Does your TA know about Cruise Critic?

[vinceboat]

Hello out there,

 

I ask this question because I was surprised when two agents at a large

agency here in the Los Angles area did not know of its existence. Should

that tell me something about that agent?

Vince

[usha]

Vinceboat, they know about it NOW...:D

[tbelian]

My TA knows about it, but rarely (if ever) reads it. She is focused on doing work, which means booking and selling. CC doesn't help her do that directly. She also is keenly aware of the 'real' statistical value of the information (approximately only 1% of total cruising population is represented here on CC).

 

Should it tell you something about that TA? In my opinion, no. It certainly does not measure competency.

[SS Cruise Lady]

Hello out there,

 

I ask this question because I was surprised when two agents at a large

agency here in the Los Angles area did not know of its existence. Should

that tell me something about that agent?

Vince

 

I never thought of asking my travel agent that question, but she is so busy I don't think she would have time to participate in a forum of this nature. The office for this travel agent is very close to where we live but they have phone clients from all over of the country. Therefore, it offers the best of both worlds for us, old fashioned face to face service in a friendly environment, combined with enough clout from the cruise lines to get good rates.

[HeatherInFlorida]

My TA definitely knows about CC, but I think that may because I use an internet agent. I think they're wise to follow CC and I believe they do. In fact last year they posted here to clear up an issue that was ongoing.

 

Personally I think it would be beneficial for a TA to follow CC somewhat. They can't know everything about every ship, every cruiseline, and it might be beneficial for them to be armed with some of the information offered here.

 

JMO.

[Longboysfan]

Hello out there,

 

I ask this question because I was surprised when two agents at a large

agency here in the Los Angles area did not know of its existence. Should

that tell me something about that agent?

Vince

 

Yes. It should tell you about the agents. They should know by now about this. They are mass market sellers. Customer in - customer out.

 

My agent reads the boards from time to time to pick off trends or gripes about each line. What the strong and weak points are for each.

 

And lastly she cruises extensivly.

[cruiseyguy]

My TA is aware of CC-she says it has evolved into more of a chat room than an information tool but she occasionally picks up some useful info.

[HeatherInFlorida]

My TA is aware of CC-she says it has evolved into more of a chat room than an information tool but she occasionally picks up some useful info.

 

Then she isn't really taking the time to read the boards. Time after time as people return from cruises they take their time to write a review about their experience and from there a discussion ensues.

 

I believe there is invaluable information here on CC or I wouldn't be here.

[newmexicoNita]

Then she isn't really taking the time to read the boards. Time after time as people return from cruises they take their time to write a review about their experience and from there a discussion ensues.

 

I believe there is invaluable information here on CC or I wouldn't be here.

I wqrk long hours, but still find time to read CC. I do not read every single topic, some do not affect my ability to be a good agent, but I get good information from CC that I could not get if I had to depend on my clients or just my own personal travel. No matter how many clients you have or how many trips an agent takes, we don't get to learn about every ship or travel destination, nor do we always get information on all changes. NMnita

[Schplinky]

My TA is aware of CC-she says it has evolved into more of a chat room than an information tool but she occasionally picks up some useful info.

 

I think she is right, to a degree. Think about how often people swap greetings or how the same folks are always on.

 

That said, I think that CC is likely a good place to find out how new initiatives (cirque de Soleil, online check-in) are working in practise.

 

I agree with tbelian that the folks here are not representative of the average cruiser. The average holiday-taker does not get nearly as involved in the planning of their trip. They decide where to go, how to get there and book. Folks on internet chat groups tend focus on the minutae, and that certainly is the case here, as we all obsess about this or that little detail. We're all a little crazy and there's nothing wrong with that but I doubt we represent anything more than a very small group or consumers.

[SS Cruise Lady]

My TA is aware of CC-she says it has evolved into more of a chat room than an information tool but she occasionally picks up some useful info.

 

I can understand why your TA feels that way because the majority of posts on this board are essentially an ongoing conversation between a group of posters who appear to have a special bond. At the same time, cruise critic does provide helpful information for people who have the time to wade through the chatty posts and find the cruise oriented ones.

[HeatherInFlorida]

I wqrk long hours, but still find time to read CC. I do not read every single topic, some do not affect my ability to be a good agent, but I get good information from CC that I could not get if I had to depend on my clients or just my own personal travel. No matter how many clients you have or how many trips an agent takes, we don't get to learn about every ship or travel destination, nor do we always get information on all changes. NMnita

 

NMnita, you're my kind of TA. You are obviously a TA who cares about getting well rounded information.

 

As for those who say that it's mostly chat here, I think it's pretty easy to skip over that stuff and get down to the nitty gritty info that would be important to a TA.

 

You can practically figure it out by reading the thread title ... i.e., if the words "dress code" or "smuggling booze" appear, there's really not much point in diving into that thread;) . On the other hand if the thread reads "Just back from the Summit ..." or some such thing, there might be something worthwhile there.

[kryos]

Hello out there,

 

I ask this question because I was surprised when two agents at a large

agency here in the Los Angles area did not know of its existence. Should

that tell me something about that agent?

Vince

Not a single TA I've used had ever heard of CC until I told them about it.

 

We are probably on the biggest cruise bulletin board out there, but we still comprise a very, very small percentage of total cruisers. I'm not at all surprised that many TA's never heard of Cruise Critic. But they all promised to check it out after I "educated" them. :)

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[Schplinky]

I would guess that cruise specialists might be aware of it but general agents have lots of different holidays to keep abreast of and I suspect they spend most of their "research" time reading industry pubications with concise information that is more logically presented than the anectdotal stuff here.

[HeatherInFlorida]

But, Rita, I think that's just the point. They're interested once they know about it so obviously find it somewhat interesting and perhaps even educational. While we may make up a relatively "small" (I'm told about 2% by HAL) part of their market, many of us cruise at least 3 and often many more times a year.

 

So the opinions expressed by experienced cruisers could provide valuable information to a TA when recommending a cruiseline, ship or itinerary. Even port information can be invaluable because it is expressed from the viewpoint of the passenger rather than by a marketer.

 

Be assured all online TA's are very much aware of CC and they also know that a lot of people read CC who never post here.

 

So the fact that the TA's you have used never heard of CC doesn't make it any the less valuable.

[Schplinky]

CC is a decent Forum. So are the Disney Forums, Vegas Forums, Hawaii forums, Paris forums, DC forums, the list goes on. Presuming a general TA has time for more than a cursory glance at any of them would mean that you prefer a TA who is not too busy doing actual bookings.

[HeatherInFlorida]

................Presuming a general TA has time for more than a cursory glance at any of them would mean that you prefer a TA who is not too busy doing actual bookings.

 

No. It would mean I prefer a TA who takes the time to find out what he/she is talking about. I could care less how many bookings my TA is doing.

[SS Cruise Lady]

No. It would mean I prefer a TA who takes the time to find out what he/she is talking about. I could care less how many bookings my TA is doing.

 

I agree that it is important for a TA to be informed, but this should be done on an ongoing basis by taking seminars that are offered through their professional organizations. If a TA wants to partake in forum such as cruise critic for fun, that is fine, but it should not be their primary source for learning what is new in their field. With this in mind, I would never judge a TA by whether or not they read cruise critic message boards. As far as a TA's number of bookings, it is probably more revelant than one might realize. In general, it is advisable to do business with a company that is financially sound and will be around when you need them. A TA's number of bookings are also an indication of their reputation, as well as past customers who were pleased enough to use them again and again.

[HeatherInFlorida]

..................., but it should not be their primary source for learning what is new in their field. With this in mind, I would never judge a TA by whether or not they read cruise critic message boards. ...............

 

Never suggested for a moment it should be a primary source, or even a secondary one ... just mentioned it as an adjunct. Not sure I agree with you about seminars and the like, but we won't go there.

 

I still maintain that a good TA is not measured by the number of bookings they make, but rather on the knowledge they have about my particular area of interest. In truth, I would prefer if they have travelled to the place I wish to go or on the ship I wish to book, but that's not always possible.

 

I only deal with TA's who do not handle the financial end of it ... meaning that when I book a cruise, the charge is made by the cruiseline, not by the TA. So it's not necessary for the TA to be financially solvent or even be in business by the time I travel. I always book my insurance separately from my TA for that reason.

 

These are merely my personal feelings and I'm expressing them. It doesn't make me right; it's just the way I feel. Everyone has a different way of measuring their TA's value. My perfect TA might not be someone else's.

[iv18-Diane]

I'm a travel Agent that reads cruise Critic. I found it when I was in Travel School at a community college, so before I was ever a travel agent. I read it to find out peoples like and dislikes about a ship. I don't have time to read every post , but I read the informative ones. Cruise Critic was on AOL when I found them.

I'm surprised every Travel Agent is not aware of them, since even my RCCL Dsm mentioned if any agents read it. I can say that not many of the agents in my office were aware of it until he mentioned it.

 

Diane G.

[newmexicoNita]

And if you think TAs do not read CC, guess what? the company I work for was on CC answering a question a few years ago, I put in my 2 cents worth, which I do too often, mentioned I was a retired TA and the next thing I know I am working again. If he did not read CC, I would never have met him, nor he me. BTW, we work for a very large national cruise company. Like Heather mentioned, you don't have to read everything on every thread, but everyone can learn from CC and a few other webs out there. I learn from all of you, hopefully you learn from TAs who do give advise and opinions and we get an overall view of what the comsumer is thinking. Maybe only 1% of the cruisers have even heard of sites like CC, but that 1% still is a cross section of America, Canada and other other countries and how the cruisers feel. NMnita

[SS Cruise Lady]

A few people have commented that it is more important for a travel agent to read cruise critic message boards than to attend seminars that are offered through their professional organizations. I am curious to know why. I personally feel that it is important for people in all professions/ trades to attend educational seminars on an ongoing basis to keep up in their field. I would not want to have surgery by a physician who thought his medical education ended when he completed his medical residency in surgery thirty years ago :)

[HeatherInFlorida]

A few people have commented that it is more important for a travel agent to read cruise critic message boards than to attend seminars that are offered through their professional organizations. I am curious to know why. I personally feel that it is important for people in all professions/ trades to attend educational seminars on an ongoing basis to keep up in their field. I would not want to have surgery by a physician who thought his medical education ended when he completed his medical residency in surgery thirty years ago :)

 

Maybe I missed a post, but I did not see where anyone suggested that CC was "more important" than seminars. You may be referring to my comment that I question the value of "seminars" (in general, BTW), but since that's a separate subject I said I wouldn't "go there".

 

To liken the travel business to the medical profession is just a little bit of a stretch for me.

 

I'm so glad to read a few TAs commenting right here that they find CC valuable. That proves my point. If you feel that a seminar is of greater value, that's fine. I'm neither agreeing or disagreeing.

 

But I will say that it helps a TA to know how people feel about a cruiseline or a ship and weigh those opinions with other information they have.

[SS Cruise Lady]

Maybe I missed a post, but I did not see where anyone suggested that CC was "more important" than seminars. You may be referring to my comment that I question the value of "seminars" (in general, BTW), but since that's a separate subject I said I wouldn't "go there".

 

To liken the travel business to the medical profession is just a little bit of a stretch for me.

 

I'm so glad to read a few TAs commenting right here that they find CC valuable. That proves my point. If you feel that a seminar is of greater value, that's fine. I'm neither agreeing or disagreeing.

 

But I will say that it helps a TA to know how people feel about a cruiseline or a ship and weigh those opinions with other information they have.

 

I realize that there is a big difference between a travel agent and physician who do not attend educational seminars on a regular basis, and that the consequences are obviously much greater for using a medical doctor who is not current in his scope of professional knowledge. At the same time, I used it to make the point that any time we utilize the services of someone who is not up to date in his trade or profession we are taking a risk of some sort.

[HeatherInFlorida]

SS, we just don't see eye to eye and since it's really not earth shattering, it really isn't worth trying to change the other's mind when it's just not going to happen.

 

My point was that your analogy just doesn't work. Obviously a medical practitioner has to stay up to date, but a TA is a whole other thing! A TA SHOULD rely on information provided by cruisers and CC is one easy way of getting that information.

 

In other words, whether or not a client is going to enjoy a cruise on a particular ship has everything to do with a lot of people's experiences on that ship. A seminar is not going to tell you that whereas the hands-on approach of reading CC just might shed some light.

 

Again, not going to go into my reasons for being suspect of certain "seminars", but the fact is that people posting here have no real ax to grind (for the most part) and are telling their honest, gut feelings about their experience. I consider that invaluable.