Downside of booking group rate with TA?

[2wheelin]

Have usually booked my own cruises with my VIFP rate but have been invited to a wedding cruise with a suggested TA. Her rate is a little better than I can get (and there will be some yet to be determined amenities) but I am wondering what the downside might be of a group rate. I know I will have to work through her for any changes but I usually don't have any. What about price drops? She says the deposit is fully refundable so not ES. Anything else I should be aware of or ask about before booking. She also has group rate for double occupancy but said she would have to call at the time of booking if 3/4 people so not sure if same rules would apply. Not sure I would choose her for a TA if I were looking but she was chosen for us.

[klfrodo]

I only see the downside of NOT booking thru this TA.

Someone, who cares for you very much and wants you to be a part of their wedding has gone thru a lot of trouble, time, and research to find the TA who will give them the wedding they want. They have all the amenities set up as a group, they have the dining set up as a group, they have the photographers set up as a group, etc.

 

Then again, I could be on my own out here.

Edited May 24, 2019 by klfrodo

[2wheelin]

Actually I don't think they did any research finding this TA. It was just the most convenient location for them. Carnival does all the actual wedding arrangements, not the TA. Dining is not as a group. Group amenities are "yet to be determined". That is pretty vague.

[ontheweb]

The only possible downside I can see to this is that you seem to feel uncomfortable with it.

 

Maybe you should call the travel agent and speak with him or her to see if that makes you feel more comfortable with the arrangements being made.

[AdGuyMG]

1 hour ago, 2wheelin said:

She says the deposit is fully refundable so not ES.

How much is the deposit?

 

1 hour ago, 2wheelin said:

She also has group rate for double occupancy but said she would have to call at the time of booking if 3/4 people so not sure if same rules would apply.

Group space can only be held for double occupancy cabins.

 

If you need a triple or quad, the rate for the double in the Group would be protected and you can add a 3/4th at the prevailing 3/4th rates provided cabins are available in the same category.

[zeroyankee]

We used a TA only once so far and the biggest drawback to me was that I could no longer manage my account with Carnival as I had previously.  I could buy my own add-ons such as Internet, Cheers, etc.  But to make a payment, I had to call the TA so if it was after business hours, I was out of luck and had to call back later.  Or I had to wait for the TA to call back and then hope that they passed the payment along to Carnival.  (I've heard some of the horror stories about bad TA's taking the money and not forwarding it on, but those are very rare.)  I didn't like giving up the convenience of making payments directly via the website any time of day or night.  So if you're a control freak like me, this may be something you hadn't thought of.

 

[2wheelin]

Thanks for the feedback. Deposit is $250. I did call and talk to her which is what made me uneasy as she seemed a little vague on how things work—and expecting people to reserve before determining the extras. She wasn’t sure how it would work if I were to book directly with Carnival and then transfer to her for instance.

Also her office hours are M-T 8-4:30 and I just got an answering machine at 4:35. Don’t want to see a price drop and have to wait 2-3 days to get ahold of her. So, yeah, I probably am a control freak. Lol  I have no reason to not trust her to make the payments.

[maryred]

In general individual price drops can not be applied for on a private group booking (as a wedding cruise should be booked as). The TA would need to negotiate a whole new contract on the behalf of the group coordinator (which most likely is the bride or her parents) for all cabins in the group, and this could cut into the group perks or the TA's commission.

The group perks can not be determined until the cut off date for the group booking to close out, this is usually 30 days prior to the normal final payment date. At that time Carnival will compare this group booking to all other group bookings on board for that sailing and assign amenity points. How amenity points are calculated are a closely held secret of the cruise line, but from experience it does have something to do with the total number of cabins/passengers in the group above the minimum of 8 cabins with at least 16 passengers,, the average amount for each berthing (bed), and how soon after the the itinerary is announce the group booking is contracted or renegotiated. Amenity points are then converted to on board experiences, in cabin gifts, nonrefundable OBC, private shore excursions, private reception parties, or some combination of 2 or more of these. The choice of what to pick is up to the Group Coordinator of record. In addition to the perks, the group coordinator gets a single fare free berth for every 8 double occupancy cabins above a 4B category booked as part of their group. The coordinator can then decide if the savings from the free berth(s) should be used to decrease fares for all in the group booking, but often this is rarely done.

For more info on the types of perks available for the group booking check this link out  http://static.traveltek.net/images/carnivalmeetings.site.traveltek.net/pdfs/group-fun-points.pdf