Princess vacation planner

[esper10]

Hi all, I have tried few times to book using TA but some how I end up doing it all myself. I do have a vacation planner with princess. I would tell her what I want cabin location , number.....basically sometimes I fell I know better than her. The only reason I keep her is because it is easier more comfortable to talk to one person. The bigger problem is that if she don’t pick up the phone she hardly return my call or my email. I would like to change her but is there a way I pick one myself? And how can I know if that planner is a good one other than starting all over again and hope for the best

[Ombud]

Wow! Glad I've got a good one! Change yours. 

 

Mine suggests a room based on my particular wants and she's usually right (love IC, never go to buffet, less foot traffic). Usually her line is busy but she always calls back, responds to emails within a day, emails or calls me if I hold / star cruises to see if I have questions, asks if I am flexible on dates if she can 'effectively' reduce single supplement by doing a week earlier or later (last happened on Japan cruise), got me extra OBC for upcoming July cruise (60 OBC in addition to 3 for free)

Edited March 7, 2019 by Ombud

[Colo Cruiser]

We have found the PVP is a very transient position. They offer no additional discounts or special fares that you could not get on your own. 

I suggest you find a great TA who can give you excellent personal customer service and 8% to 12% off your cruise. 

[kitty2264]

I think our vacation planner is excellent.  We have been going to her for over 10 years and she always helps us a great deal.  She will call me if there is a sale that is a better deal than the one we currently have booked.  She keeps track of all our discount deals that might apply like veteran, shareholder, casino, etc.  Maybe we were just lucky that she was the one that picked up the line the first time we called Princess.

[1965]

Our one time having a pvp we found her useless. I prefer doing things myself. 

[Flowergirl56]

We got our first call from ours yesterday, haven’t called him back yet.  Do they bug you like sales people tend to do or is the call more like an introduction and get to know your likes and dislikes? 

[Ombud]

I initiate the conversation with mine on Princess. Not the same on Carnival -- they bug me

[Colo Cruiser]

25 minutes ago, Flowergirl56 said:

We got our first call from ours yesterday, haven’t called him back yet.  Do they bug you like sales people tend to do or is the call more like an introduction and get to know your likes and dislikes? 

Yes. I have had phone calls and countless emails even to this day.

[firecrewcapt]

PVP's are pretty useless, with that said Princess has tried to set me up with PVP's for years and so I decided to try one and guess what, he helped me once with a booking (2017) and since never has returned calls or emails but sure does email all the specials and promos and to call him to book one, what a joke never answers the phone or returns messages. Just my .02 worth

[Ombud]

I initiate the conversation with mine on Princess. Not the same on Carnival -- they bug me.

[Ombud]

I initiate the conversation with mine on Princess. And she's  not useless. But I'm a solo cruiser so my parameters are different. Not the same on Carnival -- they bug me.

[suekel]

20 hours ago, esper10 said:

Hi all, I have tried few times to book using TA but some how I end up doing it all myself. I do have a vacation planner with princess. I would tell her what I want cabin location , number.....basically sometimes I fell I know better than her. The only reason I keep her is because it is easier more comfortable to talk to one person. The bigger problem is that if she don’t pick up the phone she hardly return my call or my email. I would like to change her but is there a way I pick one myself? And how can I know if that planner is a good one other than starting all over again and hope for the best

I had a great one, but he left for another department.  I don't like the one I have, very hard to reach.  I called and asked for a new one and they told me no.  

[ceilidh1]

Is a PVP similar to a TA in that if you book with one you can only talk to them regarding your booking? I just tried a TA for the first time and, although she got me some nice perks and was nice enough, I missed having control over my booking. I haven't heard a peep from her since final payment - including not getting important emails about embark time changes, etc (thank goodness for CC roll calls). I also suspect an upsell might not have been passed along judging by other comments on my rollcall.

[BCCRUSINGCOUPLE]

I have never used a cruise planner however this time I did and there was no better discount or anything extra given. I just found they at it took longer


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[Kamloops50]

I have a PVP at that I have used for the last 8 years. He is always a quick  call or email. He knows exactly what I want . He also sends me info on up coming promotions and future release date. Yes the general number can help on week ends.

Edited March 8, 2019 by Kamloops50

[Thrak]

I got a call from a PVP. He said, "It looks like you have been considering a Princess cruise and have looked at several." He was quite surprised when I told him I have cruised with Princess 11 times and have 3 more booked at the moment. He was under the impression I had never sailed with Princess and was setting me up with a new Captain's Circle number. I told him to delete that number. Since then he has sent me quite a few emails trying to get me to book a cruise with him. GAH! Leave me alone! I like doing my own bookings and keeping control of them until the last minute when I transfer them to my TA for a discounted price. Now, of course, Princess has screwed that up and changed their rules so I have to transfer the cruise almost immediately or lose the ability to do the transfer. (I don't get as good a discount as Keith but then he books a bazillion cruises. Perhaps if I had that track record I would get that much of a discount as well. Or not.)

Edited March 8, 2019 by Thrak

[Kamloops50]

You still have control of your booking like you do if booked online. My PVP has gotten us price r dictions even after fail payment . On one cruise we got two price reductions  after final payment to the amount of $1000 per person. If you call the regular number they won’t even consider a price drop after final payment. A TA couldn’t get that ether for you but our PVP did. He knew who to call .

[BCCRUSINGCOUPLE]

You still have control of your booking like you do if booked online. My PVP has gotten us price r dictions even after fail payment . On one cruise we got two price reductions  after final payment to the amount of $1000 per person. If you call the regular number they won’t even consider a price drop after final payment. A TA couldn’t get that ether for you but our PVP did. He knew who to call .

Good to know I will try it some time



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[Grego]

We have been blessed by having a PVP that really cares, is very responsive to the point of being proactive in getting us the best deal available.  She has been with Princess for many years has given her the knowledge of where to go immediately to get the right answer to any issue we might have.

Granted we might get a better deal working with a TA who would give up part of their commission and put it toward an OBC, but it is more important to us to work directly with the company.  It might be at some point in the future that if our PVP ever left her position we would work with the local TA that we have used for the Viking river cruise and our recent Cuba voyage.  Then again, if Princess doesn't belly up and improve their loyalty program, we might be taking more voyages on other cruise lines.

[USCcruisecrazy]

We have always had success with our PVP...courteous, well informed, and cares about making our experience the best it can be.  It is noteworthy that if you book online yourself and then a better deal comes along, you can not just make a change or upgrade and be guaranteed the same room...or to even be able to make the change at all.  If you use a PVP, they can make those changes for you and often guarantee keeping some bennies you may otherwise lose.

[HaveDogWillTravel]

11 hours ago, Kamloops50 said:

You still have control of your booking like you do if booked online. My PVP has gotten us price r dictions even after fail payment . On one cruise we got two price reductions  after final payment to the amount of $1000 per person. If you call the regular number they won’t even consider a price drop after final payment. A TA couldn’t get that ether for you but our PVP did. He knew who to call .

I also use a pvp but I noticed a price reduction on a Saturday for my upcoming May 2019 Alaska cruise. Even though it was after final payment, the Princess rep was able to apply this discount to my booking ($542). 

[Bollycats]

What is the difference between a PVP and just calling into the 800 number and getting whoever answers? 

 

I was "assigned" a PVP once and called her to book what I was seeing online. She couldn't find the same deal. She told me to book it and then when she saw the booking she cancelled it and rebooked it herself. (I guess so SHE got the credit??) I've always been leery of them since then and just book it myself.

[chapultepec]

Hi there,

 

If you would like a new CVP (cruise vacation planner) call their toll free number 1-800-901-1172 and follow the prompts. Princess will assign one to you.

 

I have used the same planner for my last 6 cruises. I find her helpful with any questions I have especially concerning Ocean Medallion and she is always willing to adjust the fare if a better deal comes along prior to final payment. I do agree that because they are super busy, I often have to wait a few days before getting a response from her because  as she explained to me, new bookings are their number 1 priority. The other issues I have is they keep regular business hours and so are not available evenings and weekends. I find calling the main number frustrating as you'll never get the same answer twice.

[jangor]

On 3/8/2019 at 11:47 AM, chapultepec said:

Hi there,

 

If you would like a new CVP (cruise vacation planner) call their toll free number 1-800-901-1172 and follow the prompts. Princess will assign one to you.

 

I have used the same planner for my last 6 cruises. I find her helpful with any questions I have especially concerning Ocean Medallion and she is always willing to adjust the fare if a better deal comes along prior to final payment. I do agree that because they are super busy, I often have to wait a few days before getting a response from her because  as she explained to me, new bookings are their number 1 priority. The other issues I have is they keep regular business hours and so are not available evenings and weekends. I find calling the main number frustrating as you'll never get the same answer twice.

I agree.  Have used same pop for last three cruises and she always gets back to us within 24 hrs. and has helped us find cabin that meets our criteria and price.  

 

[pompeii]

I just recently have started to use a Princess PVP and she has been helpful.  A few weeks ago I mentioned to a regular Princess rep that my PVP never answers my emails, and she called the supervisor of that department and got a new one assigned to me.  So far the new one has been responsive, usually answers the same day.  I haven't gotten any special discounts from her yet, but she was helpful recently in getting me a cabin that I couldn't book on my 14-day cruise.  It was being held for the 7-day segments and not book-able on the 14-day.  She got it opened up and assigned to us, which is something that the regular rep couldn't do.