Ken076

If it was noon i think i would have kept the reservation as is. But, i was paranoid after thinking about it last night and even though it costs me 200 bucks to change, having that peace of mind is worth it. Also got a good rate at Century Plaza. So i guess i will have to relax that night. i am glad i asked instead of rolling with it. My luck SFO would have been fogged in!

I think you did the right thing. ENJOY. Ken

Cruise Fair Paid (per person) :: Vacation Protection Cost (per person)

$0 - $400 :: $49

$401 - $500 :: $65

$501 - $600 :: $79

$601 - $800 :: $95

$801 - $1,000 :: $109

$1,001 - $1,200 :: $119

$1,201 - $1,400 :: $129

$1,401 - $1,600 :: $149

$1,601 - $1,800 :: $159

$1,801 + :: $189

Note (as stated) that the premium is based only on the cruisefare, excluding the refundable "Govt Fees and Taxes" and any pre-paid gratuities.

Compare the coverage against other 3rd party policies, which usually offer much higher and more extensive coverages for a lower premium.

Ken

You're cutting it way too close. A 4PM ship's departure means that you have to check-in well before that time, arriving in Vancouver you also have to go thru Canadian Customs, and it's maybe a 1/2 hour ride from airport to the ship.

See the Policy at http://www.carnival.com/~/media/CCLUS/Images/pdf/vacation-protection-pdf.ashx Part A for Independently booked Air ( your Common Carrier is delayed due to inclement weather which prevents you from reaching your destination and the delay causes you to miss more than 50% of your Cruise Vacation). and Trip Delay. It also looks to me that in an emergency you could cancel up to ship departure and receive 75% future cruise credit.

I'd change to an earlier flight or re-schedule a day earlier, stay at Pan Pacific or Fairmont at the port and see some of Vancouver.

ken

Generally for the promo rates like Military, Resident, Senior, Military... you can get a fare reduction up to final payment deadline. With Early Saver (and it's added restrictions) you can get fare reductions up to several days before sailing. Your price matching has to be for same sailing, same Cabin Category and Occupancy. Other Rates you have to read the fine print. Ken

After you already got approved for OBC due to price drop then when you monitor daily do you look for a price drop under the *new price or the *original price you paid??? Thank you! ;)

"new price". ken

45 days out is well after the final payment deadline. Except for ES, Carnival doesn't price match after Final Payment date - I don't know of other lines that do this?

If the price drop had occurred w/in 48 hours of your booking, you could have gotten a price drop via the 48-hour price protection guarantee.

If it's any consolation, If the fare for a category above yours drops to/below what you paid, you can normally get an upgrade to that Category.

Ken

is there a way to tell if I booked early saver on my booking? thanks in advance!

Call your Booking Agent. Otherwise check "Guest Notes" toward rear of your Booking Confirmation and the restrictions should sound like the Early Saver's restrictions - I've never seen Carnival actuially state the Booking Type (Early Saver, Military, Resident....). Ken

Yes, is there an easier way to check this?

Try the FareViewer at http://www.carnival.com/bookingengine/fareviewer - it's a little less work, but doesn't show Military rates. Ken

So, my mom booked over the phone a couple months ago for a cruise in March. She normally cruises Disney and this is her first Carnival (it is for a wedding for a relative). How can we tell if she booked an ES rate or not? When we log into her account, I see nowhere where it indicates the type of rate that was booked. (I booked an Last Call Early Saver just a couple of weeks ago -- and mine also doesn't say anywhere -- I just knew that I had done it, but she doesn't know.)

 

So -- is there somewhere where we can look on her account and see if she has an ES rate or not?

 

She does have a PVP -- so I guess she could call and ask -- it would just be more convenient if there was a quick way for us to just look and check.

 

- John...

If you don't have a Booking Confirmation (you can infer the Booking from the Guest Note(s) toward end of document) you're pretty much stuck with calling your booking agent. ken

Supposedly, if you are booked Early Saver you can, One time only, give-up your assigned cabin and ES rate for the Guarantee rate and Carnival assigned cabin. Ken

You need to manually compare the mock booking (or fare viewer) fare against your already booked fare. Ken

The Cruiselines quote fares as "CruiseFare" + "Government Fees & Taxes".

Travel Agents do not get commission on the entire Cruisefare and breakout the "NonCommisionable Fare" (NCF) portion separate from the Cruisefare (and often lump it with "Government Fees and Taxes"). The TA quote is generally "Commissionable Cruise Fare" + (NCF + Govt Fees & Taxes).

Ken

This is the first time we booked early saver for our cruise. We have yet to receive any price drops, which doesn't bother me since I know so far I've gotten the best price. Today I saw the 12 hour promotion for a guaranteed category. If we switch to that rate we would get $160 on board credit. We are currently on the list deck in a balcony, our first time on the list deck. Would you stay or go with the lower rate to get the on board credit?

With Early Saver you're allowed to give up your assigned cabin switch ONCE to a Guarantee, I believe no further price drops though for the Guarantee - you might have to be persistent to get this. Ken

I booked early saver and it hasn't helped me. I won't do it again. The lower fares I've seen I was told were for new bookings only. I have just made final payment so I will see what happens next. If some time during the next three months I get a price drop, I may feel differently. So far, I have been locked into a cruise and have not seen any benefits at all. I live in Fl so don't need to book early and I won't do it again. If you live some place that you need a flight, it may be different. From now on I will do last minute bookings. This board has several places where this has been hashed out many tines. Do a search and read it all and make your decision. If your cabin choice is limited, you would take a chance on not getting it if you wait and the chance of a price drop is small.

The "new bookings only" restriction does not apply to Early Saver price drops, but often you have to be persistent if you're initially turned-down for this reason.

Additionally, with Early Saver you're allowed to (ONCE) turn your assigned cabin in and "move" to a Guarantee offering; I believe you no longer get price drops for the Guarantee. Again you may have to be persistent to get this. Ken

This looks to be the relevant part of the National Cruise Week Terms & Conditions (2014) for the National Cruise Week Sale: http://ncvw.cruising.org/member-lines-support/carnival-cruise-lines and indicates a reduced, nonrefundable deposit for bookings outside of the final payment due date.

The Terms & Conditions for your booking should be toward the end of your Booking Confirmation under "Guest Notes" It's surprising/disappointing if the Booking Agent didn't mention this caveat!

Ken

For any of the military, past guest, resident, etc., rates you can get price drops up to final payment date; if you book ES you can get price drops up to several days before sailaway.

Ken

You compare cruisefare. Having said that, you may also want to check the "Govt Fees and Taxes" which vary a bit and if you do a fare drop any increase in those "Govt Fees and Taxes" will (likely) be charged at that time. ken

Any Category 4G, no matter where located. Ken

We booked our May (early saver) cruise in January and chose an inside cabin. Later, we decided that a balcony might be fun and had the TA upgrade the reservation. Just for kicks, I checked my VIFP offers on the Carnival site and see that our exact cabin is now $100 cheaper. Is that something that would qualify as the kind of price drop we should be credited for? Or is it a different kind of booking? I haven't checked the ES price yet to see if it's had a similar drop.

 

Also, if we do have the opportunity for OBC, do I call Carnival directly or my TA?

 

Thanks!

You will still be Early Saver and you can get price drops for any promo rate (your state, past guest, military.....) that you're eligible for. When you spot a price drop it will have to be submitted via your TA - it's a good idea to get a screenshot or printout of the price drop and terms. ken

I am interested in the medical portion, and curious...what causes you to choose outside policies vs. Carnival? Is it just because of cost? Are the benefits significantly better on one vs. the other?

 

For our 7-day cruise, the Carnival insurance is around $100. I am trying to decide what to do. Are there 'major' companies that routinely provide outside policies you'd recommend, or should we stick with something like USAA?

 

I am cruising with a friend. Am I allowed to purchase for myself if she is not covered?

Carnival's Policy covers $10,000 medical which IMO is woefully inadequate and the MedEvac coverage IMO is marginal. You can do much better on these coverages alone with most 3rd party policies.

CSA, TravelEx, TravelInsured....are popular insurers each with a number of differing policies/coverages/ prices to choose from. USAA offers TravelInsured with a few increased coverages at a slightly lower premium.

If you purchase Policy within 14-21 days of booking you can get "waiver of pre-existing conditions" with most policies except Carnival's.

Again, if you book with a WorlMastercard (and some others) you can get minimal cancellation/delay coverage and lost/delayed luggage coverage included; check your Health Insurance for out-of-country coverage.

ken

As an alternative, World Mastercard (and others) include (generally minimal) trip cancellation and luggage loss/delay coverage. Check your health insurance (other than Medicare) for out-of-country benefits; some at least cover out-of-country under out-of-network benefits. Ken

You might find that when you book on ship, the booking automatically goes to the "current agent on record", be it TA or Carnival PVP. You might ask about this. Ken

The "govt Fees & Taxes" that you see called out separately on the CruiseLine sites allows cruiselines to pass thru various (not well-defined) fees to cruisers; these fees are not totally "nailed-down" until just before or just after sailaway, and when they are, cruisers usually get a small refund of the difference (as credit to shipboard account)if they've dropped since booking. ken

If you booked Early Saver you can get price drops for any fare that you're eligible for up to several days before sailaway.

For most of the promo rates (Resident, Past Guest, Military....) you can get price drops up to Final Payment; after final payment you can usually get an upgrade to a higher category if it's fare falls below your fare.

If you apply for a price drop and the Govt Fees & Taxes has increased since you booked, you'll generally be charged the increase.

The 48-Hour Price Guarantee gives you 110% of the difference if you find a lower fare within 48 hours of booking.