TA vs NCL

[grey625]

OK, so I must be doing something wrong. I have read many threads about how some people get these huge "discounts" by booking through a TA but I have not been able to find one whose price is better than the currently quoted price on NCL.com. I have checked the price on a couple cruises with the same itineraries for the same dates and same stateroom category and have come up with a very close if not exact same price. If I recheck those same cruises the next day, or even next week, NOW I see a price difference from what was originally quoted, but they are still the same (or very close) whether it be a TA or NCL.

 

When I booked our upcoming cruise directly with NCL, my PCC found discounts that I didn't even know existed and with the OBC promo that was going on at the time we are ultimately paying $250pp less than what was showing on the NCL site.

 

I understand that people use TAs to have one point of contact and to have someone who can go to bat for you in the event of a problem, but is the price difference really that dramatic, or are they not comparing "apples to apples".

 

Just curious :o

[RosieRoo]

Just as an example: I used a website that competes for your business for an NCL cruise I was interested in booking. All of the online TA's that quoted me prices were between 10-12% lower than the price I was quoted from NCL. I think if you know what you want and are pretty confident in booking your own cruise, you can save money using a TA. We are not allowed to mention TA names on CruiseCritic so you will have to do some homework to find the deals.

[KerCar]

The prices listed on the TA'S websites are pretty much the same across the board. To get the REAL savings, you have to contact them directly. Depending on the TA, you either have to call, email, or sign up with a username/pw to get the lowest possible quote. There's a great website where you enter in the cruise you want and receive quotes emailed to you from multiple agencies. I've booked my last 4 cruises with online TA's and have saved approx. $1700 :)

 

If you are happy with the price you have paid and satisfied with the job your PCC has done than you have done well!

[Nickymjw1]

I have a great NCL rep I deal with and he always looks out for us. Any new promotion I see coming out for new sailings, I e-mail him and he adds it to our already booked cruise. I have 3 or 4 different promotions added over the last few months, Price dropped almost $1000 and have $250 onboard credit. Pluse he told me I can send in my upgrade cerificates for another credit since I want to keep the cabin I have. Also used my BOA $1000 certificate so this cruise is almost free! Final pay date is 1/12, I owe $18 but waiting to pay that just to see if there is another promotion coming out in the next few days.

 

The main thing I guess is to build a relationship with your NCL sales rep.

 

Going with a TA did not work for me because there is an in between person and I always had to wait for answers.

[tiyana4]

I have used the quoting website as well as booking with an online agency (other than NCL) with good prices each time. In fact, the quoting website is where I found my TA.

 

NCL is always $200-$300 more per booking than what I can find thru my TA. For some reason, all the cruises I choose on NCL do not include a past passenger discount rate when dealing with a PCC. However, that same cruise WILL be discounted $100 pp or more thru my TA.

 

For me, there is no incentive whatsoever to booking with NCL price-wise. Yet others believe it to be more valuable to book direct with the cruise line for the benefit of convenience or controlling your reservation. You will soon discover which method works best for you. Good luck.

[Arwenmark]

To the OP when you say you don't see any difference are you talking about online looking? because all the online agents I have used have the online prices which are ballpark only and then the real price that you only get when you call them and they get your info.

[grey625]

To the OP when you say you don't see any difference are you talking about online looking? because all the online agents I have used have the online prices which are ballpark only and then the real price that you only get when you call them and they get your info.

 

Yes, I have only been looking at online quotes and I guess that is not a fair comparison. I can see where I might have to do some digging in order to get the best price. My thing is, I work in purchasing, and honestly, I hate the game. Give me your best price up front - if the price advertised on the website is not the "true price", then why post it? I hate the "tell me what you are paying and we will do better" BS.

 

I don't have a relationship with a TA and none of the online entities were priced any better, and since I had already made friends with a PCC, I booked directly with NCL. Believe me, I was pleasantly surprised when she gave me a price that was lower than what was on the NCL site; I was ready and willing to pay what I originally believed was the price.

 

I did check out that quote site that was mentioned and enlisted their services out of curiosity. The best quote came in almost $400 less than the posted NCL.com price, so I do now see that lower prices are out there. But I guess going back to the "digging in order to get the best price", what's to say that my PCC couldn't do better...

[KerCar]

Yes, I have only been looking at online quotes and I guess that is not a fair comparison. I can see where I might have to do some digging in order to get the best price. \

My thing is, I work in purchasing, and honestly, I hate the game. Give me your best price up front - if the price advertised on the website is not the "true price", then why post it? I hate the "tell me what you are paying and we will do better" BS.

 

I'm not 100% sure but I think the fares the TA's are allowed to advertise on their websites are capped by the cruiselines. They are only allowed to discount if clients contact them directly.

[newmexicoNita]

I'm not 100% sure but I think the fares the TA's are allowed to advertise on their websites are capped by the cruiselines. They are only allowed to discount if clients contact them directly.

 

Pretty much depends on the cruiseline.

 

Nita