Complimentary Cruise from Mini Vacations

[MaryBCruisin]

Has anyone sailed using one of these cruise certificates? I'm anxiously waiting for April 1 so I can get some dates for October on Miracle. I've never sailed Carnival yet so I'm not sure about the cabin assignments. The coupon is for a "bunk" cabin. Is it a guarantee with possibility of upgrade or are you pretty much stuck with what bunk they have. I kinda like snuggling with hubby! Bunks would put a damper on that. I've been wanting to try Carnival so I'll take whatever they give me for the "complimentary" price of over $500.

[Boston6]

$500 for a week? I've heard these deals are not as good as it may seem.

[SouthernCaribbean]

Sounds like a slightly discounted price, rather than a complimentary cruise. I would bet that you might be able to beat that deal or come fairly close, booking it yourself. You are talking about hurricane season so the prices will be very competitive. How did you find out about the deal?

[MaryBCruisin]

I listened to a sales pitch on a vacation club. Similar to a timeshare deal but you don't purchase a condo. It listed Royal Caribbean as one of the cruise lines which is why I chose that particular certificate. I'm a Platinum member there, but I'm finding out that they don't have the same cabin categories as Carnival and I'd have to pay much more for a cabin on Royal Caribbean. I think the price is pretty fair for a 7-day cruise. The rate on line for the same room for 2 people is around $1200. I don't think even a TA can get me a deal for $500 for 2 people, even in hurricane season.

[dotshub]

Just FYI, I think some folks have the wrong impression about hurricane season prices. Hurricane season begins June 1 and goes all the way til November. June July and August seem to be the most expensive months to cruise, and they are sometimes very busy hurricane months. The prices are usually lower after september, and before June.

I think it has more to do with school summer vacation times than hurricane season.

[MaryBCruisin]

When I think of hurricane season I think of late August and September, which are typically lower pricing also due to most schools are back in session. We live in Florida and cruised last year during Ivan which was headed directly for our area while we were gone. That was early September. I'm thinking October this year. Still a good hurricane month but they tend to stay out in the Atlantic. Anything can happen. We just take it as it comes. Maybe we'll be lucky this year and have few hurricanes.

[Ship Addict]

I went to one of these presentations also recently just to get the free cruise. I realized then that I would have to follow their instructions to the letter and jump through all their hoops to get their cruise, which I was willing to do, because I knew we wouldn't be able to afford a cruise anytime soon any other way.

 

The certificate said I would have 18 months to complete my travel, which I thought was no problem. I sent off my initial paperwork within the 30 day time period like they said. They said they would send my reservation form and further instructions in a few weeks. I knew I would have to send in my "taxes and port fees and other applicable charges" when I made my reservation request, but it didn't mention any time frame for doing that -- just that I would have to complete my travel in the 18 months. OK.

 

Well, when I got my Cruise Request Form in Saturday's mail, it said that I had to send in my form WITHIN 21 DAYS of the date of the letter (which was March 30, 2005) or the voucher would be invalid. I am completely livid!! There was nothing in the original certificate that said I would have to pay so soon. We were planning on vacationing SPRING 2006, so I wasn't planning on sending in my reservation request until this fall probably. Our price for the cruise is $299 per person, and I am nowhere close to having that money right now.

 

I just know this is one of their tricks so they don't have to pay out on their little "gift," but I am going to fight this one! I will be calling them later today to complain about their practices. This is totally misleading and unfair.

[MaryBCruisin]

The second form should not request funds. It should have something about a "sponsor" on it, just another form that you have to fill out. I just put the company I went to listen to as the sponsor. It's just to get your actual certificate number and a phone number to call when you're ready to make your reservation. After you get your certificate and you call the number, you will be assigned an agent who will keep your file so you will have the same person to talk to.

 

I was told since December that I had to wait till April to reserve the cruise. I called April 1 and could hardly get through. Phones were busy so everyone must have gotten the same information I did. I haven't been able to talk to anyone who has actually gone through this process and booked a cruise which is why I started this thread. I will post my progress.

 

Friday, I told them what month I wanted to cruise and they gave me a choice of dates on Carnival Glory out of Port Canaveral. (I was told when I went to the presentation that it would be Royal Caribbean Splendour of the Seas out of Tampa. I live in the Tampa Bay area so that was perfect for me.) You have to be flexible on these things. Tampa wasn't available because the Splendour is no longer sailing out of Tampa when I want to cruise. We were going to upgrade to a larger cabin, but the higher you go, the less you get on your voucher. We only book balconies, but I could have gotten a better deal booking it without the voucher so we decided since this is an "extra" cruise for us, we'll take the interior bunks and just make the best of it.

 

I got a price of $582 total (processing fee, port charges and taxes) on a 1A category. I sent in my check right away. I'm told that when Carnival gets it, they will contact me on availability. This is where I get nervous, but there are 9 cabins available as of today. As long as they don't hold my check too long, I should still be okay. I tried my best to find problems with these vouchers and although you do have to jump through hoops and pay some of it ($582 is not bad for a 7-day cruise!) it's still a good deal. I found very few complaints. The ones I did find were from folks who wanted to cancel, and there were only 2. This company provides vouchers to large companies who give them as employee incentives and so on.

 

Hopefully, Carnival won't call me and tell me it's no longer available and I will have to upgrade to sail on that date. That will make me a little cranky.

 

They told me I had to wait till April to book which gave me some time. Please let me know how it went. I don't have the information with me right at the moment, but I know I mailed two items to them before making the reservation. I'm wondering if it's the same voucher.

 

Mary

[Ship Addict]

MaryBCruisin, it sounds like we are dealing with two different companies. I am working with Infinity incentive Group and I think you have MiniVacations. Similar company types, but different "hoops" to go through.

 

I just got off the phone with one of their agents. I don't know whether to be encouraged or upset by our conversation. I complained about the 21-day limit on sending in our reservation request and having to pay the $598 at that time. I told her it doesn't say anything in the Terms and Conditions that we would have so little time to pay the money, and as we were not planning to sail until next spring, we were not ready to pay now. She tried to tell me that HER company didn't print out the original voucher that I sent in that had the Terms and Conditions on the back side, and that they basically had no control over what is stated there, although she did proceed to quote me 2 to 3 paragraphs out of the T&C during our conversation. (None of which held up her end of the argument!) Therefore, she told me, their terms are stated in the letter I just received Saturday. So I asked her if that was right to switch the terms on us at that point. I knew what the terms were in the beginning, and was willing to comply, but to have them switched on me after the process was begun I didn't feel was right. (And I told her that yes, the voucher and the brochure DID come from their company as it had their information all over it!)

 

Anyway, I guess she could tell I was in an arguing mood and she didn't want to get into it, so she asked what it was I wanted. I told her I wanted her to extend my deadline another six months so that I can put off paying until then. She told me she didn't have the power to do that, but she would forward it to her supervisor and she PROMISED me they would call me back within 24 hours. So now again I wait and see . . .

[Ship Addict]

I just got off the phone with this company again. I am so irate :mad: right now I can feel the steam coming out of my ears. I spoke with a supervisor, who said oddly enough that I was the first person she had ever, ever heard of in the history of her working for this company to complain that the 21-day window was unfair. I spoke with her for a long time, but I could not convince her that there was a kind of a switch going on here, with the change in conditions between the original voucher and the subsequent letter. I told her I was willing to comply with absolutely everything else, but could she please extend the deadline on the reservation process another six months. She said she absolutely could not and would not do that. No exceptions period.

 

I feel like I have wasted so much time on this project -- going to listen to the little spiel, filling out all the paperwork, going to the post office, spending the day on the phone, etc. it just makes me sick.

 

I told her I was going to put in a complaint with the BBB and she said to go right ahead. She acted like it didn't even phase her one bit!! Do you think the Attorney General would be interested in hearing about this? Does it sound like they may have misrepresented themselves by changing the requirements after stating their Terms & Conditions?

[ColoradoJuli]

I would report them. She probably didn't flinch when you said that they would report them because people say that all the time and then do not follow through. Go ahead and follow through.