OBC from travel agent

[bwc318]

is it a common practice for travel agents to give their customers OBC when booking a cruise? I love my travel agent but have never received anything except for a bottle of wine on a couple cruises. Just wondering.

[Mr. Click]

Some of the bigger agencies give OBC, some give "perks" like pre-paid grats, one big one gives gift cards for their warehouse stores. Not so much with smaller brick and mortar agencies.

[Hlitner]

We normally expect 7-10% of the cruise cost in OBCs or similar amenities (such as pre paid gratuities). On some cruises we are able to get even more then 10% in amenities from one of our favored cruise agencies.

 

Hank

[Jim_Iain]

I think if you look around you will find plenty of travel agents - all sizes that offer you incentives for you booking. I find that you can expect 8-10%.

 

I usually book on board and then ask 3 of my normal agents what they would offer for the booking. The BigBox store that starts with "C" offers gift cards in the same range. You could always go to their website and do a mock booking - it shows exactly what your rebate will be.

[maxsales]

is it a common practice for travel agents to give their customers OBC when booking a cruise? I love my travel agent but have never received anything except for a bottle of wine on a couple cruises. Just wondering.

Just wondering if your travel agent provides good service?

[mmsJack]

For comparison if helpful: Booked 2D Veranda 12 night Caribbean on Silhouette via TA.

 

Got the classic bev package from Celebrity + our TA threw in OBC ($325/room) & pp grats ($348/room)

 

We use a well known site to compare multiple online TA agencies & then go with the best offer. BUT (as others have already said re. big box stores) we have to do a lot of the work ourselves. We get prompt/fast/efficient service when we call/email our agent for help but she does not watch pricing nor could she 'hold our hand' so I'm not advocating this for all, it's just what works for us.

Edited September 1, 2018 by mmsJack

[bwc318]

Just wondering if your travel agent provides good service?

 

Our travel agent provides excellent service. I would still appreciate a financial perk.

[hvbaskey]

Our TA is a gem (very helpful, courteous, and patience +++). We also are quite happy with pricing received and the extra OBC generated from the office. We found her via the site mentioned in post #6 that compare offers. We accepted one and have continued to use her from that point onwards.

[Duanerice1]

Like above postings we get 8-10% in OBC.

 

But sometimes the relationship is more important. It's up to you.

[Jgoodall08]

On 9/1/2018 at 9:11 AM, mmsJack said:

For comparison if helpful: Booked 2D Veranda 12 night Caribbean on Silhouette via TA.

 

Got the classic bev package from Celebrity + our TA threw in OBC ($325/room) & pp grats ($348/room)

 

We use a well known site to compare multiple online TA agencies & then go with the best offer. BUT (as others have already said re. big box stores) we have to do a lot of the work ourselves. We get prompt/fast/efficient service when we call/email our agent for help but she does not watch pricing nor could she 'hold our hand' so I'm not advocating this for all, it's just what works for us.

I know this post is old but how can I find out what the site is that compares the travel agent pricing 

[Jim_Iain]

1 minute ago, Jgoodall08 said:

I know this post is old but how can I find out what the site is that compares the travel agent pricing 

Google on words Cruise and Compete.    We are not permitted to actually post other agency websites. 

[Jgoodall08]

1 minute ago, Jim_Iain said:

Google on words Cruise and Compete.    We are not permitted to actually post other agency websites. 

Thanks. Wasn’t sure if you could send a message or something. Thanks for the help. I like my agent but I’ve booked a lot lately and want to make sure I’m getting what I should be.

[Jim_Iain]

The site doesn't compare the prices and perks.   You basically submit a quote request and multiple TA's bid for your travel.   One warning is to read carefully as many bids are not for what you have asked to be bid on.  Feel free to contact me by e-mail in my signature. 

[Jgoodall08]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

The site doesn't compare the prices and perks.   You basically submit a quote request and multiple TA's bid for your travel.   One warning is to read carefully as many bids are not for what you have asked to be bid on.  Feel free to contact me by e-mail in my signature. 

I can’t find your signature to get the email. Cruise critic says I can am only allowed “0”

private messages a day. 🤦🏻‍♀️ I don’t know why. So I did what you suggested and the amount of OBC coming back with the quotes is 250$ and 275$ and my travel agent told me maybe $50, he said it depends on his commission. I’m really bummed now! It’s a big difference because I have two cabins booked. 

[Jim_Iain]

7 minutes ago, Jgoodall08 said:

I can’t find your signature to get the email. Cruise critic says I can am only allowed “0”

private messages a day. 🤦🏻‍♀️ I don’t know why. So I did what you suggested and the amount of OBC coming back with the quotes is 250$ and 275$ and my travel agent told me maybe $50, he said it depends on his commission. I’m really bummed now! It’s a big difference because I have two cabins booked. 

I had that problem earlier myself.   If you go to your name and click account settings then Signature there is a switch to turn off or on viewing others signatures.  By the way my email is jim (dot) Smaltz (at) Gmail (dot) com

 

I use to use a really good agent but he never offered anything.   After finding a couple good agents I have never looked back.   As others said the amount many receive is between 7-10%.   Generally the higher the price of a cabin the better the offer.   

Edited December 11, 2018 by Jim_Iain

[NantahalaCruiser]

On 9/1/2018 at 6:14 AM, maxsales said:

Just wondering if your travel agent provides good service?

All depends on your service needs. I do all of my own research and have no need for recommendations or other forms of "hand-holding." So my only needs are the initial booking (or acceptance of the transfer of a booking made on board,) cabin fare or upgrade changes when there is a good reduced price (I do my own price tracking,) transfers of a booked reservation to an entirely different cruise or a cruise cancellation - all with no additional fees and decent operating hours (10-12 hours per day/7 days per week is fine for me since I can always place a hold on a new cabin at a reduced price during their off hours and call them the next day to have them transfer the new reduced fare to my existing reservation.)

 

I find that my warehouse store's travel division meets these needs while giving me about an 8% refund. Also, since I have no need to talk with a dedicated agent I appreciate the fact that there is always an available agent during their operating hours and no need to wait for a call back from a dedicated agent.

 

But that's just me. If I was very new to cruising I would appreciate a more personal relationship with a knowledgeable agent that could provide recommendations and keep me informed of price changes. And for these additional services I would be willing to have a much lower refund or other benefit.

[NantahalaCruiser]

55 minutes ago, Jgoodall08 said:

Cruise critic says I can am only allowed “0” private messages a day. 🤦🏻‍♀️ I don’t know why. 

Cruise Critic does not allow private messages; but apparently some of the software they use has such capability - which they have disabled. Thus all of us are "only allowed '0' private messages a day."