Perks from your TA

[Steve H]

Just wondering what if any extras you get from your TA when you book a cruise. We have been a very loyal customer to our agent for many years, and we seem to be able to get the same deals on our own. We used to get a small obc now we get nothing. Reading on CC I see that people seem to be getting something for their loyalty. Just wondering what agents booking in Canada are giving if anything.

Edited December 4, 2023 by Steve H

[CDNPolar]

First, just caution that we should not talk names or TA companies on CC.

 

In short:

 

1) I feel that there are more US based TA's that give higher levels of OBC or perks than there are Canadian based TA's doing the same.

2) Apparently we can use US based TA's to book, and some on here do.  I have never looked into that at all because I just assumed that it was not doable...

3) In Canada, you have to shop around and ask the TA what they offer because some do and some do not and yet others charge you for the privilege of working with them.

4) We work with two very large organizations and one gives OBC at different levels based on the length of the cruise, a per person rebate cheque at the end of the year, and discounts on travel insurance.  The other can offer quite substantial cash incentives for booking if the cruise is a pricy one, and an annual rebate against the cost of the trip.

 

This has been discussed in many places on Cruise Critic and a hot topic for some because it would appear that we are looking for a TA to give over their commission and their hard earned income.

 

The fact is like I said above, some offer, and some don't.  I am not coercing any TA to give me money to work with them, I simply ask what they offer to have my business, and what I get is what is available to anyone without asking.  I just want to know up front before I book.

 

We used a TA for an expedition cruise last year, and everything for her has changed since.  We did not pay any fees to her for the expedition, but now just to engage her it is $150pp research fee, and then there are other fees that come over time and none of them are deducted from the cost of the trip even when fully paid.  We have decided not to work with this agent again.  When others are offering rebates and OBC, why would I pay fees to someone to do the same thing.  

[Ex-Airbalancer]

The OBC depends on the price we paid for the cruise , and if the cruiseline is offering OBC

on our next 12 day balcony cruise , we book a cruise only , it was $2000 CAD for 2 with $300 OBC , there was a price so travel agent  repriced it , it went to $1666 CAD for 2 and only $150 OBC , so there was a saving of about $50 

That $1666 included taxes and port fees of over $300 , so really there is not that much money in that price to offer anything , 

She has a group price with All inclusive for the same cruise of $4200 CAD for 2 ( drinks, tips, wifi and $300 OBC) we didnt take so we don’t drink much Alcohol , and with our loyalty status we get some drinks daily 

Wifi is nice to have but not a need for us ,

with the Black Friday sale , it was 45% off so I book it , it came to $1600 CAD 😱, which was about same as the cruise , I think we probably drop before the cruise. 

our TA does not charger any fees for repricing or cancellation 

So really the more expensive the cruise the more chance of OBC 

 

[lx200gps]

We use the big TA that offers the yearly "3 Day Sale" Their pricing is identical to Princess's but during their sale they offer decent extra OBC, for a 7 day trip in a balcony it's usually $US400 for the two of us.

[LHT28]

I use a USA TA  have for many years 

Many line  now  they will accept  CAD  or USD  fro US agents  it was not always the case

 

We get PPG & small OBC  but  if things go wrong  she goes to bat for us

over the years we have gotten free upgrades, price drops  she deals with before I even know about it

 

Look for agencies that belong to a Consortium  they get  deals from the cruise lines they can pass on to their clients

Ask fellow cruisers onboard  if they are happy with their agent & perks

 

[bebe08]

We use a US based TA.  No problem to price in CDN $ and he always give us some OBC.  Its not as much as I could get with our big box store membership - which doesn't actually give OBC it gives you a gift card to use in their store after your cruise. 

 

For a few cruises pre-Covid our TA was able to match what the big box store would give us, then it got more difficult for him to do that.  However he was invaluable during Covid dealing with our many cancellations and changes so we have stuck with him and no longer even compare with the big box store.   

[Ex-Airbalancer]

48 minutes ago, bebe08 said:

We use a US based TA.  No problem to price in CDN $ and he always give us some OBC.  Its not as much as I could get with our big box store membership - which doesn't actually give OBC it gives you a gift card to use in their store after your cruise. 

 

For a few cruises pre-Covid our TA was able to match what the big box store would give us, then it got more difficult for him to do that.  However he was invaluable during Covid dealing with our many cancellations and changes so we have stuck with him and no longer even compare with the big box store.   

Having a good TA to deal with cruise line is helpful 

our TA does talks for Celebrity’s cruises when they do seminars for agents so she knows a lot of the supervisors at Celebrity which has come in handy if there is a problem 

[Fouremco]

10 hours ago, Steve H said:

Just wondering what agents booking in Canada are giving if anything.

Until a few years ago, Canadian TA's gave next to nothing. Perhaps an inexpensive bottle of wine in your cabin or some meagre OBC. Then the big-box store opened its travel department here, very much a game changer. While they don't offer any particular deal on booking fees, charging the cruise line going price, you will receive a shop gift card that runs in the 8% range of your booking fee, plus 2% cash back at the end of the year, for a total return of 10%.  

 

We booked with them for the first time in 2018. We had attended a cruise fair hosted by our then TA, a cruise specialist with offices across Canada. For the particular cruise and cabin category we were after, they couldn't offer a better price than if we were to book directly with the cruise line, and the best perk they could offer was a bottle of wine. We went home and I phoned the big-box TA, booked exactly the same cruise/cabin, and received a $500 shop card and $145 cash back. Needless to say, we've been with them ever since. For an upcoming cruise we have a $925 shop card and will get a $230 and change cash back.

 

During the first years of COVID, with cancellations, FCC's and rebookings, a simple call to the TA resolved any and all issues, and they've handles every question or concern we've had with aplomb.

 

As has been pointed out in other threads, the major potential disadvantage is that they don't handle all cruise lines. With Celebrity, Holland America, Princess, Royal Caribbean and other mainstream lines you should be ok.

 

One benefit in booking with any Canadian TA, or with a very small number of US TA's that will take bookings in CAD, is that you know exactly what you will owe when it comes time for final payment. With today's economy, I wouldn't want to book for a couple of years in the future in USD not knowing what will happen with exchange rates. 

[Ex-Airbalancer]

Another advantage with an Ontario agent is they are member of TICO so if cruiseline goes belly up you get your money back 

[bebe08]

1 hour ago, Fouremco said:

During the first years of COVID, with cancellations, FCC's and rebookings, a simple call to the TA resolved any and all issues, and they've handles every question or concern we've had with aplomb.

Good to know!  Are you assigned an actual person to manage your booking, or do you deal with a call centre?  Are you able to contact them with questions via email or just by phone?   I do like the personalized service I receive from my TA and if it that is available through the big box store definitely food for thought.  I do wish it was OBC vs a shop card though.... 

[CDNPolar]

1 hour ago, bebe08 said:

Good to know!  Are you assigned an actual person to manage your booking, or do you deal with a call centre?  Are you able to contact them with questions via email or just by phone?   I do like the personalized service I receive from my TA and if it that is available through the big box store definitely food for thought.  I do wish it was OBC vs a shop card though.... 

 

We found with the box store, that we would talk to whoever answered, but they all seemed equally qualified to answer our questions.

[lx200gps]

2 hours ago, bebe08 said:

Good to know!  Are you assigned an actual person to manage your booking, or do you deal with a call centre?  Are you able to contact them with questions via email or just by phone?   I do like the personalized service I receive from my TA and if it that is available through the big box store definitely food for thought.  I do wish it was OBC vs a shop card though.... 

FWIW, we use the big cruise TA that has both on-line and storefront services. We met our personal TA at one of their pre-pandemic cruise seminars and she's been our rep ever since, probably 6 or 7 years. All our bookings are done exclusively through her, sometimes over the phone, sometimes on line, sometimes right in her office.  She deals with the cruise lines if and when it is necessary, and I can't remember the last time I had to sit on hold forever trying to reach a cruise line rep.

[Senga]

We get nothing from our TA except excellent service; that works for us.  We would never book with a US agent since they aren't covered by TICO.

[Fouremco]

3 hours ago, bebe08 said:

Good to know!  Are you assigned an actual person to manage your booking, or do you deal with a call centre?  Are you able to contact them with questions via email or just by phone?   I do like the personalized service I receive from my TA and if it that is available through the big box store definitely food for thought.  I do wish it was OBC vs a shop card though.... 

 

2 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

We found with the box store, that we would talk to whoever answered, but they all seemed equally qualified to answer our questions.

As @CDNPolar said, it is a call centre but they all seem equally qualified to answer questions or address any issues we might have. As far as I know, contact is only by phone, but that's my preference anyway. One of the things that I've found very useful is if I have an issue that the agent can't resolve directly, they'll initiate a 3-way call with their cruise line contact and the three of us can discuss the best approach. It saves a lot of potential back and forth 1 on 1 phone calls between me and the TA and the TA with the cruise line contact.

 

As we are regular shoppers at their store, having the shop card is ok for us. But for someone who doesn't shop there, I can see how that would be an issue.

[CDNPolar]

10 hours ago, Fouremco said:

One of the things that I've found very useful is if I have an issue that the agent can't resolve directly, they'll initiate a 3-way call with their cruise line contact and the three of us can discuss the best approach. It saves a lot of potential back and forth 1 on 1 phone calls between me and the TA and the TA with the cruise line contact.

 

As we are regular shoppers at their store, having the shop card is ok for us. But for someone who doesn't shop there, I can see how that would be an issue.

 

Did not think of this, but this is a good idea to have a three way call.

 

The shop card is / was such a great perk and we ended up with slightly over $1,500.00 and then the annual rebate.  Good deal.  Only downside for us is they don't book every cruise line and they don't book our favourite cruise line.

[Steve H]

Thanks everyone for the replies lots to read up on. Had a upgrade booked last night the price got screwed up our TA has to sort out today, it is handy when you can get in touch with her on a short notice.

[CDNPolar]

39 minutes ago, Steve H said:

Thanks everyone for the replies lots to read up on. Had a upgrade booked last night the price got screwed up our TA has to sort out today, it is handy when you can get in touch with her on a short notice.

 

Lucky you can....  that is one reason that we often don't use a TA because the one that we do use the most always has an out of office on her email and you cannot reach her directly on the phone.  

 

If there were something urgent, we would be out of luck.  That is why we do everything and pass to her when the booking is complete and we book air on our own.

[d9704011]

6 minutes ago, CDNPolar said:

If there were something urgent, we would be out of luck.  That is why we do everything and pass to her when the booking is complete and we book air on our own.

Maybe I misunderstand this.  It seems as though you do pretty much everything.... why do you 'pass to her'?

[CDNPolar]

Just now, d9704011 said:

Maybe I misunderstand this.  It seems as though you do pretty much everything.... why do you 'pass to her'?

 

For the OBC and perks / rebates.  We would not get them otherwise.

[Steve H]

4 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

For the OBC and perks / rebates.  We would not get them otherwise.

How are you getting them?

[Fouremco]

9 hours ago, Steve H said:

Thanks everyone for the replies lots to read up on. Had a upgrade booked last night the price got screwed up our TA has to sort out today, it is handy when you can get in touch with her on a short notice.

One of the advantages to the big-box call centre approach is that any of the agents are ready to assist, and their hours are pretty good: 8:00am - 10:00pm ET | Sat & Sun 9:00am - 5:30pm ET. It's always possible that something urgent might arise outside those hours, but I don't know any TA that's open 24/7 and offers comparable perks.

 

8 hours ago, d9704011 said:

Maybe I misunderstand this.  It seems as though you do pretty much everything.... why do you 'pass to her'?

Your question isn't directed to me, but I do the same thing for much the same reasons. Because I have the time, interest and experience, I do all of the research when planning a cruise, so when I'm ready to book, I know exactly which cabin I want on which ship on which cruise before I pick up the phone to call my agency or go on their website to make my booking. And it's purely because of the perks that I book with them instead of directly with the cruise line.

 

That said, for an Hawaiian cruise next October, when doing a last minute review of available cabins, one of our preferred cabins that had been booked until this point had become available, so I immediately made the booking online with the cruise line and subsequently transferred it to our TA, again for the perks. While the TA was open, and I could have called them, I didn't want to risk someone else snatching up the cabin in the extra few minutes that might have taken.

[d9704011]

7 hours ago, Fouremco said:

Your question isn't directed to me, but I do the same thing for much the same reasons. Because I have the time, interest and experience, I do all of the research when planning a cruise, so when I'm ready to book, I know exactly which cabin I want on which ship on which cruise before I pick up the phone to call my agency or go on their website to make my booking. And it's purely because of the perks that I book with them instead of directly with the cruise line.

I do everything myself too and do not use a TA.  I prefer to manage the whole thing... perks or otherwise.

 

My misunderstanding was that the poster did all the homework and the actual booking.  Judging from your post, the final button pressing is left to the TA who has been provided with all the desired details.

 

How about those Sens!?  Two wins in a row... I'm feeling Stanley Cup fever coming on.

[CDNPolar]

11 hours ago, Steve H said:

How are you getting them?

 

Most cruise lines have a period of time - 30 days, 60 days - that you can move a booking made direct with the cruise line to a TA.

 

Again, similar to Fouremco, I do all the booking, choose my cabin, add the extras that I want, make the deposit payment directly to the cruise line, and THEN move the booking to the TA for the perks.

 

How am I getting the perks you ask?

 

When the TA takes over the booking, then there is OBC (On Board Credit) added to my journey and then I get a new invoice that shows that OBC added.  Depending on the TA, then other perks can come in the mail via cheque / check or rebate.

[CDNPolar]

17 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

 

My misunderstanding was that the poster did all the homework and the actual booking.  Judging from your post, the final button pressing is left to the TA who has been provided with all the desired details.

 

 

 

Respectfully, I think that you are mis-reading this.  For those of us that pass a booking over, we actually do the booking and make the deposit with the cruise line, and THEN move the booking to the TA.  

 

We - the cruiser - do the final button pressing and then pass over.

 

The TA still gets their full commission.  We do this just to get the perks that we would not otherwise get.

[d9704011]

2 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

Respectfully, I think that you are mis-reading this.  For those of us that pass a booking over, we actually do the booking and make the deposit with the cruise line, and THEN move the booking to the TA.  

 

We - the cruiser - do the final button pressing and then pass over.

 

The TA still gets their full commission.  We do this just to get the perks that we would not otherwise get.

OK, this seems different than what Fouremco said.