Can a PVP offer any perks?

You don't need a PVP for any of the above.....you can call the CCL 800# and ask for availability of any cabin #, and you can book and put a 24 'hold' on a cabin on line yourself. PVP's cannot give any 'perks' at all....so to us they became a thing of the 'past' long ago. You can do anything a PVP can yourself, and once you get familiar enough you know what kind of cabin you prefer and the location etc......just search the web and you can find TA's who do throw in extras (of course out of their commissions and if there is a price drop, that can sometimes be problematic as well - so beware!).

As firemanbobswife mentions above, going the 800 number/CSR route can be problematic versus having a dedicated individual that knows you, knows your booking and can break through barriers and solve problems much more quickly and efficiently. If some folks are willing to roll their own and call a toll free number when there are problems or questions, that's cool; I prefer not go to that route. Our PVP and our long time travel agent work just peachy for us.

(of course out of their commissions and if there is a price drop, that can sometimes be problematic as well - so beware!).

That is exactly why you need to have a TA that responds quickly when you reach out to them to avoid missing a price drop - A good tip though that we got from an agent when my TA called with me on 3-way about a price drop she said to put a hold on the room at the price dropped rate so that if it changes by the time the TA get's ahold of them they can see the price

I lucked into a great PVP when I started cruising in 2009. I use him every time. I call him directly and he answers most times, or calls me back within minutes.

He remembers who I am, even though I only cruise 1 or 2 times a year and he doesn't ever call to bug me about anything or sales pitches.

He is super knowledgeable about all the ships and ports and has been 100% trustworthy is pointing out things to me.

He was able to waive our change fee under early saver of 50 dollars a person when I couldn't afford the upcoming cruise (back in 2012) and had to switch it to one a bit later (a year later)

I spend a lot of time and money on my cruises and want the most of my vacation...he is definitely my trustworthy contact with Carnival--no free soda or wifi would make me give that up.

I sometimes book with my PVP and then switch it to a TA...The PVP gets his credit for the booking, but the TA can give you some extra perks such as OBC. But the TA can NOT give you a cheaper price.

PVPs are compensated per booking by a salary + an incentive payment per booking. It's sliding scale but the average incentive is around $50 per booking. It doesn't matter if the booking is a 1A upper/lower on the Riviera Deck or a Grand Suite. The incentive is the same.

Well then if that’s the case a free WiFi or two package thrown in for customers with multiple bookings or over a certain dollar amount doesn’t seem like a big deal. Seems silly to lose a booking if you can throw in $100 worth of freebies to close the deal.

What you seemed to miss from my original post is that a PVP is paid per booking irregardless of the dollar amount spent. Using the average incentive of $50 per booking, 4 bookings into 4 Interior cabins at at $199 per person or as 4 bookings into 4 Grand Suites at $1999 per person pays the PVP the same $200 incentive.

A good, experienced PVP most likely has a good relationship with a bunch of repeat customers that call 4 or 5 times a year to book their cruises in the $199 - $499 price range. Not a ton of revenue per booking for Carnival in the short run but a good dependable group of customers to have in your customer base with a proven track record of loyalty and repeat business who also refer business and have come to realize that the value of a good PVP isn't about the discounts and freebies. It's about exceptional service, advice, integrity and professionalism. These type of customers generate way more in Incentive Pay day in/day out, week in/week out, month in/month out in the long run for a PVP.

The 4 cabin $10,000 customer sniffing around for freebies are valuable too, but are generally a one hit wonder and would just as soon abandon their loyalty and book thru a TA who might be giving them $25 or $50 in OBC or a cheap bottle of wine. Why should a PVP shell out 25-50% of their incentive pay out of their own pocket to someone they may never hear from again?

Whether the $10,000 customer books with a TA vs a PVP the "net" all goes to Carnival regardless.

They aren’t allowed to. I have an excellent relationship with my PVP and straight up asked him. He said he would love to give me something but if they found out he could get fired. They don’t want PVPs to treat certain people differently I’m guessing.

 

However, he did offer me a 7 day cruise once for only taxes/port fees. If I wouldn’t have been going the week before on a different one I would have taken it in a heartbeat. They occasionally get those to give away to their clients. I don’t know how that’s determined but it was a pretty decent one - Pride out of Baltimore.

 

The service he has given me is well worth forgoing OBC, a bottle of wine, or whatever. I’ve gone the TA route for Carnival before and find it’s not worth giving up his expertise and efficiency.

Plus many TAs charge you for submitting rate reduction forms (found that out the hard way).

My PVP has booked a cruise for me while I was sitting on a beach in Bonaire, while on a cruise leaving port, and while sitting in a car driving home from a cruise. She is available almost any time for me with a quick text to answer any question I may have. She has even allowed me to book for my German family members because their English isn't very good. Yea, I love my PVP and wouldn't use a TA just to get a free Diet Coke.

NO but they can be a pain !!

Unlike you?? :rolleyes:

Who honestly needs a PVP except maybe a first time cruiser? Last thing I want is a sales pitch and any third party being involved in my cruise planning. I’ve been assigned PVP’s and they don’t offer any real help and know less than what we do many times, This is with NCL.

Need, no. Desire, yes. I can get a quick, accurate response to any question I have, 7 days a week from my PVP (unlike here). ;)

I have many cruises under my belt and wouldn’t trade my PVP for anything. I’ve had Carnival change my cabin on me with no notification, he was able to get it back with one phone call by me to him. He’s linked bookings together, and has gotten things done that no CSR could have.

 

Maybe NCL is different, but my (and the good Carnival PVPs) guy knows what the heck he’s doing. If I have an issue, I can save a ton of time and by contacting him instead of calling in, telling my story, only to have to do it all over again to a Supervisor. He has never given me a sales pitch nor is he a 3rd party like a TA. If for some reason he’s unavailable I can always call the 800 number and roll the dice on if I’m going to get someone on the other end that knows what they are doing. He’s been there since 1992 and has tons of experience. I have his cell phone and email should I need him. The man even answers his phone on Sundays when cutting the grass! He’s the best.

I won't tell you what my PVP was doing one time when I called her one evening. Yea, she's gets a little crazy and funny at times and she is definitely not shy!

Well then if that’s the case a free WiFi or two package thrown in for customers with multiple bookings or over a certain dollar amount doesn’t seem like a big deal. Seems silly to lose a booking if you can throw in $100 worth of freebies to close the deal.

 

 

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What part of "they are not allowed to do that and could get fired" do you not understand? If a free diet coke matters that much to you, go find a TA who will give it to you. Geez.

Plus many TAs charge you for submitting rate reduction forms (found that out the hard way).

 

 

 

My PVP has booked a cruise for me while I was sitting on a beach in Bonaire, while on a cruise leaving port, and while sitting in a car driving home from a cruise. She is available almost any time for me with a quick text to answer any question I may have. She has even allowed me to book for my German family members because their English isn't very good. Yea, I love my PVP and wouldn't use a TA just to get a free Diet Coke.

I also call for all my family members and close friends and book through him. He gets all our dinners linked and if I see a price drop, I make one call to him for anyone’s reservation and he takes care of it. I tried that once with a CSR and they wouldn’t let me because I wasn’t on the booking. It’s so much simpler with a PVP. I have even called him to switch cabins for my family. No questions asked, he just does it. That’s the kind of service you get when they know you by the sound of your voice [emoji846].

What part of "they are not allowed to do that and could get fired" do you not understand? If a free diet coke matters that much to you, go find a TA who will give it to you. Geez.

For the last time JA, that was the point of my post. The second point if it’s not allowed why not. Why does carnival allow TAs to steal some business over their own people? Do PVPs not get a bonus for meeting monthly booking quotas either by total dollars booked or just by number of bookings similar to car salesman? Who doesn’t like getting the most bang for my buck and not getting nickel and dimed to death on soda or WiFi packages would be nice when traveling with kids.

Gold members and above ought to get a WiFi or drink package as part of those perks as well.

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For the last time JA, that was the point of my post. The second point if it’s not allowed why not. Why does carnival allow TAs to steal some business over their own people? Do PVPs not get a bonus for meeting monthly booking quotas either by total dollars booked or just by number of bookings similar to car salesman? Who doesn’t like getting the most bang for my buck and not getting nickel and dimed to death on soda or WiFi packages would be nice when traveling with kids.

 

Gold members and above ought to get a WiFi or drink package as part of those perks as well.

 

 

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Truthfully, it's none of your business as to why it's not allowed or what PVPs earn. Carnival has told their employees they will not do this and if they do (and get caught) they can be fired. End of story. Accept it or move along.......JA. Doesn't get any simpler than that.

I just don't get why people think they can do Carnival's job better than Carnival does. Based on the posts on this board, there seems to be a lot of CEOs with a lot of time on their hands. :rolleyes:

Why does carnivalallow TAs to steal some business over their own people?

 

Why??? I'll answer that at the end of this.

"Their own people" are employees who have been hired to do the job of selling cruises to customers who call the company in-house directly. They are under an employment contract and are compensated fairly with an Incentive Per Booking based on performance + nice package of Company Paid Benefits.

"Their own people" fall into 2 categories. PVP's who reach out and make both initial outbound contact to the hundreds of Carnival.com inquiries that come in daily and are also tasked to create ongoing relationships with established customers by keeping them informed of current promotions and specials. In addition they take sales calls from their established customer base and book them on cruises. PVPs also do all of the service for their own booking including taking payments, making changes and handling problem issues.

The other category of "their own people" are the 1-800 inbound direct booking sales/reservation people. They make no outbound sales calls. They only make bookings and take the initial payment. It's 1 call and done...Any future service is handled by customer service reps.

 

There are approximately 600 PVPs. There are approximately 400 inbound direct sales agents. These approximately 1000 in house booking agents account for about 30-35% of Carnival's booking business. The carnival.com website accounts for about 5% of all bookings. The other 60 - 65%% ????

Travel Agents.... Located throughout the US and worldwide both online, big box, at home and still a few small box / brick & mortar stores. With TAs accounting for the vast majority of Carnival's near 2 Million+ annual cruise bookings, THIS is why Carnival allows TAs to "steal" business from it's own people.

And after commission, where does the money go to after a customer has given a TA their credit card? To Carnival.

 

Do PVPs not get a bonus for meeting monthly booking quotas either by total dollars booked or just by number of bookings?

 

I answered that for you earlier in this thread. It's a sliding scale flat "per booking reservaion" Incentive + a small salary + incentives for trip insurance add ons. The dollar amount of the booking does not matter. Using an average of $50 per booking, the newbie PVP who makes 30 - 40 bookings a month will make $1500 - $2000 a month Incentive + salary. The more experienced core PVPs who make 60 - 90 bookings per month will make $3000 - $4500 per month Incentive + salary. The top producers with lots of experience and a big customer base making 100 - 200+ bookings a month will make $5000 - $10,000 per month Incentive + salary.

Cheers.

We just booked a group cruise for Feb 2018. Using a PVP was not only easy, but she made us aware of some promos that the various people in our group qualified for (reduced deposit, onboard credit, interline rates). She found great cabins in awesome locations that met the needs of each family in our group and tied them together for dinner.

Sometimes having someone knowledgeable about the Carnival product and who works directly for them is worth more than any perks that some TA’s may be able to provide in order to get you to book trough them.

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Gold members and above ought to get a WiFi or drink package as part of those perks as well.

Carnival’s business model relies heavily on ancillary revenue in order to keep their fares low. A big chunk of Carnival’s revenue comes from onboard spending and they are not going to give that away for free, at least unless they raise fares across the board. And they are definitely not going to give freebies of that kind to gold members considering that there are so many of them. Heck I’m Platinum and I don’t get any of that!

With that said, there are several cruise lines that do offer incentives in the form of free beverage or dinner packages, and who also include free WiFi as part of their loyalty perks. But chances are that your base fare will be higher than Carnival’s. You need to figure out which cruise line provides the product and pricing structure that best fits your preferences. But you can’t have cheap fares along with free stuff. That wouldn’t be a revenue producing business model.

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I dont think being a pvp is a desirable position

Considering that some PVP’s make six figures and they’ve been working for Carnival for more than a decade, I wouldn’t call their profession undesirable. Chances are that several PVP’s make more money than many of the clients that they assist!

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We just booked a group cruise for Feb 2018. Using a PVP was not only easy, but she made us aware of some promos that the various people in our group qualified for (reduced deposit, onboard credit, interline rates). She found great cabins in awesome locations that met the needs of each family in our group and tied them together for dinner.

 

Sometimes having someone knowledgeable about the Carnival product and who works directly for them is worth more than any perks that some TA’s may be able to provide in order to get you to book trough them.

 

 

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I know you meant 2019.

Have a great cruise!

Bill

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Q: Should I use a TA instead of a PVP?

A: Yes, because a TA can give you discounts that a PVP can't.

Q: I have a TA and he/she doesn't offer anything extra over a PVP. What gives?

A: Your TA sucks. Find another one.

Q: Someone on CC says they use a PVP because their PVP is very responsive and they had a bad experience with a TA. Should I get a PVP if I want the best service even if it means I have to pay a little more?

A: There are good and bad TAs just like there are good and bad PVPs. I had an outstanding TA, but she retired. :loudcry:

Q: Are there any downsides to booking through a (good) TA?

A: Many TAs charge a "documentation fee" or some other nonsense, usually around $25. You should be able to get them to waive it on request. If they won't, go somewhere else. TAs may add additional cancelation fees above and beyond the cruise line. If you have trip insurance, it shouldn't matter, but you should be aware. Trip changes and price matches have to go through the TA. While a good TA should handle this for you efficiently, many TA's work part-time. However, a good TA will have a competant back-up.

I would not use a PVP if you want freebies or OBC. I use two TA's. One does not charge me the commision at final payment. The other usually gives me $100 - $200 OBC for a 7 day balcony. Sometimes they throw in specialty restaurants or wine. I've never been charged or had OBC reduced for price reductions. TA's offer the same price and often can throw in something to say thanks. Carnival tried to eliminate the TA some years ago but it backfired big time.

Did she make you aware that your cruise has already sailed? (Joking)

No!

Darn, no wonder it was so cheap! [emoji23]

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Carnival tried to eliminate the TA some years ago but it backfired big time.

They didn't try to eliminate TAs. They would be abandoning 65% of their booking business.

What happened was they restructured the commission percentage scale in a move that hurt smaller agencies and favored larger ones. It definitely created a *&$@storm but was later rescinded and reworked to a more fair and sensible structure.

Q: Should I use a TA instead of a PVP?

 

A: Yes, because a TA can give you discounts that a PVP can't.

 

 

Q: I have a TA and he/she doesn't offer anything extra over a PVP. What gives?

 

A: Your TA sucks. Find another one.

 

 

Q: Someone on CC says they use a PVP because their PVP is very responsive and they had a bad experience with a TA. Should I get a PVP if I want the best service even if it means I have to pay a little more?

 

A: There are good and bad TAs just like there are good and bad PVPs. I had an outstanding TA, but she retired. :loudcry:

 

Q: Are there any downsides to booking through a (good) TA?

 

A: Many TAs charge a "documentation fee" or some other nonsense, usually around $25. You should be able to get them to waive it on request. If they won't, go somewhere else. TAs may add additional cancelation fees above and beyond the cruise line. If you have trip insurance, it shouldn't matter, but you should be aware. Trip changes and price matches have to go through the TA. While a good TA should handle this for you efficiently, many TA's work part-time. However, a good TA will have a competant back-up.

You should also add:

Q: Do you like to maintain control of you booking as in not having to go through a middleman?

A: Any questions you have regarding your booking have to go through your TA. With a PVP you can speak directly to Carnival 24/7.

Q: Do you want someone that won’t try and talk you out of Early Saver Fares or even Carnival in general? How about someone who has actually sailed the cruise line and very likely the same ship you are interested in (or at least the same class of ship).

A: PVPs are experts at Carnival and won’t look down on you, try to switch you to another cruise line, or possibly even flat out refuse to book a Carnival cruise. Yes there are TAs that do exactly that. Many also don’t like you to book ES because any price drops will cost them commission. Plenty of TAs have never stepped foot on a Carnival ship. They have no idea what it’s actually like. The good PVPs have and know the ships in and out oftentimes offering up recommendations based upon their experiences.

Considering that some PVP’s make six figures and they’ve been working for Carnival for more than a decade, I wouldn’t call their profession undesirable. Chances are that several PVP’s make more money than many of the clients that they assist!

To take this a step further...As an average, the 600 person PVP department employees earn more than 70% of all the rest of the other employees at Carnival. This includes some upper level managers and vice presidents.

They didn't try to eliminate TAs. They would be abandoning 65% of their booking business.

 

What happened was they restructured the commission percentage scale in a move that hurt smaller agencies and favored larger ones. It definitely created a *&$@storm but was later rescinded and reworked to a more fair and sensible structure.

Yes they did, like I said Carnival tried to eliminate the TA. They positioned themselves for only direct bookings to eliminate the TA and the so called 65% you speak of. I know this from a corporate and a TA industry standpoint. It was very clear what they were doing.