TA fouled up, I'm in an Inside, booked OV

[jcrandle]

I need your advice on my situation, as I believe that some of you may have had a similar problem in the past.

 

Last summer, while on board the Rotterdam's Baltic cruise, we booked back to back cruises on the Veendam, a Transatlantic April 1 2007 out of Tampa, and the follow-on Greek Islands 10 day April 19. We booked an inside for the TA, since there won't be many ports, but Mr. Squeezenickel (me) opted for a Cat G OV for the 10 day cruise. We had the bookings assigned to our Travel Agent, who we have used for the last 15 cruises over the past five years. We received quick electronic confirmation (The TA is internet only) and were pleased to note that the cruise price on the confirmations was lower than the HAL quote (no surprise, since in the past they had always been lower than HAL's quotes).

 

November 17, I received an updated booking confirmation that had a lower stateroom price (by a little over $100) but the Cabin number and category remained the same. The comment on the confirmation was "Price lowered, Confirm # changed". I started to question it, as we had a small OBC for booking of $50 for the stateroom, and I didn't think the OBC would transfer to a new booking, but since the reduction was more than the OBC, I decided to let it slide, particularly since I had just purchased CCL stock, would be eligible for the stockholder credit, and the credits cannot be combined, according to the T&Cs.

 

Last week I received my docs for both cruises, and when I reviewed them, I saw that the cabin showed an MM-GUAR, rather than the G that we had confirmed. I panicked, and immediately emailed the TA. After a delay, they responded that they agreed that the cabin change had not been requested, but was somehow related to the fact that my cruise had been flagged by their accounting department for a revision to a lower price (perhaps a price decrease), and somehow the category had gotten changed. The TA said that they would do everything in their power to get me back into a G or better cabin at no increase in price.

 

The problem with that is HAL's website shows only one category available for OV or better. Yep, its the PS. All others are closed. The TA says that I'm on a priority waitlist with HAL, and that their experience is that there is typically a five percent fallout in the last 30 days for HAL cruises.

So, at last, my question. Have any of you had any experiences like this, and if so, how did you (or your clients, if you are a Travel Agent) fare? I want to be reasonable with the TA, and give them a chance to correct the problem, but when should I panic and be more assertive than I have been. I am NOT trying to get a PS for a G price, as we would be very happy with the G, but I really don't want to miss having a window for the Agean portion of the cruise.

 

And PLEASE, PLEASE, don't speculate about the Travel Agent, as that will only get this thread pulled quickly,

[hammybee]

Well the good news is that your TA acknowledges the mistake on their end. I hope that someone else's misfortune becomes your good fortune and you get the outside cabin you desire. If this is just not possible, I guess they could give you an additional OBC which will help Mr. Squeezenickel :) reconcile to the situation. The best views are, as always, from deck chairs.

[leoandhugh]

do you still have the confirmation copy that you got on the Rotterdam when you made the original booking and, if so, what does it say? At least you will know what information you transferred to your TA and where the mistake was made - either by what was transmitted by you or HAL to your TA or by what was transmitted by your TA to Seattle.

At this late date - inside the 60 or even 30day penalty period- I would not hold out much, if any ,hope that a suitableOV will open up.

and since you asked please for no comment on your TA, you are the one that has to live with him/her:)

[cruznon]

Very difficult to reply to this when you don't want any comments about the TA...good luck with your situation.

[DFD1]

If you have documentation about your original confirmation and did not authorize it to be changed at a later time, you might have some leverage. Otherwise, you may just have to hope it works out.

[jcrandle]

do you still have the confirmation copy that you got on the Rotterdam when you made the original booking and, if so, what does it say? At least you will know what information you transferred to your TA and where the mistake was made - either by what was transmitted by you or HAL to your TA or by what was transmitted by your TA to Seattle.

At this late date - inside the 60 or even 30day penalty period- I would not hold out much, if any ,hope that a suitableOV will open up.

and since you asked please for no comment on your TA, you are the one that has to live with him/her:)

Yes, I have the original booking copy, as well as the TA's confirmation. Both show the cabin and category that I booked. There is no question in either case what was requested and what was booked. The issue is that there are no OV categories available on the cruise, and I don't know if any are likely to open.

[jtl513]

It sounds to me about all you can do is cross your fingers, pray, do a little dance, or whatever you believe makes your wishes come true.

 

If the worst happens, just plan on spending almost all of your waking hours outside the cabin. :(

 

Good luck!

[Sunshine91]

The problem with that is HAL's website shows only one category available for OV or better. Yep, its the PS. All others are closed. The TA says that I'm on a priority waitlist with HAL, and that their experience is that there is typically a five percent fallout in the last 30 days for HAL cruises.

 

It's easy to say don't worry. I know I would be too. I would try hard not to put too much stock in the website & it's availability. Just like hotels always having a few rooms available when fully booked, the website may not be completely accurate in what is shown to the public. There may in fact be cabins available that we just don't know about. The final 30 days are when HAL is distributing the guarantee cabins. It's also when folks who have insurance & have been holding off making a decision about whether or not to go for whatever reason will make their decision, too. Also, HAL will sometimes contact pax to offer upgrades for $$ & then that frees up other cabins, too.

 

Just curious - did you pay for the G or the MM? I mean a lower price could still have been a sale price for a G. Sorry, but I didn't understand from your post. :confused:

 

Sounds like the TA acknowledged the mistake & is trying to make it right. Hope everything works out for you. Be sure to come back & let us know. Whatever happens, enjoy your cruise. :)

[Cruisin Kay D]

Seems like there is a "simple" solution: HAL could offer the large fancy suite to someone in a slightly smaller suite -- then offer that one to someone in regular balcony -- then offer the balcony to people in OV & voila you have your OV...... lots of people would be SOOOOO HAPPY WITH HAL from the start including you!!!

 

How come all of us can figure out solutions & the HAL people cannot???

[Jade13]

I hope this gets resolved. It sounds like the TA messed up. Does this TA have a phone? This is one situation where I would want to talk to a live person. Some of the on-line TA's have phones and some do not.

 

This is one argument to book a specific cabin vs hoping for an upgrade. At least the exact cabin number is on your paperwork.

[Jade13]

What is the stockholder credit on Carnival? How much stock do you have to purchase?

[sail7seas]

You have to provide proof of owning 100 shares and the shipboard credit is $50.00.

[cle1]

On a HAL Carribean cruise on the Amsterdam, we were doing an ouside guarantee, and got a truly awful cabin. It was on the Veranda deck, D6102 (I think). You had to crank open the shades on the windows, and the cranck kept falling apart, you had to bend over and hop to get to the other side of the cabin, past the bed as the ceiling slanted down. The closet was less than half the size of normal, and I could go on, but the point of my story....the ship was sailing full. We spoke to the powers that be about a room change, we would have taken an inside cabin if one were available, just to get out of where we were. Nothing was available, but they would see what they could do......SURPRISE...the next day after lunch, we had a message waiting for us that an outside cabin had opened up, and we could have it!

What I would do if I were you....after boarding, go down to the desk and see if you can make an appointment with whoever could help. Then take your documentation, and your sad tale, and see if whoever, can be of any help. If you have to stay where you are, I hope it won't ruin your hopes for a wonderful cruise................Carol

[cle1]

On a HAL Carribean cruise on the Amsterdam, we were doing an ouside guarantee, and got a truly awful cabin. It was on the Veranda deck, D6102 (I think). You had to crank open the shades on the windows, and the cranck kept falling apart, you had to bend over and hop to get to the other side of the cabin, past the bed as the ceiling slanted down. The closet was less than half the size of normal, and I could go on, but the point of my story....the ship was sailing full. We spoke to the powers that be about a room change, we would have taken an inside cabin if one were available, just to get out of where we were. Nothing was available, but they would see what they could do......SURPRISE...the next day after lunch, we had a message waiting for us that an outside cabin had opened up, and we could have it!

What I would do if I were you....after boarding, go down to the desk and see if you can make an appointment with whoever could help. Then take your documentation, and your sad tale, and see if whoever, can be of any help. I know they usually keep a few open cabins in case of problems, such as plumbing or electrical if they have to move people. If you have to stay where you are, I hope it won't ruin your hopes for a wonderful cruise................Carol

[Jade13]

Sail, Can the shares be purchased at anytime prior to the cruise or do they have to be purchased prior to final payment so that the TA can set it up?

 

I assume it's $50 whether or not you have 100 shares or 1,000, correct?

 

Is this the same deal ($50.00) for Hal, Carnival or Princess?

 

Lastly, what are these traded under, and how much are they for today?

 

Thanks.

[cle1]

Sorry for the double posting......Just happend to see on HAL's web site some guarantees have opened.....................Carol

[bobthek]

Hi jcrandle,

Sorry to hear about the foulup on your outside cabin booking. We just returned from a 7 day cruise on the Veendam in a category J inside cabin. It was one of the most comfortable insides we have had - good steady ride and quiet. We didn't spend much time in the cabin. Instead, we hung out in the library, Explorers Lounge, Crow's Nest and on deck. The Veendam is a lovely, classic ship.

We had heard that the transatlantic cruise was overbooked. The sales rep said that they routinely do this because of last-minute cancellations. Perhaps you will get your OV on the April 19 cruise. At least, we all are pulling for you.

[jcrandle]

It's easy to say don't worry. I know I would be too. I would try hard not to put too much stock in the website & it's availability. Just like hotels always having a few rooms available when fully booked, the website may not be completely accurate in what is shown to the public. There may in fact be cabins available that we just don't know about. The final 30 days are when HAL is distributing the guarantee cabins. It's also when folks who have insurance & have been holding off making a decision about whether or not to go for whatever reason will make their decision, too. Also, HAL will sometimes contact pax to offer upgrades for $$ & then that frees up other cabins, too.

 

Just curious - did you pay for the G or the MM? I mean a lower price could still have been a sale price for a G. Sorry, but I didn't understand from your post. :confused:

 

Sounds like the TA acknowledged the mistake & is trying to make it right. Hope everything works out for you. Be sure to come back & let us know. Whatever happens, enjoy your cruise. :)

I'm not sure why the unrequested price reduction happened. There are MM guarantees available, and the reduced price does equal another on-line agency's current price for a MM guarantee. So it is possible that the price reduction was as a result of the unauthorized MM downgrade.

[jcrandle]

Seems like there is a "simple" solution: HAL could offer the large fancy suite to someone in a slightly smaller suite -- then offer that one to someone in regular balcony -- then offer the balcony to people in OV & voila you have your OV...... lots of people would be SOOOOO HAPPY WITH HAL from the start including you!!!

 

How come all of us can figure out solutions & the HAL people cannot???

The problem with this logic is that HAL didn't make the mistake, the TA did. So, HAL is not incented to lose the possible sale of the PS, to help rectify a TA's mistake.

[jcrandle]

I hope this gets resolved. It sounds like the TA messed up. Does this TA have a phone? This is one situation where I would want to talk to a live person. Some of the on-line TA's have phones and some do not.

 

This is one argument to book a specific cabin vs hoping for an upgrade. At least the exact cabin number is on your paperwork.

I did book a specific cabin, and the cabin number was on my confirmation from the TA, so in this case, that didn't prevent the error from occuring.

 

This TA does not do phone contact. In some ways, that is better, as I have a written record of what each of us committed to.

[newmexicoNita]

I don't think any of us can offer any solution or suggestions to you. At least you have come on here and been able to vent which is a good thing. Let's hope a cabin that is satisfactory to you opens up. Remember, most sailings a few cabins are held back, maybe you will get one of them. Keep us posted. NMNita

[jcrandle]

What is the stockholder credit on Carnival? How much stock do you have to purchase?

Sail7Seas is correct that you must own at least 100 shares. The amount of credit is based on cruising length, and differs by brand. For all US brands the credits are currently $50 for sailings of 6 days or less, $100 for 7 to 13 day sailings, and $250 for 14 days or more. CCL restricts the offer for reduced rate or Comp. cabins, and the credit is per stateroom, NOT per person.

[Ella2]

Unfortunately, mistakes do happen. Hindsight is 20/20, but perhaps if you had caught the error when you got the new confirmation it could have been corrected then. That's not to say that it was NOT the TAs fault, it was, but it may have been rectified if you had followed up when your confirmation number changed.

 

Hopefully something will open up and it will work out for you. :)

[jcrandle]

Hi jcrandle,

Sorry to hear about the foulup on your outside cabin booking. We just returned from a 7 day cruise on the Veendam in a category J inside cabin. It was one of the most comfortable insides we have had - good steady ride and quiet. We didn't spend much time in the cabin. Instead, we hung out in the library, Explorers Lounge, Crow's Nest and on deck. The Veendam is a lovely, classic ship.

We had heard that the transatlantic cruise was overbooked. The sales rep said that they routinely do this because of last-minute cancellations. Perhaps you will get your OV on the April 19 cruise. At least, we all are pulling for you.

Thanks for your thoughts! We are also in an inside for the Transatlantic cruise, which we booked purposefully, as there isn't much to see (other than sea) for much of the time. We often book inside for our TAs, but for the Agean cruise decided to spring for the OV. You are correct that HAL's insides are more roomy and comfortable than the other lines I've been on.

[jcrandle]

Unfortunately, mistakes do happen. Hindsight is 20/20, but perhaps if you had caught the error when you got the new confirmation it could have been corrected then. That's not to say that it was NOT the TAs fault, it was, but it may have been rectified if you had followed up when your confirmation number changed.

 

Hopefully something will open up and it will work out for you. :)

Unfortunately the new confirmation still showed the original cabin number and category booked. The only change was that the price was lowered about $100 for the cabin. I just assumed it was a HAL price decrease that was passed along by the travel agent, since the confirmed cabin still showed the one that I originally booked.