Different prices by T/A

[Sailaway John]

Boy have I learnt something today. First when looking at the brochures for a particular cruise the early bird fares are a certain amount. Then you contact No. 1 travel agent and they say they can reduce it more. Then you go to No. 2 travel agent and low and behold they reduce it even further. When do the reductions stop. From the original price in the brochure I have now saved a tremendous amount of money and got OBC too!

[Rowtyd]

Boy have I learnt something today. First when looking at the brochures for a particular cruise the early bird fares are a certain amount. Then you contact No. 1 travel agent and they say they can reduce it more. Then you go to No. 2 travel agent and low and behold they reduce it even further. When do the reductions stop. From the original price in the brochure I have now saved a tremendous amount of money and got OBC too!

 

IMO, treat it like buying a car. Always research 4-5 online cruise travel sites, print out each quote, compare, take it with you to your TA(if you are using one). Never get burned by paying too much. If the price continues to drop, contact TA and get onboard credit if possible. Don't bother with those brochure prices. The current market sets the price...and it's always lower.;)

[brucory]

Taxes vary between agencies. Some of the cruiselines include taxes in their online price. This can make a big difference. :D :D :D

[caribbeanboy]

Yesterday I cancelled my reservation with Princess for my Nov.8 inaugural sailing,for which I paid Usd 1017.06 for 1 person.Now I found this TA on internet which charged me Usd 1371.12 for two, even with fuel supplement included and moved from Emerald all the way to Lido deck. Also got a Usd 100 Obc, bringing my total OBC to Usd 250. Total savings Usd 490.

[Miss Jolly]

Taxes vary between agencies. Some of the cruiselines include taxes in their online price. This can make a big difference. :D :D :D

I notice that you are in Sydney. We are up here on the Central Coast. I am curious to know if you book your cruises in Sydney or do you use on line agencies? Jennie

[custompcsys]

Yesterday I cancelled my reservation with Princess for my Nov.8 inaugural sailing,for which I paid Usd 1017.06 for 1 person.Now I found this TA on internet which charged me Usd 1371.12 for two, even with fuel supplement included and moved from Emerald all the way to Lido deck. Also got a Usd 100 Obc, bringing my total OBC to Usd 250. Total savings Usd 490.

 

Don't forget that you pay a "single supplement" of between 150 to 200 percent of the double occupancy rate when you book a single cabin, so the per-person price for 2 is going to be much lower than for 1, even with the same booking agent.

[Yungs]

I'd be interested to know as well - we booked with an online US agency and reckon we saved a heap of money compared to the prices they were quoting over here.

[rjg41]

1) TAXES do not vary between agencies. What they tell you are taxes may, BUT taxes are what they are.

 

2) Cruise lines always show with port and fuel and taxes are additional.

 

3) Often "shoppers" fail to consider agency "processing/booking/change/whatever they can get away with" fees and agency cancellation charges.

 

4) The ink is not dry before "early bird" fares can begin to change; up and down. The cruise line web site is the best place for current, non-discounted regular fares.

 

5) Shoppers almost always fail to consider service when choosing whom they book with and then get upset when things do wrong and no one is at the the other end of the phone.

[caribbeanboy]

Yes, I know but still she gave me a price of Usd 950 for Cat-II plus Usd 50 OBC, and up from Cat-K. Still it was a better deal then the one I had from Princess.I'm seeing it this way for for Usd 354 more, I can add another pax to my reservation, got Usd 100 obc and moved to Cat-II

[custompcsys]

Yes, I know but still she gave me a price of Usd 950 for Cat-II plus Usd 50 OBC, and up from Cat-K. Still it was a better deal then the one I had from Princess.I'm seeing it this way for for Usd 354 more, I can add another pax to my reservation, got Usd 100 obc and moved to Cat-II

 

I understand :) I agree with you that using a discount TA will almost always get you a better price than booking directly with the cruise line.

[Toto2Kansas]

Many discount TA's discount in different ways. Therefore you can find a range of prices out there with travel agents.

[travelgoddes]

I am a TA of 18yrs, and I can tell you we often get discounts and promos from Princess directly for TA's, not for the general public....usually 7-10 day

booking window.

[caribbeanboy]

I am a TA of 18yrs, and I can tell you we often get discounts and promos from Princess directly for TA's, not for the general public....usually 7-10 day

booking window.

 

How does that OBC works exactly ? if you give me $100 obc, does it go from the TA's commission ?

[blindrid]

Boy have I learnt something today. First when looking at the brochures for a particular cruise the early bird fares are a certain amount. Then you contact No. 1 travel agent and they say they can reduce it more. Then you go to No. 2 travel agent and low and behold they reduce it even further. When do the reductions stop. From the original price in the brochure I have now saved a tremendous amount of money and got OBC too!

 

As a rule, no-one pays brochure price. Exceptions for RCL and a few others. Some TA's also make up with OBC but I normally just shop my deal pretty hard on the internet and don't play the "can you beat it" game. I personally think that is an unfair way to shop a deal.

[kruisey]

I have found out,sometimes the hard way.

Yes there are the great deals on the web and at some local TA's.Have found that after the booking they don't really wont to know you....They are too busy taking other bookings gathering more commision.

Then there are TA's local and internet that do take time.....One very good one writes on this board but the price is very close to that of Princesses .

Princess there again does have what they call Regional Promotions which you can get a better deal.......even to that of a TA.

I transferred my booking back from a local discount TA a month ago to Princess my price went down again by $100 plus I got additional OBC of $25 + I get good customer service.

[travelgoddes]

No, the OBC does not come from our commission.

We take great care with our clients, I always follow up with my clients when they return. I want to know their concerns, and hear about their vacations.

I take great care with my clients, from deposit to return from their trips.

[Buddy604]

For the most part, Princess is very protective of their TAs and tries hard not to undercut them on their website. TAs will get significant discounts for their clients, not to mention great Flash deals after the final payment date.

 

TAs can also set up groups on sailings, which gives a percentage discount off of the early booking prices, plus amenity points which can be used to give passengers onboard credits, bottles of wine and other gifts. If you're getting an onboard credit or some such with your booking, you're probably part of a group block the agent has created.

 

Some of the mega-huge internet agencies can discount even further because their volume with Princess gives them a better commission structure and they can shave points off their commission to give you a better deal. The down side with these folk is they aren't as able to devote significant time to each passenger because their whole survival is based on volume.

[willyguy]

I am a TA of 18yrs, and I can tell you we often get discounts and promos from Princess directly for TA's, not for the general public....usually 7-10 day

booking window.

i have a question maybe you can help me out what do you mean 7-10 day booking window:)

[brucory]

I notice that you are in Sydney. We are up here on the Central Coast. I am curious to know if you book your cruises in Sydney or do you use on line agencies? Jennie

 

All online agents from the States. Best to call them. Some are experienced in selling to Aussies/out of towners and others arent. There are some that have toll free numbers from Australia as well. However, saying that, it may be worth looking on the cruiselines website itself. HAL for example quotes almost as cheap as online TA's on some cruises, but you only see this when you get to the final price as they add discounts etc. They include taxes in their price. :D :D :D

[iancal]

We always shop based on bottom line...and there are large differences. Even when we get a good price, we always ask for an on board credit...worst they can say is no.

 

I have found that many agencies include a line that says taxes. For example on a Carib. cruise sometimes it is as much as $200. or so. This is not port taxes. Port taxes on a 7 day cruise are usually about $50. so I suspect some TA commission is buried here. Next time you miss a port, take a look at the tax refund. I suspect that the lower end on line TA's are working on very low commissions-perhaps as low as $50-$75. pp. Those who asked to tow the line re the price list appear to make it up on on board credits. On more than a few occasions, we have had quotes from two agents that had a huge variance on port taxes for the same cruise. We always shop on net price-that takes care of the low ballers.

[kruisey]

We always shop based on bottom line...and there are large differences. Even when we get a good price, we always ask for an on board credit...worst they can say is no.

 

I have found that many agencies include a line that says taxes. For example on a Carib. cruise sometimes it is as much as $200. or so. This is not port taxes. Port taxes on a 7 day cruise are usually about $50. so I suspect some TA commission is buried here. Next time you miss a port, take a look at the tax refund. I suspect that the lower end on line TA's are working on very low commissions-perhaps as low as $50-$75. pp. Those who asked to tow the line re the price list appear to make it up on on board credits. On more than a few occasions, we have had quotes from two agents that had a huge variance on port taxes for the same cruise. We always shop on net price-that takes care of the low ballers.

I have noticed Port Charges being higher also Princess Air with a TA .They offer lower basic cruise fare then make up on charging more for other parts of the costs.

Gee and I thought I was the only one that had this happen to

When you book with Princess then hand to a TA offering a lower price they cannot mess around with air or Port charges because one has already seen those costs.

No disrespect to the many honest TA's that don't use this seedy tactic

[cruisegal320]

1) TAXES do not vary between agencies. What they tell you are taxes may, BUT taxes are what they are.

 

2) Cruise lines always show with port and fuel and taxes are additional.

 

3) Often "shoppers" fail to consider agency "processing/booking/change/whatever they can get away with" fees and agency cancellation charges.

 

4) The ink is not dry before "early bird" fares can begin to change; up and down. The cruise line web site is the best place for current, non-discounted regular fares.

 

5) Shoppers almost always fail to consider service when choosing whom they book with and then get upset when things do wrong and no one is at the the other end of the phone.

 

Amen Dick & Carol!!

[cruisegal320]

How does that OBC works exactly ? if you give me $100 obc, does it go from the TA's commission ?

 

The most commen way to earn an OBC is either having your TA book you into an existing group within the agency or if you have accumalated OBC's with your past guest status/pre-booking onboard. I know that Princess has one of the best programs out there for repeat guests. I have earned OBC's for no reason and Princess has honored them even though they couldn't explain how I or my clients have earned them. I've learned to not ask so many questions.

Personally, I do not discount anything from my commissions. 1. It's illegal with most if not all cruise lines. If you are caught they could punish you a couple different ways. 2. Contrary to popular belief - we do not make GREAT money!! I am able to be an agent because it's what I love to do and my husband is the primary breadwinner. If you are an agency owner, you'll make far more but they get a decent cut!!!

[cruisegal320]

We always shop based on bottom line...and there are large differences. Even when we get a good price, we always ask for an on board credit...worst they can say is no.

 

I have found that many agencies include a line that says taxes. For example on a Carib. cruise sometimes it is as much as $200. or so. This is not port taxes. Port taxes on a 7 day cruise are usually about $50. so I suspect some TA commission is buried here. Next time you miss a port, take a look at the tax refund. I suspect that the lower end on line TA's are working on very low commissions-perhaps as low as $50-$75. pp. Those who asked to tow the line re the price list appear to make it up on on board credits. On more than a few occasions, we have had quotes from two agents that had a huge variance on port taxes for the same cruise. We always shop on net price-that takes care of the low ballers.

 

Port Charges are completely different from the government taxes and fees. Across the board "Port Charges" are going to be $159 per person for a 7 nt. Caribbean cruise. They do vary on the length and destination so one must take that into account.

TA's are paid off of the base cruise fare, whatever percentage the cruise line has worked out for them.

If there is every a question about the break down of a cruise rate, you should ask your TA for it. My invoicing groups anything that is not the cruise fare together and shows it as the taxes and fees, including the ports. That amount is always a high number because you will have the ports, fuel surcharges, and taxes & fees combined for however many people are sharing the cabin. I sold a cabin to a friend of a friend and they ended up canceling because he didn't agree with paying 40% taxes, even though they were fine with the per person totals and I gave them the break down. :rolleyes:

[Chacooe]

I am planning to go on my very first cruise to the Mexican Riveria in Oct. 08, my TA says that the whole cruise has to be paid by July 1, 08, but I have seen where others say that the cruise has to be paid within 30 days of the sailing. So can someone tell me if this is just the TA wanting to make sure that all of the guests are paid or is this really how it works that a cruise has to be paid in full 3 months before we even leave.

 

Also someone else asked what the 7 - 10 day booking is, I would like to know what that means also.