Travel Agents - Generic Discussion

[Jade13]

So what is the incentive to book with you?

 

 

 

Some people are not price sensitive and want assistance and hand holding. That is not generally people on cruise critic who are searching for information on their own. The agent also said they get clients who don't know what they want..

 

 

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[Jade13]

Hank,

 

I don't book direct or deal directly with the cruise line. You appeared to be telling others they could book with an agent and still call the cruise line directly and move cabins and I had never heard of that.

 

 

 

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[suekay]

This week I was tempted to book with a large US online agency during a time limited sale because not only did we get the classic drinks package from Celebrity, but also free gratuities and $100 obc on our 12 night cruise from the agency. I knew what I wanted, so not a great deal of work for the agent. I don't know if I made the right decision though.......difficult to contact by phone from the UK, bad attitude when I eventually got through although I was friendly towards her, no reply to emails.

I don't know if my greed has trumped common sense, only time will tell. I'm hoping that all the problems were caused by the large volume of sales generated by the sale, because I've used a different US ta in the past and had exemplary service

 

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[NantahalaCruiser]

I have not heard of changing cabins directly with the cruise line when booked through an agent. Purchasing shore excursions or dining packages, yes.

 

 

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Hank said cruise agent (TA) not cruise line

[Beanb41]

TA's all operate differently. Some charge a cancellation fee some don't. Some give lots of benefits back to their customers some give nothing. Most TA's get between 10 and 15% of the commissionable cruise fare. Some online TA's who do a lot of business with a particular cruise line may get a higher commission hence they are sometimes able to the customer a bigger slice of the action. Here in NZ my TA gives me 25% of his commission which is not a lot but most TA's in NZ will give nothing.

One must understand that if booking direct with the cruise line and then pass the booking onto a TA any further contact with the cruise line has to be through the TA. Unless there is some reward for giving the TA the booking I would retain full control.

[Jade13]

Reading the last post brings up a point. Despite having cruised for over forty years (well over 100 cruises) we have never understood this so-called "Control" issue cited by some here on CC. We have the same

 

If we want to "reprice," rebook, change our cabin, category, etc...we can do that with our cruise agencies or direct with the cruise line.

 

Hank

 

 

 

Nantahalacruiser,

 

Unless it was a typo, Hank said he books with a TA but if he wants to reprice or change a Cabin he can do that with the cruise agent OR "direct with the cruise line"

 

That is what I was asking about.

 

 

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[north29]

I'm a do it yourself person, I have used TA on occasion, even one our friends is a TA. Recently wanted to do a New Cruise line, serched all over for a deal, perks what ever to lower the price which I though was too HIGH. Anyway found a agency who's price was considerable lower than the cruise line and other travel agencies. Tried to book it on line but not much luck and a few questions. So I called and was sent to a nice TA. Anyway after checking the pricing, the lower price came with NO perks or any thing, when we added up the extras like PP gratuities and OBC, the price from the agency was the same as the cruise line. For some type of crusher it might have been a good pricer but not for us.

Bottom line is just keep checking around for the price, best place to start is the cruise line for basic prices and then travel agencies who MIGHT have some cabins they are holding and there was a price increase or be careful as I said above low prices can be deceiving and actual cruise pricing is almost like APPLE, priced fixed.

[Jade13]

What are the cancellation policies of the TA companies?

 

 

 

I am surprised to hear that you have been booking direct. I remember we were on the same Millennium Japan and China cruise in the fall of 2015 although we never met. I remember you were upgraded to a suite but I think you had to pay to upgrade (it wasn't free). What we don't know when people say they received an upgrade is what they were already paying for the cruise in relation to the current prices. Those not offered or who did not have the option may have already had lower prices.

 

The cancellation policies would be found on the agents website.

 

Some do not charge any cancelation fees.

 

 

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[Jade13]

Deleted error

[flagger]

So what is the incentive to book with you?

 

Cruise Critic rules prohibit me from giving exact examples as they consider that advertising my agency. I can tell you more often than not I have been there when the ship has hit the fan either before or during the cruise. Because of volume, I have much higher clout than an individual and get certain perks and higher up the food chain when there are issues.

 

I have far more knowledge available to me than just the information found on cruise critic including some excursions you cannot find via Googling.

 

Finally I am willing to put my professional reputation on the line which you will find unavailable with opinions posted on CC. There is a much higher percentage of people cruising who never come to, read or post on cruise critic.

[Luvcrusn]

I always research the itinerary I want on the cruise line websites. Once I've picked what I want I then check with various TA's. I pick the one with the best rate/perk/OBC combination while keeping in mind any fees or service limitations. I recommend you make an educated, informed decision. If booking with a TA, keep in mind the parameters of their service limitations and availability as well as experience. Also check what happens if you find a price drop. Then relax and enjoy yourself.

[awhcruiser]

Thanks for the clarification

Some people are not price sensitive and want assistance and hand holding. That is not generally people on cruise critic who are searching for information on their own. The agent also said they get clients who don't know what they want..

 

 

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[awhcruiser]

Sounds interesting!

Cruise Critic rules prohibit me from giving exact examples as they consider that advertising my agency. I can tell you more often than not I have been there when the ship has hit the fan either before or during the cruise. Because of volume, I have much higher clout than an individual and get certain perks and higher up the food chain when there are issues.

 

I have far more knowledge available to me than just the information found on cruise critic including some excursions you cannot find via Googling.

 

Finally I am willing to put my professional reputation on the line which you will find unavailable with opinions posted on CC. There is a much higher percentage of people cruising who never come to, read or post on cruise critic.

[dgcruises]

Cruise Critic rules prohibit me from giving exact examples as they consider that advertising my agency. I can tell you more often than not I have been there when the ship has hit the fan either before or during the cruise. Because of volume, I have much higher clout than an individual and get certain perks and higher up the food chain when there are issues.

I have far more knowledge available to me than just the information found on cruise critic including some excursions you cannot find via Googling.

 

Finally I am willing to put my professional reputation on the line which you will find unavailable with opinions posted on CC. There is a much higher percentage of people cruising who never come to, read or post on cruise critic.

 

HMMM so you have as much clout as the big large volume TA's and the Big Box TA's. In the scheme of things a one person agency is not IMHO going to get as much clout as an agency booking thousands of bookings.

[avcruz]

I shop around until I find a TA agent that does not charge a cancellation fee and offers a great additional OBC.

 

 

This, I believe is the reason that TAs are starting to charge a cancellation penalty. Especially if a customer is using them for research and other negotiations. (Not saying you are).

For a TA to spend time researching and then working out pre- and post- arrangements, flights, transfers, etc. and then to have a customer shop around and take all that info and transfer it to a competitor because they got an additional $50 OBC must be maddening...

 

 

 

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[Hlitner]

Cruise Critic rules prohibit me from giving exact examples as they consider that advertising my agency. I can tell you more often than not I have been there when the ship has hit the fan either before or during the cruise. Because of volume, I have much higher clout than an individual and get certain perks and higher up the food chain when there are issues.

 

I have far more knowledge available to me than just the information found on cruise critic including some excursions you cannot find via Googling.

 

Finally I am willing to put my professional reputation on the line which you will find unavailable with opinions posted on CC. There is a much higher percentage of people cruising who never come to, read or post on cruise critic.

 

We stopped dealing with individual independent travel agents many years ago. Too many were simply "playing at being a travel/cruise agent" and taking advantage of deals offered to be so-called "outside agents" or certain agencies. Others were part of major consortium's which did offer some advantages...but the cruise booking world (especially for the mass market lines) has been pretty much taken over by the large high volume cruise/travel agencies and the cruise line's own in-house booking operation. We do think an independent travel agent can be a valuable resource for those of us who do a lot of independent travel....but we would certainly seek a well known agent who specializes in certain parts of the world (such as African Safaris).

 

But we are curious since you are making a statement here about your own business. Are you a MCC (Master Cruise Counselor)? This is a designation given by the CLIA and does indicate one has gone through some decent study and has at least some recognized experience. And would you be a IATA Accredited Agency?

 

Hank

[flagger]

For a TA to spend time researching and then working out pre- and post- arrangements, flights, transfers, etc. and then to have a customer shop around and take all that info and transfer it to a competitor because they got an additional $50 OBC must be maddening

 

It is for this reason I collect a very large consultation fee before I begin the work.

[mafig]

Hank, Don't you rememer Flagger. Think back. ;p

[flagger]

But we are curious since you are making a statement here about your own business. Are you a MCC (Master Cruise Counselor)? This is a designation given by the CLIA and does indicate one has gone through some decent study and has at least some recognized experience. And would you be a IATA Accredited Agency?

 

Hank

 

No, I hold an ECC and LCS designation and have my own IATA so yes I am accredited.

[4774Papa]

I am surprised to hear that you have been booking direct. I remember we were on the same Millennium Japan and China cruise in the fall of 2015 although we never met. I remember you were upgraded to a suite but I think you had to pay to upgrade (it wasn't free). What we don't know when people say they received an upgrade is what they were already paying for the cruise in relation to the current prices. Those not offered or who did not have the option may have already had lower prices.

 

The cancellation policies would be found on the agents website.

 

Some do not charge any cancelation fees.

 

 

 

 

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Jade,

That was a great cruise and we loved Japan.

We did book direct and originally had a balcony cabin. We wee offered the Skysuite (the larger sized one) for $800 total. It was a good deal and we loved Luminae. However, we would never pay the price of booking a suite outright.

 

I remember on our 2013 Australian cruise, we dined at 6pm dining with the same people every night. Everyone had a balcony cabin. We decided to compare notes on what we had paid for our cruise. Two couples used a travel agent, another lived in Australia and didn't, we booked direct. There there were three price drops and I called and got the lower price every time. It turned out that we paid the lowest for our cruise of the four couples.

[grandgeezer]

It is for this reason I collect a very large consultation fee before I begin the work.

 

With all the free resources out there that will help you understand cruising and book it, I can't believe anybody out there would pay a very large consultation fee for something as common as a cruise. Why? There is no financial gain. If there is indeed these people out there, two phrases come to mind 1) You can fool some of the people some of the time, and 2) a fool and their money is soon parted.

[Hlitner]

Nantahalacruiser,

 

Unless it was a typo, Hank said he books with a TA but if he wants to reprice or change a Cabin he can do that with the cruise agent OR "direct with the cruise line"

 

That is what I was asking about.

 

 

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Not a typo, but perhaps my posting was a bit confusing. We made it clear (in an earlier post on this thread) that we deal with the cruise agency for any changes. The quote you had was in reference to why we do not understand the so-called "control" issue mentioned by some who book direct with a cruise line. Our post was simply meant to say that whether you book with a cruise agency, travel agency, or direct with a cruise line....you can make changes to a reservation (in accordance with the cruise line rules). You have no more "control" dealing direct with a cruise line then dealing through a cruise agency (or travel agent). The only difference is you call a different phone number (or in the case of cruise agencies you could save the phone call and just send an e-mail).

 

We actually think we have MORE control by using high volume cruise agencies. The agents that work for these agencies often have more clout with the cruise lines..then the cruise line's own booking folks. And, when we ask 2 cruise line agents the same question we might well get two different answers. This does not seem to happen with our cruise agencies. And since we cruise on many different lines, we have built relationships with several high volume cruise agents...because they can handle our booking on all of our bookings (regardless of cruise lines). If I want to get another opinion on comparing 30 day HAL itinerary with a 30 day Princess itinerary....a cruise agency can usually give me some good advice. But if I ask my HAL Personal Cruise Consultant (PCC) that same question....she can only talk about HAL.

 

Somebody on another thread mentioned that they recently canceled their 2018 HAL Voyage of the Vikings cruise (an expensive and very popular itinerary) because they saw a better itinerary (similar ports) on Oceania. If I was dealing directly with the cruise lines it would mean dealing with two different lines, making multiple calls, dealing with deposit refunds, etc. But with a cruise agency it might mean one quick call to ask that the one reservation be canceled and the other booked. Much easier...and the agent might offer information on either line....either supporting the change or making other suggestions.

 

Hank

[caribill]

I remember on our 2013 Australian cruise, we dined at 6pm dining with the same people every night. Everyone had a balcony cabin. We decided to compare notes on what we had paid for our cruise. Two couples used a travel agent, another lived in Australia and didn't, we booked direct. There there were three price drops and I called and got the lower price every time. It turned out that we paid the lowest for our cruise of the four couples.

 

My Celebrity cruise is booked with a Travel Agent.

 

When I see a lower price, I just contact my TA and get the lower price every time.

 

Of course, booking in the USA you can get re-fares no matter which way you booked.

 

Sounds as if your American dining companions who used a TA did not check for lower fares and thus never contacted their TAs to get re-fared.

[ChucktownSteve]

With all the free resources out there that will help you understand cruising and book it, I can't believe anybody out there would pay a very large consultation fee for something as common as a cruise. Why? There is no financial gain. If there is indeed these people out there, two phrases come to mind 1) You can fool some of the people some of the time, and 2) a fool and their money is soon parted.

 

They're not fools. Some people really need the extra service, hand holding and sense of security. They're willing to pay for that. Why do you think some people will actually pay sticker price for a car when they can negotiate a discount? More people than you suspect actually pay the sticker.

[Bo1953]

With all the free resources out there that will help you understand cruising and book it, I can't believe anybody out there would pay a very large consultation fee for something as common as a cruise. Why? There is no financial gain. If there is indeed these people out there, two phrases come to mind 1) You can fool some of the people some of the time, and 2) a fool and their money is soon parted.

 

gg - You must admit that not everyone is as sophisticated or desirous to plan vacation travel or cruises as you are and as such want someone to do this for them. Some people, like myself, often engage travel planners for cruises, including side trips just not to have to think about it until it is time to go, open a folio or email and viola, all the reading one needs/requires is there. My planner knows what we want and require in our travels and she produces, to be sure. There is enough time left in the schedule so if something else presents itself that we never thought about wanting to do, we can do it or not.

 

 

Some people either do not have the time or want to make the time to plan these types of things when someone can be hired to do so, this way we can spend our time doing other things we enjoy more or better.

 

Keep planning and I know you enjoy it your way.

 

 

bon voyage