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Travel agency perks and benefits


mrginz

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When booking a cruise with several staterooms [suites and balcony] thru an agency such as AAA what complimentary benefits/perks [onboard credits, beverage packages, excursions, specialty restaurants, etc.] are usually offered by AAA to the customer for 2018 cruises?

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I use AAA and I am getting 1 specialty dinner, 1 bottle of champagne and priority boarding and $100.00 on board credit for this year and next years cruises.  I already get priority boarding but the other perks are nice.  Plus we get the perks RC gives us as well.  

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We have been booking through AAA for years.  Always get the bottle of Champagne.  The other perks are dependent on the ship you book or the specials they are running.  Priority boarding isn't really a thing other than you get to check-in with Gold C & A people which is only good the first time you sail on Royal.  Actually, AAA has been slowly taking away benefits they use to provide in the past.  We are considering switching to MEI.

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We booked 5 staterooms and paid with AMEX...which gave $ on board credits, Champagne ; RC is offering some specialty restaurants---AAA seems to be offering Zippo … any suggestion who I should "bug" at AAA …. the local AAA is not helpful on this.

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I can say that I have switched from AAA to MEI for my cruise bookings.  I'm not sure what MEI will do in terms of perks, but all I got from AAA was the priority boarding (not useful once you are gold) and the bottle of champagne (we don't really love champagne and drink pkg made it not really useful). Plus Sharla at mei really has watched out for my bookings in terms of price and deadlines...I feel AAA just didn't really focus on my stuff.  Jane

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We went thru AAA for our July 13th cruise to Alaska.  We are getting a bottle of Champagne and priority boarding (We are Platinum so we shouldn't use that).  I really have no complaints with them as I have used the same travel agent there for years.  We are going with 3 other couples from 2 different states so it was helpful that she got all our stuff connected for dinner and getting our rooms all side by side.  She also watched the pricing and was able to save us a little more money.

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  • 1 month later...

okay I might ask stupid question here but my english also is not that great what is AAA and MEI I suppose it is travel agency but they are online ?

I use cruise.com is that as good as your MEI or AAA? are they links to thes MEI OR AAA? 

is it ok to use cruise.com or it is better to have a travel agent outside the internet?

will an agent located near my home will be able to have access and give me the same price down if I see it on the net let's say on cruise.com ?

I only want to save as much money to be able to cruise as much as possible ?

and understand if cruise.com is same as MEI OR AAA as for service and treats

thank you your answer will be very appreciated

Lynda

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58 minutes ago, Martin-Lynda said:

okay I might ask stupid question here but my english also is not that great what is AAA and MEI I suppose it is travel agency but they are online ?

I use cruise.com is that as good as your MEI or AAA? are they links to thes MEI OR AAA? 

Hi Lynda, welcome to the Royal Caribbean Blog forums!

AAA is the American Automobile Association. It's a paid membership group for residents of the US, and was originally known for their automobile assistance services, particularly no-cost towing. But they also have travel services at their local offices and are used by many as a general-purpose travel agency.

MEI is a sponsor of this web site and a dedicated travel agency, who specialize in both cruise travel and also trips to Walt Disney World / Disneyland / other Disney properties. Several of us here use them as our cruise travel agents, not so much for savings we get over direct booking as for the help they provide in various ways after the booking: checking for lower fares when a new promotion comes out, dealing with mistakes made by Royal (e.g., incorrectly canceling someone's excursion or whole cruise), fighting with Royal when a ship charter causes a booking to be canceled and no good alternatives are offered, and so on. Those of us who use them are quite happy with the service they provide.

1 hour ago, Martin-Lynda said:

Is it ok to use cruise.com or it is better to have a travel agent outside the internet?

 will an agent located near my home will be able to have access and give me the same price down if I see it on the net let's say on cruise.com ?

There's nothing wrong with using cruise.com if you find they give you the best rates and that's your primary goal. Just be aware that if a bad situation arises, like some of the examples I gave just above, you could be on your own for trying to resolve them. It depends on what kind of level of customer service cruise.com provides after the initial booking.

Be aware that the base cruise fare is not really something that travel agencies are free to modify. If you see a rate that's lower than you find on Royal Caribbean's web site, it usually means the agency is giving up some of the commission that they receive from Royal in order to give you that lower rate. And if they do that, there is some chance that it may translate into a lower level of after-purchase service, since they now have less money in their own pockets for paying their agents to go those extra steps. It's not always the case, but it's something to keep in mind.

A local agent may not necessarily give you the same discounted price as the online person. They do, after all, have physical office space to pay for in addition to the regular expenses for staff, salaries, insurance, etc. Honestly, I don't know anyone here who uses a truly local agent that they go see in person; all of MEI's agents are in various parts of the US, and we communicate by email or phone.

Side note: I kind of view leaving behind some up-front discounts on my cruise fare as sort of buying insurance; the extra savings I'm "leaving on the table" is my insurance policy towards good post-booking care. If something goes horribly wrong, or I just need to follow up with my agent on a bunch of things because I'm going somewhere totally unfamiliar to me, I know that I can count on my agent to be there answering my questions or going to bat for me; and that means less stress when the bad stuff happens. Not to mention the good news times when I get an email saying that the latest promotion just saved me another $100, or gave me $75 more on-board credit (OBC)! This is the reputation that MEI has earned over the years, and for my personal preferences about what I look for in a travel agency, this counts for a lot!

1 hour ago, Martin-Lynda said:

I only want to save as much money to be able to cruise as much as possible ?<span>

and understand if cruise.com is same as MEI OR AAA as for service and treats

There is nothing wrong with having this goal! I think most of us here would like to be on a ship as many times a year as possible! ?

MEI, as noted, won't be giving you any real up-front discounts on the base cruise fare. However, they will constantly be checking the newest promotions as they come out and seeing if that will save you money. If you tell them up front that having a lower base fare is more important than having a lot of On Board Credit for the trip, they will make sure to get you the lowest fare that the promotions make possible. If you happen to be a regular at the ship's casino and are part of the Club Royale program, there is at least one agent with MEI who has a reputation as a miracle worker for getting incredibly low fares on suites and other cabins!

They also do on occasion provide small gifts that will be delivered to your cabin after boarding, sometimes on the second day of your cruise. For instance, my family and I had our first cruise ever this past April, and part of the reason was for our 20th wedding anniversary. My agent had a box of red velvet cupcakes delivered to our cabin from the on-board cupcake shop on the second day of our cruise. It was a very nice surprise! Others here have likewise had similar small gifts delivered depending on the circumstances around a particular booking.

 

I hope this all helps!

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OH WOW THANKS A MILLIONS for all theses infos so AAA is like CAA for us Canadians just didn't know they were into traveling 

ok sure cross my fingers that I will NEVER have any problems like you mention oufff... we do not take airplanes (medical issue) so we have to drive all the way to Fl or

like in 4 days leaving  and going to drive to Galveston Tx (34h) from my home but it is worth it so excited

If I understand correctly you guys are booking directly with Royal site then transfering to MEI for after-booking needs and help 

or you book directly with MEI and they give you the deal if you see it on another cruiseline agence online?

hope I explain correctly.....EX.. I see on Royal same cruise exactly the same on ROYAL it is 2,000$ I then see it on cruise.com same thing 1,500$ with same OBD royal and OBD offer by cruise.

if I call or contact an agent at  MEI will he or she give me the price seen on cruise.com ? and then continue to be my best friend looking up for better low price for me ?

do we need to be US residents to use MEI ?

ohhhh so many questions poping up !!

thank you for taking the time to answer me I so very much appreciate it

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54 minutes ago, Martin-Lynda said:

If I understand correctly you guys are booking directly with Royal site then transfering to MEI for after-booking needs and help 

or you book directly with MEI and they give you the deal if you see it on another cruiseline agence online?

You can do it either way, either book directly through RC and then you have 60 days to transfer it to an agent...or...deal direct with an agent and they can book it for you.

 

55 minutes ago, Martin-Lynda said:

do we need to be US residents to use MEI ?

As long as you reside in North America, you are good to go.

56 minutes ago, Martin-Lynda said:

ohhhh so many questions poping up !!

thank you for taking the time to answer me I so very much appreciate it

You have found a great community here to help you out.  Ask away, and welcome ?

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thank you so much !!!

others questions are turning around crown&anchors points not sure to understand how to get deals (I read past post on the site more confused )

before being able to enjoy some benefit do you need to be at least platinium or more diamond?

we are turning platinium end of the cruise in september

already book for april and october 2019 

I read that maybe there is a possibility that we get a reduction on those already book stateroom if I call the C&A

I read and write english  but speaking it oufff so when I call travel agent or Royal or even C&A 

they are very nice but it is soooooooooo hard sometimes to have them understand what I mean

all I understood is you need to be Diamond+ to start having benefit for balcony or JS

 thank you

 

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4 minutes ago, Martin-Lynda said:

thank you so much !!!

others questions are turning around crown&anchors points not sure to understand how to get deals (I read past post on the site more confused )

before being able to enjoy some benefit do you need to be at least platinium or more diamond?

we are turning platinium end of the cruise in september

already book for april and october 2019 

I read that maybe there is a possibility that we get a reduction on those already book stateroom if I call the C&A

I read and write english  but speaking it oufff so when I call travel agent or Royal or even C&A 

they are very nice but it is soooooooooo hard sometimes to have them understand what I mean

all I understood is you need to be Diamond+ to start having benefit for balcony or JS

 thank you

 

To see C&A benefits, click here and scroll down.  The "real" benefits kick in after Diamond, IMO.  The C&A discount doesn't always work out to give you the best deal.  Often, the C&A discount is minimal and cannot be combined with other offers that offer more savings.  Best to price it out both ways and book the way where the price is lower.

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ok

the way I understand is C&A is same thing as cumulating points to get too Diamond with Royal it is nothing else then another membership number it do not give you much more then

what being platinium or emerald or Diamond via Royal gives you

sob.. I thought I was going to save bundle of money$$$ being C&A geez it is hard to save on cruise .....???

any other tips too save more?  

you've been a very nice  helping  and patient to help me understand thank you

 

 

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3 hours ago, Martin-Lynda said:

ok

the way I understand is C&A is same thing as cumulating points to get too Diamond with Royal it is nothing else then another membership number it do not give you much more then

what being platinium or emerald or Diamond via Royal gives you

sob.. I thought I was going to save bundle of money$$$ being C&A geez it is hard to save on cruise .....???

any other tips too save more?  

you've been a very nice  helping  and patient to help me understand thank you

 

I just recently got to Diamond so I can only draw from my own experience up to this point...the savings has not been anything worth bragging about.  However, there are many here that have higher C&A status and perhaps they could chime in with possible discounts they have received.  The on board benefits get better once you hit Diamond.  Other than what you see on that link I posted above, @twangster also has pdf documents of the actual benefits on board at each level.  I'm tagging him here so he will see this and hopefully he can post it for you.

The best tip and rule I go by is to book as early as possible and monitor prices.  Cruise fare tends to rise over time, especially on the newer ships and more popular sailings.  I do not rely on agents to check prices for me (although MEI I hear is great for monitoring pricing on your booking).  I check it myself daily.  When I see a drop, I will either call Royal back directly, or if I booked with an agent, call the agent and get a price adjustment.  I have saved so much money over the years doing it this way.  You can get your price adjusted up until you make final payment.  But this is where a good agent can come in handy too.  They sometimes have access to deals and inside pricing that the general consumer cannot get.  Just recently, MEI offered free gratuities for bookings and that was not Royal's offer.  That was something given by the agency.

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17 hours ago, Martin-Lynda said:

ok

the way I understand is C&A is same thing as cumulating points to get too Diamond with Royal it is nothing else then another membership number it do not give you much more then

what being platinium or emerald or Diamond via Royal gives you

sob.. I thought I was going to save bundle of money$$$ being C&A geez it is hard to save on cruise .....???

 

The C&A balcony discount applies to balconies and suites.  Interior and Ocean View are not eligible.

Sometimes the C&A balcony discount is meaningful and sometimes a general sale or promo is better.  It all depends.

The C&A balcony discount gets better as you progress up through the C&A levels.  At Platinum or Emerald it might only be ~$35 to $50 per person, but heck that's $70 to $100 savings and better than nothing.  At Diamond this grows to $65 to $150 per person savings.  A lot depends on where and when you cruise.  

A benefit of using a good travel agent is that they be able to compare various rates available and help you choose the best rate.  The rate you see on the website before and after applying your C&A balcony discount may not be the best rate that a travel agent can pull out of the system.  

On a comparative basis I do find Royal's C&A program to be better than other cruise lines.  Diamond is a significant milestone and where the balcony discount really started to show it's value for me.  Not on very sailing and a lot depends how and when you cruise but generally speaking I sail in balcony cabins more now because of it.  I'm fine in an interior cabin but if a balcony is the same price or very close with the C&A discount why not have a balcony?

If you are the kind of cruisers that shops bargains and off-peak deals the C&A balcony discount may not be all that, all the time.  If you only sail in Interior or Ocean View cabins the C&A discount doesn't apply.

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again thank you very much @Lovetocruise2002 @twangster @JLMoran for all your answers I do appreciate it a lot

we only cruise balcony (got a JS for oct 2019) paid 380$ more for the JS why not !! double the points yessssssss

as I have health issue and sometimes I stay in the room longer and the balcony is a must

when I can not sleep I take a nice blanket and go on the balcony and sky is mine ah ah ah 

got another question but will ask new reply

and it is a good tip @Lovetocruise2002 too book early for october 2019 the price at the moment is like 2k more for the JS that I paid for now can't wait for the release of october 2020 to book as we will be Diamond at that time oh yessssssssss

 

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Here is an example of C&A balcony discounts for a 16 night Panama Canal cruise.

First is normal 'street' pricing:

je-nonca.jpeg.c4b2ef400fb697a3c00ad4a3374c9e31.jpeg

With Diamond C&A discount

je-withca.jpeg.7527e32399719cc905aaa65a6763e0ad.jpeg

However it varies by cruise, it is not a fixed amount. 

On a typically 7 night Caribbean cruise it's often more like $50-75 per person or $100-$150 total savings (for two).

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19 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

I just recently got to Diamond so I can only draw from my own experience up to this point...the savings has not been anything worth bragging about.  However, there are many here that have higher C&A status and perhaps they could chime in with possible discounts they have received.  The on board benefits get better once you hit Diamond.  Other than what you see on that link I posted above, @twangster also has pdf documents of the actual benefits on board at each level.  I'm tagging him here so he will see this and hopefully he can post it for you.

The best tip and rule I go by is to book as early as possible and monitor prices.  Cruise fare tends to rise over time, especially on the newer ships and more popular sailings.  I do not rely on agents to check prices for me (although MEI I hear is great for monitoring pricing on your booking).  I check it myself daily.  When I see a drop, I will either call Royal back directly, or if I booked with an agent, call the agent and get a price adjustment.  I have saved so much money over the years doing it this way.  You can get your price adjusted up until you make final payment.  But this is where a good agent can come in handy too.  They sometimes have access to deals and inside pricing that the general consumer cannot get.  Just recently, MEI offered free gratuities for bookings and that was not Royal's offer.  That was something given by the agency.

Congratulations on reaching Diamond.

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Just now, mworkman said:

Unless i do some serious bookings we won't either...buy the time we both get there Twangster will have been a Pinnacle member for a year.

No doubt.  Then he won't want to hang with us anymore.  I just recently reached a level where I'm allowed to hang out with him ?

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https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2018/08/27/Royal Caribbean Updates Crown and Anchor Program

Staring September 1st Emerald is now 80 points, Diamond 125 points and Diamond Plus 350 points.  Existing members who previously achieved a specific level impacted by this change are grandfathered in.  

 

 

 

EDIT: JUST KIDDING!

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Just now, twangster said:

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2018/08/27/Royal Caribbean Updates Crown and Anchor Program

Staring September 1st Emerald is now 80 points, Diamond 125 points and Diamond Plus 350 points.  Existing members who previously achieved a specific level impacted by this change are grandfathered in.  

Your link is off.....Spotted: New Coca-Cola souvenir cup design?

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Just now, twangster said:

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2018/08/27/Royal Caribbean Updates Crown and Anchor Program

Staring September 1st Emerald is now 80 points, Diamond 125 points and Diamond Plus 350 points.  Existing members who previously achieved a specific level impacted by this change are grandfathered in.  

Link issue?? Blonde Moment???

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43 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

I'm onto his tricks but in all honesty, that is why I want to get to D+ quickly.  That is one of the reasons that we have switched to suites.  The other is more room with the kids.  Changes are probably coming....for real.

I guess we better get to booking more cruises...tell your husband...YOLO! ??

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