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Check your rates!! Dropped a lot!

helene109

By helene109,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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missholly24

missholly24

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, Saint Greg said:

 

Yeah mine are either more expensive or my category is sold out. When I see that it just tells me I booked at the right time....early!

I agree. lol. Never too early to book! I love price protection. Its a great marketing strategy. 

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Roger88

Roger88

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1 minute ago, missholly24 said:

I agree. lol. Never too early to book! I love price protection. Its a great marketing strategy. 

Isnt it cheaper when you buy in advance? I mean, usually I just wait for a discount or something and then rush to purchase it as long as its available. What other options are there if you want to buy it cheaper? 

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missholly24

missholly24

Posted
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1 minute ago, Roger88 said:

Isnt it cheaper when you buy in advance? I mean, usually I just wait for a discount or something and then rush to purchase it as long as its available. What other options are there if you want to buy it cheaper? 

No, its not always cheaper when you book in advance. That is what this entire post is about. The OP said her prices had dropped. Price protection gives you the money in OBC if you are paid off or takes it off the top if you havent paid it off. 

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PrincessArlena'sDad "Live from...." Rare

PrincessArlena'sDad

Posted
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1 minute ago, Roger88 said:

Isnt it cheaper when you buy in advance? I mean, usually I just wait for a discount or something and then rush to purchase it as long as its available. What other options are there if you want to buy it cheaper? 

For Carnival, the best strategy is to buy as soon as it's at a price you are ok with.  Then, check to see if it goes down.  Carnival prices can go up or down at any time, and it is (to the consumer) completely random what your cruise will do.

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Saint Greg "Live from...." Rare

Saint Greg

Posted
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4 minutes ago, Roger88 said:

Isnt it cheaper when you buy in advance? I mean, usually I just wait for a discount or something and then rush to purchase it as long as its available. What other options are there if you want to buy it cheaper? 

 

It depends. My Aruba cruise this summer I bought a year ago. I took two price drops in the fall...and now it's $300 more and you can only get a room on deck 2. I'm on lido.

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helene109

helene109

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11 minutes ago, missholly24 said:

No, its not always cheaper when you book in advance. That is what this entire post is about. The OP said her prices had dropped. Price protection gives you the money in OBC if you are paid off or takes it off the top if you havent paid it off. 

Thanks for reading my post correctly!! Hopefully someone can save $ too!

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PrincessArlena'sDad "Live from...." Rare

PrincessArlena'sDad

Posted
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6 minutes ago, pinacoladasatpianobar said:

I noticed a price drop, but when I called, Carnival told me they can't make any adjustments after final payment (our final payment was due the week before). Has anyone been able to make any adjustments after final payment?

It depends on the rate code.  Some include price protection after PIF date, some don't.

 

Early saver does include price protection after PIF date.  Most others don't.  

 

Even if yours does not qualify, you can always call back again and ask. You never know if they'll do it anyway, to be nice.  Asking is always free (just be polite, and don't get upset if they say no).

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helene109

helene109

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22 minutes ago, pinacoladasatpianobar said:

I noticed a price drop, but when I called, Carnival told me they can't make any adjustments after final payment (our final payment was due the week before). Has anyone been able to make any adjustments after final payment?

Yes and then I have received OBC! Good luck!

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1GaPeach

1GaPeach

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Has anyone tracked the price difference on if they would have booked the cheapest at time of booking and vs. booking ES and how much was actually saved.

I am currently looking at a cruise that the cheapest option (I want) if booked today would be $2735.  If I book with ES it would be $3045 (with a $50OBC).  So about a $250 gamble to just break even to the original sale price assuming there is a price drop at all. 

 

What are your thoughts, strategies and/or experience?

 

 

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pinacoladasatpianobar

pinacoladasatpianobar

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44 minutes ago, PrincessArlena'sDad said:

It depends on the rate code.  Some include price protection after PIF date, some don't.

 

Early saver does include price protection after PIF date.  Most others don't.  

 

Even if yours does not qualify, you can always call back again and ask. You never know if they'll do it anyway, to be nice.  Asking is always free (just be polite, and don't get upset if they say no).

We booked under the military rate, so that's probably the reason. I'll definitely call back - won't hurt to try again 🙂

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meatloafsfan

meatloafsfan

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11 minutes ago, 1GaPeach said:

Has anyone tracked the price difference on if they would have booked the cheapest at time of booking and vs. booking ES and how much was actually saved.

I am currently looking at a cruise that the cheapest option (I want) if booked today would be $2735.  If I book with ES it would be $3045 (with a $50OBC).  So about a $250 gamble to just break even to the original sale price assuming there is a price drop at all. 

 

What are your thoughts, strategies and/or experience?

 

 

 

So book with ES and then price match to the lower rate.

 

You never know if the price will go down further. Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

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Organized Chaos

Organized Chaos

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Our price for next month's cruise is around $300 more per person than what we booked. We got one price drop not long after booking, but it has gone up steadily since.

 

For those saying all rate codes include Price Protection up until final payment date, I thought Early Saver was the only rate that included Price Protection at all? When I submitted the price match for our upcoming cruise, it was denied and the reason they gave was that it was not booked under Early Saver. This was several months before final payment. In the end, I contacted our PVP because the rate we booked literally said "Early Saver" in the name and he was able to approve it and adjust the balance.

 

When you book, or do mock bookings, and reach the point where it displays all the different rates available, I've only ever seen "Price Protection" listed under the Early Saver rates.

 

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PrincessArlena'sDad "Live from...." Rare

PrincessArlena'sDad

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5 minutes ago, Organized Chaos said:

Our price for next month's cruise is around $300 more per person than what we booked. We got one price drop not long after booking, but it has gone up steadily since.

 

For those saying all rate codes include Price Protection up until final payment date, I thought Early Saver was the only rate that included Price Protection at all? When I submitted the price match for our upcoming cruise, it was denied and the reason they gave was that it was not booked under Early Saver. This was several months before final payment. In the end, I contacted our PVP because the rate we booked literally said "Early Saver" in the name and he was able to approve it and adjust the balance.

 

When you book, or do mock bookings, and reach the point where it displays all the different rates available, I've only ever seen "Price Protection" listed under the Early Saver rates.

 

We do not have early saver (I'm sure of this, because my deposit is fully refundable) and I have gotten a bunch of rate reductions.   These are the terms of our booking:

 

Rate Reduction: As a general policy, once penalties commence and/or once your cruise is paid in full, cruise lines do not allow rate reductions. Exceptions to this policy, if any, are at the full discretion of the cruise line

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