Price Protection Help

[cjldad]

I always run in to problems with the price protection program..

So I'm ready for a fight with my travel agent..

 

Here are the specifics...

 

I have booked two rooms.

- One for my parents (cat. 8C, 7th floor, midship balcony)

- One for myself and son (cat 4F, 7th floor, midship interior)

These were both booked with their Early Saver program.

 

Carnival now has the "Vacation Upgrade Sale" and the prices have dropped a good bit for the balcony and a little for the interior.

 

Am I going to be able to get the credit for the "Vacation Upgrade Sale?"

The vacation upgrade sale allows you to select your room, so I see nothing diffrerent than the early saver options...

 

Thanks so much for any assistance/feedback! :D

Edited June 12, 2014 by cjldad

[CatlinSTJ]

The promotion doesn't matter with early saver, just the lowest rate for the specific category. Your issue, most likely, will be getting your travel agent to submit the price drop for you.

 

 

Next cruise: Carnival Breeze June 2014

[cjldad]

Yeah, my travel agent has not been super helpful this time around.. I'm going to bug the heck out of them this morning to get this done.. ;)

 

Do I need to be paid in full? Thought I remember reading somewhere that you had to be paid in full with the early saver before they would start doing price protection..

Edited June 12, 2014 by cjldad

[Bulldog3777]

yeah, my travel agent has not been super helpful this time around.. I'm going to bug the heck out of them this morning to get this done.. ;)

 

do i need to be paid in full? Thought i remember reading somewhere that you had to be paid in full with the early saver before they would start doing price protection..

 

no.

[TerReuv]

Yeah, my travel agent has not been super helpful this time around.. I'm going to bug the heck out of them this morning to get this done.. ;)

 

Do I need to be paid in full? Thought I remember reading somewhere that you had to be paid in full with the early saver before they would start doing price protection..

 

No you don't. With ES you can price match to anything but a gty cabin. If you are paid in full, then you will get OBC with ES price drops. Also you can qualify for price drops up until 2 days before sailing.

 

So, any rate you can qualify for (even military or senior), then you can price match. You cannot price match to a rate where Carnival picks your cabin.

[cjldad]

Ok, thank you everyone...

 

Anyone ever seen this site with Carnival?

http://www.carnival.com/bonvoyage/requestforms/lowest-price-guarantee.aspx

 

Interesting, because it looks like I could submit this form myself instead of my TA..

[CruiseinNJ]

If you used a TA to book they have to submit for you.

One thing to note - if you booked with reduced deposit and the lower fare you are price matching to requires full deposit you will have to pay the difference. Same if you were originally booked under a fare where final payment is due 30 days prior to sail date and current fare is 60 days prior you will have to pay in full 60 days out.

[springs741]

Since you booked with a TA you cannot submit the early saver form yourself. Since you anticipate problems with your TA next cruise you may want to consider booking yourself on line, getting a PVP or a new TA.

I also think you might have the options of transferring your booking to carnival but I am not sure of this. Also, IMHO, that is not really fair to a TA that hopefully has put effort into your booking thus far. That said if you have to fight for every price drop it might be worth it. Best of luck and happy cruising.

[SmogMonster]

This is one of the reasons we never use a TA. Frankly, with the ease of self booking on the internet, I really don't see ay vaulue or benefit in using a TA.

[matfel]

After reading this thread I have a question, so we booked with early saver in January for our August cruise, my sister is a travel agent so she booked it, we got some price drops, no problem about 6 weeks ago she got a canadian rate and got the price drop, no problem we made our final payment, rates then dropped again, after final payment, so I asked for another reduction, she was told that becasue we took a Canadian rate we are no longer in the early saver category no more price drops for us since final payment was made, does this make sense, I am just annoyed we were not told we were being taken out of the early saver program by going with the Canadian rate, any opionions, I thought I coudl price drop to any sale before the cruise

[Bulldog3777]

I thought once ES you are always ES no matter what price drop you match. But I could be wrong.

[matfel]

That is what I thought, but she says that Carnival told her no we coudl not get it because we got the Canadian rate price drop, it is just frustrating

[Tropical PJ]

After reading this thread I have a question, so we booked with early saver in January for our August cruise, my sister is a travel agent so she booked it, we got some price drops, no problem about 6 weeks ago she got a canadian rate and got the price drop, no problem we made our final payment, rates then dropped again, after final payment, so I asked for another reduction, she was told that becasue we took a Canadian rate we are no longer in the early saver category no more price drops for us since final payment was made, does this make sense, I am just annoyed we were not told we were being taken out of the early saver program by going with the Canadian rate, any opionions, I thought I coudl price drop to any sale before the cruise

 

I booked early saver rate under whatever the summer promotion was and then saw Canadian resident rate which was lower, I called in and no problem i got it and once you are early saver you are always early saver even if you are getting a price drop from another sale.

[springs741]

Agreed! Once ES always ES. You just price match to other rates.

[WindsorFred]

Agreed! Once ES always ES. You just price match to other rates.

 

This is also how Carnival explained it to me when we first started booking ES.

[mississauga]

That is what I thought, but she says that Carnival told her no we coudl not get it because we got the Canadian rate price drop, it is just frustrating

 

As other s have said, once ES, always ES. If you had been taken off ES, you would have been charged the $50 penalty. Did you pay the penalty?

 

Maybe your sister, the TA took you off ES, thinking the Canadian rate was better at the time?

 

If she did not and you did not pay the $50 penalty, then you are still ES and are entitled to any price drops up to 2 days before sailing.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Yeah, my travel agent has not been super helpful this time around.. I'm going to bug the heck out of them this morning to get this done.. ;)

 

Do I need to be paid in full? Thought I remember reading somewhere that you had to be paid in full with the early saver before they would start doing price protection..

 

If your TA won't submit the form or call on your behalf maybe you can try this form if you know all the information.

 

http://www.carnival.com/request-forms/agency-early-saver-claim.aspx

 

Bill

[matfel]

Thanks everyone, that is what I am thinking, now I feel worse, so now I have my sister in law the travel agent saying no you are not entitled, bearing in mind she also has a cabin booked so it woudl benefit her as well, I have written carnival as well to find out, i was never charged the 50.00 to change to a different price, i did lose 50.00 when my son could not go and so we cancelled him from the trip, I wonder if Early saver got messed up then, , It is very frustrating, if she was not my sister in law i would be on the phone to the travel agent screaming, I may try the form and see what happens

[cjldad]

Update: Everything went pretty smooth once I was able to get my TA on it.

 

Carnival wanted me to pay in full for the "Vacation Upgrade Sale" however..

Kinda weird, but whatever. I have to pay in full shortly anyhow.

Ended up losing a few dollars of OBC through my TA because of the reduced rate..

Saved me $67 and my parents $370 overall.. Not too bad for a little time on the phone.

[matfel]

thanks everyone for your advice and information, I contacted my sister in law who is our travel agent and told her it wasnt; right we should get the price drop, Once booked Early saver always early saver, sure enough she called again,, the person she got said for sure and did the price drop no problem at all, I am glad I asked for advice on this forum, we still have 2 months to go so hopefully we may get more

[mississauga]

Update: Everything went pretty smooth once I was able to get my TA on it.

 

Carnival wanted me to pay in full for the "Vacation Upgrade Sale" however..

Kinda weird, but whatever. I have to pay in full shortly anyhow.

Ended up losing a few dollars of OBC through my TA because of the reduced rate..

Saved me $67 and my parents $370 overall.. Not too bad for a little time on the phone.

 

 

Good for you. Congratulations on the price drops.:)

[Sparky2]

thanks everyone for your advice and information, I contacted my sister in law who is our travel agent and told her it wasnt; right we should get the price drop, Once booked Early saver always early saver, sure enough she called again,, the person she got said for sure and did the price drop no problem at all, I am glad I asked for advice on this forum, we still have 2 months to go so hopefully we may get more

 

It pays to be persistent.