Tour company will not book excursion with Carnival guests

I tried to book a Dolphin swim with Dolphin's Cove and was told they are not able to book any Carnival guests.

Then I tried Captain Marvin and was told the same.

Do I have any choice at all or do I have to pay more and book with Carnival.

By the way it is the Grand cayman.

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks,

Don't know about Grand Cayman, but had the same problem through Channukaab (sp?) in Cozumel. Apparently they have a contract with Carnival to only allow Carnival to book the excursions. We searched a hotel in Cozumel, picked one, then told them we were staying there. Had no problems. Just don't take your carnival towel with you to the excursion. :D

Or, get your cake and eat it too. Book thru Carnival and submit Best Price Guarantee claim. :D

110% back of the difference in price and also peace of mind. :)

That's what I did,YMMV. ;)

Don't know about Grand Cayman, but had the same problem through Channukaab (sp?) in Cozumel. Apparently they have a contract with Carnival to only allow Carnival to book the excursions. We searched a hotel in Cozumel, picked one, then told them we were staying there. Had no problems. Just don't take your carnival towel with you to the excursion. :D

Only problem with this approach is if they do find out that you are booked with CCL they will likely cancel your excursion with no refund.

OP, this is not an uncommon tactic for tour operators and cruise ships (Unexso in the Bahamas does the same thing).

Since Grand Cayman is a tender port, telling them you are staying on the island could be costly if the ship is unable to call on the island.

I don't make a habit of lying, but we did that too for our group of five people two weeks ago. We said we were staying at a hotel on the island instead of coming from the cruise ship. We saved a bundle instead of booking through the cruise ship. No other way around it.

If you have a major problem with fibbing, you'll have to pay through the cruise line. I slept just fine. :p

Only problem with this approach is if they do find out that you are booked with CCL they will likely cancel your excursion with no refund.

 

OP, this is not an uncommon tactic for tour operators and cruise ships (Unexso in the Bahamas does the same thing).

Just like the risk I take any time I book through a private company and for some reason the ship doesn't make port. A risk we take and it paid off.

I don't make a habit of lying, but we did that too for our group of five people two weeks ago. We said we were staying at a hotel on the island instead of coming from the cruise ship. We saved a bundle instead of booking through the cruise ship. No other way around it.

If you have a major problem with fibbing, you'll have to pay through the cruise line. I slept just fine. :p

if its the same excursion, why not book with Carnival and use their guarantee about beating anyones prices?

So my questions are if you say you are staying at a hotel, won't they come by the hotel to pick you up? Do you choose one close to the cruise port and walk there? What if they show up and you aren't there? Do they leave without you?

if its the same excursion, why not book with Carnival and use their guarantee about beating anyones prices?

In our case at Chanukaab, the park offers a variety if different swim packages. The one we wanted to do (Royal Swim) was not offered through Carnival. It offered a lot more things to do with the dolphins.

Just two weeks ago I went with Captain Marvin's on my own but was on a Carnival cruise. That should not be a problem with them - I would try again.

I booked a tour for a dolphin swim with the same company that carnival uses in Cozumel but at a cheaper rate. If I add the price of transportation and snorkeling in an aquarium, which carnival includes, the price is about the same but carnivals tour is only a dolphin interaction and the dolphinaris tour includes free upgrade to a dolphin ride and swim. The best price guarantee would be difficult to obtain since the company's don't always offer exactly the same tour to the public. The tour would have to be identical and at a lower price for carnival to refund the difference.

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Where can I find the best price guarantee policy? I never heard of it.

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Where can I find the best price guarantee policy? I never heard of it.

 

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http://www.carnival.com/request-forms/shore-excursion-best-price-guarantee.aspx

Just two weeks ago I went with Captain Marvin's on my own but was on a Carnival cruise. That should not be a problem with them - I would try again.

Never heard that Capt Marvin became a Carnival contractor. Very surprising.

Can you just show up at Chakanaab Park and pay to get in. Just planned to snorkel and swim.

We went directly to the park and booked there. Took a cab to it, paid admission and signed up for the Royal Swim. This was back in 2006 and I don't know if the rules changed but we saved around $70 pp, doing it ourselves.

Can you just show up at Chakanaab Park and pay to get in. Just planned to snorkel and swim.

That you can do. I'd guess you could also sign up for Dolphin Swims if all the slots aren't taken.

Just like the risk I take any time I book through a private company and for some reason the ship doesn't make port. A risk we take and it paid off.

If one is aware of the consequences one can make an informed decision about whether to risk it or not. The one private excursion that I booked included a guarantee that if the ship didn't arrive in port they would issue a refund. I wouldn't even consider a private excursion without such assurance, but that might be just me.

Just like the risk I take any time I book through a private company and for some reason the ship doesn't make port. A risk we take and it paid off.

All reputable tour operators will issue a refund if you the ship isn't able to call on the port.

Or, get your cake and eat it too. Book thru Carnival and submit Best Price Guarantee claim. :D

 

110% back of the difference in price and also peace of mind. :)

 

That's what I did,YMMV. ;)

Wow I really would love to get a price match but they will probably come up with some excuse I am certain. I called Carnival and asked if I can cancel the excursion if I find a better price and she said yes. She never even mentioned the guarantee!

But I will definitely try it.

Thanks.

I've been running across the issue of some independent tour operators only allowing Carnival ship passengers to book through the ship. It infuriates me that Carnival is attempting to monopolize the excursion industry this way. The tour operators that I have seen on the Internet will allow passengers of all other cruise lines to book independently. The PRINCIPLE of the whole thing aggravates me.

I've been running across the issue of some independent tour operators only allowing Carnival ship passengers to book through the ship. It infuriates me that Carnival is attempting to monopolize the excursion industry this way. The tour operators that I have seen on the Internet will allow passengers of all other cruise lines to book independently. The PRINCIPLE of the whole thing aggravates me.

Totally agree. It actually says on Captain Marvin's website that they will not book with Carnival guests only. I guess now that Carnival has the excursion best price guarantee they have to make sure no one will give us a price whatsoever.

I've been running across the issue of some independent tour operators only allowing Carnival ship passengers to book through the ship. It infuriates me that Carnival is attempting to monopolize the excursion industry this way. The tour operators that I have seen on the Internet will allow passengers of all other cruise lines to book independently. The PRINCIPLE of the whole thing aggravates me.

I'm just going to point out that it's not just Carnival that does this. There are tour operators in many ports that have exclusive rights with specific cruise lines and will not book privately if the people trying to book are on one of the cruise lines that has a contract with them.

It's just business. If an excursion operator can get a better deal by contracting with a cruiseline, they will.

I'm just going to point out that it's not just Carnival that does this. There are tour operators in many ports that have exclusive rights with specific cruise lines and will not book privately if the people trying to book are on one of the cruise lines that has a contract with them.

 

It's just business. If an excursion operator can get a better deal by contracting with a cruiseline, they will.

Yes from the tour operators perspective its great knowing they have a sellout from those days that the ships are in port.

Worrying if they can fill all their spots each day is a huge concern for tour operators.