Early Saver

[Carnival Cutie]

Someone tell me this.....After submitting the price reduction form on ES, how many days did you half to wait before you heard anything? I submitted the form last Thursday, (6-4), and havent heard a thing.

 

You should have heard something by now. I've had numerous problems with submitting price adjustment forms and wind up calling every time I submit one. The last couple I submitted were never received according to the customer rep at Carnival.

 

I would definitely call and inform them that you submitted the request last week and have yet to hear anything.

[Bases5]

Can you book (past guest) and then switch to ES later.

I want to book a cruise 18 months in advance to get a cabin I want. However I won't know if I can get that date off for another 6 months. (good chance I can)

Just in case we can't go on that date I did not want to pay $100 penalty.

Is that doable.

[harleywv]

I requested a price drop last week and was denied. I am a little confused on how to find your exact stateroom category. We booked an aft balcony for October, category 8m. Apparently all the aft cabins are sold out. Are there other rooms that are 8m?

 

And is it true you can only request 2 price drops?

[meatloafsfan]

Can you book (past guest) and then switch to ES later.

I want to book a cruise 18 months in advance to get a cabin I want. However I won't know if I can get that date off for another 6 months. (good chance I can)

Just in case we can't go on that date I did not want to pay $100 penalty.

Is that doable.

 

As long as Early Saver is still offered for your cruise (the rate is available for 3-5 day cruise up to three months in advance, or 6 day or longer cruise up to five months in advance), you could switch to the ES rate; if however, your rate that you book at now is less than the ES rate at the time, you won't be price protected, you would have to pay the new rate and it may or may not be worth it.

[bakersdozen12]

I requested a price drop last week and was denied. I am a little confused on how to find your exact stateroom category. We booked an aft balcony for October, category 8m. Apparently all the aft cabins are sold out. Are there other rooms that are 8m?

 

And is it true you can only request 2 price drops?

 

 

There is no limit to the number of price drops you can request. However, I'm confused. If your category was sold out, what exactly were you trying to match to? If your category is sold out, it can't drop in price.

[meatloafsfan]

I requested a price drop last week and was denied. I am a little confused on how to find your exact stateroom category. We booked an aft balcony for October, category 8m. Apparently all the aft cabins are sold out. Are there other rooms that are 8m?

 

And is it true you can only request 2 price drops?

 

You can request as many price drops as are available, there is no limit.

 

You can only match to your category or higher. If matching to your category (8M) you would keep your cabin, if matching to a higher category (say suites dropped in price) you may be required to move to a suite to take advantage of the change under ES (some have reported being able to keep their cabin but I think that's one of the situations that the new phrasing on the website is about having to change your cabin).

[Bases5]

As long as Early Saver is still offered for your cruise (the rate is available for 3-5 day cruise up to three months in advance, or 6 day or longer cruise up to five months in advance), you could switch to the ES rate; if however, your rate that you book at now is less than the ES rate at the time, you won't be price protected, you would have to pay the new rate and it may or may not be worth it.

 

Thanks

I figured if ES was higher I would pay the difference, I would have a decision to make at that time.

(hmm red or black)

I would know at least a year in advance if we can go on that date.

 

I have booked ES many time's I just wasn't sure if you could get ES after you are booked in another rate.

[cruizinisthebest]

If your category is sold out, you cannot apply for price drops since the category is no longer pricing out. All you can do is keep checking in case someone cancels or moves to another cabin thereby leaving an 8M open for pricing again.

 

Sent from my SCH-I435 using Tapatalk

[virginiab]

Can you book (past guest) and then switch to ES later.

I want to book a cruise 18 months in advance to get a cabin I want. However I won't know if I can get that date off for another 6 months. (good chance I can)

Just in case we can't go on that date I did not want to pay $100 penalty.

Is that doable.

 

I did just this thing for just this reason. When our vacation dates were confirmed at work, I changed to ES. In order to make the change I had to pay more than I had originally paid, but there was also a senior rate available at the same time. So I paid extra for ES, then immediately submitted a form to get the senior rate, which was lower than I had initially paid.

 

I had to talk the customer service rep through my entire plan, as she wanted to keep me from paying more (ES rate) for my cruise. But we got it done.

[jdcml]

One other thought on the ES vs. GTY perspective. Being able to choose your cabin oftentimes comes at an increased cost. It's the benefit of knowing you aren't under the casino or over the night club. When rates come out that are GTY, it isn't apples to apples anymore. Having the lowest price and choice of rooms doesn't match.

 

I got excited about a price drop just yesterday on the More=Merrier rate. I saw though that that rate is only for a GTY and I don't want to give up my room. The upside is we still have a lot in this current category so prices may drop yet, the downside is that this new rate may fill some of those rooms. :o

[winddawn]

You do have to be price matching the same cruise, date, ship, exact same cabin category and same number of PAX.

 

If the "Govt Fees and Taxes" have increased, if you take a price match you are charged the new "Govt Fees and Taxes" which are basically deducted from your price drop - sometimes negating it.

 

You have to account for OBC in that if original booking offered OBC and the new one doesn't, you lose the OBC, negating the overall price drop. OBC from booking onboard, shareholder, etc. is not included but is often confused by the reps.

 

Booked ES, you are allowed ONCE to "switch" to a Guarantee Rate, in which case you lose some ES privileges and have to give up your assigned cabin and join the Guarantee Pool.

 

If your price match is legit the reps often initially reject it and you have to call and plead your case, but the above rules will apply.

 

Ken

Carnival has never allowed me to price match under Early Saver to a lower price for a guarantee cabin.

[Bases5]

Carnival has never allowed me to price match under Early Saver to a lower price for a guarantee cabin.

 

They have been letting people do it 1 time and then your done.

[fuddrules]

Carnival has never allowed me to price match under Early Saver to a lower price for a guarantee cabin.

 

Correct.

 

But there are numerous reports of people being allowed to opt out of the ES rate and enter the "pool" of guaranteed rate cabins. Once this is done there is no going back to ES and your rate is locked and you lose your specific cabin.

[harleywv]

There is no limit to the number of price drops you can request. However, I'm confused. If your category was sold out, what exactly were you trying to match to? If your category is sold out, it can't drop in price.

 

 

I didn't know if there were other cabins that were category 8m or if ONLY the aft balconies were considered category 8m.

 

Thanks for all the replies!

[rudechuck]

On the Liberty we had an "L" shaped room with the longer balcony. Our category was sold out, but there was a significant price drop on all balcony cabins. To get the OBC, we had to upgrade to a higher deck, midship, but smaller balcony.