Travel Agent or HAL Personal Cruise Consultant

[BermudaBound2014]

On 5/26/2023 at 8:40 AM, jayhawk66 said:

 I was able to book Club Orange and stateroom upgrade directly with Hal and also book air through flight ease directly.

 

How did you book that stateroom upgrade and how far in advance? Did you just keep calling or did your TA forward you an upgrade offer?

[USN59-79]

We all know that we are not allowed to mention the names of individual travel agents or their companies on this website.  Apparently that is because CC is a TA or tries to steer us to a particular TA that  advertises on this website.  My question is:  Has anyone ever used a TA associated with Cruise Critic?  How was the experience?

Ray

[Ipeeinthepools]

1 hour ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

How did you book that stateroom upgrade and how far in advance? Did you just keep calling or did your TA forward you an upgrade offer?

 

I've booked several HAL cruises and I book my upgraded room as soon as I booked Club Orange.  I probably wouldn't do it any other way. I'm booked for July23 and July 24 and I booked CO at the time of booking for both.  Our cruise in Feb 24 is my only cruise that I didn't book CO because it was the first cruise that I booked and I probably didn't get the best advice from my friends.

[RuthC]

53 minutes ago, USN59-79 said:

My question is:  Has anyone ever used a TA associated with Cruise Critic?  How was the experience?

This goes back quite a few years, but I will tell the tale. 
I joined a Cruise Critic Group Cruise where Cruise Critic chose the travel agency. I would not use them if I were booking a cruise otherwise. 

My most frightening part of the experience was that the agency charged the fares to itself on my credit card, then sent in all the payments from their own account. No other agency I have used before or since has paid it that way; the payment has always gone directly to the cruise line. 
Fortunately, everything did work out all right on that score, but the agency funneling the money through them is considered a red flag.  

We were also supposed to get a group cocktail party, but when the time came there was just either some wine, or a few selected cocktails (I don't remember which). I do remember that I wasn't able to get my drink of choice without paying for it. 

[BermudaBound2014]

1 hour ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

I've booked several HAL cruises and I book my upgraded room as soon as I booked Club Orange.  I probably wouldn't do it any other way. I'm booked for July23 and July 24 and I booked CO at the time of booking for both.  Our cruise in Feb 24 is my only cruise that I didn't book CO because it was the first cruise that I booked and I probably didn't get the best advice from my friends.

 

Sorry for the confusion.

 

I'm inquiring about paying for an upgrade and moving categories (not the club orange upgrade). I'm wondering if people have been able to do that directly from HAL. Like I said, I'd prefer not to bug my agent unless paid upgrades must go thru the TA. 

 

I may have read Jayhawk's post incorrectly. 

[BermudaBound2014]

32 minutes ago, RuthC said:

My most frightening part of the experience was that the agency charged the fares to itself on my credit card, then sent in all the payments from their own account. No other agency I have used before or since has paid it that way; the payment has always gone directly to the cruise line. 
Fortunately, everything did work out all right on that score, but the agency funneling the money through them is considered a red flag.  

 

HUGE red flag. This is always something I review with any Travel Agent before giving them my credit card number. I never give them permission to charge my card. I give them permission to act on my behalf and have the cruise line charge the card.

 

I  think this practice may actually be illegal in the USA. I know there are some differences between tour operators and travel agents. Last I checked (many years ago), travel agents could not charge your card to their agency while tour operators could. In either case, that would be a hard no from me.

 

Ruth, I'm glad things worked out for you.

 

 

[RuthC]

7 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

Ruth, I'm glad things worked out for you.

Thanks. It was a great cruise, and I met friends that I travel with to this day. 

[ontheweb]

Another problem with a TA charging directly to the agency instead of the cruise line is you would lose out if there was one of the credit card offers where you get points or money back to your card when you book with the cruise line.

 

Of course, that is not the main problem, but still worth mentioning.

 

@RuthC, I hope you took this up with the cruisecritic management, as it is a major red flag, something one should avoid.

[RuthC]

14 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

RuthC, I hope you took this up with the cruisecritic management, as it is a major red flag, something one should avoid.

I didn't. Primarily because I never thought of it. However, I wasn't the organizer of the group, and I believe he may have, but got no satisfaction.
Too late now! The cruise was almost 20 years ago! (where has the time gone???) 

[mightycruisequeen]

2 hours ago, RuthC said:

This goes back quite a few years, but I will tell the tale. 
I joined a Cruise Critic Group Cruise where Cruise Critic chose the travel agency. I would not use them if I were booking a cruise otherwise. 

My most frightening part of the experience was that the agency charged the fares to itself on my credit card, then sent in all the payments from their own account. No other agency I have used before or since has paid it that way; the payment has always gone directly to the cruise line. 
Fortunately, everything did work out all right on that score, but the agency funneling the money through them is considered a red flag.  

We were also supposed to get a group cocktail party, but when the time came there was just either some wine, or a few selected cocktails (I don't remember which). I do remember that I wasn't able to get my drink of choice without paying for it. 

I remember that agency, and actually used them once shortly before they went belly-up.  

[richwmn]

2 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

Sorry for the confusion.

 

I'm inquiring about paying for an upgrade and moving categories (not the club orange upgrade). I'm wondering if people have been able to do that directly from HAL. Like I said, I'd prefer not to bug my agent unless paid upgrades must go thru the TA. 

 

I may have read Jayhawk's post incorrectly. 

That is what HAL and you are paying the Travel Agent for.

[BermudaBound2014]

11 hours ago, richwmn said:

That is what HAL and you are paying the Travel Agent for.

 

I don't pay a Travel Agent anything. Neither does anyone who books thru a travel agent. Cruise lines sign the pay check of Travel Agents.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[richwmn]

27 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

I don't pay a Travel Agent anything. Neither does anyone who books thru a travel agent. Cruise lines sign the pay check of Travel Agents.

and that money comes out of the money you pay HAL. The travel agent is getting paid to handle your reservation, so you should 'bug' your travel agent to do their job.

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

I don't pay a Travel Agent anything. Neither does anyone who books thru a travel agent. Cruise lines sign the pay check of Travel Agents.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's actually a commission check, not a paycheck. The employee working for the cruise company who you can book with does get a paycheck as he is an employee of the company.

[ontheweb]

13 hours ago, RuthC said:

I didn't. Primarily because I never thought of it. However, I wasn't the organizer of the group, and I believe he may have, but got no satisfaction.
Too late now! The cruise was almost 20 years ago! (where has the time gone???) 

Yes, good question, where has the time gone!

 

We booked our first cruise for our 25th anniversary in 2002. Now in a few months we will be celebrating our 46th anniversary on a sea day between Norway and Iceland. Where has the time gone?!!!

[BermudaBound2014]

Yes, technically a commission check not a paycheck but the tenet of my response still applies. 
 

I booked my first cruise in 1987. It was a high school graduation present. Pre internet. Lots has changed since then for sure. 

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

Yes, technically a commission check not a paycheck but the tenet of my response still applies. 
 

I booked my first cruise in 1987. It was a high school graduation present. Pre internet. Lots has changed since then for sure. 

I was just clarifying the terms, not meaning to criticize you for using the term paycheck.

 

Our first cruise was later than yours, 2002 for our 25th anniversary. And I agree things have changed.

[robotpony]

On 5/28/2023 at 7:46 AM, donandmelissa said:

What I learned from the first agent I used from the website is that when you use that website, the agents have to pay the website. That limits what they can afford to kick back to you. But once you have identified an agent you like, you no longer need to go to the website for future cruises.  That is where the real savings began. 

 

I did not know this.  We use a TA, but tend to book our next cruise while on a cruise, usually ~2 years out for the early booking benefits. We do this mostly to get the itineraries and rooms we want, but I'm curious what the savings would be and will have to look into it.

 

So far the "inconvenience" of having a TA has not affected our cruise travels, though the primary value we find from them is in planning the book-end flights, hotels, and suggestions about excursions and locations.  We see less than 5% in OBC from our TA generally, and usually a bottle of bubbly in the room. They have been very helpful in picking rooms and floors on various ships, as well as booking cabanas and monitoring price drops.

 

 

[BermudaBound2014]

46 minutes ago, robotpony said:

 

I did not know this.  We use a TA, but tend to book our next cruise while on a cruise, usually ~2 years out for the early booking benefits. We do this mostly to get the itineraries and rooms we want, but I'm curious what the savings would be and will have to look into it.

 

So far the "inconvenience" of having a TA has not affected our cruise travels, though the primary value we find from them is in planning the book-end flights, hotels, and suggestions about excursions and locations.  We see less than 5% in OBC from our TA generally, and usually a bottle of bubbly in the room. They have been very helpful in picking rooms and floors on various ships, as well as booking cabanas and monitoring price drops.

 

 

Just my opinion, but If you are asking that much from your TA, then 5% seems more than fair to me.
 

Most of us who get 10+% off do not ask anything from the TA. We do all the work which is why agents are willing to cut into their profits at a higher percent.

 

After I receive a quote, I literally mail my TA the exact dates, room #, and CC # and never contact them again until it’s time to make final payment and then sometimes I have to resend my CC# and sometimes they have it on file.
 

The three agents I work with give me the deals because they know I am self supportive. Agents make nothing off air so I would never ask them to make air arrangements (plus I churn points so I need to do it myself). The best deals go to those who take the least amount of their agents time. 

Edited May 30, 2023 by BermudaBound2014

[robotpony]

41 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

Just my opinion, but If you are asking that much from your TA, then 5% seems more than fair to me.

 

Also seems fair to us. We tend not to ask much of our TA unless it's an area we haven't traveled to before, and for those cases it seems like a good tradeoff to us.

[srndpte]

Well it's been almost a week since I asked the question of TA or PCC for booking best deal on a cruise. Thank you to all who gave their experiences and advice.  It really helped me.  I got a TA and am very pleased that she was able to get me booked on 2 cruises with extra that HAL did not do for me.  And she will keep me posted as to anything that will be of more benefit.  So hip hip hurray! 

[MrSnuffleupagus]

Definitely TA. Spent $375 less and received $375 more in OBC with a TA instead of booking direct.