Benefits to TA vs booking directly through Regent?

[Charles 3]

We are looking at Regent for our 25th anniversary. Usually I book travel plans myself without going through a travel agent. I have noticed many of you on this board do use travel agents. Is there a benefit to using an agent as opposed to booking directly through Regent? My wife and I have cruised 16+ times, but never on a Regent ship. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Travelcat2]

Yes, there are benefits to booking with a Travel Agent (TA). There is a thread currently active on CruiseCritic that strongly suggests using a TA that is familiar with Regent. I suggest you read that thread.

 

Some TA's have a bonus that they give back to the customer (5% for example). Other TA's include a a shore excursion that can be worth $200-$300. Most importantly, to us, if there is a problem, your TA will be your advocate. He/she can work with Regent to solve issues. Sometimes TA's will have escorted cruises where they are on board. Additional benefits are available for escorted cruises.

 

There are many positives involved with booking with a TA. I strongly recommend it:)

[cruiseej]

Charles, I'm like you; I normally book most travel myself directly. But for a Regent cruise, I've come to find that there are several pluses to using a TA, and no real negatives. In addition to the monetary incentives, via cash back from the TA or onboard credit -- which alone would be reason enough for me to use a TA instead of booking direct -- a good Regent TA can give you guidance on things you might not be able to find out about yourself.

 

If you spend time here on the Regent forum and read back far enough into the archives, you can learn a great deal on your own. But an experienced Regent TA can help you avoid a bad cabin location, find a hidden special, recommend an excursion which could be a trip highlight, get you a price reduction after booking even though it says it's for new bookings only, etc. The real key is that it not just be an overall good TA, but a TA which specializes in luxury cruises and Regent in particular. Regent is a relatively small cruise line, and many very good TAs have limited experience working with Regent and little or no personal knowledge of the ships. But if you get a TA which send many people on Regent and who has personally cruised on all the Regent ships multiple times, then you stand to get one or two or many nuggets of help which can elevate your vacation.

 

-- Eric

[Charles 3]

Thank you for the good advice. It is just what I needed. I am going to try getting booked on a Med cruise within the next day or so.

Thanks again!

[Kwaj girl]

Your TA may have other clients who have already sailed Regent; there is a Regent Ambassadors program whereby a past-passenger "refers" a new-to-Regent customer...the newbie gets shipboard credit and the past-passenger is eligible for a discount on a future cruise. So the TA could bridge that gap for you. Just ask!

[newlondon]

Charles, Like you I used to book everything myself in the US. We then booked a cruise on the PG with a TA and so started a wonderful relationship. We now use her for everything--not domestic airline tickets. A TA can rescue even the worst situation. We were pickpocketed in St. Petersburg, Ru and lost both credit cards with 2+ weeks to go. She helped us get the cash to continue the trip and also convinced the Grand Palace Hotel that we were not trying to stiff them. Try doing that on your own! I really don't know what the down side to a good TA is.

[traveller333]

By all means use a TA who specializes in luxury cruises. They are invaluable. Do not use a TA that books mostly mass marketed lines like Princess, HAL, RCL, Carnival, NLC.etc. You need someone who specializes in luxury cruises. It doesn't matter what state you live in or where their office is, you will transact through emails and phone calls. You will receive advice and guidance from someone knowledgeable and familiar with all the ships. The people who book at Regent are order takers and many have never cruised on a Regent ship. Try to pick an agent that books mostly Regent cruises.

[wripro]

The better question to ask, imo, is what is the possible benefit of booking yourself?

[Wendy The Wanderer]

You're right, that's the essential question. And I don't think there are any, at all.

[22Club59]

Having always used TAs for cruising I decided to try direct booking this year as an experiment - never again! The service from RSSC Customer Service is poor, compared to the attitude of experienced TAs. As RSSC is saving about 10% of the fare, a business person would have expected RSSC would invest that saving in well motivated and trained staff. That has not been my experience - the probable reason being that RSSC does not want to be the first line to upset its TAs, who are its sales force; as the brochure-mailing sales program is very poor. In future I am going to do the research on-line, including price comparisons, and have a TA make the booking. One special feature of cruise-centric TAs, especially those affiliated with groups like Virtuoso, is the great on-board service and included excursions.

[benbax]

This thread has been very interesting. I did book directly thru RSSC and had a terrific experience.

 

I read online that Regent was basically offering 2 for 1, free shore excursions and RT airfare (business class if you booked a Penthouse B or above which also has butler service) and it seemed almost too good to be true.

 

The 2 for 1 deal was not much more money than flying Business Class from NY to Nice and then from Athens back to NY - so I thought I'd call RSSC.

 

I spoke to a woman named Jill who was lovely, provided a lot of information and helped this relative "newbie" to understand what all my options were.

 

We got a "new Regent customer" on board credit and when I booked with my Platinum Amex, there was an additional onboard credit given.

 

All in all the experience was (and has been) terrific. I am just wondering what more a TA would have offered. :confused:

 

Is my positive experience an exception to what normally transpires or am I missing something else?

 

Again - I'm a "newbie" as I've been on 1 NCL cruise (NY-Bermuda-NY) last June and then a 1 night NCL cruise (NYC) to nowhere - both booked directly thru NCL, I wonder what I missed not using a TA for those.

 

I must say that I have already noticed a big difference between the Main-line and Luxury Line experience and we don't even depart for a couple of weeks! :D

[xrvlcruiser]

Not that I plan to book directly - I have happily used the same cruise TA for 25 years - but is the rate less (since RSSC does not have to pay commission) if you book direct?

[traveller333]

My TA is less money than booking directly with Regent. I have also tried Virtuoso but after a couple of cruises which did include an excursion (and luncheon) I decided that I prefer a luxury line TA who discounts so I have the savings to do my own things which has worked out better than using a Virtuoso agent.

 

I would like to know if others have had a similar experience.

[mariners]

We have booked through different agencies and have learned a lot through the experience. Agency 1 - local, fabulous service, enjoyed the face to face contact when discussing options, provided a limo transfer to and from airport as an incentive to book through them. Reason for leaving agency - they went out of business. Agency 2 - researched Canadian options from listings in Conde Nast; did not require assistance from agency other than actual booking. While onboard the cruise, spoke with other cruisers and they had received a much better deal through a discount agency who had a lot of experience with Regent. When we booked our next cruise onboard, we chose to go with that agency because of the lower price (discount not sent as a cheque but deducted from final invoice). Agency 3 - the discount agency - sometimes you get what you pay for and we had to contact Regent to resolve an ongoing issue regarding return of overpayment as the cruise changed to children sail free. Agency said Regent owed us the money; Regent said Agency owed us the money. Regent was right and went "to bat" for us and got us the refund owed. Agency 4 - went back to Agency 2 and have used them ever since. They meet any prices that I find, provide excellent service, and, even though they are in another province, respond more quickly through e-mail/telephone than local agencies. They provide their incentive to book as "credits" rather than "cash back". This might change if/when rules onboard cruises change. If I did not use this agency, I would use an American agency that I have observed over the years. I have friends who book through this agency. The agency provides "cash back" and has a fantastic message board.

I would always use an agency as they really do give a better deal. However, researching the agency is as important as researching the cruise.

[wripro]

Benbax,

 

Let's hope nothing goes wrong on your cruise. If it does who do you think lovely Jill will side with, you or Regent?

[klauer]

To me the benefit of booking directly with the cruise line is that I can pick up the phone and ask my question directly. I don't have to email or leave a message with the TA, then wait for them to contact the cruise line and get back to me. I really enjoy doing my own research and booking the perfect trip.

[xrvlcruiser]

You can call Regent no matter how you book.

[benbax]

Benbax,

 

Let's hope nothing goes wrong on your cruise. If it does who do you think lovely Jill will side with, you or Regent?

 

 

Wow - I guess You told Me! :(

 

I really hope it won't come to that.

[jhp]

Benbax, I'm sure you will be fine. I just like that extra personal attention I get having a TA experienced with Regent to be there for me, looking out for POST booking discounts for fares, single supplements, etc.. The discount I get in a check as a "reward" is a bonus, too. I have to say, I have never had a problem on any of my many cruises, but if I did, she would be there for me!

[Ebonybombshell]

To answer your question about what you could be missing buy booking direct, it depends.......

 

Sometimes nothing, sometimes alot.

 

Personally I have never had an issue w/friendliness from anybody really.

 

My NCL and Princess cruises I saved a considerable amount of money from an online TA who couldn't be beat. I still was assigned a rep after booking that I could call or email. Regent, I saved about $150 but got an extra $400 OBC, I found her through a cruise comparison site, she calls or emails 7 days a week. I have a booking direct thru carnival..nobody was less, they are always open, but I have booked Carnival through an agent as well....it really depends on the line, does it discount, do they have preferred agencies ect ect

 

Every single cruise I shop best deal...I'm semi loyal but since I have to pay for it, I choose carefully

[Observer]

My TA (whom I have used for many years for a number of cruises) was away from the office recently when I was interested in an RSSC cruise. I called RSSC and got a quote. I had never before dealt directly with RSSC sales and was very impressed by the interaction. I sat on that quote for a few days. I then contacted the TA. The TA's price was *higher* than the RSSC price. RSSC had included a bonus that the TA had not bothered to include. I pressed the TA on this matter. The TA was sheepish and said (s)he would match the RSSC price. The TA (member of a consortium) then told me about the advantages of booking with him/her. The two biggest ones were a TA traveling on the cruise as an escort and a cocktail party for people who booked through the consortium. I am a grown up and do not need a nanny. What's more, drinks are included on RSSC. So what's the advantage of a TA?

[OrpingtonT]

My TA (whom I have used for many years for a number of cruises) was away from the office recently when I was interested in an RSSC cruise. I called RSSC and got a quote. I had never before dealt directly with RSSC sales and was very impressed by the interaction. I sat on that quote for a few days. I then contacted the TA. The TA's price was *higher* than the RSSC price. RSSC had included a bonus that the TA had not bothered to include. I pressed the TA on this matter. The TA was sheepish and said (s)he would match the RSSC price. The TA (member of a consortium) then told me about the advantages of booking with him/her. The two biggest ones were a TA traveling on the cruise as an escort and a cocktail party for people who booked through the consortium. I am a grown up and do not need a nanny. What's more, drinks are included on RSSC. So what's the advantage of a TA?

 

That is interesting. You don't say where you are from. I have tried several times to ask people when this subject comes up, to at least consider the option of booking direct. In the UK, I can find no advantages from the insertion of a third party into the booking process, but I am assured things are different in the US. I am sure you will be told to "find a better TA".

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Ebony, what do you mean "she calls or emails 7 days a week"? My TA only communicates with me when she needs to.

 

Just to sum up why my TA is indispensible, to me:

 

- when new price reductions appear, she is on top of it, calculating savings and re-booking to capture them, despite penalties

 

- when I was booking Business air through Regent to Tahiti, she was on top of the booking the day the seats opened up, to ensure that I got these scarce seats; when booking Biz to Europe, she strong-armed Regent into changing my flights without penalty to eliminate a risky connection in Frankfurt

 

- cadged me a bargain cabin upgrade

 

The bottom line is that that she has more clout with Regent than I do.

[klauer]

Back to contacting Regent directly -- it has been my experience with any cruise line that if I booked through a TA, any specific questions like "can I upgrade to a suite, which ones are available, and what would the additional cost be?" have to go through the TA. Obviously, general questions regarding itinerary, dress code, etc. can be answered by the cruise line.

 

I admit that I am a bit of a control freak, and having to go through a middleman is more stressful than helpful to me. We have often booked our next cruise through the cruise consultant onboard, and I think that is really convenient.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

But you can book onboard with the cruise consultant and have that booking transferred directly to a TA. We've always done this.

 

I forgot another benefit: my TA knows the ships intimately and knows what cabins to avoid--the Regent agents themselves are unlikely to do that.