am I missing something, or is Carnival really pulling a fast one?

[summercruisin']

I booked my upcoming trip on the Breeze with an early saver rate :D. In fact, I stalked the booking engine until an ES rate came up (there wasn't one for some time). Anyway, today, Carnival is advertising a "123 days of summer" rate that is less than my ES rate, so I contacted my TA, of course. My TA said that Carnival is only offering that rate for new bookings. :confused: :mad:

 

So, I go to the Carnival site, and it clearly says that Carnival will honor any lower rate found EXCEPT super saver, Instant saver, or any rate that does not allow cabin choice. I double checked the 123 days of summer rates, and they do not fit any of those three exceptions! :mad:

 

I contacted my TA and asked her to try again, and she came back with the same response after trying again. I don't understand......what good is ES rate if Carnival can pick and choose which promotions to honor outside of the written policy?

[thundercrack]

I believe with the "123 days of summer" rates you do not get to pick your cabin, therefore cannot match for early saver

[4wheelr]

I just got OBC for my upcoming cruise of $63.21 due to the sale promo and I booked Early Saver rate. I called customer service and had a really nice lady help me get the OBC.

[KPfromCT]

Your TA is definitely either being lazy, or not calling Carnival.

We had our cruise booked for over 6 weeks before this promotion came out.

We were able to save $520 on our cabin, because the fare we HAD, had the same rules as Early Saver, as does this one.

 

Also, depending on the sailing, there are TWO offers for this promotion:

1. You pick your own cabin.

2. Carnival picks your cabin.

 

Go in and do a mock booking and see if both are available.

 

I would call your TA back and ask for their supervisor/manager.

 

Good Luck!!!!!:D

[Reunioncruiser]

We just got matched to the 123 days promo on 7/19 sailing $280 OBC. For our fate there were two different 123 rates. One where you can pick your cabin (which is the one we got) and one where you can't pick (this one was cheaper). Good luck!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[jmediii]

Yeah, we just got $380 OBC due to this sale. PVP took care of it in 2 mins.

[cruiseguy83]

Yet *another* reason to NOT book through (or trust) travel agents!

 

As replies above have already said, Carnival will work with you, sounds like your TA won't. PVP's and even the customer service line have been very helpful to me anytime I book.

 

I'd ask to speak with their manager, and not use them again for future travel. They just want the commission from you and that's it.

Edited April 29, 2014 by cruiseguy83

[KPfromCT]

OP, please keep us updated.:)

[summercruisin']

Your TA is definitely either being lazy, or not calling Carnival.

We had our cruise booked for over 6 weeks before this promotion came out.

We were able to save $520 on our cabin, because the fare we HAD, had the same rules as Early Saver, as does this one.

 

Also, depending on the sailing, there are TWO offers for this promotion:

1. You pick your own cabin.

2. Carnival picks your cabin.

 

Go in and do a mock booking and see if both are available.

 

I would call your TA back and ask for their supervisor/manager.

 

Good Luck!!!!!:D

 

We just got matched to the 123 days promo on 7/19 sailing $280 OBC. For our fate there were two different 123 rates. One where you can pick your cabin (which is the one we got) and one where you can't pick (this one was cheaper). Good luck!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

I just looked again, and did a mock booking. I WAS able to choose my cabin for a rate less than my current rate (just like y'all said) The taxes are a little higher, but it still came out to less than my total on my documents. :cool: Frustrating. Guess I'll be contacting the TA again....or her supervisor.

Edited April 29, 2014 by summercruisin'

[summercruisin']

Yet *another* reason to NOT book through (or trust) travel agents!

 

As replies above have already said, Carnival will work with you, sounds like your TA won't. PVP's and even the customer service line have been very helpful to me anytime I book.

 

I'd ask to speak with their manager, and not use them again for future travel. They just want the commission from you and that's it.

 

It's disappointing, because I have used this company for several of my Carnival cruises (and all the recent ones were ES with price drops). We have never had a problem like this.

[kristie64063]

I believe with the "123 days of summer" rates you do not get to pick your cabin, therefore cannot match for early saver

 

This isn't true ... I booked Early Saver, last year, and just got $140 off for this new rate "123 Days of Summer".

 

This is why I'll NEVER book with a TA.

 

Plus I enjoy booking and doing all the details.

[Fitzget]

Yet *another* reason to NOT book through (or trust) travel agents!

 

As replies above have already said, Carnival will work with you, sounds like your TA won't. PVP's and even the customer service line have been very helpful to me anytime I book.

 

I'd ask to speak with their manager, and not use them again for future travel. They just want the commission from you and that's it.

 

This is exactly why I don't book with travel agents anymore. No reason for it, when everything can be done online now. Unless someone isn't very computer savvy, and TA is pretty much obsolete. I don't book any trips with a TA anymore.

Edited April 29, 2014 by Fitzget

[It's a Ship!!!]

Yet *another* reason to NOT book through (or trust) travel agents!

 

As replies above have already said, Carnival will work with you, sounds like your TA won't. PVP's and even the customer service line have been very helpful to me anytime I book.

 

I'd ask to speak with their manager, and not use them again for future travel. They just want the commission from you and that's it.

Wow, did a travel agent kick your puppy?

 

OP, the offer does actually say it is only available for new bookings, however, since you have early saver your travel agent should be able to submit the form and get the reduction.

 

The offer also says that while all sailings have the 123 promo for guarantee cabins, not all sailings have the promo for a cabin you get to choose. So your sailing may not have the option to choose a cabin, in which case you wouldn't be able to get a price reduction. You might want to double check or ask your travel agent to check.

[cruizinisthebest]

Carnival is not trying to pull "a fast one." Your TA is. There's at least two lengthy threads on here about people currently booked getting significant savings from this current sale. I would call the TA and immediately asked for a supervisor. If that didn't work, I would contact Carnival and let them know that you need to switch your booking directly to them. I don't care if the time period to do so is already passed. The TA should do this and any other fare decrease you see for your cabin category up to 2 days before your sailing date. Good luck.

[cruizinisthebest]

Wow' date=' did a travel agent kick your puppy?

 

OP, the offer does actually say it is only available for new bookings, however, since you have early saver your travel agent should be able to submit the form and get the reduction.

 

The offer also says that while all sailings have the 123 promo for guarantee cabins, not all sailings have the promo for a cabin you get to choose. So your sailing may not have the option to choose a cabin, in which case you wouldn't be able to get a price reduction. You might want to double check or ask your travel agent to check.[/quote']

 

The OP should click on "other rates" when doing the mock booking to see if her sailing has both the pick your own room option with this sale or just the guarantee option. Either way, she is eligible for the price drop so long as she doesn't mind not hand picking her cabin if only the guarantee option is there. Several people have taken that chance in exchange for decent price drops.

[KPfromCT]

The OP should click on "other rates" when doing the mock booking to see if her sailing has both the pick your own room option with this sale or just the guarantee option. Either way, she is eligible for the price drop so long as she doesn't mind not hand picking her cabin if only the guarantee option is there. Several people have taken that chance in exchange for decent price drops.

 

If you read her post above, she DID do the mock booking, and DOES have the option of picking her own cabin. She DEFINITELY should be getting the price drop. I just don't understand in this day and age, why people book with a travel agent, and lose TOTAL control of their booking:confused::rolleyes:

 

I used to be a TA, however, I did NOT work on commission. I can only imagine that most do now, and if their client gets a price drop, their commission drops. While it does suck for THEM, they should be looking out for their clients best interest.:rolleyes::mad:

[Jenny in TX]

This is exactly why I quit booking with a travel agent. I watch rates daily when we book a cruise. I found out that even though my travel agent told me she would watch the rates she didn't. She owned the agency so there was no one else to turn to when she didn't help. Every time I called about a price drop she acted clueless and would take several days to get back to me. She was out of town one time and I called Carnival and they would not talk to me about it since I had booked through a travel agent. I lost out on $100 OBC. The next cruise I booked through Carnival and when the rates dropped I just called in and was given a credit immediately.

[cruizinisthebest]

If you read her post above, she DID do the mock booking, and DOES have the option of picking her own cabin. She DEFINITELY should be getting the price drop. I just don't understand in this day and age, why people book with a travel agent, and lose TOTAL control of their booking:confused::rolleyes:

 

I used to be a TA, however, I did NOT work on commission. I can only imagine that most do now, and if their client gets a price drop, their commission drops. While it does suck for THEM, they should be looking out for their clients best interest.:rolleyes::mad:

 

So far I've had zero issues with the TA I use. Never a problem. Available 24/7. Very polite and responsive to any of my needs. And I use them because of the added perks. However if I have any problems I would stop using them and book directly with Carnival. The perks are nice but not worth the hassle if you go through that with a TA. Fortunately I haven't had any.

Edited April 29, 2014 by cruizinisthebest

[turning40withMickey]

If you read her post above, she DID do the mock booking, and DOES have the option of picking her own cabin. She DEFINITELY should be getting the price drop. I just don't understand in this day and age, why people book with a travel agent, and lose TOTAL control of their booking:confused::rolleyes:

 

I used to be a TA, however, I did NOT work on commission. I can only imagine that most do now, and if their client gets a price drop, their commission drops. While it does suck for THEM, they should be looking out for their clients best interest.:rolleyes::mad:

 

I booked thru a travel agent to get the extra perks (OBC when none was offered directly thru Carnival at the time).

I like to do the research and checking myself, so it is a bit of an annoyance to have to alert the TA to price drops.

My info from the TA did clearly state that the OBC he was giving was subject to change if the fare changed. I got the 123 Summer deal (after alerting him to it and waiting it out for him to "check" on it). The 123 summer deal was worth over 500 in OBC from Carnival for me! The TA reduced what he was giving by 25 per cabin. Definitely a win, and still more OBC than booking directly in the first place.

If there was no "extra" to be gained from using a TA, I would book myself. I check around for the best deals before I book. In this case, booking with the TA was worthwhile, since it gave me "free" OBC.

Edited April 29, 2014 by turning40withMickey

[KPfromCT]

I booked thru a travel agent to get the extra perks (OBC when none was offered directly thru Carnival at the time).

I like to do the research and checking myself, so it is a bit of an annoyance to have to alert the TA to price drops.

My info from the TA did clearly state that the OBC he was giving was subject to change if the fare changed. I got the 123 Summer deal (after alerting him to it and waiting it out for him to "check" on it). The 123 summer deal was worth over 500 in OBC from Carnival for me! The TA reduced what he was giving by 25 per cabin. Definitely a win, and still more OBC than booking directly in the first place.

If there was no "extra" to be gained from using a TA, I would book myself. I check around for the best deals before I book. In this case, booking with the TA was worthwhile, since it gave me "free" OBC.

 

I completely understand what you are saying.......I do.

But for the OP to post that her TA said she wasn't eligible for the price drop is just wrong. She IS eligible, if in fact, she DID book ES. I understand people book with TA's to get "perks", and that is FINE. But when your TA is not working for YOU, that is NOT good.

In this day and age, I just don't see the need for them.

[APDMOM]

It's disappointing' date=' because I have used this company for several of my Carnival cruises (and all the recent ones were ES with price drops). We have never had a problem like this.[/quote']

 

Hope you got it sorted out! We used to book all cruises through our TA, but since Carnival no longer allows our TA to give incentives, we switched to a PVP through Carnival. We still book other cruises through our TA, because he is allowed to give us a nice OBC for Royal.

 

For the 123 sale, our PVP got us the OBC, based on our Early Saver status. You should definitely be able to get it.

[TH III]

One time I used a TA and ended up with some issue that needed to be fixed, called the TA, could not get it fixed. So I said "Dear TA, you have conference calling?" "Yes" she said; "Good I said, I'll hold while you call Carnival and we can all talk together".

 

Less than a minute later, I'm getting to talk to Carnival directly and problem solved in under 3 minutes.

 

That was the last time I used a TA, now I have a PVP.

 

OP, try that and see if it gets you anywhere.

[summercruisin']

Well, so far I haven't gotten anywhere. My TA replied with "we have tried twice" and encouraged me to contact Carnival myself, but we all know that won't work. :rolleyes:

 

So far all my contact has been via email, so I will plan to call them tomorrow and try to speak to a supervisor. This afternoon and evening, we've been surrounded by tornados, and my LOs have been scared, so I haven't called yet. I'm pretty annoyed with the situation, to say the least :mad:, especially since I have both platinum status and stock in Carnival, but more so with my TA. If it weren't for the great benefits (that so far outweigh the price difference), I would be transferring my booking. Hopefully, I'll get through to someone reasonable tomorrow!

[nitro2448]

No carnival is not pulling a fast one, your TA is.

[hftmrock]

Well' date=' so far I haven't gotten anywhere. My TA replied with "we have tried twice" and encouraged me to contact Carnival myself, but we all know that won't work. :rolleyes:

 

So far all my contact has been via email, so I will plan to call them tomorrow and try to speak to a supervisor. This afternoon and evening, we've been surrounded by tornados, and my LOs have been scared, so I haven't called yet. I'm pretty annoyed with the situation, to say the least :mad:, especially since I have both platinum status and stock in Carnival, but more so with my TA. If it weren't for the great benefits (that so far outweigh the price difference), I would be transferring my booking. Hopefully, I'll get through to someone reasonable tomorrow![/quote']

 

I have heard where a TA will setup a 3 way call with you and Carnival and them to discuss. if they are on the up and up, they should be able to do this