Any advantage to using TA to book Viking River?

[longterm]

One last footnote: my brother and his wife are going on the same river cruise with us (their first Viking cruise); I gave him the contact info for the TA that we used, and he contacted them, got the same $300 per person OBC that we got. 

A friend of his told him that TAs commonly get 10-15% commissions for cruises; I wonder if that's the case with Viking cruises as well. Not bad considering the very little that they'll actually do for us.

[Louise257]

Can UK TAs offer OBC? 

[Cubs Fan]

A travel agent can run interference for you on any number of issues.  About 5 years ago my husband required emergency kidney stone surgery while we overnighted in Istanbul.  I contacted my travel agent who was going to take care of a possible change in plans regarding disembarking from our cruise and arranging airfare, etc home.  I just sat there.  Fortunately, my husband was able to rejoin the ship the morning after the surgery.  It was quite an experience!

[Focused1]

On 5/12/2022 at 6:44 PM, longterm said:

I didn't know that there were OBCs to be had for river cruises; has anyone on here actually received OBCs from a TA for a river cruise?

Yes, I have received a rather large rebate (choice of rebate or OBC). Not much to spend OBC on a river cruise.

 

[longterm]

1 hour ago, Focused1 said:

Yes, I have received a rather large rebate (choice of rebate or OBC). Not much to spend OBC on a river cruise.

 

No, not much; we can have some drinks though, or perhaps buy a shirt. I even thought that we might pick a paid excursion that we like, but that we don't expect to sell out, and add it while on board so that we can pay for it with the OBC.