Are Cruise deals over?

LAST BLAST...

It was a HUGE move by the executives at Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, but
they have mandated that effective 8/16/04 (Monday) they will not allow ANY
of their product to be discounted and sold below the gross cruise price that
is available thru the cruise line itself. They have instituted big penalties
to travel agent offenders if they are caught.

What does this mean for you? It means that if you are planning on sailing on
Royal Caribbean or Celebrity in either 2004 or 2005, and if you typically
book thru and on-line agency, membership association, wholesale house,
booking engine, or any other travel agency who discounts their commission
and "rebates" this in part to you, then you MUST book before midnight on
8/15/04. This is effective ACROSS THE INDUSTRY , not just for a few travel
agencies!!

I think this is inaccurate....I believe in the change in policy was
agents are not allowed to "advertise" rates lower than what they
authorize. I believe agents are still allowed to rebate commission,
etc., they just can't advertise that fact. Not that I'm saying this is
a good policy either, but it's a fine point at the very least.

Jeff



Guido wrote:
LAST BLAST...

It was a HUGE move by the executives at Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, but
they have mandated that effective 8/16/04 (Monday) they will not allow ANY
of their product to be discounted and sold below the gross cruise price that
is available thru the cruise line itself. They have instituted big penalties
to travel agent offenders if they are caught.

What does this mean for you? It means that if you are planning on sailing on
Royal Caribbean or Celebrity in either 2004 or 2005, and if you typically
book thru and on-line agency, membership association, wholesale house,
booking engine, or any other travel agency who discounts their commission
and "rebates" this in part to you, then you MUST book before midnight on
8/15/04. This is effective ACROSS THE INDUSTRY , not just for a few travel
agencies!!

Jeff. I agree. Actually Carnival institutes the same policy in Jan.
Carnival had stated earlier that this is part of their policy that will protect
those traditional travel agencys that have contributed so very much to the
sucess of Carnival and the entire cruise industry, from the johnny=come-=lately
boiler room "agencys" that have continuously bent the rules of good business.
TAs that give no service or bad service reflects on the cruiseline and
industry.

Jeff,
This is accurate. Royal Caribbean has been very specific
about what is permitted and what is not permitted and all
Travel Agencies are specifically prohibited from rebating,
and will be penalized if involved in the practice. Certain
types of gifts are permitted, but not shipboard credits or
rebates (unless issued by the cruise line).

RCI said that if it quacks, it's a duck...and they will know
about it. Traditional gifts such as travel bags and wine
will still be permitted and the norm.

Negotiated group rates will rule the "best deals" column.

There will be some businesses changing their business model.

Peter



Jeff Coudriet wrote:

I think this is inaccurate....I believe in the change in policy was
agents are not allowed to "advertise" rates lower than what they
authorize. I believe agents are still allowed to rebate commission,
etc., they just can't advertise that fact. Not that I'm saying this is
a good policy either, but it's a fine point at the very least.

Jeff



Guido wrote:

LAST BLAST...

It was a HUGE move by the executives at Royal Caribbean and Celebrity,
but
they have mandated that effective 8/16/04 (Monday) they will not allow
ANY
of their product to be discounted and sold below the gross cruise
price that
is available thru the cruise line itself. They have instituted big
penalties
to travel agent offenders if they are caught.

What does this mean for you? It means that if you are planning on
sailing on
Royal Caribbean or Celebrity in either 2004 or 2005, and if you typically
book thru and on-line agency, membership association, wholesale house,
booking engine, or any other travel agency who discounts their commission
and "rebates" this in part to you, then you MUST book before midnight on
8/15/04. This is effective ACROSS THE INDUSTRY , not just for a few
travel
agencies!!




--
Peter Berlin
Peter Berlin's Travel Center http://peterberlin.com
The Great Luxury Cruise http://peterberlin.com/groups/glc2005/
The Great Group Cruise 2005 http://ggc2005.com "We've Got
The Spirit"
Join us on the Millennium and Spirit Bash...Oct. 31 and Dec.
5, 2004

What! Peter, that is horrible! I can't see them being able to enforce
something like this very well. I and most everyone else have been lead to
believe that it is the same policy that CCL has in that it only amounts to
the 'advertised' rates and not what one actually pays.
Jim


"Peter Berlin" wrote in message
hlink.net...
Jeff,
This is accurate. Royal Caribbean has been very specific
about what is permitted and what is not permitted and all
Travel Agencies are specifically prohibited from rebating,
and will be penalized if involved in the practice. Certain
types of gifts are permitted, but not shipboard credits or
rebates (unless issued by the cruise line).

RCI said that if it quacks, it's a duck...and they will know
about it. Traditional gifts such as travel bags and wine
will still be permitted and the norm.

Negotiated group rates will rule the "best deals" column.

There will be some businesses changing their business model.

Peter



Jeff Coudriet wrote:

I think this is inaccurate....I believe in the change in policy was
agents are not allowed to "advertise" rates lower than what they
authorize. I believe agents are still allowed to rebate commission,
etc., they just can't advertise that fact. Not that I'm saying this is
a good policy either, but it's a fine point at the very least.

Jeff



Guido wrote:

LAST BLAST...

It was a HUGE move by the executives at Royal Caribbean and Celebrity,
but
they have mandated that effective 8/16/04 (Monday) they will not allow
ANY
of their product to be discounted and sold below the gross cruise
price that
is available thru the cruise line itself. They have instituted big
penalties
to travel agent offenders if they are caught.

What does this mean for you? It means that if you are planning on
sailing on
Royal Caribbean or Celebrity in either 2004 or 2005, and if you
typically
book thru and on-line agency, membership association, wholesale house,
booking engine, or any other travel agency who discounts their
commission
and "rebates" this in part to you, then you MUST book before midnight
on
8/15/04. This is effective ACROSS THE INDUSTRY , not just for a few
travel
agencies!!




--
Peter Berlin
Peter Berlin's Travel Center http://peterberlin.com
The Great Luxury Cruise http://peterberlin.com/groups/glc2005/
The Great Group Cruise 2005 http://ggc2005.com "We've Got
The Spirit"
Join us on the Millennium and Spirit Bash...Oct. 31 and Dec.
5, 2004

so I guess this means that I won't be able to shop online anymore for
the lowest price. I'll have to call the agents on the phone to get
their pricing for the cruises I am interested in. The online TAs won't
be able to display their discounted price next to the cruiseline price.
This will change things a bit.

Jim wrote:

What! Peter, that is horrible! I can't see them being able to enforce
something like this very well. I and most everyone else have been lead to
believe that it is the same policy that CCL has in that it only amounts to
the 'advertised' rates and not what one actually pays.
Jim


"Peter Berlin" wrote in message
thlink.net...


Jeff,
This is accurate. Royal Caribbean has been very specific
about what is permitted and what is not permitted and all
Travel Agencies are specifically prohibited from rebating,
and will be penalized if involved in the practice. Certain
types of gifts are permitted, but not shipboard credits or
rebates (unless issued by the cruise line).

RCI said that if it quacks, it's a duck...and they will know
about it. Traditional gifts such as travel bags and wine
will still be permitted and the norm.

Negotiated group rates will rule the "best deals" column.

There will be some businesses changing their business model.

Peter



Jeff Coudriet wrote:



I think this is inaccurate....I believe in the change in policy was
agents are not allowed to "advertise" rates lower than what they
authorize. I believe agents are still allowed to rebate commission,
etc., they just can't advertise that fact. Not that I'm saying this is
a good policy either, but it's a fine point at the very least.

Jeff



Guido wrote:



LAST BLAST...

It was a HUGE move by the executives at Royal Caribbean and Celebrity,
but
they have mandated that effective 8/16/04 (Monday) they will not allow
ANY
of their product to be discounted and sold below the gross cruise
price that
is available thru the cruise line itself. They have instituted big
penalties
to travel agent offenders if they are caught.

What does this mean for you? It means that if you are planning on
sailing on
Royal Caribbean or Celebrity in either 2004 or 2005, and if you


typically


book thru and on-line agency, membership association, wholesale house,
booking engine, or any other travel agency who discounts their


commission


and "rebates" this in part to you, then you MUST book before midnight


on


8/15/04. This is effective ACROSS THE INDUSTRY , not just for a few
travel
agencies!!




--
Peter Berlin
Peter Berlin's Travel Center http://peterberlin.com
The Great Luxury Cruise http://peterberlin.com/groups/glc2005/
The Great Group Cruise 2005 http://ggc2005.com "We've Got
The Spirit"
Join us on the Millennium and Spirit Bash...Oct. 31 and Dec.
5, 2004

so I guess this means that I won't be able to shop online anymore for
the lowest price. I'll have to call the agents on the phone to get
their pricing for the cruises I am interested in. The online TAs won't
be able to display their discounted price next to the cruiseline price.
This will change things a bit.

Jim wrote:

What! Peter, that is horrible! I can't see them being able to enforce
something like this very well. I and most everyone else have been lead to
believe that it is the same policy that CCL has in that it only amounts to
the 'advertised' rates and not what one actually pays.
Jim


"Peter Berlin" wrote in message
thlink.net...


Jeff,
This is accurate. Royal Caribbean has been very specific
about what is permitted and what is not permitted and all
Travel Agencies are specifically prohibited from rebating,
and will be penalized if involved in the practice. Certain
types of gifts are permitted, but not shipboard credits or
rebates (unless issued by the cruise line).

RCI said that if it quacks, it's a duck...and they will know
about it. Traditional gifts such as travel bags and wine
will still be permitted and the norm.

Negotiated group rates will rule the "best deals" column.

There will be some businesses changing their business model.

Peter



Jeff Coudriet wrote:



I think this is inaccurate....I believe in the change in policy was
agents are not allowed to "advertise" rates lower than what they
authorize. I believe agents are still allowed to rebate commission,
etc., they just can't advertise that fact. Not that I'm saying this is
a good policy either, but it's a fine point at the very least.

Jeff



Guido wrote:



LAST BLAST...

It was a HUGE move by the executives at Royal Caribbean and Celebrity,
but
they have mandated that effective 8/16/04 (Monday) they will not allow
ANY
of their product to be discounted and sold below the gross cruise
price that
is available thru the cruise line itself. They have instituted big
penalties
to travel agent offenders if they are caught.

What does this mean for you? It means that if you are planning on
sailing on
Royal Caribbean or Celebrity in either 2004 or 2005, and if you


typically


book thru and on-line agency, membership association, wholesale house,
booking engine, or any other travel agency who discounts their


commission


and "rebates" this in part to you, then you MUST book before midnight


on


8/15/04. This is effective ACROSS THE INDUSTRY , not just for a few
travel
agencies!!




--
Peter Berlin
Peter Berlin's Travel Center http://peterberlin.com
The Great Luxury Cruise http://peterberlin.com/groups/glc2005/
The Great Group Cruise 2005 http://ggc2005.com "We've Got
The Spirit"
Join us on the Millennium and Spirit Bash...Oct. 31 and Dec.
5, 2004

On Thu, 12 Aug 2004 13:47:04 GMT, Peter Berlin
wrote:

Jeff,
This is accurate. Royal Caribbean has been very specific
about what is permitted and what is not permitted and all
Travel Agencies are specifically prohibited from rebating,
and will be penalized if involved in the practice. Certain
types of gifts are permitted, but not shipboard credits or
rebates (unless issued by the cruise line).

RCI said that if it quacks, it's a duck...and they will know
about it. Traditional gifts such as travel bags and wine
will still be permitted and the norm.

Negotiated group rates will rule the "best deals" column.

There will be some businesses changing their business model.

Peter

Wow, now THAT is news. Also the single thing most likely to make me
cruise less. And just as I had become a Celebrity cruiser LOL.

I guess the big TA's who can put together groups will get an even
bigger piece of the pie.

Am I correct, Peter, that a TA can put together a group and then sell
cabins retail?


Mason Barge

"If this is coffee, please bring me some tea. If this is tea, please bring me some coffee."
-- Abraham Lincoln

Mason Barge wrote in
:


I guess the big TA's who can put together groups will get an even
bigger piece of the pie.

Am I correct, Peter, that a TA can put together a group and then sell
cabins retail?


Mason Barge

"If this is coffee, please bring me some tea. If this is tea, please
bring me some coffee."
-- Abraham Lincoln


One can make a group call it Peter's Huge good Deal Group and then sell it
at the group price, however, the cruise lines reserve the right to restrict
the marketing of group rates. In the past this has not been a problem, they
might want to be a little more selective if they really mean what they say
in regard to pricing.

the practice that I would like to know more about is advance purchase bulk
space for resell. What are the restrictions to be on advertising that kind
of product?

Mason,

The concept is simple, the rates belong to the cruise line,
and as agents, we sell them and get paid to do that. Just
like the airlines used to do. I think they were doing far
better using agents as a distribution system. We still issue
air tickets, but we do charge a service fee of $25 for each
ticket we issue.

Group rates are negotiated by the agency, based on the size
of the group and are offered at the cruise line group rate.
The reduced rate will provide the same incentives to a
group that have always been a part of the concept of group
cruising.

As far as selling groups at the individual rate, I did not
ask Mr. Fain about how the line would feel about selling
group cabins at a rate higher than what the cruise line has
contracturally offered them to the agency, but I believe
that this will be looked upon the same way as rebating. The
group rate is based on a group, and offered in a group
contract form. Anyway, would seem to be counter productive
to take a group rate and increase it, giving up a
competitive edge.

The rates are the property of the line, and they are going
to set the rules for their sale.

I don't really see this policy causing you to cruise less.
Rates are very competitive with land based vacations, and
certainly offer a variety of ports that can't be matched at
an all inclusive land resort.

I am not sure how well all this will work in the real world.
I think, like everything else, it stands a fair chance and
gives the retail travel agent a good chance to survive.




Mason Barge wrote:
On Thu, 12 Aug 2004 13:47:04 GMT, Peter Berlin
wrote:


Jeff,
This is accurate. Royal Caribbean has been very specific
about what is permitted and what is not permitted and all
Travel Agencies are specifically prohibited from rebating,
and will be penalized if involved in the practice. Certain
types of gifts are permitted, but not shipboard credits or
rebates (unless issued by the cruise line).

RCI said that if it quacks, it's a duck...and they will know
about it. Traditional gifts such as travel bags and wine
will still be permitted and the norm.

Negotiated group rates will rule the "best deals" column.

There will be some businesses changing their business model.

Peter


Wow, now THAT is news. Also the single thing most likely to make me
cruise less. And just as I had become a Celebrity cruiser LOL.

I guess the big TA's who can put together groups will get an even
bigger piece of the pie.

Am I correct, Peter, that a TA can put together a group and then sell
cabins retail?


Mason Barge

"If this is coffee, please bring me some tea. If this is tea, please bring me some coffee."
-- Abraham Lincoln

--
Peter Berlin
Peter Berlin's Travel Center http://peterberlin.com
The Great Luxury Cruise http://peterberlin.com/groups/glc2005/
The Great Group Cruise 2005 http://ggc2005.com "We've Got
The Spirit"
Join us on the Millennium and Spirit Bash...Oct. 31 and Dec.
5, 2004