Are interline rates cheaper

[schultz]

Does anyone know if they are always cheaper than other rates offered. I have the opportunity to use it with my sister who works for an airline. Has anyone used those rates. Are the restrictive on your cabin types?

[Carnival Platinum Cruiser]

Does anyone know if they are always cheaper than other rates offered. I have the opportunity to use it with my sister who works for an airline. Has anyone used those rates. Are the restrictive on your cabin types?

 

Almost always the best rates available.

[mizLORInj]

Do a test on pricing; price it out yourself on Carnival.com and see what the other place offers in the form of OBC or some other amenity. Just make sure it's the same cabin category you are pricing.

Carnival no longer discounts its pricing. We got a nice OBC from a TA for our upcoming cruise; the cost was the same as if we booked with Carnival.com.

[LHP]

YEARS ago...Carnival used to also allow Cargo Airlines (UPS, Fed EX etc) to use Interline rates and that is all we used to book. They were wonderful.

 

Sadly, now Carnival only allows "people haulers".... but RCCL still allows Cargo haulers to use the discount.

 

Go for it!!!

 

Last time I checked was better than Past Guest and Senior rates but not as good as military or employee.....

[gapearl]

Definitely go with the interline rates. I've booked interline for all of my cruises. Also I have never gone through an interline agency like many airline employees do. A Carnival pvp can offer you interline discounts.

[firefly333]

Does anyone know if they are always cheaper than other rates offered. I have the opportunity to use it with my sister who works for an airline. Has anyone used those rates. Are the restrictive on your cabin types?

 

Like all rates, it may not be available if you have one particular cruise in mind.

 

There are TA sites that show interline rates, but we cant name them.

[schultz]

Thanks for your replies. She works for Lufthansa so I will give it a try.

[vegasnine]

I have used an interline TA for every one of my cruises and I can tell you they've always been cheaper - like hundreds cheaper. I recommend it - likely she can extend the "friends and family" rate to you - it won't be quite as inexpensive as an employee rate - but it's likely to still be cheaper.

 

As for your question about restrictions. You can book any available cabin at the time. You can select your cabin and everything else.

 

The only issue about going through an Interline agency is they have to many any changes / requests for you which is not any different than a travel agency booking.

 

Good luck - happy cruising.

[KenMo]

I've always booked Interline rates until Carnival started the ES program.

 

I've found ES to be cheaper. Just my experience.

 

Plus, with ES, you can get the discounts up to 2 business days before sailing. Not so with Interline.

 

There are some restrictions, but so far, it's worked well for me.

[Carnival Platinum Cruiser]

YEARS ago...Carnival used to also allow Cargo Airlines (UPS, Fed EX etc) to use Interline rates and that is all we used to book. They were wonderful.

 

Sadly, now Carnival only allows "people haulers".... but RCCL still allows Cargo haulers to use the discount.

 

Go for it!!!

 

Last time I checked was better than Past Guest and Senior rates but not as good as military or employee.....

 

Not any more, 99% of the time it is cheaper and in most cases way cheaper than military, PG, ES etc especially if sailing is within a few months.

[LHP]

I just checked our Liberty cruise and Interline would have saved us....$120 per person over past guest...

 

On our Destiny cruise, it would have only saved us $25.00 a person...

 

(for the same cabin)

 

Just some examples.....

[CruisinManiac]

Hey, I wonder if I can get the Interline rates because my son works at a UPS Store. :D

[joey shoes]

We booked a 7 day several months out - the interline rate was better than the early saver by $70/per person. The other benefit was that once you book the early saver, you can't change/cancel it - with the interline, you can.

[wadethegringo]

I have used INTERLINE rates for all my cruises. The last one on the Valor last month. Carnival will let you book directly with them. Norwegian an RC will not. They make you book thru interline company.

 

On the Valor, we booked and paid in full. One week prior to sailing the price dropped $90 per person. I called Carnival and was not given OBC but they did give me an upgrade cabin.

[schultz]

I just got a call back from my PVP & the interline was $10 more than the past guest rate for pur category on the Dream in March.

[airlink diva]

I found at times that the interline rates on some cruises are not always the lowest rates.

If you are looking at Caribbean cruises,esp the seven days or less and pack and go rates for this area, the rates are often lower than the cruiseline or a travel agent. The same goes for repo cruises sometimes. Segements of world cruises sometimes offer a great interline rate.

But if you are looking at Alaskan cruises, longer cruises (over seven days), or solo cruising, you can sometimes find a better rate by checking different sources (cruiseline website,online and regular travel agents).

Also, if you have a certain cruise in mind, it may or may not be offer under an interline rate. I made that mistake a few years back hoping that a certain cruise would be offer as an interline rate and it never was.

Sometimes the cruiselines offer even a better deal. I have coworkers (we work for a regional airline) that found a better deal on RCCL website than the interline rate that was offerred.

Also, with the interline rate, the cabin location may be not a great location. You rarely get upgrades also.

Your best bet is to check all sources to see what's the best rate.

[gogetter]

yes from what i was offered from the upsell fairies.

[airlink diva]

Does anyone know if they are always cheaper than other rates offered. I have the opportunity to use it with my sister who works for an airline. Has anyone used those rates. Are the restrictive on your cabin types?

 

Also with cabin types,esp with balconies, they may only have very few allotted to them. This was the case with one of my cruises, I call less than ten minutes from when the e-mail arrived and that sailing only had three balcony cabins. Or in another cruise, I prefer cabins that are on floor between cabins. We received one under a club and had noise until after 1 a.m. If we would had waited another week, the cruiseline had a sale on that sailing and cabins in a better location. The interline people couldn't move us and we were stuck with a so so cabin.

[luckycruzer]

are I'line rates..very few have been Past guest, or Fla Resid, or Sr. And some are direct w/line as TA cant book my cat w/I'line rate..pays to check all

[salty dingo]

What are the qualifications for Inteline rates? Do you have to be an employee or close relative of an airline employee? Or just know someone who is?

 

I ask because DW works for a major automobile manufacturer, and there are rates only employees can get (A Plan) and rates she can give a certain amount per year to anyone she knows (X Plan) and they are a bit different but noy by much.

[luckycruzer]

ie: my Dh's only let me/my cabns book it, and fly cheeeep..not even his DD, ect. They code share w/ DL/Alaska/ and some small obscure Alaska ones. Delta works for me.

[wadethegringo]

What are the qualifications for Inteline rates? Do you have to be an employee or close relative of an airline employee? Or just know someone who is?

 

I ask because DW works for a major automobile manufacturer, and there are rates only employees can get (A Plan) and rates she can give a certain amount per year to anyone she knows (X Plan) and they are a bit different but noy by much.

 

Carnival offers interline discounts on select sailings to customers who are currently employed full-time with a domestic or international commercial passenger airline, other cruise lines, Airline Pilots' Association (ALPA), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), International Airlines Travel Agent Network (IATAN), National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), Amtrak, Worldspan, Sabre, Galileo, and Amadeus. These guests may book two staterooms at the interline discount for themselves and their immediate family members, including interline eligible guest's spouse, parents and dependent children age 21 or younger, as long as one interline eligible guest is traveling on the same ship and sailing date. The Spouse or Parent of an interline eligible guest may book one stateroom if the interline eligible guest is not traveling. Retired airline employees are also eligible to book one stateroom provided the airline is still in operation. Qualifying interline personnel must submit a photocopy of their company photo ID via fax to Carnival at the time of booking. Carnival will charge guests the standard market rate if they do not receive proper documentation within 48 hours of booking.

[CruzVinnieCruz]

What are the qualifications for Inteline rates? Do you have to be an employee or close relative of an airline employee? Or just know someone who is?

 

I ask because DW works for a major automobile manufacturer, and there are rates only employees can get (A Plan) and rates she can give a certain amount per year to anyone she knows (X Plan) and they are a bit different but noy by much.

 

To use interline rates is the same rules as military rates in the employee has to be booked in the room unless they are having a friends and family rate. Some cruise lines allow the airline employee to book multiple cabins but in any case the employee has to be on the cruise.

 

Carnival military rate uses the exact rate code as interline rates the only difference is there is less availability for the military rate than the interline rate on most all cruises.

 

On rare occasion we have found ES or past to be a little cheaper but we usually wait on those cruises and they eventually drop to where the interline rate is cheaper. Plus unlike ES we do not have a non refundable deposit.

 

Vinnie

[SMSACE6]

The best interline rates I have seen are usually within a two or three weeks of the cruise departure date. So you have to have that flexibility of being able to arrange time off from work if nec, as well as find a good airfare if you need to fly to your departure port. Occasionally you can find a good rate a couple of months or more out. I havent used one in several years though, as I have been able to get comparable rates by dealing directly through the cruiseline, but certainly worth checking out.:)

[CruzVinnieCruz]

The best interline rates I have seen are usually within a two or three weeks of the cruise departure date. So you have to have that flexibility of being able to arrange time off from work if nec, as well as find a good airfare if you need to fly to your departure port. Occasionally you can find a good rate a couple of months or more out. I havent used one in several years though, as I have been able to get comparable rates by dealing directly through the cruiseline, but certainly worth checking out.:)

 

If the interliner is an airline employee than they are flying for next to nothing. Our experience with interline rates is they that they beat the Carnival going rate 95% of the time and on other cruise lines they are even a better deal. We book early and do like everyone else watch the rates and if the rates drop we get the discount but we have also done last minute cruises and have gotten excellent rates.

 

Happy cruising,

Vinnie