A question about price quotes?

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bar_20

Guest
I was trying to get a price quote on an NCL cruise. I got quotes from three different internet cruise agents. Two of them who have the same type of software came up with the same exact fare and taxes/fees pricing. The other had a slightly higer fare but their taxes/fees quote was lower. The bottom line is all three had the exact same total for the cruise, to the penney. You would think there would be some differece. How can one charge a higher price for the cruise but a lower taxes/fee price? Has NCL set the lowest price an agent can sell their cruise?

Steve & Donalee
NCL Sun 12/29
 
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Don Clark

Guest
Yes and no. NCL sets the prices the Cruise Agencies can quote on the internet . Since NCL pays their commissions, not you, NCL pulls much weight with them. What you can get extra from these Travel Agencies are freebies added on, like travel insurance. There's many insurance policies to choose from, and there's also more to book than a cruise, like airline and railroad tickets, pre and post hotel packages, and shore excursions. which is where Travel Agents compete.

As for the different prices for the cruise, it's just the way some do their accounting. Some agencies will list taxes and port fees seperately, while others combine and give a total price. As you discovered, they usually end up with the same price for the internet. To value an agents ability to get you your best deal financially, wait until after the final payment date, and see who can get the best upgrade or upsell for you.

Hope this helps!
 
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bar_20

Guest
Don, will an agent give you a lower price than they show over the internet if you call them? We booked an NCL cruise over the internet and paid the internet pricng. I thought the price was a good price, but I didn't try to get it lower and we purchased cruise insurance through the internet travel agent. We are planing a cruise to Europe in 2007 and that one is going to cost quite a bit more then our 10 day cruise with NCL. .
 
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Don Clark

Guest
A brick and mortar travel agent can't get you a better price than an internet travel agency.
Prices vary week to week, depending on how well that cruise is selling.
What a brick and motar travel agent can do that most internet travel agencies don't, is negotitate a better deal for you for onboard credits, upgrades and upsells. Good travel agents will get on the phone and haggle prices for hours with the cruise lines, something internet agencies it seems will not do.
If the prices for your room go down after you book, a good travel agent will work to get you a better room, for example an upgrade from a lower deck to a higher deck classification, or negotoate a better price upsell for a suite or to a larger room, or if the ship is sold out, some on board credits.
Prices for most cruises vary, some go up and some go down, from week to week. A good travel agent should always try to get you a better price, a better room, or more on board credits if the prices go down. A lousy travel agent will let the original deal stand.
 
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