Question about price drops, OBC's & CVC...

[CaribbeanKim]

I have sailed on Carnival many times and have been a member of CC for several years...so I am hoping some of you more experienced cruisers can help answer a question that I have.

 

I usually book our cruises directly through Carnival, then check for price drops periodically. One time, I got a price drop (as my cruise wasn't fully paid for yet) - and another cruise, I received OBC's because my cruise was already paid in full. This year, I booked through Carnival Vacation Club (another story for a different board!). To those unfamiliar; CVC uses a point system that converts their points into dollar amounts. (Ex: $5,000 = 20,000 points) I have booked 2 connecting balcony cabins, with 2 pax in each.

 

How would I go about checking for price drops in this type of situation? I would think that if I take my "out of pocket" expense and divide it by the number of pax, that will tell me the fare pp. Then I would check to see if Carnival's current price is lower than that figure.....correct? Everytime I have called Carnival concerning this cruise (problems with the website, filling out Fun Passes) I have been referred back to CVC, so I don't know if I can even get any OBC's unless the "Club" can arrange it.

 

Any suggestions or insite will be greatly appreciated!

[firefly333]

Iv read here that if you booked on points thru the club you cant get a fare refund for a drop later, hope Im wrong.

 

Yes, you always have to deal thru whomever you booked thru, in this case CVC unfortunately it sounds like.

 

Im guessing things like this are why the club was not very successful.

[CaribbeanKim]

Thanks firefly~

 

I had a sinking feeling (no pun intended) that would be the reply! I will venture a call to CVC if I happen to notice a significant price drop as we get closer to our sail date...and just "sea" what happens! Who knows, I might get lucky and receive a partial refund or an OBC...but I won't be holding my breath!

 

I am SO glad that we were able to use up all of our points and that our membership will expire with CVC. I was extremely disappointed with several aspects of the "Club" on numerous levels...and would NOT recommend a membership to anyone that is experienced in shopping for rates &/or booking their own cruises. The ONLY way it pays to be a member of CVC is if you also use all of the resort vouchers in addition to the cruise points! Like they say..."If it sounds too good to be true..." Well, I have learned my leason!! As luck would have it...CVC is no longer available on Carnival cruises. They will tell you it is so that they can fulfill their current membership's requests in a professional & timely manner, but I suspect it is because of the level of dissatisfaction among the members.