New to NCL. Travel agent or not

[RosieRoo]

2 hours ago, graphicguy said:

My TA’s “perks” are not inconsequential.  I get hundreds of dollars in fare discounts and OBC (like AMEX OBC and specialty dinners, which NCL can’t/won’t offer).

 

Plus, I don’t have to hang on the phone for hours like you would with NCL.  I just call my TA.  She calls NCL and waits on hold to get my requests taken care of.

I agree with all of the above and will add that during Covid when I had cruises cancelled and refunds and FCCs to be issued, it was my TA a who spent hours on hold handling everything. 

[ontheweb]

5 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

I've asked numerous times what 'control of their booking' means. Essentially, it comes down to a lack of trust in TA.

I've never received an answer to that other than the cruise line will talk to me.

[CruzinMel]

I think it depends on how much leg work you want to do, and whether your TA KNOWS NCL.

 

I've only worked with a TA once. In a cruise my hubs received as a bonus from his company.  She was a Carnival expert, but didn't know much about NCL, so her tips and tricks didn't do me any good.  I ended up finding the cruise I wanted, with triple Latitudes points and a past guest OBC, chose my angled balcony cabin, and let her book it and arrange payment.  I did my own shows and dining reservations.  She also did my pre cruise hotel, airfare and transfers but we ended up canceling everything except the plane because I got better deals and transportation on my own.  And then we did our own upgrade bidding, paid the difference, and ended up in the Haven.  Frankly, the main benefit was having all the reservations in one spot for easy access. 

 

But I LIKE doing that stuff.  My mom, OTOH, hates it - she likes to say what she wants and have it arranged so that all she worries about is how many outfits to pack.  She's a TA user all the way.  ( Or, rather, I am her unofficial TA.)

 

So maybe start with that - both approaches get you a cruise, and that's the best part!!!

[CruzinMel]

On 10/28/2022 at 9:09 PM, JK B said:

Wondering how the best way to book a NCL cruise.  Confused on posts about bidding on suites and getting the best price.  I’d like to book a Caribbean cruise for the end of December first part of January and would like to book a suite in the Haven. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

One more thing - start NOW if your dates are firm and you have particular things in mind.  I am 62 days out from a cruise, and if I'd wanted to be in the Haven, I'd have had to get 2 cabins because the 2 BR villas are sold out, and I have 5 guests.  (Mine leaves on NYE, though.  The holidays are trickier.)

[Sailing12Away]

12 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

I've asked numerous times what 'control of their booking' means. Essentially, it comes down to a lack of trust in TA.

It means when I want to change my cabin, upgrade to a better room, request a price adjustment, add a deviation to my flights.... I can't do that unless I call the TA the reservation is tied to. Even for friends who are booked through a TA - I can't add on surprise bonuses or gifts to them in their cabin, it needs to go through their TA.

 

I have one upcoming cruise transferred to a TA because of the egregious OBC they offered (it's a Haven room on Prima... 'nuff said). It took multiple emails to even get a response from the TA, then it took them over a week to make the requested change. In this case it was adding a +1 deviation both pre and post cruise, so I have plenty of time. But if it were for a room change or price adjustment, I would have lost out.

 

Chalk it up to them not being a good TA if you will, but still... if it wasn't through the TA I could have just called NCL myself and did it in <10 mins. A good TA is like a rainbow unicorn - the more I search for them the more I doubt they exist on nights I'm not 3 glasses deep.

For everyone claiming they spend 'hours' on the phone with NCL, I call BS. Or, I throw it back to you and claim that's my exact experience with TA's. TA's only work certain hours/days - there's someone at NCL 24/7. The PCC I finally found for NCL calls me back within 24hrs of my email to her and we're on the phone for 5-10 mins and done.

[MsTabbyKats]

9 hours ago, Sailing12Away said:

 

For everyone claiming they spend 'hours' on the phone with NCL, I call BS. Or, I throw it back to you and claim that's my exact experience with TA's. TA's only work certain hours/days - there's someone at NCL 24/7. The PCC I finally found for NCL calls me back within 24hrs of my email to her and we're on the phone for 5-10 mins and done.

I'm with you on this one. I never have a problem getting thru to NCL.  If my PCC "isn't there" someone else will pick up the phone.

I don't book "expensive" cabins...so my TA incentive is generally about $100 or so.  But, I've lost out on upgrades for that just waiting for the TA to respond, or call the cruiseline.

I never found a TA that offers these amazing deals people talk about....or calls me with fare adjustments. 

ETA-I had one TA that actually wanted me to stay on the phone with him when he called the cruiseline.  And then he went on to tell me how little he made on my booking!  No thanks......

Edited October 30, 2022 by MsTabbyKats

[PATRLR]

11 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said:

I'm with you on this one. I never have a problem getting thru to NCL.  If my PCC "isn't there" someone else will pick up the phone.

I don't book "expensive" cabins...so my TA incentive is generally about $100 or so.  But, I've lost out on upgrades for that just waiting for the TA to respond, or call the cruiseline.

I never found a TA that offers these amazing deals people talk about....or calls me with fare adjustments. 

ETA-I had one TA that actually wanted me to stay on the phone with him when he called the cruiseline.  And then he went on to tell me how little he made on my booking!  No thanks......

Just yesterday (Saturday 29-Oct) - 30+ minute wait for NCL, my TA picked up within minutes.

[PATRLR]

On 10/28/2022 at 10:45 PM, MoCruiseFan said:

 

I -> NEVER <- would use a TA for any booking.  They sometimes will be able to get you a minor add on of some sort (on board credit, etc),  but with a little leg work you can almost always get as good a deal on your own.  The biggest PITA is that if you ever have an issue with your booking or need to discuss it with NCL, you CANNOT do that.   You HAVE TO go through the TA, wait for them to contact NCL, then they have to call you back and if the initial go round does not fully resolve things, the loop continues until it all gets settled.  Basically the TA 'owns' your reservation and you cannot do ANYTHING with it without going through them.

My experience with TAs is they get me substantially more than NCL direct gets me.  Coming Encore cruise was on the order of $700 on a $3000 cruise.  Substantial.  

 

And I still call NCL and talk with them about my booking.  Right now I am trying to change category and that would need to be done by the TA.  Last night I waited over 30 minutes to talk to someone at NCL who reminded me that level of change needs to be the TA (I knew this, but wanted to confirm something with NCL first).  Then called TA and they picked up within minutes.  

 

22 hours ago, MoCruiseFan said:

It is absolutely 100% correct.  In your case the TA booked the cruise directly as you and not the standard TA booking. 

Mine is a standard TA booking.  

[MsTabbyKats]

@PATRLRI'm not doubting you.  It's just that my experience is different. 

 

Here's another TA story.

Last Sept I called my TA....told him I had my credit card in hand...wanted to book a Nov cruise.  He said his asst would do the booking....she never got back to me.  Life happened and I put off booking until 5 days before sailing.  I got a better rate and won a bid to upgrade....the bottom line was I came out a few hundred dollars ahead with a "do it yourself" price than if my TA's assistant picked up the phone.

 

I've been very lucky with this PCC....he picks up immeditely and answers e-mails with a prompt phone call.

[ontheweb]

10 hours ago, Sailing12Away said:

It means when I want to change my cabin, upgrade to a better room, request a price adjustment, add a deviation to my flights.... I can't do that unless I call the TA the reservation is tied to. Even for friends who are booked through a TA - I can't add on surprise bonuses or gifts to them in their cabin, it needs to go through their TA.

 

You still have to make a phone call, just to the cruise line, not the TA. It is not like you have full control and can just do it yourself.

My experience is that my TA either picks right up or calls me back soon after while it is nearly impossible to get a cruise line rep on the phone, and even if you do they often cannot help.

[EvanBedar]

Apparently the standard for success for a lot of people is who can come to the phone first.    But of course that’s one thing, and it leaves the other 8 or 10 or so things you either need help with or that could go wrong that goes to the quality of assistance.  

[PATRLR]

@JK B My recommendation is that if you have a TA you trust, use them.  If not, call NCL direct.  

 

Despite what others say here, there is no right or wrong answer.

[RocketMan275]

I suspect the majority of complaints of TA are the very large TA comparable to those who you find if you follow the "Find A Cruise" button on the CC home page.  I've found that the deals they offer are only slightly better, if at all, from contacting NCL direct.

 

The TA I use is operated by a woman and another assistant.  They work from her home.  There are many here on CC that testify to her capabilities.  And, yes, she can be contacted after 'normal ours'.  I've found an email outlining the issues will usually get a return phone call if it is a time sensitive issue.  And she will offer fares that are 8% less than  you can get from a PCC.

 

Another point.  My TA is not locked into a specific cruise line.  She books the regular cruise line, river cruises including European River Cruises.   This comes in handy. For example, I found it necessary to cancel two cruises and book two replacement cruises.  There were three cruise lines involved.  If I booked directly or through a PCC, I would have required three phone calls.  In this case, I made one call. I had confirmatory emails within 30 minutes of my call.   

[MsTabbyKats]

I'm not doubting anyone...but just wondering:

 

The TA's commission on these cruises is very low.  I don't know by per centage...but my friend "the retired TA" told me that she made "pennies" per booking.  If the TA makes pennies ....how are they giving these generous discounts?

 

[PATRLR]

3 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said:

The TA's commission on these cruises is very low.  I don't know by per centage...but my friend "the retired TA" told me that she made "pennies" per booking.  If the TA makes pennies ....how are they giving these generous discounts?

 

I suspect, much like car dealers, there is the markup portion of the profit which is relatively small but then there are the incentives and others means for TAs to make money.

 

[RocketMan275]

12 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said:

I'm not doubting anyone...but just wondering:

 

The TA's commission on these cruises is very low.  I don't know by per centage...but my friend "the retired TA" told me that she made "pennies" per booking.  If the TA makes pennies ....how are they giving these generous discounts?

 

The commission is determined by the size of the fare.  If you're booking an inside on a seven day cruise, the commission will be small and any TA perks will be also.  If, OTOH, you're booking Haven on a 14 day cruise, the commission will be considerable larger and so will be the incentives offered by the TA. 

 

It also depends upon the cruise line.  My TA tells me the most OBC incentive she can offer on Carnival is $100 even for a suite.  She pretty much offers 8% of the fare on the other lines.

 

How much business does the TA do with a specific cruise line can also affect the commission and the incentive.  

 

BTW, my friend, the car salesman told me he made pennies on each deal.

[EvanBedar]

17 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said:

.but my friend "the retired TA" told me that she made "pennies" per booking.  If the TA makes pennies ....how are they giving these generous discounts?

 

One thing we know:   No one in this economy is able to retire on pennies.  

[RocketMan275]

12 minutes ago, PATRLR said:

I suspect, much like car dealers, there is the markup portion of the profit which is relatively small but then there are the incentives and others means for TAs to make money.

 

Excellent point.  I know my TA is often offered short cruises on new ships entering the market so she can offer advice on various ships and lines.

[MsTabbyKats]

I dialed NCL @ 11:21.  I got thru to the rep @ 11:22.  I asked her a covid related question....and was off the phone by 11:24.

Maybe I just have "a magical phone"!

[farjar]

On 10/29/2022 at 6:07 AM, Sailing12Away said:

 

 

Even if you book online through NCL or on the phone with them, you have 30 days to transfer that reservation over to a TA.

You now only have 14 days from the original booking date to transfer an NCL cruise to a TA.  To do so you fill out a Direct Guest Transfer Request Form available online.

Edited October 30, 2022 by farjar
additional info

[davencl]

It's true I've never gotten an 8% discount thru a PCC  only a 10% discount.

[MsTabbyKats]

7 hours ago, davencl said:

It's true I've never gotten an 8% discount thru a PCC  only a 10% discount.

So I have to eat my words.  A TA just quoted me an 8% discount over the NCL rate.  I just may book with him when I'm ready to book 

[xcell]

Some TAs (big box stores) do not subscribe to the bidding process, so if that's something you want to try, then I don't book with them.  Depending on the price of your cruise they will give a percent back in gift cards.  Accidentally, that big box TA sent me their break down and it looks like they make anywhere from 10-15% back from the cruise line for bookings.

 

Most of us are seasoned veterans, so we know what we want and book accordingly. To be honest, if you do the research (on cruise critic), you too can book a cruise to your liking.

 

Also, watch the prices and then adjust accordingly -- your TA will not watch the prices for you (they have too many clients).  So if the price drops, you can call NCL to adjust, but if you book through a TA, you would call the TA, they call NCL and then adjust.

 

 

 

 

Edited October 31, 2022 by xcell

[RocketMan275]

3 minutes ago, EvanBedar said:

Ah.  So we're back to doing our own booking and then handing your whole vacation over to someone else.

I do not believe in contacting a travel agent and telling them to find me a cruise.  And, no I don't do my own booking.  I know where/when I want to cruise.  I know the line.  I have very specific desires on cabins, etc.

When I to take a cruise, I contact the agent.  I tell them the date, the cruise line, the ship, the class of travel and usually the exact cabin number.  The agent then tells me her price which is usually around 8% less than the cruise line published price.  I tell her to book it.  If there is a price drop as there was on my next cruise, I email the agent and get the new lower price.  If I'm flying I book my own flights but we usually drive. I also book my hotel rooms using my points.

I sometimes contact the cruise line directly using the Haven concierge desk with specific requests.  For example, I used the concierge to book specialty dining on my next cruise just last week.  I also made some specific requests for the cruise.  

 

So, no, I don't turn my cruise over to someone else.  There's too much at stake.  BTW, I do sometimes ask questions of my TA since she has cruised on multiple lines and multiple ships.  I factor her advice into my decisions but they are my decisions not hers.  I've also received some very good information by asking the concierge questions.  

[cruiseny4life]

On 10/29/2022 at 7:29 AM, EvanBedar said:

 

But of course you have to filter those out of the hundreds of bloviators who don’t really know much but can’t resist stating bad information as fact anyway.   Bullies who try to insult you into agreeing with them.  High Horsies who state everything in exaggerated terms, like “Don’t bother doing” this and “always do” that.  
 

Saner advice is to fact check every single bit of advice you get here and on any social media travel forum.   A room full of busy bodies is not necessarily a more reliable resource than the 1 or 2 people who just give you their facts and let you decide.  

Why do you call me out like that? I thought we were buds!