Booking with Princess cruise consultant?

[latebuyer]

I'm not sure i can ask this, so if not please let me know. I'm wondering about the benefit of booking through the cruise consultant. The price is exactly the same if i book online vs. with the cruise consultant. I've never cruised on princess so i wonder if there is some benefit to booking with the cruise consultant, but i'm not sure. I also feel guilty as if i cancel again this will be the second time. I sort of like the anonymity of booking online, paying 100.00 deposit and then cancelling if i need to. (Its just due to work i'm not 100% sure). On the other hand, as i said if he can answer questions that may help.

[sunviking90]

1 hour ago, latebuyer said:

I'm not sure i can ask this, so if not please let me know. I'm wondering about the benefit of booking through the cruise consultant. The price is exactly the same if i book online vs. with the cruise consultant. I've never cruised on princess so i wonder if there is some benefit to booking with the cruise consultant, but i'm not sure. I also feel guilty as if i cancel again this will be the second time. I sort of like the anonymity of booking online, paying 100.00 deposit and then cancelling if i need to. (Its just due to work i'm not 100% sure). On the other hand, as i said if he can answer questions that may help.

I booked with a CVP for the first time a couple of years ago as we were restarting cruising after Covid. Hearing of the horrendous wait times when calling, etc I figured it was easier and it was. Anytime I needed something changed an email or call to her got it done. For example,  I have won bids for upgrades twice and didn’t like the location assigned, but knew there were other cabins in the category available. Called her, and told her which one I wanted it changed to and she did it. The second time, I used an large online TA and asked them to do the same thing, and they argued back and forth with me that the cabin won could not be changed and actually spent more time sending me emails to that effect than it would have taken them to call Princess and do it. I ended up calling Princess myself to do it.
You’re right that the price is the same as online, but she does also occasionally have offers that don’t come up online, or minimal OBC on certain cruises.

She has a Facebook page she posts weekly offers on, that sometimes don’t come up on the website.

I hear what you’re saying about liking the anonymity though. I booked a cruise with her yesterday for 2025 and now I see that I could book it through a large TA (not the same one I mentioned) and save about 8%, and it is a pricy cruise. Now I’m feeling bad and wondering if I should cancel with her and rebook with the TA. 
I can’t tell you if it’s best to use one, but these have been my experiences.

[JSandage]

1 hour ago, latebuyer said:

I'm not sure i can ask this, so if not please let me know. I'm wondering about the benefit of booking through the cruise consultant. The price is exactly the same if i book online vs. with the cruise consultant. I've never cruised on princess so i wonder if there is some benefit to booking with the cruise consultant, but i'm not sure. I also feel guilty as if i cancel again this will be the second time. I sort of like the anonymity of booking online, paying 100.00 deposit and then cancelling if i need to. (Its just due to work i'm not 100% sure). On the other hand, as i said if he can answer questions that may help.

I had already booked my cruise when a Princess Consultant called me and introduced himself as my personal travel advisor. He explained many things he could help me with and I actually cancelled that original cruise and booked a different one, he was a tremendous help for me when I did that. He booked my EZ Air flights and helped me change seats for one of the flights as well. 

This is our 7th Princess cruise and I never used a Princess agent before. I have booked with other travel agents and also just booked everything myself. He has been very helpful though. Easy to reach via email and his response time has been excellent. 

[DHP1]

We always book online ourselves however, today I booked through my CVP because he is excellent. No wait time 😀

[latebuyer]

Just to clarify, when i sailed on my cruise on royal caribbean, i booked online. I didn't have any problems as i could get someone on the phone relatively easily. How is it getting a hold of princess? Are these people competent? I don't feel super confident in my cruise planner as he ghosted me a few times but he said he had switched jobs. So i am on the fence about him.

[latebuyer]

I actually think it may be nice to email as i felt i phoned quite a bit, but often it wasn't urgent.

[mtnesterz]

5 minutes ago, latebuyer said:

Just to clarify, when i sailed on my cruise on royal caribbean, i booked online. I didn't have any problems as i could get someone on the phone relatively easily. How is it getting a hold of princess? Are these people competent? I don't feel super confident in my cruise planner as he ghosted me a few times but he said he had switched jobs. So i am on the fence about him.

Then get a new one if you are unhappy.

We have a good one, but I cannot give you his name here.

It's a direct phone call and emails are answered in an hour or two. All he asks is don't call him on Mondays. And afternoons are better to call. That's reasonable.

Having a good CVP is like having a favorite handyman, I know who to call and can trust the work.  Or, the neighbor's son is a fishmonger. It's no cheaper to buy through him, but he'll set aside something nice for us. It's about personal service that doesn't cost any more. But if you're looking for bargains, it doesn't cost any less.

 

 

[ggprincess2004]

I use a CVP because the wait times on the phone can be long, and I can handle some things with him through email (while we are on a cruise.). He knows the answer to the simple things - bed configuration, insurance, the usual way I book, and he will also knows which itineraries I am looking for, so if one is coming up in the new releases he will alert me to that. It's not a matter of pricing, but of convenience. 

[SCX22]

Not all CVPs are created equal.  Some are more helpful than others and others don't care to do much after they make the initial booking.  You have to find someone that you are comfortable with and is responsive.  Post restart, Princess' main booking call center has been outsourced to the Philippines.  The hold times are horrendous at times and the person that will answer your call might be difficult to understand, might have difficulty understanding your concerns, and might flat out give you the wrong answer due to unfamiliarity, misunderstanding, or miscommunication.  There's also the chat function but that too is hit and miss.  If I'm not mistaken, all CVPs are either US or UK based, with the UK based ones dealing with Princess Promotions. 

 

If you don't usually have problems with your bookings and don't usually need a lot of extra support after booking, then booking online will work just as fine.  Either way the money goes to Princess.

 

 

[latebuyer]

Wow! Thanks for sharing. That's definitely a reason to go with cruise consultant. Mine is british. I didn't have problems understanding the royal caribbean ones, not sure where they were from. I still feel like i'll feel guilty if i need to cancel or rebook but i guess i shouldn't feel that way.

[Eno]

Good to know.  I wondered the reason for a CVP.  Had issues years ago with a TA and missed a special as they were unavailable.  Have called Princess a few times lately and yes, very hard to understand what they were saying and the information they were giving me was wrong.  I told one today that he was wrong but that I would call back and get someone else, hung up, called back and they were able to do what I wanted. 

[Steelers36]

6 hours ago, sunviking90 said:

I booked a cruise with her yesterday for 2025 and now I see that I could book it through a large TA (not the same one I mentioned) and save about 8%, and it is a pricy cruise. Now I’m feeling bad and wondering if I should cancel with her and rebook with the TA. 

I always use a discount TA and save more than 8%.. For me, a CVP is not going to cut it, because they cannot discount like the independents.  Sure, they can help avoid phone queues at times, but I don't really need to call in to PCL all that much and pick my times to avoid busiest hours. 

[Steelers36]

6 hours ago, JSandage said:

I had already booked my cruise when a Princess Consultant called me and introduced himself as my personal travel advisor. He explained many things he could help me with and I actually cancelled that original cruise and booked a different one, he was a tremendous help for me when I did that. He booked my EZ Air flights and helped me change seats for one of the flights as well. 

This is our 7th Princess cruise and I never used a Princess agent before. I have booked with other travel agents and also just booked everything myself. He has been very helpful though. Easy to reach via email and his response time has been excellent. 

It seems like to latched on to a good one.  I might have mentioned in my post above that what I do works quite well if one is travel-savvy and can handle a lot independently and not looking for extra help or hand-holding from an agent.  

[Steelers36]

4 hours ago, SCX22 said:

Not all CVPs are created equal.  Some are more helpful than others and others don't care to do much after they make the initial booking.  You have to find someone that you are comfortable with and is responsive.  Post restart, Princess' main booking call center has been outsourced to the Philippines.  The hold times are horrendous at times and the person that will answer your call might be difficult to understand, might have difficulty understanding your concerns, and might flat out give you the wrong answer due to unfamiliarity, misunderstanding, or miscommunication.  There's also the chat function but that too is hit and miss.  If I'm not mistaken, all CVPs are either US or UK based, with the UK based ones dealing with Princess Promotions. 

 

If you don't usually have problems with your bookings and don't usually need a lot of extra support after booking, then booking online will work just as fine.  Either way the money goes to Princess.

 

 

I thought the call center was for general assistance, but if a guest was booking a new cruise and elected that option in the phone tree when calling in, that you would get a US-based agent.  Has that changed as well?  

 

No way I would want to book a cruise with the overseas call center where I would not trust their knowledge and use of POLAR. 

[Torfamm]

I tried one once and she was horrible. For some reason she was determined to talk me into a guarantee cabin instead of just booking the one I asked for. She actually said several times, “Book a guarantee instead, you’ll get an upgrade”. I’m still not sure if she was stupid or thought I was.  No CVP can promise that.

 

Finally convinced her that I didn’t want the guarantee and she said “Fine, we’ll book your choice.” I gave her the credit card number and she said confirmation would be emailed. Guess what - she booked the guarantee anyway.

 

Getting rid of her has been impossible no matter how many requests I make. She called for a long time but finally stopped. It’s been years and she still somehow has her name pop up on reservations I book online or with the casino department. I just called again about a week ago to say I don’t want do have any involvement with her.

[MacMadame]

8 hours ago, latebuyer said:

Just to clarify, when i sailed on my cruise on royal caribbean, i booked online. I didn't have any problems as i could get someone on the phone relatively easily. How is it getting a hold of princess? Are these people competent? I don't feel super confident in my cruise planner as he ghosted me a few times but he said he had switched jobs. So i am on the fence about him.

I booked my cruise online and got an email from someone saying they were my CVP. When the price went down, I emailed him for a refare and 🦗  🦗  🦗 I missed the re-fare. So the next time there was a price drop, I filled out the form to get a CVP and  🦗  🦗  🦗 so missed the refare again. 

 

For the sale going on right now, I noticed I could get a better cabin (better location) for the same price so I actually called even though I hate making phone calls. But it was worth it. I picked the right options to get a CVP and got moved and then refared. 

 

Anyway, my experience is that some CVPs are useless and will ghost you but some are good. And that even if you book online yourself, they can be useful. I could have canceled the original cruise and re-booked but I would have had to redo all my excursions and make sure all my Princess Gift Cards got refunded so I could apply them again. Using the CVP was way easier.

Edited December 21, 2023 by MacMadame

[SCX22]

3 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

I thought the call center was for general assistance, but if a guest was booking a new cruise and elected that option in the phone tree when calling in, that you would get a US-based agent.  Has that changed as well?  

 

No way I would want to book a cruise with the overseas call center where I would not trust their knowledge and use of POLAR. 

 

It has changed.  The people answering the phones through the generic Princess 800 numbers can indeed make make new bookings regardless of whether the rep is overseas or in the U.S.  If  you want to talk to someone in the US, you have to call your CVP through the Princess CVP 800 number.  Most CVPs don't mind transacting through e-mail or using e-mail to set up a phone appointment at a later time.  The Princess Promotions CVPs have their own prompt when calling Princess Promotions 800 number.

[latebuyer]

I'm just wondering if you used a cruise planner could you cancel and rebook or would that be frowned upon? Thanks everyone for the responses. Very informative.

Edited December 21, 2023 by latebuyer

[SCX22]

31 minutes ago, latebuyer said:

I'm just wondering if you used a cruise planner could you cancel and rebook or would that be frowned upon? Thanks everyone for the responses. Very informative.

 

If you have a good CVP, they will want you to have the best price for you cruise.  Depending on the promotion, you don't necessarily have to cancel and rebook; refares are a possibility.  Only if the promotion is labeled as new bookings only will you have to cancel and create a new booking.  If you're cancelling and rebooking due to fickleness over the itinerary/dates, it's best to wait until you're more decided. Everything is possible within reason.  If you're bothering your CVP every week regarding your cruise, then you're a burden, not a client.

[1412p0oi]

10 hours ago, sunviking90 said:

I booked with a CVP for the first time a couple of years ago as we were restarting cruising after Covid. Hearing of the horrendous wait times when calling, etc I figured it was easier and it was. Anytime I needed something changed an email or call to her got it done. For example,  I have won bids for upgrades twice and didn’t like the location assigned, but knew there were other cabins in the category available. Called her, and told her which one I wanted it changed to and she did it. The second time, I used an large online TA and asked them to do the same thing, and they argued back and forth with me that the cabin won could not be changed and actually spent more time sending me emails to that effect than it would have taken them to call Princess and do it. I ended up calling Princess myself to do it.
You’re right that the price is the same as online, but she does also occasionally have offers that don’t come up online, or minimal OBC on certain cruises.

She has a Facebook page she posts weekly offers on, that sometimes don’t come up on the website.

I hear what you’re saying about liking the anonymity though. I booked a cruise with her yesterday for 2025 and now I see that I could book it through a large TA (not the same one I mentioned) and save about 8%, and it is a pricy cruise. Now I’m feeling bad and wondering if I should cancel with her and rebook with the TA. 
I can’t tell you if it’s best to use one, but these have been my experiences.

Pardon me for jumping in this thread, but how do you find these personal cruise consultants? As a cruise newbie I just googled for cruises and then booked it on one of the big travel agency sites that also had some special offers, and had to call them a few times for assistance with various things, but I'm guessing that is not a "consultant"

[pompeii]

2 hours ago, 1412p0oi said:

Pardon me for jumping in this thread, but how do you find these personal cruise consultants? As a cruise newbie I just googled for cruises and then booked it on one of the big travel agency sites that also had some special offers, and had to call them a few times for assistance with various things, but I'm guessing that is not a "consultant"

The pvp phone number is (800)901-1172.  You can call in and get one, or get a new one, assigned to you.  We've used our pvp for years now and especially since covid and the call center outsourcing, she is invaluable.  

[Steelers36]

5 hours ago, SCX22 said:

 

If you have a good CVP, they will want you to have the best price for you cruise.  Depending on the promotion, you don't necessarily have to cancel and rebook; refares are a possibility.  Only if the promotion is labeled as new bookings only will you have to cancel and create a new booking.  If you're cancelling and rebooking due to fickleness over the itinerary/dates, it's best to wait until you're more decided. Everything is possible within reason.  If you're bothering your CVP every week regarding your cruise, then you're a burden, not a client.

Same can be said for a TA.

[mtnesterz]

5 hours ago, latebuyer said:

I'm just wondering if you used a cruise planner could you cancel and rebook or would that be frowned upon? Thanks everyone for the responses. Very informative.

Your concern is admirable, but in this case, they are in sales, things like cancellations and dealing with a widely diverse public are just part of their job.

Most of our 20 Princess sailings have been booked through this one CVP and that builds familiarity. Yes we have needed to cancel, also cancel to refare for lower price, plus some line cancellations during Covid. Ultimately, we're a regular customer and that anyone in sales likes.

[Hlitner]

I will correct one statement in the OP's post, about the price being exactly the same.  The reality is that if you book with a reputable high volume cruise/travel agency (especially those affiliated with the better cosortiums) you will generally save money.  The price for the cruise will generally be excactly the same as booking online, or with a CVP, but the agency will sweeten the deal with various perks such as pre-paid gratuities, OBCs, etc.  One agency (that we know) will simply kick-back 7% of the cruise price and it will generally come as a refundable On Board Credit (OBC).  Other agencies might give you a hefty gift card, shore excursion credit, or a post cruise rebate!

 

So why doesn't everyone use these agencies?  Some think they maintain "control" by booking direct with a cruise line (that is a myth since the cruise line maintains all the control once they have your money).  Other folks simply do not know which cruise/travel agencies to trust, and they feel more comfortable dealing direct.  Several years ago we received a telephone call from a Princess rep (now called a CVP) who wanted our booking business.  I do not think that Princess does this anymore, but at one time they did sometimes do that kind of direct marketing.  I told the Princess rep that I would be happy to give them my Princess bookings, but ONLY if they would match the deals I can get from our favored cruise agencies.  The Princess rep bluntly told me that Princess "does not compete with their authorized cruise/travel agencies"  and suggested I book with her (the CVP) and can later transfer the booking to a cruise agency (who will then give me a nice chunk of OBC).  I explained to the rep that I could see know advantage of going through all that trouble (almost like a double booking) when I can simply book through the agency with a few clicks of the mouse or a quick phone call and get a nice financial benefit.

 

CC does not allow us to name favorite agencies or even hint at where you can find the honest best deals.  My advice, to cruise newbies and those who have never used agencis, is to simply talk with other cruisers (easily done on cruises) and ask how they book their cruises and are they satisfied.  Most folks are happy to share info about agencies with which they have had a good experience and also warn you about bad agencies.  

 

Hank

 

[latebuyer]

Just to clarify i was referring to-the princess cruise consultants when i said the price was the same. Even then i’ve got a better quote once by 100.00 or so for the caribbean. As for TAs it seems better quotes are for guarantees and i’m not interested in that having a bad experience being placed under the kitchen. I also disliked that during this current sale i would still have to pay 250US when the deposit is only 100.00 right now. In canadian 250US balloons to over 300.00.