get it☺️ Of course you can always cancel the booking and rebook to receive the additional obc. Just as an example, my next 7 day celebrity we are getting the drink package, paid gratuities and $450 obc. (300 from celebrity and 100 from Crucon)

[sandycruzr]

Ugh autocorrect ☺️I meant to say I wouldn't worry about being tacky

[Wine-O]

Being fairly new I didn't realize different travel agents offer their own OBC. Mine obviously did not or I wouldn't be asking this question. Is this something offered up front or do I need to ask about it? Since they didn't say anything I'm assuming mine doesn't give that perk. Should I ask before final payment or is that tacky? How do you find these TAs?

 

You really need to look for another TA. Most on-line agents and mass market agents offer around 10% OBC for booking with them -- that's after taxes & port charges.

 

Perks that Celebrity gives you should have nothing to do with the OBC a TA gives you. For example, if you book a cruise with the total costs being $3,000, free gratuities, $200 OBC, and the classic drink package, and about $500 comes out to be port charges & taxes, you should get around $250 OBC from your TA. Again, if you are not, you need to look for another one. They "compete" with each other.

Edited March 12, 2017 by Wine-O

[GottaKnowWhen]

You really need to look for another TA. Most on-line agents and mass market agents offer around 10% OBC for booking with them -- that's after taxes & port charges.

 

Search, seek, ask questions, etc. until you find one you are comfortable with.

 

 

There are also other forms of agent offered perks, some I have experienced, others I have just heard of. E.g., airline freq flyer miles, a bottle of champagne, a free upgrade in cabin category, ... But most common seems to be where the TA transfers some amount of OBC to your shipboard account. I personally place more value on good service than on such side deals. Find a TA that asks you the right questions, that works for you in dealing aggressively with the cruise line, that is available evenings and weekends, via a good website if not in person...

 

 

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[SusieV]

I'm with Wine-O. I don't need to have anything more than an order taker for my TA, honestly. Mine is available more or less every day by email, books what I ask her to, and gives me at least 8%. She also gets price drops and cabin changes if I request them.

 

Even the best service would not be worth that amount of money to me. I am here on Cruise Critic- I can figure out what I want for myself.

[Flafun888]

Just be prepared that a few TAs will take most of the perk away if there's a price drop you want to take advantage of - even if price drop isn't a big one. Mine offered free grats when I transferred my onboard booking. Then when cruiseline dropped cabin price by $100 several months before final payment, TA downgraded free grats to $50 obc instead. ($25/each) which is the same token amount they offer to much cheaper priced cabins well below what I was still paying.

 

I understood that they were earning less commission when price dropped and can't reasonably offer the same perk as they did originally, but it wasn't like the cabin price dropped by 1/4, 1/3 or 1/2. Other TAs were advertising the same price drop, but with better perks.

 

On the good side, they've been polite/service-oriented when I call, didn't make any mistakes in the booking/paperwork and handled price drop for me with Celebrity smoothly, so not a big deal in scheme of things.

 

Just mentioning for those who book onboard way, then shop the booking to a TA - you have to transfer so early on, that it can work against you for future promos/price drops. Risk you take, I guess for that additional obc.

 

I love how Princess does it: you can transfer till right before final payment.

[maxsales]

Being fairly new I didn't realize different travel agents offer their own OBC. Mine obviously did not or I wouldn't be asking this question. Is this something offered up front or do I need to ask about it? Since they didn't say anything I'm assuming mine doesn't give that perk. Should I ask before final payment or is that tacky? How do you find these TAs?

 

That should be negotiated prior to booking.

[sanger727]

I think you are likely out of luck on this sailing unless you want to cancel and rebook with a new TA. When you book with celebrity you can transfer to a TA as long as it's within the allowed time period. If you book with a TA I don't think you can transfer your booking away from them without their consent so you don't have any leverage to request perks now.

 

I don't bother booking with a TA unless they are offering a better deal than the cruise line, sometimes this is via OBC; but the TA I use for celebrity sailings consistently offers better prices than celebrity does. No OBC, but we are currently saving $200 pp over celebrity's best rate for our room class; which is $1,400 pp less than the current rate [emoji13]...

 

 

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[DrivesLikeMario]

There are two types of OBC an agent may give you:

 

1. OBC from a Group the agency has - this will stay the same and is usually $25 to $75 per cabin

2. OBC from the agent's commission - this can/usually will be reduced if the price of the cruise is reduced

 

You need to find a TA that will give part of their commission back, won't charge you cancellation fees and most importantly, will answer your emails, texts and/or phone calls 24/7/365 in a timely manner. Best way is word of mouth.