New Carnival rate structure

[David-n-Rita]

Too many people are taking advantage of ES and reaping record OBC. While they like the ES fares, they need to discourage so many people from booking interior cabins, refusing upgrades and sailing with 1000+ on OBC at cruise time because they refused to upgrade and went for the credit instead.

 

Making you take a guaranteed cabin in a category instead of one you pick to get the ES drops will cut about 3/4 of the people from suing the price guarantee option.

 

Personally, we will switch to guaranteed to preserved the price drops, but many people are too particular about the location of their cabins to do this.

 

And that is what Carnival is counting on.

[lisanjosh]

We have been planning to add a guest to our cabin, tomorrow. As it was up until yesterday, it would be $317.00 more, now it is $1,177 more for the 3rd person. Our pvp is calling us back shortly. This is crazy!

 

WOW!!! That is crazy!!!

[EnTnSA]

Our rates for the 23 June Magic sailing went up quite a bit.

 

I checked for early saver discounts yesterday and they went up from 3502 for 3 to over 4300 for 3. Quite a big jump in price, glad I booked when I did.

[traveling psych nurse]

We will continue to book early saver. Our last cruise with them dropped $800.00 after final payment.

[TravelDiva88]

I won't lie, I'm a bit disappointed. We had really been leaning toward the S. Carib itinerary out of San Juan, but the price jumped overnight by roughly 150 p/p, and that's if I'm willing to give up the flexibility to re-book, transfer, or cancel without losing my deposit.

[xostacylee]

Wow.. glad I booked the cruise when I did. Early Saver fees for my cruise sky-rocketed..they are now $726 vs the $426 we paid a month ago. And now with the Super Saver option (which is the same $426 we paid-) we wouldn't get to pick our own rooms. And when I say we wouldn't be able to pick our own rooms... we couldn't even select "Deluxe OV" like we did before.

 

This may be our first and last Carnival cruise if prices stay so high!

[shixie]

The cruise I've had my eye on has been showing 704 pp for 4 in a cove balcony. Yesterday the ES price went up to 1189 pp for the same room, but the past guest rate was 794. Today past guest is still 794 and ES is down to 759. Super Saver was 754 yesterday and today.

[Ken076]

I'm reading about these huge fare increases -- For our Jan 2013 Breeze Cruise and May Paradise Cruise the rates stayed pretty much the same, so it doesn't look that huge fare hikes are "across the board" increases. ken

[beachbride91011]

We have been planning to add a guest to our cabin, tomorrow. As it was up until yesterday, it would be $317.00 more, now it is $1,177 more for the 3rd person. Our pvp is calling us back shortly. This is crazy!

 

I'm getting upset about this! We talked to our PVP last night. She couldn't add the person last night without a supervisor because we have to move to a room for 3, which is right next to the room we have booked. But anyway she made notes in our account and said she would call us this morning. She never called, we called her twice left a voice mail and still haven't heard.

[lucky13elec]

I'm getting upset about this! We talked to our PVP last night. She couldn't add the person last night without a supervisor because we have to move to a room for 3, which is right next to the room we have booked. But anyway she made notes in our account and said she would call us this morning. She never called, we called her twice left a voice mail and still haven't heard.

 

 

Talked w/ my PVP on saturday. Any pricing w/ more than 2 in a cabin early saver is most likely wrong. Early saver was $300 pp than past guest w/ 3 cruisers on the Dream. I was told they were working on correcting it.

[lorijeannj]

Just hope interline rates and policies do not change.

[beachbride91011]

I'm getting upset about this! We talked to our PVP last night. She couldn't add the person last night without a supervisor because we have to move to a room for 3, which is right next to the room we have booked. But anyway she made notes in our account and said she would call us this morning. She never called, we called her twice left a voice mail and still haven't heard.

 

She finally got back to us. To book the 3rd person it was $377.00.

[chill6x6]

What's would be wrong with ONE rate...that's THE price of said cruise. Like it or lump it. Playing games with prices gives one the image of a used car lot. NOT a good image.

[Angie21456]

We already have our Early Saver cruise booked. If we see a price drop under the new categories , and we are okay with losing our room choice, will we still be eligible for future price drops?

[Coqui of the Seas]

Early saver was good before but then on our Victory cruise out of San Juan over Thanksgiving , they took it off about a week out and filled it with locals with prices half our early savers.

 

Why do people like to perpetuate this myth is beyond me. Unless you are someone who has access to everyone's bookings on a sailing and you can a actually see these so called "half off discounts for locals", I put ZERO credibility in your statement.

 

I'm a local and, BELIEVE ME, there are no super deals for locals to fill the ship up at the last minute. Yes, you will see man Puertoricans out of San Juan, but they are paying the same rates you are, and in many cases MORE (and don't forget that we have to pre-pay mandatory tips a the time of booking. Resident discounts are almost non-existent.

 

Just like a cruise from Texas attracts many Texans, and a cruise from New York attracts many people from the Northeast, a cruise from Puerto Rico attracts a lot of people from Puerto Rico.

 

I've been doing this for decades. Carnival and the other cruise lines sailing from San Juan do NOT need to discount to fill the ship up with locals. Cruising is one of the top ways to vacation down here and deep discounting is not necessary to attract local business.

[sonicbuffalo]

Why do people like to perpetuate this myth is beyond me. Unless you are someone who has access to everyone's bookings on a sailing and you can a actually see these so called "half off discounts for locals", I put ZERO credibility in your statement.

 

I'm a local and, BELIEVE ME, there are no super deals for locals to fill the ship up at the last minute. Yes, you will see man Puertoricans out of San Juan, but they are paying the same rates you are, and in many cases MORE (and don't forget that we have to pre-pay mandatory tips a the time of booking. Resident discounts are almost non-existent.

 

Just like a cruise from Texas attracts many Texans, and a cruise from New York attracts many people from the Northeast, a cruise from Puerto Rico attracts a lot of people from Puerto Rico.

 

I've been doing this for decades. Carnival and the other cruise lines sailing from San Juan do NOT need to discount to fill the ship up with locals. Cruising is one of the top ways to vacation down here and deep discounting is not necessary to attract local business.

 

I've been to Mayaguez....was stationed in Aguadilla while in the Coast Guard at Ramey Air Force base....loved to snorkel down there. You live in a beautiful country!

[Alliezona09]

We already have our Early Saver cruise booked. If we see a price drop under the new categories , and we are okay with losing our room choice, will we still be eligible for future price drops?

 

Yes since you have already booked Early Saver prior to the changes, you are allowed to price match to the new guarantee rates~see bold text~

 

Is the price protection policy the same for new and existing Early Saver bookings?

No. New and existing Early Saver bookings both have price protection up to 2 days prior to sailing. However new Early Saver business cannot be protected to Super Saver, Instant Saver, or any fare that does not offer cabin assignment or any rate not publicly advertised on Carnival.com.

The policy for existing Early Saver business is slightly different in that they can be protected to Super Saver and Instant Saver fares. Please note if existing Early Saver guests want to be protected to Super Saver or Instant Saver they will be required to forfeit the stateroom they selected and we will assign their stateroom at check in.

[Angie21456]

Yes since you have already booked Early Saver prior to the changes, you are allowed to price match to the new guarantee rates~see bold text~

 

I know that I am allowed to price match still. :)

 

What I need to know is if I get a price drop to Instant Saver, lets say tomorrow, then that means I lose my room choice. After that, will I still be eligible for price drops since I won't technically have a room?

[xostacylee]

I know that I am allowed to price match still. :)

 

What I need to know is if I get a price drop to Instant Saver, lets say tomorrow, then that means I lose my room choice. After that, will I still be eligible for price drops since I won't technically have a room?

 

I don't think so... I don't think with the new category that there are price drops allowed. Correct me if I'm wrong though!

[Skywench]

Just hope interline rates and policies do not change.

 

I was wondering the same thing.

[Ken076]

I know that I am allowed to price match still. :)

 

What I need to know is if I get a price drop to Instant Saver, lets say tomorrow, then that means I lose my room choice. After that, will I still be eligible for price drops since I won't technically have a room?

 

As you're booked ES prior to December 2012 you should be able to price-match to the Guarantee Instant Saver. Once you've done that (even tho you gave up your cabin) you still have a Booking and you're still Early Saver. At the minimum, if Instant Saver were to go down (while you're unassigned) you should be able to get credit, and if the other Guarantees were to go down while you're unassigned IMO you should be able to match to them. Once you're assigned, IMO you'd have to give-up the assignment to price match. ken

[Megan_Strick]

Doesn't affect us one bit, as there are no changes to ES and that is the only way that we book anymore.

 

 

 

Me too

[Ken076]

Originally Posted by tef43

Doesn't affect us one bit, as there are no changes to ES and that is the only way that we book anymore.

 

The one change to Early Saver is that, for ES Bookings from now on, you won't be able to ES price-match to Guarantee offerings by giving up your ES assigned cabin. ken

[LuckyZ]

In my opinion, this new fare structure is more about charging more for a cruise but make customers feel like they have cheated the system and saved money.

 

Brilliant

[cruiseagent007]

these new fare codes are extremely unfriendly to customers. i book cruises all day every day and i can tell you, early saver was bad enough- there are fees to change a name, fees to change a date, ship, etc. and if you make a change it isn't one fee everyone is charged a separate fee, deposits are nonrefundable and its just a way for carnival to lock you into taking your cruise with them- this tactic is similar to how they lock you on the ship and force you to spend your vacation time on the ship rather than giving more time at ports, etc.

 

i know many people gravitate toward carnival because its cheap- i hate to say it but i hope those customers get taught a lesson- you get what you pay for! especially when theytry to make changes, etc. and get hit with fees and don't get their deposits back!

 

My advice? skip carnival altogether, and get a real vacation