Travel Agent or Not

[Flatbush Flyer]

12 hours ago, ronrick1943 said:

I agree with on board the ship for an extra discount—that’s why I added transfer the booking.

BTW: For folks considering a “book onboard,” note that the new booking will be automatically assigned to the TA who handled the current cruise. However, you can specify that you want it assigned to yourself if you want to have the 30 day transfer window to “shop it around.”

[Hawaiidan]

1 hour ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

BTW: For folks considering a “book onboard,” note that the new booking will be automatically assigned to the TA who handled the current cruise. However, you can specify that you want it assigned to yourself if you want to have the 30 day transfer window to “shop it around.”

One note to Flatbush's is that  once you shop for a Travel Agent  and get a good one.... support the relationship  ans it is a 2 way street of loyalty  benefit's you both.     constant  shoppers may look every time for  the best , at that time deal. . However, they will miss out in the long term.$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[pinotlover]

1 hour ago, Hawaiidan said:

One note to Flatbush's is that  once you shop for a Travel Agent  and get a good one.... support the relationship  ans it is a 2 way street of loyalty  benefit's you both.     constant  shoppers may look every time for  the best , at that time deal. . However, they will miss out in the long term.$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

One must also realize that an experience TA talks regularly with their respective Oceania sales staff, and they quickly know who are the constant shoppers and who aren’t. Then the better Agencies and Agents decide if they want to play the game. The game is played on both sides.

[Flatbush Flyer]

38 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

One must also realize that an experience TA talks regularly with their respective Oceania sales staff, and they quickly know who are the constant shoppers and who aren’t. Then the better Agencies and Agents decide if they want to play the game. The game is played on both sides.

“Shopping around” something does not automatically imply competitive bidding or pitting one TA against another. We have a very small (usually a trio) of TAs we use. The smallest is ideal for short, inexpensive cruises where their O connections can be very helpful in some situations. But, the extent of their $ perks may be limited. The other two are larger agencies -specifically two of the top sellers of O cruises. We check in with all of them when we are considering a new booking - particularly since one or more of them may be “up” in the current rotation of O “quiet sales” or TA consortium time limited special perks for select sailings.
All of these TAs know that we check with the others. But, they also know that we never “pit one against the other.” Nor do we ever base our choice of a TA for a particular cruise on the bottom line cost. For example, we like the smallest TA for short cruises they’re doing as a group booking (not so much for the prices as for the opportunity to reconnect with that TA in a social setting). And then there’s the reality that we do enough cruises annually that they all may get as much business from us as they do from many of their biennial (or longer) customers.

 

There’s also a very practical consideration about connection to multiple TAs  that escapes some folks. TA agents come and go (if for no other reason than they’re retiring). And having a trusted Plan B is just good common sense. 

[MarkWiltonM]

I like my agent. He is diligent, communicates well, and is responsive. He was on the phone to Oceania first thing Wednesday morning to book my cruise when the new tranche of sailings opened. I am paying the same fare I would have gotten if I'd called Oceania directly, but the TA is also providing travel insurance and gratuities. That saved me hundreds of dollars.

[Flatbush Flyer]

7 minutes ago, MarkWiltonM said:

I like my agent. He is diligent, communicates well, and is responsive. He was on the phone to Oceania first thing Wednesday morning to book my cruise when the new tranche of sailings opened. I am paying the same fare I would have gotten if I'd called Oceania directly, but the TA is also providing travel insurance and gratuities. That saved me hundreds of dollars.

No commission sharing?

[pinotlover]

1 hour ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

No commission sharing?

What do you think “ providing travel insurance “ is?  What % of the total fare does that represent???

[Flatbush Flyer]

28 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

What do you think “ providing travel insurance “ is?  What % of the total fare does that represent???

That really depends. If the TA is a consortium member, it may be a pass through perk. Similarly, many TAs use Oceania OCAPP pass through incentive funds for gratuities coverage. In both of those cases, the perks are not paid for from the TA commission.

In one sense, this is why it is important for folks to get both the Oceania invoice and the TA invoice. Other than a purchased “gift” listed on the O invoice, anything with the OCAPP designation is actually Oceania Cruises Amenity Promotions Program (if I remember the name correctly)  $ provided to the TA or its consortium for their use as booking incentives.

BTW: While there are many wonderful TAs around, there are also occasional unscrupulous ones who will suggest to a client that things like O Life perks, “custom cruise” or “quiet sales” discounts, OCAPP gratuities, etc are coming out of their pocket.

 

And, though the concept of commission sharing doesn’t appeal to some folks here on CC, that practice is common in the cruise industry- particularly when a TA knows the client will only need them to accept a transfer of an O direct/onboard booking (for which the client did all the related research) and will require no handholding, air tix discussions or buying of excursions or O optional items. Beyond that, the TA is only needed for problem solving support should issues with the Cruise itself arise (refund SNAFUs, etc). 

[MarkWiltonM]

22 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Other than a purchased “gift” listed on the O invoice, anything with the OCAPP designation is actually Oceania Cruises Amenity Promotions Program (if I remember the name correctly)  $ provided to the TA or its consortium for their use as booking incentives.

 

My TA usually offers the option of travel insurance or OBC. He offers the OBC as an option because some people don't ordinarily buy travel insurance. I always buy travel insurance and this perk alone saves me a few hundred dollars on each cruise. For Oceania, my TA can offer prepaid gratuities for some cruises and not for others, so perhaps this is under a special program. On another cruise line we use a lot, he can sometimes offer extra OBC in addition to insurance. Other times, it's just insurance or OBC, which have roughly the same value. In the most recent case of the Oceania cruise I booked on Vista, he was able to offer the travel insurance his agency pays for and the gratuities as an additional perk. He didn't even know he would be able to get that for me until he was in the booking process. It doesn't matter to me if the TA is providing the gratuities or if Oceania is providing them as a pass-through. It's something I wouldn't have been able to get on my own if I booked directly. I have had TAs in the past who were hard to reach, especially when I needed them. I hate that. But my current TA, who I've been using for the last year and four cruises, has so far been attentive and available, so I don't see any downside at all to working with him.

[Flatbush Flyer]

15 minutes ago, MarkWiltonM said:

 

My TA usually offers the option of travel insurance or OBC. He offers the OBC as an option because some people don't ordinarily buy travel insurance. I always buy travel insurance and this perk alone saves me a few hundred dollars on each cruise. For Oceania, my TA can offer prepaid gratuities for some cruises and not for others, so perhaps this is under a special program. On another cruise line we use a lot, he can sometimes offer extra OBC in addition to insurance. Other times, it's just insurance or OBC, which have roughly the same value. In the most recent case of the Oceania cruise I booked on Vista, he was able to offer the travel insurance his agency pays for and the gratuities as an additional perk. He didn't even know he would be able to get that for me until he was in the booking process. It doesn't matter to me if the TA is providing the gratuities or if Oceania is providing them as a pass-through. It's something I wouldn't have been able to get on my own if I booked directly. I have had TAs in the past who were hard to reach, especially when I needed them. I hate that. But my current TA, who I've been using for the last year and four cruises, has so far been attentive and available, so I don't see any downside at all to working with him.

You may want to reread my post #33.

If your O invoice says OCAPP and your TA’s (or the TA’s consortium’s) name next to the included gratuities, it’s NOT your TA’s $ paying the tab. And, once you reach Silver O Club and O Club covers the gratuities, you still may want your TA to use their Oceania OCAPP funds to pay your gratuities because, in that case, O Club will give you an additional $250/cabin SBC (listed on the O invoice as “in lieu” gratuities).

Same goes for the insurance: that TA “perk” may be coming from funds other than the TA commission (bulk purchase by the TA consortium, etc.). 
Always be clear about what exactly is the source of perks added by the TA. If most or all of them are not coming out of the TA’s pocket, there’s nothing wrong with discussing commission sharing (as refundable SBC or as a $ rebate). Of course, as I have mentioned previously, I recommend this only for folks that do most of their own research and purchases beyond the basic cruise fare (e.g., DIY air, excursions, et al.) If a TA needs to do a lot of handholding, they deserve to get the entire commission.
Otherwise, 5-10% of the commissionable fare back to you is not unusual when dealing with a  TA who is a top seller of O cruises.

[ak1004]

A lot of useful information in this topic.

 

I have some questions to the more experienced cruisers.

 

We have used our TA in Canada for years. She is very responsive and reliable, but she never provided us any perks beyond what the cruise lines provide, and also Virtuoso perks (which are usually minimal, like $150-200 OBC or pre paid gratuities.

 

This was fine as long as we sailed with Celebrity/Princess and booked cruises mostly in the $2-3k range. Now when we sail mostly on Oceania/Azamara and will be trying Silversea soon, we felt that we are missing some savings. 

 

Few people on CC recommended a TA in the US who provides around 10% rebates. When we told this to our TA and asked if she would match, she said that on many sailings their total commission is 11%, so agencies that offer 10% rebate will go out of business.

 

When we booked with the new TA, we felt that she is a bit less responsive. She is probably very busy due to the amount of customers.

 

So my questions are: 

1. Is it true that their commissions are around 11%? If this is the case, how they can provide 10% rebate? This agency is in business for over 20 years, so obviously the system works and they are able somehow to make money even with those rebates.
2. Are those TA from the big agencies usually less responsive? Do we have to choose between personal and responsive service and great perks/rebates, or is it possible to have both?
3. How to check if the TA is part of the Cruise Connoisseur Club Member or whatever they are called?

Thank you in advance.

 

[Flatbush Flyer]

3 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

A lot of useful information in this topic.

 

I have some questions to the more experienced cruisers.

 

We have used our TA in Canada for years. She is very responsive and reliable, but she never provided us any perks beyond what the cruise lines provide, and also Virtuoso perks (which are usually minimal, like $150-200 OBC or pre paid gratuities.

 

This was fine as long as we sailed with Celebrity/Princess and booked cruises mostly in the $2-3k range. Now when we sail mostly on Oceania/Azamara and will be trying Silversea soon, we felt that we are missing some savings. 

 

Few people on CC recommended a TA in the US who provides around 10% rebates. When we told this to our TA and asked if she would match, she said that on many sailings their total commission is 11%, so agencies that offer 10% rebate will go out of business.

 

When we booked with the new TA, we felt that she is a bit less responsive. She is probably very busy due to the amount of customers.

 

So my questions are: 

1. Is it true that their commissions are around 11%? If this is the case, how they can provide 10% rebate? This agency is in business for over 20 years, so obviously the system works and they are able somehow to make money even with those rebates.
2. Are those TA from the big agencies usually less responsive? Do we have to choose between personal and responsive service and great perks/rebates, or is it possible to have both?
3. How to check if the TA is part of the Cruise Connoisseur Club Member or whatever they are called?

Thank you in advance.

 

To the best of my informed knowledge, O has a history of paying TA commissions on a sliding scale. Suffice to say that top sellers make significantly more than 10%. However, remember that the percentage is based on the “commissionable fare” which is less than the fare you paid.  And what is “commissionable” can vary as well. 

FWIW: Some huge agencies that sell a ton of Oceania (from varied locations across the US - e.g., New Mexico, Washington, New Hampshire and Florida) will share commissions to the tune of 5-10% of the commissionable fare. FWIW, we’re expecting a rebate check on an upcoming cruise that will represent about 9.5% of the fare we paid (not just the commissionable fare). That’s definitely at the higher end of the spectrum we’ve experienced.

As I have said on many occasions, there’s more to choosing a TA than the bottom $ line and the actual agent/agency can make a big difference in quality of service (paramount in this pandemic era of cancelled cruises, refund SNAFUs, etc.

 

FWIW: For a few years, we used a high

Oceania volume Orlando agency/agent but too many errors in his office’s accounting was enough to have us move on. And, with many great agents choosing to leave, retire et al. due to the Covid era, one can’t rely on your favorite agent at a preferred agency being there forever. We just had this happen with one top O agency. And we’ll have to see how her replacement does.
 

Our needs from a TA are minimal but exacting. And, while we do take advantage of available consortium perks, rotating O “quiet sales,” etc. in deciding which of 2-3 TAs we regularly use works best for a booking at hand, we would never pit one against another in any kind of “bidding” scenario. 
 

All this said, the truth remains that great TAs exist but finding the right fit(s) for each of us can be a very time consuming (lots of dead end) challenge.

 

[ak1004]

13 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

To the best of my informed knowledge, O has a history of paying TA commissions on a sliding scale. Suffice to say that top sellers make significantly more than 10%. However, remember that the percentage is based on the “commissionable fare” which is less than the fare you paid.  And what is “commissionable” can vary as well. 

FWIW: Some huge agencies that sell a ton of Oceania (from varied locations across the US - e.g., New Mexico, Washington, New Hampshire and Florida) will share commissions to the tune of 5-10% of the commissionable fare. FWIW, we’re expecting a rebate check on an upcoming cruise that will represent about 9.5% of the fare we paid (not just the commissionable fare). That’s definitely at the higher end of the spectrum we’ve experienced.

As I have said on many occasions, there’s more to choosing a TA than the bottom $ line and the actual agent/agency can make a big difference in quality of service (paramount in this pandemic era of cancelled cruises, refund SNAFUs, etc.

 

FWIW: For a few years, we used a high

Oceania volume Orlando agency/agent but too many errors in his office’s accounting was enough to have us move on. And, with many great agents choosing to leave, retire et al. due to the Covid era, one can’t rely on your favorite agent at a preferred agency being there forever. We just had this happen with one top O agency. And we’ll have to see how her replacement does.
 

Our needs from a TA are minimal but exacting. And, while we do take advantage of available consortium perks, rotating O “quiet sales,” etc. in deciding which of 2-3 TAs we regularly use works best for a booking at hand, we would never pit one against another in any kind of “bidding” scenario. 
 

All this said, the truth remains that great TAs exist but finding the right fit(s) for each of us can be a very time consuming (lots of dead end) challenge.

 

 

Great info, thank you!

 

Can you or anyone else comment on how to check if the TA is part of the Cruise Connoisseur Club Member?

[pinotlover]

47 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

Great info, thank you!

 

Can you or anyone else comment on how to check if the TA is part of the Cruise Connoisseur Club Member?

I don’t know of any published list that has them all on it. Some of the Travel Agencies have it on their website.

 

Always remember that OCCC members are Travel Agencies not singular Travel Agents. Once you’ve identified an OCCC Agency, you must further inquire about which of their Agents have extensive Oceania experience. All probably don’t, especially now.

 

Don’t get too overwhelmed with the OCCC designation. With the takeover of NCL, it’s importance has wained. Multiple high selling Agencies now are at the top commission tier that don’t necessarily sell much Oceania. From what  I understand, the designation hasn’t been updated since about 2017. That is new Agencies moved on with non producers removed. It’s now mostly a relic of the past. It’s more important to find a good Agent that will provide the level of service you want, along with the perks you find fair.

[LHT28]

2 hours ago, ak1004 said:

A lot of useful information in this topic.

 

I have some questions to the more experienced cruisers.

 

We have used our TA in Canada for years. She is very responsive and reliable, but she never provided us any perks beyond what the cruise lines provide, and also Virtuoso perks (which are usually minimal, like $150-200 OBC or pre paid gratuities.

 

This was fine as long as we sailed with Celebrity/Princess and booked cruises mostly in the $2-3k range. Now when we sail mostly on Oceania/Azamara and will be trying Silversea soon, we felt that we are missing some savings. 

 

Few people on CC recommended a TA in the US who provides around 10% rebates. When we told this to our TA and asked if she would match, she said that on many sailings their total commission is 11%, so agencies that offer 10% rebate will go out of business.

 

When we booked with the new TA, we felt that she is a bit less responsive. She is probably very busy due to the amount of customers.

 

So my questions are: 

1. Is it true that their commissions are around 11%? If this is the case, how they can provide 10% rebate? This agency is in business for over 20 years, so obviously the system works and they are able somehow to make money even with those rebates.
2. Are those TA from the big agencies usually less responsive? Do we have to choose between personal and responsive service and great perks/rebates, or is it possible to have both?
3. How to check if the TA is part of the Cruise Connoisseur Club Member or whatever they are called?

Thank you in advance.

 

Commissions vary  by agency & the amount of business they do  it can go from 10 to 18%  sometime up to 20%  for the agency  not for the agent

Some agents work on a 5 of the commission some work with a salary with commission some with just a salary

 Sorry I am one of those people that  do not ask my TA to give up part of their $$ 

Would you take less money for your job??  especially in these times

 

2 depends on the agency  & how demanding you are

 

3 if they have a website it is usually mentioned there

JMO

 

going for the bunker gear🤔

[Hawaiidan]

As to rebate from comission %     It is my understanding  that commissions go up according the  cabin class booked in addition to agency volume.

   Thus a person who gets say 8-10% is probably booking a PH or better  One can imagine what a Owners or  Vista  might  comission at 

  While a 5% is booking a basic veranda or Ocean view.

Airlines  now bast their point and status levels on dollars spent in fare. and number of flights.. not so much just miles       Hotels too.     

[LHT28]

6 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

Airlines  now bast their point and status levels on dollars spent in fare. and number of flights.. not so much just miles       Hotels too.     

do TA's  get commission from the airlines now??

[Flatbush Flyer]

4 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

As to rebate from comission %     It is my understanding  that commissions go up according the  cabin class booked in addition to agency volume.

   Thus a person who gets say 8-10% is probably booking a PH or better  One can imagine what a Owners or  Vista  might  comission at 

  While a 5% is booking a basic veranda or Ocean view.

Airlines  now bast their point and status levels on dollars spent in fare. and number of flights.. not so much just miles       Hotels too.     

We’re pretty steadily booking B cabins -often 3 multi-segment cruises (3-6 +\- weeks per cruise per year). I have found that volume of bookings you make with a particular Agency  (and, perhaps, their knowledge of how much “effort” you require) has more to do with % rebate or refundable SBC than does the cabin level. And IMO, 5-10% of the commissionable fare is a good range.

[Hawaiidan]

3 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

do TA's  get commission from the airlines now??

NO...      The status level is to the passenger  not an agent  as 90% of bookings with airlines are  direct sales vis  the companies web site or phone.     A regular passenger , with  say UA  gets nothing untill they  top  +  a dollar amouht of about $3500 + number of flights... 

 Premier status  is worth $$$   a Silver is about $1400 a year in perks,  Whereas a Top tier 1K level rewuires you spend over $15,000 a year on fares   but offers $13,000 in perks.     

[Hawaiidan]

14 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

We’re pretty steadily booking B cabins -often 3 multi-segment cruises (3-6 +\- weeks per cruise per year). I have found that volume of bookings you make with a particular Agency  (and, perhaps, their knowledge of how much “effort” you require) has more to do with % rebate or refundable SBC than does the cabin level. And IMO, 5-10% of the commissionable fare is a good range.

I agree.... I use my agent only to  book  with O ... ...  Thats all the service Ineed.,  except for his  current knowledge of quite sales, special agency offerings  I might be un aware.      His work load is only to write the invoice, and make the call to his O rep  to see what they are going to give him.     I  give him full authority  to act on my behalf on any offers O might make..  ( which he has done in down sells and up sells with incredible results )        Nothing more.     

[RJB]

3 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

I agree.... I use my agent only to  book  with O ... ...  Thats all the service Ineed.,  except for his  current knowledge of quite sales, special agency offerings  I might be un aware.      His work load is only to write the invoice, and make the call to his O rep  to see what they are going to give him.     I  give him full authority  to act on my behalf on any offers O might make..  ( which he has done in down sells and up sells with incredible results )        Nothing more.     

Sounds like about what we do and it works well.

[ak1004]

1 hour ago, Hawaiidan said:

As to rebate from comission %     It is my understanding  that commissions go up according the  cabin class booked in addition to agency volume.

   Thus a person who gets say 8-10% is probably booking a PH or better  One can imagine what a Owners or  Vista  might  comission at 

  While a 5% is booking a basic veranda or Ocean view.

Airlines  now bast their point and status levels on dollars spent in fare. and number of flights.. not so much just miles       Hotels too.     

 

We did 3 bookings recently with our new TA, along with another couple. I just double checked the numbers:

 

Booking #1: we booked OV and got 9.7% rebate, the other couple booked B3 and got 10.3% rebate. In addition we both got pre paid gratuities.

 

Booking #2: we booked French veranda and got 9.0% rebate.

 

Booking #3: we we booked OV and got 9.8% rebate, the other couple booked B3 and got 9.5% rebate.

 

All percentages are of the total fare.

[ak1004]

1 hour ago, LHT28 said:

 Sorry I am one of those people that  do not ask my TA to give up part of their $$ 

Would you take less money for your job??  especially in these times

 

2 depends on the agency  & how demanding you are

 

3 if they have a website it is usually mentioned there

JMO

 

going for the bunker gear🤔

 

Well, in our case, our current TA has very little knowledge or experience with line like Oceania (she didn't know what olife is, what's the difference between O class and R class etc). So when you have a TA who knows much less than you, and in addition doesn't give you any perks, what's the benefit to stay with them? 

 

With the new TA I didn't ask for any perks, they offered them. And they are in business for over 20 years, so I'm assuming they are doing fine..

 

We just booked a cruise on Silversea and are getting $1,400 USD in rebates. Would you refuse to get such a generous gift?

Edited May 8, 2022 by ak1004

[LHT28]

2 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

Well, in our case, our current TA has very little knowledge or experience with line like Oceania (she didn't know what olife is, what's the difference between O class and R class etc). So when you have a TA who knows much less than you, and in addition doesn't give you any perks, what's the benefit to stay with them? 

 

With the new TA I didn't ask for any perks, they offered them. And they are in business for over 20 years, so I'm assuming they are doing fine..

Well if you are not happy with your TA  why would you stay with them

So your current TA gives  you  a good deal  with discounts or cash back  but you want more?

 

[ak1004]

59 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

I agree.... I use my agent only to  book  with O ... ...  Thats all the service Ineed.,  except for his  current knowledge of quite sales, special agency offerings  I might be un aware.      His work load is only to write the invoice, and make the call to his O rep  to see what they are going to give him.     I  give him full authority  to act on my behalf on any offers O might make..  ( which he has done in down sells and up sells with incredible results )        Nothing more.     

 

Can you please elaborate what is "quite sales"? How does it work and how your agent knows what exactly you are interested in in order to let you know about those sales?