GlennG Posted March 13, 2014 #1 Share Posted March 13, 2014 My wife and I are fairly new to cruising and Holland America Line. In the past, we have used a local travel agent to assist us in booking our cruise vacations. We have had a very good working relationship with our travel agent and we appreciate the "advocacy role" that she plays on our behalf. Unfortunately, she now must charge an additional $40.00 per cruise ticket. We would rather not pay this additional charge. Recently, we have received email communication from a Personal Cruise Consultant (Holland America Line). This personal cruise consultant promises "personal and expert assistance as you select your cruise itinerary." Here's the question; - have any of you used the service of a personal cruise consultant from Holland America Line? Is this service equal to or superior to the service provided by many private travel agencies? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sue1898 Posted March 13, 2014 #2 Share Posted March 13, 2014 For many years we did and were perfectly happy with the arrangement. Recently we have redeemed Marriott Reward points as the basis for our cruises (and then upgraded from there) and doing so requires using an agency that is associated with the Marriott program. I must say the communication level has suffered since we've had to change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tootielove2cruise Posted March 13, 2014 #3 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Here's the question; - have any of you used the service of a personal cruise consultant from Holland America Line? Is this service equal to or superior to the service provided by many private travel agencies? While I cannot speak for all personal cruise consultants at HAL.. I have to say the one we have is OUTSTANDING!.. he is one of a kind (IOHO)when it comes to customer service ..in this day and age when customer service from so many goes as far as saying "your business is important to us" his service to us is much more than lip service.. he will not tell us something unless he knows it for a fact... and his advice is spot on his attention to detail is wonderful. He always arranges our table assignment in advance by emailing the restaurant manager. We are very pleased with our PCC.. If you go this route I hope you are fortunate enough to get our PCC or one just as capable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K&RCurt Posted March 13, 2014 #4 Share Posted March 13, 2014 We used a PCC for the cruise we currently have booked and couldn't be happier. Far better than either B&M TA we have used in the past and much better than "do it yourself" booking via the website, IMO. There is a slight caveat. We met our PCC in person on a cruise and became friends before we knew she was a HAL PCC. Perhaps the level of service is a bit better because of that, but, according to her, all the PCCs have the same goals for service to the customer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Hlitner Posted March 13, 2014 #5 Share Posted March 13, 2014 (edited) We will not get into the pros, cons (and even myths) of the PCC scheme. But we somewhat shocked that any travel agent would charge to handle a cruise booking. We use several different large online cruise agencies for our many bookings, and in every case they PAY US for our business. On one of our HAL bookings (a long cruise) the difference between what we would have paid HAL through our PCC and the price we got through a cruise agent was about $3000. Not sure any PCC is worth that kind of money :) Hank Edited March 13, 2014 by Hlitner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tootielove2cruise Posted March 13, 2014 #6 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Not sure any PCC is worth that kind of money :) Hank Depends on your PCC...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Crazy For Cats Posted March 13, 2014 #7 Share Posted March 13, 2014 I have used both a TA and a PCC. I lean towards using HAL's PCC. I am an active participant in my vacation planning. I tend to work out the details ahead of time so that we can relax and enjoy while on board. When I deal with HAL directly I get immediate answers to questions, quick booking changes and I can print out the documentation that I need to take with me to verify OBC and excursions. Additionally when an upsell offer comes my way I can take advantage of it quickly, if it is a good deal, and not wait for the TA to be back in the office. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George C Posted March 13, 2014 #8 Share Posted March 13, 2014 My travel agent retired, so I booked via PCC and was happy with results, some are better than others. Someone at Hal told me second seating was booked and my PCC had no problem with getting that for me, also got a few upsells, not sure if PCC helped or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krazy Kruizers Posted March 13, 2014 #9 Share Posted March 13, 2014 We are very happy with our TA with whom we have had for nearly 25 years. We often thought that if anything happened to her, we would use HAL's PPC -- until I discovered that when we use our AMEX Platinum card to pay off our cruise, we will not get the $300 shipboard credit, or the free Pinnacle dinner or the sparking wine in our cabin. The price of the cruise would be the same whether we booked through HAL or a TA. Thus if anything happens to her, we will find another TA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruising-along Posted March 13, 2014 #10 Share Posted March 13, 2014 We have used both a large online TA and a PCC. We much prefer our PCC. The TA charges us every time we receive a price drop. The TA is very quick to make charges to our credit card but very very slow about crediting our account. That really leaves a bad taste in my mouth. We will not be using them again. On the other hand we have been only happy with the personal service we get from our PCC. HAL doesn't charge you to make changes or cancelations before final payment, and we really don't like having a middle man. Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxmantoo Posted March 13, 2014 #11 Share Posted March 13, 2014 (edited) We will not get into the pros, cons (and even myths) of the PCC scheme. But we somewhat shocked that any travel agent would charge to handle a cruise booking. We use several different large online cruise agencies for our many bookings, and in every case they PAY US for our business. On one of our HAL bookings (a long cruise) the difference between what we would have paid HAL through our PCC and the price we got through a cruise agent was about $3000. Not sure any PCC is worth that kind of money :) Hank Depends on your PCC...... We totally agree with Hlitner. Our online TA beats any price offered by HAL, throws in a few freebies in addition, has never charged us anything for changing a booking or even cancelling one. $3000 in savings surpasses any "depends" a PCC might have to offer. Edited March 13, 2014 by taxmantoo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tootielove2cruise Posted March 13, 2014 #12 Share Posted March 13, 2014 We totally agree with Hlitner. $3000 in savings surpasses any "depends" a PCC might have to offer. Thanks for your "opinion"! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveOKC Posted March 13, 2014 #13 Share Posted March 13, 2014 I have used both a TA and a PCC. I lean towards using HAL's PCC. I am an active participant in my vacation planning. I tend to work out the details ahead of time so that we can relax and enjoy while on board. When I deal with HAL directly I get immediate answers to questions, quick booking changes and I can print out the documentation that I need to take with me to verify OBC and excursions. Additionally when an upsell offer comes my way I can take advantage of it quickly, if it is a good deal, and not wait for the TA to be back in the office. Ditto this. I like my PCC, but I still need to participate in the process to get the best results. DaveOKC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krazy Kruizers Posted March 13, 2014 #14 Share Posted March 13, 2014 We have used both a large online TA and a PCC. We much prefer our PCC. The TA charges us every time we receive a price drop. The TA is very quick to make charges to our credit card but very very slow about crediting our account. That really leaves a bad taste in my mouth. We will not be using them again. On the other hand we have been only happy with the personal service we get from our PCC. HAL doesn't charge you to make changes or cancelations before final payment, and we really don't like having a middle man. Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app The travel agency where our TA works does not charge a fee for any changes or cancellations we have made in reservations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sail7seas Posted March 13, 2014 #15 Share Posted March 13, 2014 (edited) How much 'service' to most experienced cruisers really need? When we have decided on a cruise, I call our PCC and check availability, choose a cabin, book the cruise. I get an e-mail confirmation and I also request a snail mail. PCC knows our dining preferences so reserves the table we want. What else do I need or want from PCC? It isn't a matter of wonderful service or deficient but rather a matter of we really don't need much service. Edited March 13, 2014 by sail7seas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilvertoGold Posted March 13, 2014 #16 Share Posted March 13, 2014 (edited) We will not get into the pros, cons (and even myths) of the PCC scheme. But we somewhat shocked that any travel agent would charge to handle a cruise booking. Hank I just received a quote from a big national (Canada) travel agency and was floored to see they charge $55.00 per person "service charge". I asked what this was for and they said they book the cruise, air (HAL air!!!), fill out the online check-in and do your boarding pass and answer questions. This is ridiculous. They quoted $18.00 pp for transfers. HAL is $13.00 pp. The air they picked out departed at the same time, had a half hour shorter lay-over and landed a half hour earlier, all for $200.00 pp more that HAL air. I am astounded with the whole experience. I can't believe that a big, well-known agency does this. Boy, are they history with me! Edited March 13, 2014 by SilvertoGold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipity1499 Posted March 13, 2014 #17 Share Posted March 13, 2014 We will not get into the pros, cons (and even myths) of the PCC scheme. But we somewhat shocked that any travel agent would charge to handle a cruise booking. We use several different large online cruise agencies for our many bookings, and in every case they PAY US for our business. On one of our HAL bookings (a long cruise) the difference between what we would have paid HAL through our PCC and the price we got through a cruise agent was about $3000. Not sure any PCC is worth that kind of money :) Hank We totally agree with Hlitner. Our online TA beats any price offered by HAL, throws in a few freebies in addition, has never charged us anything for changing a booking or even cancelling one. $3000 in savings surpasses any "depends" a PCC might have to offer. Agree with Hitner & taxmantoo..We normally book the longer cruises & have never used a PCC only because on every booking we've done with our TA we save between 10% & 12%..Even if our TA charged for booking our cruise we still would be ahead of the game.. When we booked our first Amazon trip many years ago I found that Travel Agents on-line were quoting a price much less than the HAL fare, so I called HAL & asked to speak to a Supervisor.. He said to me "We can't compete in price with our high producing Agents, which have blocked group space with us" So we cancelled our HAL booking & booked with the on-line Agent.. On our next cruise our Friends asked for a quote & the Agent we now use gave us a quote which again was much less than HAL's fare ..We've dealt with him for the last 9 years & in every case the fare was much less..When we did our 68 day cruise on the Prinsendam last year we saved over $4900 (12.75%)on the fare, Insurance & the OBC's our Agt. gave us.. Suggest you check out your Agents fare & compare it with HAL's fare before you make a decision.. Cheers..Betty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda&Vern Posted March 13, 2014 #18 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Our HAL PCC provides us with exactly what we need. I already know before I call him what cruise I want, what cabin I want, and what I will probably be paying. But he takes care of the details that require a call to various departments to make arrangements for me for some of my special requirements. I e:mail him a question and as soon as I hit "send" my telephone is ringing. If he doesn't know the answer, he knows who to call to find it. We feel that he truly wants us to have the best HAL cruise ever. Our last cruise ended Friday. He called on Tuesday to make sure all the details went as planned and asked if we were happy with our cruise experience. I love having total access to my account info on the HAL website. I "trained" a couple of travel agents about cruising HAL before I found our PCC. At this time, we wouldn't look elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruising-along Posted March 13, 2014 #19 Share Posted March 13, 2014 The travel agency where our TA works does not charge a fee for any changes or cancellations we have made in reservations. I was surprised, because the two that I looked at (and they're both well known and advertised widely) do charge for changes and cancellations. One just charges more than the other. This TA just doubled their charges recently, making it even worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxmantoo Posted March 13, 2014 #20 Share Posted March 13, 2014 I was surprised, because the two that I looked at (and they're both well known and advertised widely) do charge for changes and cancellations. One just charges more than the other. This TA just doubled their charges recently, making it even worse. There are lots out there with NO charges. You just have to find the right one for you. We have been dealing with the same one for the past 7 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Hlitner Posted March 13, 2014 #21 Share Posted March 13, 2014 We find some of the posts disturbing when it comes to using TAs or Cruise Agencies. One should always carefully check out any agency ( do a Better Business Bureau Check, google the outfit for any comments, etc). Now the important stuff! Like many HAL cruisers we book a lot of cruises and some very long (expensive) cruises. We refuse to deal with any Cruise Agency that charges cancellation charges or charges to reprice a cruise after a price drop (s). We used to use one agency that started to charge for repricing, spoke to their manager, and made it clear we would never use them again (and it cost them over $100,000 of our bookings). The TAs (they are actually Cruise Agencies) that we currently use (and we have 4 on our personal preferred list) do not charge any fees, all but one operate 7 days a week for extended hours, and they have amazing customer service. But none of this is what drives us away from our PCC. For us it is simply about money, and we save substantial amounts by using cruise agencies. Now we do understand that many HAL cruisers have no interest in saving money, and those folks should certainly stick with their PCC. I will also admit that our savings on HAL bookings are not always great. In fact, the savings on our next HAL cruise (booked through one of our favored cruise agencies) is only totals 5% of the total cruise cost. Now this still amounts to some "real money" but is nowhere near the savings we have received on some past cruises. And we do understand that many HAL cruisers would not consider saving 5% worth giving up their PCC. But for us, the idea of getting most of our "tips" paid by the cruise agency is a nice perk. Hank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarpeian Rock Posted March 13, 2014 #22 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Thanks for your "opinion"! $3,000 strikes me as a lot more than just an "opinion." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare whogo Posted March 13, 2014 #23 Share Posted March 13, 2014 I would encourage anyone that uses a PCC to get a competing price quote from a big online agency, then decide whether your PCC is worth the price difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda&Vern Posted March 14, 2014 #24 Share Posted March 14, 2014 I would encourage anyone that uses a PCC to get a competing price quote from a big online agency, then decide whether your PCC is worth the price difference. I completely understand what you are saying. But will a "big online agency" call HAL with my questions and get immediate answers for me? Will they oversee the special arrangements I need to know are in place for my cruise? When HAL sends out an e:mail about my booking, will the agency immediately forward it to me, or will it come the next business day? I do understand your comment. I'm just pointing out that sometimes it's not about the money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare richwmn Posted March 14, 2014 #25 Share Posted March 14, 2014 I would encourage anyone that uses a PCC to get a competing price quote from a big online agency, then decide whether your PCC is worth the price difference. I have, on several occasions, gone to several online agencies as well as used the service mentioned here a few times which has TAs send quotes. In each case, for the type of booking I have, the difference has been minor -- around $50 - $60. Bookings checked - 7 - 15 Days Outside Guarantee Solo I understand that the TA has little room to bargain on these types of bookings. For those that book longer cruises in suites the TA receives a lot more in commissions for essentially no more work. Therefore, they can afford to give back some of the commission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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