Dreamgirl1957

me too....would love to be an honorary scot:cool:....but I'm even further south...deep in the sticks of the west county, so, don’t thinks I will qualify….however, we have been known to accept honorary yokels......but only during glastonbury weekend;):)

 

Ooooooooh aaaaaaar, we are certainly yokels here in Lincolnshire.

Its the home of the tractor ( which incidentally my husband drives for a living ) ;);)

 

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Hi Dreamgirl1957

 

It depends on where you live - there are some places in the country where we accept "Honorary Scots";)

 

Strangely enough, although having cruised for almost 25 years, we keep coming back to Thomson, even with all their little niggles. Don't fancy the big ships that we've seen, nor some of the types who cruise on them after reading some of their forums.:eek: Have actually stopped and just stick to Thomson and Island Escape. Sad or what?:eek:

 

Will just look forward to what we have booked. Just a shame the first one is not until June. Normally we toddle off in April but nothing jumped out so - hey ho patience is a wonderful thing.

 

 

Hi again ;) , im a Lincolnshire yellow belly so a bit too far south to be honorary Scott, what a shame :(

 

Your not sad at all. We love Thomson too, they just have such a good all round product, and although we have tried the big new ships we prefer the smaller "proper"ship's .

We can only afford one a year but know we are lucky to have such fab holidays.

 

Not tried the Escape yet, it's such a good price I wish it did east med as thats what we fancy next year, will def try it in the future though :)

 

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Ha I had trouble guessing that too... Good game though. If you google cruises from Scotland it's the third or fourth link down the page which fits the description :p

 

:):):):):)

 

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Hi Dreamgirl1957

 

You didn't offend me.:) Sorry if I came across like that. I was trying to keep my story concise without rambling on. I was really surprised at the response I got re no discount as had never had problems from other TAs. The figure they gave me was as if they had added the discount on instead of taking it off.:eek:

 

I wasn't having a go at you personally about price, it is just that there are people on various forums who want to know exactly what "Joe Bloggs" paid down to the last halfpenny and at times that just gets me. My thought is always what does it matter? Everybody has their own budget and what "extras/freebies" they can get, me - I just want a decent price for me with no add-ons (don't think they are worth it - nothing is for free). Maybe it's the canny Scot in me.

 

I usually just go with the internet price after watching for a period of time (that's what I meant by back and forth) before phoning to book. Can't be bothered with the TAs we have in our area because over the years I have become more and more disillusioned with the information and rubbish they spout. Hence doing my homework down to the last full stop before booking.

 

We have three cruises booked for the next 15 months and all prices were acceptable after my figures matched my booker before being given their discount, that's why I haven't checked to see if they have gone up or down.:D

 

Hope this clarifies the situation a wee bit better.:)

 

Hi again!

Ah yes of course I see what you mean now .

 

Even having worked as a travel agent I have to agree with you to some degree as lots really do know very little about cruises at all but especially Thomson's. Some are great though it's just finding them that's the problem.

They are handy to get extra disc on top of the web disc though on Thomsons ( also Rci, Fred O, Msc, Celebrity etc ) as they can usually beat the web price by a bit as I said before and some beat it by more than others as they are all on diff commision structurs from Thomson, daft as it sounds its often not a Thomson shop that can do the best deal and also the co-op give disc and " divvy" points on top of the discount which are usually worth £50 plus on a cruise booking ......

 

The ones you will not be able to get discount on since the rules changed approx two years ago are P&O, Princess and Cunard as all agents only now earn five percent commission on them so just can't discount and also it's not really allowed.

 

Like you say as long as your happy that's the main thing and I'm just like you I like a good deal, perhaps I should be Scottish! :):)

 

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Hi Dreamgirl1957

 

Sorry to say, I may be getting on in years, but have been holidaying and cruising for a long time and I certainly did not misunderstand. They definitely did refuse to give me a discount on our second time of booking.

 

When using TAs in the past, because holidays were allocated and not open for change, I had to know exactly what we wanted/when/where and price with no deviations or extras.

 

The first time we used them we were extremely pleased with their price as it was not a normal booking but a one-off holiday and felt we would like the security of a TA. A couple of years later the chance of another one-off holiday came up and we contacted them again. I had done my homework beforehand and, as usual, knew roughly what the figure would be before any discount.

 

The price they offered was way way over the top and when I queried it and asked what their discount was (for comparison against my figures) I was told they did not give discount to repeat customers. Yes, I was gobsmacked as I had never come across this practice in the past with other TAs. We declined their offer, which, we thought was extortionate and decided not to take the holiday with another TA but just remember the first one we had done as our memories were too good to be repeated and compared.

 

As I said previously, I normally book my own after doing my homework so know what to expect.:)

 

ps: Just seen your second post. I book holidays on the itinerary and price that suits us and do not deviate. Nor do I keep going back and forth to see whether it has gone up or down. Neither do I discuss what I paid as I was brought up not to discuss money as it was rude. Don't take offence - it's just the generation I was raised in.:)

 

 

Hi, sorry didn't mean to upset you :eek:

 

Just all seems odd as they were most definite that they would never say that under normal circumstances and they have already asked about my next booking and offered same amount of discount etc to try and get me back .

 

I wouldn't ask you what you had paid for your holiday so dont really understand that comment and I meant I shopped around after pricing the holiday on the net before buying at the best price, not quite sure what you meant about going back and forth to see if price had gone up and down as I got several quotes on the day I priced it and then just booked the same day with the company who gave the best discount.

 

Perhaps my background in the travel business makes me search that bit harder as I know a bit more inside info :D

 

You didn't offend me at all don't worry I just like a bit of friendly debate and I hope I didn't offend you as would hate to think that .

 

 

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arr...moi thinks I got it (thumbup) thanks for the 'heads up' dreamgirl will give em a call:cool:

 

i like the 'sound that a sheep makes' & 'teacher in charge'........the bleating principles....sounds like TA;):D:D

 

Haha, spot on ;);)

 

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Hi skioncruises, sorry but they def do!

 

You must have misunderstood them I think.

 

Had seen that on here before ( possibly your post , saying they won't give discount on repeat business ) I thought it very odd and I even questioned it with them, they were very shocked anyone there would ever gave told you that .

 

They confirmed they definitely give discount on each new booking you do with them, it would be daft not to if you don't mind me saying, why would anyone turn away business? ??

 

Was it a holiday you amended where you expected discount again? If that was the case and they had discounted when originally booked then they could not discount again when a change was made.

 

Would not want anyone to miss out on getting a good deal by not ringing them for a second booking. :(

 

As an agent you strive for repeat business and you look after repeat customers.

 

They do discount on each and every booking although of course you may need to ask for the discount, no one usually offers it, not the full amount anyway . I got a very good discount from them and they have promised the same next time! !! :):)

 

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Hi again skioncruses,

 

Sorry forgot to say in addition you said you do not need the services of a ta as you know more than them..........

 

Fair enough but I got a further £95 off the internet price by using B..... d

 

I priced on the net, ( Thomson site, ) shopped round several agents, they offered best disc after i had pushed fir a little more. Also got few other additional benefits.

 

As an ex ta I def know I got it cheapest I could have. Just by booking on the net you are not getting the best deal . The agents have an amount to play with to either match the net or beat it . ( Of course they can only go so far, still need a profit to survive! !)

 

All agents earn diff amounts of commission from Thomson depending on the deal they have with them.

 

You have to find the agent with more to play with for the best deal, doesnt matter if you feel you know more than them, you poss do.

When you look at all the different destinations around the world, different cruise comps they can't know everything and I agree most are not the best when it comes to Thomson cruises but they often offer other perks too .

 

 

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They don't give discount after your first booking.:( Needless to say we said "Baaaah" and took our custom elsewhere. We have found in recent years we don't need the "services" of a ta as we seem to know more than they do and reading some of the things that people on here have been told by them makes me shudder.:eek::)

 

 

Hi skioncruises, sorry but they def do!

 

You must have misunderstood them I think.

 

Had seen that on here before ( possibly your post , saying they won't give discount on repeat business ) I thought it very odd and I even questioned it with them, they were very shocked anyone there would ever have told you that .

 

They confirmed they definitely give discount on each new booking you do with them, it would be daft not to if you don't mind me saying, why would anyone turn away business? ??

 

Was it a holiday you amended where you expected discount again? If that was the case and they had discounted when originally booked then they could not discount again when a change was made.

 

Would not want anyone to miss out on getting a good deal by not ringing them for a second booking. :(

 

As an agent you strive for repeat business and you look after repeat customers.

 

They do discount on each and every booking although of course you may need to ask for the discount, no one usually offers it, not the full amount anyway . I got a very good discount from them and they have promised the same next time! !! :):)

 

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Ha ha, no still not got it lol!!! I used to be a Travel Agent, too - used to work for Lunn Poly then went to work for a smaller agent in the West Country that got bought out by First Choice eventually! Glad I am not in the business anymore (apart from the educationals which were good ;)). It all got too competitive & very sales orientated for me - I'm not a "pushy" enough person & used to hate selling lol!!!!!

 

Ah brilliant Jules we've got something in common! Where I worked it was a First Choice /Thomson franchise. Really enjoyed it actually worked there on three diff occasions over the years. Left and tried other things but got lured back each time after a couple if years as I really loved it and I'm afraid I did like the selling lol, got to say I was a smidge competitive! !! :D

 

Always put the customers interest first though unlike some of our competition, we only had a small branch but huge customer retention and the other girls were all great too. I was cruise mad and during my last two years was the official cruise expert of the branch lol, even had a special badge, hilarious, but I was so into it ! P&O were my favourites to sell :cool:

 

Although we were owned mostly by Thomsons towards the end the Thomson cruise training in branch is almost non exsistant . It's just on line with a film to watch and it teaches you nothing really . Until I'd done one I was selling them in the dark really like the others, in fact when people on here say they've booked in store to get help and advise I cringe, :eek::eek: very few ta's have a clue about Thomson cruise's and only know the real basics I'm afraid :(

 

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Did they not go through a breakdown of costs with you before you booked it??? You don't have to have seats together on the flight, that IS an 'add-on' Surely when you booked it with them, you must have been happy with the price before you committed yourself??

 

How right you are Jules, you have to check before they complete the booking.

 

When I was ta we were targeted to see how many extras we could sell. Seats together, insurance, extra luggage ....you know the score .

Then there's airport parking and hotels, currency order etc etc....

As the agents earn less than they used to they need to sell these to keep going really so if you dont want them just say no, like you said you should check before you sign :rolleyes::rolleyes:

Having said all that most ta's do a fab job and look after their customers it's just they still have to make a bit to stay open :):)

Did you work out my clue.......;)

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Dreamgirl....you really are a treasure....many many thanks from me for highlightingthese great tips (thumbup)

 

I'm still in deliberations over christmas 2013

 

so

 

bin on the phone today (most of the afternoon) and you are spot on (have so far bin offered all sorts of little perks and extras):)

 

still deliberating tho.... so far, I have got it down to between thoms & p&o for caribbean

 

btw...a travel agent in scotland?? things you find in a pub?? smoking ban/mates/glasses/log fire?? giss another clue please??

 

Hi geo, think of where you get served in a pub then add what's on your neck ( above neck has ears, noise etc ....) when you work it out ring and ask for Pamela in longhaul dept she promised me she would do a good disc for other cruisers, she didn't book mine but did an amendment she's very helpful.

With p&o no one can disc as they now only pay all agents 5% commission now so they just can't afford to knock any thing off. Best to book with a p&o specialist and if you book a vantage fare then you may get some money back as obc or a nice cabin upgrade if price goes down after you book, also get free parking at airport if caribbean and /or some obc when booking.

If Ventura or Azura then deck C cabins are brilliant as not most expensive but they have really big balconies :):):)

 

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Depends on your TA - I got AI for free and pre-booked cabin for free from my TA

 

 

Your right highlandlassie it does.

I am an ex TA , worked in a Thomson /First choice franchise but each agent will have their own rules and believe me it can change from day to day.

Sometimes we were told we could discount up to a certain percentage then the next week it would change.

Each different firm either high street or on the net will have a certain % they earn on each Thomson booking. This really varies from one TA comp to another as each firm will have struck a separate deal with Thomson each year so thats why some can offer more discount its not that they are more helpful :rolleyes:

Don’t think that the Thomson shops will always be the best to beat the Thompsons net site, sometimes you will get better elsewhere.

Just rem to always compare exactly like for like, same date and ship (of course) but also either all inc or not , check if extra baggage inc or not on each quote.

All sounds very straightforward but each TA will want your business , they sometimes will tell you “they" have included something free that is perhaps a deal they have been told they can offer (some large chains get special promotions they can offer) which costs them nothing so you may still have been able to get more discount. Often things like all inc and OBC are included if you book on that date anyway (usually early bookings) which most will know but new cruiers wont so will think the TA has been really good to them, not often the case im afraid. Some TA's are very good, will give you free all inc when it is not included, they will do this instead of a discount as all swings and roundabouts etc. Make sure you know what is actually included free by Thomsons on the date you are being quoted on, you then know what you are dealing with , if your new you can easily think you have been given a far better deal than you have !

It’s nice to always deal with the same TA and I for one would always go out of my way for my regular customers but beware, lots of people who have checked in the past stop checking as they just presume their friendly TA will “look after" them , this isn’t always the case I’m afraid :(

I got my last cruise from a firm in Scotland, think of something in a pub …that’s in the title , as I know you can’t advertise on here ;)

I got it £100 cheaper than the Thomsons net price, believe me I shopped around and they were best but I had to push for it.

Of course any TA can only go so far, it still annoys me when people expect nearly all of the shops commission off their booking, how do they pay rent and staff when they give all their profit away??

All about striking a happy medium.

One firm people often quote on here with “deals" in their title is actually only Thomsons anyway, you will ring and usually just get one of the shops, they are owned by Thomson so they may vary in price but this is only as each shop will vary anyway if that makes sense.

E.G , even if you ring four diff Thomson’s shops will depend on the person you speak to, how low they are allowed to go, each shop will have different rules and at end of day usually up to each shop manager and also the experience of the person you are talking to etc as new staff will not have the authority to discount in most cases.

As a rule of thumb like most have said on here, check on net, print it off then first ring three or four of the big well known net firms, get a price exactly like for like, then same day ( or else is not a direct comparison) go into town and go into as many TA’s as you can ( I usually phone them as easier though) I am quite direct, I explain im shopping round, I don’t get drawn into the sit down and relax let’s see what we can do for you if I’m face to face , all takes too long , I just leave a copy of what I want and say I will give them half an hour and call back for their best price, its every TA’s dream to get you sat down and comfy, not many move on….kerching !!! :D

Get all the quotes, pick the cheapest, ring or go back, ask for a little more off to book there and then and ask for half price on the airport parking too (before you agree to book not half way through !) , you should get that too but if they really cant will mean they have given you all they can , its easy to tell , i think so anyway ;) and that should be a good deal! :D

I am so glad i found you giys,

 

We have normally cruised on the more know cruise lines such as NOrwegian, Princess, Royal Carib Celebrity, but I have to say one one my fav. was our Nile River cruise, anyhoo, babbling, have just found this one, and I must say kinda like the sound of it. Looking for a May cruise. Just got back from 9 day caribbean out of New York, which was great for us, took the kids and girlfriends for their chritmas present. But one can only do the carrib so many times. Do'nt mean to sound snobby (x4) for us. We live in Inuvik, NT Canada Ice road truckers territory, so it cost us an arm and leg to Calgary let alone a departure port. We look at $5000.00 for airfare before the cruise cost, so this looks good to us.

 

Hi agatha, hope you have a fab time if you book, let us know :):)

 

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[quote name='seamist']Hey all. Been lurking for awhile and decided to post my bargains I found at dress barn. (All 3 for less than $80) I bought these for an upcoming 21 day cruise in March, and have been very excited to go shopping this time around. Over the past year and a half I managed to take off 130 lbs and for the first time in 20 years I'm back in a size 10 - whoo hoo!

I thought I would stick with cocktail dresses as these I may be able to wear again when not on a cruise ship. Now to figure out what jewelry and shoes to wear![/QUOTE]

Wow, I really like these dresses . Fantastic shape all three of them. :)

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WOW! I love this on you! I remember when you were bidding on it and won it! You look amazing!!

 

Hi fyree, you look fantastic, so wish I had your figure !! :D

 

Dress is really lovely :):):)

 

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I have the perfect bracelet and some diamond hoops I can wear. Black peep-toes and I'm good. :)

 

Sounds spot on :):)

 

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My dress arrived and I tried it on. What jewelry should I wear? Silver chain? Diamond earrings? A mixture of the two?

 

I'd just wear some really nice earnings and a bracelet, no necklace . The dress is stunning and too much jewellery will spoil it :)

 

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Well, I hope they are ok because we are going on two back to back October 2013 (Empress). Could not touch the price for inside. Big draw has to be the inclusion of alcohol in the price. With simple beer and wine now going for about $7.00, it has taken a lot of fun out of cruising for us. We don't drink that much, but good grief that is way off the pirate's code.

 

Hi randalltx, I've got to say I've only seen good comments,about them, only drawback is that Spanish is the main language aboard but as you can request the daily news sheet in English for your cabin and menu's in dining room I can't see the problem with that. Should just add to the holiday atmosphere :cool::cool:

 

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I think buying your mixers in port and taking them into the bar with you to add to drinks will be frowned upon. Would you do it in your local pub, no, because they would show you the door. Same applies to ships. OK, you can get away with it on deck but if i ran the bars i would seriously be not impressed.

 

Don't kill the golden goose or we might end up like american lines where you can't bring alchohol aboard. I bet the corporate bean counters have already thought about that scam.

 

I agree Dave ( I didn't mean I would bring my own cans in, I meant I would buy at the bar to go with my all inc spirit) :)

This year on a RCI ship it was hilarious the lengths quite a few went to to smuggle on drink and also to bring it into the bar at night. One couple who we're a real laugh would dance to the music while tipping some gin into a bought mixer from a hip flask very carefully hidden in a very uncomfortable place , we we're in hysterics :eek:Some got caught , I couldn't be bothered with the hassle ;)

 

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Seems to be quite a few changes to the All inc, some seem quite daft and not properly thought out , to have to pay a supp for Tia Maria but not if it's in a black Russian ? You could just say I'll have a black Russian but only the Tia Maria bit !! Regarding the cans , I too feel sorry for those with teenagers who pay for all inc when in the past they have been able to get tins but now cant. Also I like the majority like a can as a mixer . Last year I sent most of my Bacardi and cokes back as coke was flat .

However on most all inc in hotels its only by the glass or you pay extra and the choice is limited so perhaps it's just been too good in the past ???

We've got it free next year so can't really complain but then in a way we will have paid for it. When the prices come down a bit they charge for all inc so that says it all, it's never really free so you should get vfm whatever.

I'm quite happy as there's plenty of choice for us and I don't mind buying a few cans for mixers as we won't have a whopping bar bill but hope everyone else gets their answers.

I think if geomagot gets back and things are like it seems and it is upsetting so many then possibly a letter from all worried parties to FE may be an idea ??

Possibly whoever has re done these menu's and decided where there needs to be supps has not looked at it properly.

Other issues we've raised have been taken seriously. The question about leg room on mid haul flights to sharm has done wonders, seats being removed etc now.

 

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Hi Sparklymoet , i'm very interested to hear from people on the forum about Pullmantur too, we are already sorted for 2013 with Thomson but looking at them for the future. They seem to get good reviews and are so cheap with the right deal so worth a try i think, i know they are owned by Royal Caribbean now so thats good with mostly french and spanish on board with a few brits. You can ask for menu's in English and daily newsheet also in English etc etc, apparently all good as far as i know so far, hope this helps, Vicki :):)

Problem I have is a 14 year old for which we are also going to be charged the full AI rate! At a charge of £995 for AI on my booking I do not accept it as fair for under 18s to be denied a can of coke :mad:

 

I am by no means a brand shopper but there are some non brand colas and fizzy drinks are just vile. I know from experience that the bottled colas used behind the bar are more often than not non brand but if your really lucky you might get Pepsi. Not good enough for that sort of money!

 

Like I said earlier if I had free or cheap AI I would have a cheek to complain but at 95p on top of AI price for a can of juice that is daylight robbery :eek:

 

I think you have a very valid point whistlerbc , I would be steaming in your position, no one wants to feel ripped off and let's face it you will not be getting value for money for your 14yr old :(

 

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If my name was Fred I would be reasonably confident of attracting a few new customers from one of my rivals next year. ;)

 

....yes either free all inc or just £5 pp per day with shhhhh you know who ;););)

 

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Aww thanks you Dreamgirl

 

I'll be back armed with menues and pics and...some of my...observations;)

 

have a lovely Christmas....enjoy the snow:cool:

 

Ha ha Geomagot, its the observations in your usual style that i'm most looking forward to !! ;);)

Hi Geomagot and other half !! ;)

Just wanted to say have a fab fab cruise on the Dream and really cant wait for your report when you get back, will be the highlight of my New Year ! :D:D