ZsOverseas Posted July 9, 2021 Report Posted July 9, 2021 In the past when I have made reservations directly with RCL I would transfer the reservation to CruCon travel agency who inturn would provide me with On Board Credits and some additional perks for the transfer. Generally these averaged up to 10% of the amount I had paid for the cruise. I recently made a transatlantic cruise reservation with RCL website and when I asked CruCon about the benefits of giving them the booking I was informed that they would provide 5% OBC of the price paid. Does anyone have any suggestions regarding a different agency that might do better than CruCon's offer? Thanks Quote
wordell1 Posted July 9, 2021 Report Posted July 9, 2021 23 minutes ago, ZsOverseas said: In the past when I have made reservations directly with RCL I would transfer the reservation to CruCon travel agency who inturn would provide me with On Board Credits and some additional perks for the transfer. Generally these averaged up to 10% of the amount I had paid for the cruise. I recently made a transatlantic cruise reservation with RCL website and when I asked CruCon about the benefits of giving them the booking I was informed that they would provide 5% OBC of the price paid. Does anyone have any suggestions regarding a different agency that might do better than CruCon's offer? Thanks My thought would be that an agency that is giving 10% back would not have a lot of incentive to give you very good service (should you need it) - I'm pretty sure that is pretty close to the full commission. I used to book through "big box" agencies but the Covid cancellations on both cruises and other travel made me reevaluate that. I spent hours dealing with cancelling and making sure credits were applied. Since it costs nothing extra to use a full service travel agent, I made the switch. I used MEI and I have Grace. You definitly wont be getting even 5% back in OBC, but you may save a lot of time and potentially more money if they can get some price breaks a long the way or get you into a group cruise rate. Baked Alaska, Sharla, WAAAYTOOO and 1 other 4 Quote
PRebecca Posted July 9, 2021 Report Posted July 9, 2021 After this past year I wouldn't switch from our TA (also with MEI) for any percentage OBC Vancity Cruiser, JRT, SpeedNoodles and 5 others 6 2 Quote
Sharla Posted July 9, 2021 Report Posted July 9, 2021 This is a practice known as "rebating". Rebating is when an agency cuts their agent's commission and passes the savings on to the customer. I believe you'll find that while you may get money back or OBC, you will not get a high level of service. sk8erguy1978, MICHELLE, wordell1 and 7 others 9 1 Quote
sk8erguy1978 Posted July 9, 2021 Report Posted July 9, 2021 I understand you're looking for the best deal, sometimes that might come in some form of "guaranteed" kick back. Honestly, I wouldn't choose an agent for what they may or may not kick back to me. A lot of the time (and correct me if I am wrong travel agents) the thank you gift you may or may not receive comes directly out of their commission. Given no income for the last year+, I don't want ANY of their commission, just their great service. My agent is Kathy from MEI and she's been great. I don't expect or want anything from her. She provided a service and was compensated accordingly by the cruise line. I don't know much (okay anything) about CruCon - a quick Google it appears to be a big - don't know your agent on a personal level - agency (although it does have excellent Google reviews). As stated by @wordell1 in these times personalized service is worth way more than $50-$100 (5%-10%) OBC kick back for every $1000 I spend with them. Again, I (as many here will) suggest any agent from MEI, they all have rave reviews around here. WAAAYTOOO, Neesa, stevendom57 and 2 others 4 1 Quote
twangster Posted July 9, 2021 Report Posted July 9, 2021 I went through a phase where I shopped for "low bid". Prior to the pandemic I learned a lesson about these types of agencies when the cruise line cancelled a sailing on me. While most people received the full FCC the cruise line offered I didn't because of how that travel agency was operating. I can only imagine the world of hurt I would have been in during the pandemic if I had stuck with them. Shopping by price alone is very tempting. If you choose that path don't be one of those that complain about travel agencies and poor service. You made that choice and you got what you wanted - low price (and poor service). JRT, stevendom57, Baked Alaska and 4 others 7 Quote
WAAAYTOOO Posted July 9, 2021 Report Posted July 9, 2021 There is no amount of kick-back/rebate/OBC - whatever you want to call it that would make me give up the incredible, dedicated and thoughtful service that I get from @michelleat MEI. What a tough 16 months for travel agents ! Only people who truly love their jobs and their clients would still be around making calls every single day for those of us looking to salvage an otherwise disappointing past year. I know some people go with the big names for a few pennies of OBC but not me. I wouldn't give up my wonderful MEI agent for ANYthing. @ZsOverseasI truly do hope you find what you're looking for but not sure that big OBC is going to happen right now. Kathleen, teddy, MarvinS and 10 others 6 7 Quote
Sharla Posted July 9, 2021 Report Posted July 9, 2021 32 minutes ago, sk8erguy1978 said: the thank you gift you may or may not receive comes directly out of their commission. This is correct, at least with us. teddy, sk8erguy1978, Baked Alaska and 1 other 3 1 Quote
WAAAYTOOO Posted July 9, 2021 Report Posted July 9, 2021 Another thing to consider...right now Royal is really making good use of RoyalUp. It seems that many have been successful in upgrading their rooms since capacity is so [intentionally] low right now. Many of the big box agencies do NOT participate in RoyalUp. So if you are interested in a chance to upgrade your accommodations at a very reasonable price via RoyalUp, I would recommend that you investigate the Agency to see if they participate. Many do NOT. Kathleen, MICHELLE, sk8erguy1978 and 4 others 7 Quote
SmoothJ24 Posted July 9, 2021 Report Posted July 9, 2021 10 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said: Another thing to consider...right now Royal is really making good use of RoyalUp. It seems that many have been successful in upgrading their rooms since capacity is so [intentionally] low right now. Many of the big box agencies do NOT participate in RoyalUp. So if you are interested in a chance to upgrade your accommodations at a very reasonable price via RoyalUp, I would recommend that you investigate the Agency to see if they participate. Many do NOT. RoyalUp is a revenue stream, and personally I put in several bids to see if our cabin will get upgraded. I hope thats the case, but I don't mind it if we don't. Regarding the OBC - I never really considered it a factor in getting a cruise from a company/agent I trust. Personally I use ADCandT (Anne Atwater), and she has been great and very responsive. WAAAYTOOO 1 Quote
ZsOverseas Posted July 9, 2021 Author Report Posted July 9, 2021 Thanks to all for your input on this subject. Although I have enjoyed the OBC on past cruises I have to admit that each time I deal with CruCon it appears I am dealing with a different agent. I will take a serious look at MEI for this and future bookings. Again, I appreciate this forum and your input. MICHELLE, Neesa and Sharla 3 Quote
Pooch Posted July 9, 2021 Report Posted July 9, 2021 And if my wonderful MEI agent, Emily H, is on here, PLEASE do not give up any of your well deserved and no doubt too small commission for me or my brother. Just having you in our corner had been reward enough!!! Gail Dumoulin WAAAYTOOO, MICHELLE, Reigert2008 and 4 others 7 Quote
stevendom57 Posted July 9, 2021 Report Posted July 9, 2021 Travel agents have really suffered in the last year. How many people have traveled since Mar 2020? I know I have seldom left my house, much less my country. I don't expect to get much in the way of bonus OBCs from my TA for a while. Anything I do get will be a surprise and much appreciated, because I realize the sacrifice my TA made to give me that. sk8erguy1978, Baked Alaska, Sharla and 2 others 5 Quote
baltodave Posted July 9, 2021 Report Posted July 9, 2021 1 hour ago, WAAAYTOOO said: Another thing to consider...right now Royal is really making good use of RoyalUp. It seems that many have been successful in upgrading their rooms since capacity is so [intentionally] low right now. Many of the big box agencies do NOT participate in RoyalUp. So if you are interested in a chance to upgrade your accommodations at a very reasonable price via RoyalUp, I would recommend that you investigate the Agency to see if they participate. Many do NOT. Are you saying that if we use one of the large TA's (we use cruise.com), we may or may not be able to try out "Royal Up"? BTW, our service has been fine and that when cruise.com gives any OBC, it shows up on our account the 2nd day of the cruise. This means, you can't use the TA's OBC towards any cruise planner purchases. Therefore, in our case, it goes towards gratuities (we only prepay them if we get notice of an increase). Quote
WAAAYTOOO Posted July 9, 2021 Report Posted July 9, 2021 16 minutes ago, baltodave said: Are you saying that if we use one of the large TA's (we use cruise.com), we may or may not be able to try out "Royal Up"? Yes. Some of the big online agencies do not participate in RoyalUp. I have no idea whether cruise.com is one of them or not. CostCo for sure does not participate. There are others as well. Quote
CrimsonCruiser Posted July 9, 2021 Report Posted July 9, 2021 This is all really good information to know! I, too, booked with a TA based on kick-backs and now I kinda feel bad that they are losing some of their commission to give me this OBC. Service has so far been okay but, now, knowing what I know, I think I may wish to book onboard for that OBC bonus and then grab an MEI agent to handle the booking after. Baked Alaska, Neesa and WAAAYTOOO 1 2 Quote
Ampurp85 Posted July 9, 2021 Report Posted July 9, 2021 Using a TA is all about piece of mind, at least imho. I know as humans we always want to get the best deal. If you are paying a premium for this service, then I can understand expecting some extra perks like OBC but 10% of cruise fare seems high. I use MEI and my agent has been wonderful and not at all annoying. Some TA's insist on sending you advertisements daily for whatever they are selling at the moment. Sharla, WAAAYTOOO and MICHELLE 2 1 Quote
MICHELLE Posted July 16, 2021 Report Posted July 16, 2021 On 7/9/2021 at 11:52 AM, WAAAYTOOO said: Another thing to consider...right now Royal is really making good use of RoyalUp. It seems that many have been successful in upgrading their rooms since capacity is so [intentionally] low right now. Many of the big box agencies do NOT participate in RoyalUp. So if you are interested in a chance to upgrade your accommodations at a very reasonable price via RoyalUp, I would recommend that you investigate the Agency to see if they participate. Many do NOT. great point on Royal Up - - people do not always consider all the factors and some find Big Box agencies serve them well - I value relationships more - it pays you over an over in the long run - many of my new clients this year simply came to us because their current agent "disappeared" rough year for some indeed. I have also seen big OBCs given, but client is not able to spend all of it - if this happens the agency not the client gets the refund back (whomever paid it) so if you are promised $300 but only use $100, you really only got $100. SpeedNoodles, WAAAYTOOO, teddy and 1 other 4 Quote
MicDay Posted July 16, 2021 Report Posted July 16, 2021 I looked at COSTCO, they offer a really nice "shop card" and some other perks. I did booked a very pricey Europe cruise with RC on my own in 2019. What a headache. Than 2020 happen I love the advice on this site so I took it and signed up with MEI. Poor Kelley got stuck with me. She is on vacation right now, did not know, but still took the time to answer my questions. I have not regretted it and have really enjoyed her help and guidance. I'm in the process of trying to get my family and friends to book with her. WAAAYTOOO, Baked Alaska, KaydenDeen and 3 others 3 3 Quote
starbrat Posted July 17, 2021 Report Posted July 17, 2021 new here what does MEI mean? KaydenDeen 1 Quote
cdixon22 Posted July 17, 2021 Report Posted July 17, 2021 13 minutes ago, starbrat said: new here what does MEI mean? It’s the travel agency some of us use on this site. Several of their agents participate on the boards. Quote
Ampurp85 Posted July 17, 2021 Report Posted July 17, 2021 MEI is the travel agency that helps sponsor this blog. It is full of wonderful travel agents, who often travel on RCG themselves and treat you like human beings. MicDay, WAAAYTOOO, Baked Alaska and 4 others 7 Quote
MICHELLE Posted August 4, 2021 Report Posted August 4, 2021 On 7/16/2021 at 9:51 PM, starbrat said: new here what does MEI mean? Howdy! nice to meet you - It Means awesomesauce, lol - welcome to the boards JR&EM, KaydenDeen and cdixon22 1 1 1 Quote
SpeedNoodles Posted August 4, 2021 Report Posted August 4, 2021 1 hour ago, michelle said: Howdy! nice to meet you - It Means awesomesauce, lol - welcome to the boards As one of the happy people that @michelle takes care of, I can say "SHE'S NOT WRONG!". JR&EM and teddy 2 Quote
12thman Posted August 4, 2021 Report Posted August 4, 2021 On 7/16/2021 at 6:51 PM, starbrat said: new here what does MEI mean? On 7/9/2021 at 7:39 AM, ZsOverseas said: In the past when I have made reservations directly with RCL I would transfer the reservation to CruCon travel agency who inturn would provide me with On Board Credits and some additional perks for the transfer. Generally these averaged up to 10% of the amount I had paid for the cruise. I recently made a transatlantic cruise reservation with RCL website and when I asked CruCon about the benefits of giving them the booking I was informed that they would provide 5% OBC of the price paid. Does anyone have any suggestions regarding a different agency that might do better than CruCon's offer? Thanks If you want to get a quote from an MEI go to RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com on the right hand side you'll see a yellow form to fill out to request a quote from a MEI travel agent. There's no obligation. Looks like this: Matt and starbrat 2 Quote
ZsOverseas Posted August 5, 2021 Author Report Posted August 5, 2021 I signed on with Michelle with MEI and am very pleased with our communication and look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with many cruises in the future. WAAAYTOOO, Kathleen and teddy 1 2 Quote
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