Group Perks: who knows the real rules????

[Alaskalovr]

OMG NJMOM - he said it better than I did - thank you! What I was trying to say but not as well as you did! This is so frustrating because I am not sure how many free berths we are talking about or who the group leader is - and what was discussed/negotiated when booked.

 

 

 

Okay, I thought I wasn't supposed to really discuss details and was trying to just get general info but I realize it is frustrating because since there are so many variables you kind of need all of the info to give me advice or information.

 

The Bride and many of her friends and family usually do a group cruise every year and have always used this same travel agent. Usually they just take what they get and are happy with whatever. That's great but I like to know what is fair and right to everyone. This cruise is for a wedding and a lot of people are going to support the bride and groom. We have a lot of young couples and a lot of first time cruisers. We were really wishing for the bride and groom to get a good credit cause that will in essence be part of their wedding gift. Money some would have spent on a gift they had to use for the cruise in a sense. Anyway, we have 24 cabins, 53 in this group, 9 Balconies, 8 outside and 7 inside. The agreement has always been that the group leader gets the credit. They do all of the work because in addition to everything about the cruise itself they coordinate and organize flights transportations, hotels etc. Then the group leader always gifts each of our rooms with onboard credit. First surprise to us was that we thought it went by main category. So we thought our group was getting 3 balcony credits. We understand that is minus NCCF. taxes and port fees. It was a little upsetting to hear they differentiated between E1 and E2, so 6 and 3 and now we only get credit for 3 outside berths. If we had been fully aware it would have been easy to adjust the rooms. But of course that is water under the bridge this time. That is one reason why I want to know how it really works. So that we are fully aware the next time. Anyway, our Travel Agency does give the credit right away, as soon as final payment is done so after we made final payment the other day we found not only are they getting credit for outside not balcony but the Travel agent said after taking off for taxes port fees and NCCF she also had to take off the $74 each for the 3 outside berths that wre credited for her commission. Then she said she would waive her commission as a wedding gift. Now the Bride is very appreciative, which she should be if this is all on the up and up and she was feeling like she should tell the Agent not to waive her fee. But if this is not true then I don't want her to pay the Agent twice. We are really not a high maintenance group. Our group leader ( the Bride) really does most of the work and handles all of the issues herself unless it is something she can't handle. I called Royal Caribbean to ask them the same questions and they told me that the agent still gets her commission. You are saying she does not. Who do I believe? It is very frustrating to me too. I just want to know the truth so I can plan for the best scenario when we are booking a cruise.

[LovesCruising]

Ok - lets put the issue of commission aside for a moment.

 

When you book a group cruise - your free berth is based on category - not type - so you need to get that straight first.

 

How many cabins do you have booked - which is the MOST category booked? (you can have 1 suite - 2 D2 balcony - 3 E1 balcony - 2 ocean views and 10 insides - your TC will be on the insides)

 

How many are outside because it sounds like your majority is in outside cabins.

 

Whether your travel agent gets paid commission or not, she should not be taking commission that she is loosing from the free berth - that's just wrong.

 

It sounds to me as well you are not the coordinator.

 

The bride should have "blocked" X amount of cabins - those cabins have price protection for approx. 6 months.

 

She should have been told what the Gap points that are assigned to this sailing. The Gap points are converted to HER choice of amenity.

 

The Bride should have discussed the free berth - TC - with the travel agent right from the beginning and what would be done with that money.

 

It sounds like big miscommunication between group coordinator (Bride) and travel agent.

 

If this were my booking - whatever commission I get I get - that information is not to be shared amongst the clients - however - the TC belongs to the group coordinator (Bride) in full without any deductions (for commission or anything else) and the bride can choose to take it for herself, her mother, or throw a shebang for her guests. The Gap point amenity - if there is one on this sailing - such as on board credit - is a separate matter.

 

I don't think it can get any simpler than that.

[LovesCruising]

You have stated

Anyway, we have 24 cabins, 53 in this group, 9 Balconies, 8 outside and 7 inside. The agreement has always been that the group leader gets the credit.

 

Sounds like you should be getting TC on Balcony - however what category are those balcony - you have to break that down

 

8 outside - again - what category

 

7 inside - category?

[LovesCruising]

you said:

 

Then the group leader always gifts each of our rooms with onboard credit

 

The OBC is coming from GAP points - so its not gifted by the group leader per se - its chosen from the beginning when the group is set up how

Gap points would be used.

Edited August 5, 2014 by LovesCruising

[Alaskalovr]

You have stated

Anyway, we have 24 cabins, 53 in this group, 9 Balconies, 8 outside and 7 inside. The agreement has always been that the group leader gets the credit.

 

Sounds like you should be getting TC on Balcony - however what category are those balcony - you have to break that down

 

8 outside - again - what category

 

7 inside - category?[/QUOT

 

9 total balcony. 6 E1; 3 E2/ 8 outside G's ; 7 Inside. 4K and 3 PR. We are getting credit for 3 Outside. We thought it would be balcony but didn't know they counted E1 and E2 seperately. We could have moved some G's to H but too late now. The agreement was what the Royal policy is. One free berth for every 8 rooms, based on stateroom category that majority of staterooms booked. I am not the leader but have helped her the last couple of cruises. We were promised GAP points but then had to almost beg to ti d out how many we were getting.

[Alaskalovr]

you said:

 

Then the group leader always gifts each of our rooms with onboard credit

 

The OBC is coming from GAP points - so its not gifted by the group leader per se - its chosen from the beginning when the group is set up how

Gap points would be used.

 

 

No, she gifts us above the GAP points because she gets the credit for free berth. Usually not 3 of them! Sometimes she just covers a transportation cost etc. Just to share some of the berth credit. Like I said. We agreed for her to keep the credit because she does all of the work. No one else wants the responsibility!

[LovesCruising]

No - she doesn't Gift you Gap Points - Gap points are assigned per sailing - or not - some sailing have no Gap points - if your sailing has Gap points - everyone automatically gets them with their booking - the group leader chooses how those Gap points will be used and chooses an amenity when the group is booked.

 

Unfortunately - the Tc is broken down per category - your most bookings are in outside G;s - so that is where your TC is determined

I do not believe moving up to an outside H would give whole lot more $

 

The travel agent should be giving you the entire TC - discussing her commission with the group leader (bride) is just wrong

 

The TC should then be used as the Bride see's fit - she can take it all or share it - its not going to be as much as you think

Edited August 5, 2014 by LovesCruising

[LovesCruising]

No, she gifts us above the GAP points because she gets the credit for free berth. Usually not 3 of them! Sometimes she just covers a transportation cost etc. Just to share some of the berth credit. Like I said. We agreed for her to keep the credit because she does all of the work. No one else wants the responsibility!

 

My apologies - you are saying you get Gap Point OBC PLUS the group leader gifts you more OBC from the TC.

 

I suspect in this case she is not doing that.

[Alaskalovr]

No - she doesn't Gift you Gap Points - Gap points are assigned per sailing - or not - some sailing have no Gap points - if your sailing has Gap points - everyone automatically gets them with their booking - the group leader chooses how those Gap points will be used and chooses an amenity when the group is booked.

 

Unfortunately - the Tc is broken down per category - your most bookings are in outside G;s - so that is where your TC is determined

I do not believe moving up to an outside H would give whole lot more $

 

The travel agent should be giving you the entire TC - discussing her commission with the group leader (bride) is just wrong

 

The TC should then be used as the Bride see's fit - she can take it all or share it - its not going to be as much as you think

 

Okay, it seems that either I am really not being clear or you are not understanding what I am saying. I never said she was gifting us GAP points. We are all receiving GAp points. We know what they are and we know why we are getting them. The TA acted strange about telling us how many points the cruise was worth and had never told the group leader , or TC I guess is the right title, that we had a choice of items. on previous cruises. I read about that on here and told her and so now she fights for that. The TC does have an agreement that we get the GAP points. She didn't always have that agreement. The TA can keep them if they want to and haven't agreed to give them to the group. The leader of our group ( the TC or Bride) also gives us, OUT OF HER OWN MONEY a gift of OBC to our room or pays for transportation. Just something little because she appreciates that we let her keep the whole credit for the free berth. Yes we know she has a right to this credit but some people on cruise critic have stated that they think their TC should split the money between all of the rooms. We don't.

As far as moving up to an H not being worth much money, I disagree. We have 6 E1's. We have 8 G's. If we switched 3 of those G's to an H or whatever else is another category of outside room, then we would have more E1's. Okay I see where we would also have to switch some insides to a different category also, or we could have increased the balconies by one as well. Whatever to make it more E1's, it would be a difference of almost $200 per berth. That's almost $600. We even could have switched the E2's maybe to E1's. Too much to deal with at this point, but if we were aware of the policies. Yes I know, we should have already been fully aware but we tried. The reason I am also a little upset with Royal Caribbean is because of their wording on their website about this situation. I am not trying to bash anyone and I am fully aware of our responsibility in this situation. That is exactly why I am trying to wade through the double talk and try to get one straight uncomplicated honest and true answer. I have learned a lot from all who have responded here and I thank you all for that, but I have also found that everywhere I go for answers, I still get conflicting information. Supposedly the reason the Travel Agent was sharing info about her commission was so that the Bride would "know" that she was waiving her fee as a wedding gift. I just wanted to know if she was really waiving her fee or just saying that to look like she was doing something.

 

Like I said I am not trying to bash any one, just trying to get to the truth.

[LovesCruising]

Okay, it seems that either I am really not being clear or you are not understanding what I am saying. I never said she was gifting us GAP points. We are all receiving GAp points. We know what they are and we know why we are getting them. The TA acted strange about telling us how many points the cruise was worth and had never told the group leader , or TC I guess is the right title, that we had a choice of items. on previous cruises. I read about that on here and told her and so now she fights for that. The TC does have an agreement that we get the GAP points. She didn't always have that agreement. The TA can keep them if they want to and haven't agreed to give them to the group. The leader of our group ( the TC or Bride) also gives us, OUT OF HER OWN MONEY a gift of OBC to our room or pays for transportation. Just something little because she appreciates that we let her keep the whole credit for the free berth. Yes we know she has a right to this credit but some people on cruise critic have stated that they think their TC should split the money between all of the rooms. We don't.

As far as moving up to an H not being worth much money, I disagree. We have 6 E1's. We have 8 G's. If we switched 3 of those G's to an H or whatever else is another category of outside room, then we would have more E1's. Okay I see where we would also have to switch some insides to a different category also, or we could have increased the balconies by one as well. Whatever to make it more E1's, it would be a difference of almost $200 per berth. That's almost $600. We even could have switched the E2's maybe to E1's. Too much to deal with at this point, but if we were aware of the policies. Yes I know, we should have already been fully aware but we tried. The reason I am also a little upset with Royal Caribbean is because of their wording on their website about this situation. I am not trying to bash anyone and I am fully aware of our responsibility in this situation. That is exactly why I am trying to wade through the double talk and try to get one straight uncomplicated honest and true answer. I have learned a lot from all who have responded here and I thank you all for that, but I have also found that everywhere I go for answers, I still get conflicting information. Supposedly the reason the Travel Agent was sharing info about her commission was so that the Bride would "know" that she was waiving her fee as a wedding gift. I just wanted to know if she was really waiving her fee or just saying that to look like she was doing something.

 

Like I said I am not trying to bash any one, just trying to get to the truth.

 

Your right - I mis read your statement and I apologized.

 

Your group leaders Travel Agent should have given her choices as far as what she could use the gap points for. There is no reason for the TA not to disclose what they can be used for. (Unless the travel agent didn't want to give them to you in the first palace and keep them for herself - bad!)

 

It appears your group leader took the Gap points in OBC and that was what was assigned to your group. I could be wrong - but I believe once they are assigned they cannot be changed. Someone correct me if they have other experience with this.

 

Honestly - yes the TA can keep the Gap Points - from what you are describing about this TA - and especially since you have given her business in the past - Id run and find another one for your next group cruise. This shouldn't be this difficult.

 

I don't understand why if you have worked with this travel agent in the past - she is taking perks from you and not disclosing what you are entitled to.

 

If the bride is keeping the whole TC Credit (previous cruises) she really isn't giving you anything out of her pocket - unless what she is giving you is more than what she is receiving herself. She is sharing with you.

 

I don't think the communication was right here.

 

Everyone on this group cruise should be receiving an amenity from Gap points - which I am understanding to be OBC.

 

The bride is choosing to keep the free Berth credit - which you all agree on.

 

The problem lies with the TA. She is saying she is "waiving" her commission that she would have deducted from the TC (free berth) - well - she shouldn't be taking any commission from the TC in the first place.

 

The problem seems to lie with the TC - I don't know if the travel agent will disclose the full TC amount to you - doesn't sound like it - I don't know what you paid for your cabins - the bride needs to tell her travel agent she wants the full TC for the free berths and then run for the next group cruise to a travel agent who will disclose all the facts and be honest with you

[rubrrick]

Whether it is a single booking, or a group booking, the items that apply to the client, will be on the clients copy from Royal Caribbean.

 

That is all that anyone is entitled to. Outside of that, is anything that the agent, or agency is willing to give away to the client.

 

Deviations create a monster.;):rolleyes:

 

Rick

[Alaskalovr]

Your right - I mis read your statement and I apologized.

 

Your group leaders Travel Agent should have given her choices as far as what she could use the gap points for. There is no reason for the TA not to disclose what they can be used for. (Unless the travel agent didn't want to give them to you in the first palace and keep them for herself - bad!)

 

It appears your group leader took the Gap points in OBC and that was what was assigned to your group. I could be wrong - but I believe once they are assigned they cannot be changed. Someone correct me if they have other experience with this.

 

Honestly - yes the TA can keep the Gap Points - from what you are describing about this TA - and especially since you have given her business in the past - Id run and find another one for your next group cruise. This shouldn't be this difficult.

 

I don't understand why if you have worked with this travel agent in the past - she is taking perks from you and not disclosing what you are entitled to.

 

If the bride is keeping the whole TC Credit (previous cruises) she really isn't giving you anything out of her pocket - unless what she is giving you is more than what she is receiving herself. She is sharing with you.

 

I don't think the communication was right here.

 

Everyone on this group cruise should be receiving an amenity from Gap points - which I am understanding to be OBC.

 

The bride is choosing to keep the free Berth credit - which you all agree on.

 

The problem lies with the TA. She is saying she is "waiving" her commission that she would have deducted from the TC (free berth) - well - she shouldn't be taking any commission from the TC in the first place.

 

The problem seems to lie with the TC - I don't know if the travel agent will disclose the full TC amount to you - doesn't sound like it - I don't know what you paid for your cabins - the bride needs to tell her travel agent she wants the full TC for the free berths and then run for the next group cruise to a travel agent who will disclose all the facts and be honest with you

 

This Travel Agent never gave her choices about how to use the GAP points. Honestly, before I joined the group they didn't know what GAP points were. On each cruise they got a bottle of wine per cabin and thought it was just a gift from the Travel Agent. The last couple of years they knew to put in the agreement that they got the GAP points but the agent still never gave them the list to choose. She told them if they didn't want the wine she could give them what the wine cost instead. This time I found out how many GAP points were on this cruise from a different source and the group leader asked for OBC for all cabins. So we are all getting OBC for the GAP points.

Okay, yes i guess you could say she is sharing the credit with us. Semantics really. The credit is hers and she chose to share money she could have kept in her pocket so..???

I don't know what will happen in the future. The group leader and the rest of the group think the Travel agent is a sweet old lady who just doesn't know as much as some other agents but not that she is doing anything unfair or underhanded. It is just that the more we learn the more we realize there have been lots of things that have happened that were not quite right. Just like her saying she had to take commission from the free berth credit. That didn't sound right to me. But anyway, for this cruise, it is what it is and now thanks to you and some others on here who have offered advice I think we will know better what to do next time and what to be sure and get in writing. Now I am just going to get ready for this cruise and I plan on having a great time. The Bride is still very happy because she did get enough to pay for her whole room. Her Mother never had any expectations of having a credit for her room. She was hopeful but won't let it put a damper on this wonderful event. Thanks to all of you for your great help and support! You are wonderful.

[Alaskalovr]

Whether it is a single booking, or a group booking, the items that apply to the client, will be on the clients copy from Royal Caribbean.

 

That is all that anyone is entitled to. Outside of that, is anything that the agent, or agency is willing to give away to the client.

 

Deviations create a monster.;):rolleyes:

 

Rick

 

Is that something that just the group leader gets for the group reservation? I have never seen a Client's copy but I am not the leader. I will ask to see it. That could be interesting. Thanks for the info!