Be wary of online TA!!!

[Pia1913]

I should have mentioned, we're in a BA - midship and I really like the location, so I'm wondering if the upgrade would be to a lower category in a mini.

 

You've already got a great location. Why push it?

[Coral]

I should have mentioned, we're in a BA - midship and I really like the location, so I'm wondering if the upgrade would be to a lower category in a mini.

 

You could possibly be upgraded to any category of minisuites if you allow upgrades.

[Jhawktx]

I've now found out that mine is locked in and Mom and sister next door can get upgraded even though they were both requested with no upgrades.

 

I'm confused. Are you saying that your mom and sister requested not to be upgraded but you now found out that they "can get upgraded"? What does "can get upgraded" mean? I thought if you requested not to be upgraded then Princess would honor that request and not upgrade you. Your message seems to say that even though they requested NOT to be upgraded, they could get upgraded (over their objections) anyway. This doesn't sound right.

[ArizonaRalphie]

(see Arte Johnson in German Army attire peeking out through the palms) and I think this thread is beginning to drift off course. I have used ole' CC just once and have yet to go on that cruise. This cruise was originally booked onboard then transfered to an internet TA that I wanted to use. When I heard out about CC I gave them a try and one of their respondents beet the pants off my TA who I gave the chance to meet in price. They couldn't do it so I switched again. My cruise is not until next February and I have two other couples booked with the same TA. No problems so far.

 

So, since I had found CC I was just "playing around with an idea to take our 7 year old grandson on a cruise and, after checking out the Princess site and deciding on a sail date and itinerary put this out to CC. Within a couple of days I had 6 or 7 replies, none of which I followed up on.

 

A week or so later I was on "My Princess" and, lo and behold, I was booked for my "maybe we will and maybe we won't" cruise. If, as had been stated, that the 6 or 7 TA's didn't have my information from CC, the only way this could have appeared is from Princess itself. Anyway, I e-mailed Princess and a week or so later the "future cruise" disappeared.

 

If, in fact there is a TA out there who is abusing the public trust, we should all be made aware of who it is regardless of Cruise Critic rules.

 

My e-mail is "rleftwich@frontiernet.net"

[Julia’s Journey’s]

They couldn't have booked the cruise for you unless you gave them a credit card number. Why would you do this if you were just looking ? I don't give my info out until I am ready to book !

 

To those who have mentioned booking with Princess first than transferring to a TA, my question is why? Your highest price is always going to be with Princess ! Princess is one of those last cruise lines that you can get a lower price with outside sources. What is the reason that someone would book with Princess than transfer to a TA ? I am seriously asking this, is there something I don't know?

 

Using you captain cirle number they can book using any FCC that you have:eek:

[Pia1913]

Using you captain cirle number they can book using any FCC that you have:eek:

 

But they had to know you had one, right?

 

Hi Julia :) Long time no speak.

[Coral]

But they had to know you had one, right?

 

No, not necessairly.

[seacuracao]

I have always assumed that TA's get better deals. This works for booking with hotels also. The hottest TA's get the better deals.

My question is that every time I check a cruise on Princess, it says no booking available, go through your TA....How does one book direct with Princess???

Probably a stupid question.....:cool:

[Julia’s Journey’s]

But they had to know you had one, right?

 

Hi Julia :) Long time no speak.

 

I'm sure when giving Princess your name and info they would say you had a CC number and a FCC depending on who they get on the phone.

 

HI:) :)

[Coral]

My question is that every time I check a cruise on Princess, it says no booking available, go through your TA....How does one book direct with Princess???

Probably a stupid question.....:cool:

 

It is probably because you are not booking from the US/Canada.

 

Princess's online booking is only available to people who live in certain countries (probably more then what I listed)....

[Samcorl]

I am not sure why anyone bothers with a TA in this day and age. I book all my airline reservations online at the airline sites, I research the hotels online then book online, and I either book cruises online or pick up the phone and call them. I have equally great service as using a TA, don't have to worry about what the TA did or did not screw up, and find the prices are usually just as good.

 

The drawback is if there are any problems with the reservations, I can only blame myself!

 

I think your last paragraph makes a pretty good case FOR travel agents. Sam

[Jhawktx]

....How does one book direct with Princess???

Probably a stupid question.....:cool:

 

Go to www.princess.com Then look for "Book a Cruise". Look for one a few months away and you should have no trouble finding cabins available.

[TenerifeSharon]

Go to www.princess.com Then look for "Book a Cruise". Look for one a few months away and you should have no trouble finding cabins available.

You may find what cruises are available, but you will generally not find what cabins are available -- if you are using an IP internet address from outside the U.S. and/ or Canada. For anyplace else, you will be re-directed to contact your TA. That's the problem of the poster in reply #58 trying to book a cruise when located outside the U.S. (Curacao).

For example, we wanted to book the cruise listed below in my signature. Checking it on the Princess website, the only balcony category offered was BE (I think) and I was then told to contact my TA. By booking it through a U.S. TA, I was able to get a BA for close to $2,000 less per person (yes, you're reading the correct figure) than the price listed in Euros by Princess.

And, do you all know about the unequal treatment anyone not booking through a U.S./Canada TA receives? -- no cancellation after booking (even 1 week after booking) without losing your deposit. And, that's not just for Princess cruises, that's for all cruiselines! Sure glad I have an address in the U.S. that I can use for bookings.:)

[catergirl]

which travel agency was it?? i know we previously used our local TA, but after reading several posts here, decided to use *************. we saved ALOT and our TA(also a friend) said her company couldnt touch it and told us to go ahead and save! before we did we checked out the TA that had the best bid and we found great reviews. hopefully we wont regret it. but since people mention names of TAs that are good, i think the names of ones that pull a fast one should be mentioned as well! thanks

[AliceS]

We have used the site that will compete to give the best price. We are taking our kids on a cruise which we already had booked with our TA. The site provided a much better price and we used the best price agency to book. They have been very professional. I did give our TA a chance to match the price, she couldn't come close.

 

I think for any TA to use a FCC without your OK is very bad business. If you can't report it here, do so with the Better Business Bureau and with CLIA, Cruise Line International Assoc, 2111 Wilson Blvd, 8th Floor, Arlington, VA 22201.

 

I would also write a letter to Princess and suggest that they provide a better way to secure our information. The FCC should not be public to anyone who has the past passenger number. You need to give that to get a price quoted to past passengers and to find any local discounts. I am sorry that this happened and I will think twice about giving that information in the future.

[drakes2]

I handled the entire transaction myself and asked for cabins next to each other and requested NO UPGRADES as we got a BA on the Caribe deck. The TA must have mistakenly thought I meant just mine, but can't understand why he would lock mine in and not my sister's as it was clear we wanted cabins together. I found this out by talking to Princess yesterday so now have to call the TA and have theirs locked in. It's unlikely we'll get upgraded to a mini anyway as the ship is two thirds full and there is 5 months left until sailing. But it just goes to show that you have to check every single detail yourself, don't rely on a TA to do it for you. I also have a significant amount in obc's. Princess can only confirm we have the obc and can't discuss the financial details as we booked through an agency. In any event, final payment is not due until end of October so I'll just ensure everything is in place before then.

I'm confused. Are you saying that your mom and sister requested not to be upgraded but you now found out that they "can get upgraded"? What does "can get upgraded" mean? I thought if you requested not to be upgraded then Princess would honor that request and not upgrade you. Your message seems to say that even though they requested NOT to be upgraded, they could get upgraded (over their objections) anyway. This doesn't sound right.

[bettybc]

I use the same TA all the time. She knows my likes and dislikes and works really hard on my part if there is a screw up. Last year the ship (Princess) that we were supposed to cruise on cancelled 4 days before the cruise as there had been an incident. While we got a full refund, if we had booked ourselves or through an online TA, no hols for us :mad: However, my TA said, ok, where do you want to go now that this has happened. The TA company floated the bill until the refund got in and we went to Jamaica for 2 weeks :) . This is why I use her - over and over.

[dresch25]

I am really confused. I've used this on line site many times to inquire about a cruise. Inquire, not book. You cannot get booked unless they have information. They can't have the information unless you give it to them. Without identity and specific particulars, they have no booking. Even though you have FCC's (which I have a ton of) they can't use them unless they know who you are. That said......you had to have given this agency more information than was necessary.

 

Pia

 

When you use this site they ask if you are a past passenger and I put my captain circle number in. When I spoke to someone at Princess they told me they used this number to book the reservation.

 

Vicki

[dresch25]

A courtesy hold can show up online. We are booked on the Grand Princess for next June and called the TA to inquire about the cost of upgrading our cabin. She offered to put a 24 hour hold on the higher category cabin for us until we could make up our minds. I was very surprised when I went the the "My Princess" section of the website and it showed two separate bookings for us on the same sailing. One was our original cabin and one was the upgraded cabin on hold. We did not put down any kind of deposit on the second cabin. When we decided to do the upgrade it went onto our original booking number and the second booking was canceled.

 

This was not a courtesy hold they applied my FCC to the sailing, all because I put my past passenger number in.

 

Vicki

[dresch25]

And you're right - you should know the terms up front. Those of us who are seasoned cruisers, understand most of what to ask. The problems arise for those who do not, and for those who do the online quotes and end up like the OP.

 

But, as much as we want the TA to be "responsible" most of us (not all of us) know what to ask and it's just as much our responsibility to do so.

 

So are you saying I don't know what questions I need to ask when I book a cruise??? I put in a request for a cruise used my past passenger number and the TA decided to book the cruise on my behalf without my permission and your telling me it WAS my fault????:rolleyes:

 

 

Vicki

[suja514]

And lets all not forget that as brilliant and internet savey as we all think we are, the cruise lines hands down will tell you to use a travel agent. Why?, Because they themselves do not want to deal with the general public. The travel agents have the resources to deal with situations that may occur. I dont use web MD for my primary physician and just because the web site is called cheap tickets doesnt mean they are.

[seacuracao]

It is probably because you are not booking from the US/Canada.

 

Princess's online booking is only available to people who live in certain countries (probably more then what I listed)....

 

Thanks, Coral...you are absolutely right.

 

That is why I changed my cc address to my cousin in Fl.....lots of travel based internet sites (Expedia, etc)will no longer accept bookings from abroad, even though my AMEX is from Ft Lauderdale.

 

I had a great TA at a large internet agency (where you can pick your cabins and complete online:>)..She left recently......

 

Booked one cruise after she left with the agency and they could care less. When I asked the TA to do something for me, he told me to "call customer service"..:mad:

 

I left after that......:cool:

[Cruzin2paradise09]

So are you saying I don't know what questions I need to ask when I book a cruise??? I put in a request for a cruise used my past passenger number and the TA decided to book the cruise on my behalf without my permission and your telling me it WAS my fault????:rolleyes:

 

 

Vicki

 

Hmm, where do you get that from? I made a generalized statement regarding the generalized statements that TAs are no good (my wording). I also said "some people" -- again, a generalized statement.

 

I agree with you - what happened to you was crap. I don't deny that. I do deny that all TAs are bad . . .

 

Here is my statement again:

 

And you're right - you should know the terms up front. Those of us who are seasoned cruisers, understand most of what to ask. The problems arise for those who do not, and for those who do the online quotes and end up like the OP.

But, as much as we want the TA to be "responsible" most of us (not all of us) know what to ask and it's just as much our responsibility to do so.

 

Re-read my comment and quit reading between the lines.

[NorcalGuy]

I often book with Princess and transfer to a TA. I do it for a number of reasons. One is that I value my TA's time - I book a lot of cruises and only follow through on half of them. Why waste my agent's time on a booking that I know there is a good chance I am going to cancel. If I plan to keep the booking - I transfer it to my agent.

 

Another reason I book with Princess directly - the day Alaska sailings opened up this year, my agent was on vacation. I booked it and then if I decided to go - I transfer it to her and get my savings.

Well said! Thanks to Coral's prior advice on this sometime ago, I now go this route. It makes good sense.

[NorcalGuy]

I had a similar experience asking for a quote from an on-line TA and asking if a particular cabin was available. I found that the TA put a courtesy hold on the cabin, preventing me from booking with a TA that might have been lower, until the hold was released. From now on, I'll just ask for the price of a specific category without mentioning a specific cabin....then it cannot be held.

This also happened to me!

I eventually got the cabin after a couple days with the TA I went with, but was afraid someone else would get it during the transition. It was was very bothersome.