HAL Booking vs TA

[saltshell]

What if any are the benefits of booking with HAL agent rather than travel agency?

[Randyk47]

What if any are the benefits of booking with HAL agent rather than travel agency?

 

To me there's no advantage. Since I deal with a TA who throws in discounts and other incentives I consider dealing directly with any cruise line a disadvantage as they can't match my TA's incentives. I realize some here have very good HAL agents (aka Personal Cruise Consultants or PCCs) and have established a good working arrangements with them and there's certainly nothing wrong with that. I also know that some feel they can "manage" their booking better by dealing directly with HAL and that's also fine. Personally we research and plan our own cruises, flights, hotels, and transfers so in that sense we "manage" our own travel. All I need a TA to do is book the cruise and if they, like mine, throw in a significant incentive then all the better.

[Hlitner]

The benefit is that if you enjoy paying more money.....book with HAL :). Many here will disagree, but it is a fact. If you push the issue with your PCC (HAL's Personal Cruise Counselor) you will usually be told something like: "you can book with me (HAL) and then I will be happy to transfer your booking to any cruise/travel agency" where you can get better amenities (like on board credits) or a lower price. Of course that begs the question, why bother booking directly with HAL in the first place? We would also suggest that transferring a booking is not quite the same as doing the actual booking with certain agencies. When you choose an agency to do an initial booking, you have more leverage then with a transfer. And "leverage" can often result in even great savings or extras.

 

On long more expensive cruises the overall cost differential, between HAL and their authorized agencies, can be quite striking. On one particular cruise we saved approximately $3000 by using an agency (versus HAL). In most cases it is possible to save 7-10% by shopping around among reputable agencies.

 

Sometimes the differences can become even more staggering. We have a 24 day HAL cruise booked which cost us $4672 (total cost for 2) for a well-located veranda cabin plus we received $450 OBC. That same category cabin booked on HAL's web site would cost more then $11,000 without the OBC. Go figure.

 

Hank

Edited June 9, 2016 by Hlitner

[blizzardboy]

What if any are the benefits of booking with HAL agent rather than travel agency?

 

I've developed a great relationship with my HAL PCC. He's extremely knowledgeable and answers emails and the phone promptly. He often calls me before cruises are available to the public so I book early with him and re-fare as promos come out and if it makes sense to do so. He would make more money on his bonus if I left the booking with HAL, but he knows I'm going to get 9-10% in OBC , price reduction, or a combination from the TA. The PCCs still make a buck on the business they book, even if transferred to a TA, as long as you go on the cruise. TAs have about 15% of your fare to work with so you should get extra goodies!

Edited June 9, 2016 by blizzardboy

[Cruising-along]

The benefit is that if you enjoy paying more money.....book with HAL :). Many here will disagree, but it is a fact. If you push the issue with your PCC (HAL's Personal Cruise Counselor) you will usually be told something like: "you can book with me (HAL) and then I will be happy to transfer your booking to any cruise/travel agency" where you can get better amenities (like on board credits) or a lower price. Of course that begs the question, why bother booking directly with HAL in the first place? We would also suggest that transferring a booking is not quite the same as doing the actual booking with certain agencies. When you choose an agency to do an initial booking, you have more leverage then with a transfer. And "leverage" can often result in even great savings or extras.

 

On long more expensive cruises the overall cost differential, between HAL and their authorized agencies, can be quite striking. On one particular cruise we saved approximately $3000 by using an agency (versus HAL). In most cases it is possible to save 7-10% by shopping around among reputable agencies.

 

Sometimes the differences can become even more staggering. We have a 24 day HAL cruise booked which cost us $4672 (total cost for 2) for a well-located veranda cabin plus we received $450 OBC. That same category cabin booked on HAL's web site would cost more then $11,000 without the OBC. Go figure.

 

Hank

 

More leverage, how so? We have done both, booked with a big box TA initially, and transferred from our PCC to same TA before final payment. I have seen NO difference in leverage. :confused:

 

We like to book with our PCC initially because she definitely gives us more personal attention. However, the lure of more OBC has convinced us that it's a good idea to transfer before final payment. It has worked out well for us, and our PCC still gets credit for the booking. It took us awhile, though, to find a TA we're happy with (meaning no nickel and diming every time we asked for a price drop etc.)

 

For our Celebrity cruises we haven't built up a relationship with one of their agents, so we've booked directly with the TA and have seen no difference in leverage between doing that or transferring later.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have been fortunate to have had a great TA for over 25 years.

Like the extra perks we get from her.

Also -- HAL will not give us the $300 shipboard credit from American Express Platinum.

[3rdGenCunarder]

To me there's no advantage. Since I deal with a TA who throws in discounts and other incentives I consider dealing directly with any cruise line a disadvantage as they can't match my TA's incentives. I realize some here have very good HAL agents (aka Personal Cruise Consultants or PCCs) and have established a good working arrangements with them and there's certainly nothing wrong with that. I also know that some feel they can "manage" their booking better by dealing directly with HAL and that's also fine. Personally we research and plan our own cruises, flights, hotels, and transfers so in that sense we "manage" our own travel. All I need a TA to do is book the cruise and if they, like mine, throw in a significant incentive then all the better.

 

That's exactly our situation. I do my research and then contact my TA with the cruise(s) I'm thinking of and I ask "what do you have?" So far she has managed to beat HAL's price and/or throw in some OBC.

 

I think one advantage of booking through HAL is that upsell offers go directly to you, rather than via the TA. So there's a better chance of grabbing an upsell before someone else does. We choose the cabin we want and say do not upgrade, so that isn't an advantage for us.

[RocketMan275]

Since I get 10-12% discounts while using a TA, I see few reasons to even consider booking directly with Holland. That said: I did book a cruise on-board our last Holland cruise which I then transferred to a TA for a 10% discount. The advantage I noticed was the on-board consultant could book cabins that were not available through the website.

[Mary Ellen]

For me the only advantage to booking directly with HAL is online access to their air program. This is one area where HAL really sucks. I get around that by booking directly, getting our air set up, and then transferring to our TA. Like 3rdGenCunarder, our reservations are marked 'do not upgrade' as we book the cabin we want in the first place.

[dockman]

It was back around the late 1990's that travel agents got a minimium 10% commission on air tickets sold.....larger agencies also got override commissions of another 5 to 10%. This was a huge part of any agency's profit. Airlines bragged over and over about how important travel agents were and how they were all "partners in travel"

 

In a quest for more customers many agencies started REBATING part of their commissions to get or retain customers.

 

Part of the airline attitude was if you are rebating half or more of your commission then obviously we are paying you TOO MUCH.

 

The airlines of course knew this and ultimately reduced travel agent commissions to ZERO forcing agents to charge customers EXTRA if they wanted to buy via an agency.

 

 

Now the same type behavior is happening with many agents rebating a big chunk of the cruise commission in form of OBC or other perks.

 

Just a matter of time until the cruise lines will cut agent commissions as that is a very large expense item. Even easier for cruise lines than airlines as technology is much better now than 15-20 years ago. Eventually you will be able to go online and look at ANY cabin on any ship in HD video and have a virtual guide to answer any and all questions. As cruise passengers become younger and more tech savy the direct bookings will greatly increase.

 

The cruise lines have massive data bases of customers email which makes direct marketing very cost effective. The cruise line can offer upgrades and amenities that cost them little or no hard dollars. It will be very very difficult for travel agents to compete for these bookings.

 

There are of course some excellent travel agents who provide better service than an online agency. But as the consumers ultimately demand more and more of the agents commissions be rebated there is little doubt that many agents ultimately are cutting their own throats.

[mef_57]

Besides the financial reasons included, I used a TA this cruise as I wanted a more unbiased opinion on what cruise line to consider to suit my needs and expectations. I have cruised before and each time was with a different method. Years ago it was a store front TA. Next were group cruises so someone else handled the ship part. Alaska cruise was an online Alaska cruise TA as they offered OBC but they were busy and if I didn't call her with the fare reductions, we never would have received them.

I asked friends who cruise to recommend their 'cruise specialist' TA. I met with her do discuss her recommendations. This is a solo cruise for R & R and it mattered to me that I had the right ship for it. Her experience of cruising and selling numerous lines was helpful.

Also, as her company holds the Canadian HAL sales arrangement, it meant she had access to rooms at Cdn $ in their 'block' for us to consider, offered Aeroplan miles as well as OBC.

Given the current discrepency in currency value, I am finding better or comparable deals with them or my CAA (auto club) than on US on line TAs or HAL itself.

[DaveOKC]

That's exactly our situation. I do my research and then contact my TA with the cruise(s) I'm thinking of and I ask "what do you have?" So far she has managed to beat HAL's price and/or throw in some OBC.

 

I think one advantage of booking through HAL is that upsell offers go directly to you, rather than via the TA. So there's a better chance of grabbing an upsell before someone else does. We choose the cabin we want and say do not upgrade, so that isn't an advantage for us.

 

I also use a HAL PCC for the upsells. I get the email offers directly and can react to them quickly and get the better cabin selection as well.

 

I alert my HAL PCC about 4 weeks prior to sailing to watch out for upsells on my cruise. Sometimes he is able to get access to upsells even before the email goes out to everyone. In this case I was able to get a cabin right opposite the Neptune Lounge - my favorite location after the aft-wraps.

 

My HAL PCC seems to be able to get me better responses when things go astray (it happens on all lines of course). I have been very happy with some of the compensations that he has gotten me, far more than any TA ever did.

 

Further, when HAL comes up with a new promotion, he quickly checks it out for me and figures out if it is a good deal vs my current deal or not. If there is any question on it, he can quickly access the right people at HAL and find out.

 

The answer to your question is somewhat complex. For some people and for certain situations a TA is the better deal. For others, booking with HAL is the best option.

[Hlitner]

More leverage, how so? We have done both, booked with a big box TA initially, and transferred from our PCC to same TA before final payment. I have seen NO difference in leverage. :confused:

 

We like to book with our PCC initially because she definitely gives us more personal attention. However, the lure of more OBC has convinced us that it's a good idea to transfer before final payment. It has worked out well for us, and our PCC still gets credit for the booking. It took us awhile, though, to find a TA we're happy with (meaning no nickel and diming every time we asked for a price drop etc.)

 

For our Celebrity cruises we haven't built up a relationship with one of their agents, so we've booked directly with the TA and have seen no difference in leverage between doing that or transferring later.

 

"Leverage" is a great word in deal making :). We currently utilize 3 different cruise agencies for our bookings (we have 2 others we also sometimes use) and simply give our business to whoever can give us the best overall deal. So, lets say I transfer a booking from HAL to agency "X." The agency may or may not give me their best deal. Once I transfer the booking they know they "have me" and I am not going to threaten to re-transfer to another agency. But say I call Agency "X" and say, "we are going to book the HAL Grand Med voyage, and I am pricing out deals with my 3 favorite agencies (of which you are one). Whoever gives me the best offer will get the booking by tomorrow!"

 

So now Agency X (who knows we are for real and will indeed make the booking) has to essentially blind bid against 2 (sometimes more) other agencies. That is "leverage." We never threaten, are always very polite and friendly, but the booking goes to whoever does offer us the best overall deal. And on the longer more expensive voyages, the payoff can be substantial! One agent says she "loves me" because we are very brief, do not take up much of her time, do not bother her with 50 questions, and send a lot of business her way. She also tells me the customers that drive her nutz are the ones who book multiple cruises and later cancel all or all but one. This requires a lot of work with little payoff for the agency. We have only canceled two bookings in over 100 cruises.

 

I should add the agencies we use know that we do not play games....and if we call we are serious. We usually know exactly what we want and do not require or seek any "hand holding" or "personal attention" beyond just quickly handling our requests. In some cases, I will actually get the best deal by simply doing an online booking (one agency we use prefers this since it saves them staff time). If an agency is not responsive, then we politely say "goodbye." There are also times when we cannot get a decent deal (the Voyage of the Vikings would be one such situation)...in which case we often book a different cruise....often with a different cruise line.

 

Hank

Edited June 9, 2016 by Hlitner

[kazu]

To me there's no advantage. Since I deal with a TA who throws in discounts and other incentives I consider dealing directly with any cruise line a disadvantage as they can't match my TA's incentives. I realize some here have very good HAL agents (aka Personal Cruise Consultants or PCCs) and have established a good working arrangements with them and there's certainly nothing wrong with that. I also know that some feel they can "manage" their booking better by dealing directly with HAL and that's also fine. Personally we research and plan our own cruises, flights, hotels, and transfers so in that sense we "manage" our own travel. All I need a TA to do is book the cruise and if they, like mine, throw in a significant incentive then all the better.

 

++!. Exactly :)

 

That's exactly our situation. I do my research and then contact my TA with the cruise(s) I'm thinking of and I ask "what do you have?" So far she has managed to beat HAL's price and/or throw in some OBC.

 

I think one advantage of booking through HAL is that upsell offers go directly to you, rather than via the TA. So there's a better chance of grabbing an upsell before someone else does. We choose the cabin we want and say do not upgrade, so that isn't an advantage for us.

 

We do use upsells a lot and don't book directly with HAL - but with a TA. We have been successful too many times ;). It's not hard to tell them what you are willing to pay in advance. I think it very much depends upon the TA though.

 

Like Randy, I don't need my hand held, do our own planning and will happily take the discount/obc for my cruise that I wouldn't get from booking with HAL.

[just_cruising_along]

We have done it both ways with great success.

 

However, I prefer to use our TA, who is excellent.

 

Not only do we get immediate responses to emails or calls, great service, and a variety of perks thrown on top -- OBC, dinners, and other gifts -- our TA is very proactive. If a fare has dropped (prior to final booking), he contacts us and rebooks the fare.

 

I have also been able to tell him exact flights, hotels and transportation and he finds us the best rates, whether using HAL or not.

[Windsailer]

I really prefer booking with a TA. I found an online TA years ago and have used her ever since. She always offers me a great prince (and I check with HAL and other agencies beforehand to see what their prices are), I get OBC and she's someone who will go to bat with HAL and other cruise lines if there is a problem.

 

Several years ago NCL repositioned their ships and my cruise - instead of going through the Med - was coming back to the Caribbean. NCL's phone lines were packed for days - but she was able to transfer the cruise to another date, at the same price (way below what that particular cruise was going for), let me keep my perks and get a terrific cabin. I wouldn't have gotten that if I booked directly with NCL.

 

And she has no problem with re-faring cruises when the prices drop. And is very, very quick to forward the upsell offers to me.

Edited June 10, 2016 by Windsailer

[kalliekae]

Obviously, we are in the minority here. On our first two cruises, we booked with a TA and had negative experiences. From then on, we have booked thru the same HAL PCC that we've had since 2000. She has contacted me three times in the last month with future cruises that we are interested in and we appreciate her diligence. We don't get much OBC, but that doesn't bother us. We like being able to call our PCC directly with any questions instead of going thru a TA who may or may not call us back and who may or may not call HAL. I always see people on here rave about their TA's, but I have honestly never found a good one. When we book our RCI cruises, we also call Royal directly or book on-line.

[RocketMan275]

"Leverage" is a great word in deal making :). We currently utilize 3 different cruise agencies for our bookings (we have 2 others we also sometimes use) and simply give our business to whoever can give us the best overall deal. So, lets say I transfer a booking from HAL to agency "X." The agency may or may not give me their best deal. Once I transfer the booking they know they "have me" and I am not going to threaten to re-transfer to another agency. But say I call Agency "X" and say, "we are going to book the HAL Grand Med voyage, and I am pricing out deals with my 3 favorite agencies (of which you are one). Whoever gives me the best offer will get the booking by tomorrow!"

 

 

Hank

 

So why not book with HAL and then contact your 3 agencies telling them you have a cruise booked you would like to transfer. Tell them you're contacting several agencies to find the best deal. Wouldn't that also provide leverage?

[SetAnOpenCourse]

The one time I used our HAL PCC is the one cruise we got an unacceptable cabin, with a known noise issue (water or steam pipes clacking loudly, especially at night). It would have been nice if the PCC had been able to uncover that. I'm trying a TA now (although the cruise is not with HAL :o).

[Lovely other]

We book directly online with HAL as there are no benefits in using a TA in the UK. The price is usually the same or higher with a TA and as the system works differently in the UK there is no options to get a good deal ...the US far beats the UK when it comes to service and sales of products ...I think Brits are afraid to negotiate, although this doesn't stop my hubby from trying :rolleyes: