Is There Any Andvatage to Booking Direct?

[jtwanabe]

I booked last year with a 3rd party provider. Now I'm ready to book again and am wondering if there are any advantages to booking directly with Carnival vs 3rd party. By advantages I mean upgrades, discounts etc.

 

Can you book early saver with 3rd party providers or only directly with Carnival?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

JT:rolleyes:

[kelzbelz77]

I booked last year with a 3rd party provider. Now I'm ready to book again and am wondering if there are any advantages to booking directly with Carnival vs 3rd party. By advantages I mean upgrades, discounts etc.

 

Can you book early saver with 3rd party providers or only directly with Carnival?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

JT:rolleyes:

 

If you book direct, you have control of your booking, ie you can call Carnival for anything. With a TA, you have to go thru them for changes, price drops, etc. It depends on what you like.

 

Any rates can be booked by a TA, however, if you have a price drop they may charge for doing so. So make sure you know the fees, if any, and all ES restrictions before you book.

 

Remember all rates get price drops before final payment, but only ES gets them after final payment is made.

 

Good luck!

[Tralynn]

I don't find any advantage to booking directly with Carnival. You still have to contact them if there is a price drop (no different than contacting an outside TA). To me, a phone call is a phone call. Who cares if it's to Carnival or a TA? Carnival doesn't do anything automatic. You still have to make that phone call. One thing to note, my outside TA always gives us additional perks as well, on top of anything that Carnival is providing and our TA is our advocate. If I have any problems, I call her and she takes care of it with Carnival.

 

If you use an outside TA, just make sure you do your research. I never use a TA that charges any type of additional fees and only use a TA that honors price drops. When you have an excellent TA, you usually come out ahead....at least I always have.

[PaddleAddict]

I always book direct. I like having control over my reservation. There are horror stories out there of TAs not paying final payments, refusing to submit for price adjustments with early saver and more. If you have a problem, Carnival won't speak to you if you booked with a TA.

 

Now if you know and trust the TA, that's one thing, but booking through an Internet travel agency is risky in my opinion.

[Greatescapes]

We have always booked directly with Carnival.... They will give you a PVP personal vacation planner and this person is your link to Carnival over the years we have gotten to know ours very well, she knows who we are by the sound of our voice. The early saver rates are usually pretty good, but with everything you have to keep an eye on the prices. We booked recently and noticed the price dropped the next day.... we called and ended up getting the difference as on board credit. Who couldnt use an extra $100.

 

Good Luck,

[joanne h]

Sorry

[firefly333]

I don't find any advantage to booking directly with Carnival. You still have to contact them if there is a price drop (no different than contacting an outside TA). To me, a phone call is a phone call. .

 

Actually this is not quite right .. YOU submit the price drop form yourself with ES. If you book ES I would only book direct. you only call for price drops if you book other rates.

 

Otherwise having to wait around for a TA to be in the office and take care of it would drive me nuts.

 

Read some of the threads about TAs who didnt know the rules and what the OPs had to do to get their TA to do their job and get the price drops.. one had to threaten them with BBB ratings and others stuff.

 

People who say there is no difference either dont book ES or dont book enough to know what can go wrong.

[firefly333]

I don't want to book direct.. thanks for any help

 

Its against the rules on CC to either mention a TA, or to ask for one, or to ask that one be emailed to you. You might want to review the rules on CC. Just dont want you to get into trouble. See if you can delete/edit your post so its ok.

 

Im sorry you dont want to book direct. Most of us who have PVPs love them to death.

[joanne h]

Oh my ..I am slipping sorry I didn't know.. please forgive me