No more credit given to PVPs for “on hold” cruises

[PrincessPatti]

I don’t like this.  I was reassigned a PVP because mine left during covid.  The new PVP didn’t get back to me when I wanted to book a cruise, so I booked through the 800 number (had to cancel and move a cruise).  I made mention to the person on the phone I left several messages and emails for my PVP, but he never got back to me.  She put me on a brief hold and guess who was calling me on the other line.  She obviously said something to him, and he called.

 

I then requested another PVP through Carnival’s web site, and my currently assigned PVP I was assigned to called me.  
 

I don’t like this change as most PVP’s are unreachable and take forever to call back, if at all.  I am done with PVP’s and will do everything myself, unless I can find me a good one.

[ShakyBeef]

48 minutes ago, ldubs said:

Ok, I understand the commission issue.   Here is what I'm not following.  Someone puts a booking on hold to lock in a particular cabin, fare, or both.  Why not just click the. button to complete the booking?  Why involve the PVP person?  Note that I have not used a PVP in the past.    

 

Because, when you have a PVP and use the services of the PVP (and they are a good PVP), you can get assistance, questions answered quickly, problems solved, inside information not accessible to the end-user customer from the Carnival website, offers that you qualify for but of which you might have been unaware, sail-date change fees waived, and more.  And you can get all this without waiting on hold for long periods of time on the 800 line just to possibly end up with someone who doesn't know as much about the way Carnival works as you do.🙄  Every time you call your PVP, you'll get someone who knows your name as well as your cruising preferences and habits, and will be looking out for you, working to make all the details of your booking just what you want them to be.

 

ETA: But if you click the button online to book the cruise yourself, or, now, even put the cruise on hold, your PVP didn't get a commission from your booking and thus it would not be right, IMO, to expect them to help you with any part of it afterwards.

Edited February 25, 2023 by ShakyBeef

[dianef]

I use a Travel Agent because they give extra obc beyond what cruise line is offering.

[ashkir]

This kind of sucks. My PVP is pretty good. but sometimes I find a good sale and want to place it on hold on the weekends

[GingerMT/TX]

A good PVP is worth a lot!  I’ve had the same one for 20 years since I started cruising and the same PVP as my BF.  Today I noticed a new offer, and price checked one of my booked cruises (14-day Alaska next April) -it looked like a savings so I called her. She called me back within the hour and changed the booking on that cruise AND said she thought it would lower my balance on the 12-day Pride cruise in August-total savings just under $1000!  In order for her to do changes like this without fees etc., she has to do the original booking.

[mz-s]

Starve the beast tactic IMO

[scoobysnacks70]

So do you just have to make the deposit with them and they you can pay out your cruise however you want?  I have never had a PVP either

[audcc77]

2 hours ago, ShakyBeef said:

Every time you call your PVP, you'll get someone who knows your name as well as your cruising preferences and habits, and will be looking out for you, working to make all the details of your booking just what you want them to be.

Excellent post, ShakyBeef.  

[audcc77]

59 minutes ago, scoobysnacks70 said:

So do you just have to make the deposit with them and they you can pay out your cruise however you want?  I have never had a PVP either

Yes.  Even though you use a PVP, you still have control over your reservation.  The trick is to get a good PVP, which we’re not allowed to talk about here.  
 

As I said, my PVP has been with Carnival since 1998 and her title is elite something.  I was sailing with Carnival for about 3 or 4 years when she just answered the 800 phone number one day back in 2012 🤷‍♀️.  

[mz-s]

I had a good PVP but he quit when cryptocurrency was going insane. I hope he was smart about it and is doing OK now.

 

Every PVP I have had since him has been sub-par, so I just book myself or use a travel agent.

[audcc77]

1 hour ago, mz-s said:

Every PVP I have had since him has been sub-par, so I just book myself or use a travel agent.

You could always try calling and ask for a supervisor and then have them get you a PVP with 5 or 10 years’ experience. 
 

Seems like I have to do that a lot these days, whether it’s a vet, a realtor, whatever.  I’m tired of dealing with people who know less than I do when I’m paying for things.  
 

Or that may be more work than you want to put into it 🙂. 

[mz-s]

7 minutes ago, audcc77 said:

You could always try calling and ask for a supervisor and then have them get you a PVP with 5 or 10 years’ experience. 
 

Seems like I have to do that a lot these days, whether it’s a vet, a realtor, whatever.  I’m tired of dealing with people who know less than I do when I’m paying for things.  
 

Or that may be more work than you want to put into it 🙂. 

 

Yeah I have thought about it, especially during the COVID craziness. My TA (granted a big box clearinghouse style TA that I book with purely to get OBC/gift cards/etc, otherwise I'd just book on my own) was impossible to get on the phone without an hour plus long hold. And Carnival won't help with TA bookings obviously. I wish I had used a PVP that way I would have had an easier time during the COVID shutdown.

 

But we're beyond that and frankly I'm not booking many Carnival cruises anymore so I feel less of a need to have a PVP dedicated to Carnival. I like that my TA, as faceless as they are, can help me with whatever I want - a cruise with any line, a trip to Orlando, an all-inclusive, etc.

Edited February 25, 2023 by mz-s

[Illbcruzn4life]

6 hours ago, dianef said:

I use a Travel Agent because they give extra obc beyond what cruise line is offering.

use a pvp for CCL but a TA for all other lines

 

[jedi bobs]

my PVP is a former Cruise Director that I  sailed with. I have access to his e-mail/facebook messenger so I get a hold of him perty quickly/

[FTLCruiseGal]

I wish we could share names as I would like to try a PvP, but it would have to be a good one and recommended by someone. 

[mz-s]

5 minutes ago, FTLCruiseGal said:

I wish we could share names as I would like to try a PvP, but it would have to be a good one and recommended by someone. 

 

🤷‍♀️ I ain't getting sent to the chokey again for something silly like that. Try asking on social media maybe if it has to be a recomendation. Otherwise just go to Carnival and fill out the form to have one contact you. I don't think it really matters who you get, they can't do anything other than what calling Carnival directly can do - because at the end of the day they're just Carnival employees with a direct line.

[LaRue1975]

1 hour ago, FTLCruiseGal said:

I wish we could share names as I would like to try a PvP, but it would have to be a good one and recommended by someone. 

When I first started booking cruises again in 2019 I had no problem doing it myself. Then Covid struck right before our first cruise in early April 2020.  Someone on the Facebook group for the cruise recommended their PVP so I contacted him and he was great. He got me through the first cancellation but he left Carnival and they assigned me to one that was worse than worthless. He totally screwed up the cancellation and then ghosted me and wouldn’t help fix it so I had to spend hours on the phone and do it myself. 
 

I used the link on the website to ask for a PVP and surprisingly I got a really good one that has been with Carnival 9 years so don’t hesitate to try that. It’s probably a crap shoot but I got lucky. Facebook is also a good place to ask, especially on the Carnival Casino Players group, most have PVPs and they are happy to recommend them. This new policy has me worried my PVP might leave too and I definitely don’t want to start over. I also want him to get the fair compensation he deserves so I am hoping Carnival changes their mind on this issue. 

[Pellaz]

 

On 2/25/2023 at 12:00 PM, PrincessPatti said:

I don’t like this change as most PVP’s are unreachable and take forever to call back, if at all.  I am done with PVP’s and will do everything myself, unless I can find me a good one.

 

I'm curious to know how many PVPs you've had, out of the total number of Carnival PVPs, to make this blanket statement about "most" PVPs being unreachable and taking forever to call back.  Really want to see your math on that.

 

In my case, my PVP has called me back within ten minutes...on a Sunday.  She's awesome.  ❤️  

 

6 hours ago, mz-s said:

 Otherwise just go to Carnival and fill out the form to have one contact you. I don't think it really matters who you get, they can't do anything other than what calling Carnival directly can do - because at the end of the day they're just Carnival employees with a direct line.

 

Lol, that's a pretty good example of Fake News right there.  Our PVP has gotten change fees waived, and I'm pretty sure Joe Average CallCenter employee can't do that.   

Plus, our PVP knows what we want and has found sailings and deals that the callcenter folks wouldn't be able to...and, of course, she's so much more easily accessible.  

[mz-s]

4 hours ago, Pellaz said:

Lol, that's a pretty good example of Fake News right there.  Our PVP has gotten change fees waived, and I'm pretty sure Joe Average CallCenter employee can't do that.   

Plus, our PVP knows what we want and has found sailings and deals that the callcenter folks wouldn't be able to...and, of course, she's so much more easily accessible.  

 

I'm glad you're happy with your PVP and don't deny they are useful for people. Back when my wife and I used one, he knew where we liked our room to be etc so bookings were quick. My MIL needs a fully accessible room so her PVP is able to help her with that. Etc.

 

Having a consistent voice on the other end of the line can be important.

[Rock Chalk Jayhawk]

Forgive the naive question, but do PVPs only get commission on cruises that they book? What about excursions and add-ons? I'm new to cruising (cruised once in 2014 and have my second cruise coming up in May). I booked both cruises myself. I did not know that I had a PVP, until recently when I was looking at an email from Carnival and it had her name listed. I realized this after I booked our upcoming cruise. So if I do any add-ons through her, will she get credit? Or not since I didn't book the actual cruise through her?

[EngIceDave]

No idea who my PVP is, I do it all myself.

 

Being super OCD, I do a bunch of research and listen to the crazy people on Cruise Critic in advance. I just look at the offers and go from there. Mine are all casino offers, so not like I get a ton of choices, mostly location only. 

[ninjacat123]

I'm very happy with my PVP.  She helped me with all the Covid rebooking issues and any other questions/issues I've had.  She told me last call about the "hold" change.  If I need her help quickly, I would just messenger her.  I'm glad OP brought this topic up so we all can be aware.👍

[LaRue1975]

I talked to my PVP today and got some things clarified. The new policy is that your PVP will get credit as long he is the one who initiates the booking. They will not get credit if you want to book a new cruise and put your cabin on hold before you contact them. Once the booking is made you can make any changes yourself if you want to and if you find a cabin you would like to move to you can put it on hold and call your PVP to complete the transaction. I feel a lot better as this is usually the reason I would need to put a cabin on hold as better cabins pop up and I want to grab it before someone else gets it. I usually put the cabin on hold for new bookings too because it makes it easier but I will no longer do that. I mostly book way in advance when there is a lot of good cabins available so it shouldn’t be a problem. 

[ProgRockCruiser]

On 2/24/2023 at 6:23 PM, EngIceDave said:

I wouldn't commission, least not full commission a pre-done order by the customer.

 

On 2/24/2023 at 7:01 PM, Knights on the Beach said:

I get your point but good PVPs do way more than just book (sell) a cruise for someone. In the past, I found the cruise I wanted, the stateroom I wanted and put it on hold - usually on the weekend or at night when my PVP wasn't working. Then on Monday morning or her next workday, I texted her with the booking number and she called me to take payment and finalize the booking. But it doesn't always end there. If a better room opens up, I can text her and she changes the room for me.

 

But as you note, none of that benefits Carnival as an additional sale or increase in revenue.

 

By allowing the customer to put a hold on a cabin, and the PVP then just finalizes the sale, it adds no intrinsic value to Carnival's bottom line - the customer already knows what they want, the PVP is getting linked in for post-sale support.  It is an intangible value, since it makes the customer happy, and therefore likely to continue to sail with Carnival - which all the other things like the room swaps also help with.

 

And like many bean-counting organizations, Carnival is apparently focusing on tangible value-adds are part of the "compensation" for PVPs, and ignoring the intangibles.  Eventually that could bite them.

[CookieShip]

Confirm that my PVP told me this was the case, starting today.

I am a book it myself person, but it didn't cost me any extra to use the PVP so I didn't mind going thru the extra of working with them. Really came thru when I needed to cancel a cruise because of covid. I just contacted them and they took care of it, I didn't have to be on hold for hours like others. 

That being said, I've only started using PVP since post covid and have basically have had 3 different ones due to each one leaving...