what to expect from a group booking

[hullman57@verizon.net]

This is my first posting so please bear with me.

 

I'm working with a relative for a group booking on the January 3, 2010 sailing of the Liberty from Miami. Couple of questions,

 

1) does a travel agent help get us more things, look out for us more, etc. or would it be the same if we did our own booking with royal caribbean? she mentioned something about the more rooms booked the more money is credited to our group. how does that work??

 

2) is it a no brainer to get 2 rooms (will have a 20 yr boy and 12 yr girl)

 

the specifics are: category Q for 2 people $1627 total ($3254 if we get 2 rooms) OR category L is $3,053.84 for 4 people.

 

3)RC is definitely more money than carnival (only cruise we've been on is the glory) that i've been on. is the difference in price worth it. seems to me it probably is from the pictures. felt like carnival glory, while great fun, doesn't have as much going for it as the RCCL lines.

 

4) does the TA generally monitor for price drops of course I'll be checking but how do i do that.

 

5)is this sailing preferable to the Freedom out of Port Canaveral? Any differences besides ports. Since it will be January the Miami departure may be best with warmer ports.

 

thanks for the help!

 

Ready to sail!

[cb at sea]

A travel agent can really help if you are booking alot of cabins....they can be the "go between" for everyone--getting everyone the same prices (relatively speaking), making sure that everyone is seated together at dinner, etc... They may be able to get some meeting space set aside (if the group is large enough). How large is this group? Usually, if you have more than, say, 10 cabins, there will be a discount for 1 berth (this may have changed recently with the economy!--but there's usually a "perk" of this sort)

 

It's hard to say whether that's a good price--alot depends on how the ship is selling, as to what the price will be. "Off" season is cheaper..... I would always get separate rooms for the kids/parents...adults NEED their privacy--especially on a romantic cruise!

 

You need to keep your eye on the prices--the TA has no incentive to do so!

[negc]

 

You need to keep your eye on the prices--the TA has no incentive to do so!

 

A good TA has a very strong incentive to keep his or her eye on the prices and that you get any price reductions you are eligible for - the possibility of getting your repeat business. Such repeat business is worth much more than any reduction in the commission he or she may make on one particular cruis and if you are happy with the service you receive you are more likely to recommend the TA to others. :rolleyes:

[DHADEN]

This is my first posting so please bear with me.

 

I'm working with a relative for a group booking on the January 3, 2010 sailing of the Liberty from Miami. Couple of questions,

 

1) does a travel agent help get us more things, look out for us more, etc. or would it be the same if we did our own booking with royal caribbean? she mentioned something about the more rooms booked the more money is credited to our group. how does that work??

 

First of all, WELCOME TO THE BOARDS! :D

The times that I have had problems with Cruise Bookings are the two times I have used TA instead of booking directly with RCI.

Something goes wrong,and you can't reach the TA - SOL

Or you find out about a price decrease, and you can't reach the TA - SOL

For the last 12 cruises, we have booked through RCI. I can reach them any day (even Sundays) as late as 11:00 pm, and have always had GREAT SERVICE!

 

2) is it a no brainer to get 2 rooms (will have a 20 yr boy and 12 yr girl)

the specifics are: category Q for 2 people $1627 total ($3254 if we get 2 rooms) OR category L is $3,053.84 for 4 people.

 

I'm don't know about the difference between Q or L, but for $200, I would definitely go with the TWO BATHROOMS. :p;)

 

3)RC is definitely more money than carnival (only cruise we've been on is the glory) that i've been on. is the difference in price worth it. seems to me it probably is from the pictures. felt like carnival glory, while great fun, doesn't have as much going for it as the RCCL lines.

 

RCI service and friendliness is HEAD AND SHOLDERS ABOVE any other cruise line we have been on. That alone is worth the extra $$$. (just my opinion)

 

4) does the TA generally monitor for price drops of course I'll be checking but how do i do that.

 

NO - key word here is "generally" - - majority of T.A.'s will not watch for decreases, and will not notify you even if they do know about price decrease because that means they make less commision.

 

 

A good TA has a very strong incentive to keep his or her eye on the prices and that you get any price reductions you are eligible for - the possibility of getting your repeat business. Such repeat business is worth much more than any reduction in the commission he or she may make on one particular cruis and if you are happy with the service you receive you are more likely to recommend the TA to others. :rolleyes:

 

If you are the One-Out-Of-One-Thousand people who have found "A good T.A., then this MIGHT happen. I know there are a lot of T.A.'s on the boards, so I will probably get flamed for that statement, but it is from my and a lot of other's bad experience.

 

Watch the prices yourself and call RCI when you see it get better.

 

Hope This Helps.

[FL_Cruiser64]

I would always book directly with RCI (which you can do again).

 

I've gone with RCI and was forced last year to go with a TA. Guess who screwed up.

 

With RCI you will have the same person assigned to you just like a TA. Difference is that others at RCI will be available to you when a TA is not.

 

What a TA gives you is additional OBC coming out of the commission and a couple Travel Partner benefits which are minor. It is not worth the risk you are taking with a TA.

 

Go RCI.

[cruiseguy1016]

This is my first posting so please bear with me.

 

I'm working with a relative for a group booking on the January 3, 2010 sailing of the Liberty from Miami. Couple of questions,

 

1) does a travel agent help get us more things, look out for us more, etc. or would it be the same if we did our own booking with royal caribbean? she mentioned something about the more rooms booked the more money is credited to our group. how does that work?? You need to book 8 cabins (at least 2 people in each) to qualify for a discount. Once you reach 8 cabins, you will get one free berth so technically you'll only be paying for 15 people. Some TAs will offer incentives to book through them, others will not.

 

2) is it a no brainer to get 2 rooms (will have a 20 yr boy and 12 yr girl) If you can afford it, 2 rooms is the best way to go. You get 2 bathrooms and more privacy for mom and dad.

 

the specifics are: category Q for 2 people $1627 total ($3254 if we get 2 rooms) OR category L is $3,053.84 for 4 people.

 

3)RC is definitely more money than carnival (only cruise we've been on is the glory) that i've been on. is the difference in price worth it. seems to me it probably is from the pictures. felt like carnival glory, while great fun, doesn't have as much going for it as the RCCL lines. Never been on Carnival so I can't compare but I think RCI is a bargain for the price.

 

4) does the TA generally monitor for price drops of course I'll be checking but how do i do that. I always use a TA and she is a great one, which is probably why I keep using her. She checks all the time for price drops. I check quite often too. On my upcoming cruise a price drop occurred that I didn't see but my TA caught it for me and had it applied. Some TAs however will not look for price drops. If you find one and ask to have it applied, they may charge you to do this. TAs go the full spectrum, make sure you get a good one.

 

5)is this sailing preferable to the Freedom out of Port Canaveral? Any differences besides ports. Since it will be January the Miami departure may be best with warmer ports.

 

thanks for the help!

 

Ready to sail!

 

You'll love RCI! Have a great cruise.

[Sue L]

You can no longer do group booking on your own, you must go through a TA.