Do you use a PVP or book cruises on your own?

[Tralynn]

I usually end up booking with one of my outside TA's. They seem to always throw in a little something extra for me.

[jetsfan]

I use an online website and have not had any problems. We have been cruising for 13 years now and feel very comfortable doing it ourselves. This year we got great OBC and could buy points to raise it. Will be cruising with 500.00 OBC for both cabins. We booked ES and should our price go down my person there will send in form. As prices are regulated I too look for extra perks.

[LHP]

We use a PVP.

 

We get the additional assistance IF we need it about something (like a TA) and still have direct access to Carnival (which you don't have with a TA).

[golfadj]

We had been using a pvp but he left the company early this year.

 

New friends from our last cruise recommended their TA who gave us a nice obc.

 

So far have booked two cruises with this TA.

 

Have put in for two ES obs's so up to now happy with TA. However with each ES obc their commission goes down so losing my obc they gave me.

 

Figure I will reevaluate what to do after these next two cruises.

[pbfeetcroozer]

Could you explain the issues Im curious.Maybe I should get one

 

I'm sorry that I've taken so long to respond. We had a family member get very ill, so we needed to cancel/reschedule. For me personally, it was great to have a point of contact that could guide me through the system. I know that every PVP may not be as great as mine, but he was a HUGE help. I'll continue to book through him as long as I'm cruising and as long as he's still there.

[Shelli]

Find a quality travel agent you can get to know and trust. You don't pay for them - Carnival does through the commissions. They can make life much easier and help you think through any steps of your travel you may have missed. Sadly, it's a dying industry with these days of self-service online bookings. Don't get me wrong - I book most of my basic travel online. But my trip this summer on the Magic followed by an extra week in Europe afterward? I wouldn't dream of doing it alone.

 

If, heaven forbid, something goes terribly wrong - a good TA becomes your biggest advocate for your interests. Don't hesitate to use one.

 

I agree totally with this. And since a good friend of mine is a TA, I always use her to book my cruises.

[Isasprings]

So I book my own cruises through Carnival's website. I do enough research here first so I know what I'm doing. If I have an issue, I'll call the 800 number and talk to whoever.

I do the samething!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Georgiagolfer]

What are the advantages of booking with a PVP-personal vacation planner with Carnival? Are there any disadvantages?:confused: What are your personal experiences. I've taken 15 CCL cruises and just booked my 1st one through a PVP.

 

We use a PVP to book. He knows our cruise style and that I am eligible for past guest, senior, and/or military rates. Military rates are not listed on the CCL web site. When I call, he looks for the best available rate. Have no reason to change.:rolleyes:

[Waterloomarc]

I booked my first two on my through the carnival website. I would have done my upcoming cruise the same way but the website wasn't showing the cabin I wanted as available. So I called and booked through a PVP, since I knew from CC that the website just shows 10 cabins at random and not necessarily just those available. The lady I spoke was very polite and got me the cabin that I wanted but she provided no insight nor did she ask me to contact her about anything in the future or even give me her extension to be able to contact her. She just told me to call customer service if I needed anything. Not a bad experience at all though she got me what I needed. She just definitely wasn't interested in builiding her customer base.

 

For those of you that book through a TA I though Carnival had banned them from issuing OBC and other perks, am I mistaken in that?

[MamaParrotHead]

Booked our first cruise with a TA, because we had no clue. That was a nightmare, amongst which the highlights were when she tried to convince me that the GALLEY was a HALLWAY. :eek:

 

After that, once we knew where we wanted our cabin to be located, which dining we prefered, etc. the "basics", I found an awesome PVP I've been working with for years now. I want control over my booking, and access to someone (at Carnival) to answer any questions or make any changes immediately, not 24-48 hours later when a TA would get back to me.

[tef43]

The Carnival booking engine will not display *all* of the available cabins, so if there's something you want that's not showing, you need to talk to somebody. We use a PVP to book after we've done all of our independent research.

 

We've been with the same PVP for nearly ten years and he's a gem to work with. He knows that I hit the CCL website multiple times daily, so he won't just call out of the blue. He also knows that I will not sugar-coat any post-cruise comments. He learned that after he asked how YTD was.

[going to see the world]

I was actually contacted by a PVP as soon as I got back from my first cruise in November.

 

I told him I wouldn't be able to finalize any plans for a future cruise until February and to contact me then.

 

He did and we booked for a cruise in November again , and then he assisted me with finding another cruise after they canceled ours from Mobile.

 

Since I booked early saver he told me to just email him any time I was thinking about the cruise, and he'd check the price for me!

 

I have since learned about farechecker- and use it instead of bothering him- but we still communicate at least once a week-he can quickly answer any questions I have and I truly find him helpful!

 

 

What is that?

[Pooh72]

I always do all the research online and then I contact my PVP and book with her. She is wonderful!!! Since I don't have to pay anything extra its a win win for me. She always calls me before me cruise to make sure I'm all ready and after my cruise to find out how I enjoyed myself. And like someone else posted earlier..... It helps to keep another person employed. :)

[arpie05]

I book thru a PVP and I really appreciate his help. Plus there's just something about the personal touch. He calls a few days before we leave to check and make sure we have all forms filled out and to tell us to have a good time. He calls a few days after we return to check in.

 

He's never called me to try and sell me a cruise!

 

He was helpful when we had to cancel (illness) in March. I booked another cruise to make me feel better :rolleyes: I prefer early saver and picked a 7 day one that qualified. Well within two hours I had to call back to switch to a 5 day because my boss said I had to be back from vacation by a certain date. The 7 day was too late into August so I had to switch to the 5 day so I could be back (and 5 day were still in ES and 7 day for my time frame were not). He got his supervisor to honor the change for no change fee since it was just a few hours later. (And this was a major price difference going from the Dream to Elation!!!)

 

Sometimes I know stuff before he does thanks to CC - but they do have access to some information that we don't. He also was able to get me credit for my 1987 cruise when I was still in HS based on photo documentation I had from when I was onboard.

[C Cruise Dude]

What are the advantages of booking with a PVP-personal vacation planner with Carnival? Are there any disadvantages?:confused: What are your personal experiences. I've taken 15 CCL cruises and just booked my 1st one through a PVP.

 

I booked my Carnival cruises online after talking to a PCC (Professional Cruise Consultant). She was able to tell me the best places to get a cabin if I wanted to sleep at night. You could book over the disco and possibly be up until 3am when they close. I made the decision from my conversation with her but booked online because she was not available when I was ready to book.

I booked my NCL cruise through my PCC there. I try to build a relationship with her so that, maybe, if good deal comes up, I will get a call. I do all the research on my cruises including pricing with book everything sites to compare prices. Example, I was talking to my PCC while booking and NCL had one price and book everything had a lower price. I got the lower price from NCL.

[truchattycathy]

I use a PVP. He puts up with me questions, which can be endless and always helpful. I have his cell and when he is on vacation, he lets me know he will be gone and who I can contact.

 

I tried a TA, one a friend raved about. He could offer me four drink coupons pp. That was it. But if I booked ES he could offer me nothing AND each price drop would cost me $15 pp to submit. I said no ty.

 

I do the research and call my PVP, because he can see rooms that I cannot. I am sticking with him.

[maldenmusic]

Have booked 5 cruises and only use the CCL website-absolutely no problems with anything.

[BigDfromTN]

We use a PVP.

She helps us with room selection and various other info. I feel we get Top Shelf Service from her. Things like having her cell phone number to call if she is not in the office and also alternate extensions to other PVP's that work with her. We do not abuse this number, but knowing I can call her anytime is priceless. We have used her exclusively since 2007 when she gave us service that was above and beyond that which was expected. That and Carnivals pricing policy that a TA cant really cut the price makes it a "no-brainer" for me!

[bigboatrider]

There was a time that I would swear by my TA. First eight cruises booked through her. Eighth one was a nightmare, (booked a (family) group of 9!). The TA got sick and the rest of her office were bumbling idiots. On to a PVP referred by a friend. Worked with him through the next two, and have a third one booked through him. So far, I've done 90% of the leg work, which makes me feel none the better for not supporting a local worker (TA). I'm seriously considering going back to the TA, whose office has been merged with a much larger company, and can now maybe operate a little more efficiently. Hell, if I have to keep up with and submit my own price reductions, why use either? With that said and all things being equal, I want a local worker to earn the commission!