PVP's - what am I missing out on?

[golfadj]

So do you know how you request a change??? MINE SUCKS to put it nicely :)

 

I have asked Carnival through various points of contact how to get off of my PVP's list (who by the way was randomly assigned to me and I have never booked with him) and get with someone else and no one seems to know...

 

Do you know anyone who is dealing with Carnival and has a pvp? You could call and ask to speak to a pvp and see if you like the person who answers.

[Clipper123]

So do you know how you request a change??? MINE SUCKS to put it nicely :)

 

I have asked Carnival through various points of contact how to get off of my PVP's list (who by the way was randomly assigned to me and I have never booked with him) and get with someone else and no one seems to know...

 

On the forums on the Carnival website, people are allowed to give recommendations and there are numerous posts where people give names and phone #s of PVPs they think are good.

[sandradoo]

This is the first cruise I have dealt with a PVP. Mine has gone beyond probably what many do. I will definately use mine from now on. OBC credit issues solved very quick. Anytime I call or email I get a quick response.:D

[beachbum53]

Carnival's PVPs are really no different than the customer service people you find in any other business. Some are worthless, some are good, and there are some that are do a really outstanding job. Unfortunately, when you call Carnival, it's like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get. Our PVP is somewhere between "good" and "outstanding".

[crusin okie]

It really depends.

 

If you find a good PVP, their assistance can be very valuable. Even if you have cruised extensively and think you know everything there is to know about cruising, it's always nice to have someone inside Carnival who knows your preferences, and who will contact you with special deals as soon as they become available, or to update you on Carnival's latest news before they are posted anywhere else (even before Cruise Critic, gasp!). For example, a few years ago, our PVP called us with a $99 last minute deal on a 3 night cruise out of Miami, and within 24 hours, we were lounging on the Lido deck with a drink in hand! :)

 

Our PVP has been so good to us over the years, that he has even come out to the port of Miami to meet us on embarkation day, and even arranged to have some of our non-sailing friends come aboard to have lunch with us before sailaway.

 

For us, we need to go through someone to apply a rate that we can't book ourselves since proof of elegibility needs to be verified (interline rates). For example, on our last cruise, balconies were going for $779pp, however with the interline rate, we got ours for $599pp. My PVP has a copy of my credentials on file, which makes elegibility verification completely painless.

 

For us, it makes sense to have a

 

is your pvp OJ? We got to know him thru an Interline booking. He is the best!

[sonicbuffalo]

We have been for the last two cruises, booking when on our cruise. We use the FCC person, but don't buy the FCC. We still get the $100.00 OBC for booking while on a cruise.

 

We talked to our PVP, and she tells us she gets the credit regardless so we aren't stiffing her either. Of course, we haven't been getting any extra OBC since we've been booking really good itineraries, and booking aft extended balconies. The prices have always gone up closer to sailing time.

 

So, we rarely use our PVP unless it's a Carnival related question, but it's nice to know we have someone to check the rates when we want. Other than that, there really isn't much she can do for us. When I board one ship, I already know which room we want, and what I can expect to pay. :)

[bigboatrider]

To be honest, I can't tell you that there is any value to a PVP. My PVP doesn't respond to e-mails or voicemails. The only time I get any info from her is if she actually answers her phone. The only value she has added to any that I've booked with her is that she's saved me the time and trouble (haha) of typing my info myself.

 

 

Didn't read any further responses after this one, lol. This sums it up very well for my PVP also. A friend "hooked me up" with his PVP a couple of years ago, because I wasn't thrilled with my TA. While the guy is very personable, I guess I was mislead (by my buddy) to believe that my PVP would "keep me informed" about price drops, special deals, etc. Well, to date, through six cruises, my ace in the hole hasn't done anything more than save me from filling in the blanks myself. Oh, he did email me the link to the Price Guarantee Form, through which I've amassed approx $600 in price drops (that I've found on my own). I've made up my mind that from here on out, I'll either ask for another PVP (in hopes of finding a "good one") or I'll continue to handle everything myself without inconveniencing my current PVP.

I guess this is the long winded way to say that unless you get a "special" PVP, they're pretty much worthless if you're just a little computer and internet savvy.

[bigboatrider]

OBC credit issues solved very quick. Anytime I call or email I get a quick response.:D

 

LOL, this one made me laugh (to keep from getting PO'd). In the past 6 days, I've discovered 2 price drops for one of the cabins in our booking that sails saturday. Submitted the forms myself, and have yet to get a response on either of them. Called my PVP on Tuesday, about the normal time frame that I would've received a confirmation in the past, did he "check on it for me"? Hell no! He gives me another number to call with the line "anyone that answers that line can help you", which again was wrong, as I was transferred twice, and still got nothing more than, "at this point, it will be approved and show up on your account when you board, and not on your online account". Now, I'm not holding out a lot of hope that the OBC will be in place when I board, and I'll have to jump through hoops to get it, when a "good PVP" probably could've handled it for me beforehand.