Switching a booking from Princess to TA

[wwinfl91]

I repsonded to an offer from an online TA agency that claimed it would offer double bonuses for switching an exisiting or for booking a new cruise with them. They called me today and offered a 10% discount on my current fare to switch the booking.

 

Just a little background. We booked this cruise directly with Princess because they were offering a balcony cabin for the cost of an inside cabin. Since then they upgraded us to a BA cabin on the Caribe deck of the Golden midship.

 

My question is have any of you done this kind of switch and if you did how did it work out? Does Princess give people who do this any problems? Can they take back the upgrade or block any future upgrade that could still happen since the cruise doesn't seem to be selling out very fast.

 

Thanks for any responses on this issues and have a great next cruise.

[Coral]

Princess doesn't care if you transfer the booking to an agency as long as it is before final payment. All you need to do is fax them a letter with the new agency's information. The agency can provide you with the info you need to fax to Princess.

 

You should be able to keep your same cabin and upgrade.

 

You shouldn't run into any problems. Sometimes it takes 24-48 hours to transfer the booking after you fax Princess.

[Colo Cruiser]

Are you familar with this new TA?? Be careful and do some checking on the new TA. We have transferred many bookings, but it is to a TA that we have done business with for years. :)

[wwinfl91]

Thanks for your input.

 

Colo cruiser, you raised the same question my wife has. We have never used this online TA before but we have used another one previously. The one who had the offer was cruise.com which may get "***"''d out. They sent an email to me about this special double benefit offer and then called when I responsed.

 

My wife is of the opinion that Princess has treated us pretty good so far and we should just stick with them for this booking. Because I'm always looking at the bottom line the extra $300 off sounded good.

 

By the way the cruise if the Golden Princess's transatlantic this Nov from Rome to New Orleans, which will be our second TA cruise.

 

Thanks again for the responses.

[Stevesan]

Considering your location, there should be a number of local cruise agents. Why not solicit a quote from a couple of CLIA certified agents you know you can rely on.

[donna5]

Get everything in writing before you do a change.

[Sandytoes]

On one of my bookings I switched from Princess to an online TA.

Saving me $450.00. I had to fax a letter to Princess requesting to switch the booking over to the TA, along with, no change in the booking number and the stateroom.

It went smoothy. No problem at all.

[Colo Cruiser]

On one of my bookings I switched from Princess to an online TA.

Saving me $450.00. I had to fax a letter to Princess requesting to switch the booking over to the TA, along with, no change in the booking number and the stateroom.

It went smoothy. No problem at all.

 

It is not a matter of whether it will go smoothly or not, it is whether the TA is a reputible one or not. :)

[madelinerose]

When I booked our September Crown cruise back in May, 2005, I booked directly through Princess. After searching the web, I found an online TA that had a much lower price, plus free insurance.

 

I faxed Princess the info the TA told me to fax and it was done within 24 hours. Very easy.

[Sandytoes]

Colo Cruiser -- It is not a matter of whether it will go smoothly or not, it is whether the TA is a reputible one or not.

 

If you read wwinfl91 questions than you would see I answered them.....My question is have any of you done this kind of switch and if you did how did it work out? It went smoothy. No problem at all. Does Princess give people who do this any problems? had to fax a letter

they take back the upgrade or block any future upgrade Oh, I forgot to answer this one....No, not at all. They have offered me upgrades.

 

So, you see Colo, it's the matter of answering the questions....

Yes, you do have a point in knowing who you are dealing with. Look for seals of approval by CLIA, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) Online, or the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA). These organizations require companies to meet certain guidelines; if one or more of these agencies endorse a particular seller, you can trust you're not walking into a scam.

Online sites have lots of competition and will vie for your attention with exclamations of "hot deals" and "cruise bargains." When you see a low price listed, read the fine print to see if port charges, taxes, or additional fees are included in the price. These extras can bump your fare up hundreds of dollars. The cruise price isn't the only thing you should check before you hand over your credit card. Does the seller add its own fees to the price of the cruise? Does it impose cancellation fees? You should contact the website's trained cruise professional who can help you make the best purchasing decision or offer assistance if something goes wrong while you're traveling.

 

I now use Online Cruise TA's since they give me the lowest price than Princess. But, I do call and speak directly instead of just booking online. This way I know everything does go smoothly.....:)