Future Cruise ?

[2xsin12mths]

Do they still have benefits (onboard credit) to booking a future cruise when on a cruise? I have done that several times and have received anywhere from 50.00 to 100.00 onboard credit, which if we are going on a cruise again in 6 mths every little bit counts. But I've been reading it's kinda turning into a bust and not worth it??

[firemanbobswife]

There are lots of restrictions on it. It's tied to ES so you can't book any more sleeper cruises for the OBC and switch later. It's not worth it to me. 

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4565/~/carnivals-future-cruise-vacation-welcome-home-program

[2xsin12mths]

3 minutes ago, firemanbobswife said:

There are lots of restrictions on it. It's tied to ES so you can't book any more sleeper cruises for the OBC and switch later. It's not worth it to me. 

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4565/~/carnivals-future-cruise-vacation-welcome-home-program

Hmmmmmm…..yeah I see that. I figured as much.

This happened to us on Sunrise. We sail the 2nd sailing out of Norfolk after dry dock and were switched to a (I feel) crappy room and location. My TA said if I switch we lose the 50.00 onboard credit. 

[firemanbobswife]

3 minutes ago, 2xsin12mths said:

Hmmmmmm…..yeah I see that. I figured as much.

This happened to us on Sunrise. We sail the 2nd sailing out of Norfolk after dry dock and were switched to a (I feel) crappy room and location. My TA said if I switch we lose the 50.00 onboard credit. 

Yep. And if you price match, you also lose OBC. They get you coming and going. It's very rare I ever book an ES rate anymore. I like the flexibility of Past Guest rates in case I need to change up dates, names, or cancel and get my deposit back in cash vs FCC. I got burned once by ES to the tune of $100 and won't make that mistake again. Typically PG is only about $20 pp more. It's worth the little bit extra to me.

[PhillyFan33579]

Any time you cruise now, the offer to book a future cruise on the ship applies to the 2 weeks after the cruise ends. So in my opinion it isn’t worth using time on the cruise to book another one. I normally book ES fares because my work schedule is pretty flexible.  However, if you don’t know what your schedule will be in the future, there are other booking options as others have mentioned. 

[Treyatl2006]

You can still get OBC if Carnival is running a promotion that include OBC... I would check back around the 15th of November... wink wink.... or try around Thanks giving. 

[HectorAchilleus]

I really think that this was a poor decision by Carnival. We used to book a future cruise (or two) every time we vacationed. Since they cut back on the program, we have not booked another cruise with Carnival. In essence , we went from 3-4 cruises a yearto none in the past 18 months and none planned in the future. 

[tandemcruzr]

20 hours ago, firemanbobswife said:

Yep. And if you price match, you also lose OBC. They get you coming and going. It's very rare I ever book an ES rate anymore. I like the flexibility of Past Guest rates in case I need to change up dates, names, or cancel and get my deposit back in cash vs FCC. I got burned once by ES to the tune of $100 and won't make that mistake again. Typically PG is only about $20 pp more. It's worth the little bit extra to me.

We have booked several cruises via ES and have utilized price drops and have not lost OBC. Most recent is our 14 day 11/3 Journey Cruise on the Breeze and have several price drops from $2389 p/p to $1499 p/p in a Cove Balcony and retained our original $50 OBC.

Edited October 29, 2018 by tandemcruzr

[Quilcruisers]

I hate they stopped this program too.  We always try to use our future cruise booking option when we return from cruises.  You will have 2 weeks to book at a discounted rate.  I don’t like the fact that you can only book one with the discount. I guess I could use my husbands discount but he doesn’t sail in all of the cruises so I usually just book under my name with my discount. 

[firemanbobswife]

1 hour ago, tandemcruzr said:

We have booked several cruises via ES and have utilized price drops and have not lost OBC. Most recent is our 14 day 11/3 Journey Cruise on the Breeze and have several price drops from $2389 p/p to $1499 p/p in a Cove Balcony and retained our original $50 OBC.

The only way you’re going to keep your OBC is if you price match to a cruise that also has OBC. 

[PhillyFan33579]

5 minutes ago, firemanbobswife said:

The only way you’re going to keep your OBC is if you price match to a cruise that also has OBC. 

 

That ia their policy, but I have price matched on several occasions where they didn’t take away the OBC.  As someone who frequently calls concerning price matching, I think a lot of it has to do with the person who answers your call. If you don’t like the answer from one person, simply thank the person for the information and call back again a short time later. 

[firefly333]

I actually turned in two of those old certifictes and just quit booking ahead of time. Now I wait and book last minute. My parents are older and the prices close in are just as good.

 

The one good thing is the OBC from owning Carnival stock is still combinable with other OBC you might get from booking (though I got none this time lol).

 

RCL quit allowing you to combine. Carnival is still more generous in OBC than others.

[firemanbobswife]

5 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

 

That ia their policy, but I have price matched on several occasions where they didn’t take away the OBC.  As someone who frequently calls concerning price matching, I think a lot of it has to do with the person who answers your call. If you don’t like the answer from one person, simply thank the person for the information and call back again a short time later. 

Yeah I know that's their policy, but they aren't very flexible when it comes to the future cruise offerings. Lots of people have complained about the new way. Normal CSRs aren't able to override what the computer has programmed in it, they will need to talk to a supervisor. Yes, you may find one that is willing to do the extra step, but that doesn't mean that supervisor will approve it. 

 

I don't need to call back and speak to anyone because if anything extra can be done, my PVP makes it happen. However, there is only so much he can do with certain rate codes. A lot of times you can keep your OBC, but the rate might not be as low as it would have been without the OBC. Just like the "sales" they have. Sure you might get reduced deposits or OBC, but if you would have been following the rates before, you would see that it's really not a sale at all. So yes, while technically it may be possible to keep OBC, it might just be from a rate or promotion you can't see (I just had that happen with the other cabin I booked for my friends - he saved them an extra $50 and I didn't even ask - he saw a code that I couldn't). But like with everything else to do with Carnival, the only thing they are consistent at is being inconsistent.

[Bookster99]

It kind of depends when you book, and how often you call. I cruised in July to Cuba, and managed to get several credits after the cruise was paid for, that went towards OBC. Paid for quite a few drinks. Sometimes there is the risk of losing OBC, and sometimes, like the last time, i would have had to pay a much higher deposit. The higher deposit was a winner, though: It all counted towards to cruise!

[midwestman]

They used to have an option where you could make a $100 dollar deposit, and select any cruise within the following 5 years and get $100 of obc, and you could cancel the deposit at any time prior to booking.  Then it changed to a 3 yr time span, then 2, and then they took it away.  I always loved that option...gave me a chance to pick from any cruise I wanted.  Really wish they would bring that back.