Carnival Cruise Lines Launches New Shore Excursion Best Price Guarantee

[Mysticks1]

Now we'll just see the independant companies raise their prices up - because of loss in business and even lower head count tours...... :mad: :mad:

 

I really doubt that many people are now going to start booking with the ships. I know that I won't. The ship tours have too many people crammed into large buses which make them very slow to load/unload each time. I like the independent tours with the smaller buses and vans. You get a much better tour and usually a lot quicker than a ships tour. They load/unload quickly and can get to spots that the bigger buses can't.

[Rosesare]

How long are people waiting to get a response? I put a request in last night for the two excursions I booked but haven't heard anything yet.

 

 

I found a listing for Cozumel that was pretty much identical to my excursion I had booked through Carnival but they had disclaimers that due to an agreement the venue had with carnival they weren't allowed to sell to Carnival cruisers. It was $20 less then the carnival booking. I wonder if they would still match the price considering this program is more about them having the lowest price. I read through the fine print and I couldn't find anything specifically about this situation.

[Nathanyell]

Did you do this with the Island Marketing Ltd one? I'm trying to submit a claim for the same tour which would net us $40+ however Carnival's form isn't wanting to go through. Ugh!

 

Yes that it the one I used.

[dstern]

alright so I pre-booked 2 excursions with carnival for our cruise in april (yes we are newbies and want to get our feet wet before we jump right in to the self booking). I put in for a price check on the stingray/coral garden in grand cayman, I got an email (same day) but it was in my SPAM folder. they accepted it and I got $66 of OBC. I also have the belikans brewery booked, and that was also accepted which we received $90 OBC. idc what ppl say, that will buy us lots of alcohol which we would have spent anyway.

 

Dan

[OZZI69]

Got my response the following day and they denied it because they offer transportation for our excursion and the one I found did not...:(

[asalligo]

I have received no response and it has been almost 48 hours. I suspect the email might be blocked, but there is nothing in my spam folder. If I received an OBC, is there anywhere on my account I can see it?

 

Thanks

[wantocruisemore]

Wonder if their guarantee would include the same tour offered by other cruise lines at a cheaper rate?? I find the same excursions offered on NCL and RCL at 25% cheaper prices than Carnival consistently. I am sure they would say it is not a publically available rate.

 

I wondered that too since other cruise lines off the same excursion cheaper, ie Maya Key. I really doubt it though since you would not be able to book one with another cruiseline while sailing with carnival.

 

I think it's a good program and will be interested to hear about specific ones getting or not getting the onboard credit.

[cruizinisthebest]

I wondered that too since other cruise lines off the same excursion cheaper, ie Maya Key. I really doubt it though since you would not be able to book one with another cruiseline while sailing with carnival.

 

I think it's a good program and will be interested to hear about specific ones getting or not getting the onboard credit.

 

It has to be an excursion that's available for you to book.

 

 

 

 

 

I have received no response and it has been almost 48 hours. I suspect the email might be blocked, but there is nothing in my spam folder. If I received an OBC, is there anywhere on my account I can see it?

 

Thanks

 

Try logging into your account online and click on manage my account. It may show in your booking summary. Otherwise just call.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

[wantocruisemore]

Got my response the following day and they denied it because they offer transportation for our excursion and the one I found did not...:(

 

Would you mind sharing for which excursion and which private? It would help those later trying to get OBC.

[rjrice1]

Like others... we like the small groups.... open safari tour bus--not the sardine bus.

In the long room with the price match; you are just giving Carnival back the money they are "suppose" to be giving you..

You have to pay "their" price then they give you a ship credit and you give it back to them...

[ashmac8]

Help me do the math here.... I have an excursion I am planning to book in Cozumel. Price on my own for 3 adults and 1 child is $222. If I book through the ship it is $330. So I would get an OBC of $118. If I just book with the other place, I still save $108.

 

So I am $10 bucks ahead of the game for booking with Carnival assuming they approve the form.

 

Am i missing something? I get that I have their guarantee to get me back and all that...

 

Funny enough the excursion I was looking to book just stopped offering a transportation option.... Sounds to me like this is going to hurt the local tour operators....

[sandij]

We've sailed for many years and always book through the cruise line, it's just a personal preference and piece of mine. We've been on a tour where the bus broke down and had to wait roadside for another one, but the ship was waiting also. We've never felt herded, last year we did lunch in Tuscany and there were only 15 people with us. Usually when you get to the site you're visiting you run into other groups from your ship and there is really no way to tell if they came in a bus or a van. It's just a bunch of people having fun. Do what you want any way you want, it's your vacation.

[suzski]

Help me do the math here.... I have an excursion I am planning to book in Cozumel. Price on my own for 3 adults and 1 child is $222. If I book through the ship it is $330. So I would get an OBC of $118. If I just book with the other place, I still save $108.

 

So I am $10 bucks ahead of the game for booking with Carnival assuming they approve the form.

Am i missing something? I get that I have their guarantee to get me back and all that...

 

Funny enough the excursion I was looking to book just stopped offering a transportation option.... Sounds to me like this is going to hurt the local tour operators....

 

Another thing you have to consider (and many people aren't) is how many people are going with you on the excursion? Most private excursions limit their numbers to no more than 16 or so.....for the cruise lines that number is a starting point and they often have two big busses full of eager participants.

 

 

Case in point....we did a trip a few years ago that included a stop in the Cayman Islands. We booked an excursion that picked us up, took us swimming with the stingrays and then out for some snorkeling, lunch at a restaurant at an out-of-the way beach, and back to the ship - there were only about 20 of us on this trip (which included 11 of my family)...when we got to the area where the stingrays came in there were a couple other small boats in the water feeding the stingrays and it was incredible. As we were getting ready to leave a huge boat pulled up and offloaded 75 or more cruisers on a ship-sponsored excursion.....everything changed....it got really loud and the experience was just, well, different. We were so glad that we had been there before the ship excursion and that we were not part of it. And yes, we paid less than the ship's excursion but even had we been offered that back in OBC I would not have traded it!!!

 

"It's not about the destination...it's about the journey"

[angel2u59]

Just filed a claim for a tour in Cozumel. Was going to book through Carnival anyway, but wanted to see what would happen when I filed a claim. The tours are IDENTICAL except for one small issue...private tour operators are no longer allowed at the port to pick up passengers. You now have to walk to the office to pick up the tour. Therefore, Carnival says the tours are not alike because the private tour does not offer transportation from the port. No onboard credit, nor will there there ever be until private tour operators figure out how to pick up passengers at the pier.

 

Oh well...no matter what I'll still be cruising!!! :p

[mnsweeps]

Yes that it the one I used.

 

I tried this twice and Carnival refused my claims saying the other tour is less by 30 minutes..***..

 

http://belizecruiseexcursions.com/xunantunich_belize_excursion_tour.htm

[Crazymasons]

Just filed a claim for a tour in Cozumel. Was going to book through Carnival anyway, but wanted to see what would happen when I filed a claim. The tours are IDENTICAL except for one small issue...private tour operators are no longer allowed at the port to pick up passengers. You now have to walk to the office to pick up the tour. Therefore, Carnival says the tours are not alike because the private tour does not offer transportation from the port. No onboard credit, nor will there there ever be until private tour operators figure out how to pick up passengers at the pier.

 

Oh well...no matter what I'll still be cruising!!! :p

 

I heard the SAME THING for the "Passion Island by Power Catamaran" tour.

[wild hogs]

I am looking at this excursion as well. Can you tell me which independent excursion was a match for the coral gardens/sting ray? Thanks in advance!

[LuckyZ]

Carnival doesn't lose on this deal as they reward you with onboard credit so you end up spending your savings somewhere else on the ship.

 

Why don't they do what happens in the real world and just make their shore excursions more cost competitive to attract more customers.

 

What a concept.

 

I just don't see how they have the right to make 30 to 50% profit on something that the only thing they offer is the guarantee to return to the ship on time (which we know the tour operators also offer)

Edited February 19, 2014 by LuckyZ

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

Carnival doesn't lose on this deal as they reward you with onboard credit so you end up spending your savings somewhere else on the ship.

 

Why don't they do what happens in the real world and just make their shore excursions more cost competitive to attract more customers.

 

What a concept.

 

I just don't see how they have the right to make 30 to 50% profit on something that the only thing they offer is the guarantee to return to the ship on time (which we know the tour operators also offer)

 

They have the "right" to charge what people will pay. And, people are paying for the convenience of booking through then, as opposed to researching tour companies, making sure they are legit, etc. Also the convenience of knowing the tour meets at the port.

 

As for the onboard credit; while you're spending the money saved elsewhere on the ship, chances are you would have spent this money anyway. So, it would be real savings. I'll bet that 99% of the time the OBC savings would be less than the auto tips alone.

[festivalfrau]

We booked cave tubing in Belize with a private tour company. In this circumstance, I wanted to be able to research the company (using these boards) and pick the one where we did not have to carry tubes, where there were mesh bottoms on the tubes, the tubes were clipped together... and not take a chance with the unknown company that Carnival might use.

 

When this "deal" was announced, the Belize operator dropped their price by $10 to beat Carnival (which they got back from us in tips). The tour operator did at the end of the day thank us for not booking through the ship. More money in the hands of locals, etc.

 

We have never had a problem with a private excursion and personally enjoy the smaller group. We have never had a problem getting back to the ship on time.

[FL011049]

We booked cave tubing in Belize with a private tour company. In this circumstance, I wanted to be able to research the company (using these boards) and pick the one where we did not have to carry tubes, where there were mesh bottoms on the tubes, the tubes were clipped together... and not take a chance with the unknown company that Carnival might use.

 

When this "deal" was announced, the Belize operator dropped their price by $10 to beat Carnival (which they got back from us in tips). The tour operator did at the end of the day thank us for not booking through the ship. More money in the hands of locals, etc.

 

We have never had a problem with a private excursion and personally enjoy the smaller group. We have never had a problem getting back to the ship on time.

 

 

What company did you use?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[festivalfrau]

I don't want to get them in trouble

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPod touch using Forums

Edited February 20, 2014 by festivalfrau

[dettlja]

Here is my experience.

Before they came out with this guarantee I was looking at the pub crawl in Key West. At that time I could have bought it directly through the vendor for $29,95 and through carnival for $39.95.

When the guarantee came out I thought great, now I can book it through Carnival and save some $. Wrong.

The private operator no longer offers the tour directly. So now I have to book at the higher price with Carnival and no match is available. This guarantee didn't work for me.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Here is my experience.

Before they came out with this guarantee I was looking at the pub crawl in Key West. At that time I could have bought it directly through the vendor for $29,95 and through carnival for $39.95.

When the guarantee came out I thought great, now I can book it through Carnival and save some $. Wrong.

The private operator no longer offers the tour directly. So now I have to book at the higher price with Carnival and no match is available. This guarantee didn't work for me.

 

Carnival knows what they are doing with these guarantees. They know there aren't many that will match exactly and some of the ones they do they make deals with the vendors to deal exclusively with the cruise line so they can't be matched.

 

It's just like the vacation guarantee. If you aren't satisfied withing the first 24 hours you can cancel the rest of the cruise and get your money back.

 

How many people are going to know in 24 hours if they are unhappy with the cruise and cancel after using up their vacation time, buying plane tickets, etc.

 

It's all window dressing .

 

Bill