Carnival/Priceline won't let me pay to upgrade?

[wallyboag]

Hello-

 

I have an interesting situation and I am wondering if this makes sense or if it is a bad travel agent or miscommunication with Carnival or if it is indeed the correct policy.

 

A week ago I saw a ridiculously low fare for a solo inside cabin on a sailing next week. It was only $43 for the fair plus taxes and fees for the room. I had never seen anything that cheap before so I jumped and grabbed it and I am booked and can't wait to cruise next week.

 

Today I was browsing around and saw on priceline again the same cruise with a solo balcony cabin for $120. I thought, might as well splurge and pay the extra $77 to enjoy the balcony, so I called the agents number. She put me on hold while she talked to Carnival and said that to upgrade to the balcony it would be $322 on top of what I already paid. I asked about the $120 fare that was currently posted for a balcony, and she put me on hold and went back to Carnival. When she came back she said that the only way to get the $120 fare would be to cancel my current reservation (which would be a $100 cancelation fee) and then book a new reservation for $120.

 

Is that really the policy? Obviously I am not going to cancel my existing reservation and pay double the fare to get an upgrade, so I am keeping my inside cabin.

 

Why wouldn't they want the extra $77 from me?

[billslowsky]

When you pay the cheapest fare you generally lose flexibility.  Airlines and hotels have been doing it for years.

[BlerkOne]

22 minutes ago, wallyboag said:

 

Is that really the policy? Obviously I am not going to cancel my existing reservation and pay double the fare to get an upgrade, so I am keeping my inside cabin.

 

Yes. Your ridiculous fare might have restrictions. Did you read the terms and conditions of your offer before jumping on it?

[Earthworm Jim]

Perhaps the solo balcony for $120 was a new bookings only deal?

[firefly333]

You are inside final payment window and the fare was probably no changes allowed, final. Who knows. We are just guessing.

 

I had one that they were adding gratuities to that appeared to be wrong math I was looking at. Wishing I could book right now.. be glad you got a heck of a good deal. 

 

I sure would love a good deal on a partial Panama canal cruise but the only deal is this weekend and I cant go right now. Maybe with this new variant scaring people the deals will continue. 

[wallyboag]

I guess I just don't understand why I am offering money to them for a cabin that isn't booked and more than likely won't be booked, but they are saying, "Nah, you can keep it buddy. We're good."

[sanger727]

I am guessing that the issue is with the balcony fare. It is probably for new bookings only. For you to get the balcony you probably have to pay the difference between your fare and carnival’s current balcony fares. But yes, large online TAs have access to prices that carry extra restrictions.

 

The purpose of the extra extra low fare is to generate new bookings and get people onboard the ship to pay gratuities and spend money. They already have you on the ship paying gratuities and spending money. 

 

Edited November 27, 2021 by sanger727

[dd likes to cruise]

Was your good deal a Casino Offer or something similar?  Could be the reason. 

[firefly333]

That online seller has always had a $75 change fee, maybe its more now. ... didnt you say they wanted to charge 77 more.. just about how much they charge to make changes to any reservation. I would never use them for a booking to cruise, just for a hotel nonrefundable.. and prepared to lose my money.

 

Read the small print on their site. They charge every time the cruiseline makes a change. 

[Earthworm Jim]

15 minutes ago, dd likes to cruise said:

Was your good deal a Casino Offer or something similar?  Could be the reason. 

 

I'm still seeing that $43 rate at the site he mentioned (Miracle 4 nights out of Long Beach on 11/28), so apparently it's not a casino offer. The balcony is down to $50!

[MrMarc]

Pretty much everything you do on Priceline cannot be canceled or changed.  Your only chance, and you will have to be lucky for it to work, is to try and upgrade at check-in.  Otherwise, just enjoy a stupidly inexpensive cruise and buy a few more drinks standing outside before you go to sleep in the room.

[BlerkOne]

1 hour ago, wallyboag said:

I guess I just don't understand why I am offering money to them for a cabin that isn't booked and more than likely won't be booked, but they are saying, "Nah, you can keep it buddy. We're good."

Consider it costs them more to process the upgrade than you are offering.

[Guest BasicSailor]

23 minutes ago, MrMarc said:

Pretty much everything you do on Priceline cannot be canceled or changed.  Your only chance, and you will have to be lucky for it to work, is to try and upgrade at check-in.  Otherwise, just enjoy a stupidly inexpensive cruise and buy a few more drinks standing outside before you go to sleep in the room.

This is your only option. But yet while its inexpensive, nothing stupid about looking for a bargain in these trying times. just go with the flow with a lesson learned.

[wallyboag]

To answer some questions:

Only reason I booked Priceline was because it was the only place that had the fare that low. I tried straight through Carnival and it was more expensive. I usually don't like to book through travel agents. Which leads me to another question... Anyone know why that fare seems to only be available through Priceline and not straight through Carnival? Again, I'd be happy to pay the money straight to Carnival so they didn't have to pay a commission, but I guess they are good with getting $39 for the fare instead of $47.

 

No, this wasn't a casino offer. It was straight through Priceline, no membership or any other restrictions. Anyone can book it. In fact, if anyone does seems like a really good deal, no?

 

About fees and reading the fine print and what-not, I wasn't really concerned about anything at the time other than getting that super-low fare for a last minute weekend trip. At that price, I really have nothing to complain about unless the ship sinks or I get sever food poisoning or something.

 

Regarding a new fare booking, again, I can see how that would make sense if say I paid $200 for the balcony and now it is $100. But it seems strange that they don't want me to spend money to upgrade. I'm not asking for a refund here, just asking to spend a more to get a better cabin.

 

Finally, I am not offended or upset in any way. I know I got a good deal, and I am happy paying what I paid and getting what I got. I just found it kind of funny that they made it impossible for me to spend more money with them.

 

 

 

 

[BlerkOne]

Terms & Conditions

Price is in U.S. dollars per person based on two people staying in the same stateroom. Price does not include airport and/or government taxes and fees, nor does pricing include fuel supplements. Prices do not include government taxes and fees, airfare, or a non-refundable $24.99 processing fee per booking. All offers are for selected dates only, are subject to availability, are limited and apply to new bookings only. Your exact price depends on the time of the actual booking. Additional restrictions may apply. All prices and dates may not be available at the time of booking. Passengers receiving special rates based on residency or age will be required to show a government-issued form of identification (passport, or birth certificate and driver's license) at the pier to validate state of residency or age prior to boarding the cruise ship.

[Clarasgrandma]

You could always book direct with Carnival and then do a “lowest price guarantee” match within the first 48 hours of booking, in the future. Then you are dealing directly with Carnival.

 

 

[wallyboag]

29 minutes ago, Clarasgrandma said:

You could always book direct with Carnival and then do a “lowest price guarantee” match within the first 48 hours of booking, in the future. Then you are dealing directly with Carnival.

 

 

 

Ooooh! That is a good idea. I didn't know it was a thing. I will do that if this ever happens again for sure.

[BlerkOne]

2 hours ago, Clarasgrandma said:

You could always book direct with Carnival and then do a “lowest price guarantee” match within the first 48 hours of booking, in the future. Then you are dealing directly with Carnival.

 

 

More terms and conditions that must be followed.

[ray98]

I'm not sure Carnival matches Priceline.  They have a unique model that would fall under 'travel agent rebates' in the T/C's and plus they charge $25 just to book.  

[Illbcruzn4life]

58 minutes ago, ray98 said:

I'm not sure Carnival matches Priceline.  They have a unique model that would fall under 'travel agent rebates' in the T/C's and plus they charge $25 just to book.  

I believe you are correct. I thought they only price matched to what Carnival has posted on their website.

[gotscrapz]

It’s showing $60 balcony cruise for me on Carnival.

Enjoy your almost free cruise!

 

I have booked once with Costco (for the cash card) then prices dropped and I wanted to upgrade from a balcony cabin to a spa balcony and it was a hot mess. In the end - many phone calls and emails later/ it did get done, but now I only book directly with carnival! Also because I’ve heard that if there a problem when you get to port, you ha e to call who booked through first! Idk if that’s true, but single mom with a daughter, wasn’t chancing that! Carnival help is 24/7.