Booking through travel agent question

[barriead]

Hi all, I am thinking of using a travel agent to book my next cruise...however it occured to me "how do you book shore excursions etc", would I still have access to the shore excursions list as per cruise personaliser or would the travel agent provide info like that.?

Thanks

[daiB]

Hi all, I am thinking of using a travel agent to book my next cruise...however it occured to me "how do you book shore excursions etc", would I still have access to the shore excursions list as per cruise personaliser or would the travel agent provide info like that.?

Thanks

 

 

Cruise personaliser.

 

 

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[tartanexile81]

We always book with a TA and we get a decent discount. We just keep an eye on our CP till excursions etc appear

[john watson]

Irrespective of whichever way you book, all your details need adding to the cruise personaliser on the P&O website, passport, insurance details etc. When the excursions become available for your cruise you can select them from the P&O website using the aforesaid personaliser.

 

Regards John

[barriead]

Thanks for that guys....just what I was hoping to hear.:):)

[insanemagnet]

We always book with a TA and we get a decent discount.

 

But is the discount any better than the multiple ways you can book direct with P&O and get a discount off the website prices?

[kruzseeka]

The link up between P&O and our TA appears seamless. The TA enters our name on her system and accesses our P&O details eg. any pending on board credit, paid future cruise deposit etc also if it's a Peninsular Club cruise that discount is automatically factored in. From my experience we have benefitted from all the offers applicable at the time. By the time we get home we usually have the Booking Confirmation from P&O. The Cruise Personaliser appears the next day and you interact with that exactly the same way as if you booked with PO.

 

With good service from our TA plus a modest discount we much prefer the personal service. The key of course is having a TA who is knowledgeable and in whom you have confidence. Ours will ring P&O whilst we're there if there are any queries or to determine cabin choice etc.

 

Of course if there are issues with your booking, amendments etc this has to be dealt with by the TA as P&O won't get involved in this instance. That's not to say they won't respond to the issue but it has to go through the TA rather than you ringing P&O directly.

[Tikka234]

I went into our TA for our P o Cruise they gave me the same price as booking direct online , So i went through Quidco cash back site and got 3% back and booked online ( you need to sign on with them then use their link to g o to the site you want)

[annieuk]

Looking at the long cruise on Aurora we have booked for next January we got a discount from P&O for being past passengers and then off that total we got another discount from our Cruise Agent. From comments made on here and other sites the land based P&O staff are not always as knowledgeable as a specialised Cruise Agent. Our certainly knows all the ships, and not only P&O. We have just booked a cruise with Fred Olsen (our first cruise back in 2003 was with them) and our Cruise Agent had recently returned from a cruise on Braemar, the ship we are going on and was able to answer one of my queries. Although our particular agent seems to specialise in P&O they certainly seem knowledgeable about other lines as well. I don't see any benefit with booking direct with P&O. In the past I have looked at the P&O site, done a dummy booking and been shown a few available cabins. When I've then contacted my Cruise Agent they have found there were many more vacant cabins so they do have direct access to the P&O booking site. Also when I've registered for a cruise before the release date I've never been disappointed. They've always managed to get me the cabin I wanted, or at least one of my first three choices, usually my first choice. So I'll continue to book with them.

[minikiss]

I went into our TA for our P o Cruise they gave me the same price as booking direct online , So i went through Quidco cash back site and got 3% back and booked online ( you need to sign on with them then use their link to g o to the site you want)

 

We did something similar but through topcashback.

The TA I use was offering a gift rather than a money off discount.

So I went direct through T.C.B. and got 3% off in cash better this time round than the TA offer.

[Paul1924]

We've always use the same travel agent,however we check the prices of others and what the actual cruise line is offering.We have found we have always had a good service with them

[insanemagnet]

So it seems no better discount than booking direct (where just about anyone can get 5% off) and it is just about the service an agent provides.

[kruzseeka]

So it seems no better discount than booking direct (where just about anyone can get 5% off) and it is just about the service an agent provides.

 

Unless in addition to the 5% you mention, your TA gives you a further discount (3% commonly quoted on here) in which case it is financially beneficial and not just the service element.

[daiB]

So it seems no better discount than booking direct (where just about anyone can get 5% off) and it is just about the service an agent provides.

 

 

A good TA will give you whatever P&O are offering at the time and take off a further 3/4/5%. This is particularly in the first stage of booking. e.g. Tomorrow.

 

The TA I use shows this on the website with the current P&O price and their price side by side for each cruise and cabin grade.

 

 

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[gadabout60]

A good travel agent will always get you a good discount and give a great service. I personally see booking direct as beginners error

 

I have never used a cash back company - not sure I could be bothered but obviously good to get a saving.

 

 

I like if I am interested in a cruise being able to call the agent who knows me and he sorts it. He also sorts out other details - after our Celebrity Transatlantic last November we took advantage of our agents gift of 2 nights in a Miami hotel. We then flew home via Toronto for family reasons and our agent sorted that and hotels as well.

 

 

I would never book direct now

[JimJam39]

I personally see booking direct as beginners error

 

I've pre registered and paid a deposit today with P&O and it maybe a beginners error but as a first time cruiser, I am a beginner and would rather have the reassurance of not being passed piller to post if something goes wrong, I'd rather have paid a little more for the piece of mind. The P&O customer service advisor I booked with said there was a 5% discount for booking via pre-registration and that prices would be more when they go live on the 27th.

[terrierjohn]

I've pre registered and paid a deposit today with P&O and it maybe a beginners error but as a first time cruiser, I am a beginner and would rather have the reassurance of not being passed piller to post if something goes wrong, I'd rather have paid a little more for the piece of mind. The P&O customer service advisor I booked with said there was a 5% discount for booking via pre-registration and that prices would be more when they go live on the 27th.

A good TA should provide a full service and deal direct with P&O sorting out any issues you have. Equally they will provide the same service when you book with any other cruise line, meaning you only need one contact for all your cruise holidays.

You should also be able to negotiate a discount up to about 5%, which seems about the maximum at present, but you may need to shop around and play them off one against the other.

Finally if you find a good one they will ensure they get you the maximum benefits offered by the cruise line. Overall I can see absolutely no benefit in not preferring a TA to booking direct.

[Tikka234]

I've pre registered and paid a deposit today with P&O and it maybe a beginners error but as a first time cruiser, I am a beginner and would rather have the reassurance of not being passed piller to post if something goes wrong, I'd rather have paid a little more for the piece of mind. The P&O customer service advisor I booked with said there was a 5% discount for booking via pre-registration and that prices would be more when they go live on the 27th.

We're first time cruisers and booked direct with P &O, I did go into our TA but t h eye gave me the same price so I went direct and got Quidco discount.

Can't see what's wrong with that.

[grapau27]

A good travel agent will always get you a good discount and give a great service. I personally see booking direct as beginners error

 

I have never used a cash back company - not sure I could be bothered but obviously good to get a saving.

 

 

I like if I am interested in a cruise being able to call the agent who knows me and he sorts it. He also sorts out other details - after our Celebrity Transatlantic last November we took advantage of our agents gift of 2 nights in a Miami hotel. We then flew home via Toronto for family reasons and our agent sorted that and hotels as well.

 

 

I would never book direct now

Although it is easy to book direct my travel agent always gets me more discount so i book through them and it is a win win.

 

love sailing with RCCL

[grapau27]

A good TA should provide a full service and deal direct with P&O sorting out any issues you have. Equally they will provide the same service when you book with any other cruise line, meaning you only need one contact for all your cruise holidays.

You should also be able to negotiate a discount up to about 5%, which seems about the maximum at present, but you may need to shop around and play them off one against the other.

Finally if you find a good one they will ensure they get you the maximum benefits offered by the cruise line. Overall I can see absolutely no benefit in not preferring a TA to booking direct.

Totally agree.

 

love sailing with RCCL

[JimJam39]

If I had the confidence to go with a TA (after trawling round finding a reputable one) then I would, however, I don't so as a first timer I've stuck with what I've deemed safe and booked direct. Its a shame this website won't let the seasoned cruisers disclose who they use for us newbies.

[terrierjohn]

If I had the confidence to go with a TA (after trawling round finding a reputable one) then I would, however, I don't so as a first timer I've stuck with what I've deemed safe and booked direct. Its a shame this website won't let the seasoned cruisers disclose who they use for us newbies.

Strange that, I find that my TA fills me with far more confidence than any PO cruise consultant would. After all TA's Need to sell the cruises otherwise they earn no commission, PO sales agents are salaried and therefore will be far less motivated to help you.

[insanemagnet]

A good TA will give you whatever P&O are offering at the time and take off a further 3/4/5%. This is particularly in the first stage of booking. e.g. Tomorrow.

 

The TA I use shows this on the website with the current P&O price and their price side by side for each cruise and cabin grade.

 

 

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I am talking about the 5% discount you can easily get off the prices shown on the P&O website.

[daiB]

I am talking about the 5% discount you can easily get off the prices shown on the P&O website.

 

 

Yes so am I the TA web site shows the current P&O price and there price beside it.

 

 

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[kruzseeka]

I am talking about the 5% discount you can easily get off the prices shown on the P&O website.

 

Do you mean the 5% discount P&O are offering on their website? If so you will get that from your TA (it will come off the price when they enter details on the P&O website) just as it would if you were booking online or by telephone with P&O. But in addition many TAs will give you an additional 3% discount or, if you're lucky, a little more. Therefore you benefit from an extra discount as compared with bookings direct with P&O making it financially better to book via a TA - at least one which is prepared to give you their discount as well as the P&O discount.