kvickers Posted April 29, 2015 #1 Share Posted April 29, 2015 Booking a Carnival cruise for March 2016. Wondering if I should do the Early Saver and hope for a price drop/credit or do the Spring saver, which has a 100% refundable deposit before pay in full date? What are the chances or a price drop? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser fanatic Posted April 29, 2015 #2 Share Posted April 29, 2015 You are 11 months out so there is a good chance the price will drop. Early Saver is the way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kvickers Posted April 29, 2015 Author #3 Share Posted April 29, 2015 Okay. Thanks! First time cruising with Carnival so really appreciate the advice:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizardhowson Posted April 29, 2015 #4 Share Posted April 29, 2015 Booking with the expectation of a price drop may be setting yourself up for disappointment (my January 2016 cruise has gone up & up which is fine, I didn't book it with the expectation of price drops). You should evaluate the rules, benefits and restrictions of the fare categories and choose the one which is most beneficial to your situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
springs741 Posted April 29, 2015 #5 Share Posted April 29, 2015 I like Early Saver but be sure you understand the restrictions. There is a $50 change fee should your plans change. The deposit is not refundable but will be held for you to use within two years. I mention this as I booked early saver for a family vacation and then because of a wonderful opportunity we had to move the cruise a month later. It cost me $400 dollars to Carnival to move the family of 8. That was nothing compared to the airlines charge of $150 per person. Other than that family vacation I have had good luck with ES. On the few cruises I didn't get price reductions at least I know I had the lowest price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fick293 Posted April 29, 2015 #6 Share Posted April 29, 2015 It depends on how often you cruise and if you think there is a chance you will cancel. I usually book ES because I don't book unless I am sure (at the time) I can go on the trip. Some people like to put down deposits and then work on their personal schedule to get time off for the trip. If that is what you do, you'd want something with a fully refundable deposit. With ES if something unforeseen happens, I'm OK with canceling and taking the $50 per person penalty. The remaining balance then is a future cruise credit that I'm sure I would use. I've booked ES several times and always get a price drop. I'm currently booked on the Liberty for 09/13 and have received a $100 drop off of my fare plus $50 OBC. It's not a lot but it's something. If you think there is a chance you may have to cancel ES might not be best for you but if you are confident you will take the cruise ES is the way to go in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjcruiser Posted April 29, 2015 #7 Share Posted April 29, 2015 Early saver is the way to go. Our group booked in October for an end of July cruise, and some of those who booked a balcony, saw a price drop today of $100 or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
portocaller Posted April 30, 2015 #8 Share Posted April 30, 2015 I have $290 in OBC for my July trip due to price drops. But when I booked I knew we would be able to go on the trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kvickers Posted April 30, 2015 Author #9 Share Posted April 30, 2015 Wow! That's great! Does it usually make a difference what cabin you are booked in? Are some categories more likely to get the price drop? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winddawn Posted April 30, 2015 #10 Share Posted April 30, 2015 I like Early Saver but be sure you understand the restrictions. There is a $50 change fee should your plans change. The deposit is not refundable but will be held for you to use within two years. I mention this as I booked early saver for a family vacation and then because of a wonderful opportunity we had to move the cruise a month later. It cost me $400 dollars to Carnival to move the family of 8. That was nothing compared to the airlines charge of $150 per person. Other than that family vacation I have had good luck with ES. On the few cruises I didn't get price reductions at least I know I had the lowest price. OP--Also be aware that Early Saver may not guarantee you the lowest price. Carnival offers many of it best deals as cabin guarantees where Carnival picks your cabin but guarantees you a cabin type. Carnival rules state that they won't price match Early Saver to these cabin guarantee offers. These tend to be offers that come out closer to sail date where Carnival is trying to fill empty cabins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomarvin Posted April 30, 2015 #11 Share Posted April 30, 2015 FYI Carnival does not automatically give you the price drop. YOU are responsible for checking the rates and filling out and submitting the form for any price drops. Here's a link to check for price drops (you need to know your cabin category) http://www.carnival.com/BookingEngine/FareViewer/ here's a link for the form that needs to be submitted. Before final payment you can contact your PVP and they will give adjust your rate. After final payment date you need to submit the form. http://www.carnival.com/request-forms/price-protection-claim.aspx Note: If you book thru a travel agent rather than through Carnival direct, Carnival will not talk to you. You must go through the travel agent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovetotravel1977 Posted April 30, 2015 #12 Share Posted April 30, 2015 So if you book the Fun Select, can you still get price drops as well? You would just have to ensure you are looking at that price category? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
no1volman Posted April 30, 2015 #13 Share Posted April 30, 2015 I like Early Saver but be sure you understand the restrictions. There is a $50 change fee should your plans change. The deposit is not refundable but will be held for you to use within two years. I mention this as I booked early saver for a family vacation and then because of a wonderful opportunity we had to move the cruise a month later. It cost me $400 dollars to Carnival to move the family of 8. That was nothing compared to the airlines charge of $150 per person. Other than that family vacation I have had good luck with ES. On the few cruises I didn't get price reductions at least I know I had the lowest price. So do they only charge the $50 change fee if you change ships or sail dates? How about if you change from interior to balcony? Or change categories? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
springs741 Posted April 30, 2015 #14 Share Posted April 30, 2015 So do they only charge the $50 change fee if you change ships or sail dates? How about if you change from interior to balcony? Or change categories? You can always upgrade. Carnival is happy to take your money or if you are very very lucky the price for the category above yours will drops so that you can upgrade for no additional monies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
springs741 Posted April 30, 2015 #15 Share Posted April 30, 2015 So if you book the Fun Select, can you still get price drops as well? You would just have to ensure you are looking at that price category? On the Fun Select rate or pretty much any other rate you can price match until final payment date. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomarvin Posted April 30, 2015 #16 Share Posted April 30, 2015 On the Fun Select rate or pretty much any other rate you can price match until final payment date. With Early saver you can get price drops up till 2 days before sailing. Other rates you can only get the price drops till final payment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fhmoore Posted April 30, 2015 #17 Share Posted April 30, 2015 I'm confused (as usual).... I can't figure out about early saver. Do you only look at Carnival quotes or if you find a lower quote from, say, Expedia will they look at that? If yes, how do you provide the other website's quote to Carnival??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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