Originally Posted by
GeezerCouple
We've been hesitant to deal with "unknown" online-only vendors for cruise reservations.
We usually want a very specific suite; there may only be two and we may want the on on a specific side for a specific itinerary.
Now, with at least some cruise lines, we can reserve with the line itself, and then (with some limitations) we might be able to transfer the reservation to an outside agent of our choice.
IF we did this, would an agency such as yours still be able to offer the same discounts/OBC as if we had gone through you at the start?
Or do you only offer cabins that are "left over" from groups where you had booked a block and didn't sell all of them?
GC
Dear GC,
first of all, my company is NOT an online-only vendor but a brick-and-mortar cruise agency that does a little side business on Cruise Compete.
For all of us here cruising is the main way to spend our personal vacation and every one of my agents will sail or visit at least six different ships every year.
We will not normally take over bookings made direct with cruise lines, simply because they will then not honor any of our contracted benefits, be they (additional) OBC, speical pricing for particular sailings or extra perks, i.e. category upgrades or suite benefits for regular cabins.
We will be pleased to offer you a competitive quote on any cruise line you like and we are honest enough to tell you when we don't expect to have the lowest price in the market.
Best,
Michael Naguib