Beware of Future Cruise Desk - Carnival Splendor

[John&John]

I like the program but would change one thing, I'd like to apply the certificate and not mail it in at all let alone certified, cause it's a lot of trouble and expense, that's how Norwegian works. Just call it in to your TA or PVP tell them you want to use it, give them the certificate number and be done with it.

 

This may just be one more step that some people might not do :eek:. Makes the program all the more profitable.

 

I wonder what would happen if you lost the certificate (even if you have a copy)! :confused:

 

They also don't mention in the literature how to get your money back if you decide you want to.

 

There was literature that stated the two options and it was easy to understand, but the internet service was ridiculously slow especially for the Carnival site and it was too much trouble to try to decide on a cruise while on board.

 

I do agree however that the staff running the desk could use more training. When I bought mine they asked for my sign and sail card so I checked my portfolio to make sure it went through. I had to go back tot he desk to make sure all was OK, when she told me that it gets charged directly to my credit card. Not that it makes much of a difference, but I didn't approve that direct charge.

[halos]

They should do what NCL does and apply the credit to the cruise you are on for instant reward.

 

:cool:

 

AMEN to that!!

That's a great program. I have two of those deposits I need to use.

At first you had 2 years to book. NOW they give you 4 years.

(not that I need 4 years :eek: perish the thought!)

It's a no-brainer to buy a cruise rewards certificate on an NCL cruise. :D

 

I don't buy them on Carnival.

[kelz66]

Far be it from me to defend Carnivals (lack of) Customer Service, but the Future Cruise desk's sole purpose is to 'sell' the OBC certificates.. they are not PVPs... If/Once you decided on a cruise to book, they would help you out with that but from what I understand, that is not what they are there for.

I agree with Kelz.. they can make it much easier, like NCL.. :)

 

yep...basicly you get a 200.00 cruise credit for 100.00.

 

They (NCL) charge your S&S account the 200.00 for the cruise certificate...and then imediately apply the 100.00 credit...instant gratification.

 

Carnival charges 200.00 and holds your credit until your next cruise.

[John&John]

I'd never buy one of those certificates. They 'punish' solo travelers for traveling solo. If the certificate is for $100 OBC and the reduced deposit for booking a cabin, then it should be that way for the all bookings. Why should us solo travelers pay the same price for a certificate and get less than it's full value. Simply put, that's highway robbery! If I pay the same price for the certificate for a cabin that someone else does... I should get the same value towards the cabin that someone else does.

 

Perhaps, but when you buy the certificate you have to get another full fare paying person in your cabin to get the $100 OBC.

 

I know I have to split that $100, so I only end up with $50.

 

It's unfortunate that solo travelers have to pay so dearly to cruise.

[trock]

AMEN to that!!

That's a great program. I have two of those deposits I need to use.

At first you had 2 years to book. NOW they give you 4 years.

(not that I need 4 years :eek: perish the thought!)

It's a no-brainer to buy a cruise rewards certificate on an NCL cruise. :D

 

I don't buy them on Carnival.

 

yep...basicly you get a 200.00 cruise credit for 100.00.

 

They (NCL) charge your S&S account the 200.00 for the cruise certificate...and then imediately apply the 100.00 credit...instant gratification.

 

Carnival charges 200.00 and holds your credit until your next cruise.

 

 

Could not agree more.. NCL made it easy and they didn't pretent to be able to book cruises.. What they didn't know, they admitted.. Everything was in writing -

A complete no brainer!! Since it was so easy and rewarding.. guess what.. we all booked with NCL again.. ! Smart Marketing!

[kelz66]

AMEN to that!!

That's a great program. I have two of those deposits I need to use.

At first you had 2 years to book. NOW they give you 4 years.

(not that I need 4 years :eek: perish the thought!)

It's a no-brainer to buy a cruise rewards certificate on an NCL cruise. :D

 

I don't buy them on Carnival.

 

I used mine as a deposit on my next cruise....and if for some reason I have to cancell before final payment...they just transfer it back to the future cruise credit or any other booking I want.

 

If Carnival copied that model they would increase the sales of the certificates. :D

[trock]

I used mine as a deposit on my next cruise....and if for some reason I have to cancell before final payment...they just transfer it back to the future cruise credit or any other booking I want.

 

If Carnival copied that model they would increase the sales of the certificates. :D

 

 

Yep.. and this could easily replace the $50 Welcome Home program... that they did away with.. the OBC goes right back into their pocket!

[kelz66]

Yep.. and this could easily replace the $50 Welcome Home program... that they did away with.. the OBC goes right back into their pocket!

 

When did they do away with that??? :eek:

 

I'm using one on my cruise next month....I did book it 18 months ago...LOL :p

[trock]

When did they do away with that??? :eek:

 

I'm using one on my cruise next month....I did book it 18 months ago...LOL :p

 

 

I thought that went the way of the 45 day letter? :confused:

[firefly333]

There was literature that stated the two options and it was easy to understand, but the internet service was ridiculously slow especially for the Carnival site and it was too much trouble to try to decide on a cruise while on board.

 

I do agree however that the staff running the desk could use more training. When I bought mine they asked for my sign and sail card so I checked my portfolio to make sure it went through. I had to go back tot he desk to make sure all was OK, when she told me that it gets charged directly to my credit card. Not that it makes much of a difference, but I didn't approve that direct charge.

 

If you filled out the form to buy a FCC you approved the charge. Thats the only way they are charged. They looked at your S&S perhaps to verify the spelling on your name and cabin # to bill it to.

 

It would make no difference which they charged it to, S&S or direct to your credit card on file ... you approved the charge by requested to buy a FCC... thats what approving charge means (from someone who worked at Amex).

[firefly333]

When did they do away with that??? :eek:

 

I'm using one on my cruise next month....I did book it 18 months ago...LOL :p

 

Iv got a WB credit applied to my next January cruise ... so I cant apply a FCC they arent combinable.

 

.. but I still have a booking with a WB credit as well.

[kelz66]

I thought that went the way of the 45 day letter? :confused:

 

*****...that went away too? :eek:

 

Well as I said...I booked the cruise 18 months ago after my October cruise...so I got it applied then...I assume they stopped it since then.

 

How did I miss the complaining about that on here??? :rolleyes::p

[kelz66]

Iv got a WB credit applied to my next January cruise ... so I cant apply a FCC they arent combinable.

 

.. but I still have a booking with a WB credit as well.

 

I was able to combine my WB credit with my swine credit.

 

:D

[gargoyle999]

If the certificate is for $100 OBC and the reduced deposit for booking a cabin

 

I've never cruised solo so I'm not sure how all that works. But there is no reduced deposit for using the FCC on Carnival. Deposit is the same, you get $100 off your final payment and the OBC based on number of days sailing and solo or not apparently.

[trock]

*****...that went away too? :eek:

 

Well as I said...I booked the cruise 18 months ago after my October cruise...so I got it applied then...I assume they stopped it since then.

 

How did I miss the complaining about that on here??? :rolleyes::p

You know what.. my memory is all over the place lately.. perhaps I am confused.. I tried searching for it on here and of course.. can not because the search feature sucks

[kelz66]

You know what.. my memory is all over the place lately.. perhaps I am confused.. I tried searching for it on here and of course.. can not because the search feature sucks

 

 

LMAO.....maybe I should start a thread asking and see how many different answers I get...:p

 

i'll see what I can find on Carnivals site. :D

 

done...............

 

LMAO...of course I searched there and found nothing on either subject.

[firefly333]

I was able to combine my WB credit with my swine credit.

 

:D

 

I think I was accused last night on a thread of being a swine. You mean I can get a credit for that :eek: :rolleyes:

[trock]

LMAO.....maybe I should start a thread asking and see how many different answers I get...:p

 

i'll see what I can find on Carnivals site. :D

 

done...............

 

LMAO...of course I searched there and found nothing on either subject.

 

 

Yea start a thread.. that way we will get yes, no, never existed, still exists, you are screwing carnival out of $50, blah blah blah

 

I could not find it on CC or Carnival.. Shocking!

[kelz66]

I think I was accused last night on a thread of being a swine. You mean I can get a credit for that :eek: :rolleyes:

 

SURE!!! :D

 

Yea start a thread.. that way we will get yes, no, never existed, still exists, you are screwing carnival out of $50, blah blah blah

 

I could not find it on CC or Carnival.. Shocking!

 

figures.....well maybe when I get back from my cruise, I'll call Carnival to book and ask for the welcome back credit....when they say it no longer exists, I'll say nevermind then...LOL :p

[Mrs. Squirrel]

the way you are explaining ...you always get $100 OBC.

 

You only get $50 OBC on a 5 day ... and still have the expense of certified mail to mail it into Miami ...if you are booking after the cruise... you dont always get $100 OBC

 

Yeah, you are right. That could be confusing for others reading this thread. My apologies. I only used the $100 because, for our family, anything less than a 7 day is cost prohibitive with the airfare charges.

 

I sure wish the Carnival employee had passed out something in writing about this program during his presentation so we could have caught his error! I have lived, and learned to always check CC before I travel for the latest info and not just post on my Roll calls.

[pulledporky]

If Carnival copied that model they would increase the sales of the certificates. :D

 

I'm not sure what the marketing strategy is on these. If their goal was to sell all these they can, why not offer them directly from the CCL website?

[trock]

Because while you are on board enjoying the cruise, charging up the S&S .. you are more likely to purchase..

[LHP]

it doesnt say this on the certificates. In fact it doesnt list 9 day cruises at all, skips them ... says 12 days or longer you get $200 OBC

 

Where did you get the info on 9 day cruises??? any sources?? people have been wanting to fill in this ommission... so Id like to know if you have a official source.

 

firefly...you are correct. On a 9 day you get $100. We just used one on our 9 day cruise on the Dream.

[newt98]

i bought one of those credits last year on our cruise, then when i went to use it this year, they said it would only be worth the 100 i paid because i got the $50 credit for booking last year within thirty days of our return. so from the way i understand this voucher, it's not valuable unless you don;t have any other discounts being used. basically they have my hundy, and i can get that back, but if i want ther full two hundy, then i can't use other sales and credits. i feel it is a bit deceiving. i paid 100 to get 200, period. should be that simple, but of course....:rolleyes:

[Crystalbast]

I did not buy a second certificate.

 

I was talking about two issues:

1. The $100 future booking certificate with OBC for the 7 day cruise (I don't do the shorter cruises). The point I was making is that I was specifically told that only 3 cruise ships offered the OBC, a point that, once they told me the names of the 3 ships I knew was inaccurate because the ship that I received my OBC credit was not one of the three listed ships. I did not imply that ALL ships had the OBC offer with the deposit but that there was for sure more than 3, ergo the Carnival employee was stating incorrect information. It is also correct that Carnival does not clearly reveal to its customers that single customers only receive the $50 OBC prior to paying the $100 deposit. I found that out the hard way on the Valor. On the Splendor one of my table mates was happy about the $100 OBC she was going to get for her $100 deposit. Guess what, she was a solo traveler. Same issue on 2 different ships. I set her straight and she went back down and asked for the charge to be reverser. Guess what - the wouldn't reverse the charge. She would have to wait until she got home and talk to Carnival HQ.

 

2. They can also book your future cruise while you are on board. However, helpfulness was not part of the agenda. They didn't want to actually help you figure out what you wanted to do. You were specifically told to go to the Internet Room, use the free access to carnival.com to do all your own leg work and then, go back upstairs to the Future Cruise Desk and they would book it for you. My point is - who needs them then.

 

I was not surprised by what the employees were telling me at the time because I recognized immediately what was inaccurate information.

 

By the way, that desk didn't get anywhere near as much business as the desk on the Valor did. I would say that the customer service by the lady on the Valor played a huge roll in the increased business on that ship. Her personality brought people towards her, the guys on the Splendor were more repellant. I base by assessment by the lack of activity on the Splendor's desk.