Advantages of booking direct

[grandgeezer]

4 hours ago, drakes2 said:

For $300 in obc you would have to pay more for the verandah cabin. The TA and agency still have to make money.

I have booked 47 cruises, all through online travel agencies and have never paid more than I would have booking directly through the cruise line.

We just got back from a B2B (14 days total) on the Equinox. The total cost, including tax, fees, and all four perks was a little over $9,000, in a Sky Suite,  for the two of us. Exactly the same as if I would have booked through Celebrity. There was extra obc because of loyalty and booking during a holiday sale, and the total obc was $1125. That total was credited to my credit card.

[Miaminice]

4 hours ago, drakes2 said:

In my case I ended up saving $50 by booking directly with Celebrity. Still got the obc which was $175. The online agency would not give the wine however.  I am Canadian and online TA charges in USD so I always factor in the FX rate.  With Celebrity I book in CDN currency. ObC is in US $. 

 

You don’t understand that with a good TA you would get the Celebrity OBC plus an extra TA OBC. $175 sound way too low...

But of course you can book wherever you are happy.

 

 

[cangelmd]

7 hours ago, drakes2 said:

I disagree. On my last 3 bookings with X I've been able to obtain the same perks offered by the agency I've dealt with in the past. In addition he's given me 2 nice bottles of wine which saves me weight and valuable luggage space. Been extremely happy with his services.

Have you been dealing with the same person at Celebrity and if so, do you think that makes a difference?

 

We are going through this same decision process - used a brick and mortar TA many years ago, used a online agency in the infancy of online travel - 2000-2001 - booked directly with the cruise line, used a cruise bidding site and took a bid that gave us good OBC and a reasonable experience at the end, but had a hard to contact agent who was pleasant, but proved to be much better at sending emails after the fact encouraging us to book another trip than she was responsive to questions and issues prior to the cruise. Finally, we have booked 2 cruises with another online agent who so far has proven to provide less onboard credit, but been much easier to contact, and just spontaneously emailed today that a booked cruise has decreased $400 per person, which will lose us $100 onboard credit, but net gain of $700 - yes rebook us.

DH struggles with the concept of people cutting into their commission to provide incentives to book. I'm glad someone is watching the sales because we don't always have time to do that. We booked this cruise because the cabins we wanted on the trip we wanted booked up almost overnight, while we were still sorting out what we wanted to do. In my heart of hearts, I think big box probably provides the absolute best deals because of volume buying power and because you get savings in the form of almost hard cash, but big box is just not conveniently located for us, and as someone said, gas is about the best way to use that credit.

[varoo]

10 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

I dont watch prices after final payment, so no worries there.

 

Unless you are someone who only books upper level suites, you may have missed out on some very nice upgrades by not watching prices after final payment.

  

[drakes2]

21 minutes ago, varoo said:

 

Unless you are someone who only books upper level suites, you may have missed out on some very nice upgrades by not watching prices after final payment.

  

I always book the lowest category verandah somewhat obstructed then wait for a price drop in CC as I was trying to obtain points to get to elite. On my last cruise CC dropped below what I paid and got an upgrade to deck 11 angled large balcony.  Didn't happen on my upcoming cruise on Monday as prices went up in all categories but I'm still happy with the price paid, obc and 2 great bottles of wine. 

[drakes2]

6 hours ago, Miaminice said:

 

You don’t understand that with a good TA you would get the Celebrity OBC plus an extra TA OBC. $175 sound way too low...

But of course you can book wherever you are happy.

 

 

The Canadian travel agencies dont offer any obc or wine as I'm told if they do they have to provide their credit card number to celebrity to purchase. Not really sure if this is true.  Prior to 2008 I always booked in US currency as our dollar was stronger then but doesn't make financial sense to do so any more.  For what I paid for my upcoming cruise I'm happy with the perks received.

[Wine-O]

32 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

The Canadian travel agencies dont offer any obc or wine as I'm told if they do they have to provide their credit card number to celebrity to purchase. Not really sure if this is true.  Prior to 2008 I always booked in US currency as our dollar was stronger then but doesn't make financial sense to do so any more.  For what I paid for my upcoming cruise I'm happy with the perks received.

 

If you're happy with what you get, that's great.  A lot of other folks who read these threads may not be as happy as you.  

 

I know several Canadians who book with U.S. travel agencies and seem to be very happy with the OBC and exchange rates they receive.  🍷

[Fouremco]

26 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

The Canadian travel agencies dont offer any obc or wine as I'm told if they do they have to provide their credit card number to celebrity to purchase. Not really sure if this is true.  Prior to 2008 I always booked in US currency as our dollar was stronger then but doesn't make financial sense to do so any more.  For what I paid for my upcoming cruise I'm happy with the perks received.

While Canadian agencies have historically provided little or nothing in the way of incentive for booking with them, the big box store does. When they opened their travel arm in Canada a few years ago, a Canada-wide travel agency specializing in cruises was offering a bottle of wine as a perk. For the exact same booking, the big box was offering a $500 cash card, plus the store's standard 2% cash back. We've booked that and all of our subsequent cruises with the big box with an average of about 10% of the booking price returned to us, excluding the additional perks provided by the cruise lines.

[4774Papa]

On 9/4/2019 at 3:12 AM, Miaminice said:

Advantages of booking direct... There are none! Get yourself a GOOD TA who handles everything and as a bonus gives you a better deal.

Disagree, book with a TA and you loose control of your booking.   If there is a price drop, you have to go back to the TA to get that.  I know people that couldn't take advantage of a price drip (TA was not responsive to their calls) prior to  a cruise.

Also, I know one case where a TA messed up on the proper spelling of the peoples names and it caused a lot of problems.

 

Otherwise, with a TA you usually get some benefits that make it worth while.

[Miaminice]

16 minutes ago, 4774Papa said:

Disagree, book with a TA and you loose control of your booking.   If there is a price drop, you have to go back to the TA to get that.  I know people that couldn't take advantage of a price drip (TA was not responsive to their calls) prior to  a cruise.

Also, I know one case where a TA messed up on the proper spelling of the peoples names and it caused a lot of problems.

 

Otherwise, with a TA you usually get some benefits that make it worth while.

 

You know one case where a TA messed up... do you really want me to put a number on cases where Celebrity messed up 😂.

 

Our TA handles price drops automatically and can be reached around the clock. That is why a said a GOOD TA! 

 

Of course it’s nothing for control freaks who see a difference in calling Celebrity vs calling the TA. (Joking!)

[4774Papa]

10 minutes ago, Miaminice said:

 

You know one case where a TA messed up... do you really want me to put a number on cases where Celebrity messed up 😂.

 

Our TA handles price drops automatically and can be reached around the clock. That is why a said a GOOD TA! 

 

Of course it’s nothing for control freaks who see a difference in calling Celebrity vs calling the TA. (Joking!)

Miaminice,

Did you read my entire post.  Perhaps you should before you insult me.  I have cruised with several people that missed a price drop prior to final payment and paid hundreds of dollars more than we did.  Also, I know of one case where the TA practically ruined a family vacation by messing up the names on the airline tickets and booking.

 

Finally, I added that booking with a TA usually makes it worthwhile.  I always check with the big box offices prior to booking.  

Personally, I would never book with a small office TA that might not be responsive to my call.  

 

Next time , try to live up to you handle.

[Miaminice]

20 minutes ago, 4774Papa said:

Miaminice,

Did you read my entire post.  Perhaps you should before you insult me.  I have cruised with several people that missed a price drop prior to final payment and paid hundreds of dollars more than we did.  Also, I know of one case where the TA practically ruined a family vacation by messing up the names on the airline tickets and booking.

 

Finally, I added that booking with a TA usually makes it worthwhile.  I always check with the big box offices prior to booking.  

Personally, I would never book with a small office TA that might not be responsive to my call.  

 

Next time , try to live up to you handle.

 

Wow, wait a minute... 

First, I did not insult you! To make that extra clear I added (Joking!) to the comment.

If you feel addressed when I mentioned control freaks, I really can´t help it but I can assure you that I wasn´t meant that way.

 

Second, we seem to be on the same page with the TA, so why would my comment bother you?!
Without a doubt there are good and bad TAs, which is why from the beginning on I wrote a GOOD TA. 

We could continue endlessly by comparing some mishaps vs the occasions where all worked out to the advantage of the cruiser.

 

One needs to make sure he or she is confident in the services of the TA used. If you are lucky with yours, as I am with mine, good for you! All is well, why get upset?!

 

So I can only return your question "did you read my entire post?".

If you did not or if you feel insulted, I am sorry. However, I don´t see any sense in continuing this.

Enjoy your cruises!

Edited September 21, 2019 by Miaminice

[drakes2]

10 hours ago, Wine-O said:

 

If you're happy with what you get, that's great.  A lot of other folks who read these threads may not be as happy as you.  

 

I know several Canadians who book with U.S. travel agencies and seem to be very happy with the OBC and exchange rates they receive.  🍷

I don't know any Canadian who is happy about paying 1.35 USD on their dollar.  I worked it out and by booking my cruise directly with Celebrity in CDN currency I saved just over 2 percent which is substantial when spending thousands of dollars overall.  I still got to keep the OBC and wine. 🍷🍷 2 bottles .

[Wine-O]

1 hour ago, drakes2 said:

I don't know any Canadian who is happy about paying 1.35 USD on their dollar.  I worked it out and by booking my cruise directly with Celebrity in CDN currency I saved just over 2 percent which is substantial when spending thousands of dollars overall.  I still got to keep the OBC and wine. 🍷🍷 2 bottles .

I don't know how you Canadians do business with your banks/credit cards/conversions, etc., but with my U.S. bank if I purchase anything in a foreign currency, I get the interbank rate for day of conversion.  So, if I purchase something at this moment in Canada, I would get the interbank rate using my credit card of $1.3261.  If I do the math, I get more than 2 bottles of wine -- I get the whole case.  I'm guessing your bank charges you around 3% conversion fee.  😁🍷

Edited September 21, 2019 by Wine-O

[drakes2]

8 minutes ago, Wine-O said:

I don't know how you Canadians do business with your banks/credit cards/conversions, etc., but with my U.S. bank if I purchase anything in a foreign currency, I get the interbank rate for day of conversion.  So, if I purchase something at this moment in Canada, I would get the interbank rate using my credit card of $1.3261.  If I do the math, I get more than 2 bottles of wine -- I get the whole case.  I'm guessing your bank charges you around 3% conversion fee.  😁🍷

Its 2.5 percent and is dependent on what the rate is when the charge hits your credit card. For example I may see a US charge of $100 which is still sitting pending on my visa at 1.3450 exchange rate. Could take up to 2 days to actually post to my account and rate could change by then up or down. Rates are always live.  I own a US visa also a credit card I use for travel in Europe which does not charge the 2.5 percent and use for large purchases but my Canadian Visa gives me free medical and trip cancellation insurance which is of great value to me. 

[LadyBerard]

3 hours ago, 4774Papa said:

Disagree, book with a TA and you loose control of your booking.   If there is a price drop, you have to go back to the TA to get that.  I know people that couldn't take advantage of a price drip (TA was not responsive to their calls) prior to  a cruise.

Also, I know one case where a TA messed up on the proper spelling of the peoples names and it caused a lot of problems.

 

Otherwise, with a TA you usually get some benefits that make it worth while.

The TA should have sent a guest copy to the clients.  If there was a misspelling, the client should have caught it.  It's an easy fix.  

[Miaminice]

2 hours ago, drakes2 said:

I don't know any Canadian who is happy about paying 1.35 USD on their dollar.  I worked it out and by booking my cruise directly with Celebrity in CDN currency I saved just over 2 percent which is substantial when spending thousands of dollars overall.  I still got to keep the OBC and wine. 🍷🍷 2 bottles .

 

We are trying to tell you that there are better ways to book incl. ways to book in CDN $ than booking with Celebrity directly.

 

I am happy for you that you are so happy about your 2 bottles of wine. However, all the posts here and experiences by others (incl. Canadians) should make you question if you could have done better and make you look at alternatives for your next cruise.

It is of course up to you if you do it or not. It‘s your money after all.

 

 

 

 

Edited September 21, 2019 by Miaminice

[Wine-O]

51 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

Its 2.5 percent and is dependent on what the rate is when the charge hits your credit card. For example I may see a US charge of $100 which is still sitting pending on my visa at 1.3450 exchange rate. Could take up to 2 days to actually post to my account and rate could change by then up or down. Rates are always live.  I own a US visa also a credit card I use for travel in Europe which does not charge the 2.5 percent and use for large purchases but my Canadian Visa gives me free medical and trip cancellation insurance which is of great value to me. 

I guess it seems to be a banking issue.  I use a Canadian bank here in the U.S., TD Bank, and never experience any rate hold/pending issues.  I get instantaneous conversion with the Interbank rate whenever I make a foreign charge.  If I do the math, costing you 2.5% then getting 10% back as OBC would still be a no brainer.    🍷   

[edgee]

Think of it this way. Since many TAs give back benefits for booking with them, if you book direct with the cruise line you are paying 7 to 10% more for your cruise. If forgoing those many hundreds of dollars, is worth it to you for "control," then, great. 

[grandgeezer]

What price drop? I can't remember the last time I saw a price drop, at least one that was more than the obc I got when I booked it. I book at a price I'm willing to pay and if it doesn't reach that, I don't go, simple as that. The few times I saw a price drop that mattered, I just shot my TA an e-mail and it's handled. I don't need someone available 24/7 as I've done so much cruising, I don't have any questions or problems. I'll happily take the 10%+ kick back, smile all the way to the bank, and not lose any sleep over it.

That's just me though, do what gives you the same feeling.

[cltnccruisers]

I've always been content booking direct.  The only time I haven't been was the one time I used a TA.  Maybe I just got a bad one, but it's enough to put me off.

[Fouremco]

4 hours ago, drakes2 said:

Its 2.5 percent and is dependent on what the rate is when the charge hits your credit card. For example I may see a US charge of $100 which is still sitting pending on my visa at 1.3450 exchange rate. Could take up to 2 days to actually post to my account and rate could change by then up or down. Rates are always live.  I own a US visa also a credit card I use for travel in Europe which does not charge the 2.5 percent and use for large purchases but my Canadian Visa gives me free medical and trip cancellation insurance which is of great value to me. 

You might want to consider the Rogers World Elite Mastercard. While they recently started charging 2.5% on foreign currency conversions, they increased the cash back for foreign currency purchases to 4%. They also offer excellent travel insurance.

 

I don't understand why you would use a US Visa for travel in Europe. The local currency would first be converted into USD, then you would need to make a second conversion of CAD to USD in order to pay off your card. Unless, of course, you have a source of income in USD and don't need to make the second conversion. Even without the 2.5% currency exchange fee, you still lose on each conversion.

[Luvcrusn]

Unless paying more money and getting less perks and OBC for the same cabin as many of your fellow cruisers is something you look at as an advantage, I can't see a single one!

[drakes2]

16 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

You might want to consider the Rogers World Elite Mastercard. While they recently started charging 2.5% on foreign currency conversions, they increased the cash back for foreign currency purchases to 4%. They also offer excellent travel insurance.

 

I don't understand why you would use a US Visa for travel in Europe. The local currency would first be converted into USD, then you would need to make a second conversion of CAD to USD in order to pay off your card. Unless, of course, you have a source of income in USD and don't need to make the second conversion. Even without the 2.5% currency exchange fee, you still lose on each conversion.

I don't use the US visa in Europe. I have a home trust visa which I use no FX charges plus cash back. The US Visa is only for large purchases made in the states then I pay out of my USD account.  For flights cruises hotels etc. the first class TD provides the best coverage.  I did have to cancel a cruise last year and was refunded every penny.

[drakes2]

10 minutes ago, Luvcrusn said:

Unless paying more money and getting less perks and OBC for the same cabin as many of your fellow cruisers is something you look at as an advantage, I can't see a single one!

Agree. The couple I met onboard the ship recently were trying to spend the last of their $750 OBC in the duty free shop. I thought that was a generous amount until they mentioned the cost of the cruise was 10 K.  Cruise was for 12 nights.