Double Check When Booking!

[Lisalk12]

Our last cruise aboard NCL Jade we used a third party agent and had a few "issues" and decided that we would not go that route again. So we booked our next NCL cruise while still on the ship directly though NCL. We called NCL later and upgraded our room to a mini suite. Called NCL another day to get a cabana at GSC. And four weeks after our final payment was made we received notification from the third party agency saying thanks for booking through them! Really!!!! We called NCL and they said they could do nothing about it. It seems that whenever you book with someone else the note stays on your account and you are hooked to them unless you state otherwise when booking. Just a heads up!!! My husband is extremely upset that he booked the cruise, upgraded it and made changes to excursions and we now have to pay someone else!

[EllieinNJ]

Well make sure to ask them for some goodies like in OBC for all the time you saved them.

[zqvol]

Our last cruise aboard NCL Jade we used a third party agent and had a few "issues" and decided that we would not go that route again. So we booked our next NCL cruise while still on the ship directly though NCL. We called NCL later and upgraded our room to a mini suite. Called NCL another day to get a cabana at GSC. And four weeks after our final payment was made we received notification from the third party agency saying thanks for booking through them! Really!!!! We called NCL and they said they could do nothing about it. It seems that whenever you book with someone else the note stays on your account and you are hooked to them unless you state otherwise when booking. Just a heads up!!! My husband is extremely upset that he booked the cruise, upgraded it and made changes to excursions and we now have to pay someone else!

 

You are not paying them anything. NCL is giving them some of NCL's money, but you paid the same thing either way.

[Lisalk12]

You are not paying them anything. NCL is giving them some of NCL's money, but you paid the same thing either way.

 

 

 

We actually have received a bill from the third party for their "fees". My husband is going to call them tomorrow and see about waiving those since he did all their work.

[MandyGirl]

We actually have received a bill from the third party for their "fees". My husband is going to call them tomorrow and see about waiving those since he did all their work.

 

 

Oh wow. I didn't realize any actually charged fee. Usually there is no fee and you are getting additional perks [emoji51]

[Sizzlechest]

We actually have received a bill from the third party for their "fees". My husband is going to call them tomorrow and see about waiving those since he did all their work.

 

Booking through a TA can incur a "processing fee" of approximately $25, which is nonsense and should be waived by any half decent TA. They also may have cancellation fees above and beyond what NCL charges. But I'm shocked at this! Too bad it's against the rules to mention TAs. These people should be avoided!

[nkwoman]

Yes, I always AVOID any TA that charges a 'processing fee'. Some also have "change" fees if you need to make a change, like an upgrade or cancel before final payment. For anyone searching TA's always ask first if there are Processing or Cancellation fees that go above and beyond what NCL does. I'm guessing that because you went through that agency and then booked with NCL they assumed you were continuing with that TA. Perhaps in the future you will need to explicitly tell NCL whether you are going direct through them or with someone else. Your best bet is to stay with NCL and you can always transfer it to a different TA should you find one you want to work with on that cruise.

 

Nancy

[Arzeena]

Our last cruise aboard NCL Jade we used a third party agent and had a few "issues" and decided that we would not go that route again. So we booked our next NCL cruise while still on the ship directly though NCL. We called NCL later and upgraded our room to a mini suite. Called NCL another day to get a cabana at GSC. And four weeks after our final payment was made we received notification from the third party agency saying thanks for booking through them! Really!!!! We called NCL and they said they could do nothing about it. It seems that whenever you book with someone else the note stays on your account and you are hooked to them unless you state otherwise when booking. Just a heads up!!! My husband is extremely upset that he booked the cruise, upgraded it and made changes to excursions and we now have to pay someone else!

 

Confusing but this was what was explained to me by the next cruise person:

When you booked the cruise while on a cruise, you have to specify that you do not want to use your TA that has your current cruise booking. You must specify that you want to own the booking. They will make you sign a form.

If you purchase just the future cruise certificates (open booking) then you own it till you transfer it to a TA (or not).

 

It is not the TA's fault that this was not explained to you by NCL or that you did not know it. The TA did nothing wrong. Some TA's do charge a fee to book, change and cancel, so pick one with care.

 

My thoughts: I don't think the TA is going to give up their fees. If they do, they may reduce /withdraw any OBC or perks given by them. So weigh in any losses that you are prepared to take. It was not their fault at all. You cannot pin it on them. The future cruise person on board should have explained all this to you.

[Lisalk12]

We are not upset at the TA for what happened, just how they handled our last cruise. My husband is Livid with NCL for not explaining any of this or the fact that after he called once and waited 35 minutes for a reply, twice for another 25 minutes and a third time for 20 minutes for them to put him on hold for another 15 minutes for them to say there was nothing they could do because we had paid in full. All of our invoices had his name on them except for the last invoice for a cabana we had reserved had the TA info on it.

[Arzeena]

Many reputable big box and travel club TA's charge $25 per booking. Nothing sleazy about it. It is quite common.

Many online TA's charge cancellation fees and change fees. Their rules. If you don't like that, then don't book with them.

[Arzeena]

We are not upset at the TA for what happened, just how they handled our last cruise. My husband is Livid with NCL for not explaining any of this or the fact that after he called once and waited 35 minutes for a reply, twice for another 25 minutes and a third time for 20 minutes for them to put him on hold for another 15 minutes for them to say there was nothing they could do because we had paid in full. All of our invoices had his name on them except for the last invoice for a cabana we had reserved had the TA info on it.

 

Ok now I understand it better.

[SPB in da RVA]

NEVER use a TA. You can almost always get at the very least the same deal they offer you (if not better) directly through NCL and you do not have to deal with an extra third party when you need to get something done.

 

Unless you are one of those people who do not want to do anything other than make a single call and never have to do anything else, the re really is precious little that a TA can do for you that you cannot match on your own. Actually with a PCC you can even get that level of service.

[Demonyte]

NEVER use a TA. You can almost always get at the very least the same deal they offer you (if not better) directly through NCL and you do not have to deal with an extra third party when you need to get something done.

 

We are still waiting for you to elaborate your claims. Last this was discussed you stated that you can get 20% discounts from NCL directly but never answered how that would be possible to any regular passenger.

 

OTOH, we have always gotten approx 10% discount in OBC and/or as a discount (even more with group bookings) from our very good TA and I have never gotten anything even close to matching from a cruise line (any cruise line, we use the same agent nowadays to book Celebrity) - even when I still has a relationship with a PCC, in fact they encouraged me to transfer my booking to said TA as it would benefit me more.

Edited April 10, 2016 by Demonyte

[Casino Comp Chick]

We are still waiting for you to elaborate your claims. Last this was discussed you stated that you can get 20% discounts from NCL directly but never answered how that would be possible to any regular passenger.

 

 

That's because they are FOS certified.

:rolleyes:

[Arzeena]

NEVER use a TA. You can almost always get at the very least the same deal they offer you (if not better) directly through NCL and you do not have to deal with an extra third party when you need to get something done.

 

Unless you are one of those people who do not want to do anything other than make a single call and never have to do anything else, the re really is precious little that a TA can do for you that you cannot match on your own. Actually with a PCC you can even get that level of service.

 

Actually we have had the opposite experience. The PCC we used in the past has not been great.

The TA's we have booked with have given us good service and excellent OBC and perks....Service has not been outstanding, but pretty good and far better than the PCC we have used. And you cannot beat the OBC and perks that the TA gave us.

We book with different TA's and we also book direct.

Edited April 10, 2016 by Arzeena

[Arzeena]

We are still waiting for you to elaborate your claims. Last this was discussed you stated that you can get 20% discounts from NCL directly but never answered how that would be possible to any regular passenger.

 

OTOH, we have always gotten approx 10% discount in OBC and/or as a discount (even more with group bookings) from our very good TA and I have never gotten anything even close to matching from a cruise line (any cruise line, we use the same agent nowadays to book Celebrity) - even when I still has a relationship with a PCC, in fact they encouraged me to transfer my booking to said TA as it would benefit me more.

 

Interesting!.......20% discount? I hope the poster validates this claim.

 

Agree with you for paragraph 2.

[nkwoman]

I've ALWAYS got a better deal with a TA. Period!

[NayRN]

We are still waiting for you to elaborate your claims. Last this was discussed you stated that you can get 20% discounts from NCL directly but never answered how that would be possible to any regular passenger.

 

OTOH, we have always gotten approx 10% discount in OBC and/or as a discount (even more with group bookings) from our very good TA and I have never gotten anything even close to matching from a cruise line (any cruise line, we use the same agent nowadays to book Celebrity) - even when I still has a relationship with a PCC, in fact they encouraged me to transfer my booking to said TA as it would benefit me more.

 

I agree with you!

 

I once tried booking with a PCC....when I called NCL, that person was never available! I kept that booking for about 4 months before I canceled and went back to my TA. I was able to book the same suite, same cruise, same "listed price" as the NCL website.....but received a better discount, more OBC and (because I'm a good client) Slot credits! Am I a lazy person? Heck no!! I still watch for price drops, better incentives, etc. BUT instead of calling NCL and waiting on hold for someone to do all the work for me, I email my TA at any time, day or night, and she handles all the work for me! ;)

[Casino Comp Chick]

Interesting!.......20% discount? I hope the poster validates this claim.

 

Agree with you for paragraph 2.

 

They have not, despite being asked multiple times to back up that claim.

[Sizzlechest]

I use a "wholesaler" TA and she's incredible. Yes, one time I made a last minute reservation and had to work with a different TA at that agency and she was terrible. If someone happened to get that person as their TA, I could understand how one could be soured on the idea. There's is absolutely no reason not to take advantage of discounts, additional OBC and other money back some TAs offer. I always purchase trip insurance (on my own, not through the TA) so the additional cancellation fees don't matter to me.

 

Lots of businesses that involve competition in pricing things out that are fungible will try to offer little perks to get your business. Car dealerships are the same way. My last vehicle purchase was from a dealer that threw in a free year of oil changes. A lot of dealers also try to sneak in superfluous charges like a "documentation fee," which can be a few hundred dollars. If you know to look for that, you can get it waived (or the final price adjusted to swallow up that meaningless fee.) Same applies with dealing with a TA. If the representative at your agency won't waive their silly surcharge, hang up and talk to another rep.

[punkincc]

We actually have received a bill from the third party for their "fees". My husband is going to call them tomorrow and see about waiving those since he did all their work.

 

Actually, it sounds like NCL did all the work as they gave you the sales pitch and processed the booking, not the TA. I'd be asking the TA what kind of perks you are getting from them for this booking that they did not lift a finger for.

 

NCL Cruise Consultants need to change their procedures when it comes to on board bookings. Your booking should never go to the last agent on record by default. They need to specifically ask the question, "do you wish this booking to be transferred to ........TA? If the answer is no, then the proper form can be signed.

 

I'm sure NCL started this transfer business as a courtesy to customers who use TAs in order to make onboard bookings easier for them. You don't have to go home and initiate a transfer yourself. But they should never assume. And when in the midst of a booking sales pitch, I'm sure most people never give any thought to a TA they may not have used for two or three years, have no idea the booking will default to a TA and if NCL does not ask, the subject will never come up.

 

I'd write a letter to someone at NCL suggesting that they must ASK before they do these transfers.

[Demonyte]

NCL Cruise Consultants need to change their procedures when it comes to on board bookings. Your booking should never go to the last agent on record by default.

 

This is standard procedure also on other cruise lines, imagine the outrage from TAs if cruise lines started to steal their customers by default.

 

Also, it's not the last agent on record, it's the agent that owns the booking of the cruise passenger is on.

Edited April 10, 2016 by Demonyte

[punkincc]

This is standard procedure also on other cruise lines, imagine the outrage from TAs if cruise lines started to steal their customers by default.

 

Also, it's not the last agent on record, it's the agent that owns the booking of the cruise passenger is on.

 

I don't see any problem with NCL offering this service, but it's a big stretch to assume you are happy with the TA who made the booking ( just ask the OP ) and want the current booking transferred to them. It should not be by default either way. Most people are going to assume that if the subject of a transfer to a TA never comes up, then there will be no TA involvement. Believe it or not, there are probably many people who do not have a clue that these onboard bookings get transferred by default.

 

Is it too much to ask that NCL simply says, "I see your current cruise was booked with xxx at xxxx agency. Would you like the new booking transferred to them?" A yes or no needs to be documented for every one of these onboard bookings. IMO, if they don't ask and get your consent, it's no different than a TA stealing NCL's booking without your consent.

Edited April 10, 2016 by punkincc

[Arzeena]

also, it's not the last agent on record, it's the agent that owns the booking of the cruise passenger is on.

 

correct!

[gwsster]

I am glad you posted this information. We generally book with NCL directly, but have used TA's too. This was great information to be aware of for future bookings.

 

We are not upset at the TA for what happened, just how they handled our last cruise. My husband is Livid with NCL for not explaining any of this or the fact that after he called once and waited 35 minutes for a reply, twice for another 25 minutes and a third time for 20 minutes for them to put him on hold for another 15 minutes for them to say there was nothing they could do because we had paid in full. All of our invoices had his name on them except for the last invoice for a cabana we had reserved had the TA info on it.