Advantages of having a PVP?

[mlshum]

Are there any major advantages to having a PVP?  I typically book myself using the website and haven’t had a problem but i’ve Read posts where people seem very happy to have a PVP.  Thanks!

[Jamesatgsu]

Not usually. They can make it less time consuming to filter down your cruise or check prices quicker for you under multiple options, but they aren't of huge value to those that don't mind searching themselves.

[cellfree]

Have had same PVP for past 15+ years, do my own research, sometimes I put a cabin on hold, then call her and she books it for me. 1) Price changes - email her and she makes the change and I get an updated confirmation. 2) Find a cabin that has opened up with better location - email her and she makes the change. 3) Multiple cancellations this past year - handled easily. 

[amypintx]

49 minutes ago, cellfree said:

Have had same PVP for past 15+ years, do my own research, sometimes I put a cabin on hold, then call her and she books it for me. 1) Price changes - email her and she makes the change and I get an updated confirmation. 2) Find a cabin that has opened up with better location - email her and she makes the change. 3) Multiple cancellations this past year - handled easily. 

 

This is exactly what I do!  Having a direct contact makes these things so much faster and easier based on all the horror stories I read about hold times with the regular 800 number. 

 

[Cruise Related]

Love it!!! These forums are returning to normal! Instead of nostalgia, it’s reality! Sweet beautiful baby Jesus! 

[ontheweb]

What advantage does having a PVP have over using a travel agent? I do realize there are some questions that you can no longer have Carnival (or any other cruise line) answer. But there are also things you can still do direct with them like book excursions.

[groundloop]

1 hour ago, ontheweb said:

What advantage does having a PVP have over using a travel agent? .....

From the sounds of it a PVP might be a lot easier to get ahold of.  I've never used a PVP so I'm not familiar with that side of the equation.  I used to simply book cruises online.  Then I found an agent who seemed to do a good job for me, but recently she's been extremely hard to contact.  I honestly don't know if it's her, or if ALL cruise industry travel agents are super busy right now.

[bdever]

I need a PVP because I book by cabin number. Website algorithm does not allow me to book by cabin number and my PVP tells me the dates my cabins are available for at the best rates. 

[2Shoes2Go]

Our PVP, we’ve had for many years, kept us from going crazy with all the cancellations this last year plus! She has a spreadsheet for us and keeps it updated with everything. She told me, yesterday, that we had had more than thirty cancellations, before she stopped counting. I kept my own records, too. Every penny was accounted for and moved. It was craziness! I do put our cabin on hold and have it all together before texting her. Try not to take more time than necessary; she has a lot of calls. She said yesterday’s wait time, on the regular Carnival line, was over two hours. Yes, we do appreciate all her help!

[N7786W Flyer]

58 minutes ago, 2Shoes2Go said:

Our PVP, we’ve had for many years, kept us from going crazy with all the cancellations this last year plus! She has a spreadsheet for us and keeps it updated with everything. She told me, yesterday, that we had had more than thirty cancellations, before she stopped counting. I kept my own records, too. Every penny was accounted for and moved. It was craziness! I do put our cabin on hold and have it all together before texting her. Try not to take more time than necessary; she has a lot of calls. She said yesterday’s wait time, on the regular Carnival line, was over two hours. Yes, we do appreciate all her help!

 

This...

 

In all the cancellations we had last year, our PVP made things go as smoothly as possible. 

 

The ability to reach out to someone via email and compare figures (how much FCC our records show VS what's showing in Carnival's system) and then have a written record of the conversation for referral later was priceless.

 

Also, as previoulsy mentioned, I also still do my own research and put a cabin on hold when I'm ready to book.  Once that is done, I email my PVP with all the pertinent info and he takes the booking from there.

 

So far, it's worked great and has saved me a countless amount of phone calls (and frustration) trying to talk to Carnival's Customer Service Department.

 

Garnett

[lazydayz]

Agreed.  Even though I do the research and often hold the cabin I want, my PVP is very accessible and eager to help.  We had multiple cancellations, and he was able to keep track and make sure we were getting everything we are entitled to.  There are no perks, but I appreciate the service and having an advocate at Carnival. 

[May1cruiser]

We were referred a very strong PVP. We have been working with her for years. She knows our preferences, occasional calls for great deals. Promptly answers emails. See cabins not showing on website. Also gives us "pro tips" for cabin location on ships we are not familiar with. Also, she is able to arrange some little extras on special occasions. Adjusts rates if prices drop. Made several cancellations zero effort for us. 

 

I cannot imagine doing a booking without her help. It literally takes about 3 mins..... 

[mlshum]

Thanks everyone!

[ontheweb]

12 hours ago, groundloop said:

From the sounds of it a PVP might be a lot easier to get ahold of.  I've never used a PVP so I'm not familiar with that side of the equation.  I used to simply book cruises online.  Then I found an agent who seemed to do a good job for me, but recently she's been extremely hard to contact.  I honestly don't know if it's her, or if ALL cruise industry travel agents are super busy right now.

I think all cruise TAs have been put in a terrible position; they are very busy with cancellations and rebookings, but are having no income come in. They can't just offer more stock to sell like the cruise lines have done.

[thesmiths]

I just booked 3 cruises without my PVP who I have used for a long time.

Just lost that warm fuzzy feeling I had for her when she blew me off earlier this year on a few things.

I understand they are stressed but don't make the customer feel they are an inconvenience on a few calls in a row.

 

Hoping she looks at my account and realizes it.

 

 

 

 

 

[jsglow]

We absolutely LOVE our PVP.  So glad she survived the staff cutbacks CCL was forced to make last year.  While the guidelines here don't allow us to share names, I think it would be funny if there are other posters on this thread who rave about her too.

 

For our cruise in late August, we're trying to get together for dinner the night before in Ft Lauderdale. That had been in the works for our 'retirement cruise' scheduled for April '20. Wonder what monkey wrenched that, eh?  

[imola]

I see you all seemed to have a female PVP.  I just wanted to send out great thoughts for our male PVP.  He is always accessible,  has great ideas and suggestions, professional and personable.  All around great guy.  

[fair-winds39]

20 hours ago, mlshum said:

Are there any major advantages to having a PVP?  I typically book myself using the website and haven’t had a problem but i’ve Read posts where people seem very happy to have a PVP.  Thanks!

We use the same PVP each time we book a Carnival cruise. We used to book with a call to Carnival and book through the rep that answered, but we decided to try a PVP a number of years ago. We like her for a number of reasons; she’s very knowledgeable, she knows our preferences, she returns phone calls within 15 min., and we usually know exactly what we want when we contact her, so our conversation takes only a few minutes.

 

We had to cancel a cruise one time, and DH contacted her, and any monies due to be refunded to us prior to filing an insurance claim we’re refunded the same day.

 

It’s just quicker and easier to call her with questions or changes instead of talking to a couple different reps who usually have a couple different answers.

[lazydayz]

2 hours ago, imola said:

I see you all seemed to have a female PVP.  I just wanted to send out great thoughts for our male PVP.  He is always accessible,  has great ideas and suggestions, professional and personable.  All around great guy.  

 

Mine's a guy, too.  Really helpful. 

[stellarose]

wanted to use the same PVP I used for Ccl Breeze 2019, but he left the company . so I am using my inlaws TA. 

[tm_aw_love]

I don't see that anybody has made comparisons to having a travel agent. Something to consider is that a TA and a PVP essentially do the same thing in that they both can (and likely will) do all of the legwork for you. However, a PVP can't give you anything 'extra' that you wouldn't be able to get on the Carnival site on your own, other than possibly saving you time. On the other hand, a TA can always give you the same offers and deals, and in many situations give you additional parks such as gifts, onboard credit, or even better deals because they have access to group rates for some sailings. 

[bamaone]

16 minutes ago, tm_aw_love said:

I don't see that anybody has made comparisons to having a travel agent. Something to consider is that a TA and a PVP essentially do the same thing in that they both can (and likely will) do all of the legwork for you. However, a PVP can't give you anything 'extra' that you wouldn't be able to get on the Carnival site on your own, other than possibly saving you time. On the other hand, a TA can always give you the same offers and deals, and in many situations give you additional parks such as gifts, onboard credit, or even better deals because they have access to group rates for some sailings. 

Our PVP was able to book rooms that weren't available on the Carnival site. She was awesome every time our booking got cancelled. She also made upgrades without change fees.

[mlshum]

Several times I have found lower prices, called Carnival, and gotten either reduced fare or OBC.  Would a PVP handle that as well?

[ontheweb]

33 minutes ago, tm_aw_love said:

I don't see that anybody has made comparisons to having a travel agent. Something to consider is that a TA and a PVP essentially do the same thing in that they both can (and likely will) do all of the legwork for you. However, a PVP can't give you anything 'extra' that you wouldn't be able to get on the Carnival site on your own, other than possibly saving you time. On the other hand, a TA can always give you the same offers and deals, and in many situations give you additional parks such as gifts, onboard credit, or even better deals because they have access to group rates for some sailings. 

And also a TA is working for you while a PVP is working for the cruise line.

[asalligo]

I prefer not to use a PVP because I am so particular about every step of the process and I often find that they know less about the ship than I do. Yes, I know they work there, but still true. I did find it useful in 2019 though when I wanted a particular room that did not show available online and when I called up, the PVP got it for me. No clue why it was held back from online booking. If I do call my PVP now, I make sure I have done all my research and have a deck map handy for the call.