Questions re: booking with travel agency

[Bibble]

I always book on my own online...

 

I just received a cruise certificate for Carnival, just need to pay taxes, port charges (and the almighty agency fees...). Nonetheless, it will be much less $$$$ than paying in full.

BUT, I have to go through this 800# agency.

 

I've read that if you go through an agent, you get no control over your booking. Does that mean if I'm booked Early SAver that I have to go through them if I see any price drops?

 

Also - if I want to change a cabin after I'm booked, do I also have to go through them? That Carnival won't talk to me at all?

 

I know this is going to drive me crazy, as I'm an all-time control freak... but I'll just keep telling myself it's another cruise that I wouldn't otherwise be going on....

[shof515]

Sounds like a scam i think. That 800 number may not be carnival, and carnival rarely gives out certificates for a free cruise or any cruise that allows you pay taxes and port charges..

 

If you had a future cruise certificate, all that does is removes a certain amount off your final amount due and gives you obc for that cruise

[tcsmithh]

you can always book with the agent, then transfer to the cruise line........

if it is not a scam

[firefly333]

Are you sure this isnt one of those scam postcards .. make very sure it is from Carnival, as I doubt it is. You say its from Carnival .. and then state you have to use a TA.. sounds like a scam to me as Carnival would never send such a thing.

 

RUN is my best advice.

 

PS think about this .. why would Carnival send you a free cruise .. and then say you cant book with them?? You know this couldnt ever happen right?

[firefly333]

you can always book with the agent, then transfer to the cruise line........

if it is not a scam

 

Actually, you got this backwards. .. you can book with Carnival and transfer to a TA within 30 days .. but once with a TA, the TA then has to give permission to transfer it back to Carnival (and agree to give up their commission).

[Bibble]

Are you sure this isnt one of those scam postcards .. make very sure it is from Carnival, as I doubt it is. You say its from Carnival .. and then state you have to use a TA.. sounds like a scam to me as Carnival would never send such a thing.

 

RUN is my best advice.

 

PS think about this .. why would Carnival send you a free cruise .. and then say you cant book with them?? You know this couldnt ever happen right?

 

It's not a scam, I know exactly where it came from. I didn't say it was FROM Carnival, just that it's FOR a Carnival cruise, but I have to use this specific agency. The fees & port charges are more $$$ than the fees and port charges if I booked it myself, because of the "agency fees".

I know exactly what I've got and what I may or may not have to pay (It's for 2 people for a 1A, which I can upgrade on my own dime if I choose to).

 

So I'm guessing that being booked through the agency, Carnival won't even talk to me, and I will have to go through them (the AGENCY) to make any changes?

[jakesnana]

It's not a scam, I know exactly where it came from. I didn't say it was FROM Carnival, just that it's FOR a Carnival cruise, but I have to use this specific agency. The fees & port charges are more $$$ than the fees and port charges if I booked it myself, because of the "agency fees".

I know exactly what I've got and what I may or may not have to pay (It's for 2 people for a 1A, which I can upgrade on my own dime if I choose to).

 

So I'm guessing that being booked through the agency, Carnival won't even talk to me, and I will have to go through them (the AGENCY) to make any changes?

 

That is correct. Any change you might want to make, must be done by the agency. Some people like not having to fuss with their reservation, other people don't like not having control. It's a personal preference.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Those free cruises sound like a ------------ ?????

[Bibble]

That is correct. Any change you might want to make, must be done by the agency. Some people like not having to fuss with their reservation, other people don't like not having control. It's a personal preference.

 

Thank you. That's what I thought. It's going to drive me nuts, but for a discounted cruise, I'll suffer through it.

[firefly333]

It's not a scam, I know exactly where it came from. I didn't say it was FROM Carnival, just that it's FOR a Carnival cruise, but I have to use this specific agency. The fees & port charges are more $$$ than the fees and port charges if I booked it myself, because of the "agency fees".

I know exactly what I've got and what I may or may not have to pay (It's for 2 people for a 1A, which I can upgrade on my own dime if I choose to).

 

So I'm guessing that being booked through the agency, Carnival won't even talk to me, and I will have to go through them (the AGENCY) to make any changes?

 

Most people dont know the port fees are included in the cruisefare you see on the cruiseline site .. since mid 1990s, cruiselines cannot add these on. People assume the add on taxes and fees include port fees.

 

Maybe thats also why the fees and taxes are more than on the Carnival site... they pulled the port fees (NCF) out of the cruisefare.

 

It still sounds odd to me the way you presented it. .. but since you say you know exactly what it is, just a discounted cruise .. go for it. Very odd to send it in the mail.. still something doesnt quite add up as TAs cannot discount fares and advertise them.

 

As others have told you, the TA owns the booking if you use them.

 

Let us know what they say if you decide to call. Id be curious to know what details you can tell us.

[Bibble]

Most people dont know the port fees are included in the cruisefare you see on the cruiseline site .. since mid 1990s, cruiselines cannot add these on. People assume the add on taxes and fees include port fees.

 

Maybe thats also why the fees and taxes are more than on the Carnival site... they pulled the port fees (NCF) out of the cruisefare.

 

It still sounds odd to me the way you presented it. .. but since you say you know exactly what it is, just a discounted cruise .. go for it. Very odd to send it in the mail.. still something doesnt quite add up as TAs cannot discount fares and advertise them.

 

As others have told you, the TA owns the booking if you use them.

 

Let us know what they say if you decide to call. Id be curious to know what details you can tell us.

 

It didn't come through the mail.

It was a promotion through the company with whom I own my timeshares.

 

"They" call it a free cruise, just pay "agency fees and government taxes, including customs fees which vary from $123.16 to $186.85 per person". I don't call that free, because I know in there is built-in extra fees for the agency that I'm sure I'm going to hate dealing with. Yet, if I can do a 4 night cruise for $123, even if it's in a 1A, it's much better than paying full cost. This is why I call it a "discounted" cruise.

 

I'm not naive enough to think this is going to be easy, especially because we're going to try to find a 1A available close to a 4A quad. They're going to hate me when we're done. I know they make their money by trying to upgrade us (I've done this on another cruiseline, and stuck to my guns, and paid not one more cent than the original offer... they were NOT happy at all.), but it's not like I haven't cruised before and don't know what I'm expecting.

 

When I just called to find out about blackout dates or such, he very heartily pushed upgrading out of the room with the twin bed an pull out upper "berth". I said that I'm more than happy to stay in the bunkbed. He asked if I'd be travelling with my husband, and wouldn't I want a king bed, and I said "Not if it costs more money I don't." He didn't sound like he liked that answer. Oh well.

 

I was really just asking about the TA part of it. The only reason I mentioned the certificate was more of an explaination as to why I'd be using one, because out of 12 booked cruises, I've never used one, and never truly planned to. I really prefer being in full control.

 

I'm going to consider this an experiment in patience :)

[RuthlessBoss]

I always book on my own online...

 

I just received a cruise certificate for Carnival, just need to pay taxes, port charges (and the almighty agency fees...). Nonetheless, it will be much less $$$$ than paying in full.

BUT, I have to go through this 800# agency.

 

I've read that if you go through an agent, you get no control over your booking. Does that mean if I'm booked Early SAver that I have to go through them if I see any price drops?

 

Also - if I want to change a cabin after I'm booked, do I also have to go through them? That Carnival won't talk to me at all?

 

I know this is going to drive me crazy, as I'm an all-time control freak... but I'll just keep telling myself it's another cruise that I wouldn't otherwise be going on....

I've gotten one, leads you to think it's from Carnival. It sounded legit until I looked at the picture on the postcard. Carnival has no ship by that name. I almost wish I'd kept the card for my memory reference. They also say it's not for a timeshare. It's not, they gave it another name, but in essence, it was a timeshare.

[firefly333]

It didn't come through the mail.

It was a promotion through the company with whom I own my timeshares.

 

":)

 

I did a promotion which the fees still sound similar. $179 pp for a 1A based on double occupancy for the fees and taxes, for a 4 day. They finally got me out of New Orleans last Dec, right before xmas after a year of pushing.

 

Are you sure you can pick your cabin .. because they sure didnt give me any choice. They upgraded me to a 4A, last inside aft, bottom deck. Triumph has a terrible vibration, and this cabin was usually used for cabin steward storage it was so bad.

 

If your premise is correct that you can pick your cabin ... great, go for it. but Id get that part in writing, because I didnt get that choice. I didnt know there were cabins that bad until I got that one.. now I no longer say I dont care about location. The ceiling and back wall vibrated all the time with what sounded like things banged into them plus the tv was green.

 

I too had to use the TA from the promotion agency they required and she too tried to get me to pay to upgrade, stuck to my guns and I think they gave me that terrible cabin just daring me to complain or ask to switch.

 

PS I have found a much better source of cheap cruises than this kind of deal .. so I would never do it again.