Booking with TA - Commission

[Meena]

I just read some replies to a thread about booking on your own vs. a TA. I was wondering the same thing. We have used a TA for 7 or 8 years, we go in with the ship, cruise itinerary, everything handed right to her. She does no research, just calls and books it. We have usually paid the price I see online and not some discounted price she gives us and we don't receive any OBC, etc. I asked her once if any OBC was being offered and she just said no; however in reading these posts I see she can offer it on her own. I have always wondered what her commission is, is it based on the type of cabin we book. We are looking at booking another and I'm wondering if I should just come right out and ask for something.

[Nan_Sea]

It never hurts to ask. My TA shares her commission and has, at times, given us OBC.

[-Lew-]

I book through a TA who gives me a healthy discount, OBCs and fantastic service. Her commission is none of my business and I don't ask.

 

You need to contact a TA who will do the same for you. I recommend you ask your fellow cruisers who they use next time you're cruising. Those of us who have a good TA love to recommend ours to others.

 

Lew

[JF - retired RRT]

If you don't get ANYTHING from your TA, why don't you just book it yourself? It is amazingly easy to do either online or over the phone.

[thinfool]

There are few limits to shopping anymore. One family that loves Disney cruises, lives in Kentucky, uses a Travel Agent in Dallas, TX.

 

Using a cell phone, there is no long distance charge on phone calls. This means it is up to you how much effort you want to put into searching out a good TA.

 

As an FYI, TA's often receive a smaller % commission than a tip you might leave at Applebees or the Outback after a nice dinner.

[RocketMan275]

While Princess does allow TA to discount and offer OBC, they cannot advertise their prices on the web. You have to contact them and ask for a 'quote'. Discounts plus additional OBC of on the order of 12-15% are not uncommon.

 

With your cruise experience, you should have no difficulty in booking your own cruises direct with Princess. First, decide on a cruise and cabin. Check the Princess website for the price. Ask you TA for a quote. If she gives you the same price, tell her you are looking elsewhere. You've got nothing to lose since you can always get that price from Princess. If she doesn't beat Princess, then book the cruise with Princess and then start looking for a TA that does discount. You can always transfer the booking to the new TA and get their discount.

 

I wish I could recommend someone but that is against the terms and conditions of this site. All I can say is that you can google for TA staying away from the usual big travel agencies. Contact those TAs and ask for a quote. If nothing else works, on your next cruise, ask every one you meet about their TA, particularly the long time cruisers.

[TomCruises]

I just read some replies to a thread about booking on your own vs. a TA. I was wondering the same thing. We have used a TA for 7 or 8 years, we go in with the ship, cruise itinerary, everything handed right to her. She does no research, just calls and books it. We have usually paid the price I see online and not some discounted price she gives us and we don't receive any OBC, etc. I asked her once if any OBC was being offered and she just said no; however in reading these posts I see she can offer it on her own. I have always wondered what her commission is, is it based on the type of cabin we book. We are looking at booking another and I'm wondering if I should just come right out and ask for something.

 

You have wasted 7-8 years with that T/A! Try spending a little time finding a better T/A and you'll be on your way to discounts,cc's and more!

[timetravler]

I have had several TA's in the past that did not give me any discounts or anything else. I dumped them. My TA Now is fantastic. She gives us part of her commission, and takes care of all the details. When she is on our same cruise she often sets up private tours that are always outstanding with no hassles at all. My TA is a Gem and I am always grateful for her.

[sunsetbeachgal]

I most often use the same agent, but there are times, usually when I am not sailing on Princess where some of the larger on line agencies can beat the price or include perks such as free gratuities. I do all of the leg work for all of my cruises, and then turn it over to my agent who gives OBC and most often a lower price.

Edited March 2, 2015 by sunsetbeachgal

[cruzsnooze]

If you don't get ANYTHING from your TA, why don't you just book it yourself? It is amazingly easy to do either online or over the phone.

 

AND you get to keep control of your booking and make favorable changes should any become available.

[senior lady]

$1000 cruise almost half of that is taxes and non commisionable portion of fare

so probably only getting commission on $500 which she has to share with office.

Lots of times there isn't enough left to offer anything else:(

[Colo Cruiser]

$1000 cruise almost half of that is taxes and non commisionable portion of fare

so probably only getting commission on $500 which she has to share with office.

Lots of times there isn't enough left to offer anything else:(

 

Thats why its good to get someone who works for themselves or has a small overhead and lots of repeat volume. ;)

[JasonTehGreat]

Some of the benefits of a TAKE go much further than OBC and Discounts. I know a man who is a TA who had a couple whose flight was cancelled from snow, no other flights available and he got them to another airport 6 hours away and on a flight and on their cruise. Without him they would have missed the cruise.

[MCC retired]

Booking Princess with the same TA for 7 Years and never reveived a "thank you for booking discount or OBC " means he/she just plain took advantage of OP for not being a shopper .

Don't make it 8 years !!!

 

Average Princess comm. for a top producer agency is 15% of the base cruise fare (not including port charges and tax).

Many TA's must split this comm. with the home agency.

[Hawaiidan]

commissions are part of the whole deal...whether buying a house, a car or a cruise. However, as noted in other posts the rate of commission cam be effected by How often the agent or agency books the specific cruise line..their are sales goals or tiers.. More sales volume more commission.

 

Second What category cabin are you booking an inside or a suite. Higher end cabins generate huge profits for the ship and they pay larger commissions because there is more"pie" to share.

 

And third, what is the dollar or price of the cruise . Sailing on cruises under 1000 pp will find little to none bargain power. In fact, the agent booking the cruise may make almost nothing and accepts the booking to generate a higher sales volume in order to earn a higher return on future cruises . However book a $10-20,000 cruise and things are much different.

 

Beware of people who tout getting 12 to 15% off... because that is not real. If they are getting that then the agent is quoting very inflated prices to make the customer feel good. How much should you expect.? In reality about 8to10% off the lowest price. There is no way a cruise line direct booking will do that .

 

So shop for an agent, when I lived in Hawaii, I used an agency in Detroit and Texas. I booked cruises with them for over a 10 year period, always for 2 to6 weeks . What I asked for and got was a very low fare, around 5% under the cheapest advertised price plus an on board credit and a 60/40% commission split. Since that is not allowed, it was done after the cruise was underway and I got a thank you check/ rebate/ in the mail from the agent.

 

Bottom line.....don't bother to get discounts of any degree when sailing the short 7-14 day cruises.

However, when you get to the $7-10K level start demanding not asking. This is business you don't get what you deserve you negotiate for it. If the agent balks...walk.... no different than buying a car... I mean would you walk in and pay full sticker price on a car? I hope not.

There are plenty out there who are savvy business people They know to give is to get in the long run and are willing to look at the long term big picture...

[jagsfan]

$1000 cruise almost half of that is taxes and non commisionable portion of fare

 

so probably only getting commission on $500 which she has to share with office.

 

Lots of times there isn't enough left to offer anything else:(

 

 

And if the TA is sharing part of her comm with the client, she is paying income tax on it. Check some time what kind of income the average TA makes.

[Loonbeam]

And as always, its not just about cash. If you get good service and don't only take one type of vacation, it may be worth sticking with a good agent even if you don't always pay the lowest price.

 

I find a TA who has my back to have far more value than a couple of hundred buck on some trips...

[caribill]

And if the TA is sharing part of her comm with the client, she is paying income tax on it. Check some time what kind of income the average TA makes.

 

No she is not. Any rebate of commission to the client is a deductible business expense.

[caribill]

$1000 cruise almost half of that is taxes and non commisionable portion of fare

so probably only getting commission on $500 which she has to share with office.

Lots of times there isn't enough left to offer anything else:(

 

A TA that is doing any volume of business with Princess can give OBC or a lower price or wine, etc. without sharing any of his/her normal commission.

 

A TA will often have a group booking on a cruise. This means the TA has a number of cabins, but not necessarily for any people that know each other or are a part of an organization. With a group booking, the TA can get a lower price from Princess. In the OP's case, the TA chose to keep all of that price difference.

 

Also, a TA will get "amenity points" for a cruise. These points can be used to provide OBC, wine, or other amenities. However these points can also be used to provide a higher commission to the TA. The choice is up to the TA.

[Fuzzyape]

You have wasted 7-8 years with that T/A! Try spending a little time finding a better T/A and you'll be on your way to discounts,cc's and more!

 

I have had several TA's in the past that did not give me any discounts or anything else. I dumped them. My TA Now is fantastic. She gives us part of her commission, and takes care of all the details. When she is on our same cruise she often sets up private tours that are always outstanding with no hassles at all. My TA is a Gem and I am always grateful for her.

 

OK, I read through this post...to the OP, does your doctor give you a discount, your dentist? Think of all the business you've given them. My guess is that neither of those people give you a discount or a free bottle of your favorite beverage.

 

Sure you can book it yourself. But what if you have an issue? A problem? How much time will you spend waiting on hold? My vacation time bills 2-3X my regular salary. Why not have a T/A address your problem, which leads me to my next point.

 

Here's why I use a T/A....If I have a problem, I call my T/A and I know it will be taken care of.

 

My T/A has even asked me why I use them, I have given them the same reply. When I'm on vacation, I don't want to have to be on hold for minutes, or more trying to get a problem resolved. Fortunately for me, I've found a T/A who will fix the issue.

 

Thankfully, this same T/A also throws us little gifts of thanks and appreciation.

 

Granted, you can do whatever you wish. But I'm all for having someone in my corner who knows the ropes. Of course that may be because I'm a commission person myself.

 

If my T/A wants to make a few bucks off of me, that's fine. It's like insurance. I know that my T/A will fight tooth and nail for me if it comes to that.

 

Regardless of how you book your trip, I hope the best for you. I hope you never have an issue.

 

Waiting for the next cruise.

[skrodle]

commissions are part of the whole deal...whether buying a house, a car or a cruise. However, as noted in other posts the rate of commission cam be effected by How often the agent or agency books the specific cruise line..their are sales goals or tiers.. More sales volume more commission.

 

Second What category cabin are you booking an inside or a suite. Higher end cabins generate huge profits for the ship and they pay larger commissions because there is more"pie" to share.

 

And third, what is the dollar or price of the cruise . Sailing on cruises under 1000 pp will find little to none bargain power. In fact, the agent booking the cruise may make almost nothing and accepts the booking to generate a higher sales volume in order to earn a higher return on future cruises . However book a $10-20,000 cruise and things are much different.

 

Beware of people who tout getting 12 to 15% off... because that is not real. If they are getting that then the agent is quoting very inflated prices to make the customer feel good. How much should you expect.? In reality about 8to10% off the lowest price. There is no way a cruise line direct booking will do that .

 

So shop for an agent, when I lived in Hawaii, I used an agency in Detroit and Texas. I booked cruises with them for over a 10 year period, always for 2 to6 weeks . What I asked for and got was a very low fare, around 5% under the cheapest advertised price plus an on board credit and a 60/40% commission split. Since that is not allowed, it was done after the cruise was underway and I got a thank you check/ rebate/ in the mail from the agent.

 

Bottom line.....don't bother to get discounts of any degree when sailing the short 7-14 day cruises.

However, when you get to the $7-10K level start demanding not asking. This is business you don't get what you deserve you negotiate for it. If the agent balks...walk.... no different than buying a car... I mean would you walk in and pay full sticker price on a car? I hope not.

There are plenty out there who are savvy business people They know to give is to get in the long run and are willing to look at the long term big picture...

 

I whole heartily disagree with this post.

 

Yes, commissions are part of the price, but you could either be paying that commission to princess, or pay it to your TA.

Your "beware of people who tout 12-15%" is just plain wrong. The TA is not quoting anything that is different from the website. Website shows a $1000 per pax cruise, my TA will generally quote 10-15% below that. She is not giving me any "inflated" price just to make me feel better. My TA is a high volume Princess TA that makes her money by booking LOTS of cruises. By booking lots of cruises she makes more commission and is able to give more back.

 

I also have an upcoming cruise that my TA had group booked on, so she splits the cost of the free room among all of us traveling plus her discount, so thats how she can get upwards of 15% off what I initially booked off the website.

Princess allows TAs to discount cruises, so there is no need for her to "send me a check".

 

And why would you not get a discount on a 7-14 day cruise? I just got off a 4 day cruise that was HIGHLY discounted by Princess in an unadvertised fare, turned it over to my TA and she took off another $50.

 

And to "demand" a discount, thats just plain rude. If I was a TA I would fire a customer that demanded anything.

[paul929207]

I whole heartily disagree with this post.

 

Yes, commissions are part of the price, but you could either be paying that commission to princess, or pay it to your TA.

Your "beware of people who tout 12-15%" is just plain wrong. The TA is not quoting anything that is different from the website. Website shows a $1000 per pax cruise, my TA will generally quote 10-15% below that. She is not giving me any "inflated" price just to make me feel better. My TA is a high volume Princess TA that makes her money by booking LOTS of cruises. By booking lots of cruises she makes more commission and is able to give more back.

 

I also have an upcoming cruise that my TA had group booked on, so she splits the cost of the free room among all of us traveling plus her discount, so thats how she can get upwards of 15% off what I initially booked off the website.

Princess allows TAs to discount cruises, so there is no need for her to "send me a check".

 

And why would you not get a discount on a 7-14 day cruise? I just got off a 4 day cruise that was HIGHLY discounted by Princess in an unadvertised fare, turned it over to my TA and she took off another $50.

 

And to "demand" a discount, thats just plain rude. If I was a TA I would fire a customer that demanded anything.

It is clear that Hawaiidan does not have a clue what he is talking about. Like you, my TA gives me a quote that is 12 to 15 percent below the fare then listed on the Princess website. I don't know or care where he gets is info, but it is WRONG.