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Travel Agent or PVP


liv4dalord
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A PVP should know more about Carnival than a TA. TAs sell for many different cruise lines whereas a PVP only deals with Carnival. Quite a few TAs have never been on a cruise so they aren't as knowledgeable for any questions you may have.

 

If you call a PVP, they can instantly tell which cabins are available, which ones connect to each other, which discounts you may be eligible for etc.

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Service from a TA vs PVP is very much a YMMV situation. I used to have a STELLAR TA that would help with NCL cruises and handled all my price drops.

 

TAs can offer discounts above and beyond what the cruise lines offer. The downside is that cruise cancellations through a TA can be worse since they may tack on additional penalties. Of course, travel insurance ought to cover these. BTW, many credit cards offer trip cancellation coverage as part of their membership.

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A good PVP is worth their weight in gold. If you run into an issue or have problems since they work directly for Carnival they have a little more pull than a normal TA would.

 

I used to book all my cruises through the normal call center then I got a really good PVP. In the last few years, he has helped me on 2 occasions when we had a problem come up and went to his boss to get things handled quickly and to our satisfaction. Even getting us a little OBC for having to deal with the aggravation. Also, if there is some special room or something else special I want he will watch for me and help me get it when it comes up.

 

I would not use a TA simply because you lose direct access of any kind to your booking. You have to do everything through them.

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TA's can set up group bookings and lock in the price for I believe up to 60 days. This worked great for us on the Vista Transatlantic. Our TA locked in the price on a block of cabins within hours after the itinerary was released. Within 2 days the price had more than doubled, but we were able to book the cruise a few weeks later at its initial low first day price. In addition, the TA can offer additional OBC that is based on the number of cabins booked on the group booking.

 

You can piggyback on a group booking that a TA has set up with no obligation to interact with other members of the group. We choose to interact and have met several persons who have become good friends by joining our TA's group bookings.

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I use neither...do it myself via 3rd party internet agencies (so technically I guess you could call them a TA). Once I book ...I have access to my booking on-line. Thats all I need. Out of 20 cruises I think I emailed my internet agency 2x..... Never have spoken on the phone to anyone. I guess I'm not needy??? LOL

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A PVP should know more about Carnival than a TA. TAs sell for many different cruise lines whereas a PVP only deals with Carnival. Quite a few TAs have never been on a cruise so they aren't as knowledgeable for any questions you may have.

 

If you call a PVP, they can instantly tell which cabins are available, which ones connect to each other, which discounts you may be eligible for etc.

 

Is having cruised before a prerequisite for the PVP job?

 

Bill

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Is having cruised before a prerequisite for the PVP job?

 

Bill

A prerequisite no. Knowledgeable about cruising, in my book, yes. If I ask a TA a question about cruising other than what it costs, I would like an answer.

 

Years ago I booked a vacation at Disney World through a TA. Every question we ask got the same answer..."I don't know, I've never been there."

Edited by RWolver672
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A PVP is your point of contact at Carnival when you book directly with them. A travel agent, you have to go through them for everything. If you book with a travel agent, Carnival cannot talk/deal with you directly.

Not totally true.

The TA is the go between for CCL and your actual cabin booking. Since DH and I carefully choose our cabin we're not interested in upsells (which go thru the booking TA). If we find a price drop our TA submits it for us.

 

BUT ... we have total control and the ability to book/buy/schedule all other parts of the cruise like excursions, dining reservations, purchases from the Fun Shops.

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Not totally true.

The TA is the go between for CCL and your actual cabin booking. Since DH and I carefully choose our cabin we're not interested in upsells (which go thru the booking TA). If we find a price drop our TA submits it for us.

 

BUT ... we have total control and the ability to book/buy/schedule all other parts of the cruise like excursions, dining reservations, purchases from the Fun Shops.

 

Exactly my point.

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A prerequisite no. Knowledgeable about cruising, in my book, yes. If I ask a TA a question about cruising other than what it costs, I would like an answer.

 

Years ago I booked a vacation at Disney World through a TA. Every question we ask got the same answer..."I don't know, I've never been there."

 

Two things: Carnival will still answer questions about the cruise even if you book with a TA. Also, reservations for restaurants and excursions are still through Carnival. They only things they don't touch are price adjustments or cancellations.

 

Disney World trips should ONLY be done by a TA who KNOWS what they're doing. There are TAs that specialize in Disney trips who are some of the most knowledgeable I've seen. Having said that, there are plenty of resources on the Internet to plan the ins and outs of Disney, too.

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Can I ask the difference between the two??

 

 

 

A PVP is an employee of a cruise line often unlicensed to sell travel (in states that require it like California) and often with little or no understanding of cruise products beyond their own company. Some may have so little experience that they can count the number of cruises on less than one hand.

You can think of a PVP as a "TA in training." The positive is that they do have quick access to your account. The biggest negative is that they work for their cruise line and not for you. That means the cruise line "wins" when a problem comes to "push vs shove."

A Travel Agent (TA) is supposed to be a trained and certified/licensed professional who works for you (though is paid by commission from the cruise lines).

The challenge with TAs is finding an excellent one who is a cruise specialist and a top seller for the cruise line or industry segment (e.g., premium, mass market, etc) in which you are interested. There are lots of part time, home based TAs who may or may not be good. There are also occasional crooks and idiots. This means doing your homework and the necessary research to identify an excellent one. Sadly, many folks just don't want to make the effort to search and they end up with mediocre TAs. But, an efficacious investment of time and energy can save you thousands of dollars (on those longer/expensive cruises) through commission sharing and cruise line/travel consortium incentive pass-throughs.

When it comes to problems with a cruise line, who do you think is going to get a solution quicker?: you (a rounding error in the cruise ship's bottom line) or a top selling TA that books millions of dollars per year with your cruise line)! And, yes, that PVP may intercede (up to a point) with their supervisor. But, that top selling TA has the cruise line's regional sales director as a "speed dial" on their cell phone.

As aforementioned, finding a great TA means more than asking your neighbor "who do you use?" That's a start. But, you really want to hear the same TA or agency name repeated often. Check well known newspapers with extensive travel sections (NY Times, SF Chronicle) for oft quoted cruise specialist TAs; check with your college alumni association for who they may use for their travel programs. Ask other passengers while onboard. Read Condé Nast Travelers occasional "best of...." lists.

Of course, there's one other issue to consider when it comes to discount lines like Carnival. Many of the most successful TAs will "take a pass" on booking Carnival cruises (unless it's a group). The limited commission income is just not worth their effort.

Final note: because we book longer cruises (primarily in the premium cruise line segment), the right TA can mean additional OBC, gratuities, etc valued at $1-2+k savings. Our normal practice is to book onboard (for max cabin price discount and "price drop match" guarantee) and then comparison shop our three current preferred TAs for transfer (and the best added perks). Each of our current three TAs have pluses/minuses. But all are top sellers for our preferred line and know their stuff. And, we're always on the lookout for that elusive perfect TA.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Edited by Flatbush Flyer
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  • 2 weeks later...

There is no extra perks specifically, when a good PVP comes into play is when you run into an "issue" or need help getting something done. 0. Regular Carnival call center individuals don't always have the correct answers to problems and a lot of times may not be able to help facilitate getting a resolution.

 

My PVP has helped me when problems have popped up and got resolution to my issues fast and efficiently. Even in one instance when they couldn't fix it themselves, they went directly to their boss higher up the chain and got me a quick solution (and OBC for my trouble to boot). They have been able to get a particular room released that we wanted that wasn't showing available for us too!

 

It is also great to deal with one person for all my needs that knows me and my husband (as well as my mom and dad who travel with us on occasion).

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I use to book everything myself, and with NCL had one person in particular that helped me. But as I was researching a vacation came across a review by a TA. After chatting with her, I switched one of my reservations over to her. I now use her for everything.

 

The advantage to me is that she helps with more than just the cruise. She has found me discounts for car service, tours, and even surprises us at times with something when we get on the ship. Room decorated, a toy for the kids, or OBC. Also, the one year my daughter broke her leg two days before we were suppose to fly to London for a British Isle cruise, and was going to have to have surgery - I let her know as she wouldn't be able to fly for 6 weeks after. By the time we got home from the hospital - she had already pulled receipts and had forms ready for the vacation insurance.

 

So, personally - I think PVP vs TA would depend on what your future travel desires are. If you primarily cruise CCL a PVP may be a better fit. For me, I like that this TA can help me whether it is NCL, CCL, Disney, or a land trip to Hawaii. And I know if something goes wrong, I have someone to help me through it.

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I can only speak about my experiences,but had better interaction and value with a TA than PVP.

I used a GA with an online cruise broker. She's worth her weight in gold. One prime example was a few years back when the Swine Flu issue was going on. My five day cruise changed to a seven day almost a week prior to sailing. She was on top of things letting me know the changes, options suggestion for other cruises, etc. On this same cruise, I changed purses before leaving the house and my passport was at home. I called my TA and since I had check in right after booking and Intel in the system. She told me head to port and ask for a certain supervisor. Did this,got on board with my license only. Price drops on both Carnival and HAL she got adjustments, including a $650 on HAL. Upgrades, free gratiutes.

Now as for the PVP, I tried to used a PVP more than once and the service was indifferent. I sail solo and had a question about a sailing and price. I know there's an extra charge, but the pricing seenot only was my TA cheaper for the exact same cabin type, but got an upgrade and OBC. I seem to get the run around with PVP. But like stated this is only my experienceexcessive. I turned around no

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I can only speak about my experiences,but had better interaction and value with a TA than PVP.

I used a GA with an online cruise broker. She's worth her weight in gold. One prime example was a few years back when the Swine Flu issue was going on. My five day cruise changed to a seven day almost a week prior to sailing. She was on top of things letting me know the changes, options suggestion for other cruises, etc. On this same cruise, I changed purses before leaving the house and my passport was at home. I called my TA and since I had check in right after booking and Intel in the system. She told me head to port and ask for a certain supervisor. Did this,got on board with my license only. Price drops on both Carnival and HAL she got adjustments, including a $650 on HAL. Upgrades, free gratiutes.

Now as for the PVP, I tried to used a PVP more than once and the service was indifferent. I sail solo and had a question about a sailing and price. I know there's an extra charge, but the pricing seenot only was my TA cheaper for the exact same cabin type, but got an upgrade and OBC. I seem to get the run around with PVP. But like stated this is only my experienceexcessive. I turned around no

 

 

How did you get through customs when getting off the ship?

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How did you get through customs when getting off the ship?

Both my TA and the supervisor mentioned I might have an issue. But I presented my form and license,barely glanced at it send me on. But my passport information was already in the system way ahead of time. Like for my cruise in December, all my online checking is complete. This was the primary reason I was able to board

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