Be wary of online TA!!!

[greatful]

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!

 

Hummmmmmmm why use a travel agent? I use the competive bid process mentioned earlier and have had 4 different agents with no other problem than they get me onboard credits, prepaid gratuities, problems like that I can handle. Nothing wrong with courtesy holds. TAs have been great to me.

[Wilcoam]

I cruise often...

 

So it really bothers from to see horrible dis-information posted on Cruise Critic.

 

On-line TA's, using the competative method, have saved me, literally TENS of THOUSANDS of USD dollars over the last two year(s).

 

While they may be some logistical advantages to booking direct (with a cruiseline), price isn't one of them. (lol):rolleyes:

 

For example, on NCL, an A3, on a 9 day Jewel Carrib Itin in Jan 08 via theor website is $4,599 USD each. My on-line TA price, via competition, $4,001.60 USD each, plus $125.00 USD each OBC.

 

If you're not good at math, I'll spell it out for you:D , I saved just under $1,450.00. on this cruise booking.

 

So, anyone here wanna sell me or Grateful on the virtues of booking direct? :confused:

 

Case closed (lol)

 

PS: However, that does not make it 'right' for a TA, on-line, phone, whatever, to make an unauthorized booking, let's not trash On-line TA's who provide a wonderful wonderful cost saving to many of us...

 

jc

Toronto

X Galaxy Sept 06

Prin Star Jan 07

X Xpedition Seot 07

NCL Jewel Jan 08

Prin Coral Jun 08

[Desert Cruizers]

I read alot of threads on TA vs Online, I use a local TA and after 3 going on 4 Cruises, will never book Online. I know many feel it is the best way to go. I walk into my TA, when i am ready to book, with Room # Dining setup. She knows me & I know she and her office. I am one on one with them as they call the cruise lines while I am sitting there, so I know everything is correct. She also alerts me to specials via email, and DH & I have a gift in our room as a show of appreciation.

[AZAaronBoy]

For those who book w/ Princess. (or other TA)

 

Just a note about transferring bookings. Sometimes (Not Always) specials/discounts/promotions can not be applied to existing bookings. A good agent may be able to get around this as they could show that the promotion was available when you booked.

 

This is the only potential downside I could think of. I'm sure your TA's really appreciate you taking the initive to research and work out all the "What If I....?'s" before you talk to them.

 

And just like in any aspect of life it is always Buyer Beware expecally if it is over the internet.

[Hlitner]

We have booked more than 50 cruises on-line (with 6 different TAs) and never had a problem. Why? We have saved thousands of dollars by simply shopping around for the best price. As to the OP, it is not uncommon for TAs to put a complementary hold on a cabin for a customer. Depending on the cruise line these holds can be valid for 1 day to several days, and there should never be a charge for this service. I know folks who have received great quotes for a cruise, decided to book a few days later only to find that prices have increased, desired cabins were now gone, etc. A cabin "hold" not only holds the cabin, but in almost all cases it also holds the price.

 

Hank

[mommykim]

Just a question for the OP. Were you able to cancel the cruise and get your FCC back? I do wish we could name this agency as I am sure the site you got the quote from is unaware of this and they may be doing it quite a bit.

[Pam in CA]

I agree that there are many reasons to use a TA; often, you get a better price and you also have an advocate who will double-check everything for you. I have a great online TA that I use for Princess and only for Princess. I use other TAs for other trips.

 

As an FYI, I had a bad experience with the online agency through which I booked my recent HAL cruise. I was quoted through the service that offers multiple quotes and selected the one with the lowest price. I booked and was happy with the price: another TA that I often use couldn't touch it. Then, I made final payment and two days after final payment, I was notified that they had made an error of about $900 in port fees. HAL wouldn't discuss the charges with me but I was able to determine that the additional charge was legitimate; but it really upset me that they low-balled and then I had to pay the additional charge. I would never, ever use them again.

[canadiansnowbird]

I have used the on-line company before where you request several quotes and then choose the best price. We also had FCC with Princess and never had a problem.......keep in mind; NEVER PUT YOUR CAPTAIN'S CIRCLE # IN THE AREA WHERE IT ASKS YOU. Just ignore it and they won't know specifically who you are. The prices are good without looking for a better one. If you are sure you will book, then give the # when booking.

 

Snowbird

[Coral]

I have used the on-line company before where you request several quotes and then choose the best price. We also had FCC with Princess and never had a problem.......keep in mind; NEVER PUT YOUR CAPTAIN'S CIRCLE # IN THE AREA WHERE IT ASKS YOU. Just ignore it and they won't know specifically who you are. The prices are good without looking for a better one. If you are sure you will book, then give the # when booking.

 

Snowbird

 

You can not get the best quote sometimes with out using your Capt Circle number. It is possible you qualify for a promo based on your number. This is why people say when they call Princess they get a better price compared to online agencies - it is because Princess is asking for their CC number.

 

I don't use Cruise Compete - I use an agent I can call and who knows my preferences. Her prices are very similiar to online agents. I prefer to use a real person verses booking online.

[canadiansnowbird]

You can not get the best quote sometimes with out using your Capt Circle number. It is possible you qualify for a promo based on your number. This is why people say when they call Princess they get a better price compared to online agencies - it is because Princess is asking for their CC number.

 

Can you tell me if calling Princess will get you a better price than checking the price on Princess site? And on Princess site I mean that you do enter your Capt. Circle #.

When I have reqested a price on line (Princess site) for a particular cruise and given my Circle #, the price is always more than the on line TA.

 

I probably will answer my own question by saying that Princess will give me a price in Canadian dollars and adding their own % difference, which is way too much at present. That is why I prefer either to use my local TA in U.S. dollars only or use an on line TA.

 

Snowbird

[drakes2]

I used a US TA as opposed to an online one and the US TA had the best price and best location. Basically, I got a BA category on the Caribe deck for the same price as the online TA's BC category on another deck plus I received additional OBC's. Who cares about the coupon book the online TA was pushing? I'll opt for the money any time. Also, I just received my US Visa card yesterday, so I'm all set.

Can you tell me if calling Princess will get you a better price than checking the price on Princess site? And on Princess site I mean that you do enter your Capt. Circle #.

When I have reqested a price on line (Princess site) for a particular cruise and given my Circle #, the price is always more than the on line TA.

 

I probably will answer my own question by saying that Princess will give me a price in Canadian dollars and adding their own % difference, which is way too much at present. That is why I prefer either to use my local TA in U.S. dollars only or use an on line TA.

 

Snowbird

[huskerdan25]

We have booked more than 50 cruises on-line (with 6 different TAs) and never had a problem. Why? We have saved thousands of dollars by simply shopping around for the best price. As to the OP, it is not uncommon for TAs to put a complementary hold on a cabin for a customer. Depending on the cruise line these holds can be valid for 1 day to several days, and there should never be a charge for this service. I know folks who have received great quotes for a cruise, decided to book a few days later only to find that prices have increased, desired cabins were now gone, etc. A cabin "hold" not only holds the cabin, but in almost all cases it also holds the price.

 

Hank

 

We seem to get the best rates by booking with an online T/A. I had booked my Alaska 2008 cruise with a T/A that responded to my cruisecomplete.com request but then I went out to the online service I had booked my previous cruises with and was able to get the cabin I wanted for more than $500 off total. I went back to the T/A I had booked with and asked if I could get this rate or close to it. The response I got was "I might as well just pay for your cruise!" That kind of response resulted in me canceling my booking with that T/A and re-booking with the online service we have been happy with. Instead of settling for an outside oceanview cabin for my Alaska cruise, I now have a mid-ship balcony on the Coral for more than $500 less than the first T/A was quoting. So, for us, using an online T/A/service has been a better experience.

 

The one benefit that we lose by going with an online service is there is a cancellation fee of $75. I was able to cancel my cruise with the first T/A without any penalty. But, pricing-wise, online booking has been the way to go for us.

 

Dan

[drakes2]

I didn't realize there was a cancellation fee involved. Can you not get the best price online and then go back to your TA with that price and see if they can at least match it? It's worth a try. I like the fact that I have a live person at the end of the line as opposed to an online TA.

We seem to get the best rates by booking with an online T/A. I had booked my Alaska 2008 cruise with a T/A that responded to my cruisecomplete.com request but then I went out to the online service I had booked my previous cruises with and was able to get the cabin I wanted for more than $500 off total. I went back to the T/A I had booked with and asked if I could get this rate or close to it. The response I got was "I might as well just pay for your cruise!" That kind of response resulted in me canceling my booking with that T/A and re-booking with the online service we have been happy with. Instead of settling for an outside oceanview cabin for my Alaska cruise, I now have a mid-ship balcony on the Coral for more than $500 less than the first T/A was quoting. So, for us, using an online T/A/service has been a better experience.

 

The one benefit that we lose by going with an online service is there is a cancellation fee of $75. I was able to cancel my cruise with the first T/A without any penalty. But, pricing-wise, online booking has been the way to go for us.

 

Dan

[huskerdan25]

I didn't realize there was a cancellation fee involved. Can you not get the best price online and then go back to your TA with that price and see if they can at least match it? It's worth a try. I like the fact that I have a live person at the end of the line as opposed to an online TA.

 

That is exactly what I tried to do. I took the price I found online and asked my T/A if I could get that price or close to it. As I mentioned in my earlier post, the response was not appreciated ("I might as well pay for your cruise at that price!").

 

Not all online services have a cancellation fee but the one I use does. I haven't had to cancel so far so the fee itself isn't bothersome and considering the savings I get by booking with the online service, it is worth it even if they have a cancellation fee.

 

Also, I think there is a misconception about online services. I did talk to a person to book my cruise. I could've just booked it on the website, sure, but I had FCCs to use and there is no place to enter that information on the website so I called the service and talked to a person to book the cabin I wanted for the cruise I wanted and gave my FCC information so I only had to put $200 down (one FCC for myself and one for my wife) instead of the normal $700-$900 deposit.

 

Additionally, I have the email address of the person that did my booking and if I ever need to make a change or have a question, I can contact the very person who did my booking. In fact, for our first cruise on the Sapphire, we decided late to bring our son with us and so I called the online service and spoke to the person that booked our cruise and was able to move to a cabin on the same deck, mid-ship, that had the drop down bed for a 3rd person. So, the idea that if you use an online service to book your cruises means you don't have a live person to discuss issues with or make changes is wrong. I would never book a cruise with an agency where I could never talk to a person anytime during the booking process and afterwards.

 

Dan

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Friends of ours are booked with one of the big online travel agents. They have very good prices. They also have a cancellation fee and after booking found out that they will only adjust your price once for free. After that they charge a $50 administrative fee for each change.

 

Bill

[drakes2]

When I booked my upcoming cruise, the TA I usually use (a manager) was away so I put two cabins on hold with another TA at the same agency with the understanding that it would cancel in a day if I didn't confirm. When my TA came back I called and told him I had booked two cabins but they cancelled and could he see if they were still available. Apparantly through a system glitch they did not automatically cancel so now I had two TA's handling one transaction. At the end of it all, they both gave me OBC'S and the first person I spoke to got the sale. Now I feel bad as he got me a really good price and said he cut his commission in order to get the business. My brother and his wife are planning a cruise in the near future so I've given them this TA's name. Anyone ever experienced something similar? Perhaps the manger isn't on commission so he had nothing to lose by letting his associate handle the booking. Is this the same as not tipping the owner of your hair salon?

That is exactly what I tried to do. I took the price I found online and asked my T/A if I could get that price or close to it. As I mentioned in my earlier post, the response was not appreciated ("I might as well pay for your cruise at that price!").

 

Not all online services have a cancellation fee but the one I use does. I haven't had to cancel so far so the fee itself isn't bothersome and considering the savings I get by booking with the online service, it is worth it even if they have a cancellation fee.

 

Also, I think there is a misconception about online services. I did talk to a person to book my cruise. I could've just booked it on the website, sure, but I had FCCs to use and there is no place to enter that information on the website so I called the service and talked to a person to book the cabin I wanted for the cruise I wanted and gave my FCC information so I only had to put $200 down (one FCC for myself and one for my wife) instead of the normal $700-$900 deposit.

 

Additionally, I have the email address of the person that did my booking and if I ever need to make a change or have a question, I can contact the very person who did my booking. In fact, for our first cruise on the Sapphire, we decided late to bring our son with us and so I called the online service and spoke to the person that booked our cruise and was able to move to a cabin on the same deck, mid-ship, that had the drop down bed for a 3rd person. So, the idea that if you use an online service to book your cruises means you don't have a live person to discuss issues with or make changes is wrong. I would never book a cruise with an agency where I could never talk to a person anytime during the booking process and afterwards.

 

Dan

[thevacationforyou]

I just wanted to say that making a blanket statement about how folks should be wary of online travel agents is like saying beware of car mechanics because one over charged you once. Just like any other buisness there are helpful, educated travel agents online ready to get you what you want. Unfortunately there are also.... hmm shall we say ... other types. I don't think that the original agent made an accident, she figured that by using the fcc you would have no choice but to complete the booking with them. My Advice as a travel agent is to find a reputable travel agent with who you have a rapport. Because then he/she will learn your lkes dislikes, know when you are looking for something and be able to alert you when specials come across thier desk that you may really be interested in. Also remember most times a travel agent will not only cost you nothing, it may actually save you money because they have access to rates and promotions not all websites have. Just my 2 cents.

[Jade13]

It's a shame that we are not able to discuss TA's, or at least the ones that have really created problems for us. And by problems I don't mean "they did not return my call quick enough" I mean "they booked a vacation that I was only considering without my permission" blunder.

 

 

Vicki

 

Don't they need your credit card information to do this?? This would never (I don't think) happen with HAL (Both owned by Carnival) because Hal won't hold anything (well maybe a couple of days through a TA) and you need to make a deposit.

[Jade13]

We seem to get the best rates by booking with an online T/A. I had booked my Alaska 2008 cruise with a T/A that responded to my cruisecomplete.com request but then I went out to the online service I had booked my previous cruises with and was able to get the cabin I wanted for more than $500 off total. I went back to the T/A I had booked with and asked if I could get this rate or close to it. The response I got was "I might as well just pay for your cruise!" That kind of response resulted in me canceling my booking with that T/A and re-booking with the online service we have been happy with. Instead of settling for an outside oceanview cabin for my Alaska cruise, I now have a mid-ship balcony on the Coral for more than $500 less than the first T/A was quoting. So, for us, using an online T/A/service has been a better experience.

 

The one benefit that we lose by going with an online service is there is a cancellation fee of $75. I was able to cancel my cruise with the first T/A without any penalty. But, pricing-wise, online booking has been the way to go for us.

 

Dan

 

I am probably usibg the same on-line with the $75 cancellation fee. But I transfered to them (have an 800 number and brick & morter) as we saved $1,500 on a HAL balcony for 2 (the third pax fee was the same as HAL). My stepdaughter canceled and we paid the $75 fee, but still were + $1,400.00.

[Cruzin2paradise09]

Don't they need your credit card information to do this?? This would never (I don't think) happen with HAL (Both owned by Carnival) because Hal won't hold anything (well maybe a couple of days through a TA) and you need to make a deposit.

 

This is not Cruiseline-specific. It has to do with requesting a quote, putting in your cruiseline member number. The online agency then goes in to the cruiseline's system and, if you have an FCC, grabs that and then books, not holds, the cruise for you. They basically by-pass the whole quote thing.

[jbrambach]

Vicki,

Their are a bunch of us going on the Oct 20th cruise on the Crown. You should check out our roll call.:)

[dresch25]

My FCC were replaced in my Princess account, now with that being said I was not bashing all online TA's I was just warning people that there are some who do not have proper work ethics. I have a great TA that I use but she is closed on the weekends, which is when I placed my quote on this competitive cruise price site. When I called this site I was a little upset and the person I spoke to said that this is not the norm and gave me the Email to the man who runs this site. I have sent him an email and waiting for his response:rolleyes:

 

Vicki

[Julia’s Journey’s]

My FCC were replaced in my Princess account, now with that being said I was not bashing all online TA's I was just warning people that there are some who do not have proper work ethics. I have a great TA that I use but she is closed on the weekends, which is when I placed my quote on this competitive cruise price site. When I called this site I was a little upset and the person I spoke to said that this is not the norm and gave me the Email to the man who runs this site. I have sent him an email and waiting for his response:rolleyes:

 

Vicki

 

Looking forward to hearing what they have to say - please let us know.