PCC Payment

[mertziek]

Just a quick nosy question.  Do PCC’s get paid a % of bookings made through them or a base salary?  I’m curious.  Thinking of switching to a travel agent since many offer additional perks and PCC’s do not give anything additional from what I can get if I book on my own.  TIA

[BirdTravels]

How your PCC is compensated or how their performance is evaluated is really not a concern. If switching to a TA gets you some perks (not many at the moment) or at least cash back (gift cards), the make the switch. Why pay more for a cruise than you have to?

[tombec1]

My CAS PCC has told me she gets a flat amount (something like $10) per booking, and 'kudo points' for every booking she does in a month.

[casofilia]

@mertziek

 

I expect you will know all about the problems that people in Australia had in trying to deal with NCL through a TA following the "aborted" and cancelled cruises through South Africa on the Spirit last year.   I doubt that it will be that bad again but I prefer to deal directly with NCL over problems especially when I have a PCC who "is on my side".

[bostonphil]

I have often wondered myself. I think PCC's get a professional base salary but i wonder if they get bonuses or commissions on each passenger they sell a cruise to.  

 

I am a somewhat lower income senior citizen who travels alone and can afford one cruise a year. I book the studio and eat the complimentary food and drinks. 

 

I was assigned my PCC about 6 years ago and have just booked my 6th cruise through him. It seemed that when he was new to NCL, he was friendlier and more eager to help me. Now that he has been there several years, he seems to be less interested in me as one of his guests. He now has many regular guests who maybe are more affluent and can afford more expensive cabins, etc.

 

He called me Friday out of the blue to talk about the cruise that I am taking next year.  He seemed a little short with me. I was taken aback. Perhaps there is a NCL problem.  I am going to take a wait and see attitude. I have reason to call him back this week or next week and will see how it goes.

 

My first PCC was so bad that I was never going to book NCL again but he left and I was assigned to my current PCC who was a great improvement.  After my first PCC sold me a cruise, he had nothing more to do with me. He never returned one phone call or email ever after selling me the cruise. He had nothing more to do with me. Since this was my first cruise, I had a lot of questions.

 

Keep in mind that our PCC is a salesperson. They sell us a cruise first of all and then they do some after care.

 

I have read some bad reviews about NCL PCC's but I have equally heard some bad information about TA's.

 

So what do you do? I am sticking with what I know for now. 

 

I have a Citi credit card that is partnered with American Airlines. American offers cruises through them and I would get travel rewards if I book a cruise through American. I think the same is true of most of the credit cards,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[RocketMan275]

On 7/25/2021 at 9:24 AM, BirdTravels said:

How your PCC is compensated or how their performance is evaluated is really not a concern. If switching to a TA gets you some perks (not many at the moment) or at least cash back (gift cards), the make the switch. Why pay more for a cruise than you have to?

Actually, the perks from using a TA can be significant.  My typically discounts/rebates/OBC approximately 9% of the fare charged by the cruise line.  My TA is a small, women owned, business who knows her customers.  She always returns my calls/emails promptly even when I tell her it's not a priority.  I would not use one of the large, online, travel sites to book a cruise.  You might as well use the cruise line.

Edited August 9, 2021 by RocketMan275

[HuliHuli]

On 7/25/2021 at 10:24 AM, BirdTravels said:

How your PCC is compensated or how their performance is evaluated is really not a concern. If switching to a TA gets you some perks (not many at the moment) or at least cash back (gift cards), the make the switch. Why pay more for a cruise than you have to?

While @BirdTravels YOU may feel it's "really not a concern [how] a PCC is compensated or how their performance is evaluated," it IS of interest to the OP.

 

@mertziek:  I was advised by a PCC that they are salaried, but do get evaluated for the business they generate.  Clearly, NCL employs them to generate business for the line.

 

I disagree with @casofilia that a PCC is "on [our] side."  They should be or should at least feign to be, but as @bostonphilaccurately points out, fundamentally they are sales people, as are TA's.  I can attest to one incident where I booked through a PCC, but transferred the booking to a TA for added benefits.  The PCC dropped me like a hot potato and declined to assist me the next time I called.  I challenged him on declining to help with a booking (knowing he is an employee of NCL), but he quickly changed his attitude when I pressed him about his refusal.

 

Hopefully your question has been answered.  But, you are your best advocate!  Whether you book with a PCC or a TA, you are best positioned to look out for your best interests.  My last TA choice saved me 20% off the publicly advertised 'cruise fare', something a PCC could not offer.