Moving booking from online TA to princess

[jswdlw]

I have always booked directly with my cruise lines. I have heard good things about having a TA so I thought I would try it. Well I had a very bad experience with my first and last booking with an online cruise TA. When I booked I wasn't given all the perks that Princess was offering and I was told if I wanted them I had to pay more for my trip. Is it possible to have Princess take ownership of my reservation? I really don't want to be stuck with this TA and unfortunately it is a non-refundable deposit. Basically I got less for booking through the TA than if I booked directly.

[ltcal94]

Typically yes you can, however unless there is cause , I don’t believe you can do it past final payment date . Up until then although the TA maybe reluctant to do so it is your right to do it . Keep in mind some TAs may still try to charge you a fee because of this . I am sure others will chime in as well if I left anything out or made an error.

 

 

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[mrkjones61]

We booked our last cruise through a TA and will book direct on future cruises. Our TA doesn't forward communications to us, and we didn't get a better deal.

 

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[shepp]

On the other hand….

 

I've been booking with the same large online agency for years. My TA is friendly, very responsive, has gone the extra mile for me more than once, and routinely gives me an 8% discount on the fare and often a group OBC or other perk in addition. No booking or cancellation fees.

 

What I'm unsure of is this: did you book when Princess was running a specific promo that your TA simply ignored? And did you know about it at the time and just let it go by? Or did you find out post-booking that there was a special you were eligible for that was in effect at the time you booked? And how long afterward? I find it tough to believe that a reputable TA would be told, "I want the Three for Free Promotion Princess is running" and then respond, "You can't have it."

[lolane1]

Yes you can if it is not after final payment. Call princess for the fax number (or send by snail mail) Then, you have to send fax and include the Agency's name, address, agent's name, telephone number, booking number, and your SIGNATURE. Call princess and they will give you complete instructions. The only downside may be if your TA charges a fee for cancelation. You will not lose your deposit.

 

 

When booking with Princess, you can rebook, and rebook as often as you want to take advantage of new sales promotions without a penalty as long as it is before final payment.

 

If you are trying to change an existing booking to a new sales promotion, it very well may cost more with perhaps lots of onboard spending cash or other perks. You can call Princess and ask what the current prices are and then make a decision.

[satxdiver]

Yes you can move a reservation from a TA to Princess. I called Princess and asked them to take the booking back from the TA. They had me send them a letter requesting the change and I sent it. When they received the letter they immediately moved the reservation as requested. The TA had a surprise when he lost two bookings after being notified by Princess that they were moving it back to them. He sent me a nasty email which further bolstered my decision to move them. I have booked through Princess every time since then.

[fishywood]

Everything I have previously heard was that you must get the TA to voluntarily release the booking (after paying the termination fee buried in the tiny tiny print) unless you can convince Princess that the TA offered such poor service as to be negligent in their conduct with you. So nice to see the multiple reports that simply requesting Princess to take the booking back was successful.

 

What I'm unsure of is this: did you book when Princess was running a specific promo that your TA simply ignored? [...] I find it tough to believe that a reputable TA would be told, "I want the Three for Free Promotion Princess is running" and then respond, "You can't have it."

 

What is sounds like to me from the OP's description is that the TA may have offered them a "naked fare" converting the Princess perks into whatever incentive they offered (further discount or some other throw-ins) in their online sale. Which is why they were told that if they want the perks they have to pay more--likely bringing the fare and perks to exactly what they would have gotten by booking directly.

[Thrak]

It works as stated above. Send them a note with your booking info and the TA info and request that the booking be transferred back to Princess.

 

You can simply send them an email with your name and Captain's Circle number, The Voyage Number, the Booking Number, the Travel Agent's name, etc. and request that the booking be transferred back to Princess. It's really easy to do. The proper email address for doing this is:

 

revenuesupportdepartment@princesscruises.com

[jswdlw]

On the other hand….

 

I've been booking with the same large online agency for years. My TA is friendly, very responsive, has gone the extra mile for me more than once, and routinely gives me an 8% discount on the fare and often a group OBC or other perk in addition. No booking or cancellation fees.

 

What I'm unsure of is this: did you book when Princess was running a specific promo that your TA simply ignored? And did you know about it at the time and just let it go by? Or did you find out post-booking that there was a special you were eligible for that was in effect at the time you booked? And how long afterward? I find it tough to believe that a reputable TA would be told, "I want the Three for Free Promotion Princess is running" and then respond, "You can't have it."

 

I knew about the specific promotions and when I completed the reservation I noticed it wasn't on my receipt. Thus the call. It was during the call I was told I wouldn't get any of those promotions because of the rate I purchased, however if I wanted to pay more then I could get them. I tried to get a refund on the deposit and was told I couldn't. I will never use a TA again.

[pompeii]

Yes you can move a reservation from a TA to Princess. I called Princess and asked them to take the booking back from the TA. They had me send them a letter requesting the change and I sent it. When they received the letter they immediately moved the reservation as requested. The TA had a surprise when he lost two bookings after being notified by Princess that they were moving it back to them. He sent me a nasty email which further bolstered my decision to move them. I have booked through Princess every time since then.

 

I know this is an older thread, but Princess told me that they wait 72 hours after receiving the request to transfer bookings from a TA. They don't do it immediately to give the TA an opportunity to contact the customer and try to salvage the booking.

 

I've decided to switch one of my bookings back to direct with Princess, and sent in my request yesterday (which was Saturday so not a business day.) Today the booking stills shows the TA. So either they don't do transfers on the weekends, or they are sticking to the 72 hour waiting period.

[Thrak]

I know this is an older thread, but Princess told me that they wait 72 hours after receiving the request to transfer bookings from a TA. They don't do it immediately to give the TA an opportunity to contact the customer and try to salvage the booking.

 

I've decided to switch one of my bookings back to direct with Princess, and sent in my request yesterday (which was Saturday so not a business day.) Today the booking stills shows the TA. So either they don't do transfers on the weekends, or they are sticking to the 72 hour waiting period.

 

I've done it exactly as I posted above. It's really easy. I don't know if they wait that long as my booking was changed quickly.

[moki'smommy]

It is totally possible that they don't do the changes on the weekend. I've never heard the 72 hour bit before.

 

There is no problem making the transfer back to Princess prior to the final payment date. Also, even if the deposit is non-refundable, Princess has been known to transfer it to another cruise. It makes sense that it could be used to "correct" your booking if the perks you are missing are still available.

[bobby3334]

After a long time doing it myself... I would never use a TA...for some of the reasons listed...I recently discovered that Princess itself has very competent group of not TAs but Customer Service Agents. They are exceptional and not reached but the usual 800 Princess #. They have a separate # which unfortunately I don’t have with me since I am in London bound on the Royal tomorrow for a 15 day TA to NYC. She went through all 5 cruises booked through end of 2019 and saved me more than $2,000 in 10 minutes. She emphasized she is not a TA but a special agent working directly for Princess and in the future I am free to use her or not. I intend to continue to do it myself but check it with her after I make the booking...she gave me her 4 digit

extension and said that are long serving agents dedicated to frequent Princess customers. Mike (very pleased to stumble onto this)

 

 

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[TracieABD]

Finding a great TA can be harder than finding a spouse... seriously, if you find a TA you like- who can save you money- hold on to him or her for dear life!

[pompeii]

After a long time doing it myself... I would never use a TA...for some of the reasons listed...I recently discovered that Princess itself has very competent group of not TAs but Customer Service Agents. They are exceptional and not reached but the usual 800 Princess #. They have a separate # which unfortunately I don’t have with me since I am in London bound on the Royal tomorrow for a 15 day TA to NYC. She went through all 5 cruises booked through end of 2019 and saved me more than $2,000 in 10 minutes. She emphasized she is not a TA but a special agent working directly for Princess and in the future I am free to use her or not. I intend to continue to do it myself but check it with her after I make the booking...she gave me her 4 digit

extension and said that are long serving agents dedicated to frequent Princess customers. Mike (very pleased to stumble onto this)

 

 

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Bobby, was she a cruise vacation planner with Princess? I've received emails encouraging me to contact my personal cruise vacation planner, but I've never done it. Do you recall if the phone number was 800-901-1172, which is the number for the vacation planners from Princess' website?

 

As for the 72 hours, it must be something recent...two separate customer service reps told me the same thing, one yesterday and one on Thursday when 3FF came out. Hopefully weekends count so the booking will be released on Tuesday at the latest.

 

I had Princess do a "comparison booking" and it is less expensive for me to book direct even after the TA assured me that I was getting the lowest possible price with 3FF after her discount and obc. I finally decided to look into it instead of taking her word for it, and I'm about $100 better off booking direct. I find working with her awkward and she's not particularly friendly, when I ask a question I get a stock answer "you're already getting the best price." This way I don't have to deal with email responses that make me feel like a pest, and I'm also assured of getting upsell or move over offers right away.

 

I think I'm just too hands on to use a TA....

[Colo Cruiser]

Not always but........one issue might be fees by the TA.

[shepp]

I had Princess do a "comparison booking" and it is less expensive for me to book direct even after the TA assured me that I was getting the lowest possible price with 3FF after her discount and obc. I finally decided to look into it instead of taking her word for it, and I'm about $100 better off booking direct. I find working with her awkward and she's not particularly friendly, when I ask a question I get a stock answer "you're already getting the best price." This way I don't have to deal with email responses that make me feel like a pest, and I'm also assured of getting upsell or move over offers right away.

 

I'm always amazed by stories of shady TAs in these days of easy cross-checking on the internet. A few days ago I used my TA to change a prior Antarctica booking to 3-for-free. Just checked my fare (different cabin, same category, hasn't changed since) on the Princess site against my TA's charges. Total for Princess.com $7078, total on my TA's invoice $6530 with $85 group OBC thrown in for good measure. I know some folks say they get 10% or more off, but savings of 8.8% is plenty good enough for me. My TA never acts like I'm pestering, returns phone messages quickly, is friendly and responsive, no booking and cancellation fees, and has gotten in touch promptly re: upsells and move-overs. As has been said, I'm holding on to her!

Edited September 9, 2018 by shepp

[Ronnieslady]

Once the booking is back to Princess, can you then transfer that same booking to another TA??? I am talking about a booking that is a year & a half away. And was booked with future cruise deposit. Right now it has the Sip & Sail promo on it. I would rather have the 3FF promo anyway. Would that new TA see the paper trail??? It might be kind of embarrassing .

Thanks for any knowledgeable answers

[Elitein85days]

I always book direct with princess and then a week before final payment request it be sent to a big box TA to get the extra OBC.

 

That way I get the benefits of booking directly plus the extra OBC benefits of a TA.

[Colo Cruiser]

I keep mine with a TA that gives me 10% or more off my cruise fare plus OBC and perks.

Edited September 10, 2018 by Colo Cruiser

[Steelers36]

I'm always amazed by stories of shady TAs in these days of easy cross-checking on the internet. A few days ago I used my TA to change a prior Antarctica booking to 3-for-free. Just checked my fare (different cabin, same category, hasn't changed since) on the Princess site against my TA's charges. Total for Princess.com $7078, total on my TA's invoice $6530 with $85 group OBC thrown in for good measure. I know some folks say they get 10% or more off, but savings of 8.8% is plenty good enough for me. My TA never acts like I'm pestering, returns phone messages quickly, is friendly and responsive, no booking and cancellation fees, and has gotten in touch promptly re: upsells and move-overs. As has been said, I'm holding on to her!

 

Your discount may be fine. It is hard to compare discount rates reported unless folks are specific. You calculated on total invoice. Had you calculated based on your bottom line net (after deducting the extra OBC), your discount percent would be even higher. Whatever an agency discount is, it will be calculated on the commissionable fare only. So you need to know what the non-commissionable portion is and it may or my not be shown on the agency invoice. My agent discounts Princess 15% from commissionable fare, so the percent amount off the total fare is less than that. Higher category cabins will result in larger discounts because the fares are higher (the non-comm portion remains constant). I can calculate my TA's invoice quote before she gives it to me and I am correct to the penny. Typically, use $25/night for non-comm portion, unless cruise is very long when it can be $20/night.

 

I have never had a bad situation with a TA - just varied in low savings to better savings as I gained experience and knowledge. Now I have both a great TA and great pricing. I have not come across a better net discount situation. But, it is not all about price - the service and response has to be as expected too. The only thing I wish is that I had direct notice if anticipating a room upgrade or upsell offer because the latter requires a speedy response. The one time we received an offer, I did hear in timely fashion from the agency. I do like to be in control of my travel bookings, but it is worth it to me to give up some of the self-service control to a person I trust and to save good money.

[caribill]

 

I had Princess do a "comparison booking" and it is less expensive for me to book direct even after the TA assured me that I was getting the lowest possible price with 3FF after her discount and obc. I finally decided to look into it instead of taking her word for it, and I'm about $100 better off booking direct. I find working with her awkward and she's not particularly friendly, when I ask a question I get a stock answer "you're already getting the best price."

 

 

This is not a good reason not to use a TA for booking a Princess cruise. However it is a great reason why you should not use that TA.

[bobby3334]

Bobby, was she a cruise vacation planner with Princess? I've received emails encouraging me to contact my personal cruise vacation planner, but I've never done it. Do you recall if the phone number was 800-901-1172, which is the number for the vacation planners from Princess' website?

 

 

 

As for the 72 hours, it must be something recent...two separate customer service reps told me the same thing, one yesterday and one on Thursday when 3FF came out. Hopefully weekends count so the booking will be released on Tuesday at the latest.

 

 

 

I had Princess do a "comparison booking" and it is less expensive for me to book direct even after the TA assured me that I was getting the lowest possible price with 3FF after her discount and obc. I finally decided to look into it instead of taking her word for it, and I'm about $100 better off booking direct. I find working with her awkward and she's not particularly friendly, when I ask a question I get a stock answer "you're already getting the best price." This way I don't have to deal with email responses that make me feel like a pest, and I'm also assured of getting upsell or move over offers right away.

 

 

 

I think I'm just too hands on to use a TA....

 

 

 

Yes exactly to your first paragraph. That is the what happened. I got a similar email and called but the woman who sent it had left the company so I asked the operator a week later after no

Return call and she connected me with another nice lady who was of great help

Mike

 

 

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[jagoffee]

This is not a good reason not to use a TA for booking a Princess cruise. However it is a great reason why you should not use that TA.

Great point.

Anyone that books a cruise with a TA that cost more or includes less benefits than being offered by Princess has the wrong TA for sure.

It is illogical.

[shepp]

Your discount may be fine. It is hard to compare discount rates reported unless folks are specific. You calculated on total invoice. Had you calculated based on your bottom line net (after deducting the extra OBC), your discount percent would be even higher. Whatever an agency discount is, it will be calculated on the commissionable fare only. So you need to know what the non-commissionable portion is and it may or my not be shown on the agency invoice. My agent discounts Princess 15% from commissionable fare, so the percent amount off the total fare is less than that. Higher category cabins will result in larger discounts because the fares are higher (the non-comm portion remains constant).

 

Actually, I included the TA's OBC in my figuring. Her overall discount usually is closer to 8%...still better than Princess' fares.

 

Interesting post. I never figured out the "commissionable" thingy though the TA tried to explain at least once. We aren't big spenders, so others' claims to bigger discounts may be due to their booking suites while we settle for obstructed OVs. In any case, I'm happy with what we pay and the service we get.