Just wondering....does your TA call and wish you bon voyage?

[cacj]

As you near the cruise departure day, does your TA call (or email you) and wish you bon voyage? or is it pretty much, once you booked and paid in full, you are out of their mind and you never hear from them again.

[4 cruisers]

You've got to be kidding?!!!!:confused:

[hello]

Only once has a TA ever called to see how my cruise was -- none of the other 18+ times.

[dtracker]

As you near the cruise departure day, does your TA call (or email you) and wish you bon voyage? or is it pretty much, once you booked and paid in full, you are out of their mind and you never hear from them again.

 

That was a good one!

 

Duane

[CanadaFour]

My specialized Disney travel agent emailed me as the cruise approached with some last minute tips, sent a gift to the stateroom. She then sent me an email within a day or two of returning.

 

My previously used agent (a CAA -- AAA equivalent in Canada) sent me a card after the cruise. She left the business shortly thereafter so we switched.......

 

I then used an online company (that offers the best priced cruises) and they didn't email, but sent a bottle of wine to the cabin.

 

My current travel agent-- a Canada-wide company with whom I have booked 5cruises this year (with a total of 8 cabins) has yet to send anything to the cabin nor email before or after a cruise. I admit that I kindof expected a bottle of wine or something.

 

Hmmmm.

[mactrio]

As you near the cruise departure day, does your TA call (or email you) and wish you bon voyage? or is it pretty much, once you booked and paid in full, you are out of their mind and you never hear from them again.

 

Mine does, she sent a kids crew backpack w/ drink bracelet to our son and an adult soda card to my husband and had the stateroom decorated w/ the Bon Voyage package with a small cake.

She is an awesome agent and I hope she never retires. :)

[cacj]

I didn't realize this was so funny...but I guess it is....it just seems that in this email oriented world, it would be easy to set up a way to at least send off an email to your client to say bon voyage.

 

For those of you who have special relationships with your TA, that is wonderful!

[pixiedustdawn]

We get a call before and after.

[rlmlcb6]

Mandy Allen, NCL employee. called many times before cruise, sent us a cake and has called since we have returned....she was great:p

[LadyShiva]

My first cruise was with a low-price TA. Our interaction ended after I corrected the passenger information and paid. My cruise didn't suffer for the lack of interaction; we had no problems at all getting on the ship. That TA didn't book airfare, hotel, travel insurance, or rental car--just the cruise.

 

My current TA cruised with us on the last cruise. He had a catered reception on the cruise and came by with customized t-shirts. Nice guy (and his wife, they work together), and I also appreciate how he always helps me out with prices and OBC. He's been my TA for 2 cruises now, and is helping with the coming up cruise. We tend to talk via email/crackberry because I prefer that medium. Everything agreed to is in writing. He's a very personable fellow, and when we do talk, we have no issues understanding each other.

 

The NCL travel agent didn't impress me. Complete lack of reading comprehension. When asked for price ranges, he gave me a single price and it was higher than normal, with no mention of the on-board credit or the 3rd person being $99.

 

Hope that helps!

[ktpc2005]

MY TA sends has a Bon Voyage card and a bottle of chamapagne in our stateroom when we arrive.

[mafig]

no call

no email

nothing:o

[time2cruise1]

My NCL PCC in fact called last month before our cruise. I was shocked :eek:

[Warmer Climes]

Yes, and I love her. She called me a few days before we sailed to make sure everything was set, and emailed me the day we got back to tell me she hoped we had a great cruise and that she would call me for details when she gets back from her own vacation. She always does this.

 

Before her I had two TA's who never contacted me (one not even to tell me final payment was due!)

 

Barb

[newmexicoNita]

I do and I usually send a gift, but that shouldn't have much to do with anything. It is just something I like to do and yes, I usually touch base when they return..

 

Nita

[BarBug]

Combining a couple of group cruises and my own personal cruises over the years, I've sent close to 30 cabins through my TA and have NEVER received a bon voyage message and/or even a small token gift in my cabin from her. (I have always been happy with my prices, but a small bon voyage after all this time would have been a nice touch)

[Fisical1]

Usually get a bottle of wine delivered, but never hear anything after the final payment is due. Because of these boards, I seem to know more about the cruise line then she does. I initiate all the communication, (where are my luggage tags, did you get me reimbursed for the fuel charges etc....) I think in the future I will just call myself.

[asand5554]

My TA always e-mails prior to departure with tips and hints - even sent an e-mail about the Miami Marathon which was the day before our departure on the Sky to give us a "heads-up" about possible street closures, etc.

He sends something to our cabin or an OBC and e-mails us with a survey upon return. You can bet he gets very, very high marks, our return business and loads of referrals from us.

When we took a cruise for our 25th anniversary a few years back (Transatlantic), the TA we used did NOTHING, even though our anniversary fell during the cruise. You can bet that it influenced our decision to find a new agent!

[Cruise_More_Often]

Used a TA for our first cruise. Never heard a word from her again. I expected she'd want to know how the cruise went, so when she didn't contact me, I figured she didn't care about her customers' experiences. We've booked through NCL since then and we are :D.

[veggie59]

We sail in 2 weeks. We used an NCL PCC. I only booked 3 weeks ago. She did tell me to call and let her kow how the cruise was. We will be having our 25th Anniversary while sailing also. Lets see if there is more than cake when we arrive....lol. I may order the package myself that has the strawberries and wine......but it would be nice if there were a few EXTRA bottles. :)

[*Wink*]

I've used my TA for 3 years now. She doesn't call before, but she does want me to call her and let her know how the cruise was.

 

On our last booking, she offered to pay $25 towards the fare. I guess that means she paid some of her commission to us, and I appreciated that very much.

 

With every booking she will also donate $25 to your favorite charity.

 

What I like about her most is she returns calls quickly and never leaves loose ends. If I have a request that I need her to investigate, she'll call NCL right away for me.

 

So, although she's not a card sender, she makes up for it in her professionalism and commitment. :)

[donsuej]

We are leaving Sunday, March 15th and our PCC from NCL called this afternoon to wish us 'bon voyage' and to ask if we had any questions.

Sue

[veggie59]

We are leaving Sunday, March 15th and our PCC from NCL called this afternoon to wish us 'bon voyage' and to ask if we had any questions.

Sue

 

Have a nice cruise......bon voyage!!

[Bennett'sCruise]

In this day and economy it behoves a TA to supply good customer service ... sometimes that's the only difference between agents.

Before I was an agent, I never received anything from an agent I used (either brick & mortor or online) ... no pre-cruise call, no gift on board, no post-cruise follow-up. It taught me a whole lot.

Now .... some clients think, 1) TAs are making a whole LOT of commission (nope), 2) TAs have some kind of magic store they can use to provide freebies for their clients on board (unless they're a huge volume agency that is not true) 3) that little gifts don't come straight out of the TAs commission (it DOES!).

But, I take care of my clients ... a whole lot of pre-cruise time getting them prepared for the best cruise experience (making sure their needs are met on board, answering all their questions ... even questions they don't know they have yet:rolleyes:) .... usually a nice little gift of some kind for them on board .... post-cruise follow-up (as nice as it would to be able to sail on every ship on every cruise line, I can't :o... so I need that follow-up to find out about the ships, cruiselines, etc.)

Another thing ... I LOVE finding discounted prices for my clients. The cruiselines will never call me and let me know there is a discounted price, I have to dog the pricing myself and initiate the discount. This, of course, cuts into commission, but it makes for very happy clients! :)

All of this just to say ... appreciate a good TA ... they are working very hard for you. If you don't find one that provides good customer service, there are those out there that do!

~dianne

[cacj]

Used a TA for our first cruise. Never heard a word from her again. I expected she'd want to know how the cruise went, so when she didn't contact me, I figured she didn't care about her customers' experiences. We've booked through NCL since then and we are :D.

 

Sounds like a logical conclusion.

 

I've used my TA for 3 years now. She doesn't call before, but she does want me to call her and let her know how the cruise was.

 

On our last booking, she offered to pay $25 towards the fare. I guess that means she paid some of her commission to us, and I appreciated that very much.

 

With every booking she will also donate $25 to your favorite charity.

 

What I like about her most is she returns calls quickly and never leaves loose ends. If I have a request that I need her to investigate, she'll call NCL right away for me.

 

So, although she's not a card sender, she makes up for it in her professionalism and commitment. :)

 

I think she sounds like a keeper....I like the donation part, shows heart.

 

In this day and economy it behoves a TA to supply good customer service ... sometimes that's the only difference between agents.

 

Before I was an agent' date=' I never received anything from an agent I used (either brick & mortor or online) ... no pre-cruise call, no gift on board, no post-cruise follow-up. It taught me a whole lot.[/font']

 

Now .... some clients think, 1) TAs are making a whole LOT of commission (nope), 2) TAs have some kind of magic store they can use to provide freebies for their clients on board (unless they're a huge volume agency that is not true) 3) that little gifts don't come straight out of the TAs commission (it DOES!).

 

But, I take care of my clients ... a whole lot of pre-cruise time getting them prepared for the best cruise experience (making sure their needs are met on board, answering all their questions ... even questions they don't know they have yet:rolleyes:) .... usually a nice little gift of some kind for them on board .... post-cruise follow-up (as nice as it would to be able to sail on every ship on every cruise line, I can't :o... so I need that follow-up to find out about the ships, cruiselines, etc.)

 

Another thing ... I LOVE finding discounted prices for my clients. The cruiselines will never call me and let me know there is a discounted price, I have to dog the pricing myself and initiate the discount. This, of course, cuts into commission, but it makes for very happy clients! :)

 

All of this just to say ... appreciate a good TA ... they are working very hard for you. If you don't find one that provides good customer service, there are those out there that do!

 

~dianne

 

Bravo for you to enjoy those ways to help your clients, above and beyond, and very CS oriented. Thanks for sharing.