ken_lesko Posted July 24, 2019 Report Posted July 24, 2019 I’m looking to use Mei as my travel agent for my future cruise booking. My last experience was not the greatest (not with MEI). Has anyone worked with Stephanie at MEI? I received a quote from her does that mean I have to go through her? Quote
AnnetteJackson Posted July 24, 2019 Report Posted July 24, 2019 Please contact me at [email protected] and I will assign you to another agent. Quote
ken_lesko Posted July 24, 2019 Author Report Posted July 24, 2019 I just sent you an email Annette. AnnetteJackson 1 Quote
hsweat22 Posted July 24, 2019 Report Posted July 24, 2019 12 minutes ago, ken_lesko said: I’m looking to use Mei as my travel agent for my future cruise booking. My last experience was not the greatest. Has anyone worked with Stephanie at MEI? I received a quote from her does that mean I have to go through her? I may be taking this incorrectly, but you are looking to change TO MEI correct? Not that you had a bad experience with MEI. In regards to your question, I just recently switched to MEI and will use them from now on...Stephanie is my agent and shes awesome! Quote
ken_lesko Posted July 24, 2019 Author Report Posted July 24, 2019 That is correct a bad experience with a different agency. I have never used MEI before. I’ve heard great things about them from Matt as well as others. hsweat22 and Matt 2 Quote
hsweat22 Posted July 24, 2019 Report Posted July 24, 2019 Gotcha. Well I officially have not been on my first trip with them, but pre cruise they have been extremely helpful and quick to respond to any questions I have. Good luck and happy cruising!! Quote
ken_lesko Posted July 24, 2019 Author Report Posted July 24, 2019 Thank you hsweat22. I’ve only cruised once but looking to make it more of a regular thing for my family. Quote
fonemanbob Posted July 25, 2019 Report Posted July 25, 2019 MEI is an excellent and only choice to make. We were using AAA but our agent went to a different department and the agent we got is not that knowledgeable so this fall we are moving and will be switching to MEI. AnnetteJackson and WAAAYTOOO 2 Quote
betatke1480 Posted July 25, 2019 Report Posted July 25, 2019 Stephanie is my agent and is fantastic. tiny260 and StephanieH 2 Quote
AshleyDillo Posted July 25, 2019 Report Posted July 25, 2019 Another thumbs up for Stephanie! StephanieH 1 Quote
Matt Posted July 25, 2019 Report Posted July 25, 2019 14 hours ago, ken_lesko said: That is correct a bad experience with a different agency. I have never used MEI before. I’ve heard great things about them from Matt as well as others. Thanks for supporting our sponsor! AnnetteJackson 1 Quote
tiny260 Posted July 25, 2019 Report Posted July 25, 2019 I have 7 future cruises booked with MEI, very well run organization. WAAAYTOOO, YOLO, Matt and 3 others 3 3 Quote
Jolly Ogre Posted July 25, 2019 Report Posted July 25, 2019 11 hours ago, fonemanbob said: MEI is an excellent and only choice to make. We were using AAA but our agent went to a different department and the agent we got is not that knowledgeable so this fall we are moving and will be switching to MEI. I had a similar issue with AAA. The agent we were to use retired and the one that took over was there for a few months and then left with medical issues. The next one we got was less than helpful. She cost me $175 in OBC while only saving $50 for the cruise fare when I only asked her to look not change. I will be using MEI in the future. fonemanbob, AnnetteJackson, WAAAYTOOO and 1 other 4 Quote
Guy Gadwa Posted July 25, 2019 Report Posted July 25, 2019 We have been using MEI for about two years and have no complaints. Danette is our agent and is great to work with. I highly recommend Danette & MEI-Travel!!! fonemanbob and AnnetteJackson 1 1 Quote
Lovetocruise2002 Posted July 25, 2019 Report Posted July 25, 2019 I’ve booked with Danette too and she is really efficient and quick with responses. AnnetteJackson 1 Quote
Guy Gadwa Posted July 25, 2019 Report Posted July 25, 2019 1 minute ago, Lovetocruise2002 said: I’ve booked with Danette too and she is really efficient and quick with responses. Quote
CGTLH Posted July 25, 2019 Report Posted July 25, 2019 14 hours ago, betatke1480 said: Stephanie is my agent and is fantastic. 3 hours ago, AshleyDillo said: Another thumbs up for Stephanie! Fan of Stephanie as well betatke1480 and AnnetteJackson 2 Quote
CruiseGus Posted July 25, 2019 Report Posted July 25, 2019 Not an MEI customer (not yet anyway), but I was pretty impressed on how fast annette@mei-travel responded to the initial question tdcackler, PRebecca, Matt and 5 others 6 2 Quote
James Cowan Posted July 25, 2019 Report Posted July 25, 2019 I too will give a thumbs up for Stephanie! AnnetteJackson and StephanieH 2 Quote
Brobbins246 Posted July 25, 2019 Report Posted July 25, 2019 Thumbs up for Michelle at MEI AnnetteJackson, BTE, fonemanbob and 5 others 6 1 1 Quote
Bob_KY Posted July 25, 2019 Report Posted July 25, 2019 2 s for Michelle.. BTE, Ken23, fonemanbob and 4 others 6 1 Quote
WAAAYTOOO Posted July 26, 2019 Report Posted July 26, 2019 +1 Matt, tiny260, AnnetteJackson and 1 other 3 1 Quote
Garth Posted July 26, 2019 Report Posted July 26, 2019 What is people's typical experience with response time for payments by email? I'm not sure how long I should wait before emailing again. Trying not to be unreasonable, since I know I'm not the only customer and they have such great reviews. Quote
AnnetteJackson Posted July 26, 2019 Report Posted July 26, 2019 1 minute ago, Garth said: What is people's typical experience with response time for payments by email? I'm not sure how long I should wait before emailing again. Trying not to be unreasonable, since I know I'm not the only customer and they have such great reviews. Hey, If you want to PM me or email me, I can look into what is going on. We do have a couple of agents traveling but I can look into this and get you an answer back today. Most of the agents reply within 24 to 48 hours. It can depend on offers, client issues, and other items with other reservations. And sometimes it could be there is a lost email. tdcackler 1 Quote
tiny260 Posted July 26, 2019 Report Posted July 26, 2019 2 minutes ago, Garth said: What is people's typical experience with response time for payments by email? I'm not sure how long I should wait before emailing again. Trying not to be unreasonable, since I know I'm not the only customer and they have such great reviews. Who is your agent and pinging @annette As an example my agent is Michelle, (+ thumb up, lost count of where we are) and she is on vacation this week, a cruise. Quote
tiny260 Posted July 26, 2019 Report Posted July 26, 2019 Sorry Annette had already hit enter when I saw your response. AnnetteJackson 1 Quote
Planeprincess Posted July 31, 2019 Report Posted July 31, 2019 I' am very new to posting and equally new to using this TA or any TA. I just received a quote and from what I have been reading on the message boards it seems that $75.00 OBC for booking a suite is a little low. The difference in price from RCCL and MEI is $47.00 total and then the $75.00 OBC. I was expecting a little more from booking with a TA. As I am not an established customer, is this the norm? AnnetteJackson 1 Quote
tmellison Posted July 31, 2019 Report Posted July 31, 2019 Hello! I'm totally new to cruising (92 days until my first!) and to traveling other than local. The travel agency we used for this cruise is local but if we decide to do this again, can I use MEI if I live in Maryland? May be a silly question but not quite sure how that works! Thanks! AnnetteJackson 1 Quote
AnnetteJackson Posted July 31, 2019 Report Posted July 31, 2019 44 minutes ago, Planeprincess said: I' am very new to posting and equally new to using this TA or any TA. I just received a quote and from what I have been reading on the message boards it seems that $75.00 OBC for booking a suite is a little low. The difference in price from RCCL and MEI is $47.00 total and then the $75.00 OBC. I was expecting a little more from booking with a TA. As I am not an established customer, is this the norm? Hey, There are agents and agencies out there that might offer your more OBC than the agent you received the quote from. For the MEI agents they look at what you were booking, the cost, length of cruise can come into play, and that helps determine what they decide to offer as a gift to you for the booking. Some of our agents prefer to give surprise gifts to clients in the room as a thank you as well. The agent will be working for you to adjust the price if Royal has a rate that is better than what you are booked at as well. This can also come into play with the amount they offer. In the end it depends on if you are looking for a Travel planner to offer you large amount of OBC but maybe not provide service or some OBC and still continue to work with you to help save you money. ellcee 1 Quote
Fairlynew Posted July 31, 2019 Report Posted July 31, 2019 The last time we cruised, we used AAA travel-we were not happy in general with the service and have used MEI for our next two cruises. For one, our gratuities are covered, but nothing for the next one. AAA left a bottle of champagne in each of our three staterooms, which was a waste, since we had the drink packages. We left it for our room stewards, hoping that they would be able to enjoy it. We have the drink package for each of our upcoming cruises as well; would it be rude to ask that the agent not send wine to our rooms? Quote
AshleyDillo Posted July 31, 2019 Report Posted July 31, 2019 14 minutes ago, tmellison said: Hello! I'm totally new to cruising (92 days until my first!) and to traveling other than local. The travel agency we used for this cruise is local but if we decide to do this again, can I use MEI if I live in Maryland? May be a silly question but not quite sure how that works! Thanks! Yes! MEI can be used from anywhere in the US and are accessible online via email, various messaging systems, and by phone. tmellison and AnnetteJackson 2 Quote
AshleyDillo Posted July 31, 2019 Report Posted July 31, 2019 1 hour ago, Planeprincess said: I was expecting a little more from booking with a TA. Typically you will find the large OBC offers from larger travel agencies. They do a lot of business in bulk and operate through call centers when it comes to customer service. You are giving up the personalized service for OBC. It works for some people but if anything goes wrong I have heard horror stories of having to deal with the larger TAs to get issues resolved. AnnetteJackson 1 Quote
YOLO Posted July 31, 2019 Report Posted July 31, 2019 @ken_lesko @Planeprincess @tmellison Welcome to the RCB forums! Good luck deciding on a TA. My last two bookings were direct with RCCL. Next time I will check out MEI... AnnetteJackson 1 Quote
WAAAYTOOO Posted July 31, 2019 Report Posted July 31, 2019 Actually, MEI can book customers outside of the US now as well. Nothing but superior service from MEI for over 5 years. YOLO, AnnetteJackson and Matt 2 1 Quote
Planeprincess Posted July 31, 2019 Report Posted July 31, 2019 I have booked with RCCL for all of our cruises with absolutely no problem, however I am looking forward to someone else taking over the planning for me. Royal's website issues alone are enough to send me running. I have read great things about MEI. AnnetteJackson, tdcackler and YOLO 3 Quote
WAAAYTOOO Posted July 31, 2019 Report Posted July 31, 2019 Just now, Planeprincess said: Royal's website issues alone are enough to send me running. Isn’t that the truth ! tdcackler, AnnetteJackson and YOLO 2 1 Quote
AnnetteJackson Posted July 31, 2019 Report Posted July 31, 2019 15 minutes ago, Fairlynew said: The last time we cruised, we used AAA travel-we were not happy in general with the service and have used MEI for our next two cruises. For one, our gratuities are covered, but nothing for the next one. AAA left a bottle of champagne in each of our three staterooms, which was a waste, since we had the drink packages. We left it for our room stewards, hoping that they would be able to enjoy it. We have the drink package for each of our upcoming cruises as well; would it be rude to ask that the agent not send wine to our rooms? No it would not be rude. The agent is trying to do something to thank you for the business. Feel free to let them know your preferences. Matt let me know early on not to send Champagne as they didn't drink it. We like sending gifts that can be used. StephanieH and YOLO 2 Quote
AshleyDillo Posted July 31, 2019 Report Posted July 31, 2019 The system that the TAs get to use to search for rooms and prices makes it soooo much easier..let them do all that legwork for you! YOLO, StephanieH and AnnetteJackson 2 1 Quote
YOLO Posted July 31, 2019 Report Posted July 31, 2019 2 minutes ago, Planeprincess said: Royal's website issues alone are enough to send me running. Ditto! AnnetteJackson 1 Quote
AshleyDillo Posted July 31, 2019 Report Posted July 31, 2019 1 minute ago, AnnetteJackson said: We like sending gifts that can be used. There are lots of yummy options (red velvet cupcakes) available as gifts..it's not just limited to alcohol. Quote
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