What is the advantage of using a TA?

[sebthunda]

Hi all,

 

I apologise in advance if this has already been asked, but I am wondering what the advantages of using a TA to book a cruise is.

 

I have found one that I am quite interested in next year, contacted the TA that we used to book our last cruise (which we haven't yet sailed on - and I'm looking at booking the next one LOL), and they came back with pretty much the same pricing that was on the Carnival website. So no discount, no OBC - and the TA charge a booking service fee of $55pp

 

I had a quick look at a random cruise TA online, and they were advertising balcony fares FROM $3336pp for the cruise (through Carnival the price for both of us staying in a balcony room was $4060 TOTAL)

 

So I'm wondering what the disadvantages (if any) there are of booking direct with the Cruise line. I know that different TA's will have different offers available to them from the Cruise lines, but does this mean I will have to get a bajillion quotes in the hope of getting a cheaper price, or some onboard credit?

 

Am I missing something?

[rugbypopsie]

I cant understand the difference between the cruise t/a and the cruise line??

Such a huge disparity in price does not make sense.

 

With regard to t/a's as a cruise addict I do suscribe to all the newsletters so I am in touch with what is going on and also register for flash sales. I have always researched my own cruises and booked through a on line t/a..as you say often there is a little sweetener such as OBC or a meal in the special restaurants. If you cruise regularly it helps to establish a relationship with a t/a its in their interest to look after regular customers and some add a little bit of incentive in the way of extra discounts for repeat customers or reduced premiums for your travel insurance.

 

The only cautionary tale would be always use a cruise specialist most general t/a do not have a depth of information regarding cruising (luckily you have found cruise critic).

 

Sue

[The_Big_M]

So I'm wondering what the disadvantages (if any) there are of booking direct with the Cruise line.

 

Disadvantages? There aren't really any - the only one that comes up in rare situations is some travel agents may have extra pull in some emergency situation. OTOH, in other rare situations going through a TA is an extra layer of delay/cost, so it's one of those things that have a slight difference but you're unlikely to be able to say one is better than the other.

 

As for the opposite case, for advantages booking through a TA, sometimes they will offer extra (better pricing or OBC) as you're aware. As you've seen sometimes they cost the same or even more though and there's no one guaranteed/best one locally - not that they can be recommended here in any case.

[SpiritofCharles]

When I booked our cruise the online agent we used was cheaper than Carnival and was offering on board credit, which Carnival wasn't, so we booked with the online agent.

[rkmw]

When I booked our cruise the online agent we used was cheaper than Carnival and was offering on board credit, which Carnival wasn't, so we booked with the online agent.

 

that normally the case....the online TA will always beat the cruise line

[The_Big_M]

that normally the case....the online TA will always beat the cruise line

 

Often... but not always.

 

Some cruise lines restrict discounting below the cruise price, and others occasionally have line specials through the office.

[Sparky74]

We used a TA for our first couple of cruises but I found I was doing all the research (on-line) and knew exactly what I wanted to book. The TA gave me the same price as the cruise line, no OBC, no extras, nothing! So now I book direct with the cruise line.

 

With the ease of on-line booking (& not just for cruises) I think the days of traditional TAs are numbered. Unless they can offer better pricing or some additional service they're going to go the way of all flesh. Sad for those in that industry :( but the times they are a changin'

[Sandielle]

We have found online TAs specialising in cruising to be cheaper than the cruiseline everytime, even with our Past Passenger discounts. I have read in a few cases that the cruiseline has been cheaper, though. We tend to use the same one now, as we find it works to our advantage.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

We saw a cruise advertised by a TA once and when speaking to P&O on another cruise , asked if we could book direct with them. Of course we could , but they quoted the brochure price which way above the TA's price.

P&O would not budge and when we asked why , they said that was their policy , and they would rather sell 100 cruises to one agent , rather 1 cruise to 100 people.

 

In other words , in some cases they would prefer the TA's to deal with and look after the passengers and so offer them wholesale rates that they can on sell, thus freeing up their own staff to concentrate on making the cruise experience something really special.

 

 

[rkmw]

we do a dummy booking with the cruise lines and we find that the online TA will always beat the price that the cruise lines have and we normally get obc and some TA's dont charge you if you pay by credit card

[SpiritofCharles]

In other words , in some cases they would prefer the TA's to deal with and look after the passengers and so offer them wholesale rates that they can on sell, thus freeing up their own staff to concentrate on making the cruise experience something really special.

 

So presumably the cruise lines have decided that they are in the business of providing cruises rather than the business of booking holidays?

 

So who actually provides the OBC? Is it the cruise line or the TA? If it's the TA then ours was very generous since their starting price was cheaper than the cruise line, and then they gave us a discount off that price, and then the OBC as well!

[Kiwi Kruzer]

So presumably the cruise lines have decided that they are in the business of providing cruises rather than the business of booking holidays?

 

So who actually provides the OBC? Is it the cruise line or the TA? If it's the TA then ours was very generous since their starting price was cheaper than the cruise line, and then they gave us a discount off that price, and then the OBC as well!

 

 

I think you can sum it up by saying that

a travel agent would rather sell 2 people a cruise

rather than

a bus ticket from Sydney to Wagga Wagga.

 

[Australian family]

The situation we have just been through with our cruise been cancelled has made me wonder about how TAs operate. We are still awaiting our refund of our deposit, which was requested over 2 weeks ago. The TA told me that they have to wait for the refund, then wait for the cheque to clear, which could take 5 business days (which I highly doubt as everything as done electronically now, and cheques clear in 3 days). I was told by HAL if Ï had of booked through them we would have got it back very quickly.

 

Agents want the deposits in a big hurry, but when things go wrong, the clogs go slow.

[erewhon]

The situation we have just been through with our cruise been cancelled has made me wonder about how TAs operate. We are still awaiting our refund of our deposit, which was requested over 2 weeks ago. The TA told me that they have to wait for the refund, then wait for the cheque to clear, which could take 5 business days (which I highly doubt as everything as done electronically now, and cheques clear in 3 days). I was told by HAL if Ï had of booked through them we would have got it back very quickly.

 

Agents want the deposits in a big hurry, but when things go wrong, the clogs go slow.

 

Sorry to hear that you are still waiting for your refund.

[Australian family]

Sorry to hear that you are still waiting for your refund.

 

Thank you. They certainly don't like handing your money back, even though it was their decision.

[The_Big_M]

The situation we have just been through with our cruise been cancelled has made me wonder about how TAs operate. We are still awaiting our refund of our deposit, which was requested over 2 weeks ago. The TA told me that they have to wait for the refund, then wait for the cheque to clear, which could take 5 business days (which I highly doubt as everything as done electronically now, and cheques clear in 3 days). I was told by HAL if Ï had of booked through them we would have got it back very quickly.

 

Agents want the deposits in a big hurry, but when things go wrong, the clogs go slow.

 

Oh yeah, for sure.

 

I waited 7 weeks for a refund from my TA when P&O cancelled my cruise... same story. And I didn't get the credit card surcharge the agent charged back either! Technically understandable, but equally not 'doing the right thing' and not legal either.

 

Unless they are worried P&O will stiff them, or just don't have the cash flow (which would be a worry), it's not a very customer friendly move. Normally, agents keep the commission when the cruise line cancels though the passenger still gets the refund, so it's even less friendly to the customer. i.e. the only one disadvantaged by the whole shemozzle is the customer - the one paying!

[Australian family]

Oh yeah, for sure.

 

I waited 7 weeks for a refund from my TA when P&O cancelled my cruise... same story. And I didn't get the credit card surcharge the agent charged back either! Technically understandable, but equally not 'doing the right thing' and not legal either.

 

Unless they are worried P&O will stiff them, or just don't have the cash flow (which would be a worry), it's not a very customer friendly move. Normally, agents keep the commission when the cruise line cancels though the passenger still gets the refund, so it's even less friendly to the customer. i.e. the only one disadvantaged by the whole shemozzle is the customer - the one paying!

 

That is a terribly long wait you had when P&O cancelled your cruise. And even worse when they didn't give you the surcharge back.

 

So what you are saying is the agent will still get paid a commission? I guess the agent has done the work and the booking. Our TA sent me one email and was quoting $200 less than what we paid, our TA soon corrected that detail when I got back onto them. I will be making sure we get refunded the correct amount.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

So what you are saying is the agent will still get paid a commission?

 

Not only do they keep the commission , if you rebook , even for a discounted cruise, they get a second commission.

 

I used to feel a little embarrased about shopping around the TA's as I knew they would be checking with the cruise line and know that I was getting quotes from others. I now realise , that is what you have to do these days and have no qualms about letting a TA know if their price can be bettered elsewhere.

It makes the agents sit up and take notice and realise that we are expecting them to get the best possilbe price from the cruise lines, for our benifit, not theirs.

 

[rkmw]

i know we cant mention anything but on facebook you can name, shame and praise TA's.....nice thought if we could

[Australian family]

Not only do they keep the commission , if you rebook , even for a discounted cruise, they get a second commission.

 

I used to feel a little embarrased about shopping around the TA's as I knew they would be checking with the cruise line and know that I was getting quotes from others. I now realise , that is what you have to do these days and have no qualms about letting a TA know if their price can be bettered elsewhere.

It makes the agents sit up and take notice and realise that we are expecting them to get the best possilbe price from the cruise lines, for our benifit, not theirs.

 

 

I totally agree, why not shop around. It is much easier for agents to get prices now, as a lot of information is at their finger tips. The savings are better in your pocket then the agent/cruise line, which means more money to spend on your holiday.

 

I remember when we travelled to Thailand for our honeymoon, our TA had booked us on a early flight to Chaing Mai and we found out on the day we flew that we could have flown later that day. But back then we couldn't get air line schedules as the internet was in its early days.

 

With the internet now you can do so much research and then make some of your own arrangements, and use the TA for some of the booking. TAs wouldn't like it, but it is changing times.

[SpiritofCharles]

I didn't realise that cruise lines could or would cancel a cruise - what are the circumstances in which this might occur? Not enough bookings? And what would they do with the ship instead of it doing that cruise?

 

Also, when you pay your deposit, who holds it? Is it the TA or do they immediately pass it on to the cruise line?

[wilko1969]

I always book through a ta.I changed my ta for a change.I am still waiting for my receipts over 30 emails and over 30 calls still waiting.I will never change my TA again.Im still waiting .

The Ta I usually book through recepit emailed within 2 days.

SO u have to be careful of some ta and the sevice u get

[The_Big_M]

I didn't realise that cruise lines could or would cancel a cruise - what are the circumstances in which this might occur? Not enough bookings? And what would they do with the ship instead of it doing that cruise?

 

There are three main reasons:

1) Redeployment - if they really think one market is better than another they move ships around to another location. Doesn't happen often as it annoys many people already with bookings, but does happen. All bookings for that season (on+) for that ship are usually cancelled. Sometimes a replacement is made available but it's usually not exactly the same.

2) Maintenance issues - may be planned or unplanned. This includes damage/loss such as Costa Concordia, but at its simplest is when bookings are quiet so they cancel a single quieter cruise further away as a good time to put a ship in for service, with least impact.

3) Better offer. This happens when a group wants to charter the ship, and is willing to pay a fixed amount - more than the line would make from normal bookings (hence charter cruises will usually be more expensive...). This was what happened in my situation, hence I'm doubly sore from the situation. They gained from it, and in return treated me worse.

 

They'll never cancel a cruise for poor bookings alone. There are too many fixed costs that mean any alternative will cost them more than just having it sail with lower revenue. It will still sail close to full as they discount in various ways to get the passengers on.

 

Also, when you pay your deposit, who holds it? Is it the TA or do they immediately pass it on to the cruise line?

 

It depends on the TA and location. In Australia, if you go through a TA, the agent will take the funds and hold them until they give them to the cruise line when they send payments through e.g. monthly, so it's a two-step process.

[Daisy4235]

I have a fabulous TA I use. She knows exactly what I like (no party ships etc) and books everything, all my transfers, stopovers etc. Perhaps it costs me a little more (I never check) but it is worth the peace of mind. Note that my cruises are always overseas and involve much travelling just to get there. Some things are best left to the professionals.

[SpiritofCharles]

They'll never cancel a cruise for poor bookings alone. There are too many fixed costs that mean any alternative will cost them more than just having it sail with lower revenue. It will still sail close to full as they discount in various ways to get the passengers on.

 

Thanks, that's what I thought would be the case.