Booking while on board?

[holdon216]

What are the benefits of booking your next cruise while on board? I know you get an on board credit but is there anything else? Thanks

[golfadj]

Only benefit is if you purchase an fcc and use the friends and family feature so they can save on their next cruise.

 

For you absolutely no benefit. We always wait until we are home to book our next cruise.

[careycouponer]

The only thing I know about are FCC's (Future Cruise Certificates). I didn't think there were MORE benefits to booking while onboard. I'll have to watch this thread. :)

[golfadj]

They used to give you an additional discount for booking within 60 days of returning from a cruise but stopped that some years ago.

[holdon216]

We actually booked last July for this July while on board. We did get 100.00 on board credit for this upcoming cruise. But cannot remember if there was more then that. Looking to book on board for next July. The rates had only gone up over the last year so i am glad that we did book one year out.

[BeccaBecca1713]

It's easier to just buy the FCC then book later. Due to my work schedule it's impossible to select a week too far out. When buying the FCC, you have 2 years to book. I've already used two! Love free money!!:D

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

It's fun ....

[etwright]

Think we are going to take advantage if the FCC on our next cruise.

[firefly333]

They used to give you an additional discount for booking within 60 days of returning from a cruise but stopped that some years ago.

 

The FCC was never combinable with the credit for booking after your credit .. as I found out the hard way and my PVP who told me I could combine them.

 

Had to fight with them every price drop about that $25 pp off the rate to figure out the price drop. .. and had 3 ES price drops.

 

They did away with it probably because FCCs replaced it.

[splintz]

i booked my upcoming 8/18/12 cruise on the dream when i was on my last cruise on the pride. i did all the work and knew exactly what room numbers i wanted. i got 2 connecting rooms. so i got the following for each room which had 2 occupants in each. i got $100 obc for each booking total $200. for each booking i received 2 friends and family future cruise certificate(has to be used on the exact cruise i am taking on 8/18/12) for a total of 4 certificates for both bookings.

 

i booked it early saver and have checked multiple times a day and the prices have not come down lower than what i paid on the boat which was $759 per person in a 6m family ocean view room.

 

i booked it on the cruise because my sister and her daughter were planning on going on the same cruise with us and also my mother in law and her husband also are coming on the same cruise. this way i gave them each a certificate for $100 obc and they didn't have to spend the $100 on the boat to buy the future cruise certificate. the other 2 certificates i gave away free on the carnival forum. they were taken fast. i was just happy they didn't go to waste.

 

the only down fall to booking on the boat instead of buying the future cruise voucher is that you have to pay $250 deposit per person just like when you book over the phone. so i paid a $1000 deposit for the 2 rooms instead of buying 2 future vouchers for $200. hope this helps.

[megmno]

I had a weird experience with the Friends and Family certificates.

 

While we were on the Valor last summer we had two cabins. I knew what cruise I wanted for this coming summer, so I booked it on board. We booked two cabins on Magic for August 2012. We got OBC of $100 for each of the two cabins.

 

My assumption was that for each of the two cabins we booked we would get two Friends and Family certificates. However, the Carnival guy at the Future Cruise desk told me that we would only get one Friends and Family certificate, not four. He claimed that Carnival had a policy that they would only issue three credits per family, which he counted as the two OBCs and one Friends and Family certificate.

 

I didn't feel like arguing with him during my vacation, so I just let it go. I figured that if I really needed the extra certificates I would just take it up with corporate when we returned home. As it turned out we did not need the additional credits, so I never bothered.

 

I think this doesn't make a whole lot of sense, so the booking clerk might have been wrong.

I'm just putting this out there in case anyone is planning on getting several Friends and Family certificates -- you might want to call Carnival to check.

[splintz]

I had a weird experience with the Friends and Family certificates.

 

While we were on the Valor last summer we had two cabins. I knew what cruise I wanted for this coming summer, so I booked it on board. We booked two cabins on Magic for August 2012. We got OBC of $100 for each of the two cabins.

 

My assumption was that for each of the two cabins we booked we would get two Friends and Family certificates. However, the Carnival guy at the Future Cruise desk told me that we would only get one Friends and Family certificate, not four. He claimed that Carnival had a policy that they would only issue three credits per family, which he counted as the two OBCs and one Friends and Family certificate.

 

I didn't feel like arguing with him during my vacation, so I just let it go. I figured that if I really needed the extra certificates I would just take it up with corporate when we returned home. As it turned out we did not need the additional credits, so I never bothered.

 

I think this doesn't make a whole lot of sense, so the booking clerk might have been wrong.

I'm just putting this out there in case anyone is planning on getting several Friends and Family certificates -- you might want to call Carnival to check.

i did the same thing and got $200 obc and 4 friends and family certificates. my guess would be he didn't know what he was talking about. i bought mine in april so im hoping they didn't change their policy between april and the summer

[golfadj]

The people on the fcc desk are not exactly experts on cruising I have found.

 

I wanted to book a cruise that we would go on with our kids and purchase and fcc and get two certificates.

 

Saw the price on the website and went to book. They insisted the price was 100 pp more than the website price and would not even look at the website.

 

Went home and booked at same price as website. Have heard this has happened to others.

 

Next time we get an fcc will buy it and just ignore them in terms of booking cruise. Not worth the hassle.

[firefly333]

The people on the fcc desk are not exactly experts on cruising I have found.

 

Not exactly experts is my opinion as well. They give out bad info during their talks and slide show and dont seem to have good training. I suspect they book people and never have to deal with the problems they cause so just never get good feedback and learn.

 

They said you get price drops up until sailing and yet also told me they always book people ES (without asking them or discussing the rules it seems). You can make a blanket statement that you get price drops always ... without adding its only with ES. People could want to book another rate, and think they will get price drops.