Transferred a booking this year? If so - Questions!

[mlbcruiser]

We recently booked a Royal Caribbean cruise with an online agency. (We have cruised with RCCL many times but are not in the habit of transferring bookings.) Several days after we originally booked, there was a reason that came up that made using a different type of travel agency preferable, so we decided to switch our booking to a different agency. I know people sometimes do this and it’s supposed to be very easy to do.
 

I called the cruise line to let them know what I wanted to do and was given instructions that sounded a lot more complicated than I would’ve thought. I contacted both agencies involved. The agency I originally booked with agreed to let RCCL know they would release the booking. The agency I wanted our booking transferred to told me that once the booking was released, they would be able to use the booking number to get into the booking and pick it up. However, the booking never became available.  The agency releasing it said they would contact the cruise line again. I called customer service at Royal Caribbean again. This time to find out if there was a problem, but was given the same lengthy instructions on exactly how the requests needed to be done by the 2 TAs. I contacted the original agency a 3rd time! They again contacted Royal Caribbean as per the instructions and sent me a copy of their correspondence, letting me know it was ok with them if I wanted to forward it on to RCCL.

 

Today it will be 16 days since the original request. I called RCCL again 3 days ago. Same spiel from a customer service agent, who started reading the transfer procedure to me once more. I asked to speak to a supervisor, who had no enlightening information other than to say he could not access the booking as only the changes dept can.  He also told me that on February 23 the transferring procedure changed and that transfers now often take ten to thirteen days. It had been exactly 13 days by then.  Neither of the travel agencies involved, nor I, have heard anything further.

 

I can’t seem to reach anyone at Royal Caribbean who has anything to do with this sort of thing or who will try help find an answer to why nothing is happening. In the past I have always been able to get help or have questions answered when needed. This is not what I expect from Royal Caribbean Both TAs involved are very reputable and have been in business for years. Neither of them have ever had to go through so much red tape when doing a transfer. This is why I’m asking if anyone else has gone through something like this recently? If you did do a transfer, how long did the process take? Did you there’s nothing to you run into any snafus?  Also, does anyone have any tips as to who I might be able to reach at Royal Caribbean to help get this straightened out?  I’m moving into high anxiety mode! 

 

Thanks for any helpful replies. 

[cruiseboy89130]

They don't want you to do what you are doing...so they will put in as many stops as they can!

[Biker19]

7 hours ago, mlbcruiser said:

Thanks for any helpful replies. 

Are the perks for switching worth the hassle?

[firefly333]

You heard it was easy to transfer a 

7 hours ago, mlbcruiser said:

we decided to switch our booking to a different agency. I know people sometimes do this and it’s supposed to be very easy to do.

 

I can’t seem to reach anyone at Royal Caribbean who has anything to do with this sort of thing or who will try help find an answer to why nothing is happening. In the past I have always been able to get help or have questions answered when needed. This is not what I expect from Royal Caribbean Both TAs involved are very reputable and have been in business for years. Neither of them have ever had to go through so much red tape when doing a transfer. 

Where did you hear it was supposed to be easy to transfer from one TA to another TA. 

 

The first TA did the work and now will lose any payment for the work to book you. Nothing in it to release the booking. Royal no longer owns the booking. They can only take back the booking if the first TA is negligent not just because you found a better TA. 

 

What I think you read was it was easy to transfer from rcl to a TA. I've never heard it was easy to take a booking away from one TA and move to another TA. @Ourusualbeach Its not supposed to be easy.

[OCSC Mike]

5 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

The first TA did the work and now will lose any payment for the work to book you.

This. I switched TA’s earlier this year. Old one was great, did nothing wrong, had group rates & OBC. Never would have switched but the new one is just can’t be matched in terms of availability (still figuring out when he sleeps) & has a little extra in the way of perks.

 

I had 2 cruises booked with the old TA & priced them with the new one while I was switching just to make sure there wasn’t a huge difference. Prices were nearly identical, new TA could have gotten me a tiny bit more OBC, but I didn’t even think of transferring for the reason you mentioned.

[Ourusualbeach]

Not sure if this will come into play or not but there is a 30 day rule.  You have 30 days from the date of booking to transfer it to a TA.

 

Pretty sure that also implies that after 30 days you cannot transfer it from one TA to another.  If the TA was negligent or non responsive you could tale the booking back to have it under your own control but not transfer it to another agency.

[mlbcruiser]

No, there was absolutely no financial benefit or additional perk at all to transfer to the TA I want to use. It all had to do with the ability to speak to the TA I want to transfer the booking to. The other TA deals only via the Internet. Usually, there is no problem doing it that way, but on occasion, that is not so convenient. The other TA is easy to reach by phone. Some things came up that makes it beneficial to be able to access the TA by phone for this particular cruise. I have dealt with both Teays in the past. In fact, the TA I am trying to transfer from  advertises (or used to. I haven’t I  checked recently) instructions on how to transfer bookings to this agency and to  receive something extra.  Years ago, I transferred a booking to the agency. That’s the only other transfer I’ve ever done, and it went seamlessly and quickly.
 

As I understand it, you may transfer a booking between 48 hours after 30 days after you have booked it. After that you can no longer transfer. When I called Royal Caribbean BEFORE I even initiated the transfer to make sure it could be done, the customer service agent in no way indicated that it wasn’t allowed. Instead, I was given instructions on what steps to take in order to do it. I have known people in the past who have transferred bookings without incident, even though it has not been recently. And yes, the TA I want to transfer to has stated his agency has been on both sides of the transfer process and has not run into this problem before.

[smokeybandit]

There's a simple form to fill out to transfer from RC to a TA. I don't know if that's the same form to use to go from TA to TA.

[mlbcruiser]

Well, apparently there may have been a simple form before and maybe that form is still used. But royal Caribbean‘s rules as of February 23 supposedly require a letter on company letterhead to the change department sent in a PDF attachment and signed by the owner or manager of the travel agency. I and any other correspondence from the excepting company Hass to be done under those same rules. The transfer is supposed to take 10 to 13 days before the new agent can pick up the booking. Royal Caribbean does not respond to these agencies. The booking just appears available to pick up once they have done it. At least that’s the way. It was explained to me like three different times. Only they left out the part about company letterhead and not a regular email but in attachment in a PDF file until they told me part of it on the second call and the rest of it on the third call.  I’m sure we’ve all talked to customer service agents not only at Royal Caribbean but also that other cruise lines and falls sometimes the right hand doesn’t know what the left is doing. They’re all not as well informed to the same level. What actually happens and takes place in what actually ends up being allowed or sometimes two different things. I would just like to know if this is going to go through or not. I very frustrating!

[smokeybandit]

6 minutes ago, mlbcruiser said:

Well, apparently there may have been a simple form before and maybe that form is still used. But royal Caribbean‘s rules as of February 23 supposedly require a letter on company letterhead to the change department sent in a PDF attachment and signed by the owner or manager of the travel agency. I and any other correspondence from the excepting company Hass to be done under those same rules. The transfer is supposed to take 10 to 13 days before the new agent can pick up the booking. Royal Caribbean does not respond to these agencies. The booking just appears available to pick up once they have done it. At least that’s the way. It was explained to me like three different times. Only they left out the part about company letterhead and not a regular email but in attachment in a PDF file until they told me part of it on the second call and the rest of it on the third call.  I’m sure we’ve all talked to customer service agents not only at Royal Caribbean but also that other cruise lines and falls sometimes the right hand doesn’t know what the left is doing. They’re all not as well informed to the same level. What actually happens and takes place in what actually ends up being allowed or sometimes two different things. I would just like to know if this is going to go through or not. I very frustrating!

 

The current RC to TA transfer process is a simple form and about a 24 hour turnaround. I did one just this week.

I've never done a TA to TA transfer, so it wouldn't surprise me if that's more complicated.

[firefly333]

12 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

 

The current RC to TA transfer process is a simple form and about a 24 hour turnaround. I did one just this week.

I've never done a TA to TA transfer, so it wouldn't surprise me if that's more complicated.

Me either as the first TA has to agree to release the booking. Now they want the TA to say so on letterhead, not easily found at many companies these days. 

 

Never heard ta to ta was easily done except by you. During covid a lot of changes were easier including to cancel. Not now.

[Ourusualbeach]

56 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

There's a simple form to fill out to transfer from RC to a TA. I don't know if that's the same form to use to go from TA to TA.

Different

[twangster]

Royal goes to great lengths to respect and protect travel agencies.  They don't make it easy because they don't want it to be easy.  Otherwise some snake oil salesperson with one agency would be convincing masses to switch their booking to them for some trivial amount of money and there are plenty of people that would do it for $25.  No skin off their nose.  

 

There is a process for cases where an agency is truly mishandling a booking.  They have made mistakes or are completely unresponsive.  The process is not designed to handle cases where you fear you might have trouble communicating on the internet at some point in the future, maybe.

 

Not only will the original agency not earn anything despite having costs for their business, a website and employees, now they have to get the owner to invest time to sign forms and they may have to at some point in the future explain to Royal why a client was so upset with their service they took the extreme nuclear option of moving the booking to another agency.  That doesn't happen often.

 

If the original agency hasn't done anything wrong yet, the right thing to do would be to leave the booking with them and use another agency for your next cruise after this one.  

 

On the other hand the original agency may be eager to let go a difficult and challenging client that will be hard to please.  

 

Edited October 11, 2023 by twangster

[mlbcruiser]

twangster, your original agency purchased the booking from a large agencies that sell their blocked cabins off to other cruise travel agencies. In fact, he told me 5000 different agents use them and get their group space the same way. The agent that I was transferring from (which I had used 17 times before & was the only agency I ever transferred another booking to and have no problem whatsoever doing so) immediately turned the booking loose and told me it would go back to the cruise line. Then they, in turn, would release the booking to the agency I had requested. I had also used the agency I I was transferring the booking to a number of times as well, but never involving any kind of transfer.  At any rate, it doesn’t matter now. It’s all taken care of. It’s interesting that even though others have posted about a form that you simply fill out, which, apparently they must have dealt with at some point in the past, just because someone else has never heard that transferring is simple doesn’t mean that it hasn’t been simple in various cases before. It also doesn’t mean that it has never been difficult in various cases. At any rate, all of this is a done deal now.