Carnival Vacation Club

[kuJhawk]

My wife and I just got off the Carnival Pride on Sunday(6Aug). While on the Cruise, we were approached with the opportunity to join the Carnival Vacation Club. At first we thought it was a "time share" like promotion and only went to the presentation for the $50 onboard credit. By the time our presentation came around we were pretty well pleased with the cruise. The benefits we would receive like early debarkation, special gifts, special mixers with free alcohol, and several other benefits sounded very tempting. All this for buying "points" to be used towards your next cruise.

 

At this point in the cruise my wife and I were pretty well sold on cruising but didnt have the money to put down for the Club. We would like to hear of anyones personal experiences with the Carnival Vacation Club and whether it is a good plan or not.

[Stircrzy]

click HERE for many threads concerning the Carnival Vacation Club.

[enjoyinglife]

This topic has been debated on CC. From what I have read, most would not rejoin, with a few rejoining, if this tells you anything. My family is booked on the Victory this February and we are using the Carnival Vacation Club points for the cruise. I believe I recieved a fair deal for THIS cruise, but some sale pitches were misleading when we puchased the package. One thing I can say is that I believe on most cruises, if you are searching for rock bottom prices, you can definately find lower prices than CVC. What it appears to boil down to with most people, are the perks you recieve. Some believe that the perks make the club worth joining.

 

When we joined, we were told we would have priority boarding / disembarkation, and can't wait to find out if it is true, especially on the Victory.

 

The CVC paperwork states that they price match lower fares, but this is ONLY with Carnival prices, not your personal travel agent or a web-based agency. I did find lower prices on other ships, but when I booked the Victory, I hadn't found lower prices at other agencies (which makes my feel better;).

 

So far, I dont think I will be re-joining the club, but it is too soon to be positive.

[WendyCn]

My DH & I agree with you on all points, enjoyinglife. We felt that we would be able to get "deals" or at least have enough points for two 7-day cruises comparable to what we would spend if we bought through a TA or directly from Carnival. However, we were very disappointed when through long searching with the help of a CVC rep (who was very, very helpful & patient), we managed to book one for 2006 & one for 2007. But, we normally book a balcony & were only able to book an oceanview guaranteed :( in the hopes that we will get upgraded. We were told CVC members are one of the first along with repeat Carnival cruisers to get the upgrade so I have my fingers crossed. Plus, since we are in the state of PA, we are not able to buy points to be able to get the balcony which was brought to our attention only after I asked them to confirm that that would be the case. Apparently there are a few states that if you live there, you can't buy points, so beware.

 

As far as the perks go, since we bought the package while onboard our last cruise, we did get to experience being one of the first ones to leave the ship & being escorted right to our luggage. That was very nice... And we are definitely looking forward to being one of the first ones to board without having to wait in line.

 

As to whether or not we would do it again, I think it will depend on those perks & whether or not the upgrade fairy is good to us for our next two cruises. We are, however, leaning towards NOT joining again as I feel confined as to my choices & actually being able to save money by getting better deals.

[raynvic]

Enjoying Life - we purchased in Sept. 05 and already had our May 06 cruise booked so we did not use points for that. However we did get to use our perks of priority embarkation and debarkation. When you get to the port tell them you want VIP embarkation and be ready to show them your CVC membership card. It was a great perk for us. We also received twice during the cruise personal notes from the Purser and the chocolate covered strawberries upon arrival. We did not get some of the other perks because this was on the Destiny which does not have CVC staff on board and so we had no extra parties. Hope this info helps.

[Fun, Fun 44]

Anyone got any tips for the Fantasy?? Going in a week and very excited!:D What has been refurbished? Tell me anything, everything about it! I have tried the search since last weekend......not working. :confused:

 

Thanks!

Kat

[Fun, Fun 44]

OOPPPSS! Wrong place! Sorry! :eek:

Kat

[Cuizer2]

I am a member of the CVC. While I believe that I did receive what I paid for, I will not renew. I am not able to use all the benefits and thus the pure cruise cost is greater than if I bought the cruise without the points.

 

That said, I can see where this would be a very good deal for someone able to take advantage of all the benefits.

[enjoyinglife]

Enjoying Life - we purchased in Sept. 05 and already had our May 06 cruise booked so we did not use points for that. However we did get to use our perks of priority embarkation and debarkation. When you get to the port tell them you want VIP embarkation and be ready to show them your CVC membership card. It was a great perk for us. We also received twice during the cruise personal notes from the Purser and the chocolate covered strawberries upon arrival. We did not get some of the other perks because this was on the Destiny which does not have CVC staff on board and so we had no extra parties. Hope this info helps.

 

Thanks, especially for the notification to show our card. That is one of the main perks that we wanted - priority embarkation and debarkation. We will be on the Victory which also does not have the staff on board.

 

As for the strawberies, I LOVE chocolate covered strawberries, and would be thrilled with them!

Thanks for giving me hope that I may be able to get on the ship with VIP embarkation!

[cruisebabe43]

We are thinking of using our points in June 07 on a balcony 9a on the Valor. Has anyone been on this vessel and do you know if the cvc staff is on that one. Also, how do I find out which ones they are on. The salesperson on the Glory said they rotate which ones they are on?

Thanks,

Denise

[bonniemari]

Yes CVC has staff on the Valor. We were on the Valor Jan 1, 2006 and they were there. We joined the CVC when we were on the Conquest in October 04. We have been very pleased with it.

 

We book a Cat 11 on the larger ships but since we are within driving distance to Mobile we have done last minute cruises on the Holiday We have been upgraded all 3 times. Twice from 6A to 6D and once 6B to Cat 12. I use my points for the shorter cruises and pay for our 7 day cruises. We bought the package that was $5000.00 (20000 points/silver I think). We have taken a total of 5 4 day cruises (3 ourselves and 2 for our kids/spouses) and still have approx 4850 points left.

 

The people at CVC are really helpful and nice.

[cruisebabe43]

Thank you for your positive feedback. We haven't been able to use ours yet and all the negative posts have got me scared. I wonder why some people that made the decision not to buy feel that they need to tell everyone all of the bad points. I really like hearing feedback from people that have used it. Good or bad at least I know that they had a real experience.

[LHP]

I wonder why some people that made the decision not to buy feel that they need to tell everyone all of the bad points. I really like hearing feedback from people that have used it. Good or bad at least I know that they had a real experience.

 

These are not people just trying to tell "everyone all the bad points".

 

Of the 80+ individual (separate) posts I have reviewed on this board and others, ALL were from individuals who had actually purchased packages from CVC. The vast majority were angry and disappointed that they had been lied to or had these packages misrepresented in some way. So much so, that some states have banned the sale altogether and some 18 states have ban the "renting" of points. A small minority did not feel like they were lied to, however, they would not be renewing. And 2 people have said they would definately be renewing.

 

These are ALL people with a "real experience". All I have seen on these boards is clear, exact, honest information so that individuals can make an informed decision. Why would you deny them this, just because you obviously don't like the facts that you have heard?

 

I would much rather people come on these boards with honest information so that individuals can decide IF it is a good deal for them, instead of someone sugar coating it with "slight of hand" prices and less than honest representations.

 

There is a reason that only 2 have said they will renew out of 80+...think about it. And again, this does not count the over 50 posts of individuals who sat through the presentation (like us ) and decided it was not right for them. None of those 50+ are bad mouthing it for the joy of it. They have all given valid reasons why it was not for them.

 

Some of us believe that people deserve honest facts to base their decision on.

 

I hope this program turns out to be everything you have dreamed of. But just because it has not turned out that way for the vast majority does not demean their right to tell the facts.

[cruisebabe43]

Are you a member of the Carnival Vacation Club? I have seen many posts from you but for some reason I thought you were not a member. I don't have any problem with people telling me both the good and bad points if they have had experiences to share. All I am saying is that I prefer to hear from people that know first hand. Yes, I have read all of the posts you are refering too and am using all of the information as best I can. Thank you for your input.

[LHP]

As I stated in my post, I am not a member of CVC. As I also stated, the multiple problems and disappointments (approx 75%) were from people who did join.

 

I have posted on here because I had important facts to share that would help an individual make an honest, informed decision. You don't have to be a CVC member to do that.

 

If you had read all my posts, I have given both negative AND positive. But all were facts. Again, if you have a problem with people having all the information they can, to make the best decision for themselves BEFORE they face trained ICE timeshare agents, then I am sorry. But I thought information and helping others with facts is what this board was for.

[bob&france]

Numbers never lie.....here's mine:

 

Paid $5000 for 20000 points,that's .25 cents each

Use them to purchase cruises at .175 cents each

Therefore losing .075 cents per dollar invested , 5000 x .075 = $375 on my $5000

What did I get for my $375....

Used 2 of my 3 resort stay coupons at a $285 per night 2 Bedroom, 2 Bath, sleeps eight Condo resort {and actually brought 7 other people}...actual cost $285 x 14 =$3990 cost to me $400 savings $3590.

Saved $3590 lost $375......I win !..still have 1 more coupon and 2 free flights...I win more...

 

all the perks = PRICELESS.

 

cheers Bob

[LHP]

Numbers never lie.....here's mine:

 

Paid $5000 for 20000 points,that's .25 cents each

Use them to purchase cruises at .175 cents each

Therefore losing .075 cents per dollar invested , 5000 x .075 = $375 on my $5000

What did I get for my $375....

Used 2 of my 3 resort stay coupons at a $285 per night 2 Bedroom, 2 Bath, sleeps eight Condo resort {and actually brought 7 other people}...actual cost $285 x 14 =$3990 cost to me $400 savings $3590.

Saved $3590 lost $375......I win !..still have 1 more coupon and 2 free flights...I win more...

 

all the perks = PRICELESS.

 

cheers Bob

 

I answered this same post on another thread, but since you posted on here... I will also.

 

Number do not lie. Unfortunately, you don't know how to calculate numbers.

 

You lost 7.5 cents per point...not per dollar. Therefore you "lost" (your words not mine) $1,500.00. (not 375.00)

 

And your $3990.00 condo (same one, you named in on the other thread) can be rented for $199.00 for 4 days (6 people) by any Joe Blow off the street. So 8 days means that Joe Blow also got it for $400.00. You said this condo cost you $400.00...then means your condo savings was ZERO!

 

So you lost $1,500.00.....gained ZERO on the condo ... I don't see any winning here....sorry. (unless you consider paying $1,500.00 for 2 airline tickets as winning)

 

It is understandable why you would not be able to calculate how much you "lost". It is exactly this kind of "slight of hand" that confuses people. Just like it did you. Here you are spending $5,000.00 and you don't even know how much of it (1,500.00) went for "perks".

 

honest (correct) information so people can make informed decisions = priceless

[okgirl]

I think my sister and I must be weird :eek: :eek:

 

We joined CVC April 06. We have 6 cruises (but really 8 they don't count the 2 on the Festivale in 83 and 84). We look at cruising as a destination, and as such we alway book the lowest class cabin with a guarantee'd upgrage. And though we've always been upgraged to at least a 6A interior, that's been fine with us, since the only thing we do in our cabin is sleep and shower!. Of course I should say that my sister Donna won the free cruise for 2 (via bingo) in a suite a few cruises ago. It was really excellant!!!!. But that didn't change our minds about a OV or balconey cabins. We like waking up to the dark and not having some port authority looking into our stateroom because we slept late!!!!:mad:

 

We're thinking that our CVC is a great bargan. We're sailing on the Conquest 9/03 and it's costing us 2600 pts/pp against our 20,000 credit. I'm guessing that we can go on 4 cruises and 3 resort vacations ( 3 x $299) which the family is going to pay for!!!!!! so for us the CVC seems like a great deal!!!!!

 

If you're going to sail with us, look for us. I'm usually in the casino and Donna is usually at the Casino bar.

 

Janey