What Does a TA Really Do?

[caribill]

 

Can someone tell me what I'm missing and what great benefit a TA provides?

 

I know people are going to say they are great, you just got a bad one, but we did research them before booking, and they were high rated. I'm just missing where the value is.

 

What you are missing is a great TA. (and you knew I would say that)

 

Sometimes even a TA others liked is not a good one for you. As you have now realized, being charged a booking fee for a cruise is not the sign of a great (or good) TA.

 

One value of a great TA is that if there is a problem with the cruise line, the TA will go to bat for you and get it resolved.

[Flatbush Flyer]

We'll when you contact them having never used one before, and they say there is a fee for service, you pay it. I know many charge a fee now. So the fee isn't bad if they actually provided something for it, but that is not what I'm seeing. Were we just conned?

 

 

You pay it? No you don't. You hang up the phone and do some real research to find one. There are many posts on CC regarding how to find a top TA (and I'm not talking about a big box store or auto club). One suggestion (of many) is to look for folks who have won awards from resources like Conde Nast Traveler and/or who quoted in articles on cruising in travel news sections of the NY Times, SF Chronicle, et al.

Do some interviewing of potential TAs. If you really put an effort into the search, you will find a cruise specialist who will know how to get special inventive funds from a cruise line and pass some of that on to you. That same TA will take care of price matches/drops, problems etc. with a phone call

One caveat however: even the best TA can slack off occasionally or take a long time customer for granted when they're swamped. So, always do a bit of comparison shopping just to keep your TA sharp.

Edited July 8, 2016 by Flatbush Flyer

[Krazy Kruizers]

Your TA charged a fee for just stopping by and talking to them?? We have never paid a fee.

We have been fortunate to have found a good TA over 25 years ago. And she belongs to a large agency -- not some small company in a mall.

She knows what we like in cruises and keeps her eye out for deals. I basically do all the research and give her a buzz when I find something. Then she does the booking, arranges for the table and dining time we want, fills out the medical forms for items that I need on the ship, makes arrangements for wheelchair assistance for me for embarkation day and disembarkation day, sends in the fax for the Carnival Corporation shipboard credit, AMEX shipboard credit, etc.

Her agency does not charge a fee if we have to cancel a cruise which has had a few times in recent years.

Love the perks we get -- big shipboard credit, a couple of bottles of the wines we like, etc.

[Bonnie J.]

The TA we used to use ONLY did cruises, nothing else. She had been on many ships and knew what she was talking about. That's the TA you need, not one who plans other vacations, flights home to see mom, etc.

This one was with a cruise company site then opened her own agency again only booking cruises, nothing else. Sorry, can't give you her name but try a big on line cruises only company.

[Hlitner]

We would emphasize that we do not use a TA. in the truest sense of the word. We use Cruise Agencies, that employ agents (whether they are a TA or not is questionable). We only use very reputable Cruise Agencies, shop around among at least 4 for every cruise booking (this takes less then 30 min...mostly online, and then compare their overall offering to what is available from the cruise line. Bottom line is that we can always save 7-10% by NOT using the cruise line. Keep in mind that our bookings are for longer cruises (usually 14-60 days). A huge problem with dealing directly with a cruise line is that you are only dealing with a single cruise line....which really limits your options. With cruise agencies we have the entire world of cruise companies open to us....and we have cruised on 14 different lines over the years. By dealing with many lines we are never bored, have managed to cruise to hundreds of ports on 6 Continents, and can take advantage of the best cost/benefit deals.

 

We think that the day of the traditional Travel Agent/Agency is over! Most travel agencies survived on airline bookings and the commissions. But some of the best airlines (i.e. Southwest, Jet Blue, etc) do not deal with TAs or pay commissions. It is now an online world....and those that do not understand how to shop around on the internet are generally losing out on the best deals. In fact, these days without the internet it is almost impossible to even know all your options.

 

Hank

[calliopecruiser]

A bad travel agent is worse than none at all, but a good travel agent can be very helpful.

 

Actually, if there are no problems, most travel agents don't offer you anything other than you could do yourself, but if there is a problem, the travel agent can help you sort things out (whether it is about a substandard product or a change in plans). Fortunately I have not needed an agent for that aspect. But I do like the OBC credit they provide ;)

 

Additionally, some people don't like to research and plan -- they want to tell someone what they want, and have it arranged for them (and, as has been pointed out, usually at no direct cost to them). Personally, I actually like the planning stage, so the first time I used a travel agent was for my first Crystal cruise (as there was no option for direct booking).

[Bases5]

That's easy...you used the wrong TA. Never pay $$ upfront to a TA.

You'll always have to send your payments to the TA rather than Princess. The honest ones immediately send the payment to Princess and your credit card will show the payment to Princess, not the TA.

A good TA will give you something for your business. The one we use most often gives us OBC AND a discount on the fare, sometimes a bottle of wine or other goodies. Some have reported a specialty dinner being thrown in or gratuities being paid by the TA.

 

We almost always book directly with Princess to make sure we get the cabin we want and then contact a variety of TAs to see what they will give us in the way of discount, OBC, etc.

 

Finally, yes...you can fire the TA. Call Princess and they'll tell you what to do.

 

This

We do this with all cruise lines. We book and transfer.

We have about 3 TA we use. it's which ever one give's us the most.

Also there are no fee's at all other than the cruise line's (cancel)

[Taylor D]

We have not used a Travel Agent in 25 years so when we decided to go to Europe for the first time (we are leaving in two weeks) I decided to find a travel agent so if something went wrong they would be accountable to fix it. I love doing research for our trips so I took the info and went over it all with the Agent and she put together a nice trip. We never paid any fee and just picked up our travel docs yesterday so hoping everything goes good.

[iancal]

We travel frequently and seldom use a TA.

 

We do use a TA for cruises. But only to book or re-price. Why do we use her.

Simple, she gives us an 8-12 percent rebate on the cruise fare in the form of OBC's. And if she has a group on ship we will sometimes get another incentive in the form of a small upgrade, free shore excursion, etc. So for every 10 cruises we take, we essentially get a free one. For us, these are good reasons.

 

The secondary reason is that once in a while our TA tells us about a great offer on another ship/cruise line that might be more attractive to us than the one we were about to book. Plus, we get to hear feedback on various ships/cruise lines that she obtains from her customers and her colleagues.

 

We do not think that we would get any of this by booking direct with a cruise line.

Edited July 8, 2016 by iancal

[TC1957]

I would imagine, like most businesses, what you get from a TA will depend on how much you are spending with them...both in total and for that particular vacation. Someone booking an inside cabin on a one week (or shorter) cruise is going to be "rewarded" by the TA less than someone staying in an Owners Suite while on a 15 day cruise.

 

Other than the convenience of having one person book things for you (not having to mess with it), I am hoping the TA we are using for this cruise has to do absolutely nothing...because after everything is book, they should only be involved if there is a problem.

[Krozulo]

What is the advantage to booking with Princess and transferring to a TA, versus just booking with the TA?

[geoherb]

What is the advantage to booking with Princess and transferring to a TA, versus just booking with the TA?

Sometimes we've done it to lock in a specific fare when looking at cruises when the TA isn't open. I found out, however, that you can't transfer a booking to a TA after the final payment date. In that case, we were glad we had booked over the weekend because the price went up.

 

I wouldn't use a TA that charges any fees to book a cruise. The charges to your credit card should always be from the cruise line. TAs get paid a commission from the cruise lines. For our upcoming cruise, we're saving 21 percent off the cruise line's price. We're in a cheap cabin, so it's not that great a savings--but enough to pay our gratuities and cover a good portion of our bar bill.

[pris993]

We've always booked our cruises directly with the cruise line, but we read here how great Travel Agents are, so we booked our current cruise with one.

 

So it started with paying them a $95 fee. O.K. Next we explained to them what we were looking for and they send us these paragraph summaries from their software reservation system. After a few back-and-forths we find what we want, but the process was certainly no easier than if we just looked ourselves on the web site. We could have found the same cruise for the same price in half the time.

 

So after we paid a deposit they sent us info on their third-party travel insurance. It was about 50% of the price of the Princess travel insurance so we got it. Good. Then we come to find out the travel agent incorrectly purchased the insurance for 1/2 the value of our cruise and if we wanted it for the real value, we'd have to pay more. No apologies, nothing.

 

Now we have to make final payment so we call Princess, and they can't take the money, we have to call the travel agent. Just yet another aggravation of using a travel agent.

 

Can someone tell me what I'm missing and what great benefit a TA provides? Are they for people that don't know how to use the Internet? Was I supposed to get some discount somewhere to make up for their $95 charges? I haven't made the final payment yet, can I have Princess rebook this without the travel agent?

 

I know people are going to say they are great, you just got a bad one, but we did research them before booking, and they were high rated. I'm just missing where the value is.

 

 

We used various TA for a number of years... years ago, they often gave nice obc, not so much any more... years ago they did not charge fees to book or cancel, now they do. Been cruising for 30+ years, I can do it all myself just easy... and prefer to do so. I book my own cruise direct with the cruise lien, same air and travel insurance and hotels... then I control everything... works the best for me. Dont' need a ta at all.

[dd likes to cruise]

For those of you that do use a TA - are you actually working with a local person that you sit down and talk to? Or is it one of the on-line cruise consultant type companies? I've booked with 2 different on-line (talk to them on the phone) companies and also booked directly with cruise line also. Still trying to navigate the whole process. New cruiser, been on 3 since Dec, but have 6 others booked at present.

 

Dori

[buggins0402]

For those of you that do use a TA - are you actually working with a local person that you sit down and talk to? Or is it one of the on-line cruise consultant type companies? I've booked with 2 different on-line (talk to them on the phone) companies and also booked directly with cruise line also. Still trying to navigate the whole process. New cruiser, been on 3 since Dec, but have 6 others booked at present.

 

Dori

 

Mine is a cross between both. It's a small boutique firm with three agents, in another state, across the country. But, they are specialists for the cruise line we sail.

 

If the cruise line does a general widespread price reduction across a number of cruises, she's right on it, if our booking is on one of the affected cruises. We get very similar pricing as offered by the cruise line to start...but, we are batting 1000 in ending up in a significantly upgraded cabin.

[LHT28]

Was this a real TA or some big discount online agency ?

Most real TA's have had some training the others are just order takers for some booking company

 

If they say you need to pay a fee ask what the fee is for & what service you get for this fee?

 

If you have a local TA then go in & talk to them ...get all you questions answered ..if they cannot answer your questions satisfactorily then walk away

 

Ask lots of questions before booking

 

If you are just looking for the best deal with lots of perks go with a big online discounter but when things go pear shaped do not expect any help

Edited July 9, 2016 by LHT28

[Flatbush Flyer]

For those of you that do use a TA - are you actually working with a local person that you sit down and talk to? Or is it one of the on-line cruise consultant type companies? I've booked with 2 different on-line (talk to them on the phone) companies and also booked directly with cruise line also. Still trying to navigate the whole process. New cruiser, been on 3 since Dec, but have 6 others booked at present.

 

 

 

Dori

 

 

A really important consideration is WHO you are talking to more so than how you're in contact with them.

 

Quite a few agencies, including several with a very large online presence are franchise (or independent contractor) type operations made up primarily of single individuals working from home. Like any franchise operation, how well trained they are, as well as what other related knowledge and experience they may possess translates to quality of service to you. IMO, unless I knew (and felt comfortable with) the true level of their expertise, I would never entrust thousands of dollars to someone who could literally "go out of business" tomorrow morning.

 

By contrast, there are "brick and mortar" agencies that are "stand alone" (with or without a web presence) and may have multiple locations. Some of the "brick and mortar" agencies may also belong to one or more "alliances" that provide them with access to consolidated services including a larger web presence (sort of an independent mini-franchisee).

 

And then there are probably all sorts of other arrangements that mix organizational styles and procedures. At the bottom line, however, you want the certified, experienced, highly recommended (and often awarded/recognized) agent who is a top producer for the cruise line(s) you are considering. (This is so important since their purchasing power gets them access and incentives that can translate to great service and value to you).

 

How do you find him/her?

 

Take recommendations from fellow cruisers (or your aunt Sally) with a "grain of salt" for all the obvious reasons. Look for TAs who have won "best of..." recognition from travel resources like Conde Nast Traveler. Ask if they are members of "preferred partner" clubs like Oceania's connoisseurs' club. Check out those who are often quoted in the travel sections of major metro newspapers (e.g., NY Times, SF Chronicle). If your college alumni association does group travel, find out who they use. Common sense will add many other ways to do this research. Interview everyone on your short list and see how they interview you. Also, remember that it takes time to trust someone. Withhold any decision about "my trusted TA" until after multiple bookings over time.

 

Finally, note that many of the very best TAs won't usually do bargain lines line Carnival - just too little commission for them - unless perhaps it's a large group.

 

Right now our primary TA is the manager of a brick and mortar agency with alliance membership and a large web presence. He is a top producer for our preferred line and his value is the ability to get quick action on price matches/drops and provide decent OBC. We don't need him for air or hotel arrangements and he's not interested in doing that either. We have his cell number and have actually waited on hold while he called the cruise line to successfully handle an issue. Nonetheless, even with this "trusted TA," we do shop around (and he encourages it).

[snowskier]

I book through the cruise department of my airline because of the great discounts, OBCs and mileage. All our overseas travel (every year) is on points and is business class due to the mileage bonus when we book through them.

 

We have worked with the same agent for many years. Don't have to worry if they are not in and something is urgent -- there is always someone there as a backup. Our agent is very knowledgeable. Our agent (and backups) has been a credible and reliable source of answers to questions. The agents we have worked with don't belittle us for the questions we ask, aren't rude or condescending, don't tell us to read the info on the Cruise Line website before asking and don't base answers on "how they cruise" as if everyone should do it that way.

 

Makes using this type of "TA" a good deal for us.

[Flatbush Flyer]

I book through the cruise department of my airline because of the great discounts, OBCs and mileage. All our overseas travel (every year) is on points and is business class due to the mileage bonus when we book through them.

 

 

 

We have worked with the same agent for many years. Don't have to worry if they are not in and something is urgent -- there is always someone there as a backup. Our agent is very knowledgeable. Our agent (and backups) has been a credible and reliable source of answers to questions. The agents we have worked with don't belittle us for the questions we ask, aren't rude or condescending, don't tell us to read the info on the Cruise Line website before asking and don't base answers on "how they cruise" as if everyone should do it that way.

 

 

 

Makes using this type of "TA" a good deal for us.

 

 

We use our FF airline codes for car rentals or just to establish a basis for comparison. Occasionally, we'll do cruise price checks. But, in most cases, we've found that the better OBC our regular TA gives us is enough to buy more FF miles than we would earn by booking the cruise through the airline (I.e., the airline cruise dept. purchase dollar points and booking bonus points)

[calliopecruiser]

-

 

Take recommendations from fellow cruisers (or your aunt Sally) with a "grain of salt" for all the obvious reasons. Look for TAs who have won "best of..." recognition from travel resources like Conde Nast Traveler. Ask if they are members of "preferred partner" clubs like Oceania's connoisseurs' club. Check out those who are often quoted in the travel sections of major metro newspapers (e.g., NY Times, SF Chronicle). If your college alumni association does group travel, find out who they use. Common sense will add many other ways to do this research. Interview everyone on your short list and see how they interview you. Also, remember that it takes time to trust someone. Withhold any decision about "my trusted TA" until after multiple bookings over time.

 

.

 

 

No way would I recommend using a commercial source to recommend a travel agent.......those rankings and "best of" are promotions that mean little to Joe Smith who wants to book one cabin on one cruise. They are no more -- and maybe less -- valuable than getting a recommendation from someone you know in person and can ask why they like and recommend that agent.

[Flatbush Flyer]

No way would I recommend using a commercial source to recommend a travel agent.......those rankings and "best of" are promotions that mean little to Joe Smith who wants to book one cabin on one cruise. They are no more -- and maybe less -- valuable than getting a recommendation from someone you know in person and can ask why they like and recommend that agent.

 

 

You can't buy a Conde Nast or National Geographic review rating. They're done by a panel of travel writers/experts with unsullied reputations. Same with the better metro news sources. Also, if multiple independent trusted sources are all pointing to the same agencies or agents, that's a good place to start your search.

As for the cruise line top producers, they achieve that distinction in part because they can deliver what their savvy traveler customers want.

[Hlitner]

The problem is that Conde Nast, Travel and Leisure, etc. recommend travel agents who they feel are truly experts in their field. So that means if you choose an agent, who they like for cruises, you may get an expert who does not have access to really good deals. Sure they might be Master Cruise Counselors, know the cruise lines, and travel....but that does not necessarily equate to saving money. That is why we simply recommend shopping around among reputable major cruise agencies for the best deal. You should expect to save (or get amenities) of 7-10% of the normal cruise price...charged by the cruise line and many TAs. However, if you prefer to spend more money (which can amount to thousands of dollars on more expensive long cruises) to get some expert advice/hand holding....then you can certainly find that with some agents (or the cruise line).

 

We equate buying a cruise to buying a car (some of our cruises cost as much as a car). We do our own research, decide the cruise or cruises that interest us, and simply shop for the best overall financial deal. We would no sooner book a cruise directly with a cruise line and pay the "sticker price" any more then we would go to an auto dealer and pay the "sticker price."

 

Hank

Edited July 9, 2016 by Hlitner

[Flatbush Flyer]

The problem is that Conde Nast, Travel and Leisure, etc. recommend travel agents who they feel are truly experts in their field. So that means if you choose an agent, who they like for cruises, you may get an expert who does not have access to really good deals. Sure they might be Master Cruise Counselors, know the cruise lines, and travel....but that does not necessarily equate to saving money. That is why we simply recommend shopping around among reputable major cruise agencies for the best deal. You should expect to save (or get amenities) of 7-10% of the normal cruise price...charged by the cruise line and many TAs. However, if you prefer to spend more money (which can amount to thousands of dollars on more expensive long cruises) to get some expert advice/hand holding....then you can certainly find that with some agents (or the cruise line).

 

Hank

 

 

Actually our experience is that a Conde Nast cruise agency recommendation is a top producer for our preferred line. With a very few exceptions involving large groups and or "loss leaders" for new business, I have yet to find anyone with a better bottom line cost for THAT cruise line.

 

Again, the resources I mentioned are (at the very least) a great place to start ones research.

[cruzincurt]

They don't do anything for us anymore.

 

The big online ones that offer free gratuities usually have in the fine print somewhere "not combinable with loyality program benefits". A couple of times the brick and mortar ones didn't come through with their promised goodies on board.

 

I called one back after the cruise and told them just in case you actually sent the bottle of wine, we never got it. Another one never provided the OBC.

 

So we now only book direct with the cruiselines.

[doverboy]

Last june I was injured during a Princess excursion and whisked away to a hospital in Anchorage, 2 hours away from any Princess personnel. My wife contacted our TA at 8:00 PM Alaska time which was approx 2:00 AM TA time. He was able to contact Princess and get our belongings gathered at the Princess property and have them sent to Anchorage since I was not going to be leaving the hospital any time soon. he arranged for a rental car company to pick my wife up at the hospital so she could get transportation. He contacted American Airlines and got our tickets swapped to a different day since I would be spending an additional week in Alaska before being discharged. he had American personnel meet me at the airport with wheel chair and assistance through security.

I still make reservations for small trips and flights on my own but will never book an entire extended trip by myself.

 

Princess was mostly a no show throughout the ordeal and beyond. No help what so ever. Not Our Fault