OMG... Early Saver! How OBSESSED do you become???

[SageCruiser]

So.. sadly, I did not realize that taking advantage of the early saver fare required me to discover the lower fare so I just recently started checking my two 2010 bookings (both self booked online).

 

For my July 2 sailing, I no longer see category 8C pricing so I assume it is sold out for the cruise. Being a holiday week and only 6 (woohoo) weeks away, that is understandable.

 

However, I have another cruise booked for November 28 and I can no longer find pricing for an 8A. Really - that seems unbelievable. I think I'm going to have to call Carnival to find out if either of the above categories are actually sold out and I am truly and sadly out of the ES loophole. :(

[makeup face]

Yep, unless you booked with a Travel agent (TA). They then need to fill it out..

 

Thank you...booked on my own...price has gone down $20.00 pp. Will I get ship board credit or will my balance go down $20.00:confused: I just LOVE you guys:D:D

[ava_girl_123]

If you owe a balance it will reduce your balance.. If you are paid in full you will get an OBC.. ;)

 

We make final payment June 1st so I am waiting to see if there is anymore drops.. Just had $40 in drops approved! :D

[luv2gonow]

Can't believe I now have $420 bucks OBC.....How low will it go:D Only 1 room left in Cat 8c though:o

K

[mistyw]

How often is up to you. Some as the OP said check hourly, some check daily, some check weekly ...its up to you.

 

Rates can change multiple times per day. Some have caught huge drops that were only available for hours.

 

I was checking the empty cabins hourly when I had a guarantee waiting for it to be filled I booked 8 days before my last cruise ..hoping to see where they would put me. Stuff would say sold out, whole cruise sold out, 3 cabins available, not sold out, would change all day long at the end.

So...Where did they put you when you booked the guarantee Firefly333?

I'm thinking of doing that this time instead of the usual catagory I choose.

[firefly333]

So...Where did they put you when you booked the guarantee Firefly333?

I'm thinking of doing that this time instead of the usual catagory I choose.

 

when I booked only deck 7 and deck 8 insides the day before, then only OV, balcony and suites left .. after 3 days of hearing from my roll call about their upsell calls ... I got a 4B, 6 cabins forward of the forward elevator on Main deck. Not terrible, but I was dissapointed because of seeing so many great cabins showing available, until it showed sold out. I got my cabin late wednesday ...so before I sailed on Saturday.

[ljs7]

Booked early saver for a 3 night cruise in October and got a great rate. Have been checking rates and it have only seen the price rise. Any chance it will come down closer to the time or is the trend that once prices rise they don't come down?

[jules815]

Booked early saver for a 3 night cruise in October and got a great rate. Have been checking rates and it have only seen the price rise. Any chance it will come down closer to the time or is the trend that once prices rise they don't come down?

 

Continue to check daily. They go up and down all the time.

 

We sail in two weeks and had a price drop a couple of weeks ago. Currently our category (cove) is sold out, but there are two rooms left for our daughter's category (4C) and their price just went up again.

 

I still check every day though, even if the category is sold out, because people cancel all the time.

[Tiffany1203]

I have been checking every hour on the hour! I feel like I am going nuts!! I do not want to miss a price drop! :eek:

 

Not obsessed....just excited!! ;)

[firefly333]

Continue to check daily. They go up and down all the time.

 

We sail in two weeks and had a price drop a couple of weeks ago. Currently our category (cove) is sold out, but there are two rooms left for our daughter's category (4C) and their price just went up again.

 

I still check every day though, even if the category is sold out, because people cancel all the time.

 

It usually isnt someone cancelling, but rather upsell dept is upselling folks and moving them to a higher category for $$$, so sold out categorys open up very often in the last couple of weeks.

[firefly333]

Booked early saver for a 3 night cruise in October and got a great rate. Have been checking rates and it have only seen the price rise. Any chance it will come down closer to the time or is the trend that once prices rise they don't come down?

 

As I said on another thread ... there is always a chance, so I keep watching.

 

Iv only gotten one $20 pp drop, and that's with lots of ES bookings.

[ava_girl_123]

Suites on our sailing have had 2 drops in the past day at $100 pp each time..

[krazyblush]

Hey all!

 

I'm wondering how people have dealt with Early Saver when having booked through a TA. I booked through a TA over the internet (who is in another state) and since booking has been a bit spotty about responding to emails and voicemails.

 

My fare has dropped by about $85 and I tried to submit my request on my own but was, of course, rejected. My question is whether my request will be back dated to when my TA finally gets around to submitting the request? I'm just worried that my category will be sold out or the price will go up before my TA ever gets around to submitting the request.

 

Anyone with thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[jjlb]

does this search engine for rate drops work now for anyone? I just signed up for it in hopes of saving myself the trouble of constantly checking.

 

Above post - you will need to PESTER your TA...you have to catch those drops right away because they change often and you have to get them to allow you to do the form (at least that's my understanding).

[krazyblush]

Thank you jjlb!

 

Is there a way that the TA can change the settings with Carnival so that I can be allowed to submit the form myself?

 

Thanks for all the help -- total newbie here! :-)

[scchasgal]

Thank you jjlb!

 

Is there a way that the TA can change the settings with Carnival so that I can be allowed to submit the form myself?

 

Thanks for all the help -- total newbie here! :-)

 

Your TA will have to continue submitting the ES form. Your arrangement it between you and your TA so everything must go through them. There is nothing the TA can do and since their commission goes down each time it is submitted they definitely want control over it.

[krazyblush]

Wow, so if you got an inattentive TA, you are pretty much done for I guess. Thanks for all the info!

 

Well, I suppose now I know for next time it's probably better to just book it myself.

[sallyb]

I have always booked past guest, until they changed the rules. I booked ES this time because I love the price drops!

[MsSoCalCruiser]

I booked an 8C balcony cabin with ES. My cruise is still about 7 months away but when I check the rates 8C is no longer showing up under ES, it now starts at 8D. But 8C is still showing up under other rates. I'm confused. Does this mean no chance of price drops? :confused:

[firefly333]

I booked an 8C balcony cabin with ES. My cruise is still about 7 months away but when I check the rates 8C is no longer showing up under ES, it now starts at 8D. But 8C is still showing up under other rates. I'm confused. Does this mean no chance of price drops? :confused:

 

The categories are capacity controlled, so you will have to watch other rates to see if they drop lower than what you paid. You can only compare another 8C to yours. check resident, or past guest or whatever else is offered.

[BcIcemen]

I check whenever I get online

[FloridaLaura]

I check 3-4 times a day. I caught a 20.00 pp price drop and got the form in and approved, that rate only stayed down a few hours then back up plus it was 20.00 more pp when it went back up ...so keep checking. It only takes a minute and you never know, you might catch it down!

[MsSoCalCruiser]

The categories are capacity controlled, so you will have to watch other rates to see if they drop lower than what you paid. You can only compare another 8C to yours. check resident, or past guest or whatever else is offered.

 

Thank you Fire.

[flyingb]

I have been checking every hour on the hour! I feel like I am going nuts!! I do not want to miss a price drop! :eek:

 

I checked, my category is already SOLD OUT and we don't sail 'til 3-3-11. :eek: So I save my time for things that might happen, like an OBC. That is IF I ever get one. :mad: Never had one in 19 cruises.

Luv's Crusin'

[fototaker]

We cruised the Valor last year and booked 88 days out, ES price drops had me into a balcony for 150 bucks more. Never took the drops as OBC, we just kept upgrading:) Now i for my upcoming cruise I booked 194 days as a science experiment, I have compulsively checked prices twice a day, They have not budged! I am however confident as this cruise does not seem to filling up as fast my last one! :) keeping fingers crossed and obsessing twice a day!:D