Better room available but could not reach travel agent.

[redroses]

I booked a last minute cruise for relatives, inside cabins were only available.  I saw this weekend that 2 oceanview rooms were available and bookable on princess and various online sites. But since I booked through a TA and they don't work weekends, the rooms are now gone.

 

So If I booked directly through Princess or a princess vacation planner, would it have made a difference?  

[PrincessLuver]

3 minutes ago, redroses said:

I booked a last minute cruise for relatives, inside cabins were only available.  I saw this weekend that 2 oceanview rooms were available and bookable on princess and various online sites. But since I booked through a TA and they don't work weekends, the rooms are now gone.

 

So If I booked directly through Princess or a princess vacation planner, would it have made a difference?  

 

You could have booked the cabin(s) (temporary 3 day hold) and then got in touch with your TA at the beginning of the week who could have asked Princess to make the change.  

[redroses]

the cruise is less than 14 days away so it seem like you can't put a hold on the cabin.

[PacnGoNow]

20 minutes ago, redroses said:

I booked a last minute cruise for relatives, inside cabins were only available.  I saw this weekend that 2 oceanview rooms were available and bookable on princess and various online sites. But since I booked through a TA and they don't work weekends, the rooms are now gone.

 

So If I booked directly through Princess or a princess vacation planner, would it have made a difference?  

Mute point, if 2 weeks away.

 

Edited September 11, 2022 by PacnGoNow

[Dar & Bob]

Even though the OP couldn't put it on hold they could have done an online chat or could have called Princess direct.  At least in the past that has worked for us.

[PacnGoNow]

Just now, Dar & Bob said:

Even though the OP couldn't put it on hold they could have done an online chat or could have called Princess direct.  At least in the past that has worked for us.

On a TA booking?  Their not supposed to touch it. Plus it was way past final payment.

[Dar & Bob]

36 minutes ago, PacnGoNow said:

On a TA booking?  Their not supposed to touch it. Plus it was way past final payment.

Yes correct since they booked with a TA - they asked if booking direct would it make a difference.  Sorry I didn't clarify, if they had booked direct they could have called or did on online chat. 

 

Booking direct I have been able to get an adjustment and moved past final payment.  We have had very good CVPs 

Edited September 11, 2022 by Dar & Bob

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, PrincessLuver said:

 

You could have booked the cabin(s) (temporary 3 day hold) and then got in touch with your TA at the beginning of the week who could have asked Princess to make the change.  

A CVP may not be working either on the day you need them.  You should be able to call a Princess rep and put a hold on if Princess.com doesn't allow.  I am thinking since Princess supports TA's, there would be some workaround to this.  Don't recall if we have "been there/done that" in the past (but not recently for certain).

[PacnGoNow]

1 hour ago, Steelers36 said:

A CVP may not be working either on the day you need them.  You should be able to call a Princess rep and put a hold on if Princess.com doesn't allow.  I am thinking since Princess supports TA's, there would be some workaround to this.  Don't recall if we have "been there/done that" in the past (but not recently for certain).

OP is leaving in 2 weeks, way past final payment. 

[PacnGoNow]

2 hours ago, redroses said:

I booked a last minute cruise for relatives, inside cabins were only available.  I saw this weekend that 2 oceanview rooms were available and bookable on princess and various online sites. But since I booked through a TA and they don't work weekends, the rooms are now gone.

 

So If I booked directly through Princess or a princess vacation planner, would it have made a difference?  

I have a couple of suggestions for you.

 

Call TA on Monday, make sure their booking is not marked “No upgrade.” That is, if they are willing to take another cabin, if upgraded.  

And if not offered an upgrade, then the day of sailing, stop at Guest services, once OB and ask if there are any upgrades available to an Ocean view/balcony.  Go enjoy your lunch and see if GS comes up with any offers.

Depends how full the ship is.  Good luck.

[CineGraphic]

ask for an upgrade once you get on board

[Ereggae]

This is the reason I book directly with Princess as, in addition to calling, the live chat is very efficient.  No cruise line will deal with you directly if you book with a TA.

Edited September 11, 2022 by Ereggae

[SantaFeFan]

29 minutes ago, Ereggae said:

This is the reason I book directly with Princess as, in addition to calling, the live chat is very efficient.  No cruise line will deal with you directly if you book with a TA.

 

If you prefer instant actions to any questions, or those very rare last minute, act right now! changes, then by all means book directly with Princess. If you want to save money or receive increased amenities or benefits, then go with a TA.

 

We prefer TAs as we have never needed a last minute change or a question answered that couldn't wait a day or two to get done. And the rewards are several hundred $$$ in savings, even thousands some cases. For our 15 day Hawaii cruise next March we got the Princess Plus package on a mini suite for almost $2,000 less than Princess priced it on their website. We lost $30 in OBC, but gained several hundreds of dollars back in reduced fare instead. 

 

And we have never had any issues with non-response from that TA. If he isn't available at the moment I call during business hours 7 days a week, I have the option of having the call roll over to another agent in his office, who will then handle the request immediately if necessary. There is zero downside and major upsides to working with a good TA instead of Princess directly. For me, the hundreds of $$$ saved on every cruise is much more important than the infrequent instant change I may encounter. 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 11, 2022 by SantaFeFan

[Ereggae]

Much ado about nothing.  Personal choice and experience.   I do just fine directly with the cruise line.

[SantaFeFan]

17 minutes ago, Ereggae said:

Much ado about nothing.  Personal choice and experience.   I do just fine directly with the cruise line.

 

No reason to be snarky. I value saving money over instant responses. I save enough money over several cruises to afford to take another without it costing me more money. Different approaches for different goals. 

 

Edited September 11, 2022 by SantaFeFan

[Dar & Bob]

8 minutes ago, SantaFeFan said:

 

No reason to be snarky. I value saving money over instant responses. I save enough money over several cruises to afford to take another without it costing me more money. Different approaches for different goals. 

 

Well this is about the OP and quite obviously it didn't work out for them.  In this case they may have been better off booking direct rather than with a TA.

Edited September 11, 2022 by Dar & Bob

[fleeflicker]

That’s why I don’t use a TA anymore. I don’t like not having the ability to do anything with my booking. 

[PTMary]

3 hours ago, Ereggae said:

Much ado about nothing.  Personal choice and experience.   I do just fine directly with the cruise line.

 

Much ado about nothing? Saving hundreds of dollars is not "nothing" to many of us in retirement. You must be rich if you don't care about saving money. Good for you. Many people would envy you for that freedom. Personally, we use a TA for the money we save, which we can allocate to future cruise costs. We're on fixed budgets and have to plan where we spend our retirement income. It's not an unending flow that we can throw at expenses that are higher than they need to be. Many of us have to watch our expenditures and having a TA who can save us hundreds of dollars is a positive.

 

And we give up very little. When you deal directly with Princess, you still have to call, text or email someone. Same as using a TA. And a good TA will have connections that the Princess rep you end up with may not have, or the years of experience that a Princess rep who may be new or been in that position for a short time doesn't yet have. 

 

And how much of a difficulty is it to wait a day for an answer? How often does the reason for the call have to be resolved immediately?

 

Not passing judgment, just asking. 

[PTMary]

3 hours ago, fleeflicker said:

That’s why I don’t use a TA anymore. I don’t like not having the ability to do anything with my booking. 

 

You don't have any less ability than with a TA. In most cases, you still have to talk to someone to get your issue resolved, whether it's a cabin change or getting a reduced fare if they have gone down. An experienced TA will have the same control over your booking as the Princess rep will have. Both will follow the same chain of command to get issues resolved. 

 

But, as one poster has said - it's a personal choice. Work with the method you find most comfortable. Some of us very are satisfied with using a TA and enjoy the cost savings they can provide that dealing directly with Princess can not. And if you find direct to Princess to be more to your liking, then that's good as well.

 

In the end, we all get to go on a cruise. And that is what is most important. 

[fleeflicker]

1 minute ago, PTMary said:

 

You don't have any less ability than with a TA. In most cases, you still have to talk to someone to get your issue resolved, whether it's a cabin change or getting a reduced fare if they have gone down. An experienced TA will have the same control over your booking as the Princess rep will have. Both will follow the same chain of command to get issues resolved. 

 

But, as one poster has said - it's a personal choice. Work with the method you find most comfortable. Some of us very are satisfied with using a TA and enjoy the cost savings they can provide that dealing directly with Princess can not. And if you find direct to Princess to be more to your liking, then that's good as well.

 

In the end, we all get to go on a cruise. And that is what is most important. 

I have found very little savings with a travel agent. Apparently I have been using the wrong one.  I am going to do some research 

[azbirdmom]

5 minutes ago, fleeflicker said:

I have found very little savings with a travel agent. Apparently I have been using the wrong one.  I am going to do some research 

 

There are TAs out there who rebate part of their commission to clients and / or provide other perks such as OBC etc.  And there are TAs (like mine) who seemingly works 24 X 7, responding to emails immediately nights, weekends, even when she is on vacation.  There are a lot of gems like mine out there, you just need to do the research, or on your next cruise ask others who they use.

[fleeflicker]

4 minutes ago, azbirdmom said:

 

There are TAs out there who rebate part of their commission to clients and / or provide other perks such as OBC etc.  And there are TAs (like mine) who seemingly works 24 X 7, responding to emails immediately nights, weekends, even when she is on vacation.  There are a lot of gems like mine out there, you just need to do the research, or on your next cruise ask others who they use.

I didn’t realize we could ask on here. Thanks

[cr8tiv1]

I'm going to go with @azbirdmom.  I don't get discounts from my TA but she offers some nice "gifts", finds OBC, gets me out of trouble (more than once), and is just a text/phone call away 24/7.   Even if I accidentally call her, unless I text her that I made a mistake, she calls me right back.

 

 

21 minutes ago, PTMary said:

Much ado about nothing? Saving hundreds of dollars is not "nothing" to many of us in retirement. You must be rich if you don't care about saving money. Good for you. Many people would envy you for that freedom. Personally, we use a TA for the money we save, which we can allocate to future cruise costs. We're on fixed budgets and have to plan where we spend our retirement income. It's not an unending flow that we can throw at expenses that are higher than they need to be. Many of us have to watch our expenditures and having a TA who can save us hundreds of dollars is a positive.

 

And we give up very little. When you deal directly with Princess, you still have to call, text or email someone. Same as using a TA. And a good TA will have connections that the Princess rep you end up with may not have, or the years of experience that a Princess rep who may be new or been in that position for a short time doesn't yet have. 

 

And how much of a difficulty is it to wait a day for an answer? How often does the reason for the call have to be resolved immediately?

 

Not passing judgment, just asking. 

 

12 minutes ago, fleeflicker said:

I have found very little savings with a travel agent. Apparently I have been using the wrong one.  I am going to do some research 

 

3 minutes ago, azbirdmom said:

There are TAs out there who rebate part of their commission to clients and / or provide other perks such as OBC etc.  And there are TAs (like mine) who seemingly works 24 X 7, responding to emails immediately nights, weekends, even when she is on vacation.  There are a lot of gems like mine out there, you just need to do the research, or on your next cruise ask others who they use.

 

[cr8tiv1]

As far as OP is concerned, if those cabins showed up, they are probably for new bookings only.  It is past the point of cancelling and rebooking.  Possible, but doubtful, that OP would have been able to secure the new cabins so close to sailing via Princess agent or TA.

Edited September 11, 2022 by cr8tiv1

[azbirdmom]

3 minutes ago, fleeflicker said:

I didn’t realize we could ask on here. Thanks

You can't ask for specific TAs on these boards.  But nothing prohibits discussions on a ship such as during Meet & Greets.