Only certain cruises get OBC's?

[cforge]

I'm booked on the Aug 10th, 10 night PG cruise. Is this the only cruise that's not offering OBC's? I see no mention of them for this cruise and the ta I used also really didn't say much about them. I asked but she just said they weren't offered on this one. Did I miss something? Thanks

[maxwebr]

Yeah I asked about that too. I am also on the same Cruise! What my TA told me is that they offer OBC as an incentive to get bookings. If the cruise line is nearly fully booked, then they usually will not offer credits.

[cmalagngl]

We are also booked on this cruise. I booked directly with PG and they stated there were not any on board credits for this cruise.

[MightyQuinn]

It's true that PG offers OBC on certain sailings only, presumably to stimulate bookings. Get on their e-mail list so you'll be in the know. But some TAs, especially those who specialize in luxury cruising, offer OBC on ALL sailings of PG, whether the cruise line has such an offer or not. Best to check around before you book!

[FlightMedic555]

While PG may not offer a credit you can ask you travel agent for one. I saw an online ta offer a $200 credit and my ta was happy to match it.

[gailellen12]

I received a small OBC for this Aug 10 departure when I booked in February. It was part of a promotional package that was running. As suggested, I would check with your TA also. I do know this cruise is full at this point. See you in a few weeks. I am very excited. Gail :D

[cforge]

Thanks for the responses. I know it's too late to try and get my ta to come up with any OBC's. She actually balked at the idea of booking my flight to LA for me and reminded me on several occasions that she usually "charged" for this service. Oh well live and learn. Looking forward to meeting everyone on board in 5 weeks :)

[Familygoboston]

Thanks for the responses. I know it's too late to try and get my ta to come up with any OBC's. She actually balked at the idea of booking my flight to LA for me and reminded me on several occasions that she usually "charged" for this service. Oh well live and learn. Looking forward to meeting everyone on board in 5 weeks :)

 

Sorry to hijack this thread but...Gosh! It makes me crazy we can't recommend TAs. Do you know how much commission this TA is making?? For her not to cooperate with you is just sad! This is why so many TAs are going out of business. I agree if they are booking you on some rock bottom priced Carnival cruise, they may not have much room to play with, but for this trip, she should be saying, " what else can I do for you?"

Don't even get me started on my TA rant- we have had so many bad ones, and I have never been seeking the rock bottom price, playing them off of one another, I just want someone who will do more than " book what I sell". I can book what's for sale all by myself, I want value added from my TA. Help with complicated flight plans, advice ( and actually HAVE BEEN) to the destination, is it so hard to figure out how to save your job in the internet age? That's why I wish people here could say, oh we used so and so and they were excellent. Probably this will be removed! But that's my rant;)

[cforge]

Thanks familygoboston for the rant! It's exactly how I was feeling too. We booked so late and I have a feeling we were one of the last ones to get on this cruise since a week later it was sold out. I wished I had had more time to shop around (if that's what one would call it) for a decent TA. But at that point I just wanted to get the trip booked. Like I said, live and learn. I'll do things differently next time :)

[Familygoboston]

Thanks familygoboston for the rant! It's exactly how I was feeling too. We booked so late and I have a feeling we were one of the last ones to get on this cruise since a week later it was sold out. I wished I had had more time to shop around (if that's what one would call it) for a decent TA. But at that point I just wanted to get the trip booked. Like I said, live and learn. I'll do things differently next time :)

 

I think finding a good TA is partly magic, I finally found one when I had to go looking for someone who could help me with an Africa trip. I put the trip off for a whole year because I couldn't find the right one; one would hand me a brochure( Africa with 3 countries, 7 people and 3 teens requires more than a brochure!) another was a specialist and I told her no Zimbabwe and her itinerary, though customized, included 4 nights there ( are you listening?).

Finally I found a great agency because I was impressed by the advice given by the owner on Trip Advisor. Sure, charlitans and markerters can work there too, but I was lucky I found my match!

Like you, I hate to leave money on the table too, but in the big scheme of things it's probably only a couple of hundred bucks- and you'll be in FP soon :D

Have a great trip!