Grrr...I need a new PVP

[AdventureSmithZ]

Hi All,

 

I'm wondering if anyone else has had issues with their PVP. I'll leave names out of this thread, but I gotta say, I'm a little mad!

 

I have used the same PVP for the last couple cruises and she always seemed fairly responsive and had no complaints. Well, about 3 weeks ago I received an email from Carnival about upgrading our room for $40/per person. I reached out to our PVP, no response. Followed up with a couple more emails over a few more days....nothing. Call her extension and there is a message about it being Sept 6th and she is out for the day. Called her cell phone, VM full.

 

Call carnival today and they were of little help. Said I should have called directly and that there are no upgrades available at this time. I get that now. But isn't the point of having a PVP is for them to be YOUR personal vacation planner?

 

I've ONLY sailed on Carnival...Should I start looking elsewhere at other lines? How do I go about getting a PVP that I can count on? Are other people happy with their PVP's?

 

Sorry for the vent...Just feels like we may have missed out on an upgrade. Something I've never been offered.

 

Thanks,

Mike

[cv322]

So sorry it didn't work for your upgrade. I certainly wouldn't abandon the cruise line because of this though. If I called my PVP & he didn't return my call by day's end I would call the main number and speak to anybody...not knowing if my PVP (who's always very responsive as you said yours was) maybe had a family emergency or something else going on.

 

I wouldn't have waited a couple of days.

[Havin'fun]

This is why I love Royal Caribbean - you talk to whoever answers the phone! One of my pet peeves when we sailed with Carnival and NCL is you have to talk to your personal rep. When I have questions - I need answers now! :D

[AdventureSmithZ]

You can bet I'll be calling the next time :)

 

I can understand if it were a family emergency and the likes. But that doesn't stop the business. Maybe it's mis-management of the PVP's. I know in my job, if I were to have a family emergency, my manager would re-assign my active clients to others on the team.

 

Guess I'm just upset that I FINALLY get an upgrade path, and then in slipped away :D

[camper49]

This is why I love Royal Caribbean - you talk to whoever answers the phone! One of my pet peeves when we sailed with Carnival and NCL is you have to talk to your personal rep. When I have questions - I need answers now! :D

I call Carnival and talk to whoever answers the phone!! Used a TA for all our prior cruises and last year decided to do the PVP. Talked with him once,got his number and extension and when i needed to speak with him again he could not be reached !! So now i just call 1-800-carnival. Works great !!!

[estellec]

I call Carnival and talk to whoever answers the phone!! Used a TA for all our prior cruises and last year decided to do the PVP. Talked with him once,got his number and extension and when i needed to speak with him again he could not be reached !! So now i just call 1-800-carnival. Works great !!!

 

I'm with you. I never talk to the same person. I talk to whoever answers the phone and have always received exceptional assistance.

[jsjjkelly]

We use our PVP for the big stuff. When we get the upgrade email, I call the number listed directly on the email.

 

My mother in law called ours when she got her email, and he said he couldn't see anywhere that she had gotten the email (when she did). He couldn't do anything for her and she still had to call the number on the email.

 

I'm not sure what all their job functions are, but Carnival probably has many many departments. It didn't seem like a big issue to me to have to call them instead...

 

Shawn

[Tapi]

And that's why I have my PVP's personal celphone saved in my contacts. And his flexibility and availability (even during off hours) is one of the reasons why he's still my PVP after 7 years! :)

[cardqb]

Our PVP with Carnival has provided the bare minimum service. We had a future cruise certificate, so we booked through Carnival to make it easy.. or so we thought. Working with the PVP was more of a headache than going through a third party travel site.

 

We received the $40 upgrade email this week. Not once did I think about calling the PVP, I just called the number and extension on the email. They offered us an upgrade from 8B to 8F for $40. But since we have a premium balcony (larger balcony, but regular balcony price) we passed on upgrading to a higher deck with a standard balcony.

[AdventureSmithZ]

I'm not opposed to calling the main number. It's more about loyalty and letting the PVP get the credit.

 

I'll just call the main number from now on :) Thanks for all the responses.

[MsTabbyKats]

I have a PVP and book with him. But whenever I need anything "time sensitive" (cabin change, price change) I call directly and speak to the person who answers the phone.

 

I understand what you are saying...that the point of having a PVP is to facilitate things. But, it really doesn't work that way.

[Tapi]

It's more about loyalty and letting the PVP get the credit.

 

Your PVP already got the credit for booking your cruise. They don't get credit per dollar spent, but a fixed amount per booking. In other words, you would've not been "disloyal" to your PVP by upgrading through another agent.

[jeschwartz82]

my pvp has kind of dropped of the face of the earth too. im not happy with him at all. :(

 

 

the worst part is that he used to be SOOO awesome. i loved working with him and just hearing his voice got me excited for a cruise. i would even write a nice email after every booking to his manager letting them know how wonderful he was to work with. i certainly cant say that this time around. phone calls having been returned, neither have emails. when i do catch him on the phone, he says he has to call me right back but never does.

[waynbo]

Mine has always contacted me around every 6 months or so until I book a cruise (usually 9 months to a year out) then as soon as I'm booked he's non-existent. Tells me he'll help watch for price drops for the ES program, yada, yada, yada. Has never done anything for me after I've booked. Just got a $90 price drop last week, did the form myself, still haven't heard from him. This will probably be the last time we use him.

 

Not fishing for a new PVP but if anyone knows one... I know, not allowed, shame on me and my email wclaytor at cox dot net. :eek:

 

Cheers and happy sailings!!

[DolfanNY]

Try ext # 82965. Very helpful

[DebBrown]

This is why I love Royal Caribbean - you talk to whoever answers the phone! One of my pet peeves when we sailed with Carnival and NCL is you have to talk to your personal rep. When I have questions - I need answers now! :D

I have never talked to a personal rep or had a PVP. I always either book online or call the 800 number and speak to whomever answers the phone. They have always been very friendly and helpful.

[bobnfl]

We just booked a cruise for dec. and I got 2 other couples to book through my pvp. I needed some info the next day and guess what, no answer just voice mail. I have left 3 messages and 1 on her cell phone. 1 1/2 days and still no contact. I guess booking 3 cabins in one day was too much. I am very disappointed with my pvp. thats it for me , I will do it all myself from now on.

 

Very unhappy with the pvp department. they want your business but don't want to work for it.

 

Bob & Raquel

[echo]

Mines Ok, I know about Carnival ships and cruises then he does. I only keep him cause he knows how to apply my gift certs that I use alot.

[alreadypacked]

Hi All,

 

I'm wondering if anyone else has had issues with their PVP. I'll leave names out of this thread, but I gotta say, I'm a little mad!

 

I have used the same PVP for the last couple cruises and she always seemed fairly responsive and had no complaints. Well, about 3 weeks ago I received an email from Carnival about upgrading our room for $40/per person. I reached out to our PVP, no response. Followed up with a couple more emails over a few more days....nothing. Call her extension and there is a message about it being Sept 6th and she is out for the day. Called her cell phone, VM full.

 

Call carnival today and they were of little help. Said I should have called directly and that there are no upgrades available at this time. I get that now. But isn't the point of having a PVP is for them to be YOUR personal vacation planner?

 

I've ONLY sailed on Carnival...Should I start looking elsewhere at other lines? How do I go about getting a PVP that I can count on? Are other people happy with their PVP's?

 

Sorry for the vent...Just feels like we may have missed out on an upgrade. Something I've never been offered.

 

Thanks,

Mike

 

Sorry you missed out on the upgrade, but...

 

If you get a post-booking upgrade email, you have to call the extension number referenced in the email to take advantage of it. Your PVP has nothing to do with post-booking upgrades.

[sunsetsand]

I love my PVP. He is always available for any issues before, during and after the cruise.

I consider him a good friend and am very lucky to have him.

However, if I didn't have him, I would speak to the person answering the phone.

[Chris41]

My PVP is the greatest. She goes above and beyond to make sure things go great for us. When I had some questions about one of the cruises that we were going on she waited until my working hours...8 hrs ahead of her...and called me

 

Great lady and always checks back in with us after our cruise

 

Now she is the one that told us if we are to get an email about upgrade call the number supplied.

 

The only upgrades that I ever got came thru her so apparently the Carnival upgrade fairy has no contact info for me

[sharecruises]

I hate to have to point this out again...but these are salespeople and basically telemarketers

 

 

Carnival has another division of sales/telemarket people..in the "upsell" dept (known for some reason here as the "upsell fairies")

 

the Upsell people email or call you....respond to them IF you wish to take their upgrade offer. You can also try "make a deal" with them

 

The PVP's are the booking people...they work out of the office for their first year and out of their homes after that. Some are good and "dedicated"...some are not so good.

 

I don't think the PVP's and the "Upsell" sellers have any interaction so you need to respond to the upsell directly

 

hth

[AdventureSmithZ]

Update. My new PVP has been outstanding and super responsive. I messages him on the weekend around 8:00 EST and got a response back in 15 mins with the info on getting my onnoard credit. I have gotten 3 OBC's so far and am extremely happy!

 

Thanks!

[furf_n_slo]

I've been trying to get ahold of mine since early December!! No option to leave a vm, it just says the person at that extension is unavailable. I've left several messages on her cell and sent several e-mails with no response.

 

She offered to submit an early saver form for me and it looks like she never did it. No one else at the 800 number has been able to help.

 

This isn't the first thing she really messed up either.