Group bookings rates

[zandk]

My question is this. Has anyone started a group cruise at one rate and then found that the rate has gone down and gotten it for the cheaper rate?

 

When I started my group the TA said she had booked it at the

'fun saver' rate. This is what I am basing the rate change at.

Any help would be great.

[yogi2929]

Our last group cruise was booked better than the guarantee rate but more than the ES rate. The only triple in our group was able to get a reduction in rates.

[firefly333]

Fun saver is only guarantees. If you now have assigned cabins, not sure you can price match to fun saver any more.

 

I know some groups who got the price reduction, but lost some or all of their perks. The perks are somewhat loosely based on the price.

 

What did your TA tell you when you asked for the price reduction? She must have said something?

[zandk]

She said that we would lose our OBC and have to pay our full deposit.

Which would now be non-refundable. That sucks!:mad:

[firefly333]

She said that we would lose our OBC and have to pay our full deposit.

Which would now be non-refundable. That sucks!:mad:

 

Opps, thats what I meant when I said group perks, most people pick OBC .. sorry you got that sucky answer. Thats what others were told too :( stinks.

[jason534]

I've only booked my groups thru Carnival and have had our rate lowered many times. For our March 4th cruise, resident rates started showing up on Carnival.com and the groups dept matched those rates for our entire group twice. Even after final payment time, we got the lower rate for 4 new cabins that weren't held with the initial booking.

 

as always with Carnival, if the first person you call can't do it, just thank them and call right back.

 

Just tonight, I added two cabins and the first guys quoted me $300 more than earlier in the day. I thanked him and then called right back. The next lady quickly gave us the better rate.

[twinklen01]

where can i find all the group cruises or do i need to just search the boards?

[lcmc]

I booked a group at ES price with my TA. For every 15 people the 16th is free.

[jessemon]

where can i find all the group cruises or do i need to just search the boards?

Here is a link for all the group cruises here on Cruise Critic.....

 

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/interests/groupcruise.cfm

[zandk]

Good news! TA emailed me this morning with a lower rate!

Not as much as the carnival site, but lower.

Jason534--Thanks for the feedback. I will keep watching the

rates and hopefully get it lower yet. May call TA and ask why

we didn't get the full reduction. Every little bit helps.

[jason534]

I booked a group at ES price with my TA. For every 15 people the 16th is free.

 

It's not totally free. If it's $300 for the 1-2 rate, the group leader gets about $160-$180 off their rate.

[JJ2sail]

Good news! TA emailed me this morning with a lower rate!

Not as much as the carnival site, but lower.

Jason534--Thanks for the feedback. I will keep watching the

rates and hopefully get it lower yet. May call TA and ask why

we didn't get the full reduction. Every little bit helps.

 

 

Good for you!

 

Group rates are usually not going to be lower than the the fun saver and early saver rates on the website, as there is usually an added cost for the group amenities. If you don't want amenities than you should be able to book at the same rate. Generally speaking. If there is a resident rate or just a general price drop, Carnival should honor it, but will adjust for the amenities. You can also ask for a cabin upgrade in lieu of a refund.

[lcmc]

It's not totally free. If it's $300 for the 1-2 rate, the group leader gets about $160-$180 off their rate.

 

 

Wrong........I have a group of 32 going and got 2 people free. I still have to pay the taxes but that's it.

[firefly333]

Wrong........I have a group of 32 going and got 2 people free. I still have to pay the taxes but that's it.

 

They could very well be correct, depending on the price of their cruise. You still have to subtract out the port charges/non commionsable part of the fare, and on a cheap fare or a shorter cruise, it could only be that much. It also depends on how many of which type of cabin is booked how much they get off their fare. If the free is a inside minuse port charges, and they book a balcony, they will only get money off.

 

Actually the more I look at it .. the closer the amount looks to me. Port charges can be as much as $60 per port, 2 ports = $120 off the fare of $300 as they said.

[lcmc]

They could very well be correct, depending on the price of their cruise. You still have to subtract out the port charges/non commionsable part of the fare, and on a cheap fare or a shorter cruise, it could only be that much. It also depends on how many of which type of cabin is booked how much they get off their fare. If the free is a inside minuse port charges, and they book a balcony, they will only get money off.

 

Actually the more I look at it .. the closer the amount looks to me. Port charges can be as much as $60 per port, 2 ports = $120 off the fare of $300 as they said.

 

I booked mostly balcony rooms @ $1049.00 p/p plus taxes of $59.14. I get the free fare based on the type of room that I booked the most of.

[njmomof2]

I booked mostly balcony rooms @ $1049.00 p/p plus taxes of $59.14. I get the free fare based on the type of room that I booked the most of.

 

Your $1,049 rate includes non commissionable amounts (what a travel agent doesn't get paid on), so when you get the "free" berth, you actually get only the cruise fare off...you pay for the non commissionables and taxes (some lines call them port charges).

 

If the majority of your cabins are balcony, that is the cruise fare they will take off. If you have 32 cabins and 25 of them are insides, that's the rate they will deduct, even if the person wants to book higher.

 

Any way you look at it, you're doing okay with that many bookings.

[zandk]

Good for you!

 

Group rates are usually not going to be lower than the the fun saver and early saver rates on the website, as there is usually an added cost for the group amenities. If you don't want amenities than you should be able to book at the same rate. Generally speaking. If there is a resident rate or just a general price drop, Carnival should honor it, but will adjust for the amenities. You can also ask for a cabin upgrade in lieu of a refund.

 

I will watch for a resident rate. The carnival website had just a general price drop this time, but enough to make me want to keep watching it.

I was hoping for rate to go down. That is why I booked this cruise so early. Just hope our TA will keep honoring it. As for amenities, TA has

gotten us an OBC, but that is it. Should we be getting something else?

I have never done a group before. Just thought it got us a better rate

and a possible OBC.