Another perspective on travel agents

[Bridge Maven]

A number of people have posted that if Celebrity followed suit with Carnival's new policy they would no longer use a travel agent because they use them to save money.

 

As I have mentioned before, I stopped using travel agents years ago, but would use one again if I could find one that would do the following:

 

Meet with people planning to take a family reunion vacation and then discuss various options

 

Meet with people who are planning to take a multifaceted vacation and advise them on best places to stay in various parts of the world

 

Meet with people planning to take a river cruise and give suggestions for pre and post land portions of the trip

 

Years ago it was very easy to find a travel agent like this. When I took my first trip to Europe in the early seventies, my travel agent suggested and booked beautiful hotels in Vienna, Paris, Rome, Copenhagen, and London for us. All I did was tell her I would like to spend a month in Europe but only go to four or five places.

 

So, I would prefer to see less discount travel agents and more full service ones, who are very knowledgeable about world wide travel.

[Denny01]

Agree with you Maven. Although for straight cruising, I've used direct and on-line TA's with nice discounts, I have a local friend who opend her TA business, and will use her for reasons you just listed.

 

If the Carnival approach is implemented by Celebrity, I'll be doing my own unless it gets tricky, then I'd use her...no more on-line TAs since it would be a waste for me.

 

A very good idea about family cruises....we joined a friend's family cruise and the family member who set it up got very overwhelmed and it got very difficult for her. People start using her as if she was a professional and it got ugly.

 

Always nice to have some other person to blame for any shortfalls that isn't related or standing there with you!

 

Den

[Orator]

A number of people have posted that if Celebrity followed suit with Carnival's new policy they would no longer use a travel agent because they use them to save money.

 

As I have mentioned before, I stopped using travel agents years ago, but would use one again if I could find one that would do the following:

 

Meet with people planning to take a family reunion vacation and then discuss various options

 

Meet with people who are planning to take a multifaceted vacation and advise them on best places to stay in various parts of the world

 

Meet with people planning to take a river cruise and coordinate it with pre and post land portions of the trip

 

Years ago it was very easy to find a travel agent like this. When I took my first trip to Europe in the early seventies, my travel agent suggested and booked beautiful hotels in Vienna, Paris, Rome, Copenhagen, and London for us. All I did was tell her I would like to spend a month in Europe but only go to four or five places.

 

So, I would prefer to see less discount travel agents and more full service ones, who are very knowledgeable about world wide travel.

 

We all have different "needs" and "wants". My DW does all the planning. She wants to select the ship, select any places to stay and select what she would like to see. I may give some input and do some internet searches, but I basically just write the checks. For us, an agent that gives the best deal is important. I do prefer a 24/7 agency where I can make changes any time. I certainly don't want to pay more for "personal service". That's just DW and I, just may not fit the bill for others. The new Carnival policy is a negative for me.

[celebritydave]

When I do use a travel agent, I have a brick and mortar agency that I have been dealing with for years. They do provide a service other than just booking. All of their agents have traveled and can offer advice on places to stay.

 

The owner even loaned us one of her photo albums to take home and help us in our planning.

 

They are not always competitive on price, but when they are, I always book with them. I used them for my Silhouette TA in Dedember.

 

Dave

[Orator]

Just a thought:

 

I know many of the frequent cruisers and they all appear to use an online agency. My guess is that that would be the norm for people who take multiple cruises per year. They know the ships and the places visited. They've experienced pre and post stays. The opposite may be true for those who cruise less frequently. They may need more advice and personal service and look for an agency that will provide that. There is perhaps a third group: People who are frequent travelers, but prefer that others do the planning and booking.

Celebritydave:

Look forward to meeting you on SIL TA.

[SusieV]

I wouldn't call us frequent vacationers (once or twice a year) but I really enjoy planning travel and prefer to do all the legwork myself.

 

We use an online TA to get the best net price. I would be very unhappy if the incentives were removed and since we travel based on budget, we would probably spend less onboard.

[maxsales]

A number of people have posted that if Celebrity followed suit with Carnival's new policy they would no longer use a travel agent because they use them to save money.

 

As I have mentioned before, I stopped using travel agents years ago, but would use one again if I could find one that would do the following:

 

Meet with people planning to take a family reunion vacation and then discuss various options

 

Meet with people who are planning to take a multifaceted vacation and advise them on best places to stay in various parts of the world

 

Meet with people planning to take a river cruise and give suggestions for pre and post land portions of the trip

 

Years ago it was very easy to find a travel agent like this. When I took my first trip to Europe in the early seventies, my travel agent suggested and booked beautiful hotels in Vienna, Paris, Rome, Copenhagen, and London for us. All I did was tell her I would like to spend a month in Europe but only go to four or five places.

 

So, I would prefer to see less discount travel agents and more full service ones, who are very knowledgeable about world wide travel.

 

Please read the post immediately following your original post and that will explain why there are less full service travel agents! Everyone is looking for a perk rather then good service. Most agencies can't or won't provide both.

[maxsales]

Agree with you Maven. Although for straight cruising, I've used direct and on-line TA's with nice discounts, I have a local friend who opend her TA business, and will use her for reasons you just listed.

 

If the Carnival approach is implemented by Celebrity, I'll be doing my own unless it gets tricky, then I'd use her...no more on-line TAs since it would be a waste for me.

 

A very good idea about family cruises....we joined a friend's family cruise and the family member who set it up got very overwhelmed and it got very difficult for her. People start using her as if she was a professional and it got ugly.

 

Always nice to have some other person to blame for any shortfalls that isn't related or standing there with you!

 

Den

 

 

Just out of curiosity why wouln't you continue to use your local travel agent? She pays taxes, and supports other businesses in your community. It does not cost you anything to use her swervices and possibly you will get better service. :)

[CI66774]

Maxsales - I don't necessarily agree it's an "either/or" proposition. I used to use "full-serive" TAs years ago thru American Express. The experiences were less than "full-service" and I stopped using them. Then I came across a very large online agency affiliated with a discount warehouse seller. I've booked three cruises thru them. Not only do they provide great service, I get great perks. You can have both.

[CI66774]

Also Maxsales - why not use a TA? Although you didn't ask me the question, I'll answer it anyway.:D Because sometimes people like to retain control over their booking. They don't want to deal with an intermediary or have had bad experiences in the past. There are many reasons why people don't use TAs. Just because they "pay taxes," etc. is not a compelling reason to use them. Unless, of course, they give me enough perks that makes it worth my while.

[CoachT]

Please read the post immediately following your original post and that will explain why there are less full service travel agents! Everyone is looking for a perk rather then good service. Most agencies can't or won't provide both.

Most people on cruise critic are not willing to pay for good service. There is however many who do.

 

It would seem many posters want the highest OBC and then want to change their stateroom several times and then if they find a price drop, expect the OBC to remain the same and get bent out of shape when their OBC drops.

[Can'tstopcruising]

Just out of curiosity why wouln't you continue to use your local travel agent? She pays taxes, and supports other businesses in your community. It does not cost you anything to use her swervices and possibly you will get better service. :)

 

Although I do not consider myself a "control-freak", I do like to have control over my bookings. So I do it myself.

 

Susie V. I will no longer book in US funds because I have been burnt. It's fine if all goes well, but if for any reason you need to cancel, you lose on the exchange rate, even with fluctuation in our favour, by the time the fees are deducted, we lose.

 

WE were unfortunately on a cancelled cruise (Century, Med, Oct/2010. On our own we found other accommodations. (All the hotels were booked because of a large convention and we booked an apartment that I had found on line) My friend who used a TA ended up on a tour in which she really had no interest (had done it before). Another friend who used the same TA ended up booking her own flight home. The best off was my brother. He had a blackberry (or similar) and quickly was able to rearrange his schedule and then go off sight-seeing while we all struggled to make alternate plans.

[Orator]

Most people on cruise critic are not willing to pay for good service. There is however many who do.

 

It would seem many posters want the highest OBC and then want to change their stateroom several times and then if they find a price drop, expect the OBC to remain the same and get bent out of shape when their OBC drops.

 

Might be overstating your case just a bit. I think most experienced cruisers on Cruise Critic recognize that the amount of any OBC or other perks is based on the price paid for the cruise excluding port charges and taxes. If the agent receives a higher commission they can give more. If they receive a lower commission they give less. They are rebating a percentage of their commission.

[CoachT]

Might be overstating your case just a bit. I think most experienced cruisers on Cruise Critic recognize that the amount of any OBC or other perks is based on the price paid for the cruise excluding port charges and taxes. If the agent receives a higher commission they can give more. If they receive a lower commission they give less. They are rebating a percentage of their commission.

I have absolutely seen people grumbling and downright angry and complaining that their OBC was reduced after a price drop.

[Orator]

I have absolutely seen people grumbling and downright angry and complaining that their OBC was reduced after a price drop.

 

There are always a few who will grumble about anything that involves money. There is also the "I want something for nothing" gang. And the "My french fries were cold, I want compensation" crowd. I think that fortunately these folks are a very small minority. At least I'd like to think so.

[Travel Writing Mary]

A number of people have posted that if Celebrity followed suit with Carnival's new policy they would no longer use a travel agent because they use them to save money.

 

As I have mentioned before, I stopped using travel agents years ago, but would use one again if I could find one that would do the following:

 

Meet with people planning to take a family reunion vacation and then discuss various options

 

Meet with people who are planning to take a multifaceted vacation and advise them on best places to stay in various parts of the world

 

Meet with people planning to take a river cruise and give suggestions for pre and post land portions of the trip

 

Years ago it was very easy to find a travel agent like this. When I took my first trip to Europe in the early seventies, my travel agent suggested and booked beautiful hotels in Vienna, Paris, Rome, Copenhagen, and London for us. All I did was tell her I would like to spend a month in Europe but only go to four or five places.

 

So, I would prefer to see less discount travel agents and more full service ones, who are very knowledgeable about world wide travel.

 

Once upon a time, travel agents made money by issuing you your plane tickets and getting a percentage back from the airline. Hotels did the same. Along came the internet and hotels and airlines as well as tour companies figured out they could save that 5-10% they used to pay travel agents, by making people do their own research and reservations. Now there is no way for them to make money. I assume cruiselines still pay a comission, that is why there are so many cruise travel agents. There is simply no way for them to make money now unless they charge you a fee for their time, and no one wants to pay that when they can get the same info...eventually...online.

[C 2 C]

Most people on cruise critic are not willing to pay for good service. There is however many who do.

 

It must be nice to be able to know the habits of most of the 100,000s of people on cruise critic.

I think that most of the people on cruise critic are more knowledgeable than other cruisers, get informed here and in many cases, have cruised more than the average TA.

I have found that the people at "my" large internet have been on a lot of cruises and the agency is large enough to sponsor member cruises.

When Century broke down two years ago, they were first in helping their customers in finding alternatives. The average agency, no matter how nice the people running it, cannot compete with the clout of the agency that so many of us "critics" use. My agency provides me with great service and gives me a great OBC.

The other consideration that some of us have is the need to book in US funds even though we live in Canada. Fluctuations in exchange rates can have a major impact on the final price.

I think most of us are paying for good service and know enough to get rewarded as well.

[Orator]

It must be nice to be able to know the habits of most of the 100,000s of people on cruise critic.

I think that most of the people on cruise critic are more knowledgeable than other cruisers, get informed here and in many cases, have cruised more than the average TA.

I have found that the people at "my" large internet have been on a lot of cruises and the agency is large enough to sponsor member cruises.

When Century broke down two years ago, they were first in helping their customers in finding alternatives. The average agency, no matter how nice the people running it, cannot compete with the clout of the agency that so many of us "critics" use. My agency provides me with great service and gives me a great OBC.

The other consideration that some of us have is the need to book in US funds even though we live in Canada. Fluctuations in exchange rates can have a major impact on the final price.

I think most of us are paying for good service and know enough to get rewarded as well.

 

I use the same online agency as Arno and have also experienced excellent service. Today my DW requested a specific table in the MDR for our upcoming cruise. A representative from the agency who knows the Restaurant Manager on the ship placed a call and within minutes we were assured that the table would be ours. A TA without clout and connections on a personal level could never do that.

[Bridge Maven]

There are some financial consultants who get paid by the hour, but do not receive any commission for the recommendations that they made to their clients.

 

While I wouldn't consider this for something as routine as a basic cruise, I would be willing to pay a very knowledgeable travel consultant a fee based on time advising us for complex multifaceted vacations to places in the world we are not familiar with.

[Orator]

There are some financial consultants who get paid by the hour, but do not receive any commission for the recommendations that they made to their clients.

 

Wouldn't that be a conflict of interest if they accepted money from a company for recommennding them to a client?

[Bridge Maven]

There are some financial consultants who get paid by the hour, but do not receive any commission for the recommendations that they made to their clients.

 

Wouldn't that be a conflict of interest if they accepted money from a company for recommennding them to a client?

 

Orator - What I had in mind are independent financial consultants whose only source of income are the fees they receive from individual investors. Since they are not affiliated with any company and do not receive any commissions, there wouldn't be any conflict of interest. A number of my friends have started using them because they feel their advice is completely objective.

 

Granted there are many people who work for investment firms with that title but that is not who I had in mind.

[Orator]

 

Orator - What I had in mind are independent financial consultants whose only source of income are the fees they receive from individual investors. Since they are not affiliated with any company and do not receive any commissions, there wouldn't be any conflict of interest. A number of my friends have started using them because they feel their advice is completely objective.

 

Granted their are many people who work for investment firms with that title but that is not who I had in mind.

 

Got you :)

[CPT Trips]

I suppose it all comes down to how much is a particular service worth to "you." As long as TAs get a commission from the cruise line, I expect them to work for my business by providing something of value. Simply booking me on a cruise when I know which ship, cabin and sailing I want is not providing any added value. OBC, covering gratuities, and things like that are added value to me.

 

For a family group cruise or other similar event type cruise, a TA can provide added value by handling all the nitty gritty details and grunt work that could get messed up by a newbie cruiser or an overwhelmed "organizer." Our last "event" involved 35 people and 17 cabins. TA did all the registrations, sent and processed all payment, printed and distributed the cruise docs, worked to maximize the cruise line's rebate to the group and then at "the last minute" pressed the cruise line for free upgrades into cabins they put on sale. On top of that, he provided a farewell cocktail reception. That was all real added value to our group.

 

I'm cynical enough to think that prohibiting TAs from giving perqs to their customers is just an effort to cut TAs out of the mix and improve the bottom line.

[richsea]

I guess if you don't mind not receiving an on board credit based upon the cost of your cabin; let's say, $100 to $300 , you may book directly with the cruise line & therefore keep the ability to change your booking directly with the cruise line, but I would rather save that $$$, &call my online agent if I need to make a change. We use an on line agency & receive excellent service in addition to OBC predicated on how much the cruise costs.

I wanted to change our cabin for a better location that was assigned to us from our gty. booking. I sent an email to our agent, & within 24 hours, I had my new acknowledgement with out new room number. When we had to cancel our cruise which was booked using a Celebrity Passages account, our on line agent was able to put us in touch with someone at Celebrity who had the authority to have us keep our OBC from our passages account for our rebooked cruise. You don't need a brick & mortar agency to get good service, & certainly don't need an order taker at the cruise line to give you good service.

If Celebrity adopts the Carnival model of no OBC, I still would not book directly with them, but would continue with our present agency. As someone said, they are part of the community, &their success contributes to the success of the community as a whole, even though they are in Florida &I am in NY!

[New Hampshire]

What is Carnival's new policy that is being referred to in this thread?