One reason I book with a HAL PCC

[DaveOKC]

I know that this topic (booking though HAL vs a discount on-line site) is often discussed on this board and I really do not want to start another one, but I just wanted to share a great experience I had today with my HAL PCC.

 

Around 9 am I email my HAL PCC the following:

 "I noticed a fare decline in our Dec.  XX, 2019 cruise (#XXXXX) of $45.00 per person.  Could you please check this out for us?

 

If you need to call me on this, best might be my cell phone today"

 

At 10:15 am (they start work at 10 am my time) I got this email response:

 

"

Done!  Your new base fare is $XXXX.00 with same promos and obc.  I resent the booking confirmation to you .

 

Have a great day!"

 

What a quick and easy way to save $90!  And I generally do this at least once on each of our cruises.

 

 

 

 

[*Miss G*]

I sure wish I had your PCC.

[DaveOKC]

5 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

I sure wish I had your PCC.

Its all in how you train them!  Just kidding of course.

[iancal]

In our experience this is the norm.  Direct or through a TA.

[vinonme2]

32 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

I know that this topic (booking though HAL vs a discount on-line site) is often discussed on this board and I really do not want to start another one, but I just wanted to share a great experience I had today with my HAL PCC.

 

Around 9 am I email my HAL PCC the following:

 "I noticed a fare decline in our Dec.  XX, 2019 cruise (#XXXXX) of $45.00 per person.  Could you please check this out for us?

 

If you need to call me on this, best might be my cell phone today"

 

At 10:15 am (they start work at 10 am my time) I got this email response:

 

"

Done!  Your new base fare is $XXXX.00 with same promos and obc.  I resent the booking confirmation to you .

 

Have a great day!"

 

What a quick and easy way to save $90!  And I generally do this at least once on each of our cruises.

 

 

 

 

What an interesting post, thank you.  Confidence and accessibility with your travel agent is so important, it's nice to hear a positive result. 

 

[Cruising-along]

We have had the same experience with our PCC also.  Good to hear there are other good ones!

[taxmantoo]

We still prefer to deal with an independent travel agent.  She can and has done the same for us many times.  And unlike the PCC, if our travel agent is out of the office that day, any of the 20 or so other agents in her office can handle this immediately.

[510picker]

I just checked HAL's website for our November cruise and it looks like ours may have dropped too. I just emailed my PCC, so we will see what she says.

[KirkNC]

My TA does the same without me even checking on the price, she does it for me and gives me 12% of the price a PCC would charge.

[Taters]

My PCC is amazing.  He is thoughtful, efficient, knowledgeable and kind.  I couldn't ask for better service.  He digs around for promos for us and has surprised us a few times.  Price drops?  No problem!  HAL has been very good to us.

[510picker]

My PCC replied and has us rebooked. Lost our prepaid tips, but the cabin went down $390 and we each got $75 OBC, for a net savings of $337. Thanks for the heads-up, DaveOKC!

[DaveOKC]

13 minutes ago, 510picker said:

My PCC replied and has us rebooked. Lost our prepaid tips, but the cabin went down $390 and we each got $75 OBC, for a net savings of $337. Thanks for the heads-up, DaveOKC!

Glad you made out on the deal!  Sure is fun when it does!

[atexsix]

2 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

I sure wish I had your PCC.

So do I!

 

Quality PCC's seem hit or miss; I found out many of them work from home, not a big deal because I do too, but I wonder if they don't always get the training they need.

[Moriah]

You don't need to book through a PCC to do this.  For my upcoming Alaska cruise, I booked while on board my last one, almost a year ago. I transferred the booking to my TA, and she promptly added some OBC.  Since then the price for my cabin category has dropped twice (two different promotions) and each time, I have emailed my TA and asked if she could please check with HAL to see if we could switch to the new promotion.  The first time, it was no problem, and we saved over $500 per person. The second time, it was already after final payment, but HAL graciously gave us each $100 drink cards. So they are actually just as responsive on this when your TA requests in your name as when you are dealing directly with a PCC.  

[GlennG]

Over the years, we have been assigned three Personal Cruise Consultants.  The first PCC was an absolute disaster for us.  While not belabouring the point, I found him to be arrogant, incompetent and had "things mixed up."  This fellow believed that I should be working for him, not the other way around.  We telephoned HAL and gave specific criticism to one of the supervisors in guest services.  The result was the assignment of another PCC to our account.  Over a period of 10 years, we found Lori to be an outstanding employee.  She really became an advocate for our behalf, and the service, done of our behalf, was always exemplary.  She was one of the reasons that we decided to remain with HAL, rather than switching to Celebrity.  Lori recently retired and we were assigned, yet another PCC.  While I cannot make any definitive evaluation of her performance, we are, thus far, very happy with the service that we have received.  With respect to Holland America's cruise consultants, I think it's a little bit of a "mixed bag."  As a client, you really have to monitor what is going on with your particular accounts.

[Cruising-along]

1 hour ago, taxmantoo said:

unlike the PCC, if our travel agent is out of the office that day, any of the 20 or so other agents in her office can handle this immediately.

Don't know why you think a PCC wouldn't have the same.  Ours have always had immediate back up.

 

 

[ChinaShrek]

I am finding that my TA will not do this if I received a reduced fare from him in the first place.  Example: The retail price of the cruise is $3300.  I call my TA and ask them what they offer/charge me for this cruise.  He says $3000 and no OBC.  I say, "Great.  Book it!"  However, let's say the retail price of the cruise drops to $3100 three months later.  If I call my TA, he now tells me that my reservation is still $100 cheaper than retail and they cannot refare unless I want to lose my deposit.  Does this make sense?

[Moriah]

2 minutes ago, ChinaShrek said:

I am finding that my TA will not do this if I received a reduced fare from him in the first place.  Example: The retail price of the cruise is $3300.  I call my TA and ask them what they offer/charge me for this cruise.  He says $3000 and no OBC.  I say, "Great.  Book it!"  However, let's say the retail price of the cruise drops to $3100 three months later.  If I call my TA, he now tells me that my reservation is still $100 cheaper than retail and they cannot refare unless I want to lose my deposit.  Does this make sense?

 

Not really.  It is up to HAL whether they give you any reduction when the price goes down, and in my experience they pretty much always agree either to move you to the new promotion, or offer some perk to help bridge the gap. It's not up to the TA. He/she is just the messenger - go-between.

Edited June 13, 2019 by Moriah

[ChinaShrek]

1 minute ago, Moriah said:

 

Not really.  It is up to HAL whether they give you any reduction when the price goes down, and in my experience they pretty much always agree either to move you to the new promotion, or offer some perk to help bridge the gap. It's not up to the TA. He/she is just the messenger - go-between.

 

So this would be the main reason not to have a TA then?

[Hawaiidan]

1 hour ago, KirkNC said:

My TA does the same without me even checking on the price, she does it for me and gives me 12% of the price a PCC would charge.

You just can not convince some  as to what a professional non HAL agent can do...  Sad to see such blind trust in the face of reality.

[Moriah]

Just now, ChinaShrek said:

 

So this would be the main reason not to have a TA then?

 

Not at all.  I have a TA, and as I stated above, my cruise fare was reduced twice - and both times the TA contacted HAL on my behalf and secured first a substantial reduction in the price, and second, a $100 drink card for each of us (after final payment).  This is just one example.  If you have a PCC, you can of course call them and do it yourself.  In the case of having a TA, they do it for you.  I prefer the latter. I'm just saying that either way, the decision is HAL's whether to give you a reduction, and they are usually very good about it. 

[Hawaiidan]

8 minutes ago, ChinaShrek said:

I am finding that my TA will not do this if I received a reduced fare from him in the first place.  Example: The retail price of the cruise is $3300.  I call my TA and ask them what they offer/charge me for this cruise.  He says $3000 and no OBC.  I say, "Great.  Book it!"  However, let's say the retail price of the cruise drops to $3100 three months later.  If I call my TA, he now tells me that my reservation is still $100 cheaper than retail and they cannot refare unless I want to lose my deposit.  Does this make sense?

You need a new agent    not all are created  equal   or rather choose to be.

[ChinaShrek]

6 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

You just can not convince some  as to what a professional non HAL agent can do...  Sad to see such blind trust in the face of reality.

 

Reality is more complicated.  While there are many positive posts about TAs on this board, there are also posts from people with horror stories about dealing with a travel agent that sold their business without telling anyone, refused to release their reservation, went on vacation and no one else works at their office, lied to them, etc.  One must weight the pros and cons of Travel Agents.  Is saving money worth a possible disaster?

[Hawaiidan]

15 minutes ago, ChinaShrek said:

 

Reality is more complicated.  While there are many positive posts about TAs on this board, there are also posts from people with horror stories about dealing with a travel agent that sold their business without telling anyone, refused to release their reservation, went on vacation and no one else works at their office, lied to them, etc.  One must weight the pros and cons of Travel Agents.  Is saving money worth a possible disaster?

 

15 minutes ago, ChinaShrek said:

 

Reality is more complicated.  While there are many positive posts about TAs on this board, there are also posts from people with horror stories about dealing with a travel agent that sold their business without telling anyone, refused to release their reservation, went on vacation and no one else works at their office, lied to them, etc.  One must weight the pros and cons of Travel Agents.  Is saving money worth a possible disaster?

Yes...you  hit the nail on the head.... there are a lot of 8 ball 's  out there playing at being  a travel agent.

 

 This is why it takes time and patients  to interview agencies nation wide ( My agent has his office 2300 miles from me) and ask hard questions.     Many cruise lines  that use outside agencies to sell have a  top producers club  of sorts for the top agents  and you can  try to find it....Too, on your next cruise ask others who they use   get info..it will pay off

.     Asking  how many  X cruises  with This line do  you book a month or even a week?.    How many years have you been doing this?    How do you base your OBC's   Does the agency give additional  un published discounts,  Rebates  in cash?    Many of us have agents  who give us 8-12%  off the lowest fares + extras like Prepaid  gratuities, Shore Ex, . 

When I asked HAL PCC's   they said that if I wanted those things I should use an agent..  that they can't offer and wont offer those.   Booking with HAL  is  letting them really control you and the outcome  withing fixed parameters.   

When a Top Agent calls..His call doesn't go to the same PCC's  .....it goes to a whole different department who does deals.  Deals that you PCC wont even know let alone give out.

   HAL  want to give top producers special deals to keep them producing  just as good Agents  want to keep frequent clients....  It is a chain reaction...  

 

Naturally, loyalty brings  out more and more benefits to you.   Do not expect immediate gratification..

You have to establish your self with the agent booking 1 to 2 cruises a year, consistently and not on the bargain basement fire sale  but on  lines trending  to be more up-scale.   Booking Carnival or RCCL for 7 days is not very profitable for an agent...

   Establish a spending trend over time !  If you spending 8-10K a year on travel  and do it every year,  your business is valuable and worth  giving you extra perks, making less profit to insure a long term relationship.  In turn your loyal to him...its a partnership.  

 

It takes time.    I have been with my agent 15 years and he shows his appreciation very very nicely

It takes time to sort things out but you win in the long run.     You need to start somewhere.because your current Agent is just an order taker playing travel agent......At your expense

 

  People who love HAL and their PCC's feel that they have the greatest deal in the world.  Thats fine  if you believe you got a good deal  you did.   However, they would be shocked to the core to discover what many  are getting and the thousands upon thousands they could have saved.....and  benefits they never dreamed of

Its your money how you spend it  is important......Good luck amigo

[boards]

1 hour ago, Cruising-along said:

Don't know why you think a PCC wouldn't have the same.  Ours have always had immediate back up.

 

 

Our PCC has always returned our calls as soon as she can.  We have been with her for three years and appreciate very much the service she gives us.