Discussions about TAs

[SheilaNC]

A Friendly Reminder:

 

Discussions naming travel agents (TAs) are not allowed on any board on the Cruise Critic Web site. Some TAs advertise on Cruise Critic but they do not have any special privileges; messages asking about advertisers are in violation of community guidelines as well.

 

Please review the Community Guidelines to refresh your memory and better understand the rules to which we all agree when we join.

 

And now, back to sharing information and enjoying the boards :)

[Bruin Steve]

And beware...even though it doesn't say so anywhere I could find in the "Community Guidelines" (If I am wrong, Host Sheila, please direct me to where I could find it), you can't even answer someone's request for TA recommendations by asking the inquirer to e-mail you OFF the board...

 

Recently, someone asked me for the name of my TA and I posted answering them that to do so would violate the Board Rules, so I would not do so...but told them if they wanted to discuss this away from the board, they could feel free to e-mail me independently...(As I read the Community Guidelines, it would be improper for a TRAVEL AGENT to invite such private e-mails via these boards, but I saw no prohibition for non-TAs discussing travel agents so long as the discussion on the board named no names and gave no recommendations or references...By the way, I am NOT nor have I ever been a Travel Agent)...

 

Anyway, the posts where this limited discussion took place were deleted from the thread and both the inquirer and I were sent e-mails with stern warnings that our posting privileges might be suspended (and I always thought that most of my posts on these boards were considered helpful by most of the other members...I am not a TA, just an ordinary guy who has cruised a bit over the years and loves both asking and answering questions, finding I've both learned and shared a great deal of useful experience here)...

 

Anyway, be aware...The guidelines appear to be interpretted quite liberally in this regard...

[CruisnGram]

I had a similar experience where someone asked if you could save money by using a TA and I replied that you definitely could, to just look around online. I too was reprimanded because they said that I was tempting them to ask me the name of my online TA. So they do mean what they say folks. If it even hints of info about TA's, they will remove it and contact you.

[chj]

A Friendly Reminder:

 

Discussions naming travel agents (TAs) are not allowed on any board on the Cruise Critic Web site. Some TAs advertise on Cruise Critic but they do not have any special privileges; messages asking about advertisers are in violation of community guidelines as well.

 

Please review the Community Guidelines to refresh your memory and better understand the rules to which we all agree when we join.

 

And now, back to sharing information and enjoying the boards :)

 

LOL, the only thing I can confirm after much pricing comparison is that those that advertise here don't have the lowest price at all, and they pay to be here. God forbid if the collective knowledgable and experienced cruisers here were to steer business away from the big paying advertisers and let them share great cost deals.

 

All I got to say research, google and in 10 or 15' you'll find places with cheaper fares then those that advertise here

 

Why is that...

[phoenix1181]

God forbid if the collective knowledgable and experienced cruisers here were to steer business away from the big paying advertisers and let them share great cost deals.

 

:confused: If it weren't for those "big paying advertisers" this site wouldn't exist. It's really a no brainer................. Their site = their rules. :rolleyes: Anyone who doesn't like them, can choose to play elsewhere.

[CruisnGram]

God forbid if the collective knowledgable and experienced cruisers here were to steer business away from the big paying advertisers and let them share great cost deals.

 

 

The issue as I understand it is that they are trying to prevent TA's from advertising here that are not paying for the right to do so. We all offer advice and help as regular cruisers who are just trying to share our general knowledge to help out fellow cruisers, but the board moderators have no idea if we are actually TA's trying to drum up business or not. If you look at it that way, it does make perfect sense.

 

Regarding those who pay to advertise here. as the other poster said, they most likely pay the costs of running this board and we should be grateful that they do or the board might not exist.

 

I agree that it's really hard to have knowledge about certain TA's that give great deals and not be able to share that here. But, I can understand the policy and as has been said, we can always go elsewhere if we don't want to abide by the rules.

[SheilaNC]

You should also know that the discussion of our management policies and procedures -- including post deletions-- is considered off-topic discussion for our cruise boards and will also be removed without notice.

 

Thus, this discussion will be removed. My intent to clarify was not intended to create a discussion that continued to violate community guidelines.

 

Hopefully, we are all clear on the guidelines which can easily be accessed in the menu at the top of the board. Have a great day and enjoy posting on and learning from our boards.