Do peoplw who book with a large group get refunds if the price goes down?

[browneyedwoman]

We will be sailing on the Glory this summer. We booked the cruise as part of an organized group. We have a lot of activites scheduled and had to pay a higher than normal rate for the cruise which is fine by me because I'm really looking forward to it. I've read a lot on the boards here and people have mentioned about getting money back if the rates go down. Would that apply to us too?

[firefly333]

Do you even know what the base rate is for your group. Many groups do charge extra for their own activities ... whatever they may be.

 

Sometimes the rates do go down, but then perks are cut back if you want the rate reduction. For instance you might lose that free cocktail party for taking the reduction .. or you might not lose any perks (happens both ways) and get the rate reduction.

 

there is no certain answer to your question, but yes if the rates go down, often groups do get reductions.

 

Carnival is saying they are doing a across the board rate increase for all summer sailings of 5% .. so dont hold your breath, rates seem on the rise, but ya never know.

[browneyedwoman]

Thanks for the info. Should the travel agent notify us if they have a reduction for the whole group? I know that I won't ask for a reduction because the activities that we're doing are the reason that I'm going on the cruise. I don't want to miss out on any of them.

[CWcruisers]

My DH and I produce private seminars and have them on a cruise ship once a year. We have gotten price reductions, but only when we see the price go down and contact the TA and then she has to work it out with the cruise line. They really are not helpful in this situation and are kind of put off that we ask.

 

And they require group bookings to be in higher categories. We are unable to get the lowest priced cabins.

 

They give you amenity points, that's how you get the cocktail party and such. Our TA will also use amenity points for a small OBC, chocolate covered strawberries, wine, champagne etc.

[firefly333]

Thanks for the info. Should the travel agent notify us if they have a reduction for the whole group? I know that I won't ask for a reduction because the activities that we're doing are the reason that I'm going on the cruise. I don't want to miss out on any of them.

 

I would contact the TA if the base rate goes down. That wouldnt affect your private stuff which was added on top of the Carnival base rate. I was talking about it could affect the perks Carnival is adding, not the TAs.

 

thats why I asked if you knew what you base rate was ... what was the Carnival rate that your TA added their fees to.

[browneyedwoman]

Firefly - I don't know what the base rate is. I'm also a little worried that the TA will think that I'm being too pushy if I ask if we qualify for a reduction. Where do I go to find out if regular rates go down for my individual cruise and how much it goes down by? If it's a very small amount I probably would just let it go, but if it's a larger amount, I may pursue it.

[coolyu]

Travel agents get this question all the time from people informed enough to ask. You are not being pushy.

[browneyedwoman]

Thanks for info. Our cruise leaves on 7/31/10. When do you think I should ask the TA if the rate went down. Our final payment is due 6/1/10. I don't mind if the refund is for on board credit. I'm sure our bar bill will be well over whatever credit they offer - LOL!

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Thanks for info. Our cruise leaves on 7/31/10. When do you think I should ask the TA if the rate went down. Our final payment is due 6/1/10. I don't mind if the refund is for on board credit. I'm sure our bar bill will be well over whatever credit they offer - LOL!

 

How would you kmow if the TA was telling you the truth about the price dropping if you don't know what the base rate was?

 

Me when I am paying for something I want to know what I'm paying for.

 

Bill

[salty dingo]

My DH and I produce private seminars and have them on a cruise ship once a year.

Interesting. Are your attendees just general cruise passengers, or do they book as a group specifically to attend the seminar?

 

I wonder if I could get a group of software developers (or wannabees) together and have tech seminars onboard?

 

I was on a Celebrity cruise which had a guy on board giving hour-long presentations on the news business - he was a local news producer in LA. Very interesting!

[imsulin]

I worked as a TA from 1999 to 2005 in a local land-based agency, and booked quite a number of group cruises. The group leader (or anyone else in the group who asked) was always given a breakdown of the cruise rate, port charges, and taxes, directly from the cruise line, and was broken down on our Terms & Conditions form that everyone in the group had to sign. This info. was faxed to us directly from the cruise line. The cruise rate (base price) was determined by the cabin category. Port charges and taxes were the same. I mainly did Carnival groups, because they had the best prices and amenities at the time. And, no, the price did not change for the group even if individual rates went down. However, they didn't change if the cruise rate went up, either! It was a guaranteed, fixed rate. Booking through the Group Department is very different than booking through Individual Reservations, whether you use a TA or not. This was before the days of ES, but I don't think it's changed much. Have fun!

[MCC retired]

Both the TA and your "group leader" will have the breakdown of the original group rates for each cat. booked.

That's where to go to see if there have been rate reductions , for which you may qualify.

Don't be affraid to speak to your TA , that's the sevice that you should expect.