Pros and Cons of Booking with A Travel Agent

[ontheweb]

11 hours ago, brillohead said:

No-shows don't get a refund, so the cruise line wouldn't have a reason to remove the commission from a TA.  

Are you sure of that? I do remember my TA saying he does not get a commission until we are on the ship.

[ldubs]

12 hours ago, brillohead said:

No-shows don't get a refund, so the cruise line wouldn't have a reason to remove the commission from a TA.  

 

12 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

Yeeeahhh.  I kinda missed that small detail.   

 

51 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

Are you sure of that? I do remember my TA saying he does not get a commission until we are on the ship.

 

 

OK, I've been thrown a life ring!  😀

[brillohead]

1 hour ago, ontheweb said:

Are you sure of that? I do remember my TA saying he does not get a commission until we are on the ship.

Hopefully @Ourusualbeach can confirm. 

I can't see a justification for a cruise line to not refund the cruise fare but to refuse to pay a commission.  Maybe it's just that the commission isn't payable until the date of the sailing, rather than whether you're physically on the ship when it does sail?

[Ourusualbeach]

2 hours ago, ontheweb said:

Are you sure of that? I do remember my TA saying he does not get a commission until we are on the ship.

Like everything Royal there is no one set answer. 

 

For FIT bookings (Free independent traveler) the commission is paid when the booking is paid in full.  If the guest cancels during a penalty phase the commission will be recalled unless it is in 100% penalty then  the commission is protected.

 

If the booking is in a group then the commission is paid when the group sails.

 

If the TA works for an agency then that agency may dictate when the agents portion of the commission is paid to the agent.

[brillohead]

1 hour ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Like everything Royal there is no one set answer. 

 

For FIT bookings (Free independent traveler) the commission is paid when the booking is paid in full.  If the guest cancels during a penalty phase the commission will be recalled unless it is in 100% penalty then  the commission is protected.

 

If the booking is in a group then the commission is paid when the group sails.

 

If the TA works for an agency then that agency may dictate when the agents portion of the commission is paid to the agent.

RCI -- Really Consistently Inconsistent!  LOL

Do they pro-rate the commission if the cancellation is during the partial-penalty phase?  Like if the passenger gets 50% refunded, do you get 50% of the commission?

And in a group rate situation, if someone is a no-show (100% penalty), do you still get the commission when the ship sails, just like when an FIT cancels during the 100% penalty phase?

[Ourusualbeach]

8 minutes ago, brillohead said:

RCI -- Really Consistently Inconsistent!  LOL

Do they pro-rate the commission if the cancellation is during the partial-penalty phase?  Like if the passenger gets 50% refunded, do you get 50% of the commission?

And in a group rate situation, if someone is a no-show (100% penalty), do you still get the commission when the ship sails, just like when an FIT cancels during the 100% penalty phase?

Not sure about the prorating as I have not experienced that.

 

Yes groups still get the full commission if it is cancelled in the 100% penalty phase.  It has nothing to do with when the commission is actually paid.  

 

It actually makes sense with the group not being paid until after they sail as there is a secondary part of the commission (tour conductor credit) that cannot be calculated until the guests actually sail.

[brillohead]

2 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

(tour conductor credit)

Now I have a mental image of you in a railroad conductor hat hollering, "ALL ABOARD!" 🤣

[rrraydon]

On 8/1/2022 at 12:20 AM, brillohead said:

For me, I look for lower rates (group rates), responsiveness to emails, and looking out for me (like messaging me if they see a low rate they think I'd be interested in.

 

I like what you said about being contacted when a low rates pops up.

I also really like my new TA!!!! 😊

[Hlitner]

3 hours ago, brillohead said:

RCI -- Really Consistently Inconsistent!  LOL

Do they pro-rate the commission if the cancellation is during the partial-penalty phase?  Like if the passenger gets 50% refunded, do you get 50% of the commission?

And in a group rate situation, if someone is a no-show (100% penalty), do you still get the commission when the ship sails, just like when an FIT cancels during the 100% penalty phase?

I have never understood this obsession that some folks have with commission structure, overrides, and other promos offered to agencies.  For me, as the customer, the only things that matter are the deal I get and the related service.  If my cruise agent becomes wealthy because of my business than God Bless her :).  I am simply buying a commodity, shopping around for the best overall deal, and happy to save money.  And by the way, the entire "Group Rate" issue is old school and not a real factor with most bookings.   These days we are talking about large travel consortiums (such as the Signature Travel Network) that represent many affiliates.  We also have quite a few "high volume agencies" (my term) which might handle more bookings in a single day than most small agencies handle in a year.  And than we have the big box stores, big online travel sites, etc.   In the old days a "Group Booking" was simply an agency that would put together a few bookings for a single cruise and qualify for a lower rate.  These days, we are talking companies/consortiums that book dozens of clients onto almost every cruise.

 

I mentioned so-called consortiums since they are seldom mentioned here on CC but are playing a big role in the cruise industry.  Think of a single consortium that might represent 50 (this is just an arbitrary large agencies).  They are in a position of power. when dealing cruise lines and hotel chains, because they have lots of control over a huge number of bookings.  Most consumers who deal with cruise/travel agencies do not have a clue that their chosen agency might actually be one tiny cog in a large consortium.  

 

Let's consider a person who deals directly with a cruise line be it with a simple call to a toll-free number, using the online cruise line site, or perhaps having some kind of assigned personal representative (such as the PCCs with HAL) who are simply reservation agents who try to establish a personal relationship.   That single cruiser, dealing directly with a cruise line, does not have much clout as they are just one customer.  But suppose that same client uses a cruise/travel agency that is high volume and also belongs to a group of agencies (consortium) that books huge number of cruises.  When something goes wrong or there is an issue who do you think has the best chance of getting a favorable outcome?  If I call a cruise line the person with whom I speak is a reservation agent who works for the cruise line and has the cruise line's interests (and their job) in their mind.  But if I call my cruise agent, they are working for me in a highly competitive industry.  I once told my favorite cruise agent that I am as loyal as my last booking.  She is well aware that when I book with her I am comparing what she offers against several other decent agencies.  My message to her is simple, "take care of me and I will take care of you" in terms of giving her much of our business and referring numerous other folks who ask us for advice.

 

Hank

 

Hank

[brillohead]

12 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

I have never understood this obsession that some folks have with commission structure, overrides, and other promos offered to agencies.

I just found it interesting, once someone else brought the subject up.  I like to learn about LOTS of things, which is why I talk to lots of people and one of the reasons I like cruising -- it's a great way to meet lots of people from different industries, regions, and cultures.  I'm currently texting with someone who owns a spice company about maybe joining me on an upcoming cruise. I've also met car wholesalers, chief engineers (not chengkp!), statisticians, tech geeks, golf course managers, florists, pipeline mechanics, bar managers, the list is endless.... all people I wouldn't know if not for cruising.  

 

 

25 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

And by the way, the entire "Group Rate" issue is old school and not a real factor with most bookings.

It may not be an issue to you, but I've saved thousands of dollars in the past year by booking via Group Rate versus booking directly with Royal.  

Thousands of dollars is a real factor in my wallet.  

[ontheweb]

13 hours ago, brillohead said:

I just found it interesting, once someone else brought the subject up.  I like to learn about LOTS of things, which is why I talk to lots of people and one of the reasons I like cruising -- it's a great way to meet lots of people from different industries, regions, and cultures.  I'm currently texting with someone who owns a spice company about maybe joining me on an upcoming cruise. I've also met car wholesalers, chief engineers (not chengkp!), statisticians, tech geeks, golf course managers, florists, pipeline mechanics, bar managers, the list is endless.... all people I wouldn't know if not for cruising.  

 

 

It may not be an issue to you, but I've saved thousands of dollars in the past year by booking via Group Rate versus booking directly with Royal.  

Thousands of dollars is a real factor in my wallet.  

Yes, meeting different people is one of the attractions of cruising. And one can also learn from people from different cultures among the passengers and the crew.

[iancal]

The only cruise we have booked direct with the cruise line in the past 15 or  years was booked with RCI.

 

And only because booking this last minute cruise directly with RCI's Sydney, Australia call center was priced 30 percent less, adjusted for currency, than the best North America price that we could obtain from our TA. 

 

 I emailed an Australian on line TA but got no response within five hours so I went the direct route for fear of not getting a balcony cabin.   The RCI CSR pulled up our details immediately...no issues whatsoever.

 

We always check travel vendor prices on different in country web sites.  Sometimes there are surprising price differences.

 

Other than that we have never felt the need or recognized the slightest benefit to dealing direct.  The opposite is true.

Edited August 3, 2022 by iancal

[George C]

We book our own, would like to find a really good agent . But there not that easy to find . Last one we had knew nothing.

[donaldsc]

2 hours ago, George C said:

We book our own, would like to find a really good agent . But there not that easy to find . Last one we had knew nothing.

 

We found ours by talking to a friend who has done a lot of cruising.  Have you tried the word-of-mouth approach?

 

DON

[Toofarfromthesea]

20 hours ago, Hlitner said:

I have never understood this obsession that some folks have with commission structure, overrides, and other promos offered to agencies.  .

 

Well we have to obsess about SOMETHING while we take a break from obsessing over the distribution of the automatic gratuity.

[brillohead]

11 hours ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

Well we have to obsess about SOMETHING while we take a break from obsessing over the distribution of the automatic gratuity.

And when we're done with this, we can discuss shorts in the MDR on formal night!!!

[SmoothFlying]

4 hours ago, brillohead said:

And when we're done with this, we can discuss shorts in the MDR on formal night!!!

Or, whine obsessively about 'Where or when do I get my OBC ?'.

 

Mac 

[brillohead]

27 minutes ago, SmoothFlying said:

Or, whine obsessively about 'Where or when do I get my OBC ?'.

 

Mac 

Don't forget smoking in the casino!  

[SmoothFlying]

14 minutes ago, brillohead said:

Don't forget smoking in the casino!  

No kidding, I KNOW (probably 90% of us who cruise) do not like tobacco/smoke inside or even on the ship.

 

Mac

[Hlitner]

41 minutes ago, brillohead said:

Don't forget smoking in the casino!  

I have long been a fan of smoking in the casino!  Why?  It has saved me a small fortune because I will never gamble a penny in any casino that allows smoking.   🙂

Hank

[ontheweb]

36 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

I have long been a fan of smoking in the casino!  Why?  It has saved me a small fortune because I will never gamble a penny in any casino that allows smoking.   🙂

Hank

Don't go to NY State; smoking is not allowed. You would be able to lose.

[-The-True-North-]

Hello All,

 

I am about to book our first ever cruise, and I just had a quick question.  We are going to book Holland America, and on their website, they have Flexible Cancellation.  We do not plan to cancel as they cruise is 35 days away, BUT, with the flexible cancellation, you may cancel up to your sailing date if you test positive for COVID-19 and will also receive the same remuneration.

 

Would a Big Box Wholeseller TA, also honour this? Or do you lose this type of perk when you book with a TA?

 

Thanks,

TTN

[brillohead]

11 hours ago, -The-True-North- said:

Hello All,

 

I am about to book our first ever cruise, and I just had a quick question.  We are going to book Holland America, and on their website, they have Flexible Cancellation.  We do not plan to cancel as they cruise is 35 days away, BUT, with the flexible cancellation, you may cancel up to your sailing date if you test positive for COVID-19 and will also receive the same remuneration.

 

Would a Big Box Wholeseller TA, also honour this? Or do you lose this type of perk when you book with a TA?

 

Thanks,

TTN

Something like that is typically a company policy, so it would apply to all fares on the ship.  It's something that the cruise line is offering its passengers, not something that the agency is offering. 

Think of it like buying movie tickets -- if you purchase them online in advance or at the window, they're both for the same movie.  If the movie breaks and they can't get it restarted, the theater would refund everyone (or give everyone a Free Movie Credit), regardless of where you purchased your ticket.

 

[Hlitner]

16 hours ago, -The-True-North- said:

Hello All,

 

I am about to book our first ever cruise, and I just had a quick question.  We are going to book Holland America, and on their website, they have Flexible Cancellation.  We do not plan to cancel as they cruise is 35 days away, BUT, with the flexible cancellation, you may cancel up to your sailing date if you test positive for COVID-19 and will also receive the same remuneration.

 

Would a Big Box Wholeseller TA, also honour this? Or do you lose this type of perk when you book with a TA?

 

Thanks,

TTN

No, you do not lose this perk although you should make sure that the perk exists with the specific type booking you are using.  So, for example, many cruise lines will have certain lower fares attached to non-cancelable bookings.  .  But if you book with a Travel/Cruise agency they may have their own extra fee if you cancel or modify a booking.  So when deciding to deal with agencies yo u might want to ask or read about their policies if you cancel or modify a booking.  Having used multiple cruise agencies for decades I suggest folks try to find agencies that have decent customer service (harder to find these days).  Nobody likes sitting on hold for hours with any cruise line or agency.  The high volume cruise agencies I use all have excellent customer service with many tasks/issues resolved with a simple e-mail to my agent/agency.  The better cruise agencies will generally assign you to a specific agent but also maintain a customer service desk where you can get quick answers/service if your agent is not available.

 

Hank

[-The-True-North-]

Thank you both.

 

I'd personally would prefer to book with Holland America, but when I called the big box wholesalers TA, they said their rates are the same as the website, however, they then quoted me a price $300 less? And throw in a $120 gift card.

 

How is it possible if they have the same rates it was $300 cheaper? I get the gift card.

 

Obviously looking to save money, and if this Covid perk would is also honoured and extended by the TA, why not go that route?