Can a PVP offer any perks?

Question...What is the purpose of the PVP if they cant offer any extras? I have been with the same one for over 10 years and she has yet to offer anything. I just booked 4 cabins for a July sailing.....around 10k of bookings....couldnt she throw in a free wifi package per room or maybe free kids soda package per room? Would I be better off booknig thru a TA who can offer these things? Seems like going direct to carnival would be the way to go but this PVP has never offered anything. I am thinking about calling her for another reason and flat out asking her if she can throw anything in. Every room is going to want to have internet and atleast one of them will want the soda option.

Did you ever consider that the PVP can't "throw in" anything?

no perks at all....no different than booking directly with the website. I switched over to a travel agent a few years ago as they always throw in some type of bonus....onboard credit etc.

Kim

Our PVP has never offered any "perks" but he has done things like find available cabins to book which are not shown as available on the web site (e.g. you want two connecting cabins but the web site shows none available but the PVP can find them if available). He has also placed a short term hold on cabins for us which is also something I don't believe you can do by booking yourself online (although a TA can do that also). Beyond that (and theoretically knowing the in's and out's of booking on Carnival that most of us don't know), the PVP doesn't really offer any freebies. Perhaps the OP will let us know the result if he/she asks their PVP for some "considerations." :)

no perks at all....no different than booking directly with the website. I switched over to a travel agent a few years ago as they always throw in some type of bonus....onboard credit etc.

 

Kim

Yeap,

I recently started exploring other options due to the fact PVP I was using offers nothing. Currently I have been booking thru an airlines that offers skymiles and other perks.

Just booked the magic thru them and they paid the gratuity along with triple skymiles for booking a balcony.

I guess I'm just unlucky! I used the same cruise specialty TA for my last 3 cruises and they offered us bupkus in terms of freebies and didn't have a clue about any questions I asked, so for this next cruise I decided to go with a PVP!

Did you ever consider that the PVP can't "throw in" anything?

Yes which is why I asked then question to see if anyone else’s PVP does offer them.

If they just can’t vs mine doesn’t offer is what I wanted to know.

They can be helpful as I’m sure they have a better search screen but I don’t know why I don’t just use a TA.

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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.

As posted, no they can't offer incentives which is odd since they must meet a minimum bookings per quarter. They can help with finding discounts, resolving issues especially once on board, finding desired cabins, etc.

I’m a TA and offer something to most all bookings, even the off season inexpensive bookings. The cruise companies are squeezing commissions and most of us have to pay at about a quarter of that to the host agency. I suggest you ask around, I’m sure you’ll find one that appreciates your business and shows it.

The only thing that sucks about using a TA is that your at the mercy of your TA as you can't do anything like make a payment or change anything unless your TA calls and does it but on the upside if you have a good TA they will offer you some sort of bonus for me if I am booking a week or longer I go thru the TA

But if its 2-4 days I book myself because my TA does not give anything for smaller bookings because they hardly get paid anything for those

I’m a TA and offer something to most all bookings, even the off season inexpensive bookings. The cruise companies are squeezing commissions and most of us have to pay at about a quarter of that to the host agency. I suggest you ask around, I’m sure you’ll find one that appreciates your business and shows it.

The OP was not asking about a TA but a PVP.

Question...What is the purpose of the PVP if they cant offer any extras? I have been with the same one for over 10 years and she has yet to offer anything. I just booked 4 cabins for a July sailing.....around 10k of bookings....couldnt she throw in a free wifi package per room or maybe free kids soda package per room?

As posted, no they can't offer incentives which is odd since they must meet a minimum bookings per quarter. They can help with finding discounts, resolving issues especially once on board, finding desired cabins, etc.

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.

So in the case of the OP where 4 cabins were booked, regardless of the revenue, the PVP earned around $200 for those 4 bookings.

A Kid Soda Packages for a week is about $40 .. X 4 Cabins =$160

The $4/Day cheapest Wifi Internet Package is $28 per week .. X 4 Cabins = $112

If the PVP called the Funshops and ordered these to "throw in" at their own expense for the OP, the PVP would be -$72 for making this booking.

NO but they can be a pain !!

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.

 

 

 

So in the case of the OP where 4 cabins were booked, regardless of the revenue, the PVP earned around $200 for those 4 bookings.

 

 

 

A Kid Soda Packages for a week is about $40 .. X 4 Cabins =$160

 

 

 

 

 

The $4/Day cheapest Wifi Internet Package is $28 per week .. X 4 Cabins = $112

 

 

 

If the PVP called the Funshops and ordered these to "throw in" at their own expense for the OP, the PVP would be -$72 for making this booking.

If that’s really the way it works I understand..but then again if the margin is that small I dont think being a pvp is a desirable position and carnival is really handicapping its employees. To me it ought that work similar to a casino host..after all for a 10k booking a few hundred dollars of especially WiFi which costs them nothing should be a easy freebie

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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.

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.

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.

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.

 

So in the case of the OP where 4 cabins were booked, regardless of the revenue, the PVP earned around $200 for those 4 bookings.

If that’s really the way it works I understand..but then again if the margin is that small I dont think being a pvp is a desirable position and carnival is really handicapping its employees. To me it ought that work similar to a casino host..after all for a 10k booking a few hundred dollars of especially WiFi which costs them nothing should be a easy freebie

The PVP for the OP's booking made $200 and it probably took them all of an hour or 2 of an 8 hour day to put it all together. Most likely the PVP made a few more bookings that day at $40-$60 a pop and ended up with $400 to $500 Incentive pay for the day.... Multiply that times a 5 day work week and it's about 2K a week and 8K a month in incentive pay.

In addition, PVPs get Carnival Corp Group Health Insurance, 401K matching, Continuing Advanced College education funding, reduced Carnival Corp stock purchase options, vestment in Carnival's profit sharing plan, Paid Vacation time, Paid Sick Days, Paid Personal Time Off (PTO) and free cruise benefits.

If you consider the above an undesirable position, then so be it.

The PVP for the OP's booking made $200 and it probably took them all of an hour or 2 of an 8 hour day to put it all together. Most likely the PVP made a few more bookings that day at $40-$60 a pop and ended up with $400 to $500 Incentive pay for the day.... Multiply that times a 5 day work week and it's about 2K a week and 8K a month in incentive pay.

 

In addition, PVPs get Carnival Corp Group Health Insurance, 401K matching, Continuing Advanced College education funding, reduced Carnival Corp stock purchase options, vestment in Carnival's profit sharing plan, Paid Vacation time, Paid Sick Days, Paid Personal Time Off (PTO) and free cruise benefits.

 

If you consider the above an undesirable position, then so be it.

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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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.

 

 

 

So in the case of the OP where 4 cabins were booked, regardless of the revenue, the PVP earned around $200 for those 4 bookings.

 

 

 

A Kid Soda Packages for a week is about $40 .. X 4 Cabins =$160

 

 

 

 

 

The $4/Day cheapest Wifi Internet Package is $28 per week .. X 4 Cabins = $112

 

 

 

If the PVP called the Funshops and ordered these to "throw in" at their own expense for the OP, the PVP would be -$72 for making this booking.

And to go back to this original quote maybe it’s not per room maybe it’s for half the rooms instead of nothing or claiming they can do nothing. Are you or were you a PVP I take it?

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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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You’re not taking into consideration that Carnival doesn’t let them. I have sent MANY people to my PVP and between their bookings along with mine and my family, it’s been well over $10K spent. I don’t care about “freebies”. He has saved me more in time and aggravation than a lousy wi-fi package is worth.

Sounds to me like Carnival does it to prevent favoritism amongst guests. Since it’s not an option, let it go. No sense in staying salty over something that your PVP cannot change. Your beef is with Carnival so direct your frustration to them.

Our PVP has never offered any "perks" but he has done things like find available cabins to book which are not shown as available on the web site (e.g. you want two connecting cabins but the web site shows none available but the PVP can find them if available). He has also placed a short term hold on cabins for us which is also something I don't believe you can do by booking yourself online (although a TA can do that also). Beyond that (and theoretically knowing the in's and out's of booking on Carnival that most of us don't know), the PVP doesn't really offer any freebies. Perhaps the OP will let us know the result if he/she asks their PVP for some "considerations." :)

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!).

You’re not taking into consideration that Carnival doesn’t let them. I have sent MANY people to my PVP and between their bookings along with mine and my family, it’s been well over $10K spent. I don’t care about “freebies”. He has saved me more in time and aggravation than a lousy wi-fi package is worth.

 

Sounds to me like Carnival does it to prevent favoritism amongst guests. Since it’s not an option, let it go. No sense in staying salty over something that your PVP cannot change. Your beef is with Carnival so direct your frustration to them.

No beef and that was the point of my post, to understand if it was allowed or my pvp just didnt ever offer. I get it, just seems silly to allow TA's to steal some business that a PVP could keep if they were allowed to "give" a little. On a 10K vacation a couple of wifi package or soda package isnt going to make or break but its the point of repeated business that you would think would allow some of these things to be given. I certainly didnt spend 10k to get a few hundred dollars of freebies but it would be a nice bonus. No different than going to Vegas and getting a "free

buffet that you will pay for multiple times over while you are actually gambling most of the time. I am about 9 days short of being platinum and all of my bookings on carnival have been thru this pvp. Most of the time we play phone tag, she never answers when I call and she calls me back a few hours later generally when I'm in traffic or in the middle of dinner. I had to add another person to my 4th booking last week and could never touch base with my PVP so I just called into sales to do it.

Lastly, on our 4th booking, my parents had talked to our pvp on friday....there was $50 of OBC on the deal at that time, at no point did she mention that was expiring over the weekend so when my Dad called in on Monday to book he lost the OBC. He brought it up and it was crickets from the pvp about keeping him on the same deal or offering to make it up in another way. Just seems like Carnival ought to allow their PVPs some allowance when situations or past loyal repeat customers book.

I've never used a PVP, but that's not because of any perks. I use a cruise specialty TA because they can show me options with other cruise lines which I might not have otherwise considered. I'm Platinum on Carnival so yes, I'm a big fan and do usually book Carnival, but I've enjoyed other lines too and will probably be trying some new ones soon to have the experience of some variety. Carnival is great value, but I sail to be on the ocean and let's face it, Carnival cruises are pretty similar...you could practically set your watch by what's on tonight's MDR menu.

Even though I don't use a PVP, I've booked direct with Carnival, either onboard or through the website, when I absolutely know I want to sail Carnival on a particular ship and date. Then I can often transfer that booking to a TA and get whatever perks the TA is offering.

No beef and that was the point of my post, to understand if it was allowed or my pvp just didnt ever offer. I get it, just seems silly to allow TA's to steal some business that a PVP could keep if they were allowed to "give" a little. On a 10K vacation a couple of wifi package or soda package isnt going to make or break but its the point of repeated business that you would think would allow some of these things to be given. I certainly didnt spend 10k to get a few hundred dollars of freebies but it would be a nice bonus. No different than going to Vegas and getting a "free

buffet that you will pay for multiple times over while you are actually gambling most of the time. I am about 9 days short of being platinum and all of my bookings on carnival have been thru this pvp. Most of the time we play phone tag, she never answers when I call and she calls me back a few hours later generally when I'm in traffic or in the middle of dinner. I had to add another person to my 4th booking last week and could never touch base with my PVP so I just called into sales to do it.

 

Lastly, on our 4th booking, my parents had talked to our pvp on friday....there was $50 of OBC on the deal at that time, at no point did she mention that was expiring over the weekend so when my Dad called in on Monday to book he lost the OBC. He brought it up and it was crickets from the pvp about keeping him on the same deal or offering to make it up in another way. Just seems like Carnival ought to allow their PVPs some allowance when situations or past loyal repeat customers book.

Sounds like you have kind of a bum PVP. While mine can’t offer incentives no matter how much as he would like to, he absolutely mentions any promotions expiring. Very few times has he had to call me back and even at that it was always within 10 min. Like when he was cutting the grass :). I guess I’m spoiled with him. I’ve gone the TA route with Carnival and never will again. The perk of $25 or so wasn’t worth the aggravation of almost missing out on a price drop. Long story but it was a nightmare.

It would be nice if Carnival gave them some perks to give away at their discretion, but they don’t. So if I sail Carnival again, I’ll use my PVP. There are lots of other options out there like TAs that give miles and such, but they can’t beat him when it comes to service. He has gotten things done that no CSR could ever attempt to and that’s one reason why I use him instead of the 800 number. I have gotten plenty of them that are dumber than a box of rocks. One almost got my reservation canceled because she insisted I didn’t need to pay a higher deposit when I knew I did, just general lack of knowledge stuff. I stick to the guy that has been there 26 years to get it handled right the first time. No way can you compare a good PVP to a CSR. Not even in the same league.