Ready to book - but no response from TA - can I transfer to her later?

[EJK]

I've been anxiously waiting for new summer 2024 itineraries, and now that they are here I am ready to book.  

I emailed and texted my TA this morning with my selection but she has not responded yet (she's a friend, has done one other non-cruise booking for us).  I'm not looking for a different TA, she could be busy today- but I'm just ready to push the button on the two connecting rooms I found.  I don't want to lose them - if I go ahead and book can I transfer it to her later?

[EJK]

oops - found my answer https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/direct-booking-transfer

[teddy]

We've done this a few times.  It's never been a problem.

[Sharla]

Yes you can transfer 30 days after booking.

Send her your ship, sail date, and reservation number and there's a quick form she can fill out. Very simple.

[twangster]

The last time I did a transfer I used this:

https://rccl.secure.force.com/directtransfers/DTTRoyal

You will need the phone number their agency uses.

[EJK]

thanks all! I booked it and will send her my reservation info. 

[Sharla]

On 12/16/2022 at 6:17 PM, twangster said:

The last time I did a transfer I used this:

https://rccl.secure.force.com/directtransfers/DTTRoyal

You will need the phone number their agency uses.

This is the same form we use- so either way works. If you don't know the agency phone number then just send the agent your info.

[RCIfan1912]

On 12/16/2022 at 4:10 PM, EJK said:

I've been anxiously waiting for new summer 2024 itineraries, and now that they are here I am ready to book.  

I emailed and texted my TA this morning with my selection but she has not responded yet (she's a friend, has done one other non-cruise booking for us).  I'm not looking for a different TA, she could be busy today- but I'm just ready to push the button on the two connecting rooms I found.  I don't want to lose them - if I go ahead and book can I transfer it to her later?

Yes, I did this not too long ago. Couldn't wait, booked and transferred the next day to my TA. Very easy process. 

[Xtentions]

We almost always book ourselves and transfer to Beth at MEI.  We know what we want and we are 50/50 booking at the NextCruise desk anyway.  As stated it must be within 30 days of the booking to transfer. 

[DoomSlayer]

I guess I don't understand all the posts I read about TA's not being responsive.  The TA I use is always prompt and responsive.  If he is out for some reason, his voicemail and out of office e-mails always point me to one of his partners that can help when he is out.

Yesterday, I sent him an email with a Casino Comp code and my itinerary choices to use with it.  Within 2 hours, I received an alert from my bank that my credit card was charged (the expected port fees and taxes).  Within 2.5 hours I had my reservation details from my TA emailed to me and a follow up call ensuring I was happy.  He had called the Casino desk on my behalf to get this all arranged saving me a lot of time and effort, in return, he got credit for the "sale" even though it was Casino Comp dollars.  He knows my cabin location and dining preferences, so he just does his magic with minimal input from me.  I do share my experiences with him too, about excursions and other activities.  He likes to take notes so he can make recommendations to his other less traveled customers. 

I don't want to name drop as this is a sponsored forum, and a lot of people do seem happy with the TA sponsor.  But I will say if you are not getting prompt responses from your assigned TA, it may be time to request a new one.

[ElmoHongZito]

I apologize in advance for my illiteracy on this topic. I’ve only been on one cruise so far (last month) and we booked directly through Royal. We just booked our second cruise, which will be in March and again we booked directly through Royal.

How would we potentially benefit from transferring our reservation to a travel agent?

And how would you go about finding a good travel agent?

 

[CruisingNewb]

3 hours ago, ElmoHongZito said:

We just booked our second cruise, which will be in March and again we booked directly through Royal.

How would we potentially benefit from transferring our reservation to a travel agent?

And how would you go about finding a good travel agent?

 

No need to apologize for valid questions!

1. We usually book our cruises ourselves. We do this because when we are in "travel mode," we enjoy spending our time looking up fares and itineraries.

2. We transfer our bookings to a TA afterwards.  We do this because although we love the initial planning, we do not love contacting the cruise lines with questions.  Sometimes the TA already has the answers because its his/her/they job to know the ins and outs and be up to date with information.  We also transfer our bookings because our TA is our friend and single mom.  She gets a commission and we get her to do the difficult stuff like tracking best prices for excursions, ground travel arrangements, etc.

3. We were lucky to already have been friends with our TA.  If you don't know of any TA's, look through this forum, make friends, network, and get referrals!

Honestly, sometimes, our TA does very little work for us because the trip is already a no-brainer.  But sometimes, our TA does TONS of work for us.

[FireFishII]

A good TA can also advocate in your favor/defense/etc.  My TA had to go to battle with an insurance company when one of her client had to back out of a cruise.  Her client's reason fell within the insurance's acceptable cases but the insurance was giving her client a run around.  My TA spent hours on the phone to get her client a full refund. That is priceless in my mind. 

Oh - it also does not hurt that my TA is my aunt.  She is semi-retired but keeps up with her present clients. 

[FionaMG]

4 hours ago, ElmoHongZito said:

I apologize in advance for my illiteracy on this topic. I’ve only been on one cruise so far (last month) and we booked directly through Royal. We just booked our second cruise, which will be in March and again we booked directly through Royal.

How would we potentially benefit from transferring our reservation to a travel agent?

And how would you go about finding a good travel agent?

 

Many of us here on the boards use MEI Travel, which is a sponsor of this site.

You can contact them by filling in the big yellow form on the home page here: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/

Some of the questions on the form will seem not to apply since you've actually already booked the cruise, but that doesn't matter; it's really just about them getting back to you, which they will.

The only thing I'm not sure of is if you will be able to transfer the cruise you've just booked because you normally can't if you're inside final payment and since you said it's in March you probably already are. However, if you can't transfer this one, at least you'll have a contact going forward.