Freebies from Travel Agents?

[Sprocket]

I would say so - Those things don't expire to my knowledge!

 

Thanks Brian! I know there was a thread about that a while ago, but could not find it.

[whogo]

It costs nothing but your time to check the prices and offerings of the online agencies.

 

It nearly cost Kween Karen her cruise. There's more to selecting an agent than what freebies they offer, and the lowest price. I'd think that Kween Karen's experience should be a cautionary tale told and re-told regularly, to remind people that they need to be extra-vigilant in the choice of agent to whom they entrust their vacation and their money.

 

You would not recommend against all online agencies because of Kween Karen's experience any more than I would recommend against all brick and mortar travel agencies just because a local one left 200 people without their paid for Jamaica vacations. We booked our cruise on 8/21/09, payment to HAL (not the agency) showed up on my credit card the next day. The online agency's service has been exemplary.

 

Interesting thread. We have a different attitude when it comes to booking cruises...and in most years we do book more than 60 days on ships. We have developed our personal "short list" which currently has 6 travel agents (all internet agencies) on our favored list. When we decide to book a cruise we generally know which ship and category. At that point we contact all of our TAs (usually on-line) and book with whoever gives us the best deal. In some cases, the price differences plus amenities amounts to thousands of dollars difference. For us, it is no different when we buy a car of make any other major purchase. We look for quality service (all the agencies on our short list are fine in that regard) and the best prices. I should add that we also check the price on the cruise line's own site (we have been on 11 cruise lines) but have yet to have any cruise line match some of the TAs.

 

Hank

 

This is similar to what I do, although we cruise much less than you. My online agency beat the other online agencies by a little and beat HAL's online price and HAL's telephone reservation line price by a lot.

[jcrandle]

I think that it is common knowledge (though common knowledge can often be wrong) that TAs that book a lot of business with a cruise line are given bennies to pass on to their customers. I have received bottles of wine (of two buck chuck quality) Pinnacle Grill dinners, on board credits at various times. The only way to determine what a TA is able or wiling to give on a particular cruise is to ask. However, the price and freebies are only a part of the equation. Anyone following Kween Karen's ordeal would understand that.

 

I love the following quote. There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey.

John Ruskin

[Sunshine91]

There's always been a bottle of wine waiting in the cabin for us. We used to have a fab agent but a few months prior to our Eurodam cruise last summer, we received a letter from her, saying she would still be with the agency, but working from home. It was kind of cryptic. We were reassigned to another agent who really just went thru the motions.

 

In addition to fantastic service, that fab agent also surprised us with Pinnacle dinner, photo credit, wine & I think there was something else. These would be in the cabin; we had no idea in advance of these bennies. And talking to her was like talking to a friend - she was also a cruiser.

 

We've got a new agent now, & her service is also top-notch. :)

[Putterdude]

I am inclined to believe that thier is no such thing as a freebie from TA, you are paying for it one way or the other. Yes we have had the wine, flowers and coupons but I think we have know reached an understanding with our TA, we want the sharpest price and the best service and we wil buy our own flowers, wine, etc.

[brucory]

I am inclined to believe that thier is no such thing as a freebie from TA, you are paying for it one way or the other. Yes we have had the wine, flowers and coupons but I think we have know reached an understanding with our TA, we want the sharpest price and the best service and we wil buy our own flowers, wine, etc.

 

Putterdude,

 

I'm with you on this one... You won't find giveaways with the very best deals, and a free bottle of undrinkable champagne isn't worth that much anyway. That said, OBC is of obvious worth.

 

We are fans of online travel agents. So long as savvy shoppers make sure their financial transactions are directly with their cruiseline, the problems raised by other cruisers should not happen... That is the message that should be repeated, over and over...

 

Happy cruising

 

:D:D:D

[pms4104]

In this age of discount cruise fares, do travel agents offer "freebies" any more? Specifically, if we book an Oceanview room at the discount fare you see about 90 days before sailing, can we ask for a dinner at the Pinnalce Grill (for 2), or are freebies only offered to Verandah and Suite customers nowadays?

Thanks....Bill

Once we received a wine/cheese/cracker gift basket, other times it was OBC. Always, it was an exceptional price and outstanding personal service that we got from our T/A.

 

Personally, I would not ask for anything ... other than "might there be a special promotion that applies to our booking?"

[innlady1]

On another note, our upcoming b2b is the first we've booked with a PCC. Anyone know if the HAL PCC's give onboard gifts like independent travel agents do?

[whogo]

We get a $100 onboard credit, a photo voucher, a bottle of champagne and a worthless coupon book (worth up to $350!) with our upcoming cruise. I do not know or care whether the freebies are from the online agency or the cruise line. You might want to shop around. It costs nothing but your time to check the prices and offerings of the online agencies.

 

I compared my agency with HAL and found that my online agency saved me 10.4% on the cruise portion of our trip, taxes and fees included. I assumed that the $100 onboard credit is worth $100 and that the photo voucher, champagne and coupon book were worthless. A local brick and mortar agency could not have offered me better service.

[patseacruiser]

HAL's PCC's will not give you OBC. Unless it is a cruiseline promotion you will only get OBC from a travel agent.

[oldengine]

My TA gave us a "free" discount coupon at the ship's gift shop. I got the feeling that the real freebies went to the inner circle of her customers.

[kakalina]

On another note, our upcoming b2b is the first we've booked with a PCC. Anyone know if the HAL PCC's give onboard gifts like independent travel agents do?

 

 

We have had the same PCC for 6 years. We always get something from him. Depending on the length of the cruise anything from OBC, VIP status, PG dinners up to two per cruise on the long ones, flowers, champagne, wine and I think that's it. Not all those things on one cruise but at least two or more of those items.

[Kween Karen]

Gee...maybe I can look forward to a little something after all!!! :o

I don't really care....I have my CRUISE!!!

[cruisequeen10]

My TA is my BIL and he just started the travel agency thing about 1 1/2 years ago. I get points for the Aeroplan, but he explained that this comes off the commission. So I can't ask for much, since he hasn't had much business except for me once a year and then him and my sister once a year.

[Frankie Sue]

Last year, a funny thing happened to us........ We cruised in Nov. just after the now infamous Cruise Agency with which we had booked the cruise, went belly up leaving cruisers stranded. We were lucky because I had notinced on our credit card statement that the final payment had gone to the Agency rather than the Cruiseline and I had placed several calls to the Agency to have payment forwarded to the cruiseland. We were very lucky that it got done and the cruise line got payment just before the Agency closed its doors..... We even got our documents in the mail a few days before the closure announcement.

 

Anyway, imagine my surprise when we boarded the ship and in our cabin, on the desk was this lovely envelope with a note saying that Cr....... Center was thanking us for our business and was happy to give us this "valuable" coupon book as a gesture of appreciation......... We still laugh about it actually.......

[luvcruisn']

 

I received a useful gift of a blue bag for shopping from this same agency. It's more useful than the HAL canvas bags as it has a zipper in it, as well as a pocket in the front, where I keep my documents when I am travelling. However, this was some years ago, before it was taken over by the people who ran the agency into the ground. On another cruise I also received one of the HAL bathrobes as a gift from my TA at this same agency. From another online agency I have received a photo voucher and chocolate-covered strawberries delivered to my cabin.

 

For my most recent cruise, HAL's price was the lowest. When booking this with a brick & mortar TA, he reduced HAL's price slightly to give us a slightly better price.

[Nasmas]

We used that same agency several times. The first time, we had champagne in the room, a coupon for lunch in the Pinnacle and a coupon for a free 5X7 pic. The next time, nada. I really impressed with them and always had good luck with them. I am very sorry they bellied up. Now we use HAL