Book with O then transfer to TA? Pros/cons?

[clo]

There's a Baltic cruise we're interested in 9/20.  I contacted the O rep I'd booked our upcoming cruise where he "got" us upgraded from veranda to veranda concierge at no extra cost.  He replied that the cruise is 59% booked so there were no 'deals.'  A 'buddy' here gave me a referral to a TA she uses who is a regular with O. My rep suggested that I can book with him and then transfer to a TA, which I know about.  My question is there any downside to this?  I'd appreciate any thought.  Thanks.

[sitraveler]

There is an additional discount if you book while on board. If you want a certain cabin I would book now and when on your next cruise have it rebooked while on board. This discount is only available if your category is still open. Otherwise I’d wait. Consult with your TA

[Kate-AHF]

Sitraveler makes a good point.  if you don't have your heart set on a particular grade or cabin, waiting for the "on-board booking discount" makes a lot of sense.  Additionally, you can get this "on-board discount" thirty days out from when you sail.  So if you are sailing on December 7, you can call in to Oceania on November 7 to book the new cruise and get the discount before your feet hit the deck.

 

I know of no downside to booking with O and transferring to my TA.  I've done it three times.

[StanandJim]

33 minutes ago, Kate-AHF said:

I know of no downside to booking with O and transferring to my TA.

FWIW, OP seems to be talking about booking through one Agent and then transferring the booking to another.

[Mura]

That's what I thought as well.  And that just doesn't seem right ... to me.  Not very fair to the first agent if that's the case.

[Kate-AHF]

Hmmm..... She referenced "O Rep".  Which I took to mean Oceania Representative.  I don't think she's talking about swapping bookings between independent agents.

[LHT28]

To add 

I think you have to transfer the booking within 30 days  of the deposit

 

[clo]

1 hour ago, StanandJim said:

FWIW, OP seems to be talking about booking through one Agent and then transferring the booking to another.

No, no. I'd be booking directly with O and specifically the agent I used a few months ago.

[StanandJim]

10 hours ago, clo said:

A 'buddy' here gave me a referral to a TA she uses who is a regular with O. My rep suggested that I can book with him and then transfer to a TA,

 

18 minutes ago, clo said:

No, no. I'd be booking directly with O and specifically the agent I used a few months ago.

If so, then the  sentence quoted above was confusing 😵

Are you saying that the "him" that you would be booking with is Oceania?

If that is the case, please give him my best  🥴

Edited October 4, 2019 by StanandJim

[clo]

18 minutes ago, StanandJim said:

 

If so, then the  sentence quoted above was confusing 😵

Are you saying that the "him" that you would be booking with is Oceania?

If that is the case, please give him my best  🥴

Several months ago I phoned O and got connected with Andres Villegas, in the Miami office.  If I get no other info and if we go forward with this next booking then I'll book with him so he gets the credit and then have it transferred to the TA I've been told about.  Sorry if I was unclear.

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

To add 

I think you have to transfer the booking within 30 days  of the deposit

 

No.

 

We pretty much only book onboard (2-3 Oceania cruises/year) with the O Club Ambassador (discount, reduced deposit, current extra SBC, price drop guarantee, cabin selection, etc). (There is only one O Club Ambassador we won't book with. But, he's another story)

 

You can "hold" an onboard booking without deposit for approx. one week (while still onboard) before you have to pay the reduced deposit. 

 

HOWEVER, note that, if your current cruise was booked through (or transferred to) a TA, your new onboard booking will be assigned to that TA unless you indicate (on a signed form) that you want the new booking assigned to yourself. You then have 30 days from the day of your debarkation within which you can transfer to a TA of your choice (e.g., for added TA perks).

 

For each onboard reservation, I assign it to myself and during the week prior to deposit, I "shop it around" via emails to at least three of the Oceania Connoisseurs Club TAs we regularly use - asking what they can "add to the deal." (And remember that, even if your O Club loyalty level gets you free gratuities, a TA's (or their consortium's) provision of gratuities will get you some "in lieu" SBC from Oceania. Also, let the TAs know your onboard price since that will affect their commission and, thus, how much they will be willing to share.

 

The O Club Ambassador will give you instructions on who to email at Oceania Reservations to make the transfer. And do follow-up with your chosen TA to get the revised Oceania invoice and the TA's invoice (showing the added perks).

 

BTW, if you use a TA who only provides their own invoice (but not Oceania's), get a different TA. Invoice changes between booking and embarkation, including decisions about excursions, visas, etc as well as possible loyalty level changes and those perks sometimes get "lost in translation." And that Oceania invoice trumps all others.

 

 

 

Edited October 4, 2019 by Flatbush Flyer

[Petoonya]

The only negative I can think of in transferring your booking to a TA is that you will be unable to talk to O about your booking-permanently. Not that you would need to, but some people are frustrated when they can't reach their TA quickly enough and want a fast answer to a question. Upon calling O they discover that O refers them to their TA- unable to take questions about that booking. But as you already know after you make your booking with O you have 30 days to decide to transfer to a TA.

 

Your TA can give you extra OBC, gratuities, etc. You can "shop your booking around" after you make that booking with O and see who will provide the best extras package.  I like my booking with my TA as she is invested in getting me the best deal and extras she can, also providing me with info about upsells quickly.

 

I'm sure there are other benefits I'm not addressing but transferring to a TA is only a win-win to me.

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, clo said:

Several months ago I phoned O and got connected with Andres Villegas, in the Miami office.  If I get no other info and if we go forward with this next booking then I'll book with him so he gets the credit and then have it transferred to the TA I've been told about.  Sorry if I was unclear.

If you want the "best deal," do not book directly with Oceania (or any cruise line) unless it's "book onboard" with the followup transfer to a TA. Anything an O Phone rep can do (e.g., cabin upgrade) can also be done by the right Oceania Connoisseurs Club TA (who has their regional Oceania sales rep as a speed dial on their phone). BTW, often, that "free upgrade" is part of some sale event (e.g., during long holiday weekends), so that phone rep is only doing what any TA could also do. BUT, it's the TA who can share their commission. That can mean 5-10%+\- of the commissionable fare in your pocket as a rebate or refundable SBC.

 

Perhaps equally important: Remember that, should there ever be a SNAFU or FUBAR, who will have the best shot at fixing things in your favor:

You? (Rounding error in a cruise line's daily bottom line)

O phone rep? (Salary paid by Oceania)

O Connoisseurs Club TA? (Who books $ millions per year and whose commission is (bottom line) "paid" out of your fare purchase.

 

Finally, finding the right TAs is far more involved than asking your neighbor. While on an Oceania cruise, start asking around among your fellow passengers about who they use. After a while, you'll start hearing a few agencies (and even specific agents) often repeated. Connect with all of them and do a mutual interview. And remember that the "best deal" may mean compatibility as well as dollars saved. 

 

 

Edited October 4, 2019 by Flatbush Flyer

[orchestrapal]

1 hour ago, clo said:

No, no. I'd be booking directly with O and specifically the agent I used a few months ago.

 

In that case ,by all means, transfer your booking to a TA who will save you money.

We have done this with all of our cruise bookings and love the savings over 25 or so years.

Edited October 4, 2019 by orchestrapal

[Flatbush Flyer]

9 minutes ago, Petoonya said:

The only negative I can think of in transferring your booking to a TA is that you will be unable to talk to O about your booking-permanently. Not that you would need to, but some people are frustrated when they can't reach their TA quickly enough and want a fast answer to a question. Upon calling O they discover that O refers them to their TA- unable to take questions about that booking.

This is a common misconception.

Even if you booked through a TA, you can make pre-cruise purchases of excursions, La Reserve, cooking classes, and even changes to which O Life perks you want, without involving your TA. 

 

And as for "control" of your booking: As I have mentioned in numerous CC posts, the right TA can get tough problem resolution much easier/faster than you can with a phone rep in Nebraska.

[clo]

36 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Finally, finding the right TAs is far more involved than asking your neighbor.

Why you thought I did that is beyond me.  I've made an acquaintance with a very prolific and credible poster here who has also cruise A LOT. Okay?

[clo]

1 hour ago, clo said:

Why you thought I did that is beyond me.  I've made an acquaintance with a very prolific and credible poster here who has also cruise A LOT. Okay?

Edit: she has cruised O a lot.

[bob brown]

3 hours ago, Petoonya said:

The only negative I can think of in transferring your booking to a TA is that you will be unable to talk to O about your booking-permanently. Not that you would need to, but some people are frustrated when they can't reach their TA quickly enough and want a fast answer to a question. Upon calling O they discover that O refers them to their TA- unable to take questions about that booking. But as you already know after you make your booking with O you have 30 days to decide to transfer to a TA.

 

Your TA can give you extra OBC, gratuities, etc. You can "shop your booking around" after you make that booking with O and see who will provide the best extras package.  I like my booking with my TA as she is invested in getting me the best deal and extras she can, also providing me with info about upsells quickly.

 

I'm sure there are other benefits I'm not addressing but transferring to a TA is only a win-win to me.

 

3 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

This is a common misconception.

Even if you booked through a TA, you can make pre-cruise purchases of excursions, La Reserve, cooking classes, and even changes to which O Life perks you want, without involving your TA. 

 

And as for "control" of your booking: As I have mentioned in numerous CC posts, the right TA can get tough problem resolution much easier/faster than you can with a phone rep in Nebraska.

I have done it both ways, and find that it is usually much easier to get a hold of the cruise line, than a travel agent, who after all, does deserve 'time off', which can be for various length's of time, just when you need to contact them the most urgently.

 

In fairness, I will say that Oceania has 'banker's hours', compared to the larger cruise lines, where you can reach an agent 24/7...

[Flatbush Flyer]

3 minutes ago, bob brown said:

In fairness, I will say that Oceania has 'banker's hours', compared to the larger cruise lines, where you can reach an agent 24/7...

 

... which adds to my argument....

the right TA can get to his/her Oceania regional sales manager outside of normal business hours to, at the very least, get confirmation of a time sensitive booking change.  

[Kate-AHF]

5 minutes ago, bob brown said:

 

I have done it both ways, and find that it is usually much easier to get a hold of the cruise line, than a travel agent, who after all, does deserve 'time off', which can be for various length's of time, just when you need to contact them the most urgently.

 

In fairness, I will say that Oceania has 'banker's hours', compared to the larger cruise lines, where you can reach an agent 24/7...

 

Exactly Bob.  TA's are one person and I don't want them at my beck and call 24/7. I'm a big proponent of work/life balance.  O has staff on rotating schedules. 

 

My second cruise with O, I called Miami to book.  "Sorry," I said "My TA is in Myanmar and I'm not sure when he can get back to me, so I'd like to book and transfer."

 

That said, my most recent booking I couldn't get the O site to work, and my TA responded to my weekend plea for help... and I got the last cabin.  But I wouldn't have messaged him had it not been a time-critical situation.

[Petoonya]

6 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

This is a common misconception.

Even if you booked through a TA, you can make pre-cruise purchases of excursions, La Reserve, cooking classes, and even changes to which O Life perks you want, without involving your TA.

 

You're right- didn't think of those things.

The most common complaints I hear about transferring to a TA are 1) when a cruiser spots a discounted price and is unable to reach one's TA. Calling O is not going to get you anywhere- it's for your TA  to work out. And 2) when one is negotiating an upsell, O won't enter into the process except though your TA.

 

These would never deter me from using a TA as my best value is with her. She's there for me 7a-6p everyday but weekends, and when away she has a coworker cover.  It's rare that I don't hear back from her in 5-10 minutes. She has gone to bat for me and come up with little miracles again and again. She alerts me whenever a deal comes up that would work to my advantage.  We always book the cheap seats and she still treats me royally. When she retires I will mourn.

 

I've never understood why some choose to book direct with the cruise line, but maybe it's because I get so much service from my TA.  Know why it is that we can't share names of TA's on CC, but there must be many of us who'd like to share the good word about our incredible TA's.

 

 

Edited October 4, 2019 by Petoonya

[Mura]

We used a cruiseline rep for our first two cruises on Renaissance and he was great.

 

But once we switched to our TA -- who specialized in Ren back then and Oceania today -- we've never had any problems.  Once in a while (very few times) I called Oceania direct to add fellow passengers to a dinner reservation.  But as I said, these were far and few between.

 

It may depend on your TA and also who you contact at O. I  won't contest statements that working with O direct was better!  I haven't done so, so I wouldn't know.  But using my TA has always gotten speedy results.

 

Mura

[GrammieK]

Mura,  was the Ren agent Earl Walker by any chance?  We loved him, and his accent!

k

[clo]

20 hours ago, Mura said:

We used a cruiseline rep for our first two cruises on Renaissance and he was great.

 

But once we switched to our TA -- who specialized in Ren back then and Oceania today -- we've never had any problems.  Once in a while (very few times) I called Oceania direct to add fellow passengers to a dinner reservation.  But as I said, these were far and few between.

 

It may depend on your TA and also who you contact at O. I  won't contest statements that working with O direct was better!  I haven't done so, so I wouldn't know.  But using my TA has always gotten speedy results.

 

Mura

We haven't booked yet and I have a followup question.  Is there an advantage to beginning the whole process with a TA rather than booking with O and then transferring?  TIA.

[Mura]

Well, since we have always booked direct with our TA I can't really advise you.  It worked out fine with Renaissance and I suppose that it would with Oceania as well.  It has always seemed to me (JMO) that the real advantage of transferring to a TA is when you book on board.  So I go direct to our TA when I decide on a cruise.