Shame on you Carnival

[gatorphin]

I'm the group leader of 50+ people that have 17 cabins booked on Carnival next month. I have sailed Carnival several times and have never had any problems....until now. It seems that every time I call Carnival to check on our amenities they keep telling me a different story. When I originally booked we got $50 OBC each cabin, bottle of wine & 1 & 1/2 hour open bar along with every 16th cruise passenger's fare was FREE. 2nd time, now it was $25 OBC, wine, open bar, 16th cruise free. This week after we've all paid now it's $25 OBC, no wine and only 1 hour open bar, 16th fare is still free. HOWEVER, if you took advantage of your Early Saver then you get NOTHING! Of which I did and several others and Carnival never told one of us when we did. Sure, they'll let us get back in on the amenities but we'll have to pay them more $. I've contacted their HQ via snail mail and email. 2nd day & no response yet. You'd think after paying over $20K to them so far they'd want to help, but they don't seem to care. No more Carnival cruises for us! You've just made a bunch of customers very upset.

[Purvis1231]

What did your contract state?

[RubyGold]

Did you have the original terms put in writing? Or use the same PVP all the way though?

 

That doesn't sound fair really.

[jcearth]

I did a group booking two years ago, and it became a big headache, especially when it came to price drops and amenities. You have to call and check each fare to see if they support amenities or not (it always seemed random to me whether they did or did not), and ask to buy up the amenity points if the corresponding fare did not support. As for the specific amenities, each cruise is assigned a certain amount of points. From there, you as the group leader would choose what to spend the points on (OBC, wine, photo credit, chocolates, etc.) I believe that you have until a certain time to select the amenites, and can change them, but in your group contract there should be a chart listing all the amenities and the point cost for each. Check your contract to see how many points you have and confirm what choices you made -- keep in mind that some amenities have a minimum amount of people required for that specific amenity.

[Sfdtiller]

I echo what purvis said...what's in your contract? I've done several large groups with carnival and never had a problem with them honoring the deal. In my last one it was written that you could have early saver rates or perks not both. Maybe you didn't read the fine print?

 

 

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[TPFKAH]

How are you handling the non application of VIFP points for the free cabins?

[Not_Done_Living]

Free cruises do not accrue VFIP points. Even with groups.

 

 

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[firemanbobswife]

I inquired about a group cruise once and if I recall correctly, they said that amenities were subject to change if we did any price drops. Which sounds right because that's what TAs do too. Price goes down, so do the freebies. I don't think it should be "Shame on you Carnival", but rather "Shame on whoever booked the cruise and didn't get or understand the details/fine print".

[billymatt]

I don't think it should be "Shame on you Carnival", but rather "Shame on whoever booked the cruise and didn't get or understand the details/fine print".

 

^this^

 

Nicely said.

[UpstateCruizer]

Sorry that you have lost some of the perks. I too learned the hard way that when booked with a group you were limited to either ES or the perks but not both. For me booking within a group became more of a hassle then it was worth. I want to control my own booking and I want my VIFP points that I earn by paying for my cabin. There are just too many variables involved with booking with a group with group perks.

 

You need to look at it as saving money up front since you mentioned that you took advantage of price drops with ES rates. That means you have received some type of savings so instead of being upset that you have lost some of the perks look at how much you have saved. I'd much rather have cash in my pocket then a 1 hour limited "open bar" and nasty tasting wine. Find the positives and for those within the group point out what they've saved vs what they've lost. Did your ES savings outweigh what you lost?

[sjcruiser]

Good information to know!!!

[cruizinisthebest]

"Fine print" is usually a bunch of legal stuff and disclaimers. If the group booking means you either get early saver or the perks. Or the perks diminish as you get price drops, I'm not understanding why Carnival couldn't just say that. Or write it down in plain English at the very start of the booking like I just did.

[PrettyHazardous]

I'm not quite sure how you didn't know that if you don't book with the group than you don't get amenities of the group. I'm a TA and I always advocate for working with a TA for large groups. I'm sure this miscommunication would not have happened with a TA. If you all are past final payment I doubt that anything will change. This is sad.

 

 

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[Budget Queen]

I'm the group leader of 50+ people that have 17 cabins booked on Carnival next month. I have sailed Carnival several times and have never had any problems....until now. It seems that every time I call Carnival to check on our amenities they keep telling me a different story. When I originally booked we got $50 OBC each cabin, bottle of wine & 1 & 1/2 hour open bar along with every 16th cruise passenger's fare was FREE. 2nd time, now it was $25 OBC, wine, open bar, 16th cruise free. This week after we've all paid now it's $25 OBC, no wine and only 1 hour open bar, 16th fare is still free. HOWEVER, if you took advantage of your Early Saver then you get NOTHING! Of which I did and several others and Carnival never told one of us when we did. Sure, they'll let us get back in on the amenities but we'll have to pay them more $. I've contacted their HQ via snail mail and email. 2nd day & no response yet. You'd think after paying over $20K to them so far they'd want to help, but they don't seem to care. No more Carnival cruises for us! You've just made a bunch of customers very upset.

 

If you booked early saver you did NOT book the group rate, so you are completely wrong in your "assumptions" of being "wronged". It doesn't sound like you understood what you were doing, with group booking. Everything is spelled out in the contract.

[RWolver672]

"Fine print" is usually a bunch of legal stuff and disclaimers. If the group booking means you either get early saver or the perks. Or the perks diminish as you get price drops, I'm not understanding why Carnival couldn't just say that. Or write it down in plain English at the very start of the booking like I just did.

 

Like anything else, it's in fine print and legal mumbo jumbo so that you don't read or understand it. How many times have we all been had by trying to return something that turned out to be junk only to find that you had to have the original sales slip, packaging, etc. etc. That's how they make their money, hoping that you won't read the fine print.

[SmogMonster]

If you booked early saver you did NOT book the group rate, so you are completely wrong in your "assumptions" of being "wronged". It doesn't sound like you understood what you were doing, with group booking. Everything is spelled out in the contract.

 

In defense of the OP, I think the OP has two concerns. First, why did the amenities keep dropping? This seems to have been happening independently of the booking rate.

Second, the members of the party should have been told that if they go with ES, they will lose the amenities. They could have then made an educated decision.

[RuthlessBoss]

Why keep calling about amenities? Why would they keep going down because of a phone call?

[serene56]

If you booked early saver you did NOT book the group rate, so you are completely wrong in your "assumptions" of being "wronged". It doesn't sound like you understood what you were doing, with group booking. Everything is spelled out in the contract.

 

 

Early saver rate is the best rate you can get. With the "freebies" it was just an added expense.

 

I hope someone explained to you too that YOU must monitor the prices and get price reductions if prices ever came down

[fireofficer5]

I'm trying to figure out how you got 50 humans to agree on anything pretaining to a cruise.

[Cruisin' Cool CAT]

I'm trying to figure out how you got 50 humans to agree on anything pretaining to a cruise.

 

Hehe! Right?!?!

[bar1068]

I'm trying to figure out the point of this whole thread, because starting with the OP, all that post was, was another, "Carnival did me wrong, I'm done with them" post, with no intentions of discussing anything, just complaining.

[Talisker92]

I'm trying to figure out how you got 50 humans to agree on anything pretaining to a cruise.

I agree-it is like herding cats! I had the experience of being "camp director" once, and never again!!

[MCC retired]

Blame it on Early Saver :

When you start putting Early Saver bookings into the group it reduces your amenities since those ES bookings , while contributing to the TC , get "0" Amenities.

If OP had a good TA handle this group , it would have been explained early on ,

and would have cost OP nothing.

[richstowe]

If they are going back on something that you got in writing, then shame on Carnival.

If they are ,according to you, reneging on a verbal promise , um good luck ?

 

Why are you taking responsibility for 50 people ? Why isn't a PVP or a TA dealing with this ?

Edited June 5, 2014 by richstowe

[uncleg]

Sorry for your problems, but when booking large groups, I find it always works best if you use the same PVP and have them assign the group a name. Have all members reference that group when making reservations with the same PVP. I have booked several large groups this way and always got what we were promised, with no problems, or as with a group I was member of we all used the same travel agent.