Any disadvantage to booking with TA instead of NCL

[DaCruiseBug]

40 minutes ago, zerooveride said:

They had a group rate at about $300/pp off our cabin, but between the extra $60 of OBC (for the higher fare we paid) and the 2-for-one air (which wasn't available with the group rate) we saved about $800. Flights on the day after Christmas from my area run about $650/pp round-trip to Miami (no direct flights); so $500 for airfare for both of us from NCL was cheaper. And with an NCL flight, if anything goes wrong we will get rerouted however way to get to the ship.

You can book the "free air" promo with a travel agent as well. Or you can book directly with NCL and transfer the booking to a TA willing to throw in some OBC.

[zerooveride]

9 minutes ago, DaCruiseBug said:

You can book the "free air" promo with a travel agent as well. Or you can book directly with NCL and transfer the booking to a TA willing to throw in some OBC.

Yes, but I couldn't get it with the Group Rate. But in the end it was cheaper for me to pay regular rate and get the BOGO Air then to book the Group and pay full Air

[DCGuy64]

On 2/28/2021 at 9:41 AM, david_sobe said:

This is death by water torture. This is my last response to this thread.  YES, NCL does do things like booking flights when the TA goes missing.  Yeppers.  NCL like any company cares about their customers.  People keep trying to find an exception to prove the fundamentals of booking with a TA wrong.  ALL of my points are valid and remain the same.  If you like your TA, that is GREAT.  Dont get so offended because someone points out a viewpoint from the other side.  Good grief.  People are in their corners and wont even acknowledge the differences.  As I said from the beginning, there are benefits to BOTH sides.  I am giving the minority viewpoint that rarely gets discussed.  Thats all.

Wow, dude, way to overreact. I think you expected everyone to agree with you that not using a TA is the way to go, and now you seem angry that there's some pushback. Welcome to my world, LOL!

The two examples you gave aren't necessarily typical. I've never had a hurricane interrupt my travel plans, and my TA is EXTREMELY responsive to emails. He's even gone to bat for us while he was on vacation. He typically responds within minutes, maybe an hour, depending on the nature of my inquiry. So yeah, I think you're generalizing about how travel agents respond (or don't). With that said, I agree with you that sometimes people want it both ways, but that goes for the anti-TA side, too. Plenty of people on here (not you) will say "I prefer to deal directly with the cruise line"  and then go on to complain about lack of accountability, long phone wait times, unanswered emails, and clueless call center people. They seem to want it both ways, too. Which, as you correct state, isn't going to happen.

 

 

[DCGuy64]

On 2/28/2021 at 10:17 AM, zerooveride said:

Wow! You just took this the wrong way and went 0-60 real quick! Relax . . .

 

I was only pointing out that you were incorrect. And you're still incorrect. My TA does the Air through the Cruise Line so if there is a problem, I DON'T call them, I call NCL's Air Department (or whatever cruise line I'm on).

 

There is no one sizes fits all in this. It is what you prefer and feel comfortable with. Also, if you go with a TA, don't just go with them for the $$$, do your research about them before booking; not all are created equal.

 

I have a great TA and have had only one minor problem that they corrected real quick.I was missing about $200 OBC on a cruise when I boarded (some was there but was $200 short). I called the TA before the ship departed and left her a message. The next day I got a call from Guest Services (we were at sea) letting me know that my TA had reached out to NCL and had corrected the issue. The OBC was added to my account. When I got back in my room from dinner, there was a nice bottle of wine and some treats waiting for me with a card from the TA apologizing for the mix-up. Again, not all TA's are created equal. 

Well stated. It's also worth pointing out that a TA saves you the hassle of having to contact multiple cruise lines. If I book a cruise with MSC, and another with Princess, and another with NCL, I'd have to deal with 3 different companies and their personal cruise consultants. With my TA, he "works" for all of them in the sense that he can compare offers and give suggestions about all cruise lines. An NCL agent isn't going to help you with your reservation on Carnival, RCL, etc. I like the fact that my travel agent isn't beholden to just any one cruise line. And he's a cruiser, himself, so he knows the industry.

[agrimm01]

I have used  a TA several times for cruises and have had both good and bad experiences.  My most recent experience will probably keep me away from them forever.  This new TA got prices for me and what was included all in email.  I agreed to the price and all that was included. Then I received an email from his company with a button in the middle that said "Click here to review and confirm your reservation".  Of course you have to click the button to review everything.  But, when clicking the button it automatically confirms it too without doing anything else.  So, I looked at the itemized charges and it shows a charge of $202 for "Incentive Commission".  Has anybody ever heard of that for a cruise TA??

[zerooveride]

1 minute ago, agrimm01 said:

I have used  a TA several times for cruises and have had both good and bad experiences.  My most recent experience will probably keep me away from them forever.  This new TA got prices for me and what was included all in email.  I agreed to the price and all that was included. Then I received an email from his company with a button in the middle that said "Click here to review and confirm your reservation".  Of course you have to click the button to review everything.  But, when clicking the button it automatically confirms it too without doing anything else.  So, I looked at the itemized charges and it shows a charge of $202 for "Incentive Commission".  Has anybody ever heard of that for a cruise TA??

I've only used the same TA that I've used since my second cruise and I've never been charged that. So basically they give you a perk then hide it into a line item on the invoice . . . real shady . . .

[agrimm01]

The TA got back with me yesterday and fixed everything.  He said their computer had an issue that caused the extra charges.  He fixed the "incentive commission" saying that was his commission from NCL, and fixed an insurance charge.  It looks good to me now and I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt.