Booked cruise, but didn't do ES

[zqvol]

I booked 4 couples under ES for the Spirit in January. One couple in a 9A, one in an 8c and two in 4A. Since we booked in May, the 8C has dropped $300 and the 4A $60. So so far they are ahead of the game. One of the 4A's canceled and lost $100, but the rest of their deposit is good for any cruise in the next 12 months. All in all, I think the group of us turned out well. The 9A's are sold out, so probably no price reduction until after final payment.

 

We are all in a position where canceling or rescheduling is not a problem so would probably do ES again.

 

Yes but they all would have been eligible for those reductions even if they had not booked ES, so other than cost one couple $100 what did you accomplish.

[zqvol]

I just wanted to say that with ES you do not lose your whole deposit. You lose $50 and the balance is applied to another cruise. So you are not loosing the whole deposit.

 

If you can take another cruise within 12 months. (According to carnival it must be booked and sailed within the 12 month window.)

[Chacooe]

One more thing... I don't like getting OBC for a price drop.

 

With our Hawaii booking the $1,200 fare reduction is simply that much less we will pay at final payment. I would not be able to handle that much OBC! Sure they give you the balance when you leave but why tie up that money for so long?

 

One thing ES has over regular bookings is fare reductions after final payment. A regular booking probably will not have much luck in that case.

 

Still, if you are like me and belive fares will increase, and not continue to decrease in the future, an ES booking is unnecessary restriction.

 

When you book ES any price drop BEFORE final payment goes toward what you owe, AFTER final payment it goes as OBC. The difference also between booking regular and ES is that under the ES program Carnival will continue to refund fares that have dropped up until 2 days before sailing, which customers that book a regular booking are not entitled to even if they book through TA.

 

Also with the ES program if you have to cancel, you lose $50.00 per person, but the rest of your deposit can either be used to book another cruise within a year or be a cruise credit, so the only amount that someone would lose is the $50.00 per person and not the whole deposit.

[Kurbanfan]

Also a big one to consider........if you are rooming with someone and they have to cancel........no name changes;)

[DQGal]

I also booked ES for the end of Jan on the Liberty, so far we've had one price reduction, we have 2 4G's and 1 6B. The 4G's have saved $60 for 2 people and the 6B saved $130 for 3. Waiting for more! :)

[Nunu]

Can you add a person to a cabin under the early saver program? (still within the time frame)

[Chacooe]

my travel agent convinced me not to do Early Saver due to the non refundable deposit. but my cruise is more than 6 months away. the difference in price wasn't much but now after reading the board I realize if there are price drops I am out of luck. I booked past passenger rate but not Early Saver with the non refundable deposit. can I switch? or am I eligible for price drops? the big questing: we booked a suite do they drop often? I noticed balcony and others drop often but not the suites as much

 

thank you for your time:o

 

This is what happened to my brother, he went through a TA and booked a suite on the Carnival Spirit for Nov, his TA convinced him not to book ES also, well the price of the suite has dropped almost $600.00 and that was AFTER the final due date, so basically he lost out on $600.00 because he listened to his TA tell him that if he had to cancel he would lose his full deposit, blah blah, blah. Like I told my brother, his TA knew that there would probably be price drops, but he wanted to make sure his commission was not affected. Like others have said, if you take out travelers insurance, it will pay that loss, so really you are not out any money. Personally after what happened to my brother, I would cancel and re-book under the ES program because I honestly feel that you are going to be happier with that, especially if the rates drop after your final payment date and you get that money back as OBC (BTW, if any is left over at the end of your cruise it will either be credited back to your credit card or they will give you a check if you use cash) to spend how you please.

 

I know for me booking under the ES I have already saved $260.00 on my cruise, so between the ES rates and what I have gotten put as credit toward my cruise, I have saved almost $620.00.

[Cactuscruise]

my travel agent convinced me not to do Early Saver due to the non refundable deposit. but my cruise is more than 6 months away. the difference in price wasnt much but now after reading the board I realize if there are price drops I am out of luck. I booked past passenger rate but not Early Saver with the non refundable deposit. can I switch? or am I elibible for price drops? the big queston: we booked a suite do they drop often? I noticed balcony and others drop often but not the suites as much

 

thank you for your time:o

 

You're not out of luck. If there are price drops for which you qualify, you can still get them. Here's the caveat, once final payment is made you're done. Also, Carnival no longer issues onboard credits for price reductions after final payment. You may be able to get an upgrade after final payment in lieu of a reduction, however, you're TA may charge a fee for every change to your booking. Mine charges $25 for each new invoice they have to create.

[Kurbanfan]

This is what happened to my brother, he went through a TA and booked a suite on the Carnival Spirit for Nov, his TA convinced him not to book ES also, well the price of the suite has dropped almost $600.00 and that was AFTER the final due date, so basically he lost out on $600.00 because he listened to his TA tell him that if he had to cancel he would lose his full deposit, blah blah, blah. Like I told my brother, his TA knew that there would probably be price drops, but he wanted to make sure his commission was not affected. Like others have said, if you take out travelers insurance, it will pay that loss, so really you are not out any money. Personally after what happened to my brother, I would cancel and re-book under the ES program because I honestly feel that you are going to be happier with that, especially if the rates drop after your final payment date and you get that money back as OBC (BTW, if any is left over at the end of your cruise it will either be credited back to your credit card or they will give you a check if you use cash) to spend how you please.

 

I know for me booking under the ES I have already saved $260.00 on my cruise, so between the ES rates and what I have gotten put as credit toward my cruise, I have saved almost $620.00.

 

How in the world would a TA know the price would drop after final payment?.......they have a crystal ball? lol! It is all about supply and demand and none of us would know that.........

Also you would have to get cancel for any reason insurance to cover any cancellations other then medical.......

I priced that type of insurance and it was double of what we pay for medical insurance cancellations......so it basically defeats the savings of early saver......

Everyone has to do with what is best for them but there is risk using this program.........everyone needs to weigh the pros and cons.......

[Cactuscruise]

I don't understand the big bugaboo about cancelling.

 

If you take out travel insurance and you have to cancel for an insurable reason (most policies cover job loss), you get your money back.

 

If you don't have insurance or an insurable reason, then you lose $50 a person (unless you can never cruise again).

 

The two of us are booked on the Miracle ES and if I had to cancel I'm out a hundred bucks, or 1 bad night at the casino.

 

You have to use the credit within 12 months. this is a little restrictive as you may not want to cruise on Carnival in that time period.

[firefly333]

This is what happened to my brother, he went through a TA and booked a suite on the Carnival Spirit for Nov, his TA convinced him not to book ES also, well the price of the suite has dropped almost $600.00 and that was AFTER the final due date, so basically he lost out on $600.00 because he listened to his TA tell him that if he had to cancel he would lose his full deposit, blah blah, blah. Like I told my brother, his TA knew that there would probably be price drops, but he wanted to make sure his commission was not affected. Like others have said, if you take out travelers insurance, it will pay that loss, so really you are not out any money. Personally after what happened to my brother, I would cancel and re-book under the ES program because I honestly feel that you are going to be happier with that, especially if the rates drop after your final payment date and you get that money back as OBC (BTW, if any is left over at the end of your cruise it will either be credited back to your credit card or they will give you a check if you use cash) to spend how you please..

 

Iv never heard of insurance that will pay you back if your rate drops?? :confused:

[Chacooe]

Iv never heard of insurance that will pay you back if your rate drops?? :confused:

 

I think you read it wrong firfly333, I said "Like others have said", none of them said that insurance would cover price drops after final payment, I meant that if they took out insurance it would cover their deposit, if they had to cancel.

[Chacooe]

How in the world would a TA know the price would drop after final payment?.......they have a crystal ball? lol! It is all about supply and demand and none of us would know that.........

Also you would have to get cancel for any reason insurance to cover any cancellations other then medical.......

I priced that type of insurance and it was double of what we pay for medical insurance cancellations......so it basically defeats the savings of early saver......

Everyone has to do with what is best for them but there is risk using this program.........everyone needs to weigh the pros and cons.......

 

Give me a break, TA's know that after final payment most cruise lines drop their prices to fill the ships.

 

I also priced cancel for no reason, my rates were between $69.90 for basic to $101.90 for CustomLuxe, but if I wanted cancellation for any reason it would run $49.96, so to me that extra $50.00 would be worth it to get back $250.00 (which was the cost of my deposit). I do know that the insurance that Carnival has now covers if you lost your job recently and other reasons for cancelling your cruise, so I would say if theirs is doing this so are others.

 

I agree with you when you say their are risks, but there are risks in everything we do, but for me, I think by going with the ES program has saved me money, which I am grateful for.

[Kurbanfan]

Give me a break, TA's know that after final payment most cruise lines drop their prices to fill the ships.

 

I also priced cancel for no reason, my rates were between $69.90 for basic to $101.90 for CustomLuxe, but if I wanted cancellation for any reason it would run $49.96, so to me that extra $50.00 would be worth it to get back $250.00 (which was the cost of my deposit). I do know that the insurance that Carnival has now covers if you lost your job recently and other reasons for cancelling your cruise, so I would say if theirs is doing this so are others.

 

I agree with you when you say their are risks, but there are risks in everything we do, but for me, I think by going with the ES program has saved me money, which I am grateful for.

 

Well you have to do what is right for you:).......but all insurance is not created equal.......the price of insurance depends on the price of your cruise and your age......differs quite a bit.....

A TA will know if there are cabins available after final payment there is a chance of price drop........of course........but they have no way of determining that 6 months prior.......nobody does........

[lknight27]

we booked ES and and saved from the start .. yes we were told that if we canceld the cruise we would loose 50 pp and would have to book another cruise with in 12 monts but only book it didnt mean that it had we had to sailing out in 12 monts ..

if we wouldnt have booked ES we would have lost out on 100 pp price drop . so yes i would do ES

 

I'm with you. The ES rate cruise for my 7 night southern caribbean cruise the last week of Janaury was $399. :eek: So I was not passing that up, not to add that was the cheapest price available. I booked my air, so we are committed. If we have to cancel, a $50 pp deposit would not be the only thing we'd be losing. I'd lose my air and 2 night pre-paid priceline hotel in San Juan. So I don't care if I have to cruise in a body cast with a IV attached, WE'RE GOING!!!! :D Also, unless you have a ES rate, carnival will longer honor price drops after final payment. So for us it was a no brainer.

[steveaaaaa]

I'm with you. I don't know why anyone in their right mind would put up with a non-refundable booking.

 

You can get the exact same fare-reduction policy without booking ES. Most reputable TAs will accept fare reduction requests. If your does not, find a new one.

 

P.S. as we come out of the recession, fares are going to trend upward over time. There will be fewer fare reductions than we have seen lately. I'm not going to make any ES bookings!

 

I did not know they are booking 5 years in advance.There is no indication we are coming out at all,actually we are sinking into a depression.After this holiday season passes us we will see the commercial real estate market crash and more job loss.Just look at whats left to the value of our dollar.:rolleyes:

Steve

[Chacooe]

I did not know they are booking 5 years in advance.There is no indication we are coming out at all,actually we are sinking into a depression.After this holiday season passes us we will see the commercial real estate market crash and more job loss.Just look at whats left to the value of our dollar.:rolleyes:

Steve

 

I agree with you Steve, Carnival President announced that the prices would probably start going up because they made a profit in the last quarter, but if they do that to soon, many people still can not afford to cruise so it will even be less people cruising so they will have to drop the rates again. They would be smart to keep doing what they are doing right now until the unemployment rates start coming up and the real estate starts moving again. It is just to soon to raise the fares.

[C cruzer]

On a reg, past cruiser, or any other booking you can still recieve the price drop before final paymnt, but after the final payment, only the ES rates are now honored. So it depends on your time frame (1yr...1mo), also do you have the time off work, or any other prob? I havent used the ES but I usually book close, and havent seen a price drop yet. But always looking, and so far the best rates were far from travel date. Keep in mind you pay more up front, so just like hotels, if they hold your money, they mske money. Thats why the better rate. I usually like to have the ability to cancel, but only MHO

[cruisinmeme]

my travel agent convinced me not to do Early Saver due to the non refundable deposit. but my cruise is more than 6 months away. the difference in price wasnt much but now after reading the board I realize if there are price drops I am out of luck. I booked past passenger rate but not Early Saver with the non refundable deposit. can I switch? or am I elibible for price drops? the big queston: we booked a suite do they drop often? I noticed balcony and others drop often but not the suites as much

 

thank you for your time:o

the early saver is great if you don't cancel. i would imagine most people who book do not plan to cancel, but things can happen...like death of a family member,etc. i personally don't fret the small savings vs. having the other options. i switched from fun select to senior rate when the price dropped. to get all the fares such as senior or past guest you have to do the little box on the left of the screene.suites going down, well it is rare, but we are booked for mid december and after our penalty phase started the price did go down ALOT. this was the first time i have seen this.

think long and hard about the early saver. your out the deposit if you have to cancel and that isn't any savings.

[Oshkosh]

thanks for the posts, lots to think about.. the biggest thing is whether I trust my agent. well I don't know my agent too well, booked through the internet and the person seemed knowledgeable on the phone.. once you really look around most of the prices end up very close and then I chose a site.

 

its one of those things you wish this board would let people do .. refer their awesome agent... I am afraid to go to a mom/pop one locally as we got caught up in a travel agency going out of business last year... I guess I shoud have just booked through the cruiseline from the beginning..

I sent a note to my current agent, we'll see if she gets mad as I want to talk about a "sale" she already made or whether she will work with me or maybe I should just move my reservation straight to the cruise line after all.

 

it will be a signal for future use of my agent as I am a relatively frequent* cruiser but don't have a ton of friends that cruise so they can't refer anyone to me.

 

*can't say frequent without laughing on this board, some people go a lot!! this will be our 5th cruise ;)

thanks

[Chacooe]

thanks for the posts, lots to think about.. the biggest thing is whether I trust my agent. well I don't know my agent too well, booked through the internet and the person seemed knowledgeable on the phone.. once you really look around most of the prices end up very close and then I chose a site.

 

its one of those things you wish this board would let people do .. refer their awesome agent... I am afraid to go to a mom/pop one locally as we got caught up in a travel agency going out of business last year... I guess I shoud have just booked through the cruiseline from the beginning..

I sent a note to my current agent, we'll see if she gets mad as I want to talk about a "sale" she already made or whether she will work with me or maybe I should just move my reservation straight to the cruise line after all.

 

it will be a signal for future use of my agent as I am a relatively frequent* cruiser but don't have a ton of friends that cruise so they can't refer anyone to me.

 

*can't say frequent without laughing on this board, some people go a lot!! this will be our 5th cruise ;)

thanks

 

Please let us know what she says, this is very interesting to me. I had a TA last year that would not do the price drops for me so I canceled my booking with her, called Carnival directly, got a great PVP (who calls me when the price drops so I can get the credit) and I have now booked 4 cruises with her and all of them are on the ES program. My brother was suppose to go on a cruise in Sept 09, but his MIL had a heart attack 3 days before him and his wife were to leave for the cruise, my PVP was able to move his cruise to May 2010, and they did not charge him the $50.00 pp fee, they just transferred it to his cruise in May.

[js]

I'm with you. I don't know why anyone in their right mind would put up with a non-refundable booking.

 

You can get the exact same fare-reduction policy without booking ES. Most reputable TAs will accept fare reduction requests. If your does not, find a new one.

 

P.S. as we come out of the recession, fares are going to trend upward over time. There will be fewer fare reductions than we have seen lately. I'm not going to make any ES bookings!

 

Well, I guess I am not in my right mind LOL

I booked for 6 people under ES for my Dream cruise August 7, 2010 for my dd's Sweet 16.

At the time of booking, I saved over $1,200 booking ES. Now, even if one had to cancel in my group, I loose $250. For a savings of over $1,000, I was willing not to be in my right mind and go with the ES booking.

[firefly333]

I shoud have just booked through the cruiseline from the beginning..

I sent a note to my current agent, we'll see if she gets mad as I want to talk about a "sale" she already made or whether she will work with me or maybe I should just move my reservation straight to the cruise line after all.

 

You might not be able to move from a TA to the cruiseline. If you cancel and its not ES, then you can rebook with Carnival, but most agents are not going to agree to give up the commission just because you want to move to the cruiseline... you can move the other way, (with some stipulations, like now there is a 30 day window you can move from a PVP to a TA, or 24 hours after final payment).

[CanWeGoYet?]

I did the same thing just a couple of weeks ago. I had booked 2 oceanviews for early Dec. I was watching the trends and felt that the rates would drop after final payment. I decided to cancel and sit on it. My PVP watched the cabin availability daily and together decided when to rebook. I saved $50 per person X 4 people by rebooking a week later. I needed connecting cabins so my choices were limited. If you have that many suites open, it might be wise to cancel and rebook but realize you are taking a risk, though I think it would be minimal given the number of open suites. Let us know what you decide.

 

I looked at same ship / itinerary sailings at different dates - it looks like there are many suites left empty even on some dates that sail a month ( or less) before. And even with the cruise being past final payment, sailing in a month or two, the category 12s are listed at a higher price. Maybe they will drop the price again at some point, but I'm not sure. With my luck there could be a fantastic price drop on a day that was crazy busy for me at work, and I would not know or have time to deal with it. Just decided to make final payment & be done with it, $589 is a decent price even for this short of a cruise.

[funatsea01]

I'm wondering if you book ES and someone needs to cancel can you do a name change and find someone else to go in their place? and if you can what is the charge for that?