Too Many Rates!!!

[Amy Giard]

I like choices, but this is getting a little ridiculous! :mad:

[Cruizinman]

Ridiculous is a word invented with new meaning when it comes to Carnival

[CynLovesCrusing]

I like choices, but this is getting a little ridiculous! :mad:

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one thinking this. When all these new "categories" came out I looked at it & just shook my head. It's absurd really. There is no way to price shop anymore. You just have to decide what is the maximum you will spend on a cruise & book it if you find that rate or less.

[cruisegirl29]

Oh & add about 4 more to those rate codes that only TA's & PVP's can book... Military rates, senior rates, interline rates etc... Crazy!

[Mulege]

They want us to be confused so when we apply for a price drop they can say, "That doesn't apply for your rate.

[k2excursion]

I totally agree, but I'm not surprised either. They love to confuse us and confuse their own employees. It is ridiculous. I can understand trying to offer rates at a cheaper price that gives you less flexibility and locks up some money for the company. With that in mind, some of this does make sense, but not all of it.

[CENTEX CRUISER]

Once we are onboard , Carnival, for the most part, is good, but we all seem to agree enough change is enough. I do not see a real advantage of early saver anymore. I ,for one , want to pick my cabin , and keep it.If I was new at this, I think I would be totally confused..I guess that's the way it is now with Carnivore of the Seas though...

[golfadj]

They want us to be confused so when we apply for a price drop they can say, "That doesn't apply for your rate.

 

You could be on to something

[Carnival_Brides]

I called a PVP the other day to add a person to a cabin--the price quoted to me was $600 above what I thought it should be, so I inquired about xyz rate and suddenly the price was substantially lower. Suffice it to say, even the PVP's are confused.

[Bandman]

I called a PVP the other day to add a person to a cabin--the price quoted to me was $600 above what I thought it should be, so I inquired about xyz rate and suddenly the price was substantially lower. Suffice it to say, even the PVP's are confused.

 

I usually book online, but when I don't I seem to always know about a better rate than what I am offered. Coincidence? Maybe. Rates and offers change constantly. What was more interesting to me was the way the new "Price Protection" rate was offered to me. Never a mention of other rates bing available or even existing until I made it clear I needed the refundable rate.

[GottaLuvCruising]

I agree! Carnival is making it more and more difficult. I have 2 cruises booked "early saver" and now they are offering promotional rates with OBC. Do they subtract the value of the OBC when a price protection form is submitted? For example, if I paid a total of $1000 for a double and same category is now offered for $1050, but WITH $100 OBC - the net is a $50 savings, but the fare is higher. Has anyone encountered this?

[mj]

Tend to agree with most of the posts I read so far. It is confusing and I just stick to the past guest rate.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

It is a game :):)

[richstowe]

The most expensive rate is $266! It's too cheap not to book.;)

[Sundiego]

What bothers me... we qualify for senior and military. It used to be that one or the other of these rates might pop up for a given cruise and they were always offering a true discount. I often got Early Saver discounts price matching to military or senior rates. But now, they often involve a guarantee cabin so they (a) are not that good of a deal and (b) can't be used to price match for ES because they are guarantee cabins. They have gone from a true discount to just one more pricing gimmick.

 

~Denise

[stewartgirl721]

What is the difference bewteen easy saver and early saver???

 

getting confused. Was looking at the booking engine app to see about price drops. Even my cabin cat is gone 8B. Does this mean that cat is sold out?? My cruises are in feb 10th and may 12th 2013 both on the Pride.

 

Thanks for any help

Dawn

[Surfwench]

I thought Easy Saver was being eliminated..... I wouldn't want to be a Carnival PVP or booking agent right now...

[jeschwartz82]

i just booked another cruise a few days ago. i had ALWAYS booked ES in the past, and, since we were looking at a sailing in march, i knew the ES rate was no longer available. i wasnt counting on 10 or so other rates, though ...

 

i read each, and decided on the past guest holiday toast rate. it was important to us to pick our own cabin, and it was only $10 more then the easy saver rate (assuming this is a guarantee rate??).

 

i just shook my head and wondered how a person who had never cruised before could figure it all out.

[deborahjo]

Carnival wants us confused so that we have to pay more. If we do not understand they can charge us anything and we do not know if it is correct or not.

[gsu_paintballer]

What is the difference bewteen easy saver and early saver???

 

getting confused. Was looking at the booking engine app to see about price drops. Even my cabin cat is gone 8B. Does this mean that cat is sold out?? My cruises are in feb 10th and may 12th 2013 both on the Pride.

 

Thanks for any help

Dawn

 

Easy Saver is a guarantee, Early Saver is a rate where you can pick your own room.

[Sparky2]

What bothers me... we qualify for senior and military. It used to be that one or the other of these rates might pop up for a given cruise and they were always offering a true discount. I often got Early Saver discounts price matching to military or senior rates. But now, they often involve a guarantee cabin so they (a) are not that good of a deal and (b) can't be used to price match for ES because they are guarantee cabins. They have gone from a true discount to just one more pricing gimmick.

 

~Denise

 

Re. Senior rate - on Fareviewer - Click on senior rate, click continue, click on your category (ie. inside, OV, etc.) and it will show the senior rate for the different categories - ie. 4A, 4B, etc. where you choose your cabin.

 

We booked ES for January B2B and we have received two senior rate price drops on the first cruise. Our category is no longer listed so no more price drops, although I will keep checking in case something opens up.

 

We booked ES for 2nd cruise also and received a casino rate which is really good so I don't expect to get any more price drops on that one. I'll keep looking, though.

[trvlqueen]

Actually, Easy Saver takes over for Early Saver when you get too close to the cruise - unlike Early Saver, you can't take price drops, but like Early Saver, you get a low rate and non refundable deposit. Early Saver almost seems pointless. There are too many guarantee rates available to sell out the ship and I haven't see a single price drop on either of my bookings since they changed the rates structure that I could qualify for unless I want to give up my cabin and go into the guarantee pool. Prior to that, I'd gotten 2 on the Ecstasy and the last 2 seven day cruises we took in September had fabulous price drops - we upgraded last year on the dream to a spa level balcony cabin and still had $100 OBC and on the Victory ended up with about $250 in OBC.

 

I think the price drops were costing too much - so they went this route to confuse everything and make it much more difficult to get price drops. Anyone else actually seeing drops they can qualify for???

[Amy Giard]

Actually, Easy Saver takes over for Early Saver when you get too close to the cruise - unlike Early Saver, you can't take price drops, but like Early Saver, you get a low rate and non refundable deposit. Early Saver almost seems pointless.

 

LOL - as if this wasn't confusing enough -

do you mean Instant Saver takes over

for Early Saver? :)

[WDBGUY]

I used to work for the airlines in reservations,

this is exactly what the airlines do...publish

many rates in hopes that some will book a

higher priced seat or cabin. there is a term

for this...it's called "yield management"

look up this term online.

[richiab]

I know you think you understood what you thought you heard me say but I'm not quite sure what you heard me say is what you thought I meant.

 

sort of the same as trying to figure out the rates.