Booking through Carnival or cruise agency

[maldenmusic]

14 cruises booked and we've done them all ourselves online. No problems so far,

[winddawn]

Personally I would never turn my booking over to a third party. If you decide to, do your research because you wouldn't want this to happen to you.

 

http://www.nbc-2.com/story/36956739/customers-lose-vacations-when-travel-agency-abruptly-closes

 

If you make a booking through a third party (travel agency) and they fail to forward your money to Carnival, or any other problem arises, the cruise line will not speak to you but will only refer you back to your travel agent.

[shawnalr]

I made my first cruise booking ever this last March and was in the same boat - find a TA (don't have one - have always done all my own vacation bookings) or do it myself? After enough research, I felt ok to do myself. About a month after I booked, my American Express credit card offered $100 cash back if I made a $500 purchase directly with Carnival. So, I made a payment on my cruise, and LO!, I got the cash back. My understanding is that AMEX offer comes around twice a year. I guess I'm not really sure if that works with a TA? Also, I booked when there was a promotion going and got a $50 OBC plus only had to pay 50% of deposit instead of full deposit. I did reach out to a couple of TA's in my area and even though they matched the OBC, the room price was a touch more and it was a full deposit. So I opted to give it a go myself. So far, so good!

Edited June 13, 2018 by shawnalr

[beshears]

At this point, after reading all your postings, I believe I will go directly through Carnival, instead of a TA, but just have to "fine time" to get it started.:)

[firemanbobswife]

At this point, after reading all your postings, I believe I will go directly through Carnival, instead of a TA, but just have to "fine time" to get it started.:)

 

Good call. Now you just need a super PVP.

[bingomamma19]

My online TA is free and I research enough to know exactly what I want. I usually average about $200 OBC from the TA, not including what Carinival may have in their offer. The extra OBC is the only reason I book with a TA. Some people think it is worth it and some do not. I have never had an issue with contacting the TA I use and having any issue resolved by the end of the day.

 

I have always used a PVP and love the easy access for answers, price drops, problems etc.

 

I also use AARP gift cards for carnival, so that makes the whole trip 10% off, as long as I get enough cards. On our upcoming Alaskan cruise, that means over $500 off our cost, and I booked that over a year and a half ago, when the prices were way lower than they are now.

[jsglow]

When booking Carnival, I go direct with our trusted PVP of many years. But when booking other cruise lines, it pays to shop around because the pricing can change drastically from one to the other. Some cruise lines do offer preferential pricing to some TA’s. We’ve saved hundreds of dollars on cruise lines like Princess and Holland America by shopping around. But that’s not the case with Carnival.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Word.

[Towel Critter]

I prefer to K.I.S.S. (keep it simple, stupid), thus I book directly or use my pvp. This way I don't have a middle "man." I can easily makes changes and I don't have to worry if a T.A. is doing what they should be doing. A T.A. will never have the same level of interest or concern for my booking that I do.

[shawnalr]

At this point, after reading all your postings, I believe I will go directly through Carnival, instead of a TA, but just have to "fine time" to get it started.:)

 

I found that once I signed up and got a VIFP #, that rates and offers were better than if I didn't, so make sure to sign up on the site for that if you haven't already. For example, when I was signed in, I got the $50 OBC credit offer and half deposit offer. The overall room rate was $48 cheaper too. I went and looked it up on my iPad the next day and wasn't logged in and none of those offers were there and I was thinking "bummer, I must have missed out," but then signed in and it was all there again. And all the TA's I checked with quoted me the non-VIFP price.

 

 

I also used my PVP, over the phone, to actually make the booking. As mentioned before, this was my first cruise booking, so I had questions about room location and other things and my PVP was able to answer everything. He was super amazing, friendly and helpful.

[CruisinPedsNurse]

I have done both. However I will tell you I booked my Horizon cruise through a travel agent and they had a better price than the VIFP price online. So sometimes it’s worth it to at least call and find out what they have to offer. Plus they will make sure you are taken care of for a special occasion etc...

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[beshears]

Well I took the plunge this morning, but ran into problems when I did. To make the long story short, I told the one that answered the toll free number what I was looking for (already having the info, other than the cost), and that I would like to have an "email" sent to me of the breakdown of the cost. She then informed me that she could not do that, but could give me the figures. I then mentioned that I have been on CC, and they told me to get a PVP at Carnival, and then she said that would be how I would get the info email to me. I didn't have time to pursue it, so I just did it again, and the lady that answered took my phone number and said she would have a PVP contact me, where they would be the one I would go through all the time, so I'm just waiting to get a call back, hopefully soon.

[mz-s]

PVP or TA is a personal decision...I've done both. It's nice having a personal contact at Carnival that has sailed most of the ships, has personal advice as to where's the best place to stay, tips and tricks to do, etc.

 

Now that I've got a few cruises under my belt I've started booking with a huge TA company to get the perks like OBC, cash back after the cruise, etc. but I can definitely see the benefit to a PVP for a newer cruiser.

[firemanbobswife]

Well I took the plunge this morning, but ran into problems when I did. To make the long story short, I told the one that answered the toll free number what I was looking for (already having the info, other than the cost), and that I would like to have an "email" sent to me of the breakdown of the cost. She then informed me that she could not do that, but could give me the figures. I then mentioned that I have been on CC, and they told me to get a PVP at Carnival, and then she said that would be how I would get the info email to me. I didn't have time to pursue it, so I just did it again, and the lady that answered took my phone number and said she would have a PVP contact me, where they would be the one I would go through all the time, so I'm just waiting to get a call back, hopefully soon.

That makes no sense because they can mail you an invoice that breaks down everything. Hope you didn't give them a deposit. I really despise the 800 number and that's why I don't call it. I also wouldn't wait on them and get a referral from a friend.

[beshears]

No, I have not put a deposit down. Actually it has been around 4 hours, and so far, I have not heard back from anyone at Carnival. the Cust Rep told me she would pass my info on to a PVP and they would call me, so time will tell if they do.

 

 

I did contact my TA as well that I always use, but told her I was (which is true) in the thinking mode as this time. She gave me the brake down that I wanted on the cruise for that date, so I'll see if I ever hear from Carnival. I don't know of any other way to contact them other than their toll free number.

[firemanbobswife]

No, I have not put a deposit down. Actually it has been around 4 hours, and so far, I have not heard back from anyone at Carnival. the Cust Rep told me she would pass my info on to a PVP and they would call me, so time will tell if they do.

 

I did contact my TA as well that I always use, but told her I was (which is true) in the thinking mode as this time. She gave me the brake down that I wanted on the cruise for that date, so I'll see if I ever hear from Carnival. I don't know of any other way to contact them other than their toll free number.

Surely there is someone you know and can get a hold of outside of here that has a PVP and can give you their extension.

[beshears]

Firemanbobswife, thanks for your reply. It has been 12 hours since I talked to anyone that I gave my phone number too, and so far I haven't received any calls. I'll wait until next week, and if I don't get any other info on how to contact, or get a PVP, I'll contact you. I know Carnival's people cannot be that busy that they could not contact me, but perhaps the person I contacted wanted to get the credit instead of forwarding my info on to a PVP, and maybe that is the problem.

[firemanbobswife]

That’s just bad customer service in my book. I wouldn’t wait until next week. What if you miss out on a good price or cabin selection?

[firstcruiser2010]

I have never booked through Carnival before, I always used a cruise agent, even though I generally have most of the info ready for the agent, so they really don't have much work to put into it, other than getting a room for us, etc. that probably a Carnival agent could do the same.

 

 

If you have booked through Carnival, have you run into any problems that you could not get resolved "before" the cruise?

 

 

If you book through Carnival and the price goes down for the same deck/room, will they give you a credit, or do they keep it at the price that I paid when booking it?

 

We have always used a travel agent. Find one that has been in the business for a long time. They have better rates than those through the cruise line. If they are not giving you a better rate (especially in a booking that is more than 6 months out) go to another agency. The large ones have groups booked on those sailings and can offer you that discount as well as OBC. You do have control of your booking too, as you can do whatever you like with it. Try it once, what do you have to lose (except money you should have saved ;)_

PS I am not a travel agent....

[quickrate]

I'd never use a travel agent but that's just me. The $50 or whatever they give in OBC just isn't worth it to me. I always book directly with Carnival so I don't have a middle man involved in my travel plans. When I book through Carnival I have a PVP so if I have any issues I have a direct contact at Carnival I deal with rather than having to call the call-center and deal with random people.

there are 2 sides to this. We have an awesome PVP but, we also have an awesome TA we use as well. When I am doing longer cruises, such as the Horizon TA we just did, I use my travel agent as she gives me $200 OBC which I can't get from Carnival. BUT, travel agents are subjective, you need one that is always available for price drops and questions and the one I have is the best!

Pat

[quickrate]

We have always used a travel agent. Find one that has been in the business for a long time. They have better rates than those through the cruise line. If they are not giving you a better rate (especially in a booking that is more than 6 months out) go to another agency. The large ones have groups booked on those sailings and can offer you that discount as well as OBC. You do have control of your booking too, as you can do whatever you like with it. Try it once, what do you have to lose (except money you should have saved ;)_

PS I am not a travel agent....

All of this is true EXCEPT for you have control of your booking. Carnival will not talk to you if you use a TA and payments must be made thru your TA.

Pat

[firemanbobswife]

All of this is true EXCEPT for you have control of your booking. Carnival will not talk to you if you use a TA and payments must be made thru your TA.

 

Pat

 

Correct and there is always potential for mix ups when dealing with a 3rd party. Such as what happened to a member of here when they made changes to their reservation (there’s a whole thread on it). While they say it’s not their TA’s fault, bottom line is something got lost in translation from the TA to the person at Carnival. If they had used a PVP, it wouldn’t have happened because they could see all the potential conflicts before they made them final. So now the TA is pointing fingers at Carnival and vice versa. If the person changing the reservation had direct access to the system, they would be able to verify things before it was too late. I don’t trust anyone but my PVP. And heaven forbid something did get jacked up not only would I know who to blame, but I also know that he would make it right. That’s where his 26 years of experience comes into play.

[beachgoddess]

Anyone willing to share their PVP? Privately of course. I recently used a TA from a big box store. He was great. Now he doesn't return my calls with answers to my questions.

 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Forums mobile app

[firemanbobswife]

Anyone willing to share their PVP? Privately of course. I recently used a TA from a big box store. He was great. Now he doesn't return my calls with answers to my questions.

 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Forums mobile app

 

We’re not allowed to discuss that on here, unfortunately [emoji853]. Otherwise, I would have loved to help.

[teknoge3k]

Anyone willing to share their PVP? Privately of course. I recently used a TA from a big box store. He was great. Now he doesn't return my calls with answers to my questions.

 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Forums mobile app

 

 

If you want to send me an email I'll let you know my PVP at Carnival. I absolutely love her. josh@dreamscapetech.net

[firemanbobswife]

Be prepared to get a nasty gram for that.