Future Cruise : Booking On-Board vs TA vs On-Line Direct

[wallyj]

@Ombud, the 50% off on board promo sailings I doubt would be available for your CVP or TA to book. This is a special promo that is NOT available if you are not on board. So the loss of using a FCD is easily made up by the savings off the cruise fare.
 

I use a few different TA’s, depending on which may have better amenities to offer for my particular booking. 

[TN-Mountains]

1 hour ago, Ombud said:

Please understand their position. They are not part of Carnival Corporation so many things that I personally can do with a CVP or TA (book solo, use 1 FCD to secure any cruise, refare or rebook to capture a price drop) I cannot do onboard as their commission is diminished and that's not in their best business interests. So I select it onboard either by placing it on hold or sending a screenshot to my CVP in port. Then she gets it for me before I get back from wandering.  When I have wifi I just send her an email immediately. I can have it and secure it with 1 FCD I just can't utilize the ONE (Future Cruise Consultants) onboard

 

Its just like:

Some TAs give cash discounts or OBC, but not all

Some CVPs answer promptly & find hidden discounts, some are no better than the general 1800Princess or www.princess.com 

 

 

 

Are you sure Future Cruise Agents make commission?  When the Future Cruise Agent was interviewed on the Wake Show, she was encouraging everyone to book onboard by telling them their bookings would/could be transferred to their preferred TA or CVP.  Seems odd she would be broadcasting that if they would lose their commission, no?  When I emailed my CVP and asked if I should book onboard or let her book 2 cabins, she  replied with the following:   “The onboard team should be able to assist you and I believe they have a promotion running which should include this voyage. Please, just let them know you would like it to be booked under me so that when you return I can take a look at things for you. I would be more than happy to assist in setting something up but I do believe the promotion onboard is a really great deal.”

 

ETA:  To clarify, I have no idea whether they do or don't make commission on onboard reservations.  I assumed they don’t because of what I mentioned above.  I'm wonder if you are just assuming they do, or if you know they do.  

Edited August 7, 2023 by TN-Mountains

[cr8tiv1]

I had extended discussions with Christo on board the Caribbean Princess.  He was the lead "agent".  My observations:

 

The office was constantly busy.  Open morning and evening on port days.  Open all day on sea days.  Always 2 agents at their desk.  Sometimes three.

 

The 50% onboard promotion was suppose to expire in March.  They were still offering it in August.

 

50% promotion was not good for suites and reserve class (I'm not sure about the later).

 

Book for 2023:  Full Payment due upon booking

Book for 2024:  $200 deposit (non-refundable) that will be applied to final payment.  NO FCD/NO OBC.

 

You can still get shareholder/military.

Transferable to TA

 

I did not ask if these bookings are refundable up to "normal final payment date"

 

[SCX22]

@wallyj

 

You had mentioned in another post that the Plus/Premier packages were showing up at a discounted price (50% off, or there abouts) in your Cruise Personalizer after booking.  Did you happen to notice if the discounted price prevailed if purchasing the packages once onboard on embarkation day?

[SCX22]

3 hours ago, TN-Mountains said:

Are you sure Future Cruise Agents make commission?

 

Was told that Future Cruise doesn't make commission, but their sales are tracked and is used to judge their performance.  Future Cruise/Go Princess has to meet a certain dollar amount quota of future cruises booked every voyage.

[cr8tiv1]

35 minutes ago, SCX22 said:

@wallyj

 

You had mentioned in another post that the Plus/Premier packages were showing up at a discounted price (50% off, or there abouts) in your Cruise Personalizer after booking.  Did you happen to notice if the discounted price prevailed if purchasing the packages once onboard on embarkation day?

 

This is interesting.  Please tell us more.  Dilemma.  Book it with Plus/Premier now.  Wait for 50% off?  Risk buying in onboard with OBC and hope that rate does not go up between now and then.  Oh....the problems.

[wallyj]

1 hour ago, SCX22 said:

@wallyj

 

You had mentioned in another post that the Plus/Premier packages were showing up at a discounted price (50% off, or there abouts) in your Cruise Personalizer after booking.  Did you happen to notice if the discounted price prevailed if purchasing the packages once onboard on embarkation day?

Hi @SCX22, for the 2 cruises I booked at the 50% off promo, I later upgraded thru cruise Personalizer to Premier before sailing date at only $40/day, so I do not know what the price would have been if I waited till Day1 or 2 as it seems, Princess is allowing you to upgrade on Day 1 or 2.

 

My Dec 1 booking, I have plus at $30/day but premier pricing is not available and I have text that says to call. I have a March booking booked with the 50% off promo and have plus on the booking at only $30/day, but to upgrade to Premier, it is showing $14.83/day which is such a weird number. I have my TA and Princess support investigating this discrepancy.

 

I have friends booked on the Dec1 sailing that their cruise Personalizer is showing $30/day for plus and $40/day for Premier and they told me they do not plan on upgrading to plus or premier, so I will ask them to check on Day 1, if the discount is still attached to their booking or the normal Plus and Premier rates will apply.

[Steelers36]

4 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Transferable to TA

I am thinking I wouldn't be getting much more of a discount from TA with this 50% situation as they would be making pretty much nothing.  I'd probably just do it myself and not bother them.

[sunviking90]

1 hour ago, Steelers36 said:

I am thinking I wouldn't be getting much more of a discount from TA with this 50% situation as they would be making pretty much nothing.  I'd probably just do it myself and not bother them.

@Steelers36, I booked a short coastal cruise while on board recently. They told me the booking automatically went to the agent I had booked my current cruise with. The onboard agent was new and showed me the booking screen and I saw the commission (10%) portion that would go to my agent. So, your agent would still get their commission. 
I actually would have preferred not to have that agent involved as it was a one time thing on my part (they had the best price), but that was what I was told.

[Steelers36]

3 minutes ago, sunviking90 said:

@Steelers36, I booked a short coastal cruise while on board recently. They told me the booking automatically went to the agent I had booked my current cruise with. The onboard agent was new and showed me the booking screen and I saw the commission (10%) portion that would go to my agent. So, your agent would still get their commission. 
I actually would have preferred not to have that agent involved as it was a one time thing on my part (they had the best price), but that was what I was told.

For others and future reference, you could have advised the on board agent that you did not want the booking to go to that particular agent.

 

I had no misgiving about TA not getting a commission.  It's just that it is likely less than they might normally get and the price is down 50% and there is always a portion of cruise fare that is not commissionable, so there wouldn't be much in it for them to give me a discount of any value - if at all.

 

I deal with a couple of agents that give a very generous cash discount off the cruise fare and they are working mostly online and volume, so it isn't a full service situation (I don't need that).  I try to be mindful of that and fair with them, and I wouldn't see it fair to expect a similar discount rate on such a deal.  Now if I was booking a Suite, might be a different story - LOL.

 

[sunviking90]

1 minute ago, Steelers36 said:

For others and future reference, you could have advised the on board agent that you did not want the booking to go to that particular agent.

 

I actually did tell them that, and was told that with these cruises it HAD to go to the agent I booked the current cruise with. No choice in the matter.

As I knew it would it made more work for me, as I had to contact the agent to request a booking summary sent, etc. I would have preferred to have the booking myself. 

[SCX22]

2 hours ago, wallyj said:

I have friends booked on the Dec1 sailing that their cruise Personalizer is showing $30/day for plus and $40/day for Premier and they told me they do not plan on upgrading to plus or premier, so I will ask them to check on Day 1, if the discount is still attached to their booking or the normal Plus and Premier rates will apply.

 

@wallyj

 

Thanks!

 

I have friends who always purchase Plus/Premier on embarkation day.  They don't think that they should have to insure their tips, Internet, drinks, and everything else that comes with the packages.  If the discounted prices don't prevail on embarkation day, that leaves them with no choice but to purchase pre-cruise and pay the extra cost of insurance.  I'm not of much help because we booked under the Plus rate from the get go.

[Steelers36]

13 minutes ago, sunviking90 said:

I actually did tell them that, and was told that with these cruises it HAD to go to the agent I booked the current cruise with. No choice in the matter.

As I knew it would it made more work for me, as I had to contact the agent to request a booking summary sent, etc. I would have preferred to have the booking myself. 

Now that doesn't make sense to me and not fair - especially if guest was unhappy with the TA and no way was going to book with them again.  Perhaps it was a commitment they made in this situation to agents to earn their loyalty in terms of recommending PCL to their clients.