I love my PVP..but not for Price Reduction Guarantee

[SmogMonster]

Thought I wold give you all a heads up a recent experience with my PVP.

 

Either my PVP is not familiar with the price reduction program or she just doesnt want me to get one!

 

Here is what happened. We are cruising in a few weeks with some friends. My friend called me several weeks ago to tell me our rate had gone down and he got OBC for the difference. So I do what most probably do and call my PVP to ask if I can get this. I am told that "no, you dont qualify because all the cabins in your category are sold out, sorry"

 

I said "okay, makes sense to me" and didnt think about it again.

 

A week later my friend calls again and said he got another price reduction and OBC. So I call again and get the same story. "nope dont qualify"

 

My friend says to me, forget the PVP just go online and fill out the Price Reduction Form and see what happens. So thats what I did. Lo and behold, within 10 minutes i get an email saying i qualified and was given a $498 OBC. Since then, I have done this two more times and received credits each time. i am now up to $798 OBC !!!

 

I am wondereing why my PVP keeps saying I dont qualify. Does she lose commission? I dont know. Bottom line, when it comes to requesting a price reduction.. DONT GO THROUGH THE PVP!!

[facepirte]

I have sent in a price drop myself and been denied then resent a couple days later and been approved. Maybe your PvP was correct that you didn't qualify and the verification on the self sent requests is really easy to sneak past.

[b-fly-travel]

PVP's don't work on commission, but I imagine their gross sales are a major factor in their quotas. Lower cabin price means lower gross sales.

 

Thought I wold give you all a heads up a recent experience with my PVP.

 

Either my PVP is not familiar with the price reduction program or she just doesnt want me to get one!

 

Here is what happened. We are cruising in a few weeks with some friends. My friend called me several weeks ago to tell me our rate had gone down and he got OBC for the difference. So I do what most probably do and call my PVP to ask if I can get this. I am told that "no, you dont qualify because all the cabins in your category are sold out, sorry"

 

I said "okay, makes sense to me" and didnt think about it again.

 

A week later my friend calls again and said he got another price reduction and OBC. So I call again and get the same story. "nope dont qualify"

 

My friend says to me, forget the PVP just go online and fill out the Price Reduction Form and see what happens. So thats what I did. Lo and behold, within 10 minutes i get an email saying i qualified and was given a $498 OBC. Since then, I have done this two more times and received credits each time. i am now up to $798 OBC !!!

 

I am wondereing why my PVP keeps saying I dont qualify. Does she lose commission? I dont know. Bottom line, when it comes to requesting a price reduction.. DONT GO THROUGH THE PVP!!

[cacroozr]

We had the same experience. when we called we were told since all the cabins for our class had been sold out there was nothing they could do. Submitted the form and voila....a $550 credit!

[SmogMonster]

We had the same experience. when we called we were told since all the cabins for our class had been sold out there was nothing they could do. Submitted the form and voila....a $550 credit!

 

Glad to hear you got your OBC. I no longer call my PVP for this. Just fill out the form. Its faster and easier.

 

If I had gone with what my PVP told me, I would be out $1020.00 OBC!

[kristie64063]

Glad to hear you got your OBC. I no longer call my PVP for this. Just fill out the form. Its faster and easier.

 

If I had gone with what my PVP told me, I would be out $1020.00 OBC!

 

I've never had to fill out a form, I just call the 800 number and talk to a customer service rep, they find the lower fare and voila, done!

 

Why do some have to fill out a form?

[Kokomo_Man]

My PVP has always helped me out every time there was a price reduction or other kind of promotion. In fact, she has been the best travel agent of any kind that I have ever had. I know that I have a very good one.

 

I wish I could tell you who she is, but that's against "CC Law". So I will just recommend that you politely find a different PVP by just calling the 800 number and don't enter your "previous" PVP extension. (I've never tried this so let us know if it works.)

 

Bob

Searching for Kokomo

[sjcruiser]

I usually find price drops after his hours, when my PVP is gone for the night. I have called in twice to get price drops or upgrades, but I keep forgetting that I have a a hundred in OBC, that I would loose if I did the price drop, due to the rate and promo I booked under. So the customer service reps due remind me that I could upgrade or get the $20-$40 dollars in obc, but I'd loose the original $100 OBC.

[SmogMonster]

My PVP has always helped me out every time there was a price reduction or other kind of promotion. In fact, she has been the best travel agent of any kind that I have ever had. I know that I have a very good one.

 

I wish I could tell you who she is, but that's against "CC Law". So I will just recommend that you politely find a different PVP by just calling the 800 number and don't enter your "previous" PVP extension. (I've never tried this so let us know if it works.)

 

Bob

Searching for Kokomo

 

I may do this. The lesson I learned is that you can still get OBC even if your cabin catagory is sold out! I have often read on Cruisecritic that you dont qualify if you catagory is sold out and this is what my PVP told me. Apparently, while this might be policy, it is not practice.

[njmomof2]

If your cabin category is sold out, then what price has dropped to give you credit? I'm thinking that the category above yours has dropped to less than what you paid and that is what you are getting the credit against.

 

If there are no cabins in, say, category 6A and you are booked in 6A, then the category is showing up as unavailable. There can't be a lower price if there is not a single cabin to be sold in that category.

[Freckle53]

If your cabin category is sold out, then what price has dropped to give you credit? I'm thinking that the category above yours has dropped to less than what you paid and that is what you are getting the credit against.

 

If there are no cabins in, say, category 6A and you are booked in 6A, then the category is showing up as unavailable. There can't be a lower price if there is not a single cabin to be sold in that category.

 

That's what I'm wondering. I'm in a 9B, premium balcony, and it's been sold out since I reserved the last one. Of course, suites are still much higher in price.

[SmogMonster]

If your cabin category is sold out, then what price has dropped to give you credit? I'm thinking that the category above yours has dropped to less than what you paid and that is what you are getting the credit against.

 

If there are no cabins in, say, category 6A and you are booked in 6A, then the category is showing up as unavailable. There can't be a lower price if there is not a single cabin to be sold in that category.

 

i dont even look at the cabin category. i do a mock booking for the type of cabin I booked, (Either inside, OV, Balcony).

 

Let's say I booked an inside cabin for 4 people. I do a mock booking for an inside cabin for 4. If the price is lower, i submit a request. I always get some amount of OBC. I may not get the total difference. I believe they make an adjustment for catagory and deck.

[sharse]

If your cabin category is sold out, then what price has dropped to give you credit? I'm thinking that the category above yours has dropped to less than what you paid and that is what you are getting the credit against.

 

If there are no cabins in, say, category 6A and you are booked in 6A, then the category is showing up as unavailable. There can't be a lower price if there is not a single cabin to be sold in that category.

 

That's my concern as well. I'm booking a 6K and there are a total of TWO of them on the Sunshine. Not sure how I'll know about price drops by doing phantom bookings because they won't show up. Heck, they don't even show up on Carnival's site when they're available. I found out about this category on travelocity!

[SmogMonster]

That's my concern as well. I'm booking a 6K and there are a total of TWO of them on the Sunshine. Not sure how I'll know about price drops by doing phantom bookings because they won't show up. Heck, they don't even show up on Carnival's site when they're available. I found out about this category on travelocity!

 

Perhaps I should not use the term "mock booking" That is probably not what I am doing. So let me clarify...

 

I go to the carnival website and log in. I hit the "plan" tab and then "find a cruise". I enter the info (# of travellers, destination, select any special rates that I qualify for like Past guest, over 55, military etc and hit "search"). I select my cruise from the list. On the next page i select the room type that I booked (it will be either inside, OV Baclony etc). The rate page will come up where you can choose from a variety of rates. i pick the lowest one that is NOT Guarantee rate. Then look to the right of the page where the price shows up. If the price is lower than what I paid, I submit the form online. In the comments section of the form I describe what I found and ask them if I qualify. They research the booking and let me know if I get any OBC.

[LVDFW]

Where is the place to submit price drops?

[SmogMonster]

Where is the place to submit price drops?

 

I do not recall the actual web address but if you google carnival price reduction form, it will show up.

[jmcathome]

To find the price protection form go to the Carnival homepage. On the left hand side under special offers you will see early saver specials. Open this up and you will see price protection. Open this and you will see the price protection claim form. Fill it out and send it and you will receive an email when it is sent. I used to do mock booking but found using the carnival fare saver much easier. You can find the fare saver by putting fare viewer in the search box on the Carnival homepage

[ohscrap]

The price of my upcoming cruise dropped AFTER the final payment date, and I didn't book on the Early Saver plan. When I call Carnival, they say I don't qualify for any refund since the price dropped after my final payment date. When you submit the Price Reduction Form, does it have to be before final payment is due? Or are you submitting it because you booked through the Early Saver program?

[Kokomo_Man]

As I understand it... the form is only for those that booked "Early Saver". Other stuff isn't eligible.

 

Bob

Searching for Kokomo

[keiko618]

I'm finding that they are restricting price drops by using clever language so it's not the same category or booking type. Example, new bookings only, super saver, instant saver, pack and go, or the one that got me this week, guarantee cabin and with ES I booked a specific cabin, 6A. But they say there is different category 6 and if I wanted that, the 200 I get for the price drop would cost me 300 to rebook. Really? It used to be in all my past ES bookings that they honored lower fare for same category. Now they put too many restrictions by saying it's a special promotion so I don't qualify. Really poor business to advertise you have price protection but then get tricky to avoid honoring it. I guess CCL is like ATT and other huge corporations, they didn't get big by being nice. They also don't seem to care about my loyalty or keeping me satisfied. I don't want free money, I just want to pay the lowest price like they guarantee but that is what they want to avoid.