Transfer to TA/Wow!

[Snowesha]

My cruise leaves in early April and is paid for in full. Is there any benefit to transfer it to a TA at this point? I am in a SS Guarantee with the Explore 4. Trying to see if its worth the effort.  Thanks!

 

[richwmn]

19 minutes ago, Snowesha said:

My cruise leaves in early April and is paid for in full. Is there any benefit to transfer it to a TA at this point? I am in a SS Guarantee with the Explore 4. Trying to see if its worth the effort.  Thanks!

 

once you are paid in full you can not transfer to a TA. You must be before final payment and owe something.

[Cruising-along]

4 hours ago, Caribbean Chris said:

 

You are right that there is some protection in booking with a credit card. But I suspect I’m not the only person who likes working with a big box TA because the corporation has a tangible retail presence 15 minutes from my house. Sure, no travel agents are based there and we talk to different people on the phone every time we need assistance, but I know we’re dealing with a reputable, well-run entity. 

 

We have travel companions who use another online-only company - sometimes they come out ahead on price and benefits by a % point of two, or sometimes we do. However, cancellation/change policies seem much more favorable at our big box.

Exactly how I feel.  I've tried a few online TAs (highly recommended here) and have had a dismal experience. Nit picking charges and an "I could care less" attitude.   On the other hand we've never had a bad experience dealing with the big box TA. 

[igraf]

On 1/30/2019 at 11:40 AM, Hawaiidan said:

 

You learned the most valuable lesson in travel and cruising  ALWAYS  book through an agent. 

 

....Once you get a good agent stick with them  dont be a bargain basement shopper   🤦‍♂️

 

On air fare....   become a member of that airlines FF club.   You do not need to fly to get miles.  Get the airlines cc card....NOT the all airline /hotel cards they are never as good.   With the Airlines FF and Credit card you will get free baggage and trip insurance and no charge foreign exchange rates  !'

 

...Always buy direct with the Airline or hotel  it will be the best price.    On the other hand  NEVER buy or book direct with a cruise line.

 

I received excellent service and pricing through HAL's PCC on our last two cruises.  For example, we were able to secure multiple adjacent balcony cabins for just a few dollars over the "guarantee balcony" price.  The PCC had to jump through hoops for that one as the PCC basically rebooked us after the no-refund deadline.  I don't know if an independent travel agent could do that.

 

I do agree with one thing you said: "Don't be a bargain basement shopper".  What I don't understand is that most of your post is how to be a bargain basement shopper.......

 

igraf

 

 

[Hawaiidan]

1 hour ago, igraf said:

 

I received excellent service and pricing through HAL's PCC on our last two cruises.  For example, we were able to secure multiple adjacent balcony cabins for just a few dollars over the "guarantee balcony" price.  The PCC had to jump through hoops for that one as the PCC basically rebooked us after the no-refund deadline.  I don't know if an independent travel agent could do that.

 

I do agree with one thing you said: "Don't be a bargain basement shopper".  What I don't understand is that most of your post is how to be a bargain basement shopper.......

 

igraf

 

 

Igraf et al, 

let me clarify what I meant  by bargain basement shopper....". some one looking for the cheapest inside on the lowest  or lower quality mass market ships".  Rather the best deals can be had on might be slightly higher quality  premium lines and better.    If your looking for a hot deal on a quad occupancy, Carnival for a 4 day cruise..you wont find many agents willing to cut you a hot deal    Whereas, when you looking at 21-36-48 day cruises and talking 10K +   You should expect an agent to want to  assist you and preserve the future relation with that customer. 

 As mentioned  The agent I have  got me a 21 day free cruise and a $9K refund on top + OBC's  when the line has a situation....    I think having a personal relation with the same person, long term was instrumental in that. I was pretty amazed.

( My results have been best  on cruises longer than 21 days and in Premium or better lines.    I dont see the point in cruises of under 10 days...you just get on  when you have to get off !    But thats me  )

[iancal]

We are not bargain basement shoppers.  We do however want a good  price once we have decided on a particular product or service.  It does not have to be the best but we will no pay over the odds either.

 

We view buying a cruise just like buying a commodity product..sugar, flour, etc.  Once we have decided on ship, itinerary, date, cabin, etc we will get exactly the same product no matter how we buy it, where we buy, or from whom.  So  would we pay, for example, $500 more to book with the cruise ,a B&M agency or an uncompetitive on line agency? No-because the only service that we really need is the booking process itself.

 

Cruise buys are the one travel product we buy  where we actually get penalized financially for buying directly from the vendor.  The industry may change at some point.  If it does HAL will have a bigger problem.  Their IT and website has been sub standard for years.

Edited February 2, 2019 by iancal

[igraf]

6 hours ago, Hawaiidan said:

Igraf et al, 

let me clarify what I meant  by bargain basement shopper....". some one looking for the cheapest inside on the lowest  or lower quality mass market ships".  Rather the best deals can be had on might be slightly higher quality  premium lines and better.    If your looking for a hot deal on a quad occupancy, Carnival for a 4 day cruise..you wont find many agents willing to cut you a hot deal    Whereas, when you looking at 21-36-48 day cruises and talking 10K +   You should expect an agent to want to  assist you and preserve the future relation with that customer. 

 As mentioned  The agent I have  got me a 21 day free cruise and a $9K refund on top + OBC's  when the line has a situation....    I think having a personal relation with the same person, long term was instrumental in that. I was pretty amazed.

( My results have been best  on cruises longer than 21 days and in Premium or better lines.    I dont see the point in cruises of under 10 days...you just get on  when you have to get off !    But thats me  )

 

Quad occupancy on a Carnival 4-day cruise??  That is really insulting and I don't believe that you were given a 21-day cruise plus $9000 + OBC out of the blue.  If you received such a promotion it would only be because you had previously purchased much more.  Just like any frequent flyer program.  HAL's PCC will be beneficial to passengers on their first cruise, and even more so on a second cruise.

 

The point of cruises shorter than 10-days is a full time job as not all of us are retired senior citizens.  In my case I live at a HAL port and it is very easy and relaxing to hop on the 7-day cruise to Mexico.  BTW, this was the cruise where the PCC assisted us with the adjacent cabins!

 

igraf

 

 

 

 

[iancal]

Two years ago our on line discount TA relayed a ‘move over’offer on a Princess cruise that we had booked with her.  Full refund, free 14 day cruise anywhere, upgrade to a mini suite, and up to $300 USD to offset any actual air change fees.

 

We accepted in a heartbeat.  Our TA arranged a con call for her, me, and Princess to confirm the details.  We had a follow up email within ten minutes confirming those details.  She is not the lowest cost on line TA but we stuck with her because of the service she provided.  

 

We have enjoyed rebates in the form of OBC’s, an upgrade because she put us in with some group, and at one point a gratis full day tour/lunch in Barbados.  We have absolutely no inclination to deal directly with any cruise line.  Why would we penalize ourselves by dealing directly with the cruise line?

Edited February 3, 2019 by iancal

[Hawaiidan]

IGRAF,             Why is is insulting???    Its the lowest class cabin in an entry level cruise line      Just like  saying shopping for a Motel 6 is less expensive than a Ritz Carlton..        Not to be insulting just as factual  as possible.   Sorry if you felt offended, it was not meant to be so.

Now to expand on my experience   I had the same agent for 8 years,  booked consistent cruises with him from 14 to 34 days on upper tier cruise lines.      In this case of the free cruise   I had booked a penthouse on a premium line, 10 days  prior to sailing the  line discovered they had booked too many penthouses !     They asked my agent if I would consider giving up my penthouse  .It was not a promotion at all. No special sale or deal.   It was all in house at the cruise line.   

 

   My agent acting on my behalf, as I instructed him he could do without contacting me, negotiated..   a Free veranda cabin in a prime location, A  cash rebate of an agreed $9000.,  5 free shore ex pp, and 400 OBC PP..     I told him  he did good.  Ya'  it was out of the blue !!!   

  What happened was that the line  had sold out the ship  and several " well oiled" people who wanted to book for a much inflated  last min price.      The Line also commissioned the  Agent for the commission  he would have received for the Penthouse !   We all made out  Line, Agent and Moi...

. 

    Granted, these things dont come along often ... but having an Agent who is plugged into the right people in the national sales office is not a bad thing.           

So, while everyone is clamoring for up-sell and up grades...has anybody considered the value in a Down-Grade  ....... They happen ...If a line knows through your Agent  your a flexible player,  you can be in line for a lot of surprises...all good.

[igraf]

2 hours ago, Hawaiidan said:

I...  In this case of the free cruise   I had booked a penthouse on a premium line, 10 days  prior to sailing the  line discovered they had booked too many penthouses !     They asked my agent if I would consider giving up my penthouse  .It was not a promotion at all. No special sale or deal.   It was all in house at the cruise line.   

 

   My agent acting on my behalf, as I instructed him he could do without contacting me, negotiated..   a Free veranda cabin in a prime location, A  cash rebate of an agreed $9000.,  5 free shore ex pp, and 400 OBC PP..    ...

 

You have not said anything that would support your contention that a 3rd party travel agent can do more than a HAL personal cruise consultant.  The situation you describe is so extraordinary that just about anybody would have been able to secure a substantial redress.  If HAL offers such compensation to a 3rd party TA then they would certainly do so with a PCC booking.  Or perhaps the PCC would have not caused the problem in the first place......

 

Hyperboles aside, I still assert that the HAL PCC offers a good price and solid service.  Any you don't have to be booking the Penthouse Suite to get it.

 

igraf

 

 

[iancal]

A number of years ago we were speaking with our on line agent with the intention of booking a certain HAL ship (older one).

 

Our TA strongly suggested that we consider another ship based on feedback fro her recent customers.  We followed her advice but afterward looked at the reviews.  The ship was going through a bad spell w/mtce and management issues.  On our selected cruise I met a gentleman who had recently been on that ship.  Twice.  His comments reinforced our decision to heed our TA’s advice.

 

i cannot imagine that we would have received  the same advice From a HAL employed had we called in to book direct.

 

The financial advantage of booking with a TA is only one of the reasons that we do so.

[terrydtx]

It may not be true, but I perceive that a PCC who works for the cruise line has only their best interests in mind, while my personal TA who only works for me and depends on my continued business, really has my best interests. Over my lifetime I have bough many homes but would never allow a seller's real estate agent represent me in the purchase of that house, using a PCC, in my perception, is the same thing.

[RocketMan275]

Here's another reason to use a TA.

I had two cruises booked on separate cruise lines (A&B) when we decided to change both cruises to a different line (C).

If I had booked with the cruise lines directly, I would have had to make three separate calls.  How long would that have taken?

I called my TA and she made the changes in less than five minutes.  I had the cancellation receipts and new cruise confirmations in less than 30 minutes.  

[sammiedawg]

4 hours ago, terrydtx said:

It may not be true, but I perceive that a PCC who works for the cruise line has only their best interests in mind, while my personal TA who only works for me and depends on my continued business, really has my best interests. Over my lifetime I have bough many homes but would never allow a seller's real estate agent represent me in the purchase of that house, using a PCC, in my perception, is the same thing.

 

Excellent analogy.  Ding, ding, ding!!!!

 

[Hlitner]

On ‎2‎/‎3‎/‎2019 at 3:53 PM, igraf said:

 

You have not said anything that would support your contention that a 3rd party travel agent can do more than a HAL personal cruise consultant.  The situation you describe is so extraordinary that just about anybody would have been able to secure a substantial redress.  If HAL offers such compensation to a 3rd party TA then they would certainly do so with a PCC booking.  Or perhaps the PCC would have not caused the problem in the first place......

 

Hyperboles aside, I still assert that the HAL PCC offers a good price and solid service.  Any you don't have to be booking the Penthouse Suite to get it.

 

igraf

 

 

You are obviously happy with you PCC and "set in your ways" so nothing we could say is going to change your mind.  That being said, we use cruise agencies because they will give us 7-10% (sometimes more) of the cruise price back in various amenities (usually OBCs).  While some folks could care less about being giving 10% of their cruise cost, for us it is significant...especially on longer more expensive cruises.  One option for those who love their PCC is to book through their PCC and then transfer the booking to a cruise agency (discuss this with the cruise agency and negotiate a deal before you do the deed) to get an extra OBC (which can sometimes be thousands of dollars).

 

Hank

[AlexCherie]

Simple question:

When you refer to a "big box" or online TA, are you referring in the former to someone like Costco Travel, and in the latter, Avoya/Cruise?

[iancal]

I am not saying that a TA can do more than a cruise line agent or a PCC.

 

What they can do is provide more attractive pricing for the exact same product, from time to time suggest other cruise line competitive offers that we may not be aware of, and on at least two separate occasions on two different cruise line suggest that we not book on the dog of a ship that we had first called about.

 

 

i very much doubt whether a HAL PCC or any cruise line employee booking agent would do any of those three, let alone all of them.

 

As an example do you really think that. HAL PCC would sell a mobility challenged potential cruiser off buying a cabin on Veendam given the ships long reputation for having multiple elevators out of service?

Edited February 5, 2019 by iancal

[richwmn]

9 hours ago, AlexCherie said:

Simple question:

When you refer to a "big box" or online TA, are you referring in the former to someone like Costco Travel, and in the latter, Avoya/Cruise?

Board rules don't allow discussion of specific travel agencies, just types - IE Brick & Mortar, Big Box, PCC

[AlexCherie]

13 hours ago, richwmn said:

Board rules don't allow discussion of specific travel agencies, just types - IE Brick & Mortar, Big Box, PCC

Well that is reasonable and makes good sense.

Do I have the parameters of the definitions correct though?

[RocketMan275]

9 hours ago, AlexCherie said:

Well that is reasonable and makes good sense.

Do I have the parameters of the definitions correct though?

You can google those terms and get some fairly accurate definitions.

[Hawaiidan]

On 2/3/2019 at 1:53 PM, igraf said:

 

You have not said anything that would support your contention that a 3rd party travel agent can do more than a HAL personal cruise consultant.  The situation you describe is so extraordinary that just about anybody would have been able to secure a substantial redress.  If HAL offers such compensation to a 3rd party TA then they would certainly do so with a PCC booking.  Or perhaps the PCC would have not caused the problem in the first place......

 

Hyperboles aside, I still assert that the HAL PCC offers a good price and solid service.  Any you don't have to be booking the Penthouse Suite to get it.

 

igraf

 

 

Really....I would Never  even been called.... without an aggressive agent 

  There were some 30 other penthouses.that the line could have called.... Why did they select me....... because my agent acts on my behalf.    Even if they did call me direct their offer would  most certainly no where near what I received through my agent.   It would have  ended in in  we will give you a down grade and   some portion of your fare returned.    No shore ex  or OBC offers... They would have first tried to get me to select another cruise at a discount.  ( one for sure that was experiencing poor bookings so the least money would be lost)  

With my post and those of others, I am sorry you cant accept that a line's salesman really is working for the line's best interest..NOT YOU....thats their job ,make the company the most and give only what they have to

.  Whereas, an Agent is working for YOU,and to get you the most for the least to preserve his realtion.. the total opposite.     Agents, good ones  don't deal with the PCC" people  they deal with regional and national sales supervisors  who can make deals a PCC can not.