To use a TA or not?

[redglass]

Just courious. In all my past cruises I have used a TA to make the reservations. This last one I did not. I have been booking my air reservation on the net for years and have found this method very effecient. I booked this cruise over the net and was a really simple event. The reason I did not use a TA this time is that after thinking about what added value I received, I could not come up with anything.

 

Maybe there is something I am missing. :confused: Comments anyone?

[newmexicoNita]

Of course this subject has been discussed over and over. There probably is no right answer. Sometimes your TA doesn't do much more than make a phone call, but it isn't costing you anything and believe me if something does go wrong to have a pro backing you up can be worth a million. Booking a cruise and booking airfare are 2 different things. If a person has the time to do all the research, loves doing it and wants to try a iron out problems when they arrise it is fine to book on your own, but unless you really know what you are doing an agent is a plus. Whenever you can get a professional to do a job for you and it doesn't cost anything why wouldn't you?

 

NMNita

[bigreckster]

We've gone on over 30 cruises and have ALWAYS used a TA! Why do all that work yourself? The TA is a professional who doesn't cost you anything (their commission comes from the cruise line) and they are a tangible resource to deal with if any problem or question which arises concerning your trip arrangements. We also usually receive a greatly appreciated onboard credit as a gift for our return business. I guess I'm missing something when I read these boards about people not using a TA and then encountering various problems they must personally try to sort out...all to save NO money! Our TA has come to know our personal tastes, knows what air arrangements we prefer and gives us reliable advice based on that knowledge...we'll continue enjoying that service!

[cfprunner]

Unless you book you trip with X, you most likely DID use a TA, just one that made you do all the work yourself. Some TA are like that. In fact, most TA's (the personal ones that you can sit with) are good at a few things, but not everything. They might know Disney front to back but not much about Celebrity.

 

A better question might be:

 

WHAT CAN A GREAT TA DO FOR ME?

[Danno]

For the small cost to have a professional in my corner...I wouldn't consider doing it without a TA...the way I look at it, if the cruise line ticks me off, they lose a customer. If the cruise line makes a TA mad, they lose many POTENTIAL customers :eek: .

[Outlanderssc]

It's a common impression that using a TA "doesn't cost you anything" because their commission comes from the cruise line.

 

But I've found that often the TA will give you a GOOD price, it's not always the best price. In fact, I've usually found I could get a better deal searching for myself. If that happens, you're definately paying extra to use a TA.

 

Face it, if someone is working on commission selling the product at the lowest cost is not in their best interest.

 

In my experience the best of both worlds is to do the research on the web, check prices and availability on what you want and THEN go to a qualified TA.

 

An educated consumer, in conjunction with a skilled professional, is always better off.

[redglass]

Thanks for you comments. I must still be missing something. I see "going through all that work" in the replies.... what work. It took me 5 minutes to book it on their website. Takes me longer to drive to my TA or call and wait on hold.

 

The way I see it all the hard work is deciding when to go, which ship, which line, what itinerary, which trip insurance. I need to do all that anyway, TA or not.

 

While the TA has some opinion and can provide some guidance on the elements of the trip, I find these forums far more informative than any TA I have used.

 

Maybe it is because I have not encountered any problems that were severe in my trips. Knowing the TA I have used in the past, I personally would want to argue my position and not a TA. I don't know they would carry any more influence than I could muster. I am sure there are more persistent TA's out there than the one I used but my experience has shown I am more tenacious than most. But that is just me.

 

Thanks for your input. If I need to eat some crow in the future I will write back and report on my encounter..... but I hope not.

 

Thanks again.

[Danno]

Thanks for you comments. I must still be missing something. I see "going through all that work" in the replies.... what work. It took me 5 minutes to book it on their website. Takes me longer to drive to my TA or call and wait on hold.

 

 

The work starts when you have a problem....:eek:. Anyone can book a cruise, not everyone can solve a problem.

[Schplinky]

We don't use TA's because we like to have full control of the whole process. For me, that's a part of the fun. I also dislike that the cruiseline will only talk to the TA on certain matters, when you're using one, although it makes sense that they should have a single point of contact.

 

That said, one area where it makes sense to have a TA is if something should go wrong. Sure, I have a sweet voice and can try to negotiate a good resolution to a problem but a TA should have experience in this and will know what a reasonable solution is, hopefully.

 

I agree that you need a good CRUISE travel agent and not just any old TA. You may need to kiss a few frogs.

[CGTNORMANDIE]

HI REDGLASS!!!

 

The reason you do not use a TA is because you have not found A GREAT TA. If you had a great TA you would not have asked the question.

 

I have cruises for 40 years and would never book my own cruise with anyone else but my "great TA". I have been with the same TA for more than 20 years and he has done wonders and performed miracles over that time period. His advice and up to the minute knowledge have been invaluable to me time and time again...not to mention the onboard credits, discounts, special offers, bottles of wine, parties, dinners, luncheons, and upgrades.

 

ROSS

[Outlanderssc]

The work starts when you have a problem....:eek:. Anyone can book a cruise, not everyone can solve a problem.

 

I have to agree with Danno here, a good TA handles hundreds of clients and as such has more experience with the lines, better contacts and more pull to get a satisfactory resolution than any single passenger can.

 

If nothing else, they usully know a good person to call rather than sitting on hold with customer service for a few weeks -:(

[newmexicoNita]

Unless you book you trip with X, you most likely DID use a TA, just one that made you do all the work yourself. Some TA are like that. In fact, most TA's (the personal ones that you can sit with) are good at a few things, but not everything. They might know Disney front to back but not much about Celebrity.

 

A better question might be:

 

WHAT CAN A GREAT TA DO FOR ME?

As a TA I somewhat have to disagree with some of your comments. Of course we know certain brands better than others and certain travel destinations better than others, but a good agent has resources to turn to and will do research for clients. Right now I am working on a couple of very complicated tours and have had to rack my brain to know where to even start. I also deal with clients that want to combine cruising with land vacations and I don't mean the usual 2 day stay on one side or the other. Yes, there are agents out there that do not do much more than take orders and yes, we all have clients that do the work and then call us (we love um) but these are the bulk of our business nor are most TAs just order takers. NMnita

[cfprunner]

A great can TA can do all that and more.

 

A great TA will match any price.

 

A great TA will call you when the price falls and you get a refund or an upgrade at no cost.

 

A great TA will make the calls for you when your medication gets left at home by accident so they have what you need by the time your flight lands and you board the ship.

 

A great TA will call you and suggest a cruise that fits your profile

[Sky Sweet]

I can only think of two reasons for using a travel agent. One is to obtain a better price than you can get directly from the cruise line, and the other is to get good advice. Unfortunately, most TA's who have good deals on cruises appear to know less than I do about cruising, and the knowledgeable ones frequently charge additional commissions/fees for other aspects of a vacation, such as flights that are not part of a cruse line's package.

 

With that said, there are only two situations where I will personally use a TA. One is when we know exactly what I want and I can find a local brick and mortar agency who is able to get a better deal for us than we could get by booking directly with a cruise line, hotel, etc. The other is for an exotic vacation, where it might be difficult to do good research and communicate with hotels, etc.

 

I also feel there are a number of disadvantages of using a travel agency. You can contact most hotels, airlines, cruise lines 24/7 to resolve any issue directly, but if you book through a TA, all contact must be made through them. That can be a time consuming process. and that delay may prevent you from getting a time sensitive price reduction or upgrade.

[redglass]

I think maybe what I have been missing is my TA was not much more than an order taker. I was the one that found out about the drop in price on a cruise and called her. I did all the research and asked her to book it.

 

Thanks for sharing. I guess I will start my search for a "GREAT" TA for the next cruise. Looks like I will need to do some research on this.

 

This is really a great forum to obtain mostly non-biased information.:)

[Danno]

I call my TA in Sept, tell her what dates we are available...she knows my priorities and comes back to me with 2-3 options...I do some investigation, clear it with Jill, confirm a choice...she does my hotels, air, transfers, insurance as well as all the confirmations and follow ups.

 

At one time I considered doing it myself...in the end the apparent saving was about $110 total for both of us...MONEY WELL SPENT!!

[Schplinky]

I think the decision to use a TA or not really is a function of personality and experience. Some people want to control every little part of their trip to the point where they might drive even a great TA crazy with questions. Others could not imagine wanting to organise a trip and like the idea of just "showing up" at the airport.

 

We're more the former but I think if I had the same experience as Danno, I would likely shift into the latter category swiftly. The problem (for me and for good TA's) is that too many companies have TA's who are nothing more than glorifed Customer Service Reps and don't know the answer to questions that aren't in their FAQ's. That's too bad and maybe I shoudl be more patient about finding a great TA but for now, we're on our own and doing ok. I live in fear of an "incident" that has to be dealt with but as Michael says, I likely wouldn't just step back and let a TA deal with it anyway.

[Sky Sweet]

I think the decision to use a TA or not really is a funstion of personality and experience. Some people want to control every little part of their trip to the point where they might drive even a great TA crazy with questions. Others could not imagine wanting to organise a trip and like the idea of just "showing up" at the airport.

 

We're more the former but I think if I had the same experience as Danno, I would likely shift into the latter category swiftly. The problem (for me and for good TA's) is that too many companies have TA's who are nothing more than glorifed Customer Service Reps and don't know the answer to questions that aren't in their FAQ's. That's too bad and maybe I shoudl be more patient about finding a great TA but for now, we're on our own and doing ok. I live in fear of an "incident" that has to be dealt with but as Michael says, I likely wouldn't just step back and let a TA deal with it anyway.

 

I agree with your comments on having control, but many feel that way because they encountered problems when they lost control to a travel agent. For example, when Celebrity reduced its prices on a cruise that we had booked several years ago, I simply made a call to Celebrity to bring it to their attention and they credited our account for that difference immediately. Our friends who booked it through a travel agent called their TA who said she would take care of it. When our friends subsequently realized that Celebrity had not yet credited them for the difference they contacted Celebrity directly, Unfortunately, Celebrity had told them it had to be handled through their TA, and by the time that TA got around to doing it Celebrity had raised their prices again.

[Danno]

I think, to make the most of a TA you have to clearly define what your priorities are and do some research to know what is realistic...you are not going to fly to Europe for $199, and any add that says so is strictly a "come on"...and it shouldn't cost $1700 if a good TA is doing their job.

 

My TA knows I'm not going to give up quality for price...I won't go to Haiti no matter how cheap (or free) it is, NOR can I afford to go to Monte Carlo for a month...once I see the choices I look into the ports, excursions, weather (I set the date remember), then I ask questions here if I'm unsure.

 

My TA and I work as a team and I think we've done very well...I paid fairly for what I got, and I gladly paid a bit more for the expertise.

[darrencantwait]

how do you go about finding your good TA? And are good ones necessarily only ones that you visit in person (as opposed to online TAs)?

 

We are starting to plan a Med. cruise for 2007. Starting in Barcelona and ending in Venice. I'm probalby going to book the cruise when we're on the Constellation in March, and transfer the booking over to a TA to have them work out the air. Starting and ending the cruise in different cities, I'm imagining the TA will better know how to work out air/travel.

 

Any ideas on how to start my search?

[canderson]

A great TA will match any price.

 

Just a warning on that note. There are some very good TA's out there (and in here) who cannot do this without losing substantial amounts of money due to the differences in their business models. We've demonstrated that here several times as best we could within the guidelines of these forums. The good TA's who cannot match price should not be faulted for being unable to do so. They may simply not have access to the capital, risk tolerance, or knowledge of price fluctuations to do so.

 

At the same time, a TA who puts down the huge cash outlay up front (when the itineraries are first announced for purchase) to assure that they can maintain the original price for a cruise while Celebrity cranks up its prices (this happens regularly on certain itineraries) can and will be rewarded for that effort and risk. There's no practical way for the typical good TA to compete with this model once Celebrity has started raising prices.

[canderson]

A side note to the above post --

 

WHEN Celebrity cranks up prices dramatically on a particular cruise, and IF that cruise is being handled by the sort of TA I mentioned above, it is not uncommon to save over $1000 per person for a CC cabin on some very popular itineraries in Northern Europe and South America.

 

At that point, it makes NO sense to work directly with Celebrity at their prevailing list price!

[cfprunner]

A side note to the above post --

 

WHEN Celebrity cranks up prices dramatically on a particular cruise, and IF that cruise is being handled by the sort of TA I mentioned above, it is not uncommon to save over $1000 per person for a CC cabin on some very popular itineraries in Northern Europe and South America.

 

At that point, it makes NO sense to work directly with Celebrity at their prevailing list price!

Exception noted. Sometimes a hot route will fill up fast and the TA the pre-booked a block of space will have a better than what you might find elsewhere.

 

On the otherhand, you won't likely pay your TA more than what X is quoting for the same cabin at the same time.

[cfprunner]

By the way, I am looking for a great TA

 

flagrun@gmail.com

[Danno]

By the way, I am looking for a great TA

 

 

So am I...mine is retiring :( .

 

She is going to recommend a replacement...it might even be at a different agency...within the trade, they know who is good.