Choice Air when using a TA

[emilygrace]

Has anyone had any experience booking a cruise with a TA and using Choice Air? I am looking at a cruise for Oct. 2012, so I know air is not available at this time. If I book with my TA will I be able to contact Choice Air when flights are available or will I have to go through my TA for that?

 

Please do not lecture me about keeping the booking myself so I can control everything. My TA is one of my close friends and gives us wonderful service. Now that there is the 60 day rule for transferring a booking to a TA I am just curious about the Choice Air part, since flights won't be available until long after the 60 days is up. And for this particular cruise I think CA might have the best rates.

 

Thanks for any help.

[cruisenfever]

Has anyone had any experience booking a cruise with a TA and using Choice Air? I am looking at a cruise for Oct. 2012, so I know air is not available at this time. If I book with my TA will I be able to contact Choice Air when flights are available or will I have to go through my TA for that?

 

Please do not lecture me about keeping the booking myself so I can control everything. My TA is one of my close friends and gives us wonderful service. Now that there is the 60 day rule for transferring a booking to a TA I am just curious about the Choice Air part, since flights won't be available until long after the 60 days is up. And for this particular cruise I think CA might have the best rates.

 

Thanks for any help.

Yes, you can do ChoiceAir even though you are booked with a TA. Choice Air offers Quick Flight Search, but you have to wait until air is available for your particular time frame.

 

We use a wonderful TA, so you won't get any lectures from me.;)

[Cinbub]

We booked our cruise through a TA, but then booked Airfare through Choice Air online. We had no issues at all, you just need to enter your RCI booking number, and do the search. In our case, Choice Air was cheaper then purchasing directly though the airline, and then we also gained the security of knowing that if we missed a connection or flight delay, Choice Air would get us to the ship on time...Bonus!!

 

Good Luck,

[Clarea]

As Patti and Cinbub said, there's no problem using Choice Air if you are booked with a TA. Royal's system seems to integrate the travel agent pretty well. As soon as I booked with Choice Air, my TA got notified automatically, and sent me a new invoice with the additional costs for the air added. Later, when one of the flights changed, my TA was notified and then notified me. So far (haven't actually flown on Choice Air flights yet) I've been pleased with the booking process.

 

Also, I saw some verbage on the new TA transfer form regarding Choice Air. I don't recall the wording exactly, but it said something about not being able to transfer a booking to a TA if Choice Air was already on the booking, and there was some other condition, which I can't recall. So, there may be an issue with transferring a booking that has Choice Air. However, if the TA already has the booking, no problem adding Choice Air.

 

Bob

[Elizanessie]

Thank you Patti...and Bob..for your information on Choice Air....thanks to you both I booked Choice Air last week for my Navigator Transatlantic in November. :D

 

Your posts on the subject made it easy for me to understand the process etc and I was able to check out the flights available with the Quick Flight Search and then email my US TA and she booked the flight for me.:D

[cruisenfever]

Thank you Patti...and Bob..for your information on Choice Air....thanks to you both I booked Choice Air last week for my Navigator Transatlantic in November. :D

 

Your posts on the subject made it easy for me to understand the process etc and I was able to check out the flights available with the Quick Flight Search and then email my US TA and she booked the flight for me.:D

You are more than welcome. I learned from Bob.:p And I really like the Quick Flight Search feature that they added which I learned about from Bob also.

 

BTW, are you going to THE wedding on Friday?:D

[Elizanessie]

You are more than welcome. I learned from Bob.:p And I really like the Quick Flight Search feature that they added which I learned about from Bob also.

 

BTW, are you going to THE wedding on Friday?:D

 

My TA did have an issue though...because I had done my booking onboard Allure last year, the Choice Air system kept saying I had not paid the full deposit...thankfully my TA was able to explain to the person at Choice Air dept ..it was the full deposit..a few minutes later I had my confirmations emailed to me. :D

 

 

I hear there is going to be rain on Friday...so I will give it a miss ;):D

[cruisenfever]

My TA did have an issue though...because I had done my booking onboard Allure last year, the Choice Air system kept saying I had not paid the full deposit...thankfully my TA was able to explain to the person at Choice Air dept ..it was the full deposit..a few minutes later I had my confirmations emailed to me. :D

 

 

I hear there is going to be rain on Friday...so I will give it a miss ;):D

I wanted to also add that the only time one would have to get their TA involved when using Choice Air is if they were doing a consecutive cruise. If the bookings are linked, you can't use Choice Air until the bookings have been unlinked. Once flights have been booked, then bookings can be relinked again.

 

Oh my..........rain on Friday. Well, here in the US, they say if it rains on your Wedding Day, it's supposed to bring you good luck. And the Royal Family can use all the luck they can get.:)

[Vintage Hammer]

I wanted to also add that the only time one would have to get their TA involved when using Choice Air is if they were doing a consecutive cruise. If the bookings are linked, you can't use Choice Air until the bookings have been unlinked. Once flights have been booked, then bookings can be relinked again.

 

Just a follow-up Patti because I had this situation about a week ago. It is true that you cannot book Choice Air for consecutive cruises USING THE ONLINE BOOKING. You can however look for flights using the quicksearch and then call Choice Air Customer Service. The whole process took just over 15 minutes. I was very pleased with the way in which they handled it.

 

Tom

[cruisenfever]

Just a follow-up Patti because I had this situation about a week ago. It is true that you cannot book Choice Air for consecutive cruises USING THE ONLINE BOOKING. You can however look for flights using the quicksearch and then call Choice Air Customer Service. The whole process took just over 15 minutes. I was very pleased with the way in which they handled it.

 

Tom

Thanks Tom, since the Quick Search is relatively new, I should have added that. :o

[emilygrace]

Thank you so much for all your answers! It was a great help. I will probably book directly with my TA, so the transfer part will not be an issue. Good to know I can later go in and research the Choice Air on my own.

[tnt10]

Sorry got timed out before I could update my original post:

Boy, this thread is a real eye opener.

Contacted RCI and C&A about a month ago in regards to a cruise, and the subject of CA with a TA arose. I was told emphatically that CA could not be booked on a cruise held by a TA, either prior or after they took control of it. Was explained something about changing the fare basis or something. This was even detailed on the Q&A section of the RCI website.

Now I'm really confused.

I booked my cruise on July 4, 2010, prior to the 60 day TA transfer rule. Final payment is not due until August 12, 2011.

I booked my CA on February 25, 2011, after being told that I couldn't use a TA along with the CA.

Anyone think that it is worth going back to RCI and explaining that I purchased CA after being told by RCI that it was either one or the other? I would love to get the perks that my TA was offering, but the res now has the CA on it. Any thoughts, advice or suggestions?

Thanks,

TnT

[Clarea]

Sorry got timed out before I could update my original post:

Boy, this thread is a real eye opener.

Contacted RCI and C&A about a month ago in regards to a cruise, and the subject of CA with a TA arose. I was told emphatically that CA could not be booked on a cruise held by a TA, either prior or after they took control of it. Was explained something about changing the fare basis or something. This was even detailed on the Q&A section of the RCI website.

Now I'm really confused.

I booked my cruise on July 4, 2010, prior to the 60 day TA transfer rule. Final payment is not due until August 12, 2011.

I booked my CA on February 25, 2011, after being told that I couldn't use a TA along with the CA.

Anyone think that it is worth going back to RCI and explaining that I purchased CA after being told by RCI that it was either one or the other? I would love to get the perks that my TA was offering, but the res now has the CA on it. Any thoughts, advice or suggestions?

Thanks,

TnT

Here's a link to the TA transfer form: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/pdf/TA_TransferForm.pdf

 

Look at the small print at the bottom. It seems to indicate that you cannot transfer the booking to a TA if there is Choice Air AND there is a change of currency. So if your booking does not involve a change of currency, it would appear from this form that you can transfer the booking.

 

However, I'm unsure of exactly what they mean by "change of currency". Would this be someone who booked the cruise in Canadian dollars? Or could it be someone who booked in US dollars, but their Choice Air is on a foreign airline?

 

Maybe one of our knowledgeable travel agents on the board can elaborate?

 

Bob

[sg1phileshipper]

Here's a link to the TA transfer form: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/pdf/TA_TransferForm.pdf

 

Look at the small print at the bottom. It seems to indicate that you cannot transfer the booking to a TA if there is Choice Air AND there is a change of currency. So if your booking does not involve a change of currency, it would appear from this form that you can transfer the booking.

 

However, I'm unsure of exactly what they mean by "change of currency". Would this be someone who booked the cruise in Canadian dollars? Or could it be someone who booked in US dollars, but their Choice Air is on a foreign airline?

 

Maybe one of our knowledgeable travel agents on the board can elaborate?

 

Bob

 

I have booked with a TA and there is a change of currency (from USD to EURO). When I try to book with choice air, this is what I get

 

ChoiceAir is not available for direct guests, please contact your travel agent for air arrangements.

Have a nice day all

Cindy

 

 

[M&A]

We are leaving on our TA next week and we are spending the summer touring Europe and not coming back until September.

We did our own one way booking through Choice Air after looking at all the options using the on-line air sites and going to the airlines sites. To book with Choice Air, all I needed was the RCI reservation code. I didn't book the air through my TA, however I did receive the final confirmation for the cruise and the air from my TA. Choice Air must have forwarded the reservation to my TA.

We got a one way London Gatwick to Tampa non-stop on BA for $630. Going to the airline and the on-line air sites the fare quoted for the non stop was $1200.