This situation is just unbelievable-PLEASE give me your opinon!!

[shipty2]

Um if you are normally a huge tipper as you say why would you be upset about $10 per day per person?

[StuartLittle]

Um if you are normally a huge tipper as you say why would you be upset about $10 per day per person?

 

Because, as she said many times, the additional cost of this trip put her over her pre-planned budget. She thought "all inclusive" as her neighbor/TA put it, was the same as other land based all inclusives she'd been to in the past (no tipping).

 

I can see where she's coming from. The additional 600+ she's paying in unforseen costs is cutting into her ability to do the extras (excursions, tipping well, etc).

 

That said, it does look like she got a fair deal on the cost of the cruise. It's just a shame it's pinching her pocketbook more than she had planned.

[showe0208]

Because, as she said many times, the additional cost of this trip put her over her pre-planned budget. She thought "all inclusive" as her neighbor/TA put it, was the same as other land based all inclusives she'd been to in the past (no tipping).

 

I can see where she's coming from. The additional 600+ she's paying in unforseen costs is cutting into her ability to do the extras (excursions, tipping well, etc).

 

That said, it does look like she got a fair deal on the cost of the cruise. It's just a shame it's pinching her pocketbook more than she had planned.

You're right StuartLittle,

Even if the concensus is that she got a good deal, the OP didn't expect the extra cost..Lesson learned though.

[cruiser407]

Because, as she said many times, the additional cost of this trip put her over her pre-planned budget. She thought "all inclusive" as her neighbor/TA put it, was the same as other land based all inclusives she'd been to in the past (no tipping).

 

I can see where she's coming from. The additional 600+ she's paying in unforseen costs is cutting into her ability to do the extras (excursions, tipping well, etc).

 

That said, it does look like she got a fair deal on the cost of the cruise. It's just a shame it's pinching her pocketbook more than she had planned.

 

 

Yes-exactly! Thank you!! That is exactly the point! It's not necessarily the money-it's the principle!

[cruiser407]

Um if you are normally a huge tipper as you say why would you be upset about $10 per day per person?

 

So the point is missed but anyway.... who goes around spending $40 a day anyway giving out tips-not me!!!! That's a heck of a restaurant bill every day! Or a lot of people carrying your bags-I'm not that big of a tipper!!:)

[GoinCruisin]

So the point is missed but anyway.... who goes around spending $40 a day anyway giving out tips-not me!!!! That's a heck of a restaurant bill every day! Or a lot of people carrying your bags-I'm not that big of a tipper!!:)

 

Well, in your normal life you might not, but if you vacation on land, eat a minimum of 3 times a day, etc... you will find yourself generally spending a similar amount in gratuities... I don't think anyone is talking about "everyday"... I know I have spent alot more than $70 in tips during a week on a land vacation... yes, for 4 it's alot of money, but you have 4 people enjoying the services... there are some vacations where tips are included, such as AI's, although they are typically more expensive than cruising.

[Wennfred]

I obviously did not do enough homework on this one

 

Theres alot of Homework to be done, Best way is to read the Threads on Familys on a budget: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=279669&highlight=Family+budget

 

Even if you paid 1.00 each for each family member by the time you get your bill, it will be up to 2300.00

 

These are some of the EXTRA Charges no one tells you about once you board the ship.:D

 

Spa Services

Excursions

Bingo

Casino

Photos

Booze

Port gifts T-shirts, souvenier etc.

Tips from Cab rides, Porters, Tour guides, room service

Grauities

Softdrink card

Tolietries

Arcade games

Water bottles

Medication, sun block lotions, tylenol, eye drops, etc.

Pre and Post cruise food

Hotels

Airfare or Gas if youre driving down

Parking

PPV shipboard movies

Shipboard Phone calls

Laundry

Snorkle gear

Supper Club

 

I mean the list goes on and there is alot more I havent mentioned.

 

Be ready to spend and monitor your expenses on the T.V. closely. Carnival used to give out a middle of the week bill, that was a SHOCKER:eek: . Today they wait till the last morning before you disembark to give you that bill.

 

Fred

[pakmount]

We make a point of never doing business with friends, neighbors, or family. It makes it too hard to demand satisfaction. Can you stop the payment with your credit card company. A lot of them have this sort of protection on them. Good Luck!

[Sea-Gals]

Sounds like the agent was already giving up the commission, with the prices the OP was quoted... plus, we are talking about $700... depending on WHEN in April the cruise is booked, cancelling might only bring along MORE extra fees, so that might not be an option at this point. The OP can try to downgrade to an inside cabin and that should help make up alot of the difference...

Lucy's post stuck out to me as I read through this whole thread and I was thinking someone else would mention it again or comment on whether it would work in this situation. I know we spend very little time looking at the view from the cabin -- in fact, not that much time in the cabin except for sleeping and changing clothes, etc (haven't cruised Carnival, but the ships I was on had a channel on the TV with a camera of what's going on outside we like to check out).

It seems to me that the OP's main concern is fitting their cruise into a particular budget. Since they can't choose a different cruise that would fit that budget at this date, I wondered whether, if a lower categry cabin is still available, does anyone know if there are charges involved in downgrading? It seems to me that wouldn't qualify as a cancellation - but I don't have anywhere enough knowledge to say. Does anyone here have related experience or knowledge they could pass on?

...Be ready to spend and monitor your expenses on the T.V. closely. Carnival used to give out a middle of the week bill, that was a SHOCKER:eek: . Today they wait till the last morning before you disembark to give you that bill.

I usually stop at the desk and get our statement printed out several times throughout the cruise -- (1)Every now and then there is something incorrect and it is easier to get it cleared up right away, (2)With the OP being a new cruiser, they can find out quickly if some things they think are free (such as the bottle of water in the cabin), are actually being charged for, and not make the same mistake twice, (3)Those charges can add up, so it's good to have a clear idea of how much of the budget is gone. Using the TV in the cabin is good too, once you figure out how to do that (don't hesitate to ask for help from the staff, if you have problems -- our steward doesn't always know how it works, but he will get others to come - we've even had the electrician!) -- We like the paper copy, as we can separate what we've got listed together, and write notations on it -- probably not a concern for a family, though, as I assume you've got one big happy budget.

Wennfred - Great list of 'surprise' charges. I remember my first cruise being surprised when they were selling the bottles of water at a premium rate as you left for each port, and the one in your cabin with the card explaining it isn't free (probably missed by many). Not only are these not offered at cost, I believe they charge a tip on top, as they do for beverages from the bar. Now, I pack some empty water bottles (with nice carrying straps) in my luggage and fill them up to take ashore. I also bring disposable empties to the airport to fill at the fountain after security checks to take on the plane -- there can be a long wait before the stewards can reach you -- especially if your take-off gets delayed.

Anyone know if there is are laundry facilities available to the passsengers on the Conquest? If so, with two boys, OP might be wanting to make use of it, and might want to bring along some quarters and some laundry powder in ziplocks -- shampoo does fine double-duty here as well. I've brought clips along for hanging wet things up to dry as well.

 

cruiser407 - I'm glad you're going to keep up the friendship with your neighbor. I guess she must have learned a lot through this whole incident, and will be a better TA because of it. I'd assume that good TA's got that way from past experiences, and somebody ends up being those experiences. Looks like you just made a ton of friends on this board - what a nice bonus! How would you like to make some more??? There is a wonderful thing here at CruiseCritic called a Roll Call. There are already some wonderful people going on the same cruise you are who would love to 'meet' you first here and maybe later onboard. Head right on over to it and say hello to them! Click here for the link and enjoy!

BTW - I saw you asked (on the Conquest thread) about bringing liquor and I thought I'd advise you to double check that you can bring wine aboard (as another poster told you). The liquor policies have been changing on some lines (don't know about Carnival) and you can't do what you could do before. I won't say we've done this ;) but some slip their hooch into plastic flasks and pack it in with their toiletries, maybe split it between DH & DW luggage, and one (probably both) should make it through. Rum would probably mix well with the free punch available in the Grand Buffet and the kids could have a non-punchy punch along with you before dinner. Even when wine is allowed, if you bring it in for dinner, there is usually a corkage fee ($15-20?). On our last cruise (Celebrity), they would even take liquor purchased ashore and keep it 'for you' until the night before you disembarked, which did not work well with the plans of enjoying it at or before dinner some had.

 

No matter what, you're going to LOVE your cruise. I don't think we've taken one yet where there haven't been problems and many lessons learned, but through it all we made even more friends and were so glad to be there for each other. I hope you make CruiseCritic a special place both before and after your cruise and that we come across you sometime in the future, hopefully on a wonderful journey!

 

Sool & Mums

[texasnana]

To the OP was this travel agent one that works at home with oneof those get rich companys. I have a friend with that operation. But i can book much cheaper from the net or TA . The same cruise i took by booking myself was 200 more same cabin. I have seen internet website Travel agents stick a 100.00 commision rate in the quote. I am so sorry this happened, the same thing with tips happened in 1993 as i thought it was all included till we got our papers. My only advice is do some research and book it yourself or a different TA..:)

[truecruiser]

isn't this post a done deal? over and past?

[boowaaccaa]

Your friend is not a professional and you get what you pay for. Your friend should always quote including port charges and to not quote including port charges is dishonest. Everyone in the business ALWAYS quotes with port charges and never federal tax. Of the $201 or whatever in hidden fees, about $159 of that is your port charges. All CCL reps and all websites always include port charges and never tax. By the way, your friend know darn well, you were going to hit with port charges and wanted the 16% commission they made off of you - for being your travel agent. She figured if she quoted higher you would go somewhere else or not buy the trip. And from what you are saying you probably would not have purchased the trip and I'm sure your friend knew. So... quote low and hope for the commission.

 

Sorry but this isn't true. I know it isn't becuase this was the great confusion that I had on my first cruise. Some sites posted the price at $200 ish and some at over $300--BUT in the end if you go through all the booking screens to get to a final price (or sometimes you had to call to get the final final price) the prices were all quite similar desipt the vast difference in the cruise quote price.

In all-inclusive resort packages the taxes are based on the country you are going to ---i.e if going to Cuba the tax is always around $210 if going to DR it is always around $275--it does not change based individual resorts or services etc.

BUT--if my agent quoted me a certain amount of tax total and it was not an assumtion of the poster that it was a total BUT rather the agent said it was the total for everyone--I would be angry too. She did mislead you---

NOW..that all being said --I too think you still got a good price.

[pmoniz]

As others stated I would call Carnival direct and try to see what else they have available. Maybe cheaper cabins or something?? You could price it out on line as well and see what you can come up with before you call them. If nothing works with Carnival try another line for that time frame?? I'm not sure if it was a misunderstanding or what?? Good luck. Hope all works out for you.:)

[samickgirl]

I've seen some cruises, after checking different lines, with port/tax fees that were almost as much as the cruise cost itself. I thought your cruise seemed quite cheap, definitely a lot cheaper than mine for a family of 5!:eek:

[cruiser407]

To answer a couple questions-if you are bored with this thread skip it :) I thought it was gone too but I'll say a little more...

We don't normally mix with business with pleasure either and this is why!

I can't stop payment on my CC. I also booked non-refundable flights on my own and we really want to go but again as I wrote before....

I planned a budget for our vacation and I was looking to stay within that budget! If I wanted a "cheap" vacation I would not be doing a 7 day cruise-or I would go on a cheaper cruise-there are plenty out there. This really is more about priniciple for me- my TA knew exactly what my budget was and she did not inform me of the extra expenses involved-tipping, etc-after I explicitly explained to her that I needed a firm budget that had ALL of the costs involved in a cruise. If that is not a TA's job then I don't know what is-I can book a vacation myself every day of the week. Yes I obviously did not do enough research-however I relied on someone who I thought was an expert on the subject (far from it-athough she cruises all the time). As far the the government fees go-I had never even heard of that term until after this was booked! No I did not talk to her about the tipping policy because she explained a cruise as an all-inclusive vacation. Well I have been on 2 fabulous all-inclusive vacations and if you tip the staff they get fired. Yes I KNOW hard to believe knowing what I know now! I had no idea (until this was booked) that there is so much controversy about tipping!!!

Sorry if I sound defensive on this but that's all how I feel!

So the point is not even necessarily how much it's costing-in fact my husband keeps telling me to quit worrying about it-which I have a little bit-but I'm still bugged by it :eek:

As far as an update...Her husband called my husband and insisted that they pay the difference. We have made the decision not to accept that from them. It would come out of their pocket. Of course if it was someone I didn't know-I would think differently-NEVER mix business with pleasure :eek: I will say though-I think if they really felt like it was completely a mistake and felt really bad about the situation they would just do something on their own-I don't know what but not put us in that position to accept a check from them.

Regarding downgrading-how do I say this?? When I plan a vacation or anything for that matter I really just want to know what my budget is and then do the best vacation I can-not skimping or cheaping out on anything. Kind of like buying a car-when I buy a car-I want ALL the bells and whistles, every option available. Quality vs. Quantity for me. I would have looked at other vacations in this price range. Does that make sense?? I'm not looking to skimp-I was looking to plan. No one needs to comment on this I'm just stating my point or maybe I'm just rambling...

Thanks for the suggestion for the roll call board-I WISH I had more time to spend on here! How does everyone have time to read and post?? I really need to research more for my excursions but will try to make it over there.

Sea-Gals-thank you for your kind words! We are very excited and know we will have a great time! We really try to make the absolute most of our vacations and time with the kids-although that kids club is sounding fabulous right now :D I do think that my neighbor will be a better agent because of this-unfortunately I am the one that this happened to!

I don't know who she works for. The commission on the trip was $158 and she said she split that with the company.

I did call Carnival and they said they said they won't talk to me-I have to go through my agent.

And thank you SO much for everyone telling me the price I got is fair. I would of really been upset (priniciple again) if I knew I was paying way too much!

We are going to have a great time! We always make the most of every situation. It does crack me up-the things people complain about. I read that someone didn't like tater tots in the dining room. I'll try to get to some other boards-thank you everyone for posting. We are REALLY looking forward to our vacation!!!!!!!!!!!

[johnaricka]

I only book through Carnival. I am just weird about it. Heaven forbid, you need to cancel. I think your friend was not a friend. Do not use her services again. There was too much info that she didnt tell you. Had you booked through Carnival, you would have been told about the tipping, etc.

I am a research freak. I would have been online researching days before booking. Chalk this one up but you will know for the next time. Dont let this ruin your vacation.

[VentureMan_2000]

Hasn't this issue been resolved...?

[johnaricka]

Hasn't this issue been resolved...?

Ouch!

[cruiser407]

Hasn't this issue been resolved...?

Ummm-like I said in my post.........

"To answer a couple questions-if you are bored with this thread skip it :) I thought it was gone too but I'll say a little more"

There is NO resolution-just people's opinions. If you are bored move on....

[johnaricka]

Ummm-like I said in my post.........

 

"To answer a couple questions-if you are bored with this thread skip it :) I thought it was gone too but I'll say a little more"

 

There is NO resolution-just people's opinions. If you are bored move on....

 

I have to agree with you. I am always surprised when I come across a post like that.

[lvdave]

To the OP;

 

I understand your position, and probably would feel the same way. Just for the heck of it, I checked to see what the cost would be today for an April sailing of the Conquest. From what I found, it sounds like you received an excellent price for the four of you. Per Carnival web site, the cheapest price was on the 4/8 sailing with an OV cabin for 4 totalling $2656 plus taxes of about $50 per person.

 

So, go and enjoy.

[samickgirl]

To answer a couple questions-if you are bored with this thread skip it :) I thought it was gone too but I'll say a little more...

 

We don't normally mix with business with pleasure either and this is why!

I can't stop payment on my CC. I also booked non-refundable flights on my own and we really want to go but again as I wrote before....

 

I planned a budget for our vacation and I was looking to stay within that budget! If I wanted a "cheap" vacation I would not be doing a 7 day cruise-or I would go on a cheaper cruise-there are plenty out there. This really is more about priniciple for me- my TA knew exactly what my budget was and she did not inform me of the extra expenses involved-tipping, etc-after I explicitly explained to her that I needed a firm budget that had ALL of the costs involved in a cruise. If that is not a TA's job then I don't know what is-I can book a vacation myself every day of the week. Yes I obviously did not do enough research-however I relied on someone who I thought was an expert on the subject (far from it-athough she cruises all the time). As far the the government fees go-I had never even heard of that term until after this was booked! No I did not talk to her about the tipping policy because she explained a cruise as an all-inclusive vacation. Well I have been on 2 fabulous all-inclusive vacations and if you tip the staff they get fired. Yes I KNOW hard to believe knowing what I know now! I had no idea (until this was booked) that there is so much controversy about tipping!!!

Sorry if I sound defensive on this but that's all how I feel!

 

So the point is not even necessarily how much it's costing-in fact my husband keeps telling me to quit worrying about it-which I have a little bit-but I'm still bugged by it :eek:

 

As far as an update...Her husband called my husband and insisted that they pay the difference. We have made the decision not to accept that from them. It would come out of their pocket. Of course if it was someone I didn't know-I would think differently-NEVER mix business with pleasure :eek: I will say though-I think if they really felt like it was completely a mistake and felt really bad about the situation they would just do something on their own-I don't know what but not put us in that position to accept a check from them.

 

Regarding downgrading-how do I say this?? When I plan a vacation or anything for that matter I really just want to know what my budget is and then do the best vacation I can-not skimping or cheaping out on anything. Kind of like buying a car-when I buy a car-I want ALL the bells and whistles, every option available. Quality vs. Quantity for me. I would have looked at other vacations in this price range. Does that make sense?? I'm not looking to skimp-I was looking to plan. No one needs to comment on this I'm just stating my point or maybe I'm just rambling...

 

Thanks for the suggestion for the roll call board-I WISH I had more time to spend on here! How does everyone have time to read and post?? I really need to research more for my excursions but will try to make it over there.

Sea-Gals-thank you for your kind words! We are very excited and know we will have a great time! We really try to make the absolute most of our vacations and time with the kids-although that kids club is sounding fabulous right now :D I do think that my neighbor will be a better agent because of this-unfortunately I am the one that this happened to!

 

I don't know who she works for. The commission on the trip was $158 and she said she split that with the company.

 

I did call Carnival and they said they said they won't talk to me-I have to go through my agent.

 

And thank you SO much for everyone telling me the price I got is fair. I would of really been upset (priniciple again) if I knew I was paying way too much!

We are going to have a great time! We always make the most of every situation. It does crack me up-the things people complain about. I read that someone didn't like tater tots in the dining room. I'll try to get to some other boards-thank you everyone for posting. We are REALLY looking forward to our vacation!!!!!!!!!!!

 

So now that you coming to terms with the situation and ready to embark on the adventure, where exactly are you going? I didn't go back to the first thread to find out but will be interested to hear how you make out with your vacation.:)

[cruiser407]

We are going on the Conquest in April. The ports are Grand Caymen, Montego Bay and Cozumel. I'm pretty sure we are going to do all-inclusives in MB and CZ we're unsure about GC. I have to do some more research. My kids are 4 and 7-I'm not sure they will be age appropriate for the stingrays. I'm still researching that one. We are very excited though!

[truecruiser]

Hasn't this issue been resolved...?

 

that's what i asked yesterday in post 111. done, over, finito. finished and resolved?

[truecruiser]

sorry.