Why use a travel agent?

[Kat1613]

Don't understand why people would book directly with RCI who gives u nothing extra when you cruise during peak times. It's so easy to do it with a travel agent once u find a good one --they keep your info & do all the work for you --mine always keeps an eye on price breaks and gives to me after I"ve already booked, this upcoming cruise we booked 4 rooms that she was able to get 2 connecting & the other 2 right across and $100 on board credit Per Room, a wine package per room, and 5 soda cards I don't think RCI can match that on a peak summer cruise on FOS!!!!!

[Hobiecat01]

We use a trusted TA that we have used for nearly 20 years. In fact, she is retiring this year and we are so upset. I say trusted because she has shown us unwavering respect and service for all of these years. Her word is gold and her advice even better!

 

I have heard and seen many stories about OBC's, upgrades, prices, etc. Frankly I have seen great deals with and without a TA. Situations differ greatly.

 

However... a few years back DW and I had an issue with a cruise line regarding our cruise. (Too long to go into...) When we returned I wrote the cruise line to complain and ask for some compensation. (We are not normally complainers... this was the 1st and only time.) Our reply was a nice sorry note from the line. I discussed this with our TA who went straight to the agency's cruise rep. with my complaint. Two weeks later I had a check in my hand for several hundred dollars, way beyond what I asked for. Now granted, this may have been an isolated situation. But this is where a good TA comes into play. I guess they are kinda' like insurance, you need it until you need it.

 

As to use or not use a TA... it is completely up to what works best for YOU.

-------------------

Sea ya!

Ron and Lee

Canton, Ga

RCCL Platinum Member

"In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom,

in water there is bacteria." – Ben Franklin

Previous Cruises

Carnival Mardis Gras - 3 Day Bahamas - April 1982

Carnival Destiny - 7 Days Western Carib. - April 1998

Princess Grand Princess - 7 Days Eastern Carib. - April 1999

Princess Sea Princess - 7 Days Western Carib. - March 2000

Princess Grand Princess - 7 Days Western Carib. - March 2001

RCCL Navigator of the Seas - 7 Days Western Carib. - March 2003

RCCL Mariner of the Seas - 7 Days Western Carib. - April 2005

RCCL Freedom of the Seas - 7 Days Western Carib. - 6/18 - 6/25/2006

RCCL Liberty of the Seas - 7 Days Eastern Carib. - 7/19 - 7/26/08

Planned Cruises

RCCL Oasis of the Seas – Our Friends Cruise - April 17, 2010

RCCL Allure of the Seas – Our Neighborhood Cruise - 2011

The BIG One - Southeast Asia 14 day – 2012?

Princess Cruises - The Med – 14 day – 2013?

[CGTNORMANDIE]

If you are booking 3 and 4 day cruises or even 7 day cruises with less expensive cabins...then I would say book with RCI. If you are booking more expensive cabins or suites...then you definitely need a great TA.

 

I have been sailing on ships for more than 40 years now...and I would never book a cabin without my trusty TA who is one of the greatest TA's I have ever met.

[LOW Cruisers]

The vast majority of those that use TA's do so because they get OBC. It's not the service, it's not the bottle of wine, it's not the expertise, it's not the Xmas card - it's the money.

 

Another point - most TA lovers will tell you that their TA watches 24/7 for price drops and have received many. My question - how do you know? Really, the only way to know is to check yourself. Then it's not really an advantage, is it? I check for price drops three times a day, religiously. I check regularly to see if my favorite cabin location has freed up, religiously. I don't need a TA to arrange for a window table in the MDR; I simply see the maitre d' first thing and arrange it myself.

 

Peter

 

Peter, I tend to try and do the same thing but not really sure the best way to do that. Last cruise I called about something and the nice RCCI person asked what state I was in and lo and behold she said my living in Virginia reduced the cost by $200.

[CruisingGoddess]

I usually book the cruise that I want directly with RCCL. Just before my final payment due date I turn my reservation over to my TA. I do this because my TA gives me incentives -- onboard credits, paid gratuites, etc. My TA is happy to take my reservation because it's easy for him. Since my cruise is already planned there is very little work for him to do. It's a great situation for both of us!

 

I've never tried doing it this way. Always booked through a TA first. I was wondering if it's hard to find a TA that will take a transferred reservation? I've heard that cruise lines are now lowering the commission a TA gets from a transferred reservation so less TA's will take a transferred ressie or they will give you less incentive if you transfer. Also, I get a lot of cruise deals newsletters and the deals often say "new books only" so I'm assuming the same incentives would not apply to a transferred ressie?

[tkportersat]

RC maybe not, but my Carnival rep has done all of this for me. Either way that is part of the fun to keep an eye on things myself and make changes. It is just a personal preference...

 

Don't understand why people would book directly with RCI who gives u nothing extra when you cruise during peak times. It's so easy to do it with a travel agent once u find a good one --they keep your info & do all the work for you --mine always keeps an eye on price breaks and gives to me after I"ve already booked, this upcoming cruise we booked 4 rooms that she was able to get 2 connecting & the other 2 right across and $100 on board credit Per Room, a wine package per room, and 5 soda cards I don't think RCI can match that on a peak summer cruise on FOS!!!!!

[sammyt]

TA's do not get better rates than you can get direct from RCCL online yourself. Go online and check it out for yourself. When you call a TA, first thing they do is call RCCL do get a price. Only thing a TA does is offer prepaid gratuities or OBC. But you have to watch for the prices to go lower in most cases, because they won't do that for you and if the price does go lower, so does your OBC. So really, they are useless. You can pick your own room, which everyone should do, would not rely on a TA to pick a room. There idea of a good room, is not always really a good choice.

[ubdkjrb]

RC maybe not, but my Carnival rep has done all of this for me. Either way that is part of the fun to keep an eye on things myself and make changes. It is just a personal preference...

 

 

 

Carnival has the right idea and I wish RCCL would get with it -- If you book direct with Carnival, you have thirty days to transfer. After that you can't. If you were running the cruise line and passengers were booking direct (all the work done by cruiseline employees) and then transferring just before final payment (causing you to have to pay a 15% commission to some TA for doing nothing) would you stand for that. I wouldn't.

 

Like I said, the vast majority that use a TA do it for the money! And don't that isn't causing higher pricing for all of us in the longrun.

 

Peter

[Amberderossi]

Some people are so woefully ignorant on the cruise business it would be comical if it was not so sad. The vast majority of people use TA's because they put a value on service over price.

 

With 80% of the country having never taken a cruise and a huge amount of berths coming online between now and 2012, the cruise lines need the sales force of travel agents to put people on their ships. If you think you are somehow paying more because of the TA community, you truly are ignorant about the business. Take away the TA who books 90% of the cruises and you have to hire more reservation agents, more IT specialists to handle the massive amount of questions these 80% first timers will invariably have.

 

Sorry but the TA is not a cost to the cruiseline they are a revenue generation machine. Any other statements to the contrary just show off a person's blatant ignorance.

[mike77]

We have booked with RCCI direct and with a TA. Love the OBC's from the TA, that's the only upside.

[monicajay]

I was an agent for 10 years (then worked for an airline) so I feel very comfortable doing all my own research and doing my own reservations. If then giving my file to an agent is going to give me an OBC, then I go for it.

 

Many of us these boards have cruised enough and enjoy it enough that we can plan and organize our own trips. From my experience though most consumers find the whole process overwhelming and need the expertise of a good agent.

 

My problem with agents today is that there seems to be fewer and fewer real agents, and more and more part-time untrained agents just doing it for a free trip.

 

Unfortunately, in most states and provinces anybody can hang a shingle and say they are an agent. Even real-estate agents have to pass a test but TA's (in most jurisdictions) don't.:rolleyes:

 

If you use an agent, choose wisely and make sure you find someone who really knows their business and does it as a job and not just as a hobby.

 

A good agent is like finding gold!

[Onessa]

We use a "no fee" TA. She saves us time -- if we have questions, she'll call the cruiseline, she gets better service from the line (as a TA with a large agency, she has numbers with dedicated CS reps that I don't have) and I don't have to wait. She documents everything, so I don't get any surprises. She monitors for price changes. She recommends local hotels and arranges booking.

 

And even though we do our own flight arrangements, when KLM cancelled our Amsterdam to Barcelona flight last fall, she managed to book us (with an upgrade to first class) on the next plane out and got KLM to arrange a hotel room for us in Amsterdam -- we spent a lovely evening in Amsterdam and were out the next morning and were easily able to board our cruise on time. 20+ people on the same flight were not as lucky and joined the cruise in Ville France the next day (without their luggage!). Others on the flight who did make it to Barcelona told harrowing stories about a 2.5 hour wait in line to change arragements and then another hour to get a hotel voucher.

 

Perhaps not everyone has as great of an agent as we have, but I'm quite happy dealing with a TA.

[Papa T]

I'm glad to see some positive TA comments - usually they take a hit on CC. I do my own research but book through an agent for both the perks (SBC, etc.) and the support (if needed). It's a partnership and both of us monitoring my bookings (currently 5) work better than either going it alone or booking with a TA and expecting them to do all of the work. The key is to find a experienced and responsive TA. In 50+ cruises, the TA has assisted in solving some problems where I had hit a stone wall with a cruise company or airline. On the other hand I am often the first to find price reductions.

[Kat1613]

Well since this is a Royal Caribbean Bulletin Board & not Carnival I think it applies more!!

Alot of people don't have the time to keep their eye on every detail to make changes, it can be more of a hassle and very time consuming so another validation for travel agents.

 

 

 

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by tkportersat

RC maybe not, but my Carnival rep has done all of this for me. Either way that is part of the fun to keep an eye on things myself and make changes. It is just a personal preference...