Need Travel agent advice...

[lmhall2000]

We booked with DU for the Med...it cost 7k for 7 of us..but just this week they lowered the pricing and you could book 7 for 4k!!! I tried it online and it worked!! So I went ahead and saved a 3 day no deposit (since I've already paid a $2400 deposit on the first booking)...I emailed all this information to DU last night. But, I'm not sure how this works if I've already booked and can DU switch my booking to the lower fare? If I had never read about the lower fare would I have been out of luck or would the TA's try to snag it for me with my existing booking?? This reallly helps us afford our airfare over there..but hate not being able to call and confirm....thanks!!

Tara

[dizzi]

WOW.......
ARE you saying that you would have paid $7000 for a 3 night cruise???

[lmhall2000]

Sorry, no, it's the mediterranean cruise and it's 10 day cruise..so I'm paying 4k for a 10 day cruise for 7 people!! YAHOO!! Oh, what I meant about 3 day is that Disney lets you hold a reservation for 3 days before you have to pay a deposit, I've already paid a deposit, just trying to figure out how I can transfer it to this new deal...have not heard from DU yet, just getting nervous I actually don't 'have' this deal sealed yet!

Tara

[dizzi]

well that sounds awesome and now i mayhave to go look at that!

[kcashner]

No, she is saying that she booked a new reservation and put a 3 day hold on it...so she has 3 days to contact her TA and get the whole thing straightened out.

Bottom line, you need to get in touch with your TA. You should have an 800 number for DU since you have booked thru them. If your TA does not respond very rapidly to your e-mail, call the 800 number or e-mail webmasterJohn. That was the only thing that worked for me when I needed to contact them. He responds rapidly and professionally, whereas I couldn't get thru to the agent who did my booking.

Bottom line, they can "reconcile" the reservations keeping your original room and dinner seating if desired and getting the lower rate. You did exactly what my TA from another agency told me to do. I was in a situation where a category was "coming and going" and it disappeared between the time I saw it on Sunday night and the time I could call her on a Monday. She said if I saw it again to book it and then call them...they would "reconcile" it with DCL.

[lmhall2000]

Thanks kcashner, you are such a wealth of knowledge!! I received an 800 number but it says it's just for payment, they say they're in a totally different area than the TA's and that they can't make any changes to the booking, just take payment...I'll try and email John, I have emailed him once before and he handled it so quickly and was so nice...I know with a holiday weekend folks are at their families and may not be working this weekend..hence my paranoia about the 3 day hold!

Thanks!
Tara

[dizzi]

could you tell me the dates?

[lmhall2000]

I think it's for all April/May dates (maybe not the May 26th one, though)..but our cruise is May 5th...hth!!

Tara

[NancyIL]

Originally Posted by lmhall2000

I know with a holiday weekend folks are at their families and may not be working this weekend..hence my paranoia about the 3 day hold!

On the contrary - Thanksgiving weekend is a BIG sale weekend for many online travel agencies. I would hope all the DU agents aren't ignoring their e-mails this weekend!

If I didn't already have Europe plans for 2010 - I'd be tempted to book a cat. 12 on the Magic to the Med!

[lmhall2000]

I feel like John is the Lone Ranger...he emailed me within 30 minutes and within an hour heard from my agent that all was switched!! Wow! YAHOO!!

Thanks everyone!
Tara

[mrosen]

Originally Posted by kcashner

No, she is saying that she booked a new reservation and put a 3 day hold on it...so she has 3 days to contact her TA and get the whole thing straightened out.

Bottom line, you need to get in touch with your TA. You should have an 800 number for DU since you have booked thru them. If your TA does not respond very rapidly to your e-mail, call the 800 number or e-mail webmasterJohn. That was the only thing that worked for me when I needed to contact them. He responds rapidly and professionally, whereas I couldn't get thru to the agent who did my booking.

Bottom line, they can "reconcile" the reservations keeping your original room and dinner seating if desired and getting the lower rate. You did exactly what my TA from another agency told me to do. I was in a situation where a category was "coming and going" and it disappeared between the time I saw it on Sunday night and the time I could call her on a Monday. She said if I saw it again to book it and then call them...they would "reconcile" it with DCL.

Unless you have the same Cat room booked (at Cat 12), how can any travel agent keep your same room in a switch? I'm interested if there is something here that I don't understand as I have a Cat 10 room now, thinking of switching to downgrade to a Cat 12 on same April Med cruise due to the special pricing on Cat 12 but hate to give up the room I have now on location and the split bath but the price difference is so big, hard not to seriously consider changing our room reservation to drop down to Cat 12 and take a big chance. So wondering about your comments on they can "reconcile" and keep the original room and is that really true as I thought Cat 12 GTY means no room assignment.

Also, saw a posting about how someone got a call about upgrading to Cat 9 for $150 from the Cat 12 price. Anyone know how likely this might be?

[mmouse37]

Originally Posted by mrosen

Unless you have the same Cat room booked (at Cat 12), how can any travel agent keep your same room in a switch? I'm interested if there is something here that I don't understand as I have a Cat 10 room now, thinking of switching to downgrade to a Cat 12 on same April Med cruise due to the special pricing on Cat 12 but hate to give up the room I have now on location and the split bath but the price difference is so big, hard not to seriously consider changing our room reservation to drop down to Cat 12 and take a big chance. So wondering about your comments on they can "reconcile" and keep the original room and is that really true as I thought Cat 12 GTY means no room assignment.

Also, saw a posting about how someone got a call about upgrading to Cat 9 for $150 from the Cat 12 price. Anyone know how likely this might be?

I believe you can only keep your original room in the event the price drops and you are staying in the same category. You can't drop down to a Cat 12 and keep your Cat 10 cabin.

As far as getting a call from DCL....no one knows what will happen. It could happen or could not. I have not heard of that many people getting calls to upgrade. All depends on how many cabins they need to move around on any particular cruise.

MJ

[kcashner]

Originally Posted by mrosen

Unless you have the same Cat room booked (at Cat 12), how can any travel agent keep your same room in a switch? I'm interested if there is something here that I don't understand as I have a Cat 10 room now, thinking of switching to downgrade to a Cat 12 on same April Med cruise due to the special pricing on Cat 12 but hate to give up the room I have now on location and the split bath but the price difference is so big, hard not to seriously consider changing our room reservation to drop down to Cat 12 and take a big chance. So wondering about your comments on they can "reconcile" and keep the original room and is that really true as I thought Cat 12 GTY means no room assignment.

Also, saw a posting about how someone got a call about upgrading to Cat 9 for $150 from the Cat 12 price. Anyone know how likely this might be?

Sorry for the confusion. IF the price for the category that you are already booked in is reduced, they can make the price adjustment and keep you in the same cabin. If you "downgrade" to a lower category, obviously this is not possible. You are correct that a gty at any category has not room assignment. However, I went from a gty 11 to a gty 12 on the TA....not really a big deal.

The calls offering upgrades in advance for excellent rates are few and far between. They are generally a little less expensive than upgrading at the port, and you have the assurance that you are already upgraded (no need to be there at 10 or 10:30). They are much like pixie dust upgrades--no rhyme nor reason to who gets them and who doesn't, but people who get them are much more likely to post than those who don't.