Offers - better if you cruise less often

[cellfree]

We cruise frequently and I keep a close watch on my Offers. Recent Offers not bad but not really great either. Signed in to daughter’s account as she never signs in, her last cruise was late 2019, to check her Offers, she has some I wish I could use, should never have looked!

[Old Fart Cruisers]

I wasn't getting many offers for a while.  Lately every time I book a cruise, they just keep send more and better offers.  I just booked a B2B in January on Carnival Celebration deck 14 balconies.  Just paid port fees and taxes.  Paid $100.00 deposit to be returned as OBC.  These bring my total booked on Carnival to seven.

[cellfree]

1 hour ago, Old Fart Cruisers said:

I wasn't getting many offers for a while.  Lately every time I book a cruise, they just keep send more and better offers.  I just booked a B2B in January on Carnival Celebration deck 14 balconies.  Just paid port fees and taxes.  Paid $100.00 deposit to be returned as OBC.  These bring my total booked on Carnival to seven.

Wow, now that is an Offer! Have never seen anything like that. 

[Guest BasicSailor]

Prices are on the rise for sure. Carnival will have to break their mold nearing the winter months. Just too many ships at sea, even staff being shorthanded with sickness. Covid is still a factor and will be worse during the winter months and its now becoming a problem with infected passengers again.

[Knights on the Beach]

20 minutes ago, cellfree said:

Wow, now that is an Offer! Have never seen anything like that. 

 

Same, we never get offers that good.  We tried to book a large family cruise for this summer but it fell apart when two of our nieces found out they were expecting. EVERYONE but us had fantastic offers.

[Saint Greg]

I think that’s true. Mine aren’t very good but I have 7 cruises booked. I have a friend who hasn’t even cruised yet but he has a VIFP account from a canceled cruise. He gets much better deals.

 

Edited May 19, 2022 by Saint Greg

[pe4all]

 DH - who hasn't cruised in 3 years - is getting the same casino offers as dd, who has done every CCL cruise with me - including 2 this year.  The offers aren't bad, either.  My offers, whoever, are much better than both of theirs due to casino play.

[tallnthensome]

I only have three cruises on Carnival under my belt. I've been getting and utilizing the amazing offers I've been getting the last year. Had offers to Hawaii for 15 days for $90 plus taxes. Booked Europe and Iceland for 12 days for four in extended balcony for $3500 for August 2023 three days ago. Amazing offer ....Got the Jubilee booked for a week in August 2024 for four in extended balcony for $1700 for new ship. I don't gamble and these aren't casino offers.

Edited May 19, 2022 by tallnthensome

[Virga]

I have been trying to make sense of how offers are targeted ever since the restart.  I have several VIFP numbers I check every offer cycle - two with four cruises since the restart, with five on the books, two with three cruises since the restart and one on the books, two with a single cruise since the restart and nothing booked, and two that haven't sailed in several years with none booked. 

 

Early on, we all had phenomenal offers - the two people that usually lost a couple hundred bucks in the casino had the same rates, but were given DoU offers.  They each got two uses of their great rates, the rest of us only had one each.  My two (with the five booked) got a couple more cycles with excellent offers after we decided to donate our COVID cancellation OBC to the casino, and that's how our five got booked.   Lately, our and everyone else's offers have gotten less attractive, though even the non-gamblers have gotten a few that are better than any of us used to get pre-plague.  The folks that haven't been booking lately haven't been offered anything better than the rest of us for the last two code cycles - but we're all still seeing prices for desirable ships/regions that we'd have only seen during hurricane season in days of old. 

 

Oddly, despite my other half gambling more than I did on our last two cruises, my offers are slightly better than his this cycle.  My only guess for this is that I pay for all the cruises on my credit card - our 3/1 couple sees the same discrepancy, though neither of them gamble.  I imagine that Carnival tries to approximate each guest's value, and gives better offers (&/or more uses) to more valuable guests. 

 

Did your daughter by chance spend any time in the casino?  Purchase Cheers but you didn't? Book a higher category room?  I love these threads, always helps me add datapoints and also realize that sometimes what others consider a great deal is way way too rich for my blood.  

Edited May 19, 2022 by Virga
Extra words

[Eli_6]

 My husband and I were both getting really great offers when we only had 1 or 2 booked. Now we have 6 and we aren't getting anything.  

 

I also have noticed that my husband usually gets better offers than I do even though I spend more money in the casino...and drink more.  I think it is because we usually pay with his rewards card. 

[oyme]

I cruise Carnival once every year or 2, my offers don't seem that great. Only were good immediately after re-opening post-COVID. That wasn't a great time for us to sail. Our daughter was very young I didn't think I'd enjoy sailing on a cruise again until now and my offers haven't been good since say November ish.

[erinmarie424]

I haven’t cruised since 2016. My last two I had cheers and dropped a bit in the casino. Got a casino offer early March for the Pride 9 day to Norway for $100 pp deposit returned as OBC (inside) + fees and DOU in the casino, and since I’m solo I had to pay $200 deposit which will come back in OBC. Of course I have to fly to London, get a hotel there, etc etc so it’s not a bargain vacation when all is said and done. 

[Itried4498]

We cruise together and we each receive different offers.  Everyone’s trying to conclude why certain people receive certain offers but the reality is we don’t really know.  Maybe Carnival is targeting certain demos, maybe it’s just random.

[aswmammoth]

Not sure how well known this offer is, just found it from a pop up ad, but if you use this link:

https://www.carnival.com/Registration/Promotions/casino-funmatch-alt5pbtj7.aspx?dclid=CPrUsdXY9fcCFdfshwodReUPQw

 

and fill in your VIFP # and email, it immediately added rate code PXF to my offers.  Gives you a better rate, $50 in FunPlay, and Drinks On Us! while playing in the casino.

[csoud68]

We booked the celebration in a spa suite for $3850 a week.

 

Then we received a 50% discount offer and was able to cut that down to $1900.

 

We took that savings and booked a second week on the magic in an ocean suite for exactly $1900.

 

we are happy with that deal. 2 weeks in suite accommodations for $3850..

Edited May 25, 2022 by csoud68

[kdr69]

On 5/19/2022 at 8:43 AM, Virga said:

I have several VIFP numbers I check every offer cycle -

Have you ever thought of combining them into 1 showing all your cruises?  

[Virga]

2 hours ago, kdr69 said:

Have you ever thought of combining them into 1 showing all your cruises?  

 

I mean I regularly check the VIFP numbers for eight different people.  For what it's worth, if they were all mine, I would never combine - the limits on promos per account would make then more valuable separately.

 

You've actually just given me an idea to ponder though - I wonder if a fresh account would get great offers after a single heavy gambling cruise?

[kdr69]

16 minutes ago, Virga said:

 

I mean I regularly check the VIFP numbers for eight different people.  For what it's worth, if they were all mine, I would never combine - the limits on promos per account would make then more valuable separately.

 

You've actually just given me an idea to ponder though - I wonder if a fresh account would get great offers after a single heavy gambling cruise?

I didnt even know there were limits on promos, always learning something on here.  I have more promos (7 at last count) than i have vacation days to take lol.  Everyone is a casino offer even though i only average about 200 dollars a day over a 7 day cruise gambling (if i dont win that is lol)

[Virga]

2 hours ago, kdr69 said:

I didnt even know there were limits on promos, always learning something on here.  I have more promos (7 at last count) than i have vacation days to take lol.  Everyone is a casino offer even though i only average about 200 dollars a day over a 7 day cruise gambling (if i dont win that is lol)

 

Each promo you have is 'set' for a certain number of uses - the good ones are usually only once or twice per code for me.  I don't think there's a limit on total numbers of codes you're eligible for, but there's definitely a limit on how many times you can use each code.  The casino department can tell you how many uses you're eligible for on any given code.  I (of course) like the ones with great rates, several hundred in Freeplay, and free drinks everywhere way more than the 'half off and drinks in the casino' codes.  I usually get 1-2 uses on the former and 8 uses on the latter - but I'm wondering if I could double that by having another account!

Edited May 25, 2022 by Virga

[Bluelock]

I haven’t cruised in several years, but I put a hold on a cruise, and later canceled. That got me better offers. Unfortunately it was after I already booked a different sailing. Fortunately, I booked an early saver rate, so I should be able to switch to the better offer. 

[let's go cruising]

Is it better to book a cruise you want and keep looking for better deals, or wait until a good deal comes up? I understand that if you wait, there's a risk that you won't get a cabin on the cruise you want. But, if you book the cruise you want, will you be able to use the better deal???

[jetsfan58]

Why would Carnival incentivize you with special deals if you are already purchasing cruises at regular retail and contributing to their revenue stream? 

[RollingMeadows]

I never paid any attention to offers because we can never seem to travel before the offers expire. I discovered great VIFP rates and only knew this because I'd keep an eye on these pages. I booked a solo rate in a PT cabin with $200 OBC for just over $500 all-in. I can't vacation for a week anywhere that inexpensively with room, board and entertainment included. IMO, the best rates are the ones you can book close to sailing. DH retires next year and I suspect we'll be taking advantage of these sales when they pop up.