Switching reservation back from TA to direct booking

[EJK]

I thoroughly enjoy researching my own vacations, but I have a TA friend who started her own business.  She prides herself on keeping up with price drops, etc and will "do the work for you"

For two upcoming cruises, I researched, found my price and room selections and booked them directly myself.  Then I transferred them to her.  She did one price drop for me a couple of months ago which was great.  Then last week I saw another drop which would have saved me over $2000 between the two cruises, so I emailed her late monday evening - she responded that same evening saying she would take care of it the next day....but I never heard back about the outcome even after a couple of days.  The sale on one cruise was gone by then but the other was still there and even better - I texted her screen shots of the price I was seeing for my room category and she responded she would do it right away - so i'm thinking - great! I asked her to let me know the outcome.

But again, never heard any confirmation.  I waited another day and texted her again asking her to send me the new cruise reservation document (now I want proof) - she texted back right away saying she would email it as soon as she got home that night......that was friday and now it's sunday night - I still have no confirmation.  

I don't know for sure whether she got the price adjustment or not, RC can't tell me because it goes through her.  I am not happy not having any access to my reservation information and am getting frustrated with the lack of verification. 

It would have been so easy for me to call and get the price adjustment myself, even if I had to wait for a call back - no big deal.  I'm thinking of switching the reservation back to a direct booking.  I'll wait until tomorrow and ask her one more time, but I really don't see the point in having a travel agent in my case.  I just don't understand if she said she would do it why not let me know and share the outcome, and if she was too busy then just tell me that! UGH, sorry I'm just venting and frustrated.  Needless to say, a travel agent is not for me.  I'm sure there are many that are super helpful, but it seems like just a hurdle for me. 

 

[OCSC Mike]

15 minutes ago, EJK said:

Needless to say, a travel agent is not for me.  I'm sure there are many that are super helpful, but it seems like just a hurdle for me. 

Sounds like an incompetent TA isn’t for you. I’m sorry this experience happened to be your first with a TA but this is not how a good TA operates.

Mine emails me back within minutes and takes care of something time sensitive like a price drop almost immediately.

[EJK]

3 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

Sounds like an incompetent TA isn’t for you. I’m sorry this experience happened to be your first with a TA but this is not how a good TA operates.

Mine emails me back within minutes and takes care of something time sensitive like a price drop almost immediately.

You're right.  I'm still trying to give her the benefit of the doubt - but it makes no sense that she would not get back to me because I'd obviously want to know - unless she didn't do it and it trying to avoid me.  I'm seriously not a high maintenance client - I found an amazing price drop and told her about it.  We'll see tomorrow. fingers crossed she just had a good reason not to get back to me. 

[PPPJJ-GCVAB]

I do hope you got the price drops you requested…please keep us informed.  I had always booked my own cruises through the Royal website and was excited every time I found a cheaper price and called and got it!  Since last year I have been using a TA from MEI and I do not have any complaints to speak of.  I still research cruises and rooms but instead of booking I just email him with the info I found, including the price.  He gets back to me pretty quickly and was able to give me “group rates” for most of the cruises I have booked since using him.  He does have a system which should automatically find a price drop but so far there’s been no lower prices from the original one he provided.  I also receive OBC for each Royal cruise.  I am so sorry your friend has not been easily accessible which I’m sure puts you in an awkward position if you decide not to continue using her.  I hope she understands your reasons.

 

[Doug_Texas]

I’m sorry for you and the stories on the thread about great TAs are my experience as well.

I wouldn’t attempt a transfer back to “direct” and have no idea if it’s possible but better to just consider this a lesson learned and use a different TA or book direct for the next booking.

[OCSC Mike]

23 minutes ago, Doug_Texas said:

have no idea if it’s possible

It's possible but I believe the TA has to release it or something along those lines... or else you have to tell RC that your TA has become unreachable.

There has to be some mechanism in place in the event your TA goes AWOL.

[EJK]

So I received the email with the invoice this morning, and new invoice has today's date on it  There is a decent price adjustment but she missed out on an additional $500 worth of additional savings I found last week, so she obviously waited until today to do it, and didn't do anything about my other reservation.  Her email writes  "It looks like this is a couple hundred dollars more than the screenshot you sent but it has all the same promotions that you had included." (yeah, because the price fluctuates) I'm annoyed, mostly because she said she would do it asap and because she didn't, I lost out on the best savings. 

Bummer.  I'm just going to let it go this time, but won't be sending her any more bookings. Thanks for letting me vent. 

[TXcruiser33]

Travel agents are in a SERVICE business. They make their money by providing you a service, and if they do a good job at it they'll continue to get your business. They get paid by the cruise company on your bookings, so it's incumbent on them to be responsive and earn your confidence.

imo, if you have to keep calling/emailing/reminding them to do something - then they have NOT done a good job and don't deserve your business?!?

We've used a travel agent the last few years, but recently have experienced a complete drop-off in the quality of service (they reassigned us to a different agent who was not very good). So, we decided to drop the TA and do our own bookings. We're experienced enough cruisers (especially with Royal) that we know what we want, we can find our preferred cabins, and we can call and book on our own. With the TA, we had some of the same issues you described - by the time they responded, the deal we wanted was gone, or the cabin we'd chosen was gone, etc.

Obviously there are some great TA's out there, and like in any industry there are some not-so-good ones. I know a lot of people rely on their TA's to take the hassle out of travel planning and I get it. For my husband and I tho, we're comfortable doing it on our own going forward.

In our case, it was sort of difficult to get the TA removed from our account, so for a few cruises even tho we booked them ourselves, they were still earning a commission because we were linked in RC's system?!? We've finally gotten that straightened out but it took several calls and e-mails to make it happen. I don't know if that's normally a thing or not....?

[smokeybandit]

If you booked on board, the reservation would default to your TA for that current cruise.

 

But if you book outright through the website, the TA wouldn't have been connected.

[OCSC Mike]

9 minutes ago, TXcruiser33 said:

I know a lot of people rely on their TA's to take the hassle out of travel planning and I get it. For my husband and I tho, we're comfortable doing it on our own going forward.

Do whatever makes you comfortable. Just be aware that some of us don't use a TA to save any hassle... I use mine to get me refundable deposit group rates significantly lower than website NRD prices that also come with OBC.

I used to book myself and probably still would be if not for learning about group rates.

[TXcruiser33]

40 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

Do whatever makes you comfortable. Just be aware that some of us don't use a TA to save any hassle... I use mine to get me refundable deposit group rates significantly lower than website NRD prices that also come with OBC.

I used to book myself and probably still would be if not for learning about group rates.

Understood. We are gamblers so we're always booking "free" cruises thru the casino (of course, i use the term free VERY loosely?!?), so i believe I'm getting the best rates possible without any benefit of group rates...?

[OCSC Mike]

3 minutes ago, TXcruiser33 said:

Understood. We are gamblers so we're always booking "free" cruises thru the casino (of course, i use the term free VERY loosely?!?), so i believe I'm getting the best rates possible without any benefit of group rates...?

Yes, no TA can beat "casino free", lol.

I was just making a general point that it's not necessarily about the TA helping or doing stuff for you, which is a common misconception. For the most part, mine just gets me deals and I don't ask for or require too much else from him.

[Sharla]

You can ask for it back, but she will have to release it. Here is the website to do it after you have the letter of release from the agent.

https://rccl.my.salesforce-sites.com/transfer?brand=R

[Pattycruise]

8 hours ago, TXcruiser33 said:

 

In our case, it was sort of difficult to get the TA removed from our account, so for a few cruises even tho we booked them ourselves, they were still earning a commission because we were linked in RC's system?!? We've finally gotten that straightened out but it took several calls and e-mails to make it happen. I don't know if that's normally a thing or not....?

Any time you purchase a next cruise booking reservation # while on a sailing that was booked by a TA the next cruise person should ask if you want your travel agent to be on the booking.  It’s in your own best interest to tell them you do NOT want the TA on the booking (s that is your intention)  as not all next cruise agents ask this important question.  When you say no they either have a form you sign- or it’s been incorporated on the next cruise form-a space you initial- that will drop the agent off. 
Same if you have a particular agent you do want to use-provide that info to next cruise when you purchase or make a reservation. &nbsp

[JohnK6404]

Hi @TXcruiser33! As with @Pattycruise, this has been our experience with Next Cruise as well. Your new reservation will default to the TA associated/linked to your current sailing, but you can instruct them to remove them and make it a direct booking. You can either leave it with Royal or you can transfer to another TA within 30 days of the booking (see link to form and restrictions below - different than the OP's scenario of removing unresponsive TA from reservation).

I'm assuming this is also an option with direct online bookings with Royal as per their verbiage:

LINK:  Can I Transfer My Reservation to a Travel Agent? ! Royal Caribbean Cruises

My wife and I have been doing the "open" Next Cruise bookings and the TA has made the update for us when they contacted Royal (no need for us to fill out the form as long as we're within the guidelines). We too used to book all of our cruises direct with Royal in the beginning, but switched over when group rates and/or other perks were offered by TA's.

You also cannot put a price on a good TA as they will advocate and fight for you to correct any issues that may arise with Royal (eg. FCC or credit/refund issues). We've had to "release the hounds" on Royal a couple of times to get issues resolved over the last few years! 

[Sharla]

9 hours ago, JohnK6404 said:

I'm assuming this is also an option with direct online bookings with Royal as per their verbiage:

Correct. The 30 days and not paid in full rules apply, but it's a simple form we fill out. Just need the reservation number, guest last name, ship, sail date.

[ScottD]

On 5/4/2025 at 9:31 PM, OCSC Mike said:

Sounds like an incompetent TA isn’t for you. I’m sorry this experience happened to be your first with a TA but this is not how a good TA operates.

Mine emails me back within minutes and takes care of something time sensitive like a price drop almost immediately.

Yep, I still use mine for Royal bookings, and she actually reaches out to me for price drops... two of them in the past 2 weeks already! Slowly getting those multiple date  change fees back, lol. 

[foxrunner]

On 5/5/2025 at 3:56 PM, OCSC Mike said:

Do whatever makes you comfortable. Just be aware that some of us don't use a TA to save any hassle... I use mine to get me refundable deposit group rates significantly lower than website NRD prices that also come with OBC.

I used to book myself and probably still would be if not for learning about group rates.

Does your TA email you with price drops, because mine doesn't? This is an MEI agent. 

[OCSC Mike]

3 minutes ago, foxrunner said:

Does your TA email you with price drops, because mine doesn't? This is an MEI agent. 

No but 99% of my bookings are group rates when cruises are released (which will never drop) or last minute-ish deals that are past final payment so checking for price drops isn't really part of my usual routine.

The only reason he's been processing them for me lately is we had family recently decide to join us on a cruise for next March that we booked forever ago (with group rates) so I've found a few drops for their two cabins which were booked with normal pricing.

[foxrunner]

1 hour ago, OCSC Mike said:

No but 99% of my bookings are group rates when cruises are released (which will never drop) or last minute-ish deals that are past final payment so checking for price drops isn't really part of my usual routine.

The only reason he's been processing them for me lately is we had family recently decide to join us on a cruise for next March that we booked forever ago (with group rates) so I've found a few drops for their two cabins which were booked with normal pricing.

Thank You!

When we started, we booked on our own, but the Allure O T S, aka OBC convinced us to go the TA route. I'm not thrilled with my  TA. We need to notify her about price drops; she doesn't work weekends or holidays.  What I'm saying is no response to emails unless we are in the normal business hours window. I thought all Mei agents had an automatic software-enabled price drop notification, but for whatever reason, she doesn't. I know that I need to move on, but I hate to be those people, as she seems really nice. We are also exclusively booking group cruises for the price and refundability. We know price drops, especially now, are rare, but why are we telling her about them? Given the fact that we now have a new American Pope, I'm looking for absolution. 

[OCSC Mike]

7 hours ago, foxrunner said:

know that I need to move on, but I hate to be those people, as she seems really nice.

I fully understand. My first TA was with MEI and I had zero complaints with him but a friend put me in contact with my current TA and he just had a bit more to offer. I felt bad switching but it’s just business.

[Sealegs]

2 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

it’s just business.

I have communications currently with two different travel agents, and will compare their prices when I book, and of course compare to the cruise line itself. 

[Sharla]

17 hours ago, foxrunner said:

Thank You!

When we started, we booked on our own, but the Allure O T S, aka OBC convinced us to go the TA route. I'm not thrilled with my  TA. We need to notify her about price drops; she doesn't work weekends or holidays.  What I'm saying is no response to emails unless we are in the normal business hours window. I thought all Mei agents had an automatic software-enabled price drop notification, but for whatever reason, she doesn't. I know that I need to move on, but I hate to be those people, as she seems really nice. We are also exclusively booking group cruises for the price and refundability. We know price drops, especially now, are rare, but why are we telling her about them? Given the fact that we now have a new American Pope, I'm looking for absolution. 

Email [email protected] and you can get a new TA assigned to you. We do all get notifications of price drops, but it's still manually checking each one and the price hasn't always dropped. It's not usual to see price drops anymore (still happens, just not a ton)

[MaryCS62]

we originally booked on our own, then several years back decided to use a TA from AAA - at first it was ok, but then COVID came, and with all the cancellations and rebookings and more cancellations - it got very complicated, then they transferred it to a different AAA TA, and she didn't know what to do.  My DH kept a spreadsheet of all of our cruise credits, with the extra percentage they were giving us, and then we finally had a cruise scheduled for Jan 2022, which we had to cancel last minute - one of my DD'S had caught COVID just before Christmas, and so we couldn't go - more cruise credit nightmare. Then we had to cancel Aug 2022- a  B2B on Oasis, because same DD was sick in the hospital, and eventually passed away. The problem w/ the cruise credits escalated - because she was the primary person in the room (we got a room for us, and a room for the girls), she had the bulk of the FCC. Luckily, they decided to allow us to use her FCC for ourselves and other DD. Somewhere in there, we switched to Jacki from MEI, and she's done a great job. We do research the ships and give her cabin numbers we like, and she offers us other options as well, which sometimes have better prices. Just the other day, I emailed her with a question about our upcoming Liberty cruise, and she replied with a BTW, the price went down, so she saved us several hundred dollars. 

[IzzyB]

I found similar issues with a TA asking for the same thing to be done multiple times.  It was too stressful for me so I won't do that again.  It also wasn't cheaper and I went with it to be easier for a group of 5 people.  Next cruise did on my own and it was 1000x easier and what I needed done quickly with no stress.  So for me I am done.  I am glad others have success, but my control freak self it was not for me.