How much do TAs REALLY make?

[HLAuburn]

I just booked the 4 night Wonder for Jan 07, and I was able to get my TA to come down $15 to match another quote I had gotten. He made a comment about being able to "put food on the table" and that 3/4 night cruises weren't real profitable for them. So I'm wondering what they really make. He came off Disney's price $75 when it was all said and done.


Just curious!

 

[ivanova]

Typically 10% of the cruisefare (excluding port charges, government taxes, transfers and vacation protection plan). You don't mention what category you booked, or how many rooms. So if it's one room for a couple of people, on the 3 and 4 night cruises the commission isn't going to be significant.

 

[Evans Family]

now that the TA's don't even send the doc's I'm a little at a loss as to what they do for the $$$$ besides take your deposit and process the reservation -

can anyone fill me in on what goes on "behind the scenes?"

 

[ivanova]

A lot depends on the TA and the client ... clients who aren't familiar with cruising in general or a cruiseline or specific ship can get a lot of valuable info from a TA (like what staterooms to avoid, when to book excursions, how cruising "works" in general, etc.). A TA that's a good cruise specialist will be able to provide a wealth of knowledge about cruising, the cruiseline, the ship, the ports of call, the time of year, weather, passport requirements, etc.

For clients (like dissers) that know the ships inside and out, and have a bigger stack of souvenir navigators than some TAs then the TA's value might be different ... personally, I get up at 2am for clients and do their online Palo ressies, so they can sleep through the night 75/90/105 days before their cruise. Not all TAs do this of course, but it is a value-added service that I provide at no cost to cllients.

I know of other TAs that purchase tour guides for their clients, give them bon voyage baskets with their cruise docs, and offer pet sitting and house sitting services (obviously this is a service for "local" clients and not internet clients 1/2 way across the country).

TAs also take on the responsiblity of monitoring fares to see if you qualify for a lower fare (i.e. FL resident rate), they make sure payments are processed timely, and work as trouble shooters in the event something does go awry. And in the very unlikely event that you are on a cruise and something happens during your vacation, your TA would be your advocate (i.e. when a 7 night cruise turns into a 10 night cruise because of a hurricane and you need your airfare changed and it isn't airfare booked through DCL).

 

[birdmom]

Very interesting, thanks ivanova

 

[dreamcometrue]

never knew you were a TA ivanova! So, how about those 2008 dates? heard anything?

 

[jeast]

I personally don't use TAs, but I know many of them go above and beyond for their clients and provide a very useful service. However, if your TA is grumbling to you and giving you a guilt trip about putting food on his/her table when you ask him to match a quote. I'd run in the other direction.

 

[joksten2000]

That for experienced people, you should really do everything yourself, if you have the time. I went to a TA last week and got a price for a princess cruise out of NYC. For the fun of it I went to Princess web site and was able to book direct with them for a better price. $1100 better. When I went around to other sites I found the same thing. Advertising 50 to 60% discount doesn't really amount to anything. I was very diappointed. Lucky I have the time to handle the details, which really are very few.

 

[VAgal76]

That for experienced people, you should really do everything yourself, if you have the time. I went to a TA last week and got a price for a princess cruise out of NYC. For the fun of it I went to Princess web site and was able to book direct with them for a better price. $1100 better. When I went around to other sites I found the same thing. Advertising 50 to 60% discount doesn't really amount to anything. I was very diappointed. Lucky I have the time to handle the details, which really are very few.

I've not had that experience at all. Are you sure your comparing category to category. Princess does it by inside stateroom THEN they charge you more for different locations in that same category. Be sure it's apples to apples. I found a TA that was able to a nicer job then anyone else plus a shipboard credit for our Princess cruise in May. Even better than those so called "deeply" discounted cruise agencies. Doesn't hurt to ask for a quote if you are interested. Just send me a PM for the details.

 

[ashman]

I can't speak to the topic of what they make but for me, I see the main value of the TA as an advocate who can go to bat for me if something goes wrong. I have been fortunate that on three cruises I have been on, none have had any major snafus. I still use a TA that is local that I have a realtionship with. Her price is very competitive with booking yourself or some of the online TA's. Even if I have to pay a bit more, I like the fact I have a professional with professional connections that can help me much more than I can on my own should something go wrong. TA's do alot for you (especially if you are new to cruising) but they can do a lot more for you when "life" happens and you need someone to go to bat for you. I consider a good quality TA as a "rider" on my travel insurance policy. I hope I never have to use some of her services but I sure am glad she is there if I need her.

That said the TA that is grumbling about "putting food on the table" may not be the kind of TA that is going to be the best for you. On the other hand put yourself in the TA's shoes. As a customer "what value do you bring to me" is very important. Ask yourself, what value do you bring to the TA?

 

[gottaluvpooh]

First of all I have to say that I would never use a local TA again.

My first Disney Cruise - I was very uninformed about anything about cruising at all. She booked my cruise and that was it. I asked questions that as she answered them I felt didn't sound like she knew what she was talking about.
Someone told me about the Dis. I went on this site and found that all the information she told me was wrong. I had to contact her to have discounts applied that I found out about here. She would fight me on them all the way and told me they didn't apply to me. I encouraged her to just try and behold they worked saving me money. Thank you all you Dis people
Now - I use Dreams Unlimited...They are FANTASTIC and I tell everyone about them. They know what they are doing and I trust them.
Wish I could do everything completely on my own - but with their knowledge I might miss out on some way to save money. I am thankful they are always on top of things.

 

[castlegazer]

I have to speak up and say that Travel agents make very, very little in comparison to the time they put in to the reservation. In the case of a cruise, your commission is usually 10%, but remember that most travel agents make only a portion of that and then they have to pay taxes on the money they earn also.

Typically when booking a client you spend several hours finding the perfect cruise, price, meeting their needs for quotes, and going back and forth - it is not as simple as picking up the phone, saying hello and voila - they are booked.

Then after the booking a TA will monitor the booking and inform about items such as final payment, on-line bookings for services, and then also make sure that all items are as planned.

The documents may or may not be processed by the travel agent, but tere is still documents that will be mailed from the TA to the client - thus huge costs of Fed-Ex and shipping.

Then at time of travel the TA will typically be on the phone with the client several times prior to travel and if airfare is involved there is yet anothe rlayer of monitoring the changes that Disney will make to that air.

Then there is the clients gifts.

So, let's break it down here - typical cruise commission may be in the range of $400 - you use your own math to come up with what the hourly rate of that travel agent for that client is after factoring in all of the above.

Yes, if you are completely savvy with your cruise information, then yes, all of this can be done on your own. But remember, a typical DISr is NOT a typical travel agent client.

And also remember that a true Disney Specialist will do this for each and every client regardless of the commission size.

 

[castlegazer]

All of the above being said, I do not approve of your TA saying anything about profitability of the booking. Each and every client should be treated as special, as if tey are the only one in the world, and there is no matter about how much the booking will reap in terms of commission. If that were the attitude then a Disney Specialist would go above and beyond to make sure you were booked inot the highest priced options available - and there are lots of ways to drive up the costs without someone knowing it if they are no savvy. A Disney Specialist will not do this and will strive to provide the most magical vacation for you that meets all of your budget needs.

Coming down $75 is quite a bit, though and would erase a lot of the potential commission that TA could expect. TA's are not permitted to discount Disney Cruises ad hoc any longer. I find it weird that you got one price somewhere and another price elsewhere - Disney pricing is the same from one agent to the next - or at least should be.

 

[HLAuburn]

I find it weird that you got one price somewhere and another price elsewhere - Disney pricing is the same from one agent to the next - or at least should be.

They all started out at the same exact cruise rate - I guess the only difference was how much they discounted Disney's rate. One TA offered a $75 shipboard credit. This TA just took it off the top...I guess they end up paying the difference. I was really happy with the $75 off (plus the Disney Visa $50 credit), and he didn't do a whole lot for me, so I didn't feel so bad! He knew we cruise a lot, so maybe my future business was what he was going for.

 

[PrincessMom2002]

As a former TA myself, I can honestly say TA's don't make much money. That's why I'm a former TA. Loved the job, working with people, all aspects of travel, but frankly, I didn't make enough money to adequately support my bills. And I was a single girl with no children at the time. However, I would not dare ever comment to a client that I had to put food on my table or something like that. That is totally uncalled for. I was a TA for the love of the job, not the money. If he is doing it for the money, he's in the wrong business! Stick with the TA's who love their jobs! There's lots of them! The clients come first. The clients are the backbone of the industry. Without the client there IS no money to put food on the table.

 

[ivanova]

Without the client there IS no money to put food on the table.

Amen

 

[momof6innc]

My TA did only spend one phone call with me, told me I had to pay $400 for each passenger to reserve (even though I pointed out that one person's reservations, the baby, didn't cost that much), but Disney online requested less than that. I had the dates already, I just needed the price quote. I went to the site because they advertised discounts from the DCL site. But the discount "didn't apply" to my cruise. After I told him we were going on the cruise because DD was finishing Chemo, he encouraged me not to purchase Disney's insurance and also to not purchase insurance until closer to the cruise. However, when I looked into that later, the insurance companies don't take pre-existing conditions if you purchase insurance after (about 2 weeks) your final payment (which the TA "encouraged" us to pay in January). He did give us $100/room credit.

I called him a few weeks ago to ask about switching dining times, since my dad had logged onto the DCL site and noticed first seating was open. Left a message for the TA, then called DCL. DCL changed it, then the TA called the next day to say "I got your dining times changed", all proud of himself. I told him, no, I did that the day before with DCL, and DCL was sending him the confirmation. I asked him about military discounts coming out, and he stammered and said "don't expect any of those". Yet I can see on Mousesavers that they do offer them sometimes, so I'm monitoring that site.

So I researched the price, I got my dining reservations changed. We did get the $100/room credit but the attitude once we paid was "I'm done with you". Next time we'll just book online to get that credit!

 

[crisi]

As a former TA myself, I can honestly say TA's don't make much money. That's why I'm a former TA. Loved the job, working with people, all aspects of travel, but frankly, I didn't make enough money to adequately support my bills. And I was a single girl with no children at the time. However, I would not dare ever comment to a client that I had to put food on my table or something like that. That is totally uncalled for. I was a TA for the love of the job, not the money. If he is doing it for the money, he's in the wrong business! Stick with the TA's who love their jobs! There's lots of them! The clients come first. The clients are the backbone of the industry. Without the client there IS no money to put food on the table.

It seems to be a great hobby job - i.e. someone else supports you and you TA to get a lot of travel perks and do something you love to do - help people plan vacations.

My understanding is that years ago, before the internet, it was possible to make an OK living off of it - most TAs didn't make much (unless you owned the agency), but they put food on the table. Now, with people self booking, its a lot harder.

 

[lbgraves]

IMO, I find it tacky that the TA made any kind of comment to you regarding the fact that you basically were not worth their time due to the lower commission for that cruise. How are they to know if you would end up loving the cruise & want to book a 14 day repo next year. They have shot themselves in the foot.

 

[ivanova]

However, when I looked into that later, the insurance companies don't take pre-existing conditions if you purchase insurance after (about 2 weeks) your final payment (which the TA "encouraged" us to pay in January).

When looking at travel insurance ... don't assume pre-existing condition waivers will cover everything, sometimes when you qualify for the waiver (i.e. purchase the insurance within 2 weeks of deposit) it still excludes cancer ... it also almost never covers mental illness/disabilities (pre-existing or not).

So make sure to read ALL of the fine print before purchasing any kind of insurance.