It's Time to Book

[Smitheroo]

I know many of the people on this forum have their own personal travel agent.     For those who use NCL's booking services do you use the online form or connect with a PCC?  I was asking questions on the chat form yesterday and the person who answered me kept saying he could book me and save me money. Other than sure, its nice if he can save me money but are there other reasons to use an NCL PCC rather than filling out the  form on the website?

 

The reason I got on the chat was to find out if it was true that I had to call NCL to get the 50% discount for the Air Fare Promotion since I am a solo traveler.  He eventually answered yes. 

[RocketMan275]

The person who claimed they could save you money can only book the same fare that a PCC can book or the phone agent you call or the form on the website.  Now, I suspect he is justifying that claim because he can get you the current promo which claims to be a savings but isn't.  

BTW, I keep getting emails that the current promo is going away.  Today is the last day.  I've been getting those emails for at least three weeks.  NCL, like all the cruise lines, only changes the way the fare is calculated but never the actual fare.  If you want to save money find a TA who discounts the fares.

[hallux]

I've used a TA 2x, booked myself 1x and just this weekend I booked using a PCC for a cruise in January.  I would have booked online myself but for some reason my email address (at which NCL emails me 2x a day) was coming up as invalid in the online form so I decided to contact the PCC that has been on my recent communications.

 

Turns out - I knew as much about things as she does, she made it seem like the 10% coupon that was already in my account was a special discount she could give me to save me some money.  Mine is a straightforward booking, I'm not using NCL for airfare, so there's not a whole lot she's doing for me - YET.  If the price drops I'll certainly be putting her to work.

[hallux]

45 minutes ago, hallux said:

booked myself 1x

Correction - 2x.

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, Smitheroo said:

I know many of the people on this forum have their own personal travel agent.     For those who use NCL's booking services do you use the online form or connect with a PCC?  I was asking questions on the chat form yesterday and the person who answered me kept saying he could book me and save me money. Other than sure, its nice if he can save me money but are there other reasons to use an NCL PCC rather than filling out the  form on the website?

 

The reason I got on the chat was to find out if it was true that I had to call NCL to get the 50% discount for the Air Fare Promotion since I am a solo traveler.  He eventually answered yes. 

I suppose it is the difference from what you know or don’t know. For the exact same room, you should get the same rate online or with the PCC.
 

The online system will get you the “best” rooms in the general class of rooms. But if you book one deck down or a few cabins forward or aft, in a slightly lower class, you could save a few bucks. E.g., the difference between a BA class cabin and a BB class cabin or a BC cabin. 

[Smitheroo]

2 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

The person who claimed they could save you money can only book the same fare that a PCC can book or the phone agent you call or the form on the website.  Now, I suspect he is justifying that claim because he can get you the current promo which claims to be a savings but isn't.  

BTW, I keep getting emails that the current promo is going away.  Today is the last day.  I've been getting those emails for at least three weeks.  NCL, like all the cruise lines, only changes the way the fare is calculated but never the actual fare.  If you want to save money find a TA who discounts the fares.

I looked at some of those other cruise sites. They seemed to be the same general price. They do offer extras but when  I looked at the details something else was missing so I'm not sure if the extras are really extras.  I dont know about independent Travel Agents

[hallux]

Excellent point @BirdTravels - I considered using a TA that was advertised to me as a perk from my employer (it was no deal compared to what was offered to the general public), if I booked through them the room was ONLY on deck 5 (inside room) but booking through NCL it's a guarantee room that could be on ANY deck.  The TA wanted 2x the price to book something higher.

[julig22]

3 hours ago, Smitheroo said:

The reason I got on the chat was to find out if it was true that I had to call NCL to get the 50% discount for the Air Fare Promotion since I am a solo traveler.  He eventually answered yes. 

And the answer to that is also a big fat no.

[RocketMan275]

35 minutes ago, Smitheroo said:

I looked at some of those other cruise sites. They seemed to be the same general price. They do offer extras but when  I looked at the details something else was missing so I'm not sure if the extras are really extras.  I dont know about independent Travel Agents

The Big Name travel sites all price about the same.  You have to find the smaller businesses to get a good deal.  The real issue is the cruise lines don't allow travel agents to advertise pricing below what is available on the cruise line websites.  

[julig22]

4 hours ago, Smitheroo said:

I know many of the people on this forum have their own personal travel agent.     For those who use NCL's booking services do you use the online form or connect with a PCC?  I was asking questions on the chat form yesterday and the person who answered me kept saying he could book me and save me money. Other than sure, its nice if he can save me money but are there other reasons to use an NCL PCC rather than filling out the  form

I do a mock booking on the website then call my pcc to complete the process. I don't know if a pcc gets a commission or just performance credits of some sort but by doing it this way I have a person that knows my preferences and is more than willing to make changes for me and answer questions. But she can't save me money, other than offer to sell me CFCs - neither can your chat person.

But as with any situation, the level of service you get highly depends on the individual you are working with.

[destar]

I like using the NCL website. It doesn't take that long selecting the right cabin, I go by deck plan to make sure the gym or any restaurant is located right above my selected cabin. I get the FAS package except for NCL air, and also get military discount apply to my booking. 

[Smitheroo]

25 minutes ago, julig22 said:

I do a mock booking on the website then call my pcc to complete the process. I don't know if a pcc gets a commission or just performance credits of some sort but by doing it this way I have a person that knows my preferences and is more than willing to make changes for me and answer questions. But she can't save me money, other than offer to sell me CFCs - neither can your chat person.

But as with any situation, the level of service you get highly depends on the individual you are working with.

I think he was assuming that I wouldnt know everything to get the best price. I didnt take it to mean he was going to save me bundles. the form does a fairly good job but there's the erorr where it lets you put in two CN certificates (but not a third!)  I took a note of his number and I will call him when I decide I am ready to take the plunge. 

 

[Smitheroo]

50 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

The Big Name travel sites all price about the same.  You have to find the smaller businesses to get a good deal.  The real issue is the cruise lines don't allow travel agents to advertise pricing below what is available on the cruise line websites.  

Do you mean that if you actually inquired that they could give you a lower price?

[RocketMan275]

11 minutes ago, Smitheroo said:

Do you mean that if you actually inquired that they could give you a lower price?

The big name travel agencies could but I only know of one that will.   Some small business travel agencies will but to find them you will have to call them and ask about their pricing policies.  You won't find that by doing web searches like 'discount cruise fares'.  One of the best way to locate discounting travel agents is to ask those who cruise a lot.  You can't do that on CC but you can on your next cruise.

[kby1216]

We use an NCL PCC. Ours is knowledgeable and usually responds to our calls the same day. For us it is peace of mind that we have one contact that can answer any questions or get us to the right department if he can not help. No long waits on hold and a response within 24 hours most times if we have to leave a voice mail.