travel agent

[ToyFoxFan]

I have always booked directly thru Princess. Are there any advantages for using a travel agent?

[skynight]

With the proper one, yes. Extra OBC, specialty dining or something like that. I'm not speaking about the pass throughs from Princess, but actual additional benefits. 

[lx200gps]

12 minutes ago, ToyFoxFan said:

I have always booked directly thru Princess. Are there any advantages for using a travel agent?

You're about to be inundated with a lot of responses, probably split about 50/50. In our case, using our TA is a no-brainer, in that we get a few little extras from her Agency that we don't get from Princess. The biggest reason, however, why we use our TA is that, these days, even reaching Princess can be trying, so if someone has to spend an hour on hold trying to reach the Mother Ship, we'd rather it be her than us.

[JimmyVWine]

24 minutes ago, lx200gps said:

The biggest reason, however, why we use our TA is that, these days, even reaching Princess can be trying, so if someone has to spend an hour on hold trying to reach the Mother Ship, we'd rather it be her than us.

The chat function on the Princess website works very well. I have never waited more than 5-7 minutes to be connected with a customer service rep and the people I’ve been connected to have been able to accomplish everything I need. So if people are putting “wait time to get assistance” on the scale, keep that in mind. 

Edited November 5, 2022 by JimmyVWine

[SargassoPirate]

Definitely if you are a member of the big box warehouse club. Their travel agency will give you a gift card at the end of your cruise based on what the cruise line pays the TAs by way of commission.  Other perks are available depending on the sailing.

 

I usually book with the cruise line first since their search engine is easier to use, get the perfect cabin booked, and then transfer the booking to big box and garner their rewards.  Then to double down, I use my big box credit card to pay for the cruise and get some cash back rewards there too.

 

It's a win win win.

[capriccio]

The biggest advantage with my TA is that she offers discounts on the on-line Princess fares usually in the 7 to 10% range (sometimes a bit lower, and sometimes a bit higher).  She also throws in on board credit now and then. 

 

She also provides assistance by dealing with her contacts at Princess and other cruise lines.  In the past decade she has assisted us with retaining our cabin when we decided to add a second cruise even though it was marked unavailable for that cruise.  She has also booked popular cruises for us first thing on the day bookings open to ensure we get the cabin we want without me having to do that leg work.  Finally on a European river cruise she called us as we had just checked-in at the airport to notify us of an emergency announcement from the cruise line (low water would mean a change of ships mid-cruise).  We didn't face any surprises upon arrival because she communicated with the cruise line that we were okay with that and were not cancelling. 

[marden1970]

1 hour ago, SargassoPirate said:

Definitely if you are a member of the big box warehouse club. Their travel agency will give you a gift card at the end of your cruise based on what the cruise line pays the TAs by way of commission.  Other perks are available depending on the sailing.

 

I usually book with the cruise line first since their search engine is easier to use, get the perfect cabin booked, and then transfer the booking to big box and garner their rewards.  Then to double down, I use my big box credit card to pay for the cruise and get some cash back rewards there too.

 

It's a win win win.

I do that as well.  Love going shopping after that gift card comes.

[partybarbie]

The on-line agency that I used for my cruise next week was able to reduce the Princess website price by about ten percent and gave me $310.00 in shipboard credits that Princess wasn’t offering. Even though she works for a large company, she has a local office and gave me her personal cell phone. I still book direct with Princess sometimes, but prefer to use a TA.

[riffatsea]

We get a discounted price,lower deposits and obc

[LouCoop]

2 hours ago, lx200gps said:

You're about to be inundated with a lot of responses, probably split about 50/50. In our case, using our TA is a no-brainer, in that we get a few little extras from her Agency that we don't get from Princess. The biggest reason, however, why we use our TA is that, these days, even reaching Princess can be trying, so if someone has to spend an hour on hold trying to reach the Mother Ship, we'd rather it be her than us.

Noticed you are from Montreal. Have you been able to find a TA who has a lot of experience managing cruise reservations? We have tried 3 different TA's, for the same reason you have mentionned, and each of them didn't really have any experience with how cruising works ex: re-fare, EZ air, OBC, Packages etc...

[Mike45LC]

Do Travel Agents get the casino discounts/free cruises?  I always book through the casino, and get great offers!

 

I think it would be abusive if I used a travel agent on a “free” cruise offer.

[lx200gps]

33 minutes ago, LouCoop said:

Noticed you are from Montreal. Have you been able to find a TA who has a lot of experience managing cruise reservations? We have tried 3 different TA's, for the same reason you have mentionned, and each of them didn't really have any experience with how cruising works ex: re-fare, EZ air, OBC, Packages etc...

Keeping in mind that mentioning TA names here on CC is strictly verboten, yes we have a great TA who is cruise specific. She works for the large cruise travel agency who have storefronts on pretty much every corner, certainly here on the West Island.  Her agency handles all the cruise lines, and ours knows Princess very well, though she admits she and her family are RCCL kind of folks ;o) Her agency gives us OBC over and above what P give us, and her agency is large enough in the travel industry that we collect their "frequent traveler" points which gives us a free hotel stay every few cruises or so. Note that they are not just cruising but handle other modes of travel as well, such as hotels. We deal with their (subsidiary?) which are franchised cruise specific agencies. I wish I could tell you who they are, but them's the rules.

[Arizona Wildcat]

4 hours ago, SargassoPirate said:

Definitely if you are a member of the big box warehouse club. Their travel agency will give you a gift card at the end of your cruise based on what the cruise line pays the TAs by way of commission.  Other perks are available depending on the sailing.

 

I usually book with the cruise line first since their search engine is easier to use, get the perfect cabin booked, and then transfer the booking to big box and garner their rewards.  Then to double down, I use my big box credit card to pay for the cruise and get some cash back rewards there too.

 

It's a win win win.

That is definitely NOT a good way to book.  They are fine unless something goes sideline and then not always available quickly via phone.

A "great" TA will offer the extra OBC as well as the availability is many cabin classes for perks to be included.   I got Princess Plus included and $600 of refundable OBC for the same  price as the website.  My TA is available 6am to 8pm 7 days a week.  AH calls are returned by 7am the following day.

Call around and interview a few.  Ask some questions.  Have them compete for your Cruise using a Google search. 

PS I paid with my big box credit card.

[Shelly97060]

2 hours ago, Mike45LC said:

Do Travel Agents get the casino discounts/free cruises?  I always book through the casino, and get great offers!

 

I think it would be abusive if I used a travel agent on a “free” cruise offer.

Your TA can get you the casino discount (if you qualify) and they can contact the Casino on your behalf to book your free casino cruise if you have been sent an offer by the casino.  It’s easiest for the TA if you give them the promotion code that’s on the email or mailer.   Also, do not worry about it being abusive to the TA, the casino pays the TA a very small transaction fee for handling the booking. 

[donaldsc]

If you can find a good TA you are always better off going w a TA than w Princess.  The problem is finding a good one.  The reason is not the perks that you may get but the service you will get when (not if but when) stuff happens.

 

A recent example.  We just came back from a trip that involved flying from Las Vegas to Athens through Atlanta.  We had 3+ hours layover time in Atlanta which which should have been plenty except that there was a 2 hour weather hold in Vegas which could have presented a problem in Atlanta.  While we were sitting on the runway in Vegas I texted our TA to tell her potential problem.  Her response was "I'll get on it and check in w me when you get off the plane in Atlanta. "  When we got to Atlanta there was a message from her telling us that she had an alternative route and had even put a hold on it if we needed it.  As it turned out we did make our Atlanta to Athens flight but if we hadn't we would still have gotten to Athens in time.  

 

Now tell me.  If we had booked through Princess and had the same problem would we have gotten the same service?  I doubt it.  That is why you need a good TA.  Not a Big Box TA but a real one who cares about you as a person.

 

DON

[SargassoPirate]

2 hours ago, donaldsc said:

If you can find a good TA you are always better off going w a TA than w Princess.  The problem is finding a good one.  The reason is not the perks that you may get but the service you will get when (not if but when) stuff happens.

 

A recent example.  We just came back from a trip that involved flying from Las Vegas to Athens through Atlanta.  We had 3+ hours layover time in Atlanta which which should have been plenty except that there was a 2 hour weather hold in Vegas which could have presented a problem in Atlanta.  While we were sitting on the runway in Vegas I texted our TA to tell her potential problem.  Her response was "I'll get on it and check in w me when you get off the plane in Atlanta. "  When we got to Atlanta there was a message from her telling us that she had an alternative route and had even put a hold on it if we needed it.  As it turned out we did make our Atlanta to Athens flight but if we hadn't we would still have gotten to Athens in time.  

 

Now tell me.  If we had booked through Princess and had the same problem would we have gotten the same service?  I doubt it.  That is why you need a good TA.  Not a Big Box TA but a real one who cares about you as a person.

 

DON

That's some really good service, Don.  

 

My experience with the big box has been booking and the perks.  I carry an annual travel insurance policy with a section to call for travel-related problems.  Had some problems getting stuck in Australia when covid started shutting down everything, but I solved them myself so I didn't need any help with alternative travel - but the insurance paid all of the out-of-pocket unexpected expenses and Princess refunded my money for the cancelled cruise that was supposed to be my ride back to the US from OZ.

 

If everything goes smoothly you don't have adventures and good stories to share over a wee dram.

[Tedferg]

 Agent versus Agency. My neighbor recommended a local brick and mortar TA. He said, 'Ask for Jeff, the owner' I went in and the young girl at reception asked if she could help me. Jeff was not in I said I wanted a quote on a cruise. I guess all other Agents were busy. Long story short, she took me to an office, fumbled around with POLAR and quoted me Princess list price for a Balcony. I had mentioned my friend, told her I usually use Big Box by name, asked for a specific obstructed balcony.

 

I did not know how to say, 'You're missing the point, I am looking for a competitive bid'

[Tedferg]

After much spreadsheeting, website visits, Big Box card etc. we went back to our original TA with great personal service. So much for the lure of big discounts.

[scooter6139]

Done the Big box twice now, otherwise gone directly with whichever cruise line I am looking at.  Big box is great but didn't see any discounts offered, just that great gift card at the end.  Getting ""cruise stuff or questions" fixed was a hassle that I didn't like with them, as only they could do anything with those bookings.

 

Love the flexibility of dealing directly with the lines themselves or their CVP/PCC/whatever sales consultants they have.  As long as you get a good one that responds pretty quickly.

 

Family member used to work for a well known big online travel company, rates she quoted were similar to what I could get myself.  Also checked with a popular YouTuber's TA and didn't see huge discounts there either.

 

One of the day I supposed we will find a great 3rd party TA that gives great service, great discounts and others freebies, but so far haven't found one.

 

FYI - My parents owned a TA back in the 80/90's,  Reason I got to travel so much as a kid.

[Rick&Jeannie]

I wish to goodness that there was a way to share some of this information as far as TAs are concerned...but given that CruiseCritic is owned by TripAdvisor...

 

And...I will not be surprised if even *this* post is deleted!

[subaru94]

I think USA TA's have a lot more flexibility than here in Australia, if you book through a TA here in Australia, and fares go down you get charged to make changes, and very few extras, booking through Princess directly any reductions or specials I have contacted princess and received them.