No perks using a TA?

[hotsauce126]

I’d use a travel agent if I was planning some big multi country land based trip but a cruise is about the simplest vacations you can book and I’ve never seen any real benefit to using a TA despite what the many who lurk on travel forums will tell you

[lynncarol]

2 hours ago, ReneeFLL said:

I haven’t had this issue, but on here some people have reported there was a nice price drop but they couldn’t get in touch with their TA. They ended up not getting the it because by the time they could get in touch with their TA the price had changed back. Be careful who you pick.

That's what happened to me years ago. I had always booked our own cruises, but an old friend of mine, who is a travel agent, strongly hinted that she would appreciate it if I used her services instead.  So I did, only to find online10 days before final payment a huge drop in price that was only good for 24 hrs.  I frantically called her, numerous times but it always went to voice mail.  I tried calling the cruise line, but was informed only my TA could initiate these changes.  By the time she finally got back to me, we barely made the deadline and I was trying (not very successfully) to hide my aggravation. We decided not to use her again and it cost me our friendship.

[neverbeenhere]

For those that are looking for a travel agent, talk to fellow passengers on your next cruise.

[Cigar King]

Other than the perks, there's no reason to use a TA after you have cruised a few times.  Just my two Quatloos.

 

 

[watcher_62]

I've used mine for years and they regularly offer perks like free gratuities, along with good pricing... 

[rrraydon]

3 hours ago, neverbeenhere said:

For those that are looking for a travel agent, talk to fellow passengers on your next cruise.

Excellent idea!

[brillohead]

It depends on the person and the agency. 

I used to book my own, then I befriended someone on a cruise who became a travel agent, so I sent the business to him for a couple years. I sometimes got a bit of OBC (I book cheap inside rooms, so I don't expect a huge kickback off such a small commission). 

 

Then our relationship changed, and I had met someone else on a cruise who was also a travel agent.  This new TA reached out to me with an opportunity for a really great group price on a sailing, and I booked it.  I've never looked back since.

This new TA has booked a couple dozen cruises for me now. In every case, all I had to do was send a single email and everything was taken care of.  In probably 80% or more of the cases, I got a lower price via his group rates than if I had booked on my own, plus some OBC on top of that.  

When COVID happened, my TA took care of everything, keeping track of FCCs and all of that.   He also keeps track of all my Final Payment due dates and arranges payments.

 

I generally research my cruises and send him a list of sailings via email, and he sends me back a list of price options (I usually go inside, but sometimes on Oasis class it's cheaper to go with a Central Park balcony using my CAS balcony discount, so he always gives me options for inside, outside, and balconies).  I email back my desired room number and tell him which credit card to use for the deposit (he has several of mine on file, and I use whichever one suits my needs at the time), and I get the booking confirmation emailed to me a few minutes later.

Sometimes he's come across an amazing group rate and he'll reach out to see if it's of interest to me.  If I see a price drop on something I've already booked, I shoot him an email and he gets it repriced and sends me the updated confirmation.  I've saved thousands of dollars this way.  

My TA is available to me practically 24/7/365. We communicate almost exclusively via email, but he's also available by phone.  I've sent him booking requests at 11pm and gotten a confirmation email back within the hour on more than one occasion.  Even when he's traveling/cruising himself, he's available to me.  I think maybe the longest it's ever taken him to return an email was maybe 8 hours, and that was because I emailed him in the evening and he replied the next morning.  

Travel agents in general aren't better or worse than booking on your own.  But the RIGHT travel agent is priceless.  

[loman]

I had one of those TA`s that cost me money as i would check pricing and request a price drop , only to be ignored . I tried emails and phone calls to no avail.

I know what i want and dont anticipate having issues with the booking .

I book direct with RC , and i never had long wait times.

They handle price drop inquiries quickly too.

I may try a TA that posts here in the future though, and see how they compare .

[justKirbo]

I found a TA that I used for our DCL cruises and when tragedy struck, they were amazing. I won't travel again without using a  knowledgeable and dependable TA. I don't care about the kickbacks, I care about what happens in an emergency. My mom died on a cruise and the TA we had was amazing. We were in Europe when it happened and it would have been so much worse without them behind the scenes helping us out (along with the folks at Disney).

 

I use a TA now that I met on a previous cruise. She is incredibly knowledgeable and gets back to me so quickly. Sure I could do it all. And sure, I don't get a kickback from her. But she's there if I need her. I use her for peace of mind. I lose nothing by using her and I know she's working on my behalf whenever I need it. I'm happy to let someone get the  commission from my booking.

[brillohead]

5 hours ago, loman said:

I may try a TA that posts here in the future though, and see how they compare .

The group rates plus the OBC (which is actual on board credit, doesn't show up until you're actually on the ship) will likely save you $100 or more per cruise (more if you're in a higher category).  

[molly361]

11 hours ago, brillohead said:

It depends on the person and the agency. 

I used to book my own, then I befriended someone on a cruise who became a travel agent, so I sent the business to him for a couple years. I sometimes got a bit of OBC (I book cheap inside rooms, so I don't expect a huge kickback off such a small commission). 

 

Then our relationship changed, and I had met someone else on a cruise who was also a travel agent.  This new TA reached out to me with an opportunity for a really great group price on a sailing, and I booked it.  I've never looked back since.

This new TA has booked a couple dozen cruises for me now. In every case, all I had to do was send a single email and everything was taken care of.  In probably 80% or more of the cases, I got a lower price via his group rates than if I had booked on my own, plus some OBC on top of that.  

When COVID happened, my TA took care of everything, keeping track of FCCs and all of that.   He also keeps track of all my Final Payment due dates and arranges payments.

 

I generally research my cruises and send him a list of sailings via email, and he sends me back a list of price options (I usually go inside, but sometimes on Oasis class it's cheaper to go with a Central Park balcony using my CAS balcony discount, so he always gives me options for inside, outside, and balconies).  I email back my desired room number and tell him which credit card to use for the deposit (he has several of mine on file, and I use whichever one suits my needs at the time), and I get the booking confirmation emailed to me a few minutes later.

Sometimes he's come across an amazing group rate and he'll reach out to see if it's of interest to me.  If I see a price drop on something I've already booked, I shoot him an email and he gets it repriced and sends me the updated confirmation.  I've saved thousands of dollars this way.  

My TA is available to me practically 24/7/365. We communicate almost exclusively via email, but he's also available by phone.  I've sent him booking requests at 11pm and gotten a confirmation email back within the hour on more than one occasion.  Even when he's traveling/cruising himself, he's available to me.  I think maybe the longest it's ever taken him to return an email was maybe 8 hours, and that was because I emailed him in the evening and he replied the next morning.  

Travel agents in general aren't better or worse than booking on your own.  But the RIGHT travel agent is priceless.  

This sounds amazingly like my TA whom I also met on a cruise before he became one.  What a coincidence 😇  He's the best!!  

Edited July 29, 2022 by molly361

[zoepipes]

16 hours ago, coaster said:

Used a large agency for years before Covid. Got lots of perks. Now I hear this agency does not answer the phone and only replies to emails days later. Seems like a 'Con' to me. Looking for another agency who still provides good customer service with some perks thrown in. 

I know of which you speak and things have changed post-Covid.  Phones are an issue but I have always received an email response promptly and they have taken care of more than one change/issue for me and I haven't had to wait more than a day or two for a response.  I do enjoy "free" gratuities, the extra loyalty OBC and whatever else they may be offering.  I do have to weigh what they're offering against what I can get directly from Royal.  It  just takes lots of research to get the best deal.

 

Edited July 29, 2022 by zoepipes

[rrraydon]

18 hours ago, aubreyc1988 said:

A lot of TAs do offer booking perks. I would use google and do a little deep diving, as we cannot recommend people on CC. 

 

 

 

18 hours ago, h18furball said:

The T/A that I use frequently give free gratuities.  

I googled last night and found an agency that offers free gratuity. That sounds great to me! 😁

 

I did a mock booking of two cruises that I already booked with RC three weeks ago and there was only a $60 difference in price, with free gratuity it would have saved me $230 bucks on each cruise booking with them. 

Edited July 29, 2022 by rrraydon

[Cigar King]

4 hours ago, zoepipes said:

things have changed post-Covid.

I think this is a problem and it's bigger than just the TA industry.  Customer Service, has declined drastically, IMO, since Covid.

[zoepipes]

1 hour ago, Cigar King said:

I think this is a problem and it's bigger than just the TA industry.  Customer Service, has declined drastically, IMO, since Covid.

You're right - it has affected everything.  Dropped a prescription off for my husband this morning after he had a wisdom tooth extracted - the pharmacist was there but no one else.  Told her I would be back later.  Went back hours later and the poor pharmacist was still on her own with a line full of people. By the time I got up there, she had to tell me she didn't have time to fill the prescription yet. Where is all the help?  Everybody is doing the best they can under the circumstances.  Sorry, this is totally unrelated to the post.  I hope I win the Mega Millions tonight.  Oops, sorry, that's totally unrelated to the post, too. 

Edited July 29, 2022 by zoepipes

[Grambler]

This may just be my experience - I have booked dozens of cruises over past 28 years, all but one with the same online travel agency. Every single time I have come out ahead. I first compare price & perk with booking directly with cruiseline. A couple times I benefitted from booking directly with cruiseline when they were offering great deal and then transferring to TA for extra OBC & sometimes free Specialty dining. I do notice that when the price drops the people who booked directly with the cruiseline can get refund but price drop never ends up dropping below the price I got from my TA. I find it unusual that it works just the opposite for hotels, I always seem to get best deals when I book directly with hotel rather than any TA or outlet. With flights I always book directly with carrier as well. I have seen so many people have nightmares when booking flight/hotel with agency, travel discount site, etc.

[katiel53]

We use a site where agents compete for our business and have done very well using that site.  We have had reduced prices, reduced deposits and most times refundable deposits because they have group rates.

 

We always get OBC and at times we have been given meals in a specialty restaurant.  There have been times when we had our gratuities paid along with the OBC.

 

It is rare for us to book without using that site.  We mostly end up using 1 or 2 agencies, but if we call them directly, sometimes the perks/price aren't as good as when we use the website, so we have learned to use it for every cruise that is not a casino cruise.

[Seville2Cabo]

On 7/28/2022 at 12:01 PM, poocher said:

Because those perks come out of the TA’s commission.  My TA works hard and puts up with me!  I don’t need a cut of her pay.

This exactly. I just text or email my TA and she takes care of everything - including tracking and getting my FCC's from covid.  I get some minor $ perks.  Maybe wine or OBC.  But I use her for the service and want her to get her full commission.

After really fighting for an issue she resolved for me, I sent her a wine basket.  She is worth her commission and I don't need to get it from her.

[screwsmcernst]

I have a friend who is a TA.  I always look for the cruise I want, then I email her with the price that I found for what ever cruise it is.  She tells me whether she can beat the price or not.  Usually, she will beat the price plus OBC.  There was only one time that I found a price that she could not beat.  She told me to book it through the website.    If there is a price drop, she will let me know that she got a better price and take care of it.  Plus I love knowing that if I have any problems, she will be there to help me.

[Pitzel]

A good travel agency should make your life easier AND provide a good deal of OBC or other perks for booking through them. We have gone through big-box warehouse club travel centers, cruise-specific online agencies, and in-person travel agents. In every case, we have gotten *something* over and above what the cruise line was offering directly. if we can catch the sales during the year, we can often find 10% of our cruise fare back in OBC, free gratuities, specialty dinners, bottles of wine, and loyalty booking bonuses. 

[ReneeFLL]

I decided to Google free gratuities as a TA perk. The first one that I read (haven’t read any more yet) and I came across this. Looks like they did away with the cancellation fee about the time covid started ramping up. Since it isn’t as bad as it was they could implement it again at any time. Not saying they will, but you must always read the fine print. 

“Our $100 per reservation agency cancellation fee is being waived for new reservations made from March 10, 2020 until further notice. This waiver is available for a limited time only, and is subject to expire without advanced warning….”

 

[smokeybandit]

A good TA isn't defined by booking perks.

[rrraydon]

6 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

A good TA isn't defined by booking perks.

No, I’m sure there are various reasons for one to use a TA. For me the number one reason would be perks…there are a few more reasons I may use a TA, but they fall after my number one reason. 😊

[smokeybandit]

Just now, rrraydon said:

No, I’m sure there are various reasons for one to use a TA. For me the number one reason would be perks…there are a few more reasons I may use a TA, but they fall after my number one reason. 😊

I'm not saying perks is a bad reason to use a TA. Just that perks doesn't make them a good TA. 

[mpdog42]

On 7/28/2022 at 10:38 AM, rrraydon said:

I frequently hear “my TA makes all of my phone calls to RC for me and checks on reduced rates”… I’m going to need more than that. Those simple things I do myself. I also hear about long waits on the phone, 30 plus cruises and I’ve never had these long waits.

 

Now, if there’s an incentive to book with a TA, that’s what may make me want to do that. Otherwise, for me, I see no point. 

For Simple cruises there is really no point using a TA unless their a friend, or family

or your booking suites etc..A lot of TA's post on CC, as well On Youtube..TA's in 10-15 years will be virtually gone....

Edited August 1, 2022 by mpdog42
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