instead of checking Past Guest..

[okgirl]

wrong.

 

Thanks for posting the facts..........they often tend to be ignored...

 

I am very sorry to have misslead you all with my faulty information. I guess for the past three cruises, each with a few ES claims, so the past 9 times I was approved for OBC where mistakes each and every time. All mistakes that have added around $1400 in OBC to my sailings. Sorry for trying to help people claim similar ill gotten OBC, I am a monster. Have a swell day!

 

I don't think you are a monster. I think you are taking advantage of a loophole in the online process, and not even a legal one, just an oversight on the part of the person issuing an OBC. Ultimately,if enough people start taking advantage of this, the ES rates will go away for all of us.

 

Oh well, they were good while they lasted!!!!!!!!!!

 

I have a friend who does much the same thing in his everyday life. Always taking more than his fare share, always trying to get something he's not really entitled to.

 

Here's a money saver for y'all. Go to the grocery on the last day of a sale and remove the sale sticker from the shelf, then go back when that item isn't on sale anymore, but produce the sale sticker at the register. They'll give you the discount thinking it was their mistake.......Darryl saves a fortune on groceries this way....:rolleyes:

[mferris77]

Seems like a case of one hand not knowing what the other hand is doing.

 

You book a normal ES room with one agent.

 

You report a price drop to another agent - all that agent does is verify that, yes, the rate did exist, but doesn't check that you live in Missouri or are a senior. They apply an OBC to your account.

 

You check in and you're still booked as an ES, and you have OBC. I don't know how they would know at check-in where the OBC comes from, or if they even have such kinds of notation. ($50 OBC applied due to senior rate drop, etc.)

 

Seems like a loophole and the only way to fix it is for the OBC people to take even MORE time looking into every submission. It already takes 3 days as it is.

[AdrenalineRush]

Seems like a case of one hand not knowing what the other hand is doing.

 

You book a normal ES room with one agent.

 

You report a price drop to another agent - all that agent does is verify that, yes, the rate did exist, but doesn't check that you live in Missouri or are a senior. They apply an OBC to your account.

 

You check in and you're still booked as an ES, and you have OBC. I don't know how they would know at check-in where the OBC comes from, or if they even have such kinds of notation. ($50 OBC applied due to senior rate drop, etc.)

 

Seems like a loophole and the only way to fix it is for the OBC people to take even MORE time looking into every submission. It already takes 3 days as it is.

]

Then again this is the internet, people have made bold claims about what they did when no one could really verify it. So who knows.

If the OP did it a is willing to openly admit on a board that Carnival reads regularly, dont expect it to last much longer.

[sailor_jimc]

Ok.. ignoring the morality and other aspects here... can someone tell me why a resident of Missouri or Nevada would get a rate reduction? I always assumed that they gave those special rates to states that have cruise ports in them as a"giving back" type of thing. Last time I checked NV and MO are not connected to an ocean.....

 

Why are the certain states that get a discount?

[okgirl]

Ok.. ignoring the morality and other aspects here... can someone tell me why a resident of Missouri or Nevada would get a rate reduction? I always assumed that they gave those special rates to states that have cruise ports in them as a"giving back" type of thing. Last time I checked NV and MO are not connected to an ocean.....

 

Why are the certain states that get a discount?

 

Most of the cruise lines have special rates to try to lure "distant" travelers to cruising. It's more expensive for me as a Texas resident to cruise as compared to when I lived in Oklahoma.

[Ken076]

Ok.. ignoring the morality and other aspects here... can someone tell me why a resident of Missouri or Nevada would get a rate reduction? I always assumed that they gave those special rates to states that have cruise ports in them as a"giving back" type of thing. Last time I checked NV and MO are not connected to an ocean.....

 

Why are the certain states that get a discount?

 

The cruise port states get a good share of Resident Rates due to their last-minute proximity to the cruiseports, but most states at one time or another have a Resident Rate offered (at least half the states, including NV and MO, currently have a Residency rate for at least several cruises). The Resident Rate is just another Promo Rate, like 55+ and Past Guest, offered for specific cruises to boost lagging bookings. ken

[firefly333]

Iv also wondered, seems like states that are way north and start with M get a lot of resident discounts, Michigan, Missiouri etc. I decided they pick a state that has the least booked from that state and offer a discount, so they dont have to do price drops.

 

Thats my current made up pretend theory.

[marshhawk]

This next cruise I booked online, instead of using the phone. I got an ES rate. I told the computer we were old(seniors) I told the computer we were past guests. The rate went up when I said past guest, so I just went with the ES. The cost has gone up since I booked. Doesn't look like OBC for moi!:(

[Tiffanyiris]

Can you post the ship/date/Category so I can play with this?

 

I just tried several sample Sailings that have PastGuest and Resident Rate, and I couldn't reproduce your results.

 

ken

 

sure! my cruise that its working for is May 16 out of Tampa for a balcony room to western caribbean. give it a shot. i havent checked it for a few hours so i hope its still working!

[Tiffanyiris]

]

Then again this is the internet, people have made bold claims about what they did when no one could really verify it. So who knows.

If the OP did it a is willing to openly admit on a board that Carnival reads regularly, dont expect it to last much longer.

 

 

im sorry, i didnt realize i was doing anything wrong. i was only trying to help spread the good news.

[Tiffanyiris]

update: i just searched for my cruise again using ONLY the Nevada Resident discount and it is now gone. at least it lasted a day and a half! i hope some of you were able to take advantage of the ES program and get some more on board credit! every little bit helps! cheers!

 

(i apologize if posting this was wrong, i didnt know any better.)

[Ken076]

im sorry, i didnt realize i was doing anything wrong. i was only trying to help spread the good news.

 

I don't think the response was intended for you!!! ken

[Ken076]

update: i just searched for my cruise again using ONLY the Nevada Resident discount and it is now gone. at least it lasted a day and a half! i hope some of you were able to take advantage of the ES program and get some more on board credit! every little bit helps! cheers!

 

(i apologize if posting this was wrong, i didnt know any better.)

 

No Apologies - you didn't do anything wrong - I believe the responses were aimed at the poster(s) who appeared to have taken advantage of 55+ or Resident rates without actually being a resident or 55+.

 

I can't find a Nevada Resident rate. I also have a list of Nevada Resident rates for May sailings and your Legend cruise isn't on the list - there's a 5/16/2010 Glory with a Resident rate.

 

There HAVE been some posts indicating problems with wrong state's resident rates being displayed - I'm wondering if you got caught up in this?

 

ken

[Tiffanyiris]

No Apologies - you didn't do anything wrong - I believe the responses were aimed at the poster(s) who appeared to have taken advantage of 55+ or Resident rates without actually being a resident or 55+.

 

I can't find a Nevada Resident rate. I also have a list of Nevada Resident rates for May sailings and your Legend cruise isn't on the list - there's a 5/16/2010 Glory with a Resident rate.

 

There HAVE been some posts indicating problems with wrong state's resident rates being displayed - I'm wondering if you got caught up in this?

 

ken

 

i reckon you are right since now when i search for the Nevada Resident rate, its gone. i was gone for about 5 hours so sometime between this morning and now, they must have taken it down. when i did the search it was out of Tampa, and Glory sails out of Miami. i did *thankfully* do a screen print of it, just in case. im not sure how to post it on here to show you all. how do i do it?

[maggieworkman]

Thanks. I just did this and the price of my cruise has dropped due to residency rate.

 

I used a TA and their office is closed right now. I did a screen shot to capture the new price. It shows the ship, sailing date, price, room categoy, number of guests. But it doesn't show today's date. Will the screen shot be enough?? What should I do??

 

I am going to call the TA first thing in the morning, but the rate might be gone by then.

 

Maggie

[Tiffanyiris]

These are the screen prints last night. i only applied the NV resident under special rates.

 

 

[Ken076]

These are the screen prints last night. i only applied the NV resident under special rates.

 

 

[ATTACH]154420[/ATTACH][ATTACH]154421[/ATTACH]

 

Did you go any further than this? the rightmost display only indicates the lowest Category Balcony rate that's being offered - NOT your specific Category's rate.

 

You needed to proceed past this to the follow-on display (where you select EDIT or CATEGORY) then the following page that displays the rates for each of the Balcony Categories 8A, 8B, 8C......This is the page you need to determine your rate. The page you "printed" isn't going to be enough for Carnival.

 

What specific Balcony Category are you booked?

 

I've lost track - are you booked ES? If you're not booked ES and your sailing is 16 May 2010 you're past Final Payment and cannot get OBC for price drops.

 

Ken

[Ken076]

These are the screen prints last night. i only applied the NV resident under special rates.

 

 

[ATTACH]154420[/ATTACH][ATTACH]154421[/ATTACH]

 

for what it's worth, this is my "procedure" for checking price drops (you're missing the final 2 steps):

 

Once Booked, You can check the Past Guest, 55+ and Resident Promo Rates daily using the Quick Search Box on carnival.com . In order to view the promo rates, it may be necessary to first Log-In with your username AND Password, then Log-Out, such that no Name or Past Guest ID info is displayed when you visit carnival.com.

· Use the blue QUICK SEARCH Box on Carnival.com Home Page to fill-in your cruise information (Month/year, Embarkation Port, Destination, Cruise Length). Select the "Special Rates" link and select your State of Residence from the drop-down list, and the promo rates (Past Guest, 55+) that you're eligible for,. Click on the SEARCH link.

· The next display will be the SEARCH RESULTS display for ALL THE CRUISES that fit your search criteria. There will be a line for each Cruise; across that line, the fare being offered for the lowest available Cabin classification within each Category (Interior, OceanView, Balcony, Suite) is displayed. If you click on the Category title, the Cabin classifications that are included in that Category are displayed (e.g., for INTERIOR the display might show Cabin classifications 1A, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E, 4F, 4G and 4H. PT Porthole. 4J Picture Window (obstructed views as being included in INTERIOR The Fare displayed below each Category is NOT the Fare for ALL the Cabin classifications in that Category; it’s the Fare for the lowest Cabin classification in that Category. Find your specific Cruise/Date line and click on the DETAILS link.

· This CRUISE SUMMARY page displays Cabin Selection info, Itinerary Info and Ship Info for the specific Cruise you selected. To proceed with Cabin Selection you have to Click the “SELECT” button under the Cabin Category (Interior, OceanView, Balcony, Suite) thatyou’re interested in. The Fare displayed below each Category is NOT the Fare for ALL the Cabin classifications in that Category; it’s the Fare for the lowest Cabin classification in that Category.

· The next display will be the RATES PAGE for the Cabin Category (Interior, OceanView, Balcony, Suite) that you just selected. There will be a line for the standard FunSelect, FunSaver (and EarlySaver if still being offered) Rates. Then, the 55+ Rate line, the Past Guest Rate line and the or Resident Rate (for the State you selected earlier) is displayed, ONLY IF they are currently being offered. If you did a Cruise Search and entered your state, 55+ and Past Guest, there will be a Resident Rate line, a 55+ Rate Line and a Past Guest Rate displayed here ONLY if that rate is currently being offered for your specific cruise (and for the Resident Rate, for the State you entered). The Fare displayed alongside each of the the FunSelect, FunSaver, 55+ Rate line, the Past Guest Rate line and the Resident Rate line NOT the Fare for ALL the Cabin classifications in that Booking Rate; it’s the Fare for the lowest available Cabin classification in that Rate for the Category you selected. Select the Rate you’re interested-in, Select the number of Guests, and Click on the “CONTINUE” link.

• The next display will be the STATEROOM PAGE for the CATEGORY and RATE that you previously selected. Click on CATEGORY at the top of the display (or on the blue EDIT in the middle of the display).
  

• FINALLY, The next display will be the Listing of all the STATEROOM CATEGORIES and their FARES for the Booking Rate that you selected (FunSelect, FunSaver, EarlySaver, 55+, PastGuest, Residency). The Booking Info, Fare Code, Govt Fees and taxes for the booking will be displayed in the right-border. This is where you see the actual rates for each cabin classification within a CATEGORY.
  

If your Category is listed as N/A, then you are out of luck for a Price Adjustment, unless more Cabins become available. However, if a Category above yours drops below your current ES Rate, you can upgrade to that Category and generally get OBC for the fare difference.

 

Ken

[Tiffanyiris]

Did you go any further than this? the rightmost display only indicates the lowest Category Balcony rate that's being offered - NOT your specific Category's rate.

 

You needed to proceed past this to the follow-on display (where you select EDIT or CATEGORY) then the following page that displays the rates for each of the Balcony Categories 8A, 8B, 8C......This is the page you need to determine your rate. The page you "printed" isn't going to be enough for Carnival.

 

What specific Balcony Category are you booked?

 

I've lost track - are you booked ES? If you're not booked ES and your sailing is 16 May 2010 you're past Final Payment and cannot get OBC for price drops.

 

Ken

 

i didnt even think about doing a screenprint on the page you are talking about. dang. i dont think it'll be too much a problem since the past 2 claims i submitted were honored without question to see the screen print. well, fingers crossed anyway!!

 

i have an 8K balcony. and yes i did book under the Early Saver. when i saw the first drop from $719 (my original price) down to $619 i submitted my claim. then i dropped down to $579 and i submitted my second claim. then i submitted a claim for an upgrade from an 8B balcony to an 8K (i called and talked to a Carnival Rep and found out i should submit a claim for the upgrade) and that was honored without question too. so, so far i havent had to fight for it, thank heavens. i sure hope i do get my NV resident rate claim because i certainly would not mind another $60 in OBC. this cruise is for my hubby since he just returned from a deployment to Afghanistan and i saved for months and planned way ahead to make it happen, so any extra spending money we can get we are certainly grateful for!!

[Ken076]

i didnt even think about doing a screenprint on the page you are talking about. dang. i dont think it'll be too much a problem since the past 2 claims i submitted were honored without question to see the screen print. well, fingers crossed anyway!!

 

i have an 8K balcony. and yes i did book under the Early Saver. when i saw the first drop from $719 (my original price) down to $619 i submitted my claim. then i dropped down to $579 and i submitted my second claim. then i submitted a claim for an upgrade from an 8B balcony to an 8K (i called and talked to a Carnival Rep and found out i should submit a claim for the upgrade) and that was honored without question too. so, so far i havent had to fight for it, thank heavens. i sure hope i do get my NV resident rate claim because i certainly would not mind another $60 in OBC. this cruise is for my hubby since he just returned from a deployment to Afghanistan and i saved for months and planned way ahead to make it happen, so any extra spending money we can get we are certainly grateful for!!

 

So...on the page I'm talking about (that shows all the Categories and their associated fares) the fare for your Cat 8K dropped below your current ES Rate of $579?

 

Carnival CAN backtrack on the rate history, but sometimes they seem to do it more reliably once you provide a screenprint. This one is a little bit different than you previous claims in that it involves Resident Rates, which they seem to be having some problems with "correctly displaying". Not much to do but to wait and see!!! Post your results???

 

ken

[vapdtopcop]

How does one get OBC doing this. Step by step if possible!!

[js]

thats what i usually did too, but once i took the Past Guest off to see just what a Nevada resident rate was, it went down the $80/person! i was shocked because i thought having Past Guest AND NV resident checked that i would get the lowest rate available, but as soon as i took Past Guest off, bam, what a deal!

 

I think someone was just saying this the other day on this site. I always do the same as you did Past Guest AND Resident rate. Going there after here and seeing if I see a difference. Thanks.

[Tiffanyiris]

So...on the page I'm talking about (that shows all the Categories and their associated fares) the fare for your Cat 8K dropped below your current ES Rate of $579?

 

Carnival CAN backtrack on the rate history, but sometimes they seem to do it more reliably once you provide a screenprint. This one is a little bit different than you previous claims in that it involves Resident Rates, which they seem to be having some problems with "correctly displaying". Not much to do but to wait and see!!! Post your results???

 

ken

 

sure thing! i should hopefully find out tomorrow!

[Ken076]

How does one get OBC doing this. Step by step if possible!!

 

Check the rates on carnival.com for your specific cruise, cabin category and #PAX, daily, using Post #43 above.

 

When you book Early Saver you're not only concerned with drops in the Early Saver Rate itself (which goes away in 3 months cruises 5 days or less and in 5 months cruises 6 days or more) but you also want to monitor drops for any rates that you're eligible for, including the FunSelect Rate, Past Guest Rate (if you're a Past guest), the 55+ Rate (if you're 55+), the Resident Rate for your State of Residence, and the Military Rate (if you're military eligible). If the Past Guest rate drops below your current ES rate, and you’re a Past Guest, you get that rate. Same for FunSelect, 55+, Resident and Military Rate drops. Remember that the price protection is for same ship, same dates, same Cabin Category and same number of passengers (the adjustment is for the combined PAX 1 and PAX 2 rates AND the PAX 3 (if any) and PAX 4 (if any) rates.

If any rate that you're eligible for drops (up to 2 business days before sailing) below your current ES rate (a) if you booked via Carnival, fill out the ES Request form on the website and submit (b) if you booked via TA ask TA to fill-out and submit the form (there is some evidence that Carnival will accept if you fill out form and submit instead of TA doing so).

If a rate (that you're eligible for) for a Cabin Category above yours falls below your current ES Rate you're eligible for the upgrade and Credit/OBC for the difference; submit the form with OBC and Upgrade selected, with explanation in the Comments field.

It's good to make a screenshot (or at least a PrintOut) of the Fares Page that shows the Fare you're price matching to, in case of denial from Carnival.

ken

.

[Tiffanyiris]

i did a search again on Carnival for my cruise's rates and holy smokes they went up! i havent gotten an email back from Carnival about my recent ES claim, but hopefully today i'll hear something. im so anxious!!