Book with Celebrity or use a Travel Agent

[20165]

Im not that familiar with group booking so i wanted to see if someone can answer a question for me.  Do the 8 cabins have to be in the same category to get the free one or can they be any 8?  We are thinking about doing a family reunion next year on a cruise and could easily fill up 8 cabins, but some are going to want inside cabins and some are going to want suites.  Can we mix and match like that and if so, what type of cabin would the free one be?  

Thanks

 

[Jeremiah1212]

17 minutes ago, 20165 said:

Im not that familiar with group booking so i wanted to see if someone can answer a question for me.  Do the 8 cabins have to be in the same category to get the free one or can they be any 8?  We are thinking about doing a family reunion next year on a cruise and could easily fill up 8 cabins, but some are going to want inside cabins and some are going to want suites.  Can we mix and match like that and if so, what type of cabin would the free one be?  

Thanks

 

 

You can, but you need to talk it through with a TA that knows the process. It's a free berth (or person) not a free cabin. The credit is applied toward the category which you had the highest number booked. If you have 3 balconies and 5 insides, the credit is based on the inside cabin price. You still pay tax, port fees, etc. for that person so the savings can be pretty insignificant at the end of the day. You're not necessarily guaranteed that free berth either. 

[pathdoc]

On 9/17/2024 at 3:37 AM, peanut head said:

I have tried, repeatedly, over the years to find a TA who was reliable and trustworthy but have come up with a big bag of nothing.  All those I have contacted have not returned calls, were not knowledgeable to my needs and just, plain didn't seem to care.  I am amazed at how many have  a good relationship with a TA.  I have gone to expos and checked out YouTube videos thinking I might find a good one there.  I have also contacted luxury TA sites and local companies that claim to specialize in cruises.  Since CC doesn't permit names to be mentioned, I am at a loss.  I have very few friends in my area who travel the way I do.

 

I have found it, in the long run, to be less stressful if I call Celebrity directly after researching what I like, or meeting with Future Cruises while on board.  I then transfer to the Big Box Store (Costco) where I will get a very generous shop card credit.  Occasionally, there will be a group OBC offered, as well.

 

In closing, I would love to have a great TA (not just a good one) who can do all of this for me but, at this point I am jaded as to the past experiences I have had.

This has been our exact experience.  Thank you for the post.  

[bikerunner]

22 hours ago, billc23 said:

Which River Cruise company was recommended?

Ended up with AMA River Cruises.  Our TA knows what we like and what we were looking for.  I think we were on a call with her for over 1.5  hours discussing the different ones.  We discussed all from Emerald, Viking etc.  She knows food, and service are my top priorities. My travel partner is like that also but is a vegetarian so wanted to make sure they were flexible.  What sold me finally was this on AMA   La Chaîne des Rôtisseurs.   I researched a lot of them but there was such slight differences in them.  My TA has traveled on a few of the river cruises so first hand knowledge.  Its a bucket list trip overall, Christmas Markets.in Europe. 

[20165]

I think what some of us may be looking for, or at least what i would like is a cruise concierge type service.  The value of my TA before she retired was not totally the cost savings, but rather her responsiveness and he knowing what we liked and the time of the year we like to travel. So she would keep an eye out for deals that may fit our criteria and send them our way which usually ended up saving us quite a bit of money without her having to give up some of her commissions.  

Now, without her help, we get bombarded with emails from just about every cruise line where 90% of them have no relevance to us.

However, after a quick google search, i dont think such a service exists,  but if anyone knows of something like that, please send it my way.  

[Jeremiah1212]

3 minutes ago, 20165 said:

I think what some of us may be looking for, or at least what i would like is a cruise concierge type service.  The value of my TA before she retired was not totally the cost savings, but rather her responsiveness and he knowing what we liked and the time of the year we like to travel. So she would keep an eye out for deals that may fit our criteria and send them our way which usually ended up saving us quite a bit of money without her having to give up some of her commissions.  

Now, without her help, we get bombarded with emails from just about every cruise line where 90% of them have no relevance to us.

However, after a quick google search, i dont think such a service exists,  but if anyone knows of something like that, please send it my way.  

 

 

Yes, they do exist, but there’s a cost involved. I do this for other types of travel, but not for cruises. For most, the commission earned from a cruise booking doesn’t justify spending so many hours of labor. The agencies that typically offer discounted group rates that people are mentioning are those with high booking volumes. They usually often don’t provide any personalized service after you book. 

 

 

[sushraya]

I think I posted this on another thread.   We typically just book direct or with a Big Box agency (to get an additional gift card).   Our previous experiences had been with other cruise lines (royal/NCL) and I found that a TA didn't help.

This year, while booking Celebrity, we were down to only a few inside cabins on the cruise we wanted.  On a whim, I called a TA just to check.  They had guarantee ocean view cabins and the price they offered for these, with drinks, wifi and gratuities was the same as what we were getting from Celebrity for the no-perks inside.  And the TA's offer was a refundable deposit.  No brainer booking for me and they've been good about responding, calling celebrity for changes etc.

 

We want to do another cruise next year.  Friends who will come with us want an inside cabin, no perks.  Checked with the TA again.  Found that if we want a regular cabin, no perks and are ok with the non-refundable deposit, booking with Celebrity direct is the best price.  If we want refundable deposits + perks, the price the TA offered is much much better, includes OBC as well.  In our experience, you are paying about 500$ more than the lowest Celebrity price, but there are a lot of add-ons that make this worth it.   YMMV.

[billc23]

8 hours ago, bikerunner said:

Ended up with AMA River Cruises.  Our TA knows what we like and what we were looking for.  I think we were on a call with her for over 1.5  hours discussing the different ones.  We discussed all from Emerald, Viking etc.  She knows food, and service are my top priorities. My travel partner is like that also but is a vegetarian so wanted to make sure they were flexible.  What sold me finally was this on AMA   La Chaîne des Rôtisseurs.   I researched a lot of them but there was such slight differences in them.  My TA has traveled on a few of the river cruises so first hand knowledge.  Its a bucket list trip overall, Christmas Markets.in Europe. 

I will check out AMA. My go to river cruise company has been Uniworld - great food and service - kind of like a nice hotel onboard. 

[bikerunner]

17 minutes ago, billc23 said:

I will check out AMA. My go to river cruise company has been Uniworld - great food and service - kind of like a nice hotel onboard. 

They are all very close overall and glad I had someone that knew about them.  

[NMTraveller]

12 hours ago, bikerunner said:

Ended up with AMA River Cruises.  Our TA knows what we like and what we were looking for.  I think we were on a call with her for over 1.5  hours discussing the different ones.  We discussed all from Emerald, Viking etc.  She knows food, and service are my top priorities. My travel partner is like that also but is a vegetarian so wanted to make sure they were flexible.  What sold me finally was this on AMA   La Chaîne des Rôtisseurs.   I researched a lot of them but there was such slight differences in them.  My TA has traveled on a few of the river cruises so first hand knowledge.  Its a bucket list trip overall, Christmas Markets.in Europe. 

We sailed AMA in May and we really really like them.  They were excellent.  No comparison to Celebrity.

[NMTraveller]

11 hours ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

 

 

 

Yes, they do exist, but there’s a cost involved. I do this for other types of travel, but not for cruises. For most, the commission earned from a cruise booking doesn’t justify spending so many hours of labor. The agencies that typically offer discounted group rates that people are mentioning are those with high booking volumes. They usually often don’t provide any personalized service after you book. 

 

 

I totally disagree again ...  My TA would call me before I board just to check in.  She also filed insurance paperwork for a cruise that we missed due to a medical issue.

[Iamcruzin]

7 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

I totally disagree again ...  My TA would call me before I board just to check in.  She also filed insurance paperwork for a cruise that we missed due to a medical issue.

I never had a TA call me once. They didn't even call back in the day when they mailed out the boarding pass package to see if I received it. I guess they were waiting to see if I called because I didn't receive it. 

[NMTraveller]

2 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

I never had a TA call me once. They didn't even call back in the day when they mailed out the boarding pass package to see if I received it. I guess they were waiting to see if I called because I didn't receive it. 

You must be hiring the wrong TAs...

Perhaps ask on your next cruise.  

[NMTraveller]

This conversation could be applied to other areas of expertise.  My financial advisor is very good.  Others would say that theirs wasn't.

Edited yesterday at 03:08 AM by NMTraveller

[Jeremiah1212]

2 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

I totally disagree again ...  My TA would call me before I board just to check in.  She also filed insurance paperwork for a cruise that we missed due to a medical issue.

Thanks for sharing. 

[Iamcruzin]

5 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

You must be hiring the wrong TAs...

Perhaps ask on your next cruise.  

I stopped using a TA with the exception of a Big Box Warehouse that I will check out if I don't want to leave a huge NRD. They usually offer no money down to book.  You just pay a $25 fee. Other than that I book myself. I never received service or incentives worth giving up control of the booking for. I would never expect a TA to look for a price drop for me. That is an unrealistic expectation.                         

[ClosetoCruise]

I would like to use a TA (strictly for the OBC and perks) but would like to have control of booking the extras such as dining reservations and excursions and such.  Does that exist for Celebrity?

And if so, any advice on how to search for a good TA with a good OBC?  My online searches have not come up with much... Thank you!

[CaroleSS]

26 minutes ago, ClosetoCruise said:

I would like to use a TA (strictly for the OBC and perks) but would like to have control of booking the extras such as dining reservations and excursions and such.  Does that exist for Celebrity?

And if so, any advice on how to search for a good TA with a good OBC?  My online searches have not come up with much... Thank you!

Yes!

 

when you book through a TA, that is only the booking. You can log in and purchase drink packages, dining, shore excursions and the like. If a sale comes along, you are free to go through Celebrity (website or call) to cancel and rebook at the lower price - but you have to watch for those things yourself as no one will call and tell you there is a sale going on......unless you watch CC as someone is always telling us when a great sale is going on!

 

Alas, we are not permitted to suggest TAs, but there have been some hints at some which offer OBC on this thread 🫣!

[canderson]

15 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

I would never expect a TA to look for a price drop for me. That is an unrealistic expectation.                         

Evidently mine believes in providing unrealistic levels of service.

 

She doesn't kick back as much as some other agencies (the time required for her to do "unrealistic" things isn't free), but has saved me far more than the kick back difference over the years we've worked together. 

[catspaw1]

On 9/19/2024 at 8:27 AM, bikerunner said:

Ended up with AMA River Cruises.  Our TA knows what we like and what we were looking for.  I think we were on a call with her for over 1.5  hours discussing the different ones.  We discussed all from Emerald, Viking etc.  She knows food, and service are my top priorities. My travel partner is like that also but is a vegetarian so wanted to make sure they were flexible.  What sold me finally was this on AMA   La Chaîne des Rôtisseurs.   I researched a lot of them but there was such slight differences in them.  My TA has traveled on a few of the river cruises so first hand knowledge.  Its a bucket list trip overall, Christmas Markets.in Europe. 

I also like that AMA is not all Americans on board. I enjoy traveling with different nationalities. We learn a lot from each other! It forces me to speak in other languages which I speak although not fluently so helps me. When I get frustrated when I can't fund a word I just use Google translate now. 

[zgscl]

It all depends on the quality of your TA. A good TA is worth their weight in gold, there are also many ok, mediocre and bad TAs also. For about $25 a month anyone can become a TA - just because they signed up with one of the many agencies that offer this doesn’t necessarily mean they know anything or can provide value to you (you would absolutely be shocked by some of the very basic questions people ask on the TA forums and Facebook pages, the idea some of these folks are managing travel for people is terrifying) 

My great aunt had a TA she used for years. She lived most of her life pre-technology and refused to ever modernize with computers, smart phones, etc. as such she was 100% dependent on the TA for her bookings. Despite this the TA would never get her an assigned seat and she sat in middle seats most of the time. 
 

We switched to another TA who was wonderful and took great care of us for years, but she retired in the pandemic and we never found another one we liked - I always seemed to know more than they did. I finally got fed up as I was managing all of my trips and they essentially just booked it and called in for price changes, and missed out a couple times on price change or a cabin switch when they weren’t fast enough. I finally started a TA business on the side which allows me to do all my own travel along with a small handful of friends and family members. 

If you can find a good TA, I absolutely recommend it - you will pay no more than booking direct (and may pay less or get OBC) and get the added service of someone working on your behalf. However if you can’t find a truly good one through reviews or referral than booking direct may be a better way to go. 

[billc23]

9 hours ago, zgscl said:

It all depends on the quality of your TA. A good TA is worth their weight in gold, there are also many ok, mediocre and bad TAs also. For about $25 a month anyone can become a TA - just because they signed up with one of the many agencies that offer this doesn’t necessarily mean they know anything or can provide value to you (you would absolutely be shocked by some of the very basic questions people ask on the TA forums and Facebook pages, the idea some of these folks are managing travel for people is terrifying) ...

I finally started a TA business on the side which allows me to do all my own travel along with a small handful of friends and family members. 

 

I have met many who have done this and the benefits are well beyond the commission savings. Special cruises, special discounts, low cost travel insurance... If one travels a lot and does all the research and follows pricing anyway - then why not? Most who do this keep quiet about the details but I had the process, including a low cost, online franchisor - parent company - to sign up with, explained in detail by a fellow passenger on my last cruise.

 

In the US the commissions are taxable earnings and the write offs are internet service, phone, computer, etc...  business credit card with a large sign on bonus...  so one is able to control taxable income.