Advantages of travel agents?

[Hlitner]

11 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

LOL, I don't even spend $10k for the total trip. Obviously if one is booking a very expensive cruise one can find a TA to save them lots of money. At the other end of the spectrum, not so much.

I would guess it depends on each person's idea of the value of money.  Many folks will drive miles to save a couple of dollars on a sale :).  Folks booking a typical 7 day cruise for perhaps $1800 might be happy to save $180.  Consider all those 7 day cruisers who talk about using "rum runners" to save a few dollars on booze :).

 

Hank

[sparks1093]

57 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

I would guess it depends on each person's idea of the value of money.  Many folks will drive miles to save a couple of dollars on a sale :).  Folks booking a typical 7 day cruise for perhaps $1800 might be happy to save $180.  Consider all those 7 day cruisers who talk about using "rum runners" to save a few dollars on booze :).

 

Hank

I've never seen a TA offer that much on an $1800 cruise. I've seen them match what the cruise line offered and nothing more. I will use some of the tips outlined in this thread the next time I book a cruise and see what happens but I doubt that the margins involved allow them to make the same kind of offers they make on the more expensive bookings.

[Hlitner]

3 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

I've never seen a TA offer that much on an $1800 cruise. I've seen them match what the cruise line offered and nothing more. I will use some of the tips outlined in this thread the next time I book a cruise and see what happens but I doubt that the margins involved allow them to make the same kind of offers they make on the more expensive bookings.

I know from some of your posts that you are a "doubter" and you certainly can go on doubting :).  But the reality is that there are quite a few decent high volume cruise agencies that routinely offer OBCs an other perks (like pre-paid gratuities) that generally fall into the range of 7-10% of the cruise fare.  Just to satisfy my own curiosity I took a quick random look at the June 2 Oasis of the Seas  7 day cruise.  Picking a cabin at random (Boardwalk View with Balcony) the total cost of the cruise came to $4556.52 (this includes taxes, fees, etc).  The one cruise agency I chose (one we have used quite a few times)  is giving $175 of OBC plus pre-paid gratuities worth $203 or a total of $378 (that you would not get if booking with the cruise line).  The actual cruise price without taxes/fees is $4,368 so that one agency (and I did not even shop around for the best deal) is giving 8.65% of the cruise fare.  And this on a pretty popular ship just doing a 7 day cruise.  Shopping around would likely yield something closer to 10%,   But you just go on doubting because we are stockholders who truly love the doubters 🙂

 

Hank

[sparks1093]

10 hours ago, Hlitner said:

I know from some of your posts that you are a "doubter" and you certainly can go on doubting :).  But the reality is that there are quite a few decent high volume cruise agencies that routinely offer OBCs an other perks (like pre-paid gratuities) that generally fall into the range of 7-10% of the cruise fare.  Just to satisfy my own curiosity I took a quick random look at the June 2 Oasis of the Seas  7 day cruise.  Picking a cabin at random (Boardwalk View with Balcony) the total cost of the cruise came to $4556.52 (this includes taxes, fees, etc).  The one cruise agency I chose (one we have used quite a few times)  is giving $175 of OBC plus pre-paid gratuities worth $203 or a total of $378 (that you would not get if booking with the cruise line).  The actual cruise price without taxes/fees is $4,368 so that one agency (and I did not even shop around for the best deal) is giving 8.65% of the cruise fare.  And this on a pretty popular ship just doing a 7 day cruise.  Shopping around would likely yield something closer to 10%,   But you just go on doubting because we are stockholders who truly love the doubters 🙂

 

Hank

That sure is a great deal but the only problem is that I wouldn't book it. I have no doubt that y'all are getting the deals that you say you are getting and as I said the next time I book I'll use the tips outlined in this thread to see what I can find. Maybe I will find a TA that is willing to give me the equivalent of 10% on a $2k cruise (that's total, not per person). 

[CynCyn]

I tried doing bids on my scheduled cruise after reading about all of the benefits here.  I had already put down a deposit and selected the cabin.  I got three ‘offers’ that did not offer any OBC, wine, gratuities; told me the cabin was unavailable (which I stated in my bid); and upped the price by over $300.  

 

I hate that that we can’t share names here as I would love to get some of the deals that others have.  I realize that we’ve never booked the long term cruises as others have, but the most we got from a TA in 2 cruises was a $25 OBC on a $16,000 cruise.  I’ve gotten better breaks from my line on my last 2 cruises with casino rates.  

[Flatbush Flyer]

5 hours ago, CynCyn said:

I tried doing bids on my scheduled cruise after reading about all of the benefits here.  I had already put down a deposit and selected the cabin.  I got three ‘offers’ that did not offer any OBC, wine, gratuities; told me the cabin was unavailable (which I stated in my bid); and upped the price by over $300.  

 

I hate that that we can’t share names here as I would love to get some of the deals that others have.  I realize that we’ve never booked the long term cruises as others have, but the most we got from a TA in 2 cruises was a $25 OBC on a $16,000 cruise.  I’ve gotten better breaks from my line on my last 2 cruises with casino rates.  

What percentage of your TOTAL cruise fare you may be offered by a TA as a rebate or either refundable or non-refundable SBC can vary significantly. Beyond the TA's own policies (and any consortia support they may enjoy), there is the factor of the itinerary. A portion of your fare is port taxes and fees, which are non-conmissionable for the TA. The cruise line itself can also be a significant factor in that some of them have a sliding scale of commissions favoring their top producers (this is why, for Oceania cruises, we choose to use only TAs who are recognized with membership in Oceania's Connoisseurs Club). 

 

That said, and not knowing anything more specific about your $16,000 cruise (e.g., itinerary), I'd conservatively expect some form of $$ or equivalent perks value no lower than 4-5% of that total fare, i.e., $650+/- for that cruise. But, I'd be looking for $1250+ as more realistically ideal. 

 

BTW, the $$ bottom line savings is not the only deciding TA selection factor for us. One TA we used to use would always "beat anyone's price." But, his office often made errors and, although we had his cell number for any emergent issues, he himself could be a PITA. I'd rather take a lower rebate/deal from a TA who, once we make an agreement, I feel comfortable to cross that chore off my "to do" list AND who has the cruise line's regional sales rep as a speed dial on his/her phone. 

 

Finding the right TAs is not that hard (search CC for my many posts on how to do it). But, it takes time to do the real research to find the right TA(s) for your preferred cruise line(s) who offer best mix of savings, service and savvy. 

Edited March 17, 2019 by Flatbush Flyer

[69Agapimou]

On 9/24/2018 at 1:33 AM, Ben2travel said:

Assuming I know what cruise I want, are there any advantages/disadvantages to booking through a travel agent rather than directly through the cruise line? I am sure this must have been covered before, but was unable to find it. Thanks so much.

Of course you van do it your self by internet if you are good at it and can read and understeand the small letters which s hidden and you never been able to see what is included and what not. Look for a good Travelcounsellor in your neighbourhoud, I am one my self but in the Netherlands. You pay a bit more, but we as agents have direct phonenumbers and contact with the Hall, so we can fix easy problems, fix easy reservations  and in times of problems they there for you.

 

[RocketMan275]

On 3/15/2019 at 12:22 PM, sparks1093 said:

LOL, I don't even spend $10k for the total trip. Obviously if one is booking a very expensive cruise one can find a TA to save them lots of money. At the other end of the spectrum, not so much.

True. 

Those with lots of money to spend save lots of money.

Those with not so much money still save money and it's entirely possible that money is very important to them.

[RocketMan275]

6 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Finding the right TAs is not that hard (search CC for my many posts on how to do it). But, it takes time to do the real research to find the right TA(s) for your preferred cruise line(s) who offer best mix of savings, service and savvy. 

 I found my favorite TA (usually a 10% discount, sometimes more, sometimes less) with great service by reading Cruise Critic.  I know we can't mention names but a careful reader will sometimes find that names are mentioned.  

[Freshycat]

For Canadian travellers, this site might be a good place to look? 

 

https://www.canadiantravelagents.ca/

 

It lets you search by location of agent, destination specialization (including cruise specialists) and there are reviews and ratings too. Of course there's a lot of self-selection involved, but I think travel agents who take the trouble to build up a good profile and good reviews are more likely to take the trouble to provide good service. 

 

I would be leery of going with an Internet travel agent outside of my province or country. Legal recourse outside of your jurisdiction if something goes wrong is tough and much more expensive.

 

I think my brother-in-law's mistake was using his corporate travel agent who sets up his conferences and work travel. (For our NCL cruise for extended family.) He swears by her ability to get him swanky hotel and resort deals, but that's because she has expertise in that setting up his conferences. Based on my family's experience, I don't think she had any special knowledge about cruising. 

 

For now, I'm content to DIY online. It may cost me 5-10% in perks, but until I have the time to do the research properly, it seems risky going with just any TA. They could just as easily be bad as good, and agencies go under a lot more frequently than cruise lines. Plus, I got tons of important emails direct from the cruise line, which the TA does not seem to be forwarding to my family members who went through her. E.g., they didn't know that one of the ports of call had been changed, and missed the two large (20-25%) price drops and additional perks offered, like free airfare. My family booked $35K worth of cabins through the TA, so if she didn't get the price drops for them that I got DIYing, that's a loss of about $7-9K. I expect to have to hold my family's hand through the reservations and buying extras, because their TA does not seem to be keeping them informed.

[Toofarfromthesea]

5 hours ago, 69Agapimou said:

Of course you van do it your self by internet if you are good at it and can read and understeand the small letters which s hidden and you never been able to see what is included and what not. Look for a good Travelcounsellor in your neighbourhoud, I am one my self but in the Netherlands. You pay a bit more, but we as agents have direct phonenumbers and contact with the Hall, so we can fix easy problems, fix easy reservations  and in times of problems they there for you.

 

 

That is probably good advice for folks in the Netherlands, but I cannot imagine an American, like the guy you responded to, would ever 'pay a bit more' to use a travel agent, when there are excellent agents here who not only don't ask their customers to pay a bit more, they give their customers more, sometimes a lot more.

[Underwatr]

6 hours ago, Freshycat said:

For Canadian travellers, this site might be a good place to look? 

We can't discuss or mention travel agents, or in my experience, even companies that direct you to a collection of travel agents.