Do Travel Agents provide real benefits??

[joybook]

Reading through many threads, and particularly from those in USA and Canada it seems quite common for Travel Agents in those countries to give discounts (some 10% - 20%), give OBC and give other perks etc etc etc on cruises to their customers.

 

I have used three different Travel Agents in Australia for our cruises and have yet to find one that will provide me with any better deal than I can get dealing direct online.

 

I know we are not supposed to advertise specific companies on these threads but I would be interested to know if anyone here in Australia has one of those 'good' Travel Agents who will get all these discounts and offers for their customers. What has been your experience? Without being too specific I am sure you can share information that may lead me (and others) in the right direction. Thanks:)

[icat2000]

Reading through many threads, and particularly from those in USA and Canada it seems quite common for Travel Agents in those countries to give discounts (some 10% - 20%), give OBC and give other perks etc etc etc on cruises to their customers.

 

I have used three different Travel Agents in Australia for our cruises and have yet to find one that will provide me with any better deal than I can get dealing direct online.

 

I know we are not supposed to advertise specific companies on these threads but I would be interested to know if anyone here in Australia has one of those 'good' Travel Agents who will get all these discounts and offers for their customers. What has been your experience? Without being too specific I am sure you can share information that may lead me (and others) in the right direction. Thanks:)

 

I've gotten some OBC from some online TA for couple of cruises.

[rkmw]

Reading through many threads, and particularly from those in USA and Canada it seems quite common for Travel Agents in those countries to give discounts (some 10% - 20%), give OBC and give other perks etc etc etc on cruises to their customers.

 

I have used three different Travel Agents in Australia for our cruises and have yet to find one that will provide me with any better deal than I can get dealing direct online.

 

I know we are not supposed to advertise specific companies on these threads but I would be interested to know if anyone here in Australia has one of those 'good' Travel Agents who will get all these discounts and offers for their customers. What has been your experience? Without being too specific I am sure you can share information that may lead me (and others) in the right direction. Thanks:)

 

we use a couple of online TA's and they can normally beat the cruise line by a good price and if you pay by credit card there's no fees where as the cruise line can charge a 1.5% fee....we can get extra obc if its being offered

 

we cant mention TA's but when you go on your next cruise talk to people on your roll call and you can talk about the different TA's

[Beanb41]

I am using an Aussie TA for our forthcoming cruise on the Solstice in Feb 2015. This is because initially they were offering a cheaper deal than a NZ TA but as time has gone by any differential in my favour has long since dissipated with new deals being offered by Celebrity. On top of that Celebrity will not discuss my forthcoming B2B cruises with me but will only discuss with the TA as they made the booking. Matters have been compounded with the Australian office of Celebrity now closed and all queries are referred to Guatemala and with the language barriers now in place life has become a whole lot worse. I have seen on these forums whereby passengers have been able to take advantage of benefits that have arisen since initial booking and final payment but not with my Aussie TA. Even when I considered cancelling my booking and then rebooking at a cheaper price I was threatened with a cancellation fee. Short term solutions can have long term consequences

[Fletch1]

Most TA's seem to beat the prices advertised on the cruise web sites, but I have found that the big bonus with booking with TA's is the OBC they can offer. Cruise lines are usually nowhere near what they can offer.

 

I think it comes down to do a little bit of homework and see what it all adds up to.

 

[Pushka]

It also depends on the cruise line. Princess won't allow Aussies to book with USA agents but Celebrity and Cunard do. I checked prices direct with Princess Aust and a well known Aussie TA and the TA was over $100 more expensive and the deposit was double. Plus the cancellation fees were much higher.

[joybook]

Interesting comments but the best I have been able to achieve from a Travel Agent is to get $40 each off the cruiseline's online price on a $3,800 pp cabin. To me that is no incentive whatsoever to stay with a Travel Agent. As I said in my original post it seems to be quite common in USA/Canada for a Travel Agent to give 10/20% off the cruiseline's price and most likely they will get OBC as well. Am I expecting too much?:)

[fishtaco]

No benefits for me using Aussie T/A,s !

 

The only benefit can be a slightly cheaper price if the T/A puts you in a group booking .and usually its done without your knowledge:(

 

Most Aussie T/A cruise specialists haven't even been on a cruise, some have done sampler 2-3 nighters and some have toured a ship or two. lol

[rkmw]

Interesting comments but the best I have been able to achieve from a Travel Agent is to get $40 each off the cruiseline's online price on a $3,800 pp cabin. To me that is no incentive whatsoever to stay with a Travel Agent. As I said in my original post it seems to be quite common in USA/Canada for a Travel Agent to give 10/20% off the cruiseline's price and most likely they will get OBC as well. Am I expecting too much?:)

 

when you cruise with princess or p&o always buy a FCC because you get obc depending on the length and category you book plus you can cancel out for any reason as long as you dont make final payment and the cost is $100 per person....check with the TA before you book just in case they have a cancellation fee

 

RCI plus Celebrity would have these also but not Carnival Australia

 

as i said earlier we always get a better price than the cruise line is offering

[fishtaco]

when you cruise with princess or p&o always buy a FCC because you get obc depending on the length and category you book plus you can cancel out for any reason as long as you dont make final payment and the cost is $100 per person....check with the TA before you book just in case they have a cancellation fee

 

RCI plus Celebrity would have these also but not Carnival Australia

 

as i said earlier we always get a better price than the cruise line is offering

 

Loving FCC,s:) you can book so far in advance with just $100 and then swap to another cruise if you want:)

[Bodogbodog]

it seems to be quite common in USA/Canada for a Travel Agent to give 10/20% off the cruiseline's price and most likely they will get OBC as well. Am I expecting too much?:)

That's a bit optimistic I think - I know on my preferred cruise line, Crystal, you wont see more than 8% of the fare provided as an OBC with zero discount as that's against Crystals policy (and that's strictly policed by Crystal so agents don't want to risk losing the ability to sell their cruises) - so expecting 10-20% discount and an OBC seems a bit of a stretch - I don't think most agents have that much margin to play with

[Royalty X]

That's a bit optimistic I think - I know on my preferred cruise line, Crystal, you wont see more than 8% of the fare provided as an OBC with zero discount as that's against Crystals policy (and that's strictly policed by Crystal so agents don't want to risk losing the ability to sell their cruises) - so expecting 10-20% discount and an OBC seems a bit of a stretch - I don't think most agents have that much margin to play with

Nowhere near that much margin! These threads seem to pop up every few weeks lately! Everyone should book the way they want to book.

[Kinkacruiser]

when you cruise with princess or p&o always buy a FCC because you get obc depending on the length and category you book plus you can cancel out for any reason as long as you dont make final payment and the cost is $100 per person....check with the TA before you book just in case they have a cancellation fee

 

RCI plus Celebrity would have these also but not Carnival Australia

 

as i said earlier we always get a better price than the cruise line is offering

 

You're right, Bob, but we should all check with a TA before booking re the cancellation fees.

We use the FCC deposits for our Princess cruises, but there's also a cancellation schedule itemised on the booking confirmation.

i.e. cancelling 6 months out the fee is 20% of Total Charges, at 2 mths it's 25% , at 6 weeks it's 50% and at 2 weeks it's 100% of total charges.

That's one of the reasons you need travel insurance.

 

We get good OBC's and discounts if there's a group booking situation (you can always ask if the TA has one in place). Often we enjoy a bottle of wine on board, courtesy of our TA :).

Edited April 11, 2014 by Kinkacruiser

[rkmw]

You're right, Bob, but we should all check with a TA before booking re the cancellation fees.

We use the FCC deposits for our Princess cruises, but there's also a cancellation schedule itemised on the booking confirmation.

i.e. cancelling 6 months out the fee is 20% of Total Charges, at 2 mths it's 25% , at 6 weeks it's 50% and at 2 weeks it's 100% of total charges.

That's one of the reasons you need travel insurance.

 

We get good OBC's and discounts if there's a group booking situation (you can always ask if the TA has one in place). Often we enjoy a bottle of wine on board, courtesy of our TA :).

 

Hi Anna, we have not come across those cancellation fees that you have quoted i.e cancelling out 6 months is 20% so on....by using a FCC if the agent doesnt charge a small fee to cover their paper work to book the cruise you can right up to making your final payment cancel out for any reason and then use your FCC on another cruise

[johndon]

We have found that Australian TAs we have dealt with will not accept the $100 FCC deposit that is paid to Princess on board. The TAs want at least $200 from each passenger for their deposit and in some cases more than that.

By purchasing a FCC you can "double dip" on OBC as there is OBC attached to the FCC and the TAs usually add on their OBC as well. We have found that the Princess Rep on board selling the FCCs usually recommend you book through a TA just to get the extra OBC.

We booked the NZ Xmas cruise earlier this year and found that our FCC had expired by one month but Princess did not hesitate to extend it to cover the cruise. I suppose it is better for them to extend and get two cruise bookings rather than refund the $100 each FCC credit.

There are so many anomalies and variations with these schemes that you MUST read the small print very carefully.

 

John

[rkmw]

We have found that Australian TAs we have dealt with will not accept the $100 FCC deposit that is paid to Princess on board. The TAs want at least $200 from each passenger for their deposit and in some cases more than that.

By purchasing a FCC you can "double dip" on OBC as there is OBC attached to the FCC and the TAs usually add on their OBC as well. We have found that the Princess Rep on board selling the FCCs usually recommend you book through a TA just to get the extra OBC.

We booked the NZ Xmas cruise earlier this year and found that our FCC had expired by one month but Princess did not hesitate to extend it to cover the cruise. I suppose it is better for them to extend and get two cruise bookings rather than refund the $100 each FCC credit.

There are so many anomalies and variations with these schemes that you MUST read the small print very carefully.

 

John

 

We have found that Australian TAs we have dealt with will not accept the $100 FCC deposit that is paid to Princess on board. The TAs want at least $200 from each passenger for their deposit and in some cases more than that

 

we dont have that problem booking any princess or p&o cruise, they apply the FCC to the booking and we get the extra obc that is being offered....if the agent wanted $50 to cover their overhead expenses i dont have a problem with that because if we pay by credit card there's no fees and if we dont cancel that $50 comes off the final price

[bazshirl2]

when you cruise with princess or p&o always buy a FCC because you get obc depending on the length and category you book plus you can cancel out for any reason as long as you dont make final payment and the cost is $100 per person....check with the TA before you book just in case they have a cancellation fee

 

RCI plus Celebrity would have these also but not Carnival Australia

 

as i said earlier we always get a better price than the cruise line is offering

Good advice.

My experience is there is no substitute for doing your own research. We use an automobile club as a TA that basically acts as a conduit to booking but provides a benefit with sharing its commission. Barry :)

[joybook]

I agree that the FCC is a must and that gives you OBC from Princess but just remember that OBC from a FCC has nothing to do with your Travel Agent - it is not a benefit from them it is from Princess because of the FCC.

 

I must say that I was surprised by the comment that said the $100 FCC was not accepted by the Travel Agent as deposit - I think I would be taking that up with Princess.

 

From the comments so far it would seem that very few, if any of you are getting any real benefits from dealing with your Travel Agent and that is my point. We in Aus and NZ don't seem to get from our Travel Agents what many overseas cruisers are getting from theirs.:)

[rkmw]

I agree that the FCC is a must and that gives you OBC from Princess but just remember that OBC from a FCC has nothing to do with your Travel Agent - it is not a benefit from them it is from Princess because of the FCC.

 

I must say that I was surprised by the comment that said the $100 FCC was not accepted by the Travel Agent as deposit - I think I would be taking that up with Princess.

 

From the comments so far it would seem that very few, if any of you are getting any real benefits from dealing with your Travel Agent and that is my point. We in Aus and NZ don't seem to get from our Travel Agents what many overseas cruisers are getting from theirs.:)

 

we enjoy booking with a TA as posted in #15 you can double dip on the obc, what the TA is offering plus the obc from the FCC

 

the cruise line wont compete with a TA so its best to get 2-3 quotes and see what the price you pay....some Aus TA's dont charge for using your credit card and some charge 2%

[mr walker]

Our TA (local bricks & mortar) on our upcoming trip assisted us by being able to get us the cabins we wanted for our 3 cruises - the same cabin for all 3 cruises & spent some hours on the phone to RC in the USA getting confirmation that we could do the itinerary after concerns were raised re the PVSA legislation. We received no OBC apart from using our RC NCC's, and they do charge cc fee, which we pay to take advantage of the included travel insurance ( that would also apply booking direct with RC).

 

The search for $50 OBC or saving of $50 by booking OS is not that big a deal when you are paying thousands for a trip - our view GIVE AN AUSSIE A JOB!

 

Happy cruising

[gaechann]

Hi all

 

I've used a TA for all my cruises to date as I know that they will go the extra mile for me if a problem occurs.

 

Example: For my up-coming cruise on the Pacific Pearl we had to book all our shore tours via a 1300 number rather than using the P&O website as they are experiencing some problems since their upgrade.

 

All shore tours were fine EXCEPT the most important one - Kangaroo Island! This initially showed up in my online cruise personaliser but when I printed it out a week later, the shore tour had been dropped from my booking.

 

I was devastated to say the least as this was the main reason I was taking this cruise. Calls to the 1300 number that I booked the shore tour through gave me 3 different reasons but the long & the short of it was that each time I was told to try to book it on-board.

 

I finally called my TA to work some magic for me which he was able to do after I emailed him all my details: date I booked the tour, who I spoke to on the day etc etc

 

Yesterday I checked my cruiser personaliser and there was the shore tour reinstated! I'm so, so glad that I booked through the TA as they obviously had more clout when it came to fixing a mistake of the cruise line than I did!

 

I have also usually been able to take advantage of the TA's offer of extra OBC or reduced deposit when they are offered. I must say that I prefer the online TA's that specialise in cruises rather than the brick & mortar companies that cover all types of holiday bookings.

 

All the best with whatever you decide to do in the future.

 

Gae

[OzKiwiJJ]

As a newbie to cruising I wanted to get as much information as I could before booking our upcoming Christmas 2014 cruise. We started by picking up some brochures from a local bricks-and-mortar TA, supposedly a cruise specialist. I did some research online and chatted to some friends on (non-cruise) forums, one of whom pointed me to this forum.

 

Then I decided to stop in at the TA to see what advice they could give me about the various ships I seen on the brochures, and also what other options there might be. I wanted advice on the best cabins to choose, and other information about the ships that would be useful to a first time cruiser.

 

I spent an excruciatingly tedious half hour there. It took two of them to search their computer system for cruises. I learnt nothing new and heard of no good deals - in fact they didn't even remember what the deals were on the brochures that they had been displaying two days earlier. I got the impression that neither of the TAs had ever set foot on any of the ships, let alone cruised.

 

Their recommendation was a nine day cruise, when I'd stated that I wanted a two week cruise, on the most expensive (based on a per day basis) of the cruises that I had looked at. No extra OBCs and the rates that they quoted were higher than those in the brochures I'd picked up. In fact they claimed that one of the cruises was already fully booked, it wasn't when I checked online.

 

I got more useful information from my online friends, and here, that I did from that TA. I ended up booking through an online TA that was about $200 per person cheaper than the Princess website, with a small additional OBC.

[Pushka]

Sounds like a win TripleJ. And yes, I'm back after three wonderful weeks on QM2. :p

[lizzy77]

I have yet to find an Aussie TA who knows what they are talking about re cruising. Yes I know I have probably done a little bit more cruising than what they have but without being too critical I have tried to use a few and the service has been nothing short of terrible. Any benefits they provide I can usually get doing it myself directly with the cruise line or with a US. TA.

You need to do so much research yourself. Try dealing direct with the cruise line and also check out the US TA's. Look at the cancellation terms, the amount of OBC, the free gratuities you may get ( in the US) And then work out the US $ compared to the Aus $.

I have personally found that Aussie TA 's are really lacking in any benefits and service I can get through a US TA. But each to their own.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Sounds like a win TripleJ. And yes, I'm back after three wonderful weeks on QM2. :p

 

Welcome back, Pushka. I would have been extremely envious of your QM2 trip if I hadn't been living the life of a Maharana in India LOL. That, also, was a wonderful trip.