Thread: comissions

Originally Posted by pegrain

He did do a lot of complaining that Princesses commissions were low, after we changed to Princess to Hawaii.

Princess quotes commission in a very strange way. Not surprising as they do just about everything in a strange way. The commission is broken down into 2 separate parts, the first being the base 10% commission on the base cruise fare (total cruise price less port charges, taxes and fees). The second is the override which is computed by the agencies sales level and that can be an additional 1 to 6 percent depending on the volume of sales by the agency.

Reggie

Originally Posted by Smart Traveler

Pete, if I go the cabin group route to save money, will I still be able to choose my cabin? If I have to sleep on Dolphin deck or the port side of Emerald deck when the best minisuites are available (thinking about Princess ships), I will not be a happy cruiser.

There are two ways to secure group space; guarantee cabins or cabin assignments.

Normally, a cruise line will offer a reduced deposit for groups - we'll use a 7-night cruise on Carnival as the example. They will offer a $25 deposit to begin with; this will hold your 'space' in the group, but does not get you a cabin. This is registered as a 'guarantee'. The remainder of the deposit will be due later in the process. Once you make the rest of the deposit so that it totals $250 per person, then we can select you actual cabin. If you make that $250 right away instead of the $25 deposit, then we can select the cabin immediately.

As an example, I currently have a wedding group on Carnival and 90% of the group chose to pay the $250 deposit instead of the $25 deposit so we could select their cabins now to insure they are all located in the same area. The rest of the group went ahead and put their $25 deposit down, which locks in the cruise fare, but does not get them an actual cabin. So it depends on how you want to handle the group, but the bottom line is that the agent can either secure your cabins when making the group booking or just secure the space - you can usually do it either way. Obviously, this may not be the case in all situations, but it gives you an idea how it works most of the time.

Let me know if you have any questions as we've done many many groups of all sizes from 20 people to 350 people on all the major cruise lines, so we're well-versed in the ins and outs of how it works.

Pete

So what about onboard credits? People talk about being able to get them through their TAs, calling that a reaosn to book through a travel agent instead of directly with the cruise lines. How can you do this? Are you restricted in what types or amounts of OBCs you can offer to clients? And what in the world can I use OBCs for, anyway, since I don't drink or gamble?

Originally Posted by Smart Traveler

So what about onboard credits? People talk about being able to get them through their TAs, calling that a reaosn to book through a travel agent instead of directly with the cruise lines. How can you do this? Are you restricted in what types or amounts of OBCs you can offer to clients? And what in the world can I use OBCs for, anyway, since I don't drink or gamble?

Groups consist of at least 8 cabins based on double occupancy for a total of 16 people (third and fourth in a cabin do not count towards that number). Once a group has established at least this many cabins and provided they are stll allowing group bookings for that particular cruise, you can qualify for GAPs (Group Amenity Points). Depending on the particular cruise will depend on how many GAPs you will get. These points can be used for a variety of amenities, such as onboard credit, bottle of wine/champange in each cabin, gifts, etc. Your agent can provide you with the number of points you're getting and a complete listing of amenities that are available.

Keep in mind that sometimes a particular sailing may be closed to groups. Cruise lines set aside only so much space for groups and once that number has been reached, they will close that sailing to groups. Doesn't mean that you can't still establish a group, it just means you won't get any price reduction (if any) or GAPs. Also, highly traveled times will have less group space available (Christmas, Spring Break, etc.)

Without going into long detail, there are many things available for groups and the bigger the better. The key is to book early to insure you get the best pricing and the most points. Take a look at group space a couple of weeks before until a couple of weeks after your preferred date. Sometimes the points offered from one week to another can differ by quite a bit and this can make a difference between say $25 onboard credit or $100 onboard credit.

But one thing is for sure, NEVER book a group directly with the cruise line. You really need a reputable agent who has alot of experience and specializes in groups. Otherwise, you're going to be doing alot of work and answering alot of questions yourself. That's what they get paid to do, so let them do all the work so you don't have to. Plus, they are interested in you, whereas the cruise line is interested in themselves. When working with groups, you definitely want someone on your side.

Pete

Originally Posted by Cruise Planner

Second, don't listen to most of what you read on the CC blogs. The word 'critic' fits perfectfully because most of the people there are big critics.

And lastly, stop listening to those who post on the 'dark side' as those who post on CLF are much more friendly, offer better information, and are not censored.


Pete

Pete, let me start out by saying I have a lot of respect for you and have learned a lot from your posts. I agree the folks on CLF are much friendlier on general discussions. I do not use the CC site for general cruising discussions.

But CC is a valuable source of info that is not readily available here. @ CC you can post with others on your upcoming cruise, join a meet & mingle, plan private excursions and discuss general info on everything about your cruise. For instance, last Friday one of the group told of a substantual price reduction for residence in many States for our upcoming cruise. Calls or emails were sent to TA & Celebrity; it seems like 1/2 the ship is receiving cabin upgrades and/or hundreds of $$ of OBCs. I did not read where anyone was notified by their TA of the reduction and some said it surprised their TA. Not all used online TAs , many had TAs they have done business with for years. The cruise is the Equinox TA xing.

I am sure many of the regulars (maybe not the TAs) at this site uses CC for the Meet & mingle, etc.

Paul

As a former (repeat former) travel agent, I find myself thinking that Pete (aka "Cruise Planner") knows whereof he speaks!

The agency where I worked was run by a very knowledgeable lady who'd been in the business for years. Sadly,she was also hugely opinionated about destinations, cruise lines and everything else! What commissions could be gleaned were never a concern. Everything was about satisfying her admittedly up-scale clients.

Point: While the agency did do group cruises, they were always very, very up-scale and didn't really fit the image of less expensive groups!

Once I started cruising on my own, then as part of a number of different groups, I do my own research, then pass on my observations/research to the agent making the actual booking. Indeed, I spend a good bit of time exploring cruise options for my favorite support group, then follow that with research about shore excursions suitable to the group's physical limitations!

SWR

Originally Posted by cruise4me

Pete, let me start out by saying I have a lot of respect for you and have learned a lot from your posts. I agree the folks on CLF are much friendlier on general discussions. I do not use the CC site for general cruising discussions.

But CC is a valuable source of info that is not readily available here. @ CC you can post with others on your upcoming cruise, join a meet & mingle, plan private excursions and discuss general info on everything about your cruise. For instance, last Friday one of the group told of a substantual price reduction for residence in many States for our upcoming cruise. Calls or emails were sent to TA & Celebrity; it seems like 1/2 the ship is receiving cabin upgrades and/or hundreds of $$ of OBCs. I did not read where anyone was notified by their TA of the reduction and some said it surprised their TA. Not all used online TAs , many had TAs they have done business with for years. The cruise is the Equinox TA xing.

I am sure many of the regulars (maybe not the TAs) at this site uses CC for the Meet & mingle, etc.

Paul

Yep, I'm guilty! I also use CC whenever I'm going on a cruise, but as you said, I do it for selfish reasons. I like to see if we can get a group excursion and to see what's going on with our cruise. And yes, often you'll hear something you may not know about. As I always say, the more eyes watching, the better chance you have of seeing something.

I do the same thing I tell my clients; watch the cruise line's website occasionally to see if there might be a change in pricing. It's tough to watch them all, but as with most agents, we do try to stay on top of them. With over 900 clients, it can be very time consuming, but if the client spots a reduction, I tell them to notify me right away so I can get it for them. Yes, sometimes there is a caveat that the new price is for new bookings only and we can't get it, but that hasn't been the case over the last couple of years due to the economy.

Bottom line is, use all your resources. And if that includes CC, then so be it. But as we all know, alot of times what you read over there is not necessarily the correct facts.

Pete