Booking directly through Princess.com

[serfergurl]

Has anyone booked their cruise directly through Princess.com. Are there any pros/cons to doing this rather than through a TA. I find with my local TA (Ontario Canada) they are not that quick in getting back to me and so far what they have presented has not been what I asked for. I am trying to book for Feb or March/07 for 3 people in a stateroom and I understand those staterooms go quite quickly.

 

Thanks.

[Colo Cruiser]

Book it through Princess then transfer the booking to your TA so the TA can apply the discount. All it takes is a short blurb faxed to Princess that you would like XYZ TA to take over your booking #-----. :)

[solehigh]

I will be going on my 13th cruise in a few weeks ( 9th with Princess) and for the last 6 I have booked directly with Princess at the 800 number. I feel that they have given what ever discount that is available locally. They check your area for this. Upon being on the ships we have chatted with other people that have used a TA and found that we have gotten a very good deal. It has worked for me, others may say it has not, but give it a try. I always get my documents much earlier than anyone using a TA. Princess just send them directly to you. Good Luck

[bruinBob]

leaving on the IP april 6, o6. booked on line with princess and everything as gone well so far. I was hesitant at first also but you know its just not rocket science.

I must say however that after i booked and maybe had some follow up questions for princess that when i called sometimes i found them to be somewhat exasperated with my questions.

maybe they feel these were questions that if i had a traval agent that they would be answering for me. oh well, but i did get my answers.

[Colo Cruiser]

I will be going on my 13th cruise in a few weeks ( 9th with Princess) and for the last 6 I have booked directly with Princess at the 800 number. I feel that they have given what ever discount that is available locally. They check your area for this. Upon being on the ships we have chatted with other people that have used a TA and found that we have gotten a very good deal. It has worked for me, others may say it has not, but give it a try. I always get my documents much earlier than anyone using a TA. Princess just send them directly to you. Good Luck

 

 

I will respectfully disagree with you as in our 29 Princess cruises I have always seen lower prices outside of Princess especially if it is transferred to a TA that knows what they are doing and deals with Princess regularly. I prefer not to give my money away for nothing even if you do get your docs a few days earlier. No big deal if they don't come I will still be onboard. :)

[can786]

The only good thing about booking directly with Princess is that they will discuss your booking with you over the phone and you can make any changes yourself without going through your TA. That being said, with a little research you can find a TA that discounts and will save you quite a bit over what Princess will quote you. For that reason alone, I would never book directly with Princess. I have found that many of our local brick and mortar TAs in the area quote the same price as Princess, so I have a great online TA who discounts and she always beats any other price by several hundred dollars.

[Colo Cruiser]

The only good thing about booking directly with Princess is that they will discuss your booking with you over the phone and you can make any changes yourself without going through your TA. That being said, with a little research you can find a TA that discounts and will save you quite a bit over what Princess will quote you. For that reason alone, I would never book directly with Princess. I have found that many of our local brick and mortar TAs in the area quote the same price as Princess, so I have a great online TA who discounts and she always beats any other price by several hundred dollars.

 

 

Well said. ;)

[Coral]

Well said. ;)

 

Ditto!

 

My TA will lower any price Princess gives me. There are plenty out there that will do that.

[SSeaman]

After many years I have yet to find a decent travel agent. I always book directly with the cruiselines. I've yet to have a travel agent give me a lower price than the lines, it's always exactly the same price.

 

Question, if a cruise has been booked and fully paid for, can you turn it over to an agent for a lower price and receive money back?

[Coral]

Question, if a cruise has been booked and fully paid for, can you turn it over to an agent for a lower price and receive money back?

 

What I often do is book a cruise through Princess and if I know I am going to sail it (verses cancel it), I then turn it over to Princess and she provides me a lower price. I am not sure if you can do this after final payment but you definitely can do it before final payment.

[solehigh]

Everyone has voiced their opinion as to what has worked for them. I use to use a TA and found better deals directly with Princess, heck my step son is and agent with Carlson. Maybe it has to do with what part of the country you live in. We are in the Northeast. I have done my homework and checked and rechecked and still stand by dealing with Princess. I have even dealt with discount houses in other areas of the country and still prefer dealing with Princess. What ever works for you, you shoudl stick too.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I live in Philadelphia which isn't that far from Bordentown and I always find lower pricing.

Like you said though, do what works for you.:)

 

Bill

[CrusinAgain]

You know what I find interesting is with Carnival the TA's could not compete with their pricing. The TA's were only allowed to offer "fringe benefits". But, I hated the fact that I could not talk to Carnival directly without my travel agent nor could I see my cabin number.

 

Now we are about to sail on Princess and is is just the opposite. The TA's can compete with Princess and you can get much better deals online with TA's than you can with Princess. Also I can go online to the Princess site and see my booking information with cabin number whereas with Carnival I couldn't.

 

So, in the future unless I find a "fringe benefit" for Carnival cruises I will book with Carnival and for Princess I will find the best deal. I also discovered you can book with whomever and transfer it as long as you have not made the final payment.

[Coral]

If Princess is your best price - then you are comparing their price to travel agents who do not discount and/or to agents who are not checking into recent promos (Capt Circle/regional/flash).

 

This is simple - Princess charges a full commission. Several travel agents discount their commission (providing you with a better price). Get Princess's best price and then turn the booking over to an agent who discounts and they will be able to discount ANY price that Princess gives you. It doesn't matter where you live.

 

If people want to continue to pay full price, go ahead. I just don't understand why people would want to when one can save quite a bit of money. To each their own.

 

From what I understand, Carnival is a totally different situation and Carnival Reps are allowed to discount their commissions. This is definitely different then Princess reps.

[Len3]

After booking with my local TA for 5 cruises, I decided to try an online TA.

The online prices couldn't be matched by my local gal. Now we only book online and feel that after 4 cruises - this works and is best for us.

[drzx2]

Reading this thread made me look at my recent vouchers. We booked a 16 day Panama Canal for 2 people--balconey cabin--with insurance with Princess --while on another cruise. I switched the booking to an out-of-state discount TA and the final numbers are $1166 less than Princess.

 

This is a fabulous saving---I do miss the personal contacts that I had when I used a neighborhood TA---especially for things like air, hotels, etc---which I now book myself.--- My neighborhood TA was usually less than Princess but not this much less.... Not all cruisers are internet travel savy---Or at least not comfortable booking air & hotel on line...And they might choose a local TA or use Princess air/hotel....And these extras in addition to the cruise price can also make huge differences.

[Coral]

This is a fabulous saving---I do miss the personal contacts that I had when I used a neighborhood TA---especially for things like air, hotels, etc---which I now book myself.---

 

Not all cruisers are internet travel savy---Or at least not comfortable booking air & hotel on line...And they might choose a local TA or use Princess air/hotel.....

 

I actually get better service from my out of state TA. The local TA I used for 2 cruises wasn't that familiar with cruises but was always willing to ask the questions necessary. Though I could really never visit her (her working times were the same as mine) so al of my conversations were over the phone. I have switched to an out of state TA who works weekends and evenings and she just does cruising so I feel the service is actually better. While I am internet savvy - I don't think it is necessary to be to save. This TA will deal with people via phone - it is not an internet booking site. I have a real person working with me.

 

I still do my own bookings of hotels and air which this TA will only do if through the cruise line. That is ok with me.

[solehigh]

We can all beat this horse to death. As all of those who prefer a TA you have your reasons. Yes I get the Captains Circle discount as well as any regional discount. As I have stated I have checked and rechecked various sources and still find a great deal with Princess. That being said if I would find a better deal with a TA I would most certainly go with them. It is not like I am just going to Princess and pay what they say. We travel at least 6 times a year and I want to save money as well as the next person. Thanks to all of you who have given your advise the end result is to investigate.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

You know what I find interesting is with Carnival the TA's could not compete with their pricing. The TA's were only allowed to offer "fringe benefits". But, I hated the fact that I could not talk to Carnival directly without my travel agent nor could I see my cabin number.

 

Now we are about to sail on Princess and is is just the opposite. The TA's can compete with Princess and you can get much better deals online with TA's than you can with Princess. Also I can go online to the Princess site and see my booking information with cabin number whereas with Carnival I couldn't.

 

So, in the future unless I find a "fringe benefit" for Carnival cruises I will book with Carnival and for Princess I will find the best deal. I also discovered you can book with whomever and transfer it as long as you have not made the final payment.

 

When did this start with Carnival? I have a cruise booked for June that I booked in November. While travel agents can't advertise prices lower than on the Carnival website, they can discount. You just have to contact them either by email or phone. Unless of course that's changed since November.:confused:

 

I live in Philly but my TA is in Arkansas. Been using her for about 4 years now and she always gets us a nice deal.:)

 

Bill

[goldens4ever]

I would love to save $ instead of giving it away. If anyone has suggestions for an on-line TA to work with or other TA's would you please e-mail me directly...(don't know if you are allowed to give that info here).

 

My e-mail is sybil_modispacher@hcpss.org

 

 

My mom and I are planning on cruising next and I would love to save some money to spend on the trip.

 

Thanks!!!!

[Stevesan]

This is simple - Princess charges a full commission. Several travel agents discount their commission (providing you with a better price). Get Princess's best price and then turn the booking over to an agent who discounts and they will be able to discount ANY price that Princess gives you. It doesn't matter where you live.

 

 

Not always true. I booked our current cruise (sails Saturday) directly on line with Princess on a Saturday evening, The only reason I did was because the price was well below any I had previously seen. I booked it fully intending to transfer the booking to a TA Monday morning. Each one I contacted replied that they absolutely could not beat the price, but they would be happy to take it off my hands.:rolleyes:

 

One of the TAs explained that I caught Princess's on line pricing during an "inventory turn", whatever that means. Sure enough, Monday morning the prices were back up again.

 

Lesson Learned: Check direct cruise line prices over weekends.:)

 

Of course, I kept the direct booking. Why deal with a middle man?

 

I should add that I have had an excellent experience with Princess for this booking. Lots of cooperation trying to upgrade to a waitlisted category. I also had a good experience with Holland America reps with my only prior direct booking.

I certainly can't say the same for all of the TAs I've dealt with. The one exception is a cruise specialty agency whose agents all have extensive experience, and are knowledgeable about the cruise lines. I usually book with them because of their superior service, even when their price is a little higher.

 

As another poster commented, and I'm paraphrasing here, "do your own thing". Each person needs to book with whomever they're most comfortable. Experience traveling generally, and on cruises specifically, are understandably strong influences.

[Tejasice]

I would love to save $ instead of giving it away. If anyone has suggestions for an on-line TA to work with or other TA's would you please e-mail me directly...(don't know if you are allowed to give that info here).

 

My e-mail is sybil_modispacher@hcpss.org

 

 

My mom and I are planning on cruising next and I would love to save some money to spend on the trip.

 

Thanks!!!!

 

I've had nothing but bad experiences with TA's up here. WOuld also love some TA advice. ie: We decided to be safe and fly up a day before our upcoming cruise so per my TA advice I purchased my airline tix and hotel through Princess so I wouldn't be hit with a 'deviation cost' and 'suposedly' Princess would make sure I made it to my ship in the event of bad weather etc. I ended up having to pay a 'deviation cost' anyway PLUS the higher hotel fees that Princess charged because the wonderful flights Princess gave to us from Toronto to Ft Lauderdale had 3 plane changes and took up the WHOLE day to get to Florida. It cost me an extra $600 to get a one stop flight which still eats up half of my 'free' day in Florida! So in the end I got ripped off by paying the higher hotel fees (I had wanted to and had available at the time a nicer and cheaper hotel deal) AND I had to pay extra for a flight that wouldn't have us so stressed out and ruin our vacation.

 

If can recommend a good and reputable online TA I'd really appreciate it if you emailed me at ESTBIGGUY@hotmail.com. I want to plan our 25 anniversary cruise in advance and with 2 kids in college and one in private school I need to get a decent deal this time. Thanks!

[Coral]

Not always true. I booked our current cruise (sails Saturday) directly on line with Princess on a Saturday evening, The only reason I did was because the price was well below any I had previously seen. I booked it fully intending to transfer the booking to a TA Monday morning. Each one I contacted replied that they absolutely could not beat the price, but they would be happy to take it off my hands.:rolleyes: .

 

Actually this is ALWAYS true. My TA will take over my booking at whatever price Princess gives me and discounts that price. All you have to do is hold it with Princess (you can even put a deposit down but it creates one additional step) and lock in that price and then transfer it and then they will discount it. You must be checking with the wrong people because this is how it works if done properly. My TA tells me if I can't get a hold of her to do the booking with Princess and she will discount whatever price Princess gives me.

[CruisinFinsUp]

Has anyone booked their cruise directly through Princess.com. Are there any pros/cons to doing this rather than through a TA. I find with my local TA (Ontario Canada) they are not that quick in getting back to me and so far what they have presented has not been what I asked for. I am trying to book for Feb or March/07 for 3 people in a stateroom and I understand those staterooms go quite quickly.

 

Thanks.

 

 

Folks, OP is Canadian. Like Tejasice said, up here things are priced differently. I have no idea whether or not Princess offers regional pricing for Canadians, but I do know that for this upcoming cruise we booked directly with Princess over the phone, was offered and accepted to have our credit card billed in USD so current exchange rates + credit card commission was what we paid, and when I checked online, the prices were comparable - maybe $100 - $150 difference in total for 4 persons in a minisuite - I'd rather deal with a real live person at Princess. For us, the right cabin was very important so I did my research on Princess.com, and on other online agencies before I called and booked. PLUS we got a great rate on precruise hotel in Ft. Lauderdale on Easter weekend. Much lower than what was available elsewhere due to the Easter holiday. I would not do air with them though due to the horrors I've heard about non - direct flights. (thanks to everyone on these boards for that important info!!!)

 

The MOST I would have got from the brick and mortar travel agent was a $200 on board credit against a slightly higher price. For maybe $100 for 4 of us, I prefer to be able to deal with Princess directly. However, we did book our own flights directly online with air canada, because with 2 small kids I want a direct flight.

 

I prefer to deal directly, because I hate having to use a middle person - if all they are doing is making a phone call, surely I can do that myself. I think part of it is your own preference!!

 

Tejasice - I'm going to email you an agent I've used in the past.

[Stevesan]

Actually this is ALWAYS true. My TA will take over my booking at whatever price Princess gives me and discounts that price. All you have to do is hold it with Princess (you can even put a deposit down but it creates one additional step) and lock in that price and then transfer it and then they will discount it. You must be checking with the wrong people because this is how it works if done properly. My TA tells me if I can't get a hold of her to do the booking with Princess and she will discount whatever price Princess gives me.

 

Please reread my comments. The travel agents would not discount my booking because the cruise price went up again on Monday morning from the price I booked for on Saturday evening. Princess would have transferred the booking to a TA based on the higher rate. Since I already booked at a lower price they were left without a margin to discount.

 

When your TA tells you she'll discount ANY price, she'd have taken a loss on this booking. Which, of course, she may do to keep your biz if you're a high revenue client.:)