I did not do my homework on Early Saver.

[Admin]

We booked a spring break cruise for March 2015 under an early saver rate. I was too excited about the idea of price drops up to the sailing date that I didn't read the fine print. This will teach me to never make a cruise decision again without consulting Cruise Critic members and reading every piece of fine print the cruise line has.

 

I had to cancel today and we were charged a $50 pp administrative fee ($150) and the remaining $150 for the deposit will be held to be used for a cruise anytime in the next 24 months.

 

Lesson learned...read the fine print and ask around about the positives and negatives of a cruise line deal. Now I know. :o Go ahead...kick me when I'm down. ;)

[snc_cam]

there are pros and cons of each rate group. I had two move an ES cruise and it cost me $100. I was prepared for that. But I have also done well with getting price drops. So, it is a game, like most things. You just need to understand all of the rules.

 

And would I do ES again knowing this, yes.

[Baymax]

We booked a spring break cruise for March 2015 under an early saver rate. I was too excited about the idea of price drops up to the sailing date that I didn't read the fine print. This will teach me to never make a cruise decision again without consulting Cruise Critic members and reading every piece of fine print the cruise line has.

 

I had to cancel today and we were charged a $50 pp administrative fee ($150) and the remaining $150 for the deposit will be held to be used for a cruise anytime in the next 24 months.

 

Lesson learned...read the fine print and ask around about the positives and negatives of a cruise line deal. Now I know. :o Go ahead...kick me when I'm down. ;)

 

No worries, Cecilia. We're here to help! At least you learned most of the terms of the agreement for next time and you have a deposit almost ready for your next cruise.

 

All the best.

Edited December 4, 2014 by Baymax

[MadManOfBethesda]

I think that it is fantastic that you are owning your mistake rather than blaming Carnival as so many others do. Well done.

 

I do have one question, however: What did you think you were giving up under the ES rate in order to be able to benefit from any price drops up until the sailing date? Surely you couldn't have been under the impression that Carnival was offering that benefit with no additional commitment from you. Otherwise, anyone would book ES.

[Admin]

No worries, Cecilia. We're here to help! At least you learned most of the terms of the agreement for next time and you have a deposit almost ready for your next cruise.

 

All the best.

Correct!

 

Baymax...Big Hero 6...saw that movie with my kids last week. We loved it!

 

I think that it is fantastic that you are owning your mistake rather than blaming Carnival as so many others do. Well done.

 

I do have one question, however: What did you think you were giving up under the ES rate in order to be able to benefit from any price drops up until the sailing date? Surely you couldn't have been under the impression that Carnival was offering that benefit with no additional commitment from you. Otherwise, anyone would book ES.

Honestly, I didn't even think about it. I'm a relatively new Carnival cruiser and I just assumed it was a perk given to those that book farther out. I book NCL cruises usually and I get great perks booking far out. I was just living in a blissful little bubble of thinking about price drops! I didn't think at all about a penalty for canceling. I totally went against everything I know about booking a cruise and I've been cruising for 30 years! However, now I know every little detail about the ES rate. I'll be better prepared next time.

 

Thing is, I got a great rate and the ES rate wasn't that much lower than the military rate I qualified for. Another lesson learned. I should have weighed the pros and cons better and I could have done that if I'd read the fine print.

Edited December 4, 2014 by Admin
Spelling

[tkportersat]

So sorry this happened to you...Same thing happened to my mom, to the tune of $300. We are booked for a cruise in March and she was able to transfer it to our booking as a Christmas gift. I will never book Early Saver, too many stipulations that I don't care to keep up with.

 

We booked a spring break cruise for March 2015 under an early saver rate. I was too excited about the idea of price drops up to the sailing date that I didn't read the fine print. This will teach me to never make a cruise decision again without consulting Cruise Critic members and reading every piece of fine print the cruise line has.

 

I had to cancel today and we were charged a $50 pp administrative fee ($150) and the remaining $150 for the deposit will be held to be used for a cruise anytime in the next 24 months.

 

Lesson learned...read the fine print and ask around about the positives and negatives of a cruise line deal. Now I know. :o Go ahead...kick me when I'm down. ;)

[Admin]

So sorry this happened to you...Same thing happened to my mom, to the tune of $300. We are booked for a cruise in March and she was able to transfer it to our booking as a Christmas gift. I will never book Early Saver, too many stipulations that I don't care to keep up with.

Yeah...I'd have to really think about using it again. It seems like a great program but we sometimes have to change plans because of kids and my husband's work schedule, etc. It might not be the best for us. But for those that get it and get price drops...good for them! I'm glad they get to take advantage of it.

[snc_cam]

Yeah...I'd have to really think about using it again. It seems like a great program but we sometimes have to change plans because of kids and my husband's work schedule, etc. It might not be the best for us. But for those that get it and get price drops...good for them! I'm glad they get to take advantage of it.

 

That is a very refreshing attitude here. Most people are offering to "bash" ES because of its rules. It does have its restrictions but as long as you are aware of them, it is really not a bad rate if you are almost sure of no change.

[tkportersat]

Same here, you never know what life will throw at you and I like the old way of no penalties until final payment.

 

Yeah...I'd have to really think about using it again. It seems like a great program but we sometimes have to change plans because of kids and my husband's work schedule, etc. It might not be the best for us. But for those that get it and get price drops...good for them! I'm glad they get to take advantage of it.

[taymiss2]

I am a NCL girl myself who recently booked carnival again after a long lay off. Early Saver was really the only option I was given. I really just thought when you book a certain number of months out that is what they call the price.

 

What do they call non early saver and where does it show up on the booking page? And why does a guarantee cabin show up as so much money? A inside was $400 something and the inside guarantee was $1500. I couldn't figure out why anyone would book a guarantee cabin for that price. Is it so Early Saver looks like the only option or something?

 

Maybe I had two choices Early saver and" let carnival pick your cabin" with the price looking so high no one would ever do it.

[NightOne]

So which fares are able to be cancelled with a full refund up to the final payment date?

 

I would guess that that rate would also only be eligible for price drops up until final payment date as well, but which rate is that?

[bury me at sea]

Early Saver has some great benefits and some really big restrictions. I am sorry the restrictions weren't clear to you at the time you booked.

 

I hope you have a great cruise whatever you do. Hard to beat a day on a ship.

 

Someone I respected greatly told me decades ago, if a problem can be solved with money, it isn't really a problem. I have lived with this advice and found it helped me innumerable times.

[tkportersat]

In my case it is usually a past guest rate or casino rate. I booked my cruise for March back in August. There was one drop and I called to ask if they would credit me and they did. My final payment date is Dec. 24th and I can cancel up until that day and get all my money back. I also always get insurance but usually wait until final payment, even though that means I can't get the cancel for any reason clause.

 

So which fares are able to be cancelled with a full refund up to the final payment date?

 

I would guess that that rate would also only be eligible for price drops up until final payment date as well, but which rate is that?

[terryinal]

The thing with early saver is understanding the rules. I always book it when I can. My son used it for our Jan. cruise and saved 300 dollars a few weeks ago. I wish they would do away with it and just give better rates up front. But its their cruise line and they will do what they want

[MadManOfBethesda]

...I totally went against everything I know about booking a cruise and I've been cruising for 30 years! However, now I know every little detail about the ES rate. I'll be better prepared next time.

 

I, too, have been cruising for over 30 years (35 actually) and in all that time I never once cancelled a cruise. (You know where this is going, right? :) ) Two years ago I booked an ES rate on a 30-day cruise from LA to Brazil as part of Splendor's repositioning to NYC. As it turned out, that was actually two legs (and two separate cruises) of the repositioning, each with a $400pp deposit. So my total deposit was $1,600, $200 of which I lost when I subsequently had to cancel the cruises, and the other $1,400 tied up until I booked another cruise on Carnival. I ended up using it to book a Western Caribbean cruise on Glory this past October because my 24-month period to use the funds was about to expire.

 

But the above story does have a silver lining. We hadn't been on a Carnival cruise in 10 years and we thoroughly enjoyed our experience on Glory. We also ended up getting a free cruise certificate from the Casino Host which we used last month. And then at the conclusion of that cruise, we received another offer for a free cruise from the same Casino Host, so we will be sailing Christmas Week on Conquest! None of this would have happened if we hadn't booked ES and been forced to use the $1,400 on a Carnival cruise rather than just receiving a normal refund of our deposit.

[Admin]

Early Saver has some great benefits and some really big restrictions. I am sorry the restrictions weren't clear to you at the time you booked.

They were clear...I just didn't read it. :D

I hope you have a great cruise whatever you do. Hard to beat a day on a ship.

 

Someone I respected greatly told me decades ago, if a problem can be solved with money, it isn't really a problem. I have lived with this advice and found it helped me innumerable times.

My dad used to tell me the very same thing for most situations. He died 17 years ago next week and I'm always reminded of that saying because I'd give any amount of money if I could see him again.

 

We'll be alright. I'll find another cruise and we'll have $150 towards that cruise. It just smarts that a little research on my part could have avoided it. I'm mad at myself! It's one of those things that when I booked it, the PVP didn't say, hey, you need to be clear about this and that. It was up to me to read the fine print before booking and I didn't.

[RWolver672]

This may sound stupid but they should offer a class on booking for newbies. Even though many people have cruised before, if you change lines, things aren't always the same when booking.

 

After being on here for fourteen years, I've learned enough about what to ask for. When I booked our upcoming cruise, I e-mailed our PVP and ask for prices. He sent me back the prices and said to call him to book. The first thing I ask him was if it was an ES rate. He said yes. I ask if it was a guarantee rate or for a specific cabin. He said guarantee. Had I not asked, we would have been stuck with a rate we didn't want and a cabin we didn't choose.

 

What he did tell me that I wasn't aware of is that even though you may pay off your cruise before the due date, you are still elegible for price drops if the price goes down before the actual due date. I always figured that as soon as you paid it off, that was it.

Edited December 5, 2014 by RWolver672

[latunxitom]

I was prepared for that. But I have also done well with getting price drops.

[Baymax]

This may sound stupid but they should offer a class on booking for newbies. Even though many people have cruised before, if you change lines, things aren't always the same when booking.

 

After being on here for fourteen years, I've learned enough about what to ask for. When I booked our upcoming cruise, I e-mailed our PVP and ask for prices. He sent me back the prices and said to call him to book. The first thing I ask him was if it was an ES rate. He said yes. I ask if it was a guarantee rate or for a specific cabin. He said guarantee. Had I not asked, we would have been stuck with a rate we didn't want and a cabin we didn't choose.

 

What he did tell me that I wasn't aware of is that even though you may pay off your cruise before the due date, you are still elegible for price drops if the price goes down before the actual due date. I always figured that as soon as you paid it off, that was it.

 

I'm sure Carnival preys on people booking Early Saver and the majority of those who book ES and aren't Cruise Critic members have absolutely no idea what they are eligible for. We see plenty of threads asking for help so it isn't as if everyone here even knows. Would most know they can submit a price drop? Probably not, but most would book, be happy with the price and call it a day. Those administration fees for changes and cancellations must add up to far outweigh the onboard credit they give away. Remember... $100 onboard credit costs Carnival NO MORE THAN $20 if spent onboard. If withdrawn as cash or applied against gratuities, it costs them the full amount. Otherwise, $20 or less.

[cruise_girl2002]

All I can say is that I applaud you for owning up and saying that you made the mistake by not reading the contract. So many come on here and blame the line and moan and groan that carnival "stole" their money. Hats off to you

[Admin]

All I can say is that I applaud you for owning up and saying that you made the mistake by not reading the contract. So many come on here and blame the line and moan and groan that carnival "stole" their money. Hats off to you

Thanks for that and to those that haven't wagged a finger at me for making a stupid mistake. Unfortunately, I have no excuse. I've been a member of Cruise Critic for almost 14 years and I've worked here for over 8. There are some rules that people preach over and over when others post...read the contract you agreed to. My only defense is I was in a cruise stupor and so excited to be booking a spring break cruise that it never crossed my mind that I'd have to cancel. Who cancels a cruise?!?!? :D

 

Now that I've educated myself, I do think the $50 pp is a bit much. Maybe it's that much because some people submit many price drops and then cancel and the $50 pp pays for the time taken for the reservation? Whatever the case, it's their fee and they can make it what they want. My recourse was to not agree to it and book a different rate. Oh wait...I didn't do that. :p I also don't like that I don't get a refund of the rest of the deposit. Disney has the same type of rule for booking certain types of staterooms. Once you deposit, your money is theirs. I don't like at all that I have $150 committed to Carnival. They made $150 on the cancellation already. Why keep the rest of the deposit? But again...read the contract. Sigh....

 

A simple 2 minute search of the FAQ on Carnival would have told me all this. Drat!

[kteachcruiser52]

I'm sure Carnival preys on people booking Early Saver and the majority of those who book ES and aren't Cruise Critic members have absolutely no idea what they are eligible for. We see plenty of threads asking for help so it isn't as if everyone here even knows. Would most know they can submit a price drop? Probably not, but most would book, be happy with the price and call it a day. Those administration fees for changes and cancellations must add up to far outweigh the onboard credit they give away. Remember... $100 onboard credit costs Carnival NO MORE THAN $20 if spent onboard. If withdrawn as cash or applied against gratuities, it costs them the full amount. Otherwise, $20 or less.

 

Our first few cruises we booked ES, not knowing what it was so I never checked for price drops. When I started reading CC before our Hawaii cruise, I found out about the perks for ES and got about $300 of OBC for price drops. I should have read the details about ES when I booked . Live and learn!

[kona_wahine]

I booked ES for april. They are now offering a super saver guaranty rate less. Kinda, sorta ticks me off. I wouldn't give up my prime spot room on lido, but was really hoping for a price drop. Kind of wonder if ES is ever worth the risk.

[NightOne]

Thanks for that and to those that haven't wagged a finger at me for making a stupid mistake. Unfortunately, I have no excuse. I've been a member of Cruise Critic for almost 14 years and I've worked here for over 8. There are some rules that people preach over and over when others post...read the contract you agreed to. My only defense is I was in a cruise stupor and so excited to be booking a spring break cruise that it never crossed my mind that I'd have to cancel. Who cancels a cruise?!?!? :D

 

Now that I've educated myself, I do think the $50 pp is a bit much. Maybe it's that much because some people submit many price drops and then cancel and the $50 pp pays for the time taken for the reservation? Whatever the case, it's their fee and they can make it what they want. My recourse was to not agree to it and book a different rate. Oh wait...I didn't do that. :p I also don't like that I don't get a refund of the rest of the deposit. Disney has the same type of rule for booking certain types of staterooms. Once you deposit, your money is theirs. I don't like at all that I have $150 committed to Carnival. They made $150 on the cancellation already. Why keep the rest of the deposit? But again...read the contract. Sigh....

 

A simple 2 minute search of the FAQ on Carnival would have told me all this. Drat!

 

It doesn't help that when you book on the website that the ES is the rate shown by default. You really have to pay attention and dig to find the other rates. I did some research the other day and figured out most of the rates. I am going to make a chart and post it here when I get an opportunity. :)

[snc_cam]

It doesn't help that when you book on the website that the ES is the rate shown by default. You really have to pay attention and dig to find the other rates. I did some research the other day and figured out most of the rates. I am going to make a chart and post it here when I get an opportunity. :)

 

don't have to dig at all. There is a link below the ES option that says something like "Other Rates". It will show all that you are eligible for when you click it.