Carnival and Travel Agents

So i got a letter from my travel agent today stating that Carnival was going to cancel my cruise if I did not pay the remaining balance of $148.00 right away. I had put it in the mail on Monday but because of the holidays, its probably slower. I called carnival myself because I was worried that I had spent $1500 already on a cruise that was going to be cancelled because of $148 I owed and was in the mail. Carnival told me that my travel agent lied to me, that the cruise is paid in full already and what was owed was their commission. Can you believe that?

[Dorothy]

I'm surprised Carnival talked with you at all. If you have a TA, they want you to go through the TA for *everything.*

dorothy

HUH??? The cruiselines pay commission to the travel agents. Of course, there are some ta's who do charge "service fees" to their clients. However, these are stated upfront.

Commission is paid to ta's AFTER you sail.

[JeanS]

Commission?? Hmm, we've been using our travel agent for years and have NEVER paid a "commission". He is paid a percentage thru Carnival.

Sounds like it's time to find a new TA, and to let them know why....

Happy Cruising!

[Kuki]

"Carnival told me that my travel agent lied to me, that the cruise is paid in full already and what was owed was their commission. Can you believe that?"

Nope.. I can't <G> There's something missing in this story. Obviously a misunderstanding somewhere along the line, or miscommunication.

But Carnival pays the travel agents commissions directly, after your cruise, so the $148 balance would have nothing to do with commissions. It doesn't belong to the TA until Carnival gives it to them.

But, whatever the case here, this clearly demonstrates why you should pay with a credit card, and deal with a travel agent who sends the card info directly to Carnival, and they run it through their system.

Even if, for your own reasons, you are paying by check and want to use some sort of installment plan... put the money aside yourself, and when the balance is due pay it in full at one time.

[Dorothy]

AFter I booked with my TA, I received a one page invoice, through my TA, but from Carnival on their letterhead. It broke all the fees down. I think I might want to have a little chat with my TA about that extra money!

dorothy

[agentgal]

I am curious what extra charges were on your breakdown. I book travel for my family and friends and was curious what you were charged for. Regarding commissions , I do know that you do pay a commisssion whether it is shown or not. I will explain what I mean. Because I only do this for fun and to be a help to my family and friends I always deduct off any commission that would be due me from the cruise line. All agents have this same ability to discount your cruise to whatever extent they are willing to. This of course comes directly out of their percentage that is paid by the cruise line. It isn't as much as you might think, but every little bit helps. I hope that your cruise is soooooooooo awesome that this will be one of your best memories in years to come!

Here's what I believe happened- (happened to me the first time I booked a Carnival cruise for clients). Carnival sents the TA a confirmation with the breakdown of the charges however subsequent statements to the TA only provide the "net" amount due on the cruise (meaning the comission is not factored into this amount) that is if the client pays by check or cash. So about a month after the sailing I inquired as to why I hadn't received the comission and was informed I had only sent in the net amount which is really all that's required to pay off the booking.Once I saw I had messed up - just chalked it up as lesson learned & it hasnt happened again. I wont go back & try to charge a client after I've made a mistake. And to this day I stilll have that client and get lots of referrals from her. The TA in question simply messed up and IMO shoul'd just let it go & learn from the experience. Otherwise they wont be in biz very long.

[jakieemma]

As a TA , when I book Carnival, I am given a total due after commish.
I can sell the cruise for what ever price I want. I get 15% commision off the cruise price, not including port charges and taxes, which are non commish.

What I usually do is make $50. per couple.

A cruise that goes for $800. pp gets me $240. based on dbl occ. I would owe Carnival $1360., so I would normally charge my client $1400...I made $60. and they got a great price. The trick is to watch the price closely...if I notice the price drops, I will get the refund. That added to the $50-60 dollars, can make for a happy TA, and a happy client.
TA's get commision based on sales...A TA that books Carnival often, will get a better % commision.

If the price drops you'd pocket that money and not return any of it to the customer? What if the customer asks because they, too, have been watching the price?

Sorry about the travel agent. We did not use a travel agent. My DH swears that he did better booking through Travelocity.com
I am told that there are better sites that give cheaper rates???

[jakieemma]

<If the price drops you'd pocket that money and not return any of it to the customer? What if the customer asks because they, too, have been watching the price?>

Back to my scenario:

If my client originaly sees the price as 800. pp , I have the ability to sell the cruise for anywhere between 1360. and 1600. per couple (15% commision)

To give a price that beats everyone else, I come in LOW at $1440. per cpl.
Remember, I made only $60.

So you, the client, notice the cruise has dropped.

Let's say the price drops from 800. to 725. (150 dollars less than they saw when they booked)....They STILL have a better deal, because I only charged them 1440.

I would be able to get the $$$ for the price dropping, money I already gave the clients.

Understand?

It is a win win situation for the client and myself. If the price never drops, or even increases...I still make 60. and my client gets a price that can't be beat.

The client would reap the rewards only if the price fell below what they paid me.

I hope that makes sense...my mind is on the Patriots game today !!!

(P.S....A T.A. is also able to get upgrades from Carnival Regional Reps. depending on how much business the give. When it comes time to upgrade the ship (usually a day or two before sailing), my Carnival Rep has been able to give my clients some nice upgrades...it is a symbiotic relationship between myself, my client and Carnival.)

Let me know if you have any other questions !!!

[Jim Bragg]

Josetta,
No one agency will always be able to give you the lowest price on every cruise. It is a matter of shoipping around and you still must keep in mind that the absolute lowest price is not always the 'best' price. Service means a good deal as well as the relationship you build with a personal TA.
Jim