Should I be disappointed in my Travel Agent?

[Ox Fan Cruiser]

We booked a Transatlantic cruise with a 2D cabin price of $1549. She gave us a discount and $75 cabin credit. The agency seems to be a major one. I noticed that Celebrity's price dropped to $1499. So for the 2 of us the price dropped $100. I asked her (by Email) to rebook it. She did and sent the new confirmation showing our cost went down only $20. I emailed back and she said replied, "sorry Ox Fan Cruiser. A lower fare results in lower profit. Still getting $75 on board credit from us so better than Celebrity's pricing.".

This is the 3rd cruise we booked thru her this year.

What should I do?

[deliver42]

Change TA's.

[russg140]

You have a couple of choices: Accept the fact the pricing she gave you and the onboard credit or find a new travel agent. TA's work on low margins in order to be competitive with online systems, and he/she may get "ding-ed" by Celebrity by having the difference in the lower price be wholly deducted from their commission. Going to a new travel agent may/may not result in the same deal.

 

Of course you could do what we do which is eliminate the TA altogether and book directly with X. That way in case of any price drop you just call them up and they give you the lower price. You may also qualify for SBC. Worth considering.

[russg140]

p.s. - Transatlantic crossings are also considered repositioning cruises and the line also operates on lower margins. Just FYI!

[sound_guy0918]

Your TA should have explained the full impact of the rebooking before she did it, including any change in her commission. Blaming it on you is distasteful. I would change TAs.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[FlorenceItaly]

p.s. - Transatlantic crossings are also considered repositioning cruises and the line also operates on lower margins. Just FYI!

 

True! With that said we were on the Constellation April TA with a rate under $600 per person, and we received $250 OBC from our large online TA(CC). It pays to shop around.

 

Your TA should have explained the full impact of the rebooking before she did it, including any change in her commission. Blaming it on you is distasteful. I would change TAs.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

I agree!

 

 

Marie

[blizzardboy]

We booked a Transatlantic cruise with a 2D cabin price of $1549. She gave us a discount and $75 cabin credit. The agency seems to be a major one. I noticed that Celebrity's price dropped to $1499. So for the 2 of us the price dropped $100. I asked her (by Email) to rebook it. She did and sent the new confirmation showing our cost went down only $20. I emailed back and she said replied, "sorry Ox Fan Cruiser. A lower fare results in lower profit. Still getting $75 on board credit from us so better than Celebrity's pricing.".

This is the 3rd cruise we booked thru her this year.

What should I do?

 

The TA gets 15% of the base fare before taxes and fees, so she had approx $400 total profit on your fare to work with. By the time she gave you a discount and OBC, she didn't have much more to give. Assuming you want the agency to keep her employed and the lights on, I'd say you squeezed the lemon pretty much dry!

[Bo1953]

We booked a Transatlantic cruise with a 2D cabin price of $1549. She gave us a discount and $75 cabin credit. The agency seems to be a major one. I noticed that Celebrity's price dropped to $1499. So for the 2 of us the price dropped $100. I asked her (by Email) to rebook it. She did and sent the new confirmation showing our cost went down only $20. I emailed back and she said replied, "sorry Ox Fan Cruiser. A lower fare results in lower profit. Still getting $75 on board credit from us so better than Celebrity's pricing.".

This is the 3rd cruise we booked thru her this year.

What should I do?

 

Can you say 'Be Happy'..... How much more do you want to game the cruise line? Your other two (2) cruises you got what was expected, correct?

 

Otherwise, just book with X next time...

 

bon voyage and use your $75 OBC for lunch...

[Ox Fan Cruiser]

You have a couple of choices: Accept the fact the pricing she gave you and the onboard credit or find a new travel agent. TA's work on low margins in order to be competitive with online systems, and he/she may get "ding-ed" by Celebrity by having the difference in the lower price be wholly deducted from their commission. Going to a new travel agent may/may not result in the same deal.

 

Of course you could do what we do which is eliminate the TA altogether and book directly with X. That way in case of any price drop you just call them up and they give you the lower price. You may also qualify for SBC. Worth considering.

 

 

If I booked directly with Celebrity would I have gotten the Cabin Credit? Mine wasn't from a Celebrity promotion. Also She gave me a discounted price. Lower than Celebrity's online price. What is "SBC"?

Edited October 1, 2016 by Ox Fan Cruiser

[Ox Fan Cruiser]

Can you say 'Be Happy'..... How much more do you want to game the cruise line? Your other two (2) cruises you got what was expected, correct?

 

Otherwise, just book with X next time...

 

bon voyage and use your $75 OBC for lunch...

 

I understand that the lower the cost of the cruise the smaller her commish would be. I doubt tho that Celebrity's new lower price came from the agents commish only. So from the $100 per couple price drop, I split it with her with me getting 20% to her 80%.

[Hlitner]

We use multiple cruise agencies (we have developed our own favored list) for our cruises (103 days in 2016) and have a basic standard. We expect (and demand) to save 7-10% by using an agency (this would include the price we pay for the cruise, onboard credits, other promos, etc). We shop around until we find these savings (or more). On a total $3000 booking we would expect to save at least $200 and likely more. So my advice to the OP is say "No thank you" to using that TA in the future...and look at other options. I once teased my favorite cruise agent that we were loyal to her as long as she could give us the best deals :). Her response was "that is how it should be....but always give me a chance to compete."

 

Hank

[Taylor D]

My wife and i booked a cruise to Europe last February with Celebrity, we had never been to Europe and found booking the air and land things we were doing before and after decided to turn it over to a TA. We have never used one before so i read a lot about using a TA and was thinking in the end we may get some OBC or at the least a bottle of wine. The whole trip was about $12.000 and in the end all we got was a card thanking us for using them so i think i'm going back to doing it myself. We already have two more cruises lined up so i think it's there loss in the end.

[lienf]

My wife and i booked a cruise to Europe last February with Celebrity, we had never been to Europe and found booking the air and land things we were doing before and after decided to turn it over to a TA. We have never used one before so i read a lot about using a TA and was thinking in the end we may get some OBC or at the least a bottle of wine. The whole trip was about $12.000 and in the end all we got was a card thanking us for using them so i think i'm going back to doing it myself. We already have two more cruises lined up so i think it's there loss in the end.

 

We book with Celebrity and then transfer to a TA. We have a couple we use and I always ask how much OBC I would receive from them for the cruise. I would not transfer without knowing.

[DrivesLikeMario]

Anytime the price of the cruise goes down, your discount from her commission will as well. That is very normal since the discount she is giving you comes out of her commission. The agent is doing more work for less money so it's only fair. Re-pricing and doing all the paperwork is a pain in the neck and for the TA to know she's doing it for LESS money is a real thorn in a TA's side, but it's part of the game and to keep good clients, they do it. ;)

[awhcruiser]

Shipboard Credit

If I booked directly with Celebrity would I have gotten the Cabin Credit? Mine wasn't from a Celebrity promotion. Also She gave me a discounted price. Lower than Celebrity's online price. What is "SBC"?

[bphman]

I lucked out and found a great TA with a major agency. I have booked at least 5 cruises with her. Her fares are at least what the cruise lines offer and often times much less. She has access to discounted blocks of cabins available although not in all categories and not all sailings. On top of her OBC, I am always happy with her service. We have a Baltic cruise next year and the fares have been all over the place. She has always rebooked the cruise for me without question. She never mentioned taking a hit on the commission and has always focused on making me happy. Just because one books directly doesn't mean there won't be issues. I have been denied pricing changes, unwanted cabin changes and questionable upgrades. And then you get the corporate "Oh, well. Nothing can be done". I have also had bad TA experiences. It is not a perfect world. But, with the service I get from Patti, I would not her to take a big hit.

Edited October 1, 2016 by bphman

[jagoffee]

I would make a comparison table

 

Celebrity on line Price

Price from Travel Agent

OBC from Celebrity

OBC from Travel Agent

 

I would compare your initial booking and your new booking. If you are a CC member do not forget the free one category upgrade.

 

In all my Celebrity cases the Celebrity on line price and the Travel Agent price is always the same. Therefore I am usually just comparing the OBC. I understand from some people that this not always the case.

 

When the Celebrity price changes the Travel Agent's OBC usually changes because it is based on a percentage. The Celebrity OBC never affects the Travel Agent OBC in my cases.

 

If the numbers do not make sense than I would change Travel Agents, but I would make sure that I understood the numbers.

 

If you want to give us all your numbers we can help you compare.

 

Good luck.

[blizzardboy]

If you are a CC member do not forget the free one category upgrade.

This is the first I've heard of a CC upgrade. Could you expound, please?

 

If you aren't getting 9-10% of the base fare in discount and/or OBC from a TA, you're leaving money on the table. I'm one of those who books cruises through the cruise line then transfers the booking to pick up the TA discount and/or perks.

[Hlitner]

My wife and i booked a cruise to Europe last February with Celebrity, we had never been to Europe and found booking the air and land things we were doing before and after decided to turn it over to a TA. We have never used one before so i read a lot about using a TA and was thinking in the end we may get some OBC or at the least a bottle of wine. The whole trip was about $12.000 and in the end all we got was a card thanking us for using them so i think i'm going back to doing it myself. We already have two more cruises lined up so i think it's there loss in the end.

 

Bummer. But when doing any booking one should know, in advance, what perks you will get (and it can be negotiable). Once you make a booking you have lost your leverage. When we use our favorite cruise agent (Jennifer) we simply e-mail her and tell her what cruise and categories....and ask for a quote. Usually, she will be back to us within a few hours (or faster) with the cruise price (usually less then you will find on web sites) and how much OBC, pre paid gratuities, etc. She can also usually get us additional OBC from AMEX (we have a Platinum Card). The last time we cruised Princess we had so much OBC that we could not use it all on the cruise. A few weeks after we returned home, Princess actually sent us a check for the balance.

 

Hank

[hcat]

Would not use that TA again...she should have explained how small a drop you would receive, and then offered a bottle of good quality wine instead as an extra perk to save her extra effort and temper your disappointment.

 

Start fresh next time...with a new TA or on your own. May be too late to switch for this cruise. TA probably has a cancellation fee.

 

We used a great TA when we first cruised...but we prefer booking our own so it is easier to make changes..and we came to know more about the ships and ports , perks and pricing than she did.

 

In a complicated situation or big trip, I,d still use a TA...they can be great advocates.

[PoppyandNana]

This is the first I've heard of a CC upgrade. Could you expound, please?

 

If you aren't getting 9-10% of the base fare in discount and/or OBC from a TA, you're leaving money on the table. I'm one of those who books cruises through the cruise line then transfers the booking to pick up the TA discount and/or perks.

 

 

Captains Club members on Celebrity get a one category upgrade.

[ceba]

I lucked out and found a great TA with a major agency. I have booked at least 5 cruises with her. Her fares are at least what the cruise lines offer and often times much less. She has access to discounted blocks of cabins available although not in all categories and not all sailings. On top of her OBC, I am always happy with her service. We have a Baltic cruise next year and the fares have been all over the place. She has always rebooked the cruise for me without question. She never mentioned taking a hit on the commission and has always focused on making me happy. Just because one books directly doesn't mean there won't be issues. I have been denied pricing changes, unwanted cabin changes and questionable upgrades. And then you get the corporate "Oh, well. Nothing can be done". I have also had bad TA experiences. It is not a perfect world. But, with the service I get from Patti, I would not her to take a big hit.

This a perfect example of how a good TA doesn't quit working for you after the initial booking is made. Given how many phone calls or emails or problem he/she may address before sailing, he/she could be making very little on the booking. Just my thoughts

[bottomfeeder]

It sounds like the initial booking was made on some kind of group rate, given that the price was less than that shown on the Celebrity website per the OP. If that is so, isn't it possible (maybe even likely) that the $50 per person price drop the OP saw on the Celebrity site didn't change the price the TA was able to get the cruise for? And that therefore any price drop he/she passed along to the OP would have come directly out of his/her commission or the agency's profit?

[StolidCruiser]

We booked a Transatlantic cruise with a 2D cabin price of $1549. She gave us a discount and $75 cabin credit. The agency seems to be a major one. I noticed that Celebrity's price dropped to $1499. So for the 2 of us the price dropped $100. I asked her (by Email) to rebook it. She did and sent the new confirmation showing our cost went down only $20. I emailed back and she said replied, "sorry Ox Fan Cruiser. A lower fare results in lower profit. Still getting $75 on board credit from us so better than Celebrity's pricing.".

This is the 3rd cruise we booked thru her this year.

What should I do?

 

Book directly with Celebrity so that every penny of fare reductions go directly to you. On a $3000 tab, that $100 is a hefty chunk of change to pass up.

[grandgeezer]

Book directly with Celebrity so that every penny of fare reductions go directly to you. On a $3000 tab, that $100 is a hefty chunk of change to pass up.

 

Find a different travel agency. On our TA on the Silhouette this past April, we got $125 obc and the total bill was a little over $1300. The $100 on the $3000 tab is a whopping 3 1/2%.