Would you use a travel agent if you couldn't get any perks?

[CruiseLover15]

I only use a TA when I can get a perk. I know way more about RC than my TA does so if I can't get a perk then I will manage my own reservation. I have 2 cruises coming this year. One cruise is with the TA and the other is not. My TA can only give prepaid gratuities as a perk and nothing else. My December cruise did not meet her formula for paying gratuities so I kept that reservation. In case anyone is interested her formula is gratuities must be less than 10% of the cruise fare after any discounts (Diamond balcony discount). I think my December cruise only fell out of the formula by $6.

[mcatmcat]

I use a TA only if he pay for my gratuities and give me additional onboard credit.

[yarlenna]

I do use a TA even when the line doesn't allow perks. I have a TA who is honest and takes care of me. When things go right, anybody can take care - but when something is not right, your TA can be a life-saver,

[KathyPet]

I do all my research on line before I book. I have done several cruises and consider myself pretty knowlegable. I do use a T/A only because of the perks they give me. If those perks were reduced to say a value of $25.00 I would see no reason to book through a agent.

[KathyPet]

Reading Carnival's statement on the matter Carnival indicates that they are putting this policy into place because T/A's who do not offer rebates have asked them to. Evidently the T/A's who do not rebate are losing business to those who do offer things like OBC and pre-paid gratutities. THere must be a lot of people who book through T/A's who do not offer these types of incentives. Personally I would see no reason to use a T/A if no incentive was offered.

[FLACRUISER99]

We have always booked with a local TA that specializes in cruises and even without the little perks will continue to do so. If anything ever happened, she is there to run interference and be our advocate with the cruise line. If I booked direct and something went wrong, there is no one to negotiate for MY best interests. The perks aren't why we use a TA, it's the protection that's there if we ever need it.

So far 2 local Brick & mortar TA's that I have used have gone out of business. One was part of a department store chain in the local mall.

The other was a very friendly local Mom & Pop agency within walking distance of my home who disappeared with a lots of folks vacation money.:mad: So what protection would you have if this happened to you??:confused:

[Beachin2]

That policy change would be a real bummer. We cruise 2X/year in JS and usually get @8% OBC from our TA - that's a nice perk!

 

However, the only thing the TA really does is book the specific cabin on the specific trip that we want. We do the hotels, flights, etc.

[Beachin2]

So far 2 local Brick & mortar TA's that I have used have gone out of business. One was part of a department store chain in the local mall.

The other was a very friendly local Mom & Pop agency within walking distance of my home who disappeared with a lots of folks vacation money.:mad: So what protection would you have if this happened to you??:confused:

 

When selecting a TA make sure your deposit & payments are made to RCI - NOT to the TA's account.

 

If the TA goes bust - RCI has your $ not the TA.

[EV2008]

In the past we used a TA - last cruise I booked direct with RCCL because all he ever sent us was chocolate covered Strawberries :rolleyes: - so I decided to just go direct and will do that from now on, I can buy my own Strawberries and can make changes whenever I want with RCCL when the price drops - He kind of acted put out when I called him that my cruise price had dropped.

[Beth C]

I haven't used a TA for any of mine - mainly because of what everyone says... OCD control freak :D

 

If I did use a TA we would have lost out on about a $3k price drop (Canadian dollar went in the hole back in 2009 after I had Oasis booked in USD... then there was a price drop & it didn't reflect the horrid state of our $)

Original booking was $1650 USD = about $2200 CDN then dropped to $1429 USD and CDN :D ). This drop happened on the weekend and I was able to call up, cancel the USD cruise, rebook in CDN and put that $3k in my pocket. By Monday morning when I would have got in touch with a TA the CDN prices had crept up to reflect the sad state of our $$.

 

Similar happened on our Liberty B2B cruise - caught an early Sunday morning drop which I got one room in our group an upgrade from a E2 in a so so location to a prime location D1 AND save $60 overall. Again, the price was gone by Monday.

 

It would take a lot of bottles of wine, pre-paid grats and OBC to bring me back to square 1.

 

I just use my next cruise certificates, take my $100 OBC and reduced deposit and know *I* have snagged the best deal :)

[FLACRUISER99]

When selecting a TA make sure your deposit & payments are made to RCI - NOT to the TA's account.

 

If the TA goes bust - RCI has your $ not the TA.

I agree but it's still a hassle getting your booking transfered. I was fortunate that a did not have any bookings with the Mom & Pop. However I did have a booking with the department store chain and lucked out because I personally knew the manager and she pulled & somehow released my booking.

[wolfganghowell]

So what protection would you have if this happened to you??

 

Other than being really sad? I have complete protection. My payments have always been to the cruise line and I have documentation with my reservation number and proof on my credit card that I paid.

 

It's another sad example of how America is losing sight of the big picture. Small businesses like travel agencies are becoming extinct and once we allow them to disappear and only book with the giant corporations, we're once again allowing big business to get a monopoly. Our TA only does cruises and knows their business. As someone who owned her own business for 5 years before merging with another small business, I like the personal touch of working with someone I can have an ongoing relationship with - not some phone bank landlocked somewhere speaking to a "cruise specialist" who has probably never set foot on a ship. But that's just me! ;)

[Heidils]

After studying this thread I went to a big online TA to compare prices. After talking with RCCL and the online TA, had I had been within the 60 day booking time, I would have saved $175, and still been able to use my RCCL $200 savings certificate, all the while keeping the same cabin.

 

But, I would have to let the ressie go and start over to get it. RCCL has gone up where this company purchased a ton of rooms so have a lot more availibility. OH well.

[CruiseLover15]

I haven't used a TA for any of mine - mainly because of what everyone says... OCD control freak :D

 

If I did use a TA we would have lost out on about a $3k price drop (Canadian dollar went in the hole back in 2009 after I had Oasis booked in USD... then there was a price drop & it didn't reflect the horrid state of our $)

Original booking was $1650 USD = about $2200 CDN then dropped to $1429 USD and CDN :D ). This drop happened on the weekend and I was able to call up, cancel the USD cruise, rebook in CDN and put that $3k in my pocket. By Monday morning when I would have got in touch with a TA the CDN prices had crept up to reflect the sad state of our $$.

 

Similar happened on our Liberty B2B cruise - caught an early Sunday morning drop which I got one room in our group an upgrade from a E2 in a so so location to a prime location D1 AND save $60 overall. Again, the price was gone by Monday.

 

It would take a lot of bottles of wine, pre-paid grats and OBC to bring me back to square 1.

 

I just use my next cruise certificates, take my $100 OBC and reduced deposit and know *I* have snagged the best deal :)

 

I insisted my TA give me her cell number because of this. She really does nothing for me unless I want to change cabins. I book the cruise direct and then transfer it to her, so I don't feel bad asking for her cell number in case of price drops.

[Ocean Boy]

Reading Carnival's statement on the matter Carnival indicates that they are putting this policy into place because T/A's who do not offer rebates have asked them to. Evidently the T/A's who do not rebate are losing business to those who do offer things like OBC and pre-paid gratutities. THere must be a lot of people who book through T/A's who do not offer these types of incentives. Personally I would see no reason to use a T/A if no incentive was offered.

 

If that is the case then RCI is light years ahead of Carnival as RCI stopped allowing TA's to offer discounts and rebates years ago. That was when TAs started moving into the OBC, pre-paid gratuity, and specialty restaurant business. Of course, back then it was stated that RCI stopped allowing rebates and discounts because TAs that did not offer them were loosing business to those who did.

 

As for me, I won't be using a TA just to give them business. The travel industry is big business. The object for them is to try to get the most money out of us for the services offered and for me to try to get the most for the money I spend. They can compete for my business through what they offer me in the way of price or service. If it does not suit my needs I'll continue booking directly with the cruise lines. Considering the vacations that RCI has provided to my family and me I'd prefer that commission money stay with them rather than go to a TA who has done nothing other than spend five minutes making a reservation that I am more than capable of doing myself.

[Florida_cruisers]

No I would not use a TA if the perks were only $25. I'd rather have control over my own reservation otherwise. I always do my own research on what I want and after I book it and pay the deposit, I then transfer it to a TA if the OBC is really good.

[Ocean Boy]

Other than being really sad? I have complete protection. My payments have always been to the cruise line and I have documentation with my reservation number and proof on my credit card that I paid.

 

It's another sad example of how America is losing sight of the big picture. Small businesses like travel agencies are becoming extinct and once we allow them to disappear and only book with the giant corporations, we're once again allowing big business to get a monopoly. Our TA only does cruises and knows their business. As someone who owned her own business for 5 years before merging with another small business, I like the personal touch of working with someone I can have an ongoing relationship with - not some phone bank landlocked somewhere speaking to a "cruise specialist" who has probably never set foot on a ship. But that's just me! ;)

 

Fortunately, many of us have enough cruise experience and know where to get information that it doesn't really matter what landlocked town a "cruise specialist" that has never stepped foot on a ship might be sitting in.

[packedandready]

A couple of years ago our sea pass indicated that we were assigned late dining. We booked far in advance, requested and received MTD directly through RCCL (have never used a TA).

 

We went to the maitre'd as soon as boarding and he said that our TA must be at fault and for us to "take it up with them when we got home". I explained we didn't book with a TA, but directly with RCCL. I was pulling out our reservation paper (I carry EVERYTHING) and he quickly changed his tune and changed us to MTD.

 

I think he must have been looking for an easy way out.:rolleyes:

[KathyPet]

I booked a cruise on Explorer while on board Enchantment. Used a savings certificate and got the addl OBC credit. When I got home I checked the RCCL web site putting in that we were over 55. THe price came back almost $300.00 less for the same type cabin because of the senior discount. I know that the difference was a senior discount because I ran the cruise both ways with and without the indicator that we were over 55. When we booked while on board we sat face to face with the on board cruise consultant and it would have been very obvious that we were entitled to the over 55 discount and yet the consultant never asked and did not give us that additional discount. Once I discovered it was available I called RCCL directly and they adjusted the price for me to the lower amount. I then checked out some travel agencies and came up with one who would give me additional OBC and transferred my reservation to them to gain the addl OBC they offered.

[DonnaK]

We have always booked with a local TA that specializes in cruises and even without the little perks will continue to do so. If anything ever happened, she is there to run interference and be our advocate with the cruise line. If I booked direct and something went wrong, there is no one to negotiate for MY best interests. The perks aren't why we use a TA, it's the protection that's there if we ever need it.

 

This is a fantasy.

 

I've had major things go wrong TWICE, and there was no protection from the TA. They didn't run interference for me or negotiate for my best interests. In both cases, they said that nothing more could be done. I ended up handling both situations on my own, and achieved more than they were able to.

 

I've learned that I am my own best advocate and dealing direct is the best way to get the desired results. A TA cannot do anything better or more efficiently for me than I can do for myself.

[emilygrace]

We always book our cruises with a TA because she has been one of my best friends since high school (oh so many years ago) and even though we don't always get perks I really don't care. I would rather she get the commission than the cruise line keep it.

 

I don't really care about the perks (and they are a nice surprise when we get them) but I do care about customer service. I can always reach her, even if I have to leave a message and she gets back to me within an hour. If she is on an extended vacation she has someone take over her clients while she is gone. She isn't annoyed by numerous cabin changes or requests for price drops (not that those happen that often).

 

She saved us when we had a cruise booked, past final payment, no insurance purchased yet (I had been planning to buy it the next week) and we had to cancel because I needed surgery. The cruise line had every right to say "sorry, you're out of luck" but she went up the chain and was able to switch our booking to the same cruise the following month, when I would be able to travel again. We did have to pay the difference in price between the two cruises, which amounted to $4 total.

 

So I will continue to book with her regardless of any changes.

[bbbearden]

I only use a TA when I can get a perk. I know way more about RC than my TA does so if I can't get a perk then I will manage my own reservation. I have 2 cruises coming this year. One cruise is with the TA and the other is not. My TA can only give prepaid gratuities as a perk and nothing else. My December cruise did not meet her formula for paying gratuities so I kept that reservation. In case anyone is interested her formula is gratuities must be less than 10% of the cruise fare after any discounts (Diamond balcony discount). I think my December cruise only fell out of the formula by $6.

 

I have also ran into a lack of knowledge on the part of some of these "travel professionals". There are some that know their stuff, but there are many that I find myself agreeing when you say that I know much more than they do. Sadly, I have also found that when calling the cruise line direct, this can often be said for company personnel also. Many have never been on a cruise, or even have much in the way of travel expereince. This seems to hamper their effectiveness in meeting my needs. It has just gotten to easy to do my own research and bookings and not depend upon others to do it for me.

[bbbearden]

When selecting a TA make sure your deposit & payments are made to RCI - NOT to the TA's account.

 

If the TA goes bust - RCI has your $ not the TA.

 

Yep, seen that happen before to, what a nightmare. Again another reason why I book direct.

[bbbearden]

This is a fantasy.

 

I've had major things go wrong TWICE, and there was no protection from the TA. They didn't run interference for me or negotiate for my best interests. In both cases, they said that nothing more could be done. I ended up handling both situations on my own, and achieved more than they were able to.

 

I've learned that I am my own best advocate and dealing direct is the best way to get the desired results. A TA cannot do anything better or more efficiently for me than I can do for myself.

 

Well said, most cruises depart on weekends, and guess when most TA's are closed, yep, you guessed it, weekends:(. I had the same issue on my honeymoon years ago. We missed the plan to San Juan and missed the ship (we were able to board the next day in St. Thomas :)). Was the TA around to help, nope, had to handle it all ourselves. That was the one and only cruise we booked through a TA.

[avazah]

I don't use a travel agent as it is. I prefer to have control over my booking... So this doesn't really change much for me, but I totally get why others would be upset!

 

Also, how would Carnival even find out if the TA were to give a higher perk but in the form of a cash "rebate" type deal AFTER the cruise? Like a reimbursement for specialty dining?