Thread: RCCL NextCruise - transfer to a TA?

I am brand new to the forum - and I love the fact that travel agents are welcome to give input. So many other forums are owned by travel agencies - this is great.

I recently cruised on Royal Caribbean, and I purchased one of their NextCruise certificates to use on a future sailing, hoping to take advantage of the reduced deposit requirement and the OBC they offer,.

We have found that the cruise we want to go on out of our home port of Galveston almost never get cheaper as the year goes on. We were watching a cruise last year, and the prices kept going up - and the cabins were going quickly. We finally decided we were going to go anyways, and we ended up paying more than we wanted to for our cruise booking 3 months out. I usually do my own research, and use a TA, but was not impressed with the one we used.

I used our RCL certificate to book our cruise (1/13/13 on the Mariner) through Royal Caribbean, and was told that i have 60 days to transfer it to a travel agent. Since I already have the exact cabin we want, I am not interested in upgrading. Is there a reason to transfer it to a TA? We drive down, so we do not need any flights, and we book our excursions independently of the cruise line. Should I just shop around to see if I can find a TA that is offering some OBC or paid gratuities? We also might have 2 other couples joining us in the next 60 days that can tag along to our Nextcruise certificate. This is the first time I've ever booked through the cruise line. I understand this is a sensitive subject - and would just like some advice. Thanks!

Terry

Terry, welcome aboard!

IMHO, I would transfer to a TA. They will watch out for you as opposed to RC just taking your money. If prices go down, many times your TA will be able to take advantage of the decrease. I usually watch the cruise pricing myself on a weekly basis and if it does go down, I call or email my TA to make sure he saw it too. Again, IMHO, obc and perks are nice, but they don't make up for a good TA.

Welcome to CLF, Terry!!

As you have found, this site is better than those others, that's for sure! May not be as big, but we try harder.

As for your cruise, in some markets the price initially offered could very well be the best price. That's why I always tell people to book as early as possible. If the price goes down, then your agent can almost always get the reduction for you, unless final payment has been made.

And yes, it's always better to work with a reputable agent, preferably a cruise specialist, because they represent you and are available should you need anything or have any problems. Whereas when you book with the cruise line, they represent themselves, so you are left to your own devices should you encounter problems. Plus, a cruise specialist will be happy to spend the time discussing the ship, ports of calls, etc, but the agent with the cruise line works in a call center, has worked there less than 6 months, and has never been on a cruise. And lastly, a cruise specialist is going to sell you the same cruise for the same price, sometimes less, but they charge nothing for their services. So it makes sense to utilize their expertise.

But keep in mind that offering incentives for booking does not gauge the quality of the agent. As you said, you were not impressed with your last agent - would you have been more impressed had they offered onboard credit?

If you have any questions, ask away - there are lots of great people on here ready to help.

Pete

Originally Posted by T_bone2012

I am brand new to the forum - and I love the fact that travel agents are welcome to give input. So many other forums are owned by travel agencies - this is great.

I recently cruised on Royal Caribbean, and I purchased one of their NextCruise certificates to use on a future sailing, hoping to take advantage of the reduced deposit requirement and the OBC they offer,.

We have found that the cruise we want to go on out of our home port of Galveston almost never get cheaper as the year goes on. We were watching a cruise last year, and the prices kept going up - and the cabins were going quickly. We finally decided we were going to go anyways, and we ended up paying more than we wanted to for our cruise booking 3 months out. I usually do my own research, and use a TA, but was not impressed with the one we used.

I used our RCL certificate to book our cruise (1/13/13 on the Mariner) through Royal Caribbean, and was told that i have 60 days to transfer it to a travel agent. Since I already have the exact cabin we want, I am not interested in upgrading. Is there a reason to transfer it to a TA? We drive down, so we do not need any flights, and we book our excursions independently of the cruise line. Should I just shop around to see if I can find a TA that is offering some OBC or paid gratuities? We also might have 2 other couples joining us in the next 60 days that can tag along to our Nextcruise certificate. This is the first time I've ever booked through the cruise line. I understand this is a sensitive subject - and would just like some advice. Thanks!

Terry

Terry - I'm going to let the real experts comment on your exact issue, but I did want to take a minute to thank you for joining CruiseLineFans and, more importantly, posting a really thorough and thoughtful question.

I'm confident you'll receive a response that meets or exceeds your expectations. I'm also glad to hear you appreciate the forum/community here allowing Travel Agents to participate. We feel the TA is a crucial part of the travel process - cruise in particular, and KNOW that their viewpoint and experience is unparalleled. We also feel it's fairly easy to keep an independent sense of things when operating this site - we accept advertising from cruise lines and online agencies - and also handpick cruise offers to email out to our readers/members - but allow almost ALL viewpoints to be expressed here. One thing we sort of frown upon is negativity - from any source. Our core proposition for users is "Fun, Friendly, Informative."

I hope you find a good answer to your question and find the site useful as you research your next cruise vacation.

Please do feel free to add a cruise review and enjoy the site as you see fit.

Welcome!

Terry, I know what you mean about Galveston. Prices never seem to go down and the costs are almost always higher than the Florida ports.

Anyway, I did what you did and went ahead and booked my cruise using my nextcruise certificate (or whatever the Celebrity equivalent is). Then I transferred it to my travel agent. Why? Because she answers my questions when I ask them. She does research for me that might or might not end up as a cruise. She is a point of contact if anything goes wrong before or during a cruise. It costs me nothing to give her a bonus for all the time she spends with me and for the insurance that if there is a problem, it will get corrected. I plan on continuing doing this.

Yes, I would transfer it, too. I always use a TA, even though I normally already know the cruise amd even the cabin number I want when I call. It's not just about choosing those things and then paying your money. It's about everything that can happen in between that point and the time you return from your cruise. Usually, all that is uneventful, but not always!

Also, you mentioned the possibility of two other couples joining you. That would be three cabins. There is always a chance that the agent would be able to open up a group for that particular cruise, and save you a little more, or get you an extra OBC through a group booking. That's a maybe, but it could happen, and since your cruise is 11 months away, he or she might be able to do so.

Welcome aboard CLF! If and when I decide to get out of the business I would be looking for a local agent to handle my bookings. I would want someone who is abreast of what is going on in the industry and who will look after my interests. For those reasons and for the fact I like the idea of leaving some of my money at home supporting the local economy and jobs.