Can I remove a travel agent from a Celebrity booking?

[newtocruiseinblue]

I would like to remove my travel agent from my celebrity booking. I will no longer be doing business with her. Will this affect any of my perks for the cruise or the cruise price; ? Can I maintain my booking and switch it to Celebrity ? I'm now in the market for a new travel agent!!

[jelayne]

Your current TA would need to release the booking back to Celebrity and give up the commission.  If you can demonstrate to Celebrity that the agent has not been responsive, has overcharged you or otherwise mishandled the booking they can take it from the agent.

I did this a couple of years ago when a agent didn’t respond to phone calls or emails for over 5 weeks and refused after repeated requests to give me a copy of the Celebrity  Booking Confirmation.  It turned out among other issues she gave me a invoice showing the beverage package included in the price but the booking in the Celebrity  system showed a higher total price.   I ended up having to pay the price that it should have been all along.  

[CaroleSS]

You would certainly lose any perks the TA gave to you. If the TA had a special group price she was offering, you'd likely lose that and you might get the current booking price.

[mahdnc]

4 hours ago, newtocruiseinblue said:

I would like to remove my travel agent from my celebrity booking. I will no longer be doing business with her. Will this affect any of my perks for the cruise or the cruise price; ? Can I maintain my booking and switch it to Celebrity ? I'm now in the market for a new travel agent!!

 

In 2018 the owner of the travel agency that I did business with passed away and the customer service promptly went down hill when her husband attempted to run it (didn't return phone calls, emails, almost missed final payment, etc).

 

I sent an email to agencychanges@rccl.com to have my 2019 Reflection cruise transferred away from that travel agency to a different TA.  I explained the situation in my email.  I received a computer acknowledgement email and then 8 days later my booking was moved over--like magic.

 

All my perks associated with the booking moved over except for the OBC that the original TA was going to give me.

Edited December 8, 2022 by mahdnc

[Cruise a holic]

You are lucky.  Guess my TA isn't good.  She didn't give us any onboard credits- nor a group rate discount.  I will consider other options in the future.

[Fly and Sail]

45 minutes ago, Cruise a holic said:

You are lucky.  Guess my TA isn't good.  She didn't give us any onboard credits- nor a group rate discount.  I will consider other options in the future.

 

Just because you don't get freebies that doesn't mean your TA isn't good. In the end, the kind of perks a TA can give you depends on many factors and also what the agency is willing to pay for the ability to offer the customer a perk like OBC.

[newtocruiseinblue]

49 minutes ago, Fly and Sail said:

 

Just because you don't get freebies that doesn't mean your TA isn't good. In the end, the kind of perks a TA can give you depends on many factors and also what the agency is willing to pay for the ability to offer the customer a perk like OBC.

We personally received nothing more than what Celebrity was offering everyone else. 

[Cruise a holic]

19 minutes ago, newtocruiseinblue said:

We personally received nothing more than what Celebrity was offering everyone else. 

Honestly with over 50 cruises under our belt, we know as much or even more then the TA.  I hear other people get onboard credits, free spec. dinners, and at least a bottle of champagne.  Ours gave nothing on our past two RC cruises, one in a Crown Loft Suite.

 

.  We are even doing a b/2/b in a sky suite, hope she gives us some perks.  I assume she is making a healthy commission for us transferring our booked on board sailing to her.

[20165]

7 minutes ago, Cruise a holic said:

Honestly with over 50 cruises under our belt, we know as much or even more then the TA.  I hear other people get onboard credits, free spec. dinners, and at least a bottle of champagne.  Ours gave nothing on our past two RC cruises, one in a Crown Loft Suite.

 

.  We are even doing a b/2/b in a sky suite, hope she gives us some perks.  I assume she is making a healthy commission for us transferring our booked on board sailing to her.

We thought the same, although not as many cruises, but getting up there. However, on our last cruise, we booked through one of those large on line TAs and the price on our 2 cabins was over $1700 less.  I guess they get group discounts or at least thats what i have read on this board.  That was a significant enough of a difference for us to book through them, but its not without some stress...

I prefer to book direct with the cruise lines, but for $1700, ill take a little pain. 

[39august]

mahdnc- Was that agency Skyscraper Tours out of Arkansas? Me too. 

[mahdnc]

24 minutes ago, 39august said:

mahdnc- Was that agency Skyscraper Tours out of Arkansas? Me too. 

 

Yes, it was.  Lori Frese (or Cunningham for the longest time), God rest her soul.  After she unexpectedly passed, her relatively new husband took over the business and promptly let her small staff go (or they left) and the excellent customer service went along with it (only to be replaced by bad service--not just average service, but really bad service).  My understanding is that the business name was sold and it is now run out of Michigan.  A very sad ending for a multigenerational family run business.

 

I understand that Celebrity fielded a lot of complaints about that company and had to accommodate many request to transfer bookings to a new TA like mine.  Did you have to do the same?

 

Edited December 8, 2022 by mahdnc

[jagoffee]

1 hour ago, Cruise a holic said:

Honestly with over 50 cruises under our belt, we know as much or even more then the TA.  I hear other people get onboard credits, free spec. dinners, and at least a bottle of champagne.  Ours gave nothing on our past two RC cruises, one in a Crown Loft Suite.

 

.  We are even doing a b/2/b in a sky suite, hope she gives us some perks.  I assume she is making a healthy commission for us transferring our booked on board sailing to her.

I always get an individual quote (not advertised) from my TA before I book or transfer a booking.  
Hoping that a TA gives you some perks is not likely to maximize your savings/perks.  In my case I am referring to commission sharing with full refundable OBC.

Good luck.  Maybe in your next cruise, someone can give you some names of TA’s to use for getting a quote.

[jagoffee]

1 hour ago, newtocruiseinblue said:

We personally received nothing more than what Celebrity was offering everyone else. 

Then you should get the same price and perks that you have if your transfer is successful.  There might be a TA cancellation fee of around $100 a person, but I have not experience.

 

What is your objective by transferring at this stage?  You can get a new TA for your next booking.

[39august]

mahdnc No, I just looked for a new TA for the next cruise. But, how I miss Lori and Non. They were so great and so  proactive. I met Lori a couple of times, the last on a group cruise on Harmony just a couple of months before she died.  And I also noticed the name had been sold and is now in a northern state. 

[mahdnc]

5 minutes ago, 39august said:

mahdnc No, I just looked for a new TA for the next cruise. But, how I miss Lori and Non. They were so great and so  proactive. I met Lori a couple of times, the last on a group cruise on Harmony just a couple of months before she died.  And I also noticed the name had been sold and is now in a northern state. 

 

I never got to meet Lori personally.  I did work a lot with Lori and Non.  Your right, they were both just great.

[Charles4515]

11 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

 

I never got to meet Lori personally.  I did work a lot with Lori and Non.  Your right, they were both just great.

I booked with them several times too. They were great TA's  I did meet her as I went on one of her group cruises. Very nice lady. Died too young. I have been able to replace her with another great TA. Great TA's are not easy to find.

[Baron Barracuda]

Don't understand why anyone would transfer an onboard booking (or any direct booking) to a TA without getting something in return.  You have already done most of their work for them.  For past 25 years have received percs on every sailing booked with TA.  On Royal cruises get at least free grats and maybe a group discount, on X and others an OBC.

[jagoffee]

32 minutes ago, Baron Barracuda said:

Don't understand why anyone would transfer an onboard booking (or any direct booking) to a TA without getting something in return.  You have already done most of their work for them.  For past 25 years have received percs on every sailing booked with TA.  On Royal cruises get at least free grats and maybe a group discount, on X and others an OBC.

Based on the first post, I believe the OP booked the cruise with the TA from the start.

[mandream]

1 hour ago, Baron Barracuda said:

Don't understand why anyone would transfer an onboard booking (or any direct booking) to a TA without getting something in return.  You have already done most of their work for them.  For past 25 years have received percs on every sailing booked with TA.  On Royal cruises get at least free grats and maybe a group discount, on X and others an OBC.

 

Completely agree.  The only reason we transfer to a TA is for the perks.

 

1 hour ago, jagoffee said:

Based on the first post, I believe the OP booked the cruise with the TA from the start.

 

I don't believe Baron was referring to the OP.

[Mike981]

Is it possible you can share what your TA did/didn't do to make you move on?

 

Sorry you are in this position and I hope you have a wonderful trip.

[newtocruiseinblue]

23 hours ago, jagoffee said:

Then you should get the same price and perks that you have if your transfer is successful.  There might be a TA cancellation fee of around $100 a person, but I have not experience.

 

What is your objective by transferring at this stage?  You can get a new TA for your next booking.

I'm not transferring to a new TA. I just need to cut ties with my current TA. She is my ex-MIL and it is time for BOUNDARIES. 🥴 Enough said. 

[Charles4515]

23 minutes ago, newtocruiseinblue said:

I'm not transferring to a new TA. I just need to cut ties with my current TA. She is my ex-MIL and it is time for BOUNDARIES. 🥴 Enough said. 

It is probably easier to just look for a new agent for future bookings. If she is an excellent agent got to warn you though while there are plenty of good agents finding an excellent one may not be easy. 

Edited December 9, 2022 by Charles4515

[mahdnc]

36 minutes ago, newtocruiseinblue said:

I'm not transferring to a new TA. I just need to cut ties with my current TA. She is my ex-MIL and it is time for BOUNDARIES. 🥴 Enough said. 

 

I think you have enough information to begin the process of having your TA removed.  It's one thing for Celebrity to transfer the booking from one TA to another as they don't financially benefit from it.  However it may be more problematic public relations-wise for them to simply take the booking away from a TA and then keep it for themselves.  However you have a good reason to ask for a compassionate release.  Let us know how it turns out.

Edited December 9, 2022 by mahdnc

[Mike981]

1 hour ago, newtocruiseinblue said:

I'm not transferring to a new TA. I just need to cut ties with my current TA. She is my ex-MIL and it is time for BOUNDARIES. 🥴 Enough said. 

 

Ugh, I sure understand MIL issues. As I said, sorry you are going through this and I hope you get it all worked out.

[jagoffee]

3 hours ago, newtocruiseinblue said:

I'm not transferring to a new TA. I just need to cut ties with my current TA. She is my ex-MIL and it is time for BOUNDARIES. 🥴 Enough said. 

Tough situation.

Good luck.