How do I fire a PCC?

[tombli]

I don't bother calling my PCC any more, I used to rarely get him in person, he never returns voicemail, and last time I called his voice mailbox was full. I called the general number and got good help from someone else (booking dining on the Prima which hadn't posted online yet).  I mentioned the full mailbox, thinking maybe the guy quit or got fired, but was told no, he was still around and showed as online on their chat app. So if he's too lazy to actually listen to VM then why bother?  The few times I did reach him directly to book new cruises he was quite helpful in finding the best cabins in a category but otherwise, everything he could do I could do online. 

[RocketMan275]

1 hour ago, MotownVoice said:

So there are always going to be people who just defend using a TA to the death.

And I think that's fine.  It's their right to do it how they want.

Now if we can just convince them to show non-TAers the same respect.

And there will always be those who just defend booking direct with the cruise line to the death.

Disagreements with either is not disrespectful. 

[vacation44]

3 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

We use one...honestly, my husband uses one. I think it's a whole waste of time. He works remote and enjoys talking to people, so the off topic chats he has with our PCC are enjoyable to him. Not to me. 

 

 

3 hours ago, MotownVoice said:

 

God, this response is adorable!

 

Agree with you both---I do not need to chitchat and cruiseny4life's response was adorable. 

[HuliHuli]

I simply transferred my PCC-made booking to an outside TA (within 30 days of booking) and harvested some OBC in the process.  The next time I called my PCC, he tried to decline service, but I called his bluff.  As an NCL employee, he'd be fired if he declined to help a guest.  But, he no longer bugs me with unnecessary calls & emails.

[ziggyuk]

4 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

Now why should I waste my time listening to music while on hold when a simple email accomplished my goal?

 

 

That's not how a PCC works, you have a direct email address and a direct telephone number.
I have never been on hold and/or listened to music, if he is on a call I leave a message on his voicemail and he calls me right back.
In fact if he's on a call I don't even need to leave a message as he sees my number come up and always calls me back the moment he is free.

With the direct email address for my PCC I can also just drop him an email.

Edited October 5, 2022 by ziggyuk

[RocketMan275]

2 minutes ago, ziggyuk said:

 

That's not how a PCC works, you have a direct email address and a direct telephone number.
I have never been on hold and/or listened to music, if he is on a call I leave a message on his voicemail and he calls me right back.
In fact if he's on a call I don't even need to leave a message as he sees my number come up and always calls me back the moment he is free.

The issue was cancelling two cancellations on two different cruise lines while making reservations on two different cruise lines.  No PCC can deal with those issues so you would be listening to music on at least three different cruise lines.

[graphicguy]

4 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

I only deal with an amazing travel agent.  I don't deal with mediocre ones. 

That's the key.  The only reason I was looking for a TA is because the PCC I was dealing with ghosted me after I made my booking with her.  She was quick to send emails, make phone calls, etc when I was inquiring about a cruise.  But, she became a puff of smoke in the wind when I needed to make changes or had questions about my already booked sailing.

 

Once I found a good TA (who is part of a larger booking agency) and received an entirely different (meaning better) level of service, I stuck with her.  If she's not available, someone in her agency is more than happy to assist me with questions and changes...every single time.

 

Her discounts are in the form of a discount on the fare, or a rebate in the form of a check, or if I prefer, and OBC.  I usually take the discount....unless I think I'm going to need a lot of OBC.

 

Passing off any changes I want to make takes me a quick email or phone to to her (or the agency) and it's done.  I don't stay on hold.  I don't have to track anyone down.  And, when thing go sideways, she's on top of keeping me informed and staying on top of my sailing.

 

If you have a PCC that does those things, that's great.  Stick with him/her.  They're a rarity.

[RocketMan275]

40 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

If you have a PCC that does those things, that's great.  Stick with him/her.  They're a rarity.

I have a TA that does those things. I was very lucky to find her.  

[PATRLR]

5 hours ago, MotownVoice said:

 

compared to just pressing a cruise line for their best deals.  9 Times out of 10 that 10% discount can be gotten just by being assertive with a cruise customer service representative at your favorite cruise line.

I have never heard of anyone being able to get more discounts from the cruise line than what is advertised.  Has anyone else besides MotownVoice been able to do this?  Care to share how, what approach, what magic words?

 

It's probably been 10 years or more and a different cruise line but I tried once to get a cruise line to match the TAs discount and was told something along the lines of they couldn't make any adjustments to the price or provide any extra discounts.  It was probably around this time that I realized there really is no benefit to dealing direct and definite upside to dealing with a TA.  Haven't even tried dealing direct since. 

 

[RocketMan275]

2 minutes ago, PATRLR said:

I have never heard of anyone being able to get more discounts from the cruise line than what is advertised.  Has anyone else besides MotownVoice been able to do this?  Care to share how, what approach, what magic words?

 

It's probably been 10 years or more and a different cruise line but I tried once to get a cruise line to match the TAs discount and was told something along the lines of they couldn't make any adjustments to the price or provide any extra discounts.  It was probably around this time that I realized there really is no benefit to dealing direct and definite upside to dealing with a TA.  Haven't even tried dealing direct since. 

 

I haven't any experience with NCL on getting discounts directly either .  I did use a TA with Princess a couple of times and all I got was silence when I mentioned discounts.

[MotownVoice]

20 minutes ago, PATRLR said:

I have never heard of anyone being able to get more discounts from the cruise line than what is advertised.  Has anyone else besides MotownVoice been able to do this?  Care to share how, what approach, what magic words?

 

It's probably been 10 years or more and a different cruise line but I tried once to get a cruise line to match the TAs discount and was told something along the lines of they couldn't make any adjustments to the price or provide any extra discounts.  It was probably around this time that I realized there really is no benefit to dealing direct and definite upside to dealing with a TA.  Haven't even tried dealing direct since. 

 

wow.   You’re actually trying to rally an uprising against me?   Good god woman, what have they done to you?  
 

How about just post what you know about your experiences and skip the ad hominems.  

[PATRLR]

4 minutes ago, MotownVoice said:

wow.   You’re actually trying to rally an uprising against me?   Good god woman, what have they done to you?  
 

How about just post what you know about your experiences and skip the ad hominems.  

Asking for other people's experiences is " trying to rally an uprising against" you?  How on earth do you get to that conclusion?  It must suck to go through life thinking everyone is out to get you.  Sorry to have to inform you, but, I suspect you really aren't that important.

[RocketMan275]

11 minutes ago, MotownVoice said:

wow.   You’re actually trying to rally an uprising against me?   Good god woman, what have they done to you?  
 

How about just post what you know about your experiences and skip the ad hominems.  

No one is trying to 'rally an uprising'.  Your experience is so different from what we've experienced.  

 

Question: what do you mean when you mention 'discounts'?  Are these discounts truly discounts or are they OBC or other perks thrown in by the PCC  such as a complimentary bottle of wine?  From your original post where you refer to discounts as coupons that can only be used for a limited number of things causes me to think you're talking about OBC.

 

When I mention 'discounts' I mean the TA only charging $4500 for a cruise listed on the NCL website as $5000. Exact same booking.

Edited October 5, 2022 by RocketMan275

[MotownVoice]

10 minutes ago, PATRLR said:

Asking for other people's experiences is " trying to rally an uprising against" you?  How on earth do you get to that conclusion?  It must suck to go through life thinking everyone is out to get you.  Sorry to have to inform you, but, I suspect you really aren't that important.

Youre on ignore now, so scream all you like.   No one can hear you (at my house).  

[PATRLR]

19 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

No one is trying to 'rally an uprising'.  Your experience is so different from what we've experienced.  

Exactly.  Thank you for saying this, apparently, much better than I did.

 

19 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

When I mention 'discounts' I mean the TA only charging $4500 for a cruise listed on the NCL website as $5000. Exact same booking.

Agreed, same experience for me.  In fact my Encore cruise in November was more like a 20% discount (but that was extreme to the point where I wonder if they made a mistake)

 

[RocketMan275]

26 minutes ago, PATRLR said:

Exactly.  Thank you for saying this, apparently, much better than I did.

 

Agreed, same experience for me.  In fact my Encore cruise in November was more like a 20% discount (but that was extreme to the point where I wonder if they made a mistake)

 

I can see a PCC giving $50 or $100 OBC which would on a $1000 cruise be 5 to 10 %.  Of course, that would only be 2% on a $5000 cruise.  My next Haven cruise was booked at $8200.  

[Sailing12Away]

On 10/4/2022 at 8:10 PM, rass2008 said:

Oh shoot really = sigh, I didn't realize that. How would I get the name of a good one? lol

 

Ask at your meet & greet during your next cruise, or when you make a new friend on your next sailing.

 

On 10/5/2022 at 10:09 AM, RocketMan275 said:

You have as much control booking through an independent TA as you do booking directly.  In both cases, in order to make a change, you have to call someone.  Then that person inputs changes into the computer system.  Same process in both cases.  With one exception.

 

A good TA can provide discounts of up to 10% from the NCL price.

The TA I transferred my Prima cruise to took over a week to make a change to my reservation for air deviations and dropping transfers. If I booked with NCL directly (or through one of their PCC) it would have been done the same day. In my case the revision wasn't time sensitive since we're sailing a year from now, but if it had been I most likely would have lost out on the price adjustment or cabin change.

 

On 10/5/2022 at 4:21 PM, PATRLR said:

I have never heard of anyone being able to get more discounts from the cruise line than what is advertised.  Has anyone else besides MotownVoice been able to do this?  Care to share how, what approach, what magic words?

 

Yes, I have. I can't share how other than I called my NCL PCC and they gave me a lower price than what I saw online on my own. We were upgrading our Star sailing from an MA cabin to a forward facing suite. The price I saw online for the current rate would have made it about a $2500 upcharge, but she was able to get it to us for about only $1400. There was a lot more extra codes in my receipt when it came back, but none of those mean much to me - I just saw I had a better cabin with a lot less of a charge than if I had called NCL on my own.

 

Same thing with our upcoming Joy panama canal trip. Price had dropped a bit from when we originally booked, based on what I saw online for my current room vs what it was going for now, it looked like we were entitled to ~$400 back. Since we were before final payment date I called my PCC. She gave me the $400 off our remaining balance to be paid and moved us into a higher category room in Haven free of charge.

 

The benefit to any good TA or PCC is loyalty. If you give them enough business, they find extra discount codes to be applied or cheaper ways to get cabin upgrades. To me, the benefit of using a good NCL PCC vs that external TA is that I can still do anything at all that I want without the extra step of the TA having to call NCL and tell them the exact same thing I just told the TA - cuts out the middleman.

[leithbones]

On 10/5/2022 at 3:31 PM, graphicguy said:

That's the key.  The only reason I was looking for a TA is because the PCC I was dealing with ghosted me after I made my booking with her.  She was quick to send emails, make phone calls, etc when I was inquiring about a cruise.  But, she became a puff of smoke in the wind when I needed to make changes or had questions about my already booked sailing.

 

^^This.^^

Unfortunately my exasperated opinion of PCCs is based on a sole experience with a lousy one.

I may search for a non-NCL TA after reading multiple threads here.

[RocketMan275]

2 hours ago, leithbones said:

^^This.^^

Unfortunately my exasperated opinion of PCCs is based on a sole experience with a lousy one.

I may search for a non-NCL TA after reading multiple threads here.

Unfortunately, one cannot discuss specific TA due to CC rules.

However, here are some suggestions:

First of all, internet searches are useless. All you will get are the major travel agencies (xpdia, etc.) none of these will provide discounts or better service.  Cruse lines discourage TA from advertising fares other than what the cruise lines offer.  

Second, you may have professional or personal affiliations with organizations that sell cruises.  Things like Big Box stores, credit card companies, organizations that cater to retirees, etc.

Third, on your next cruise, ask those who you encounter if they used a TA.

Fourth, don't hestitate to call and ask about their policies, discounts, etc.  There's no obligation, you can always say thank you and hang  up.

Fifth, you'll find that small business TAs can be the best.  Mine is two women working out of one of their homes.  They are highly recommended, win awards, and do a ton of business.

[graphicguy]

43 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Unfortunately, one cannot discuss specific TA due to CC rules.

However, here are some suggestions:

First of all, internet searches are useless. All you will get are the major travel agencies (xpdia, etc.) none of these will provide discounts or better service.  Cruse lines discourage TA from advertising fares other than what the cruise lines offer.  

Second, you may have professional or personal affiliations with organizations that sell cruises.  Things like Big Box stores, credit card companies, organizations that cater to retirees, etc.

Third, on your next cruise, ask those who you encounter if they used a TA.

Fourth, don't hestitate to call and ask about their policies, discounts, etc.  There's no obligation, you can always say thank you and hang  up.

Fifth, you'll find that small business TAs can be the best.  Mine is two women working out of one of their homes.  They are highly recommended, win awards, and do a ton of business.

Excellent advice!!!!!

[Joja719]

I previously had a PCC, though I never actually ended up sailing because our cruise was right before the pandemic, and all subsequent cruises were ultimately canceled. Through it all, the PCC was mediocre at best; I did most of the heavy lifting in finding deals. She also screwed up my FCC a few times. I haven’t talked to her since 2020. 
 

I just booked a cruise yesterday, and honestly forgot about the PCC. She called me today to say she saw my booking and asked why I didn’t call her to book. Eek! I offered to cancel and rebook with her, but she said it was too late. 

 

So I guess the PCCs have some type of alerts for when we book? It was a bit creepy. And I wonder why a rebooking wouldn’t work for her?

Edited October 22, 2022 by Joja719

[MotownVoice]

16 minutes ago, Joja719 said:

I previously had a PCC, though I never actually ended up sailing because our cruise was right before the pandemic, and all subsequent cruises were ultimately canceled. Through it all, the PCC was mediocre at best; I did most of the heavy lifting in finding deals. She also screwed up my FCC a few times. I haven’t talked to her since 2020. 
 

I just booked a cruise yesterday, and honestly forgot about the PCC. She called me today to say she saw my booking and asked why I didn’t call her to book. Eek! I offered to cancel and re ok with her, but she said it was too late. 

 

So I guess the PCCs have some type of alerts for when we book? It was a bit creepy. And I wonder why a rebooking wouldn’t work for her?

 

 

[Sailing12Away]

12 hours ago, Joja719 said:

I previously had a PCC, though I never actually ended up sailing because our cruise was right before the pandemic, and all subsequent cruises were ultimately canceled. Through it all, the PCC was mediocre at best; I did most of the heavy lifting in finding deals. She also screwed up my FCC a few times. I haven’t talked to her since 2020. 
 

I just booked a cruise yesterday, and honestly forgot about the PCC. She called me today to say she saw my booking and asked why I didn’t call her to book. Eek! I offered to cancel and rebook with her, but she said it was too late. 

 

So I guess the PCCs have some type of alerts for when we book? It was a bit creepy. And I wonder why a rebooking wouldn’t work for her?

That's odd... never had that happen to me. I use the same person for my bookings for the last year now, but the marketing emails I get from NCL have someone else's name listed as my PCC that I've never spoken to once. 

 

You might need to buck up and if they reach out again just admit you don't consider them to be your PCC and prefer they don't contact you. Breaking up is hard to do sometimes 😛 

[graphicguy]

13 hours ago, Joja719 said:

I previously had a PCC, though I never actually ended up sailing because our cruise was right before the pandemic, and all subsequent cruises were ultimately canceled. Through it all, the PCC was mediocre at best; I did most of the heavy lifting in finding deals. She also screwed up my FCC a few times. I haven’t talked to her since 2020. 
 

I just booked a cruise yesterday, and honestly forgot about the PCC. She called me today to say she saw my booking and asked why I didn’t call her to book. Eek! I offered to cancel and rebook with her, but she said it was too late. 

 

So I guess the PCCs have some type of alerts for when we book? It was a bit creepy. And I wonder why a rebooking wouldn’t work for her?

That would have irritated me.  You are kind hearted.  I think it may be against policy at the cruise lines for one PCC to badger a guest to change a booking to them.  I have never had an exceptional experience with any PCC (or even a good one, for that matter) on any cruise line.  They can’t offer me any discounts and they can’t offer me the perks I get from my TA.

 

Personally, I would have asked for a supervisor and reported the PCC that called to badger you.

[BlueWatersCruising]

Wish we could change our PCC.   Once we book a cruise, it’s next to impossible to get him to return phone calls.  And when we are able to get in touch with him, he makes us feel like we are bothering him.  We will calling NCL direct from now on.