Book online or use my PCC?

[NCTribeFan]

So, my PCC left after being with HAL for many years.  I was surprised when he was still with the firm after the restart (because so many said theirs had departed)..  But he's gone.  I have a new PCC and she was ok the first couple of times I needed her.  I called and left a voicemail to cancel the fall cruise I'd recently booked and heard nothing from her.  Sent an email a week later and got no response for five days when I finally got the cancellation email.

 

I'm looking to replace that cruise and see a decent fare online.  If I go ahead and book it myself (while the deposit is 50%), will she still get credit for the booking and be able to handle any questions I may have or upgrade/additions I may want?

 

My guy I had at Carnival for years always told me to go ahead and grab what I wanted (I always know exactly what I want when I get ready to book), because he'd get the credit and could help with any changes.  Don't know if HAL hand'es it the same way or not.

 

Thanks for your help!

[FlorenceItaly]

Typically, if you book online the PCC will not help you.  What you can do is place a hold and notify PCC you would like to complete reservation with them so they may take it over.  I have done this in the past.  With that said if you book online the 800 number can help you with anything and anytime.   This is sometimes much easier than dealing with the PCC.

[BobbiSox]

I don't know exactly what a PCC is, or does. It all sounds so special, with the 'PERSONAL' part of the title. I have been booking my own cruises for over two decades, without help except for the occasional phone call to clarify something. I have tried getting help from 'my' PPC several times over the years, and usually ended up getting a recording, and sometimes a call back days later. I find the regular agents who handle the bookings (and other questions) to be well informed and helpful, without me having to wait for a callback because the PPC is away from his/her desk for a week.

[crystalspin]

I booked a long cruise (Hawaii-Tahiti) within the launch period, in a forward high-deck verandah. Subsequently I decided I wanted to move to a mid-ship lower Vista Suite. I figured I would have to take the current Promo and lose $300 in early/launch OBC, but my PCC said NO -- since the move is an UPGRADE, she could give me the launch fare and package including the OBC!

 

I do not know if I would have seen the same thing "doing it myself". 

 

My PCCs (two now) have saved me thousands since I started relying on them. 

Edited December 15, 2022 by crystalspin

[ShipWalker]

How does one get a ppc? I’ve never looked into it.

[crystalspin]

17 minutes ago, ShipWalker said:

How does one get a ppc? I’ve never looked into it.

You've probably already been assigned one. Assuming you get emails from HAL, for example the Alaska promo I received today, look at the dark blue header. Mine says 

ID:

Rewards Status:

Contact your Personal Cruise Consultant
XXXXXX XXXXXX
1-800-355-3017 (x#####)
XXXXXXX@HOLLANDAMERICA.COM

 

If yours doesn't have the PCC noted, call that number and stay on to the last "To Talk To A Real Person" option. Then ask about getting one. 

 

I know pre-covid, they were assigned without asking as I some of the thousands I have saved were when I had to cancel a cruise (that I had booked by myself online) on the last day before final payment date. It turned out HAL was observing Xmas that Friday! No one answering phone. I remembered that I "had" a PCC and I emailed her addy and called her extension and left time-stamped messages with the TWO reservation numbers for a TransAtlantic cruise in a Lanai cabin. While not a Pinnacle Suite, this was not an inexpensive booking for me! My inspiration worked, and I was refunded. 

[Snowbaby369]

How do you change to get a new one ? When I met my partner he had a cruise booked with PCC that he was able to add me onto .  He is new to cruising and this was his second HAL cruise.  I had cruised several times with HAL over the years with my late husband and we had always booked ourselves.  I find  the PCC my new partner has, does nothing extraordinary or extra.   We are now booked for March on Rotterdam .  I have had to call to clarify and sort out room assignment already.  We booked Orange Club and the room upgrade wasn’t mentioned.  She didn’t even give him a choice of cabins …and I wasn’t happy at all.  I went online, saw what was available and called her .  She seemed surprised , asked what cabins I had in mind , and I ended up getting it changed.  I then mentioned that there were a few “C’s” on deck 10 out front.  I wondered if they would qualify for  Orange upgrade .  Turns out they did .  I thought a PCC was to assist you with getting the best available to you.  

[NCTribeFan]

I did put a hold on the sailing and emailed my PCC.  She called me the next morning and I gave her my deposit.

 

When my original PCC left, we were in the middle of adding either HIA or CO to a booking and I needed to get that done.  I believe I called his extension and left a message, hoping that someone had taken over his clients and was checking his VM.  I couple of days later, I got a call from someone saying she was part of the group of "unassigned" PCCs that handle that sort of situation.  She said she'd be sure someone was assigned to me quickly since I needed assistance on that booking.

 

I got an email from the new PCC introducing herself and asking me to call her to talk about my needs.

 

She had been quite helpful up until the cancellation (surprise!).  But she did get an added OBC for me that hadn't shown up when I was booking online..

 

Yes, I could do it all myself.  I know exactly what cabin I want and what the fare should be.  But sometimes the PCC sees something that hasn't popped for me when I log in to check fares.  That's why I use a PCC. 

[albingirl]

It's worth noting that it is good to book through a PCC sometimes because if you want to make any changes, you can get help easier than going through the main drill.  I've had several PCCs in the past two years since there were layoffs and so on but I'm good with the one I use now.  If you aren't happy, just call and make the change.  It's your money honey.

[crystalspin]

12 hours ago, Snowbaby369 said:

How do you change to get a new one ? ...I find  the PCC my new partner has, does nothing extraordinary or extra.   We are now booked for March on Rotterdam .  I have had to call to clarify and sort out room assignment already.  We booked Orange Club and the room upgrade wasn’t mentioned.  ...I thought a PCC was to assist you with getting the best available to you.  

You would call 1-800-355-3017 and stay on to the last "To Talk To A Real Person" menu option. Then ask about getting a new one. In the wake of the pandemic, there are apparently some new PCCs. Your experience is not the first I have heard of CCers having to instruct their PCC on the Club Orange upgrade!

 

Also note that even a good PCC is not going to be watching your booking for fare reductions or increased perks; that is still up to you. But when you call them to re-fare, say, they should point out any negatives about the change ("Yes the fare is $200 less but you lose $300 in OBC" for example).

[Florida_gal_50]

1 hour ago, NCTribeFan said:

I did put a hold on the sailing and emailed my PCC.  She called me the next morning and I gave her my deposit.

 

When my original PCC left, we were in the middle of adding either HIA or CO to a booking and I needed to get that done.  I believe I called his extension and left a message, hoping that someone had taken over his clients and was checking his VM.  I couple of days later, I got a call from someone saying she was part of the group of "unassigned" PCCs that handle that sort of situation.  She said she'd be sure someone was assigned to me quickly since I needed assistance on that booking.

 

I got an email from the new PCC introducing herself and asking me to call her to talk about my needs.

 

She had been quite helpful up until the cancellation (surprise!).  But she did get an added OBC for me that hadn't shown up when I was booking online..

 

Yes, I could do it all myself.  I know exactly what cabin I want and what the fare should be.  But sometimes the PCC sees something that hasn't popped for me when I log in to check fares.  That's why I use a PCC. 

For sure.  I have private fares but I can't see them which I think is stupid.  I can see them on a large online cruise retailer but not on the hal website.

[Hlitner]

I will just mention that we have an upcoming 42 day HAL cruise for which we have received over $2000 in On Board Credits from one of our favorite cruise agencies.  This $2000 would not be ours if we had booked with a PCC or any other direct way with HAL.  That OBC is on top of the usual HAL perks.

 

Hank

[albingirl]

24 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

I will just mention that we have an upcoming 42 day HAL cruise for which we have received over $2000 in On Board Credits from one of our favorite cruise agencies.  This $2000 would not be ours if we had booked with a PCC or any other direct way with HAL.  That OBC is on top of the usual HAL perks.

 

Hank

With all due respect, I have tried that avenue and found it to be a fail.  Either the representatives didn't know what they were doing, had no knowledge of the ships, and it was very costly to cancel.  Getting information from them was tedious and I just found that, unless you are dealing with the same individual each time who has great knowledge of Holland America,  it was not going to be a positive experience.  Glad for you that it works.

[KAKcruiser]

I also cannot see my private fares on the HAL website.  I used to be able to find them on a travel agency web site but not anymore.  I don't know why HAL can't fix its website.

[KroozNut]

On 12/15/2022 at 2:50 PM, ShipWalker said:

How does one get a ppc? I’ve never looked into it.

 

As others have said, really, you don't need one. Deal with HAL directly, and manage your own bookings. Trust me, you will get better results and be much happier.

[Florida_gal_50]

1 hour ago, KroozNut said:

 

As others have said, really, you don't need one. Deal with HAL directly, and manage your own bookings. Trust me, you will get better results and be much happier.

Not really.  If you have a decent one you can just email which works great for me as I’m still working.  I do screen prints and everything is documented. Try doing that directly and let me know how that works.

[KroozNut]

5 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Not really.  If you have a decent one you can just email which works great for me as I’m still working.  I do screen prints and everything is documented. Try doing that directly and let me know how that works.

 

We were all 'working' at one time or another, which is irrelevant here. 'Screen prints and documenting everything' has worked out for me very well for many years (even when I was working)..

[BermudaBound2014]

It doesn’t take much research to find a cruise agency that automatically gives OBC in the amount of 10-15% of the cruise fare.
 

I use three different companies depending on which line I’m sailing with. In addition, many agencies offer loyalty OBC and referral credits.

 

All three companies i work with are large players. They can offer passengers OBc because they have worked their way up thru the commission pyramid. In other words, cruise lines pay them a higher commission % and they pass some of that along to guests.
 

Of course, due diligence research is important. It’s becoming more common that agencies charge change fees. I won’t book with them. There is no need when so many legitimate agencies do not charge fees.
 

It completely baffles me that people choose to book directly with HAL or a PCC. Why leave money on the table?

[BermudaBound2014]

11 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Not really.  If you have a decent one you can just email which works great for me as I’m still working.  I do screen prints and everything is documented. Try doing that directly and let me know how that works.

Curious- what does “still working” have to do with this topic ? Most of us worked just as many hours as you avouch and still managed to organize our travel documents. 

[KroozNut]

3 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

It completely baffles me that people choose to book directly with HAL or a PCC. Why leave money on the table?

We always book directly with HAL and NEVER leave money on the table. It baffles me why you would suggest otherwise.

[BermudaBound2014]

Just now, KroozNut said:

We always book directly with HAL and NEVER leave money on the table. It baffles me why you would suggest otherwise.

If you book directly with HAL you are leaving 10-15% on the table in terms of OBC offered by travel agencies. It’s an undeniable fact. 

[KroozNut]

2 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

If you book directly with HAL you are leaving 10-15% on the table in terms of OBC offered by travel agencies. It’s an undeniable fact. 

Wrong.. We are not leaving anything on the table by employing a third party TA to negotiate OBC. We ALWAYS get maximum OBC by managing our own booking.

I'm denying that undeniable fact, thank you very much!

[BermudaBound2014]

Sorry- you are wrong. I’ve been doing this a long long time. Here is the way it works: 

 

 Cruise lines value travel agencies and thus pay them a commission on cruise fare. Let’s say the commission is 15%. That means a travel agency can rebate 10% to you and still pocket 5%. 
 

When you book directly with HAL they pay ZERO commission to their pcc agents, thus no extra obc available to you. The PCC gets nothing so has nothing to share. 
 

Do a google search for cruise agencies that rebate 10%. It’s not a secret. Cruise travel agents work FOR the cruise lines on behalf of the passenger. The cruise line signs their paycheck. 
 

There was a time in the mid 90s when rcl tried to cut out the travel agencies and go alone with their PCCs. The experiment flopped. Cruise lines know the value of agencies and are willing to pay them a healthy commission to book their product. How do you think agencies get paid? 
 

Think about it, who is paying all the travel agents? Where is that money coming from? It’s not the consumer. Travel agencies get money from cruise lines and share it with customers.
 

Before you book your next cruise just price out the HAL PCC fare against an agency who offers 10% OBc. I think you will be very pleasantly surprised. 
 

 

Edited December 17, 2022 by BermudaBound2014

[Florida_gal_50]

23 minutes ago, KroozNut said:

 

We were all 'working' at one time or another, which is irrelevant here. 'Screen prints and documenting everything' has worked out for me very well for many years (even when I was working)..

Really, everyone was working at one time?  That is absolutely false. Some people live off family money.  Some people never worked.  It’s not irrelevant.  Some people have hours to spend on the phone.  Some don’t.  It’s actually very easy to understand if you care to.

[crystalspin]

I see this thread being locked quite soon! PCCs have saved me more than 10%. Hank doesn't think so. That's fine for both of us.