Next big sale

[Steelers36]

On 12/16/2018 at 10:19 PM, mikjr said:

GEE... where do I find those TAs that are willing to kick back 10% to 15% of your cruise fare??  

 

 

That is a bit tricky since no referrals are allowed on here.  Of course scads of posters are always mentioning the "big box" and, wink-wink, everyone knows what that is.  The thing is, my understanding is for US customers, they tend to provide discounts in the form of more OBC and I would rather have a direct price discount than more OBC to spend.  In Canada, I don't think they have the same level of discounting (but don't quote me on that as is only a bit of hearsay not having investigated myself) as they do in USA.  There are plenty of US-based TA's that discount cruise fares.  The amount may vary by cruise line and for all I know it probably varies if the agency or TA is more of a specialist with the same line you want to cruise with.  So many folks suggest talk it up at the CC Meet&Greet organized on most cruises.  But you want to know BEFORE you cruise - like when you book.  I would suggest hunt around in the internet using Google as your guide and follow up with some of the larger volume agencies and see what they do.  You may also encounter a website that various agents subscribe to who will compete for your business.  After some work, you may land on a great agent or agency.  Otherwise, you need to run into some of the few folks on here who report having a TA sent from heaven.  My current agent of record discounts 15% of commissionable fare and I have yet to see that beat.  I wish I could tell you all about it, but I have written about all I can to guide you.

[Steelers36]

On 12/17/2018 at 10:56 AM, pompeii said:

 

True for me as well.  I recently switched my TA booking back to Princess because my price direct was lower then the TA could/would give.  And before you tell me I should get a "better" TA, this is one who discounts that many CCers use and recommend.  Which isn't to say that she isn't a good TA, just that she wasn't any help to me price-wise.  She also never once notified me of any price drops, I always had to contact her.

If this is the supposedly marvelous TA who I think is from PA, then I am far from convinced.  I suspect she offers discounts to favored long-time clients who make a lot of bookings or are sailing on longer trips, etc.  Perhaps additional perks or discounts go to clients who bring in referrals - IDK.  Anyway, I checked in with her once and we were sailing typical 7-night, or maybe 10, Caribbean cruises the time and booking Inside cabin (as we preferred that and then used Sanctuary).  Anyway, for a relatively inexpensive week cruise in Caribbean, in an Inside cabin, there was no discount to be had - perhaps a $25 OBC on a group booking or something.  Discount was only to be had if booking a more expensive cabin or sailing longer.  

 

One thing to understand is that for a 7-night Caribbean cruise, $175/pp is non-commissionable and therefore no discount applies to that portion.  Of course, cruises cost more now than when this was, but if you manage to get a cruise like that at around $100/day/pp (Inside again), then only $75/day is commissionable, so there isn't a lot of room to discount.

 

So that is a bit in her defense.  Also, I think she is more of a full-service agent, and let's be reasonable here because a full-service agent ought to be doing more for you that you are not doing yourself and should receive some compensation for that.  In my case, I am my own quasi-TA, so I am mostly using the discount TA as an order filler and don't take up much of their time.  The online agencies offering the best discounts, are either expecting self-booking online or minimal interaction with the TA. 

 

I think folks who have a TA that truly monitors pricing for them are very lucky.  IMO, I don't see how a busy TA has time to monitor a bunch of different cruiselines and trips for all their customers to see if a price has dropped on this day or the next or the next, etc.  It's certainly not something I would expect, along with my 15% discount on commissionable fares - yes, even those lowly 7-nighters in the Caribbean in an Inside cabin.

 

Edited January 1, 2019 by steelers36

[crawford]

6 hours ago, steelers36 said:

If this is the supposedly marvelous TA who I think is from PA, then I am far from convinced.  I suspect she offers discounts to favored long-time clients who make a lot of bookings or are sailing on longer trips, etc.  Perhaps additional perks or discounts go to clients who bring in referrals - IDK.  Anyway, I checked in with her once and we were sailing typical 7-night, or maybe 10, Caribbean cruises the time and booking Inside cabin (as we preferred that and then used Sanctuary).  Anyway, for a relatively inexpensive week cruise in Caribbean, in an Inside cabin, there was no discount to be had - perhaps a $25 OBC on a group booking or something.  Discount was only to be had if booking a more expensive cabin or sailing longer.  

 

One thing to understand is that for a 7-night Caribbean cruise, $175/pp is non-commissionable and therefore no discount applies to that portion.  Of course, cruises cost more now than when this was, but if you manage to get a cruise like that at around $100/day/pp (Inside again), then only $75/day is commissionable, so there isn't a lot of room to discount.

 

So that is a bit in her defense.  Also, I think she is more of a full-service agent, and let's be reasonable here because a full-service agent ought to be doing more for you that you are not doing yourself and should receive some compensation for that.  In my case, I am my own quasi-TA, so I am mostly using the discount TA as an order filler and don't take up much of their time.  The online agencies offering the best discounts, are either expecting self-booking online or minimal interaction with the TA. 

 

I think folks who have a TA that truly monitors pricing for them are very lucky.  IMO, I don't see how a busy TA has time to monitor a bunch of different cruiselines and trips for all their customers to see if a price has dropped on this day or the next or the next, etc.  It's certainly not something I would expect, along with my 15% discount on commissionable fares - yes, even those lowly 7-nighters in the Caribbean in an Inside cabin.

 

If it's the same one that I have use in the past, her discounts haven't been that great. That's not to say that she doesn't take care of her long time customers. My discounts have averaged 8%, sometimes OBC, through a couple of TA's. I usually watch

prices on Princess and book only 3-6 months out. Maybe less wiggle room for discounting, when the prices are already lower?

[TracieABD]

2 hours ago, crawford said:

If it's the same one that I have use in the past, her discounts haven't been that great. That's not to say that she doesn't take care of her long time customers. My discounts have averaged 8%, sometimes OBC, through a couple of TA's. I usually watch

prices on Princess and book only 3-6 months out. Maybe less wiggle room for discounting, when the prices are already lower?

The way I look at is... 8-9% is 8-9%. On a $22K cruise- it really does add up!

[crawford]

3 hours ago, TracieABD said:

The way I look at is... 8-9% is 8-9%. On a $22K cruise- it really does add up!

Not complaining. Just not the 15% I hear others getting.

[Coral]

13 minutes ago, crawford said:

Not complaining. Just not the 15% I hear others getting.

I think the max Princess gives commission is 15% and most agents have to pay a parent organization a certain percentage. The only way one could get more would be if a TA locked in group space at an earlier time and then the cruise goes up in price. The TA still has group rate at the lower price and quotes that price.

 

If one compares the price to the current price of Princess - it could definitely look like a 15% discount.

Edited January 1, 2019 by Coral

[crawford]

16 hours ago, Coral said:

I think the max Princess gives commission is 15% and most agents have to pay a parent organization a certain percentage. The only way one could get more would be if a TA locked in group space at an earlier time and then the cruise goes up in price. The TA still has group rate at the lower price and quotes that price.

 

If one compares the price to the current price of Princess - it could definitely look like a 15% discount.

I get quite a few emails from TA's but don't see a lot of group cruises. Maybe they just reserve a block of rooms or they're not advertised as group cruises. Google doesn't seem to come up with much. 

[Coral]

1 hour ago, crawford said:

I get quite a few emails from TA's but don't see a lot of group cruises. Maybe they just reserve a block of rooms or they're not advertised as group cruises. Google doesn't seem to come up with much. 

Most TAs won't advertise their group space as group cruises. They often just lock in prices on specific cruises. 

[emmak8]

All aboard rate $270 more pp on a 10 day repositioning cruise.

[ceilidh1]

The cruises I have booked under the 3 for free come out significantly more expensive under the new all aboard sale. I will stick with what I have!

[BCCRUSINGCOUPLE]

I have noticed that the prices seem to be increasing on princess.  I could understand if you were getting something in return however the are also cutting back.  I love princess but would like to see something go a little farther for our hard earned money. 

[nukesubsailor]

7 hours ago, BCCRUSINGCOUPLE said:

I have noticed that the prices seem to be increasing on princess.  I could understand if you were getting something in return however the are also cutting back.  I love princess but would like to see something go a little farther for our hard earned money. 

Just speculation on my part but could it be possible that Princess adjusts it prices based upon the commodities market price of oil?  It seems like gas stations raise the price of gas as soon as the price of crude oil goes up and since a cruise line uses a lot of fuel oil, they may do something similar.

[Coral]

26 minutes ago, nukesubsailor said:

Just speculation on my part but could it be possible that Princess adjusts it prices based upon the commodities market price of oil?  It seems like gas stations raise the price of gas as soon as the price of crude oil goes up and since a cruise line uses a lot of fuel oil, they may do something similar.

Guessing on my part but my guess is no. There are enough reports of cruises going down in price also.

[Steelers36]

On 1/1/2019 at 2:09 PM, Coral said:

I think the max Princess gives commission is 15% and most agents have to pay a parent organization a certain percentage. The only way one could get more would be if a TA locked in group space at an earlier time and then the cruise goes up in price. The TA still has group rate at the lower price and quotes that price.

 

If one compares the price to the current price of Princess - it could definitely look like a 15% discount.

Darn, I had a post all set and then lost or closed it.  So, I will try and recreate the gist of it (I tend to get wordy in my posts).  I believe from reading many of your posts over the years that you know something about TA work or are at least closer connected than I am.  Nevertheless (bye, bye) .. no, just kidding .. my agency uses the same fare as Princess is quoting at the time and then you take out the non-commissionable portion of the cruise fare and then deduct 15% of the remainder and then add back the non-commissionable fare to get "my price".  Of course you also add on the Port Taxes amount to any fare quote.  If there is a price drop, same exercise again and we can re-price for no fees and no fees to cancel.

 

IDK what commission rates Princess pays to TA's and I suspect the amount varies depending on sales volume (or there are bonuses with volume targets).  It has to be more than 15% or my agency would lose on Princess bookings.  Often, they also provide some OBC in addition to the cash discount.  So, the overall discount from full Princess fare is less than 15% (because of the non-comm portion).  Also, the non-comm portion is a flat rate per cruise, so there is a larger commissionable balance on pricier cabins and pricier cruises. 

 

My agency does have some group rates also I believe and my Princess confirmation always includes some sort of Group Code, along with Agency Name.  That said, actual group rates on particular sailings aren't all that prevalent from what I have seen.  I have used an agent a long time back who was independent and would find supposed group bookings, but then we only got a small OBC in addition to the Princess price. 

 

I prefer to act as my own TA, but am willing to give up some control for the significant savings from a discount TA.

I don't need the "full service" and I think people who do should not expect such a large discount as the TA is entitled to compensation if they do more than just process a booking.

 

[Coral]

29 minutes ago, steelers36 said:

IDK what commission rates Princess pays to TA's and I suspect the amount varies depending on sales volume (or there are bonuses with volume targets).  It has to be more than 15% or my agency would lose on Princess bookings.  Often, they also provide some OBC in addition to the cash discount.  So, the overall discount from full Princess fare is less than 15% (because of the non-comm portion).  Also, the non-comm portion is a flat rate per cruise, so there is a larger commissionable balance on pricier cabins and pricier cruises. 

 

My agency does have some group rates also I believe and my Princess confirmation always includes some sort of Group Code, along with Agency Name. 

I will start by saying I am not a TA but I know several. Yes - there are various levels of commission based on volume. Now by saying that - I do think the max is 15%. There are times I think they have been "bonus commissions" such as after 9-11, etc...

 

Travel agents can have a ton of group space. They often grab group space on bookings they think are going to be popular plus their parent agency can also grab group space. So you are correct - many bookings do occur in group space. I seem to often book into group space. 

 

Group space works amazing when agents grab it when it first comes up and on popular sailings, the price goes up. For example - I am booked on an Antarctica sailing and am locked in at around $3000 pp for the cheapest cabin (not taxes) Now, if one was to book with Princess, that same sailing costs $4379 pp. So if someone calls this agent and wants the cheapest cabin - they will get a fare in the $3000 range. When they compare that to Princess's current rate, they are going to think they scored big % by using a TA. This is all due to group space.

 

Yes - there can be benefits to volumes also. For example - if an agent gets so many cabins in the group space (even though the people are not associated with each other), they can get a free birth or the cost of the money for a free birth as extra commission. It wouldn't surprise me if there are more bonus options like this. 

 

BTW - I am not contradicting your experience. I believe your posts.

 

Edited January 5, 2019 by Coral

[rocklinmom]

This All Aboard sale does nothing for me because our fare went up.  I don't want to give up my free gratuities unless there's enough fare reduction.  And did they ever decide what the OBC amounts are for this new promo?  I still see different amounts on the website and on the OneSource promotional flyer? 

[Coral]

22 minutes ago, rocklinmom said:

This All Aboard sale does nothing for me because our fare went up.  I don't want to give up my free gratuities unless there's enough fare reduction.  And did they ever decide what the OBC amounts are for this new promo?  I still see different amounts on the website and on the OneSource promotional flyer? 

I am booked on a same summer cruise as last year. It is $2200 more than what I paid at final payment last year. The price did go down for that 1 day between promos but then went back up the next day when All Aboard sale started. I am booked under Landmark sale so there is no reason to swap. Maybe a free meal? I hope the price does come down.