Three for Free and booking with a TA - discounts

[Native Floridian 26]

Has anyone booked through a TA and received discounted pricing better than Princess . com and also gotten the 3 for free? I received some quotes that were good, but when I ask about the promos they say the reduced pricing does not include the 3 for free. The free tips in the 3 for free is worth about $350 for us so that generally beats the discounts the TAs give.

Edited September 21, 2015 by tzais01

[WatchHill]

Yes, in fact, I just booked [two hours ago] a Panama Canal cruise on the Coral for October 2016 and got the promo along with an agency perk. DH is contacting friends in Fl who want to do the same cruise and suggesting they look beyond Princess to book the trip with us.

 

Darcy

[bulldog on water]

I got 3 for free plus casino discount plus gifts/obc's for my 2017 14 day cruise from my TA.

[lovevacadays]

A high volume Princess TA will discount your cruise and give you the promo. I can't mention TA's but if you google high volume Princess travel agents I bet a TA will pop up.

[Pam in CA]

Has anyone booked through a TA and received discounted pricing better than Princess . com and also gotten the 3 for free? I received some quotes that were good, but when I ask about the promos they say the reduced pricing does not include the 3 for free. The free tips in the 3 for free is worth about $350 for us so that generally beats the discounts the TAs give.

The 3-for-Free has nothing to do with a TA's discount. I have the promo on two cruises and I'm saving quite a bit off the Princess.com fare, not including the 3-for-Free savings. Depending on the cruise, when it is, length, itinerary, etc. you can save 10-20% off the direct Princess rate.

[Colo Cruiser]

I agree the TA discount is separate.

[Retiring cajun]

I need to find theses TA's!!

[caribill]

As others have posted, there is no reason a discount TA can't give a discount and include the Princess 3/1 promotion on the booking.

 

However, maybe a TA reading this thread can post whether or not a promotion such as this affects the amount of their commission.

[whatcruiseisnext]

We received a great rate that was much lower than Princess as well as the 3 for free promo from our TA.

[MCC retired]

Any TA is permitted to discount any rate available from Princess ,but will they?

If TA is only offering what is available from Princess ,show that you are a shopper and they should change their tune. Otherwise move on .

[OCruisers]

No problem booking with your TA and getting the 3 for Free plus whatever else your TA does for you. :)

 

LuLu

[MCC retired]

Just surfing the internet looking at TA prices won't do it as TA's are not permitted to advertise lower prices than currently offered by Princess .

You must contact a TA for a quote of their deal (OBC and/or lower rate).

Be sure the TA is a Cruise Specialist and not just a Order Taker.

[OCruisers]

However, maybe a TA reading this thread can post whether or not a promotion such as this affects the amount of their commission.

 

Not a TA but do know that a TA is paid the commission on the actual price of the cruise only. They get no commission on the gratuities we pay nor on port taxes, shore excursions, etc.

 

LuLu

[pcur]

We got it, and AFTER we had already booked. The 3FF offer was added to our existing reservation, plus we kept the generous obc the TA offered.

 

Search on the big box store's travel. When you find your cruise, call them to book. They have to call Princess to finalize the promo and do the booking.

[Andy]

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[ladyaero]

I had booked an interior for Alaska for next year through a TA the week before the 3 for free deal. I was able to then switch to an obstructed view, get the TA discount, get the 3 for free and it actually bumped me into a higher on board credit category. I ended up saving about $180 (not even counting the specialty dining) & got a window to boot.

[pcur]

I had booked an interior for Alaska for next year through a TA the week before the 3 for free deal. I was able to then switch to an obstructed view, get the TA discount, get the 3 for free and it actually bumped me into a higher on board credit category. I ended up saving about $180 (not even counting the specialty dining) & got a window to boot.

 

That's exactly what happened to us, too. We went from an obstructed view cabin to the same category, but mid-ship, and saved almost $400.

 

I then saw a great cabin was available a few days ago. It's a (non-obstructed) obstructed view cabin that is smack in the middle of Deck 8. I checked the view on the web site that shows photos of all the Princess obstructed cabin windows, and it's got nothing in front of it; just below. That cost an additional $300, but we kept the 3FF promo, and our obc went up a little again.

Edited September 23, 2015 by pcur

[Native Floridian 26]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I did end up booking under Princess for Oct. 2016 Transatlantic and Mediterranean. Then yesterday had the reservation switch to a TA who is discounting a good amount, and keeping the 3 for Free. Hopefully it'll be an easy process should I want to change, cancel or refare the the cruise.

[Steelers36]

Not a TA but do know that a TA is paid the commission on the actual price of the cruise only. They get no commission on the gratuities we pay nor on port taxes, shore excursions, etc.

 

LuLu

 

True, and I thought I would expand on this a bit for those who may not know or realize. Online, whether at Princess.com or an agency, you see the Cruise Fare + separate "Taxes, Fees and Port Expenses" amount which varies for each cruise and the ports in play.

 

However, the Cruise Fare is broken into commission and non-commission portion as well for TA's. From what I have seen, calculate flat $25/day/pp non-commission for your cruise and then subtract that from the quoted cruise fare. The net is what the TA gets commission on, so on some lower fares, there is not much wriggle room.

 

In case this is not a system-wide figure, it applies at least to Caribbean sailings.