Cancelling reservation booked thru TA

[sunseeker551]

We currently have a cruise booked through a (big box) TA that we haven't been happy with at all.  Should we decide to cancel our cruise on Jan 19th and get a FCC, can we book our next cruise through Celebrity, or are we obligated to us the same TA? TIA

[DCPIV]

You do not need to use the same TA (or a TA at all) to use the FCC. Just make sure you get the number for the FCC.

[sunseeker551]

Thank you. That's a relief. This is the first time we've ever used a TA.  The ones I've spoken to so far have been unfriendly and clueless, and we've had nothing but hassles.  Also...little did we know, it prevented us from participating in the move-up offer.

[Kevinb1176]

I don’t see why you shouldn’t be able to but you’ll lose any extra credits from the TA. 
 

We had Edge booked for 3/15/20 which was the first cruise cancelled from Covid and our agent was terrible. They couldn’t get us answers that week and didn’t respond to calls or emails. Recorded messages only said we had to cancel online through their site but didn’t have an option for the cruise with confidence other option of moving so I didn’t want to “cancel”. Celebrity allowed us to dump the agent but I have been dealing with the CEO’s office as the agent failed on other parts of cruise with confidence or lift and shift programs. 

[sunseeker551]

6 minutes ago, Kevinb1176 said:

I don’t see why you shouldn’t be able to but you’ll lose any extra credits from the TA. 
 

We had Edge booked for 3/15/20 which was the first cruise cancelled from Covid and our agent was terrible. They couldn’t get us answers that week and didn’t respond to calls or emails. Recorded messages only said we had to cancel online through their site but didn’t have an option for the cruise with confidence other option of moving so I didn’t want to “cancel”. Celebrity allowed us to dump the agent but I have been dealing with the CEO’s office as the agent failed on other parts of cruise with confidence or lift and shift programs. 

With this TA we get a GC to their store after completing the cruise.  The amount is not worth the hassle of having to deal with agents who know less about cruising than I do.  I know people complain about dealing with the cruise lines but I've always had very positive experiences in all my years of cruising.  And, if I want to change anything, I can call the cruise line immediately myself, not wait for the TA office to open, then be put on hold while they call Celebrity.

 

Right now we're still leaning towards cruising but in this everchanging environment, we won't know for sure until closer to our cruise date and we see how things are going.

Edited January 1, 2022 by sunseeker551

[Arizona Wildcat]

1 hour ago, sunseeker551 said:

With this TA we get a GC to their store after completing the cruise.  The amount is not worth the hassle of having to deal with agents who know less about cruising than I do.  I know people complain about dealing with the cruise lines but I've always had very positive experiences in all my years of cruising.  And, if I want to change anything, I can call the cruise line immediately myself, not wait for the TA office to open, then be put on hold while they call Celebrity.

 

Right now we're still leaning towards cruising but in this everchanging environment, we won't know for sure until closer to our cruise date and we see how things are going.

We went through a few TAs.  Have one now who will answer the phone or call me back 365 days a year within 12 hours.  My TA works thru a major TA, but is an independent agent.

Try calling Celebrity today.  They are closed.

[ECCruise]

1 hour ago, sunseeker551 said:

Thank you. That's a relief. This is the first time we've ever used a TA.  The ones I've spoken to so far have been unfriendly and clueless, and we've had nothing but hassles.  Also...little did we know, it prevented us from participating in the move-up offer.

You've found a bad agent.  You just need a new agent/company.

 

We would never book direct with a cruise line.  Do that enough and you will leave thousands of dollars on the table.

 

As far as the "move up" offer, it is only some agencies that do not offer that availability.  Ours doesn't and I have no interest in bidding on anything, but many agencies do offer it. 

[sunseeker551]

23 minutes ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

We went through a few TAs.  Have one now who will answer the phone or call me back 365 days a year within 12 hours.  My TA works thru a major TA, but is an independent agent.

Try calling Celebrity today.  They are closed.

I'm not saying I would never use a TA again...but I would definitely not use the (big box store) TA we're currently using.  I would expect everything to be closed today. I wouldn't dream of bothering Celebrity or a TA on New Years Day (or any holiday).

[sunseeker551]

18 minutes ago, ECCruise said:

You've found a bad agent.  You just need a new agent/company.

 

We would never book direct with a cruise line.  Do that enough and you will leave thousands of dollars on the table.

 

As far as the "move up" offer, it is only some agencies that do not offer that availability.  Ours doesn't and I have no interest in bidding on anything, but many agencies do offer it. 

Each agent at this TA was the same.  As far as the move-up is concerned, I don't know if we'd use it (we typically book whichever cabin we like best) but we weren't made aware of this limitation until after the fact. I guess if I'd paid more attention on Cruise Critic I'd have realized it as I've since read a few posts about it, but it escaped me.  I guess I should do more research into TAs for future cruises.

[Arizona Wildcat]

6 minutes ago, sunseeker551 said:

I'm not saying I would never use a TA again...but I would definitely not use the (big box store) TA we're currently using.  I would expect everything to be closed today. I wouldn't dream of bothering Celebrity or a TA on New Years Day (or any holiday).

There are circumstances such as those who tested positive and are sailing on Monday- 2 days away - that demand an immediate response.  Am sure neither of us would call on a holiday if there was another choice.  But. . . 

[sunseeker551]

Just now, Arizona Wildcat said:

There are circumstances such as those who tested positive and are sailing on Monday- 2 days away - that demand an immediate response.  Am sure neither of us would call on a holiday if there was another choice.  But. . . 

Yes, very true and I thought of that as I hit Submit.  I'm sure there are many facing that predicament today. 😞 

[Jeremiah1212]

3 minutes ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

There are circumstances such as those who tested positive and are sailing on Monday- 2 days away - that demand an immediate response.  Am sure neither of us would call on a holiday if there was another choice.  But. . . 

That situation doesn’t ‘demand an immediate response’. You can cancel day of. You could be a no show and show them a positive test two days later and you’ll still be taken care of. Certainly a stressful and unfortunate circumstance but it will work out. 

[rotoal]

1 hour ago, sunseeker551 said:

I'm not saying I would never use a TA again...but I would definitely not use the (big box store) TA we're currently using.  I would expect everything to be closed today. I wouldn't dream of bothering Celebrity or a TA on New Years Day (or any holiday).

I am very happy with the big box store TA.   Going directly through Celebrity is fine, but the big box store gives back about 8% (I think) in a direct gift card, 2% back at membership renewal time, and 3% back if you use their credit card. 

I once (pre-COVID) spoke to a TA who told me that Celebrity didn't do whatever it was I was asking for.   I said thank you, and called back the next day, spoke to someone else, and ended up with a better deal than I had hoped for. 

I was naive on my first couple of cruises and used the travel branch of my local Auto Club, I had a very nice TA, but if she wasn't available I had no one to speak to, and they did not give out any perks.   I did all of the research and got nothing for it.