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Direct booking with Princess



 
 
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  #21  
Old March 9th, 2010, 02:54 PM posted to rec.travel.cruises
George Leppla
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Posts: 1,219
Default Direct booking with Princess

John Sisker wrote:

I cruised with Princess only a few months ago as an Elite Member. The
Internet category was 55 minutes for $75, but was actually free because
of this Elite status,


This information is incorrect.

Current fees for Princess internet access is 75 cents a minute, 100
minutes for $55, 150 minutes for $75 and 250 minutes for $100.

People with PLATINUM status and higher get a $75 pp credit towards the
purchase of internet time.


George Leppla

Countryside Travel http://www.CruiseMaster.com
Blog http://cruisemaster.typepad.com/my_weblog/
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/CruiseMaster
  #22  
Old March 9th, 2010, 02:55 PM posted to rec.travel.cruises
George Leppla
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Posts: 1,219
Default Direct booking with Princess

peter wrote:

For once sisker understands what's going on. Ten years ago a cruise line
couldn't fill a ship without the services of middle men, travel agents,
just like an airline couldn't fill a plane. Today 80-year olds have no
difficulty surfing the internet. For most cruises an experienced cruiser
doesn't need the services of an agent. Cruise lines have already started
to cut agent commissions. Before long the middle man that doesn't add
value will be cut out completely for mass market products. Adam Smith
told you so.


Uh huh. You do know that this subject has been beat to death for over
10 years. I did a quick search and came up with a thread from 2000:

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.t...ebb81791?hl=en

"....but the writing is on the wall. For the person who needs a
lot of 'hand holding', a travel agent is still pretty much a necessity
(although the proliferation of web access seems to be dropping that
number as more people figure out they can get the same or better
information off the web). It's only a matter of time until the
cruiselines figure out a way to profitably get rid of travel agents,"

Here is another thread from 1999 titled "Bye, Bye TA's"
http://tinyurl.com/yln7h4q

People have been claiming that the cruise lines are pushing travel
agents out the door for years... and here we are, 10 years after the
above conversations and travel agents are still here.

In the past 10 years, the percentage of direct bookings with the cruise
lines has risen to about 20%. It has been at that point since around
2006. However, the cruise fleet has expanded much greater than that.
Bottom line is that travel agents are now selling more cruises than they
ever did.

Are we selling ALL the cruises... nope. Are we selling the vast
majority of cruises... yep.

Will people still be talking about the demise of cruise travel agents
next year, in 5 years, in 10 years...... yep. Just like they were 10
years ago.

--

George Leppla

Countryside Travel http://www.CruiseMaster.com
Blog http://cruisemaster.typepad.com/my_weblog/
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/CruiseMaster
  #23  
Old March 9th, 2010, 04:28 PM posted to rec.travel.cruises
George Leppla
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Posts: 1,219
Default Direct booking with Princess

John Sisker wrote:
"George Leppla" wrote in message
...
John Sisker wrote:

I cruised with Princess only a few months ago as an Elite Member. The
Internet category was 55 minutes for $75, but was actually free
because of this Elite status,


This information is incorrect.

Current fees for Princess internet access is 75 cents a minute, 100
minutes for $55, 150 minutes for $75 and 250 minutes for $100.

People with PLATINUM status and higher get a $75 pp credit towards the
purchase of internet time.


George Leppla





Thanks for the actual numbers George. But you did hit on the major point
of this thread anyway,


The major point is that once again, you posted incorrect, incomplete or
misleading information.


and that is, I did get the $75 credit as an Elite
status,



Ah. yes... the infamous "Elite Status" you like to brag about.
According to Princess, to get Elite status you have to sail on 15
cruises (or 150 sailing days).

Fact is that you are no more an "Elite" status than my old Tilley hat.
What you did was complete some online training courses and were given
the perks of an Elite member.... without ever having to set a foot on a
Princess ship. Maybe that is why you are so unfamiliar with the onboard
booking program and the internet fees.... and who knows what else.



George Leppla

Countryside Travel http://www.CruiseMaster.com
Blog http://cruisemaster.typepad.com/my_weblog/
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/CruiseMaster
  #24  
Old March 9th, 2010, 06:10 PM posted to rec.travel.cruises
TEP
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Posts: 145
Default Direct booking with Princess



"John Sisker" wrote in message
...

I don't think I can do that for 18 days in Europe. Yet, it is a good
start.

Your not expected to. That is why Princess gives Elite members 250 minutes
or a $100 per person Internet credit for cruises longer than 7 days.

  #25  
Old March 9th, 2010, 06:32 PM posted to rec.travel.cruises
George Leppla
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Posts: 1,219
Default Direct booking with Princess

John Sisker wrote:

This was all discussed, and in quite some detail, not all that long ago
- and almost word for word. I'm surprised you forgot so soon George.
By-the-way, do tell us where you sailed to on your Princess "Elite"
status graduation cruise. Or did you even bother, since you apparently
know it all already!


FWIW... I was just on the Caribbean Princess in January (Southern
Caribbean) and the Star Princess last May (Alaska). Those were my 11th
and 12th Princess cruises.... and I have been on over 60 cruises overall.

I do take some online courses but only when they interest me. I have
taken some from Princess.... up to something called "Staff Captain"
(woo-hoo!). So if you think that your online training (do you call
yourself Commodore and wear your pin...... I bet you do!) and your one
Princess cruise makes you better than me... feel free. But remember,
I'm the one correcting the errors in your posts... not the other way around.


--

George Leppla

Countryside Travel http://www.CruiseMaster.com
Blog http://cruisemaster.typepad.com/my_weblog/
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/CruiseMaster
  #26  
Old March 9th, 2010, 08:29 PM posted to rec.travel.cruises
Jr.[_5_]
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Posts: 19
Default Direct booking with Princess

We always give a $200 deposit to the onboard booker so that we can then go
to our travel agent and not have to give a lot of money up front for our
next cruise. The $100 each is sufficient.

We get the usual upgrades and credits doing it this way as well.

We are platinum and we got 250 minutes each of free internet since turning
platinum.


  #27  
Old March 9th, 2010, 11:10 PM posted to rec.travel.cruises
tathraman
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Posts: 22
Default Direct booking with Princess


I
think AUD 10K for a 42 night cruise with 23 sea days is not exactly
inexpensive and AUD 250 OBC would be peanuts. How much better is the TA's
price?


That *is* the TA's price and it's the best I could find after 3 days
searching. I agree, $250 isn't much but better than Princess's $150.
On our May RTW on Dawn P. it's $2000 US pp.
  #28  
Old March 9th, 2010, 11:12 PM posted to rec.travel.cruises
George Leppla
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Posts: 1,219
Default Direct booking with Princess

John Sisker wrote:

Fine, have it
your way. Yet, you should really consider completing your Princess
training anyway. Even though you are still a number of levels away, the
idea is not the graduation cruise or even the "Elite" status, but there
is actually so much more to learn for the benefit of your clients.


1) The person posting incorrect information is you, not me. So much for
your "Elite" status and training.

2) I think the combination of training seminars and actual experience
serves me and my customers well. Please read #1 again.


Yet, whether my posts
and/or threads, or anyone else's on this newsgroup for that matter, can
we get a real correction, and without the attitude?


"I don't give them hell. I just tell the truth and they think it is
hell." Harry Truman


--

George Leppla

Countryside Travel http://www.CruiseMaster.com
Blog http://cruisemaster.typepad.com/my_weblog/
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/CruiseMaster

  #29  
Old March 10th, 2010, 07:50 AM posted to rec.travel.cruises
peter
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Posts: 231
Default Direct booking with Princess

On 3/10/2010 7:43 AM, John Sisker wrote:


Harry
Truman was a great man.


He would have published the silly mails to prove that he was right.
Prove your claims, please.
  #30  
Old March 10th, 2010, 03:21 PM posted to rec.travel.cruises
George Leppla
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,219
Default Direct booking with Princess

John Sisker wrote:


Exactly my point George. You don't know what you haven't learned yet,
even if you think you do.



1) The person posting incorrect information is you, not me.


In addition, is seeing the need to correct me, or anyone else for that
matter, within the confines, limitations and level of such a newsgroup,
really necessary,


I see! When you post incorrect information it isn't necessary for
anyone to correct you! Silly me, I had this stupid idea that when a
"travel agent" posts something, it should be factually correct.


or just another way to toot your own horn? Admittedly,
there is a time and place to be totally accurate; this is not
necessarily it.


This is not the time or place for a "travel agent" to post things that
are totally accurate? Just spew out the first things that come to your
mind and let the people sort it out themselves?

How is that working for you?


--

George Leppla

Countryside Travel http://www.CruiseMaster.com
Blog http://cruisemaster.typepad.com/my_weblog/
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/CruiseMaster

 




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