TRAVEL agents in South
Africa have been left
fielding questions by
travellers who are finding
cheaper cruise prices online,
after the agent has already
secured what they think is the
best rate.
Typically, travellers who book
far in advance get the best
rates, says Jane Davidson, md
of Development Promotions.
However, significant price
drops in the European market
are what’s causing the upset.
It’s not unusual for cruise
lines to drop their prices
before a cruise as part of a
“sale”, says Jane. However,
recently price discounts have
been quite radical, dropping
by US$2 000 (R32 190) per
outside cabin.
When travellers who have
booked six months in advance
suddenly see the same cruise
offered at a lower price, it
can leave quite a bad taste in
their mouths, says Jane.
George Argyropoulos, md
of Cruises International, says
rates usually drop in extreme
circumstances. He says the
recent price decreases are a
result of the “fluid” situation
in Europe where issues like
the bombings in Turkey have
discouraged North American
travellers from sailing in
Europe. In these cases, cruise
lines need to make incredible
offers to draw these travellers
in, he says.
“It can definitely be
embarrassing for us as
agents, when suddenly the
consumer picks up a lower
price than what they’ve paid,”
says Chris Hunoldt, owner
and manager of Cruises-forAfrica.
When agents find
themselves on the receiving
end of a disgruntled traveller
who is suspicious that their
agent might be ripping them
off, cruise experts advise
the agent to be completely
transparent. “With cruising
we always recommend that
clients book early because
availability is better and, in
most cases, so is the price.
Sometimes it occurs that,
closer to sailing, the cruise
line offers a ‘last-minute deal’
to fill up a sailing that has not
reached its capacity. However,
there is no guarantee on
these specials and we find
that most clients understand
this and actually prefer
booking early,” says Aaminah
Sarang, cruise specialist at
Cruise Corner.
Agents should also
investigate whether the cruise
line can match the cheaper
offer, adding that the GSAs
involved are generally able to
assist with this, says Chris.
“In my experience there has
only been one incident where
the GSA involved was unable
to match the offer. In fact, just
last week a client approached
us hurt because they had
found a cheaper offer. We told
the client we would investigate
and within an hour we were
able to secure a better offer.”
George agrees and says
that in 99% of these cases
Cruises International will do
its utmost to honour the new
price. “We want to earn the
trust of both the consumer
and the agent,” he says. “The
only time we may not be able
to honour the lower price is if
there were lots of value-adds
booked.”
