Do you book directly with the line or a TA?

[clo]

On 9/18/2024 at 12:07 PM, Hlitner said:

We use two, excellent, high volume cruise agencies that give generous refundable onboard credits that you do not get when booking directly with the cruise line.  As a simple real time example, we just returned from a 3-week Seabourn cruise.  Our refundable on board credit (from our cruise agency) was in excess of $1500.  Since we do not generally use (or need) OBC on Seabourn, that money remained unspent at the end of the cruise.  Seabourn immediately refunded it to our credit card so we now have $1500 that we would not have had if we had booked directly with the cruise line.  When we look at OBCs and perks, our normal expectation is that we should be able to save 7-10% on every cruise booking.  

 

Speaking of On Board Credits (OBC), as a general rule there are two kinds, Refundable and Non-Refundable.  The non-refundable kind is what you will sometimes get from the cruise line.  Non refundable means if you do not use it on the cruise you lose it!   The Refundable kind is what you will usually get from cruise/travel agencies.  Unused refundable OBCs will normally be refunded at the end of a cruise (or soon thereafter). 

 

Some cruise agencies will also give various perks such as tips, drink packages, shore excursion credits, etc.  When dealing with agencies it is wise to understand what you are getting before you actually book.  All the agencies, with which we deal, specify the perks right on their booking documents (sent via e-mail).

 

Hank

And our agent has at least a bit more clout than *I* do. She can go to the cruise line and make things happen that I probably can't.

[ontheweb]

8 hours ago, clo said:

And our agent has at least a bit more clout than *I* do. She can go to the cruise line and make things happen that I probably can't.

I once was getting contradictory information from a cruise line (Princess actually) as to whether there was a transfer available from London (as opposed to Heathrow airport) direct to the port in Dover. I called my TA, and he put us on a 3 way call to his Princess representative, I was able to get the right information (there wasn't). After that my TA got off the line and said the rep and I could discuss any other questions I might have.

 

Having your own rep at a cruise line (not just a regular one reading from a script) is not something that can be done as just a cruise passenger. 

[MCC retired]

Most cruise lines do not permit TA's to advertise their best rates.

You must contact the TA  for their best deals.

 

If you are Booking Direct without shopping a TA or two , you are cheating yourself.

[ontheweb]

45 minutes ago, MCC retired said:

Most cruise lines do not permit TA's to advertise their best rates.

You must contact the TA  for their best deals.

 

If you are Booking Direct without shopping a TA or two , you are cheating yourself.

Yes, we once saw 3 cruises that met our criteria for itinerary on the website of the TA we generally use. When we called him, the one that was most expensive on his website ended up the least expensive. It was a cruise line that let him discount. It is also possible that he had bought a block of cabins.

[Mary229]

7 hours ago, MCC retired said:

Most cruise lines do not permit TA's to advertise their best rates.

You must contact the TA  for their best deals.

 

If you are Booking Direct without shopping a TA or two , you are cheating yourself.

Most cruise lines have very strict rules about not allowing discounts beyond what the line offers.  If the TA is doing so they could be booted from selling

[Hlitner]

19 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

Most cruise lines have very strict rules about not allowing discounts beyond what the line offers.  If the TA is doing so they could be booted from selling

That is true, but only somewhat.  While the actual price paid for a cruise is usually controlled, the related perks are not!  So, for example, say we were to book a HAL cruise for $20,000 total cost.  If we book directly with HAL, with a HAL Personal Cruise Consultant (PCC), or with most cruise/travel agents the fare will be exactly the same (or within a few dollars).  However, if we use certain cruise agencies, we may well get free pre-paid gratuities and $1500 of refundable onboard credit (OBC).  The OBC is real money.  It can be used onboard for just about anything (it is part of the onboard account) or, if not used, it will be refunded after the cruise!

 

So let's cut to the chase.  We always book through cruise agencies (we currently use two) and will generally save 7-10% per booking, after one factors-in the perks such as OBCs.  In real life here is how it can work.  We recently returned from a 3 week Seabourn cruise where we had over $2000 in OBC (a majority from our cruise agent).  At the end of the cruise we still had $1500 remaining OBC (all refundable) which was immediately (within 2 days) credited back to our credit card.  If we had booked directly with Seabourn, we would not have received that generous OBC.  When we cruise on Princess, we usually get far more in OBC then we can use and some of it (mostly the OBC from our cruise agency) is refundable.  About 2 weeks after the cruise, we receive a check (in the mail) for all that remaining OBC, which can be well over $1000.  

 

Over the years (we have been cruising for 50 years) we have spoken to reps of multiple cruise lines.  In quite a few cases they are soliciting our business via direct bookings.  When this happens, we ask a simple question, "Can you match the deals we get from our favored cruise agencies."  In every case they tell us "no."  It is that simple.

 

Why won't the cruise lines match the deals from decent discount cruise agencies?  Because a large majority (about 80% with some cruise lines) of bookings are through cruise/travel agencies.  The cruise lines need these agencies (and their huge consortiums) to survive.  The one cruise line, Renaissance, that tried to operate without using agencies did not fare well (the went bankrupt).  

 

So my question, to some fellow cruisers, is why do you book direct?  By doing so, you are essentially paying more for every booking.  If I book direct, it will cost me hundreds or thousands of dollars and what do I get for that much money?  

 

There are several other reasons to use agencies.  They work for me, not the cruise line and can be a valuable advocate (when needed).  Since we book many different cruise lines, I can use 1 or 2 agencies to handle all my bookings which makes life easier when we sometimes have 4 or 5 outstanding bookings for several different agencies.   And finally I should mention that the two specific agents we use (at the two agencies) have 10 and 33 years experience (with those agencies) and multiple certifications (such as "Master Cruise Counselor") from the CLIA and ASTA.  In simple terms we use professionals.

 

Hank

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

That is true, but only somewhat.  While the actual price paid for a cruise is usually controlled, the related perks are not!  So, for example, say we were to book a HAL cruise for $20,000 total cost.  If we book directly with HAL, with a HAL Personal Cruise Consultant (PCC), or with most cruise/travel agents the fare will be exactly the same (or within a few dollars).  However, if we use certain cruise agencies, we may well get free pre-paid gratuities and $1500 of refundable onboard credit (OBC).  The OBC is real money.  It can be used onboard for just about anything (it is part of the onboard account) or, if not used, it will be refunded after the cruise!

 

So let's cut to the chase.  We always book through cruise agencies (we currently use two) and will generally save 7-10% per booking, after one factors-in the perks such as OBCs.  In real life here is how it can work.  We recently returned from a 3 week Seabourn cruise where we had over $2000 in OBC (a majority from our cruise agent).  At the end of the cruise we still had $1500 remaining OBC (all refundable) which was immediately (within 2 days) credited back to our credit card.  If we had booked directly with Seabourn, we would not have received that generous OBC.  When we cruise on Princess, we usually get far more in OBC then we can use and some of it (mostly the OBC from our cruise agency) is refundable.  About 2 weeks after the cruise, we receive a check (in the mail) for all that remaining OBC, which can be well over $1000.  

 

Over the years (we have been cruising for 50 years) we have spoken to reps of multiple cruise lines.  In quite a few cases they are soliciting our business via direct bookings.  When this happens, we ask a simple question, "Can you match the deals we get from our favored cruise agencies."  In every case they tell us "no."  It is that simple.

 

Why won't the cruise lines match the deals from decent discount cruise agencies?  Because a large majority (about 80% with some cruise lines) of bookings are through cruise/travel agencies.  The cruise lines need these agencies (and their huge consortiums) to survive.  The one cruise line, Renaissance, that tried to operate without using agencies did not fare well (the went bankrupt).  

 

So my question, to some fellow cruisers, is why do you book direct?  By doing so, you are essentially paying more for every booking.  If I book direct, it will cost me hundreds or thousands of dollars and what do I get for that much money?  

 

There are several other reasons to use agencies.  They work for me, not the cruise line and can be a valuable advocate (when needed).  Since we book many different cruise lines, I can use 1 or 2 agencies to handle all my bookings which makes life easier when we sometimes have 4 or 5 outstanding bookings for several different agencies.   And finally I should mention that the two specific agents we use (at the two agencies) have 10 and 33 years experience (with those agencies) and multiple certifications (such as "Master Cruise Counselor") from the CLIA and ASTA.  In simple terms we use professionals.

 

Hank

However, you are never going to convince those who say they need "control" of their bookings.

[PoppyVelvet]

12 hours ago, Hlitner said:

That is true, but only somewhat.  While the actual price paid for a cruise is usually controlled, the related perks are not!  So, for example, say we were to book a HAL cruise for $20,000 total cost.  If we book directly with HAL, with a HAL Personal Cruise Consultant (PCC), or with most cruise/travel agents the fare will be exactly the same (or within a few dollars).  However, if we use certain cruise agencies, we may well get free pre-paid gratuities and $1500 of refundable onboard credit (OBC).  The OBC is real money.  It can be used onboard for just about anything (it is part of the onboard account) or, if not used, it will be refunded after the cruise!

 

So let's cut to the chase.  We always book through cruise agencies (we currently use two) and will generally save 7-10% per booking, after one factors-in the perks such as OBCs.  In real life here is how it can work.  We recently returned from a 3 week Seabourn cruise where we had over $2000 in OBC (a majority from our cruise agent).  At the end of the cruise we still had $1500 remaining OBC (all refundable) which was immediately (within 2 days) credited back to our credit card.  If we had booked directly with Seabourn, we would not have received that generous OBC.  When we cruise on Princess, we usually get far more in OBC then we can use and some of it (mostly the OBC from our cruise agency) is refundable.  About 2 weeks after the cruise, we receive a check (in the mail) for all that remaining OBC, which can be well over $1000.  

 

Over the years (we have been cruising for 50 years) we have spoken to reps of multiple cruise lines.  In quite a few cases they are soliciting our business via direct bookings.  When this happens, we ask a simple question, "Can you match the deals we get from our favored cruise agencies."  In every case they tell us "no."  It is that simple.

 

Why won't the cruise lines match the deals from decent discount cruise agencies?  Because a large majority (about 80% with some cruise lines) of bookings are through cruise/travel agencies.  The cruise lines need these agencies (and their huge consortiums) to survive.  The one cruise line, Renaissance, that tried to operate without using agencies did not fare well (the went bankrupt).  

 

So my question, to some fellow cruisers, is why do you book direct?  By doing so, you are essentially paying more for every booking.  If I book direct, it will cost me hundreds or thousands of dollars and what do I get for that much money?  

 

There are several other reasons to use agencies.  They work for me, not the cruise line and can be a valuable advocate (when needed).  Since we book many different cruise lines, I can use 1 or 2 agencies to handle all my bookings which makes life easier when we sometimes have 4 or 5 outstanding bookings for several different agencies.   And finally I should mention that the two specific agents we use (at the two agencies) have 10 and 33 years experience (with those agencies) and multiple certifications (such as "Master Cruise Counselor") from the CLIA and ASTA.  In simple terms we use professionals.

 

Hank

I would like to know if these sorts of discounts/credits are available to Australians through any Australian agency. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anything or seen anyone posting on here to that effect. 

[Hlitner]

41 minutes ago, PoppyVelvet said:

I would like to know if these sorts of discounts/credits are available to Australians through any Australian agency. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anything or seen anyone posting on here to that effect. 

I have little clue!  However, I will tell you about an Aussie from near Cairns, who we met several years ago.  He was a very frequent cruiser on HAL (probably over 1000 days).  He told us that if he booked in Australia, the prices were substantially more than the same booking made in North America.  But HAL has a rule that prohibits folks, from outside North America, from booking through an American agency.  So, our friend decided to book, using a Canadian address (that belongs to another friend) which, he claimed, saved him a lot of money.  Just keep in mind that this particular Aussie did cruise about 150 days a year.

 

Hank

[Mary229]

5 hours ago, Hlitner said:

I have little clue!  However, I will tell you about an Aussie from near Cairns, who we met several years ago.  He was a very frequent cruiser on HAL (probably over 1000 days).  He told us that if he booked in Australia, the prices were substantially more than the same booking made in North America.  But HAL has a rule that prohibits folks, from outside North America, from booking through an American agency.  So, our friend decided to book, using a Canadian address (that belongs to another friend) which, he claimed, saved him a lot of money.  Just keep in mind that this particular Aussie did cruise about 150 days a year.

 

Hank

I have a Canadian client.  But I do think Canada is the special case as their travel laws are very similar with the exception of insurance 

[sullaRaffaello]

On 9/22/2024 at 6:55 PM, Hlitner said:

....  However, if we use certain cruise agencies, we may well get free pre-paid gratuities and $1500 of refundable onboard credit (OBC).  The OBC is real money.  It can be used onboard for just about anything (it is part of the onboard account) or, if not used, it will be refunded after the cruise!

 

 

I have what I consider to be a pretty good agent. The only OBC I ever received was from the consortium to which my agency belongs, not from the agency itself, and it is never refundable. Sometimes, the line itself gives some, but never refundable. How do you get non-refundable OBC?

[Hlitner]

13 minutes ago, sullaRaffaello said:

I have what I consider to be a pretty good agent. The only OBC I ever received was from the consortium to which my agency belongs, not from the agency itself, and it is never refundable. Sometimes, the line itself gives some, but never refundable. How do you get non-refundable OBC?

I assume you mean "refundable" OBC.  In most cases, the OBC given by cruise/travel agencies are refundable assuming that the credit comes from the agency is not a promo with the cruise line.  And both of our favored agencies are members of a large consortium (who has about 1000 agencies) that also will sometimes give OBCs.  

 

To answer your question of how to get the OBC the answer is you must be dealing with the wrong agency.  We have long followed a simple philosophy of shopping around, among reputable high-volume agencies, to find the best deals.  

 

Hank

[sullaRaffaello]

7 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

I assume you mean "refundable" OBC.

Yes. A mistake on my part. I'd be interested to hear if anybody else gets refundable OBC.