Booking over the phone vs online

[Briitini]

Any real benefits of either? Planning my third cruise in April and was just wondering..

 

Thanks!

[shof515]

you might get a better cabin selection over the phone since online only shows a limited amount of cabins

[Briitini]

Thank you!

[Seago2]

Phone, phone, phone. I use an online TA and there always seem to be extra cabins on the phone. Example: I just got an aft facing balcony that did now show up on line but was available by phone.

[nydney1]

I called Carnival last night and was quoted $200 more than if I had booked on line. This was for the Carnival Ecstacy departing in August. I was quoted $1142.88 for a 6C over the phone and $1402 on the Carnival website, both rates were Early Saver.

 

First time this has happened to me. I had always booked through my PVP before he left and have not received another one, I have even asked.

 

Not bashing Carnival or claiming wrong doing, just be sure to check prices and be an informed consumer.

[golfadj]

Definitely the phone using a pvp. Somebody looking out for me in case of me making an error is a good thing.

[keith75]

I just found out that you could do a deposit booking online. I thought you had to pay the whole cruise if you booked online. They do have more cabins available over the phone, plus if something goes wrong you have someone to blame.

[Ksea1961]

I have always secured the best deals on line and have gotten all the price drops I'm entitled to. Never used a TA or A PVP.

[kybluecruiser]

I usually look online first and go as far into the booking I can go before entering my name and payment info to see exactly what I want. Then I call carnival to actually book.

[Seago2]

I usually look online first and go as far into the booking I can go before entering my name and payment info to see exactly what I want. Then I call carnival to actually book.

 

Agreed, I go as far as possible before I make the call. It pays to know what you're talking about first.

[mzloolue]

I usually look online first and go as far into the booking I can go before entering my name and payment info to see exactly what I want. Then I call carnival to actually book.

 

Me too.

 

It is good to have a good pvp.

Truthfully, sometimes they can really help.

And booking with a pvp helps them.

[myparks]

I usually look online first and go as far into the booking I can go before entering my name and payment info to see exactly what I want. Then I call carnival to actually book.

 

Me too! :)

[tandemcruzr]

I called Carnival last night and was quoted $200 more than if I had booked on line. This was for the Carnival Ecstacy departing in August. I was quoted $1142.88 for a 6C over the phone and $1402 on the Carnival website, both rates were Early Saver

 

Is this a typo? $1142 over the phone and $1402 on the website. :confused:

[onthehighseas606]

Always on the phone so I can have a name, etc., to put with my reservation. Only time I book online for anything, is for the airline and I've never had a problem with that. Also speaking to someone and getting the options down is another plus. We now book a specific cabin - no more guaranteed cabins, we got burned on the Inspiration.

[golfadj]

Agreed, I go as far as possible before I make the call. It pays to know what you're talking about first.

 

That is exactly what we do.

[nydney1]

yep, it was a typo.

[gelo7]

It's all the same to me.

[Freckles_51]

I usually look online first and go as far into the booking I can go before entering my name and payment info to see exactly what I want. Then I call carnival to actually book.

 

Just did this on the weekend, worked great as we wanted 2 cabins next to each other - a 4-sleeper and a 2-sleeper. We had figured out the cabin numbers and pricing, but ended up with a slight change and better price on advice from PVP, who I have never used before but will from now on (unless I have a negative experience).

[crusinpsychRN]

I open crusiedeckplans.com to the ship I'm sailing and call Carnival. Carnival's site doesn't show which rooms connect and cdp does. Called for an upgrade and 4 times she offered a connecting room. I kept saying I don't want to connect so I think she was using their site so she didn't know. Got a great upgrade too! And $10.

[Freckles_51]

Breeze deck plan on Carnival.com does show connecting rooms, but we didn't want connecting, just next door to each other. I hope the deck plans were correct!

[Giggles319]

On the phone.. I do research online to find the cruise I want and the location I like but my PVP will tell me right away if the room I was looking at is going to be loud or i'll feel a lot and price wise they're always exactly the same if not better through my PVP because of some promotions that don't pop up online. Plus, if something goes wrong or I ever have questions I know I can call her.

 

To whoever said over the phone was more (if they were calling carnival directly), that's not correct. They work off of the same systems so online never has anything cheaper unless you're not comparing apples to apples. I always see "cheaper" prices online until you click through and realize its not for the location you want or its bunk beds. Online won't stop you from booking the wrong thing, someone on the phone can and will.

[justcruisin317]

We have always booked online because I have had two PVP's (the first no longer works there) and each time I have called them to inquire about pricing or booking they always quote me a higher price than online. After I mention to them that I see it is cheaper online they say, "oh, let me take a look." Then they come back and say "oh yeah, I didn't see that price, we can do that." and that seems shady to me so I just tell them I need to think about it then book online. That has happened for all four of our cruises. It seems they just tell me the standard price, or the latest promo price they have going even though it may not be the best deal. We qualify for several different discounts such as the Florida Resident discount, Past Guest, The More the Merrier discount, and they have all this information in our file but they never seem to use it.

With that said, I think I am going to have to book over the phone this time because I have a FCC I want to use and the cruise is less than 60 days away. So I am going to do what others have mentioned, and take it as far as I can online then call so I know what my options are and what I should be paying.

[nydney1]

I am positive it was apples to apples. That is why I was surprised.

 

On a side note, I just received a call last night from a new PVP, funny how things work out.

 

My point is that you just need to be an informed consumer. Check prices multiple places and book who you feel most comfortable with.

[nealstuber]

I booked my last cruise on line without incident.

 

Since then I have seen several threads where larege change fees were charged for typographical errors. So I would call in my next booking after figuring out what I want on line.

[cloverseeker]

I called Carnival last night and was quoted $200 more than if I had booked on line. This was for the Carnival Ecstacy departing in August. I was quoted $1142.88 for a 6C over the phone and $1402 on the Carnival website, both rates were Early Saver.

 

First time this has happened to me. I had always booked through my PVP before he left and have not received another one, I have even asked.

 

Not bashing Carnival or claiming wrong doing, just be sure to check prices and be an informed consumer.

 

 

When I called to book our cruise they quoted me more too and I asked for the breakdown. They automatically add their trip insurance which you can take off and it brought the rate down to the online price.