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Booking through Carnival or cruise agency


beshears
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I have never booked through Carnival before, I always used a cruise agent, even though I generally have most of the info ready for the agent, so they really don't have much work to put into it, other than getting a room for us, etc. that probably a Carnival agent could do the same.

 

 

If you have booked through Carnival, have you run into any problems that you could not get resolved "before" the cruise?

 

 

If you book through Carnival and the price goes down for the same deck/room, will they give you a credit, or do they keep it at the price that I paid when booking it?

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We use a travel agent who gives us onboard credit to spend on the ship.

If you book direct and Carnival's Early Saver Rate, I believe the price can be adjusted down till sail date. Check it out. It is a non-refundable deposit though.

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I'd never use a travel agent but that's just me. The $50 or whatever they give in OBC just isn't worth it to me. I always book directly with Carnival so I don't have a middle man involved in my travel plans. When I book through Carnival I have a PVP so if I have any issues I have a direct contact at Carnival I deal with rather than having to call the call-center and deal with random people.

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I book directly thought Carnival. I really don’t like not having control of my booking. I also don’t feel the need to have a PVP. Any issue I might have can be resolved by customer service. If the price goes down I fill out a price match form online. It couldn’t be any easier.

 

 

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I received a bunch of bids for two cruises. The best offer I received was an extra $25 OBC more than Carnival. I think the people getting extra OBC are those booking at peak pricing or expensive rooms. I usually book Early Saver or during the limited time sales.

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When we book with our TA we get OBC (usually about $50/room) as well as a cash refund when we return home. This time we got $50 obc per room with the cruiseline, $50 obc from the TA, then we got $75 per room cash refund about a month after we got home. Can't beat that! Plus we didn't have to pay the down payment when we booked because we've book several cruises with them. It's a win win for us.

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I also use an online TA. On our last cruise in April, I ended up with $225 OBC, $50 from Carnival and $175 from the TA. I have already booked a Thanksgiving 2019 cruise and I have $50 from Carnival and the TA is throwing in $200 OBC for a total of $250. The TA I use have never been hard to get in touch with and they have always gotten the price drops that I ask for in just a few minutes of me calling.

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I've used a PVP and a TA in the past. I booked my next cruise directly on the Carnival website. I got a $50 OBC. Like other on here say - I feel like I get more control by booking directly with the cruiseline. I travel a lot, though. If you are new to cruising, I would suggest a PVP or a TA. They will help you with deciding on your cabin style, etc...

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has anyone booked their next cruise from the boat of their current cruise? It seems like they give good discounts there if you know which one you want to go on next.

 

They don't anymore. Can get the same deal for up to two weeks after you get home.

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Still reading good answers, and that is how we all learn, but "asking" questions.:)

 

 

What is a PVP? Is that an agent with Carnival that you deal with directly? As I said, I believe I pay at least about $100 more for my TA through an agency here in KC to do this booking for me.

 

 

If you have used an agent directly through Carnival, and find you have a problem, can you get this agent back, or do you just get the next cust rep that answers the phone?

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Still reading good answers, and that is how we all learn, but "asking" questions.:)

 

 

What is a PVP? Is that an agent with Carnival that you deal with directly? As I said, I believe I pay at least about $100 more for my TA through an agency here in KC to do this booking for me.

 

 

If you have used an agent directly through Carnival, and find you have a problem, can you get this agent back, or do you just get the next cust rep that answers the phone?

 

 

A PVP is your direct contact at Carnival. You can email/call them directly whenever you need to.

 

I am perplexed that people actually pay money to have someone make a booking for them? I'd never even heard of that. I always thought the people who used TAs got a free service out of them.

 

Not only would I never use a TA there's no way in hades I'd PAY someone to make a booking for me, that's FREE to make.

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When booking Carnival, I go direct with our trusted PVP of many years. But when booking other cruise lines, it pays to shop around because the pricing can change drastically from one to the other. Some cruise lines do offer preferential pricing to some TA’s. We’ve saved hundreds of dollars on cruise lines like Princess and Holland America by shopping around. But that’s not the case with Carnival.

 

 

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My online TA is free and I research enough to know exactly what I want. I usually average about $200 OBC from the TA, not including what Carinival may have in their offer. The extra OBC is the only reason I book with a TA. Some people think it is worth it and some do not. I have never had an issue with contacting the TA I use and having any issue resolved by the end of the day.

 

 

A PVP is your direct contact at Carnival. You can email/call them directly whenever you need to.

 

I am perplexed that people actually pay money to have someone make a booking for them? I'd never even heard of that. I always thought the people who used TAs got a free service out of them.

 

Not only would I never use a TA there's no way in hades I'd PAY someone to make a booking for me, that's FREE to make.

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Good suggestions and replies.:)

 

 

This may have been answered, but I will ask it again. If I book through Carnival and have paid some on it, but not the final balance, and find where the price has been lowered, before I pay the balance off, will Carnival give me a credit, or lower the price?

 

 

If I would find the price is lower, through "another" company like CC, VTG, etc. would Carnival acknowledge this?

 

 

Yes, since I have cruised with Carnival for years, my TA tells me Carnival will give me an OBC of $50 per room, or $25 pp. It is nice, but not anything I really have to have, if I could save some other way.

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I book through Costco. I usually get a $95 Costco gift card for booking, paying the same price as booking directly through Carnival or a PVP.

 

It only becomes an issue when trying to get price drops - waiting on hold for Costco Travel can get to be tiresome, but in the end it's a small inconvenience for the free Costco gift card that we get. $95 at Costco goes a long way for us.

 

Of course this won't do anything for you unless you're a Costco member. But AAA has a similar program (I believe they give you a Visa gift card for booking), and I'm sure many other companies have similar programs.

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If you book direct and the price drops before final payment, call Carnival and tell them what price you see and ask them to adjust it. if they refuse, cancel and rebook at the lower price. (as long as you did not book early saver rate). Also, if you speak with different people at Carnival (or any other line for that matter) you may get different answers. You can tell them it's less $ at some agency, but they will likely try to talk you into booking direct.

Our TA always gives OBC (sometimes in the hundreds) we never pay more than booking direct (and never would--people actually do that??) and if there's a price drop on any cruise before final $ I email or call her and she gets the price lowered. So easy.

People can book in whichever way they feel most comfortable. If you're curious about TA pricing, price a couple and see for yourself what the offers are.

 

Also, everyone, word of caution: CC does not want travel agencies named on this board.

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Haven't used a travel agent since the 1990's when I could start booking our own air and/or cruise travel online. We have cruised 46 times, including 33 times on Carnival. I booked all online and only contacted a Carnival or other cruise line rep if there was a need to change something about a booking or to respond to an upsell offer.

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I just got back in town, and thought I would check into this more, and "maybe" try going directly through Carnival.

 

 

Djptcp, since you go directly through Carnival and not an agent, my question, would it hurt to contact Carnival directly and have a person (same one) I can talk to each time that would know my needs/wants, like I have always done through a TA here in KC?

 

 

Also, by doing it directly, did you ever get an OBC? The reason I ask, normally when I book through the TA, I always get a $50 ($25 ea) OBC. I'm sure there is at least a $100 fee tag on to what I am charged, but I have never said anything, as it is blended in the breakdown of the fees/taxes, etc.

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I just got back in town, and thought I would check into this more, and "maybe" try going directly through Carnival.

 

 

Djptcp, since you go directly through Carnival and not an agent, my question, would it hurt to contact Carnival directly and have a person (same one) I can talk to each time that would know my needs/wants, like I have always done through a TA here in KC?

 

 

Also, by doing it directly, did you ever get an OBC? The reason I ask, normally when I book through the TA, I always get a $50 ($25 ea) OBC. I'm sure there is at least a $100 fee tag on to what I am charged, but I have never said anything, as it is blended in the breakdown of the fees/taxes, etc.

 

When you book directly through Carnival you can get a PVP (Personal Vacation Planner) and that person will be your "go-to" for everything. They know all of your needs/wants and you talk to the same person all of the time. If Carnival is offering a promotion where you get OBC then you get OBC. There are no fees or anything like that, it's completely free. (Aside from the cruise fare, of course)

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I have never booked through Carnival before, I always used a cruise agent, even though I generally have most of the info ready for the agent, so they really don't have much work to put into it, other than getting a room for us, etc. that probably a Carnival agent could do the same.

 

 

If you have booked through Carnival, have you run into any problems that you could not get resolved "before" the cruise?

 

 

If you book through Carnival and the price goes down for the same deck/room, will they give you a credit, or do they keep it at the price that I paid when booking it?

 

My advice,,,Always use a Carnival PVP, personal vacation planner!

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