do you get a better deal by calling Carnival?

[HeartNP]

or is booking online the same rate?

 

I am even looking at booking through American Express, so that I can use my points toward the trip (it will save me 700$!!). Looks like the prices online through Carnival and through Amex are the same, but wondering if you do better by actually talking to someone??

 

thanks!

[mcnabb3801]

No its the same price

[golfadj]

Not supposed to say name of TA.

[mondello]

or is booking online the same rate?

 

I am even looking at booking through American Express, so that I can use my points toward the trip (it will save me 700$!!). Looks like the prices online through Carnival and through Amex are the same, but wondering if you do better by actually talking to someone??

 

thanks!

You can do a mock booking on CCLs website to check their fare options. Be sure you are comparing the same thing with any other provider.

[firefly333]

Travel agents are not allowed to discount and if there is a way to get points applied, go for it. They cannot advertise lower prices than you see on CCL, no matter which TA you check.

[5waldos]

The big advantage of booking with a human is that they have all the cabin options. And also not all rates are shown all the time. So, for example, when I went to book 4 of us into a balcony, our PV was able to get us into two cabins across from one another (balcony and inside) for only about $20 more than 4 in one cabin.

 

Check to make sure that the AmEx rates include the taxes and port fees. In my experience, AmEx fares have generally been higher.

[cdamion]

Travel agents are not allowed to discount and if there is a way to get points applied, go for it. They cannot advertise lower prices than you see on CCL, no matter which TA you check.

 

Correct, but as you know some do offer various incentives like OBC's or free insurance which at the end of the day gives you something of a discount.

 

The trade-off is losing control of your booking. I am using a TA for my upcoming trip and the OBC isn't worth me not being able to deal with my reservation directly with Carnival.

[Sargent_Schultz]

Some travel agents do, in fact, still discount, although I doubt Amex does.

[5waldos]

Some travel agents do, in fact, still discount, although I doubt Amex does.

 

But they cannot advertise it. One online group has you email them for quotes- don't remember which one.

[JennLuvs2Cruise]

I prefer calling Carnival than booking online because sometimes you can't view all the cabins online or promotions / different rates.

[Vitality08]

I have to call in to see if there is a military rate.

 

On one particular cruise, the military rate was only $5 more than ES. I did military so as not to have so many restrictions. It was a good thing too, because I had to cancel that cruise.

[cnvh]

I booked through [popular auto club] this weekend and got fares that were $150pp better than what was on CCL's website, even though rates on [auto club]'s website were a little higher than CCL's website. The TA called CCL and did it on the phone right in front of us; I have no idea how they worked out such a better rate, but I'm not complaining. :D

 

ETA, looks like one price included port charges and one didn't. But it worked out to the same price as the CCL website anyway...

[BRT1948]

We book through Carnival and have used the same VP everytime. She does great. Because we have booked so much with her, she knows what we like and does a great job of finding something we like at the best price she can find.

[firefly333]

Correct, but as you know some do offer various incentives like OBC's or free insurance which at the end of the day gives you something of a discount.

 

The trade-off is losing control of your booking. I am using a TA for my upcoming trip and the OBC isn't worth me not being able to deal with my reservation directly with Carnival.

 

And there are unpublished prices some times very last minute that you cannot book thru a TA and only PVPs can book them.

 

So, there are exceptions. But for purposes of price matching, which the question was .. you can look at any advertised Carnival price.

[firefly333]

I booked through XXXXX this weekend and got fares that were $150pp better than what was on CCL's website, even though rates on [auto club]'s website were a little higher than CCL's website. The TA called CCL and did it on the phone right in front of us; I have no idea how they worked out such a better rate, but I'm not complaining. :D

 

ETA, looks like one price included port charges and one didn't. But it worked out to the same price as the CCL website anyway...

 

And for no savings now you have to go thru them for all price drops and gave up control of your booking. sucker!!! lol

 

TAs sure can be sneaky .. not including port charges in the estimate, sneaky. I'd say you were had.

[ChristiCruisin]

Booked with Carnival agent as I was doing this last minute trip and he was wonderful to work with. he was able to find that my Mom had traveled before so he got us discounts, he was able to assign our cabin to help my Mom as she has health issues, anything I wanted I could ask. I have even emailed him a couple times with random questions and he was wonderful enough to not think me an idiot and point me to the their web forums :)

 

My husband has booked with American Express before and says that they offer exceptional service as well.

 

Me personally? I will email the agent that helped me and ask for his help the next time I book a trip with Carnival.

[H82seaUgo]

Travel agents are not allowed to discount and if there is a way to get points applied, go for it. They cannot advertise lower prices than you see on CCL, no matter which TA you check.

 

they can't advertise, but you can certainly get better total charges from someone other than ccl.

 

i still bet better overall fares using an online ta.

[travler27]

I asked my Carnival PVP and she said there is no difference between the internet and calling her. She said she looks at the same price and availability pages that we do and she has no "inside" information regarding special prices. If folks select the proper boxes on the advanced search page they get the same price breaks that their PVP will provide. That's just what I was told.

 

Now, third party travel agents can do all kinds of things to provide incentives. From a free toaster to OBC's but I don't think they get those perks from the lines and have to provide them out of their own pockets/commissions. And you do give up control when you use a third party TA. Once you bookk thru a TA, Carnival won't even talk to you about changes and such.

[1948buddy]

I now book directly, and then I also talk to a Carnival TA who is great, for any unpublished advice. This way I can do my own Early Saver price guarantee form..Also, if you are looking at specific cabins, just do a mock booking,and the available cabins show up green... Carnival also now shows military rates, I served 4 years in the late 60's, and I qualify, but early saver rates are less. The military rate would be good for me if I was booking after early saver rate was past. I sent them my DD214, and they have it on file.

[Lovefuninthesun]

Correct, but as you know some do offer various incentives like OBC's or free insurance which at the end of the day gives you something of a discount.

.

 

?OBC?

 

Thanks

[firefly333]

they can't advertise, but you can certainly get better total charges from someone other than ccl.

 

i still bet better overall fares using an online ta.

 

I think you just agreed with me wow. First time.

 

I have never said that TAs cannot discount privately.

 

I keep answering the OPs question .. that the ADVERTISED rates are the same.

 

you are the 2nd person who states the obvious that we all know that some TAs are still discounting. I too am booking discounted rates on Carnival.

 

Im getting some good group rates on Carnival way below the advertised rates .. even CC official cruises, they put the prices that are not the same as advertised in a different section of CC so you have to sign in.

 

Do you not understand what I mean when I use the term ADVERTISED? I dont get why you bothered to repeat the obvious.

[firefly333]

I asked my Carnival PVP and she said there is no difference between the internet and calling her. .

 

... unless as I said above, there is a last minute unpublished rate.. then the rate is usually a lot lower. My PVP knows if its Galveston or NOLA I want to know about cheap last minute UNPUBLISHED fares. The ones NOT on the site.

[pattycake08]

I sailed last year on RCCL, & the year before on NCL, and my Third Party TA got me better rates than those advertised on those cruise lines website. Even the big wharehouse clubs were cheaper than the cruise websites. However, this year we will be going on Carnival & my same 3rd party TA that I used in the past could only get me the same published prices as on Carnival's website, but said he could get me $75 OBC. Does anyone know why my TA could get the discounts on RCCL & NCL, but not on Carnival?

[laumicmah]

?OBC?

 

Thanks

On board credit (money in your on board acount for you to use while on the cruise...toward things like spa, shops, bar drinks, casino, excursions, tips, etc.). OBC can be offered as incentive to book or you can get it by using a FCC (future cruise certificate that you purchased while on a cruise) or you can get it by owning CCL stock or by using the Carnival credit card..etc.