TA treats??

[nseagirl]

I keep reading on this board about TA's giving "treats" such as OBC's or gratuities or spa treatments. My bff and I have booked a cruise in late April. We have to make our final payment in a couple of weeks. Our TA hasn't offered us anything. Is there something I should do to get a "treat" from our TA??:confused: :confused:

[Sue L]

There are no guarantees that your TA will give you anything. Unfortunately this was something you should have researched before you booked with them. You could bring up the subject with them but don't be surprised if they don't give anything.

[ehfl]

Sometimes a TA might use part of their commission to treat a particularly good customer, but it's not standard.

[sgttami]

Our TA always sends a nice $$$$ bottle of wine and a flower arrangement that lasts for the duration of the cruise and on the longer cruises (9 day) we also got a $75 OBC.

[The Grumpus]

You might see a surprise in your cabin, never know. We used to have a bottle of wine waiting for us and a fruit bowl. You might not see something the first time you use them either. Seems, the more you use the same TA, the more you get. Loyalty can have it's benefits just like with the cruiselines. We started with a bottle of wine, then it went up to paying for an excursion to one time a free upgrade to a Grand Suite. That's a bit unusual though, we just happened to be in the right place, right time.

[willysgrandma]

Our TA always sends a nice $$$$ bottle of wine and a flower arrangement that lasts for the duration of the cruise and on the longer cruises (9 day) we also got a $75 OBC.

 

If you booked all your cruises with the same TA, that is why she is taking good care of you.

 

Loyalty means a lot to a TA - we always reward frequent clients, be it if they sail or go on a land vacation.

 

It is not a given that a TA has to give you anything. OP, the time to ask about perks or onboard credits was before you booked with the TA if you were looking for something because it does come out of her commission, unless she booked you into a group that had some perks coming to them.

 

But many TA's don't say anything and will surprise you with a gift in your cabin when you arrive.

[negc]

I keep reading on this board about TA's giving "treats" such as OBC's or gratuities or spa treatments. My bff and I have booked a cruise in late April. We have to make our final payment in a couple of weeks. Our TA hasn't offered us anything. Is there something I should do to get a "treat" from our TA??:confused: :confused:

 

Did your TA provide you with good service, answer your questions, get you a good stateroom or the specific one you wanted and get you a good price, handle any requests you may have made? If so, consider that any "treats" you might receive are extras and not things which you should expect. TAs are not always able to provide extras for their clients on every cruise they book. Sometimes the cruiseline doesn't offer any special deals, and sometimes the commission that the agent makes from your booking might not even equal the cost of gratuities. If you have found a good TA, this may be the start of a long and valued relationship that, over time will prove to be worth a lot more than a few "treats".

[Rancher Dave]

Given the small percentage of folks who cruise and chat on CC, and not all on CC get goodies from their TA, I think it is fair to assume that most folks don't get any extra goodies. Since the goodies come out of the TA commission, it just cuts back what the TA gets paid for their time and effort.

 

If you had the TA spend tons of time on your booking it is less likely they will be willing to offer up any goodies as after goodies and time they are getting almost nothing then for their efforts.

 

I think among the best way to find a TA who will offer more perks is to ge to the point you basically tell the TA what cruise, cabin type, etc... and have them just book the cabin and pass the money, maybe help with a price reduction (not that I have ever had a price reduction...) then maybe you will have more luck in getting something back.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[nseagirl]

I used the same TA for a cruise several years ago. I guess I don't cruise enough to rate much of a treat. That's not my fault! Given a choice, I'd cruise 6 times a year!! Oh well, I was just wondering if it was something I should mention when it comes time to make final payment.

[Rancher Dave]

Given the small percentage of folks who cruise and chat on CC, and not all on CC get goodies from their TA, I think it is fair to assume that most folks don't get any extra goodies. Since the goodies come out of the TA commission, it just cuts back what the TA gets paid for their time and effort.

 

If you had the TA spend tons of time on your booking it is less likely they will be willing to offer up any goodies as after goodies and time they are getting almost nothing then for their efforts.

 

I think among the best way to find a TA who will offer more perks is to ge to the point you basically tell the TA what cruise, cabin type, etc... and have them just book the cabin and pass the money, maybe help with a price reduction (not that I have ever had a price reduction...) then maybe you will have more luck in getting something back.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[madforcruising]

I keep reading on this board about TA's giving "treats" such as OBC's or gratuities or spa treatments. My bff and I have booked a cruise in late April. We have to make our final payment in a couple of weeks. Our TA hasn't offered us anything. Is there something I should do to get a "treat" from our TA??:confused: :confused:

 

 

There was a thread some weeks ago about what do you expect from your TA in regards of "treats" and follow up service. Actually I don´t expect any "treats" from my TA. If I get a bottle of wine or something like this it´s nice, but in no way expected.

Now for stuff like OBC, gratuities etc. these are no "treats" in my eyes like a bottle of wine sent to the cabin. This sort of thing would be part of the deal. So yes I´ve got some rather great OBC in the past, but as said these have been part of the deal from the beginning.

 

I´m not sure about local TA´s and their offers in the US, so I can only talk about online TA´s but there´s a lot of them out there and they actually compete for your business and they have offered me as much as up to 10% of the cruise price in OBC. However this has to be negotiated before booking.

[donvets]

Early last year I switched TAs to an internet based one, who advertises here on CC. On our very first cruise with them ( a weekend one) the "perk" was a bottle of wine, for a follow up weekend cruise later in the year, the gave us prepaid gratuities. For an 11 day cruise last week, they gave us $250 OBC. So I will book again with them.

 

They provide us woith lots of service, phone calss, emails etc and follow up on my questions and dietary needs.

 

The first internet one did little or nothing and some landbased ones gave us a flimsy t shirt with their ads on it.

[nseagirl]

Obviously I should have found this web site before I booked this cruise. Oh well, I'll know next time. Thanks for your advice on this. I won't expect a thing and be pleasantly surprized if we get anything.:D