Gratuities

[dlouise]

We are about to book a cruise on the Riviera, but our TA does not give her clients prepaid gratuities. Does this come from Oceania or from your TA.

 

This will be our third cruise on the Riviera in an Oceania Suite and we have paid the gratuities each time.

[sitraveler]

I think it's time to change TA's unless you are getting other perks.

[LHT28]

There are some promotion where they have prepaid gratuities included for specific cruises

Some TA offer them but they may come from O as incentives to the TA's

 

Shop around

[orchestrapal]

Keep cruising and by your 10th O cruise you'll not have to worry about free gratuities any more.:D

[canuck.qc]

I am by no means a VIP client & I get PPGrats & OBC's from my TA. On my next booking they are also throwing in a credit of 300$ to cover the deviation cost. As other others have said, unless you have other incentives & assuming you've asked for these perk & didn't receive them, shop around for a new agent.

[hondorner]

We are about to book a cruise on the Riviera, but our TA does not give her clients prepaid gratuities. Does this come from Oceania or from your TA.

 

This will be our third cruise on the Riviera in an Oceania Suite and we have paid the gratuities each time.

TAs with enough Oceeania bookings, usually what is called a "group" agreement, are given "soft" money amenities by Oceania to pass on to their clients. They cannot keep it or use it for themselves; it must be passed through to the guests. Sometimes it takes the form of gratuties, sometimes shipboard credit. The amounts vary and may not be available for every cruise, especially if they did not "take a group".

 

Note, the term "group" in this case does not mean an outside group of guests, it means a group of cabins. Note also that the "group" of cabins does not include any specific cabins, rather a specific number of cabins. The actual cabin assignments are first come, first serve by all TA's.

 

When the amenity comes from the cruise line through the TA in this fashion, it is not refundable -- it is "use it or lose it".

 

This is also the cause of some of the situations where a cruise is waitlisted and suddenly has cabins available. The number of cabins under group agreement (but niot any specific cabins) are held back until a certain time. If the TA has not been able to fulfill their group agreement by that time, the remaining number are released back to the cruise line.

 

TAs do not always take group agreements and thus may not have the standard amenities. In some cases, some TAs may use some of their own money to offer amenities. If they pay shipboard credit from their own funds, this amount IS refundable and if you don't use it, you can get cash back from the cruise line. If your TA doesn't tell you which kind of amenity it is, you can find out when you get on board -- reception always knows which kind of credit you have.

 

I have a 24 day cruise booked with NCL; I booked it directly with the cruise line and did not receive any amenities other than an AARP discount. Then, I researched TAs and found one that was willing to give me $500 shipboard credit from their own funds just to get the booking transferred to them and collect the balance of the commission. I suspect it had a lot to do with the fact that I had already done all the work and they were going to get a commission, even if it was lowered by the credit, for doing next to nothing.

 

When the cruise line gives shipboard credit, it doesn't cost them as much as they are giving. You have to spend it all on board, for spa or boutique or excursions or drinks, and all it costs the cruise line is the actual cost of your purchase. Since I would guess the average gross profit margin is nearly 50%, a $300 credit costs them only approximately $150.

 

Once again, I'm not affiliated with any cruise line and am not a TA; I'm just a hick from Okeechobee who has wonkish tendencies towards a "need to know". My best cruise friend is Jim of J & S, who has a similar need to know how things work, and who is smarter than I am :cool:. I take full responsibility for any errors of fact.

[Kissing Seahorses]

I concur, get a TA that has ties to a consortium and you will get additional benefits with very little effort, prepaid gratutities, certainly, but often OBC as well and occasionally a bit more.

 

As I have said before, I was silly and booked my first 6 or so cruises with my business TA and got nothing, she retired, and I then found out all that I was missing, find a TA that specializes in Cruises or who's agency does a good amount of them. It makes a huge difference and requires no extra work on your part and saves you a lot.

[Hawaiidan]

O make it a practice to always book longer cruises that from the get-go include all that from the line and use a savy agent who gives me rather than OBC, IMP benifits ( In my Pocket)

[A Knitter]

My TA has ALWAYS provided grautities and/or comperable onboard credit :eek: I traveled as a single supplement for years and was generously compensated.

[Hawaiidan]

There is no substitute to having and forging a strong and repeat relation with a good agent.

It dosent have to be down the street. mine is thousands of miles from me but a real place of business.

 

Internet agents, play too many games like quoting discout rates that appear lower but do not include things like air etc.

[TKS]

Our internet TA has worked with us closely for the last seven cruises, and I have referred several other friends who have also booked through him, providing commissions on about $150,000 in cruise fares. I have found him to be honest, knowledgeable, thorough, careful and responsive. He also has a good sense of humor, which is an additional perk. He tells me before I book what I can expect in OBC or other perks, and then he either meets, or exceeds, those promises. I don't always get the "cheapest" fare, but I know he is there immediately if I need assistance in any way and he will research my questions until he has an answer.

 

Find a TA you can work with (local, "sticks & bricks" business or internet) who specializes in whatever lines you choose to cruise and stick with them. Loyalty, on both sides of the equation, pays multiple benefits. Those who search the internet for the cheapest fares, with no loyalty to a TA, are bound to get "taken" eventually.