Carnival price drop

[drsel]

Is it easier to get the benefit of a price drop by booking directly on the Carnival website or through a US online travel agent?

If you have booked an early saver super value fare directly on the Carnival website, then how do you get your cruise fare reduced whenever there is a price drop?

Will Carnival even agree to reduce your Cruise fare, whenever there is a price drop?

[Saint Greg]

I've done it both through carnival and through a travel agent no problem. I think it's easier just to call carnival myself but I prefer to book through a TA for the additional OBC in which case they have to call Carnival. Not sure if you get price drops on Super Saver. Early Saver you do.

[DGP1111]

49 minutes ago, drsel said:

 

 . . .

If you have booked an early saver super value fare directly on the Carnival website, then how do you get your cruise fare reduced whenever there is a price drop?

 . . . 

 

 

https://www.carnival.com/core/requestforms/priceprotection.aspx

 

 

[Florida Paesano]

We book directly on the Carnival website.  When there's been a price drop for which we qualified, it just took a phone call to Carnival and it was handled right then during the phone call and could not have been easier.

[drsel]

I've done it both through carnival and through a travel agent no problem. I think it's easier just to call carnival myself but I prefer to book through a TA for the additional OBC in which case they have to call Carnival. Not sure if you get price drops on Super Saver. Early Saver you do.

Fare code KSV.
Maybe Super value

[Lee Cruiser]

I've always booked myself on the Carnival website and use the form that has already been linked.  Never had a problem with them approving it.  Beware though, Arnold Donald just said that passengers should not expect any big deals when they return to cruising because of capacity cuts and demand.  The deal you get when you book may be the best price you will see.

[firefly333]

Frankly I'm shell shocked how high cruises are fall 2021. I guess I booked too early, this year and afraid I'll get cancelled. Thought ok book a year out, fall usually cheaper .... not so much fall 2021. I guess everyone beat me to it booking a year or so out. Everyone wants to get that $600. Wish I could keep the good prices I'm booked at this year. 

 

I almost feel like I missed some announcement cancelling this year.

[CarnivalCruiser875]

2 hours ago, Florida Paesano said:

We book directly on the Carnival website.  When there's been a price drop for which we qualified, it just took a phone call to Carnival and it was handled right then during the phone call and could not have been easier.

Are you checking the price every few days or so to see if the price has dropped? I have a sailing booked Jan 21 and would love to watch if the price drops, but unsure if I need to look once a day, once a week, etc. Is there a specific place on the website you check to see the price drop, or do you just look at a mock booking of your same sailing?

[Saint Greg]

1 hour ago, firefly333 said:

Frankly I'm shell shocked how high cruises are fall 2021. I guess I booked too early, this year and afraid I'll get cancelled. Thought ok book a year out, fall usually cheaper .... not so much fall 2021. I guess everyone beat me to it booking a year or so out. Everyone wants to get that $600. Wish I could keep the good prices I'm booked at this year. 

 

I almost feel like I missed some announcement cancelling this year.

 

There are some really good prices for fall/winter this year. Assuming we actually cruise. I booked one on Vista in December at almost 50% cheaper than my 2019 Vista cruise. I've also been looking at some backup cruises for October and the prices are good there as well. I have noticed my future cruises in 2021-2022 have not had any price drops in this process. Maybe those will come later.

[bury me at sea]

6 minutes ago, CarnivalCruiser875 said:

Are you checking the price every few days or so to see if the price has dropped? I have a sailing booked Jan 21 and would love to watch if the price drops, but unsure if I need to look once a day, once a week, etc. Is there a specific place on the website you check to see the price drop, or do you just look at a mock booking of your same sailing?

 

First, be sure the rate you booked allows price matching.  If you don't know, check with your TA or a Carnival service rep.

 

If you know your rate qualifies do mock bookings for your exact cabin type.  8A, 4J, etc.  A deck plan will show you what type if you aren't sure.

 

How often depends on how compulsive you are.  I check mine daily.

 

Pay close attention to the terms of the new price.  If you booked a rate with OBC and the new rate doesn't include it, you will lose it.

[Organized Chaos]

To add to everything else, if you use the online form and get denied, it doesn't hurt to call Carnival and try again. I was denied using the form one time and the reason they gave me was that we weren't booked with an Early Saver rate. I knew we were, so I emailed our PVP and before long, it was approved and the balance adjusted. It was always easy & convenient for me to fill out the form myself, but after that, I'm just going to send the info. to our PVP. If you don't have one, just call their 800 number. This only applies if you book it yourself. As Saint Greg said, if you use a TA, they have to call.

 

When you do a mock booking to check, just use the base price (before taxes, fees, gratuities, etc.) to compare.

[TNcruising02]

I have a deposit on a cruise for January 2nd that I booked myself on Carnival's site.  I did mock bookings from time to time and saw a decrease.  I called Carnival and they switched my rate to a casino rate, which saved me $225.  It is the cheapest balcony cruise I have ever booked.

[travelhound]

4 hours ago, Florida Paesano said:

We book directly on the Carnival website.  When there's been a price drop for which we qualified, it just took a phone call to Carnival and it was handled right then during the phone call and could not have been easier.

I've had the same experience, we just called Carnival directly and they gave us the reduced price.

 

[Organized Chaos]

4 hours ago, TNcruising02 said:

I have a deposit on a cruise for January 2nd that I booked myself on Carnival's site.  I did mock bookings from time to time and saw a decrease.  I called Carnival and they switched my rate to a casino rate, which saved me $225.  It is the cheapest balcony cruise I have ever booked.

 

Dang! We cruise Jan. 4th. I wonder if we could get anything like that. Maybe we should contact our PVP and see if there's anything he could do for us.

 

Was that casino rate actually offered to you when you did the mock booking or did they just pull it out of their hat, so to speak? We rarely gamble and if we do, it's just a tiny amount for kicks, so we aren't offered casino rates. So I guess that means they couldn't switch us to one even if they had it.

[skridge]

14 hours ago, drsel said:

 

Is it easier to get the benefit of a price drop by booking directly on the Carnival website or through a US online travel agent?

If you have booked an early saver super value fare directly on the Carnival website, then how do you get your cruise fare reduced whenever there is a price drop?

Will Carnival even agree to reduce your Cruise fare, whenever there is a price drop?

 

I have booked through TA's before, but I find it is much easier just to book on the website.  That way your TA doesn't have to be a middle person for a price drop.

[TNcruising02]

8 hours ago, Organized Chaos said:

 

Dang! We cruise Jan. 4th. I wonder if we could get anything like that. Maybe we should contact our PVP and see if there's anything he could do for us.

 

Was that casino rate actually offered to you when you did the mock booking or did they just pull it out of their hat, so to speak? We rarely gamble and if we do, it's just a tiny amount for kicks, so we aren't offered casino rates. So I guess that means they couldn't switch us to one even if they had it.

The rate came up as one of the available options for me when I did the mock booking.  I don't gamble much at all.  I have never spent more than $200 in a casino on a cruise ship.  I win more than I spend about 50% of the time. Sometimes I will get casino offers that include Drinks on Us, but nothing like the big gamblers get.   You should definitely call and see if there are any special rates for your cruise.  This is the first time I have noticed a lower rate after I have booked a cruise.

[Organized Chaos]

7 minutes ago, TNcruising02 said:

The rate came up as one of the available options for me when I did the mock booking.  I don't gamble much at all.  I have never spent more than $200 in a casino on a cruise ship.  I win more than I spend about 50% of the time. Sometimes I will get casino offers that include Drinks on Us, but nothing like the big gamblers get.   You should definitely call and see if there are any special rates for your cruise.  This is the first time I have noticed a lower rate after I have booked a cruise.

 

Ours did go down $60 last week because of a sale. Plus we got an additional $50 in OBC on top of the $50 we already had. I saw where several people on here were getting pretty good upgrade offers for their Aug./Sept. cruises (if they happen). I sure wouldn't complain if they decided to hook up us January folks. Balconies aren't in our budget, but we'd gladly pay a little extra for a good upgrade.

[TNcruising02]

3 minutes ago, Organized Chaos said:

 

Ours did go down $60 last week because of a sale. Plus we got an additional $50 in OBC on top of the $50 we already had. I saw where several people on here were getting pretty good upgrade offers for their Aug./Sept. cruises (if they happen). I sure wouldn't complain if they decided to hook up us January folks. Balconies aren't in our budget, but we'd gladly pay a little extra for a good upgrade.

 Here is my rate for a balcony on the Magic for two people.  It's a great deal to me, although I am sure some people get better deals.

 

CRUISE CHARGES
	Cruise Rate	$1,176.00
	Taxes, Fees & Port Expenses	$315.28
	Total Cruise Charges	$1,491.28

[SNJCruisers]

17 hours ago, firefly333 said:

 Wish I could keep the good prices I'm booked at this year.

I know you have bookings on both Carnival and RCI.  You of course can just lift & shift your RCI bookings to keep the lower 2020 price for a 2021 sailing.

[Organized Chaos]

1 hour ago, TNcruising02 said:

 Here is my rate for a balcony on the Magic for two people.  It's a great deal to me, although I am sure some people get better deals.

 

CRUISE CHARGES
	Cruise Rate	$1,176.00
	Taxes, Fees & Port Expenses	$315.28
	Total Cruise Charges	$1,491.28

 

That's a 7-day, right? I agree, I think that's a great deal. We're paying close to that for an Interior on our March, 2022 cruise. And that's on a much smaller ship. Granted, it's one of their 50th birthday cruises and the prices are a little higher, but still.

[TNcruising02]

2 minutes ago, Organized Chaos said:

 

That's a 7-day, right? I agree, I think that's a great deal. We're paying close to that for an Interior on our March, 2022 cruise. And that's on a much smaller ship. Granted, it's one of their 50th birthday cruises and the prices are a little higher, but still.

Yes, it is a 7 night cruise for two adults out of Miami on the Magic leaving January 2nd.  I think it's a great deal and I have never been able to get a balcony for so cheap.

Maybe they will have some special celebrations going on for that 50th birthday cruise.  That sounds fun.

[Organized Chaos]

36 minutes ago, TNcruising02 said:

Maybe they will have some special celebrations going on for that 50th birthday cruise.  That sounds fun.

 

They're supposed to. They talk about entertainment and dining options from the past. And of course the "meetups," where ships come together out on the ocean. Those nights are supposed to end with some kind of big celebration, but they don't say what. We thought it'd be a fun experience. Carnival doesn't advertise it hardly at all, which surprises me. Maybe when it gets closer. I keep the link handy to share because I've come across several people on here who didn't know anything about it.

 

So if anyone's interested in their 50th "Sailabration" cruises: https://www.carnival.com/carnival-sailabration-cruises.aspx

[Joe817]

Thanks O.C.! I could have never found it! And they DO have 2 sailings that are possible for us: Galveston, and New Orleans. 👍

[Organized Chaos]

9 hours ago, Joe817 said:

Thanks O.C.! I could have never found it! And they DO have 2 sailings that are possible for us: Galveston, and New Orleans. 👍

 

Dang, maybe we should've picked a Gulf sailing. One of these days, my friend. We picked the Sunrise because, for one, we're curious to try it. Actually, out of the Sunshine class, I'd rather try the Radiance since it's (going to be) much newer, but it isn't part of the birthday group. Then there's price. These birthday sailings are a bit more pricey and we had to pick accordingly. A big part of our choice was that the Sunrise is part of one of the bigger meetup groups and we thought the more ships at the meetup, the neater it'd be. The Mardi Gras will be in our group and I just thought it'd be cool to see that ship from an outside perspective. We're looking forward to it.

[Saint Greg]

10 hours ago, Joe817 said:

Thanks O.C.! I could have never found it! And they DO have 2 sailings that are possible for us: Galveston, and New Orleans. 👍

I’m on the Glory. I don’t know about  now but at the time I booked the 5 day Breeze out of Galveston was almost as much as my 8 day Glory.

 

Edited June 20, 2020 by Saint Greg