Frustrations with Carnivals current promotion

[DaveNetMan]

First off, I'm a long-time Carnival passenger and fan, having sailed with them 16 times so far. Looking to book another, but prices for Easter week are higher than normal. Saw Carnival's current 3-day-sale promotions, and thought I'd take advantage.

 

There are 2 promotions being listed for that week/ship. One is for $125 pp OBC if you book catagory 4A or higher. The other is for $50 pp OBC for past guest, if you book catagory 4A or higher. So I'm thinking, with $175 total OBC per person, that's a good price.

 

I contacted Carnival, selected the two 4A cabins we wanted. I was first told that you can't get both the $125 OBC and the $50 OBC, it's one or the other. It didn't indicate this when I read it. Ok, fine, then obviously I'll take the $125 credit. Then I'm told that the 4A cabins I picked did not qualify for the $125 promotion, it only qualified for the $50 promotion. Huh? I told her the fine print on the website said booking a 4A or higher cabin qualifies for the $125 credit (actually, for both), and this is a 4A cabin. I was then told that "only certain 4A cabins qualify, not all of them". What? I have never heard this before. She told me in order to get a cabin that qualifies, she can book me in a cabin that is $89 MORE PER PERSON. I declined.

 

Is this normal practice for them, or was she wrong?

[DaveNetMan]

Grrr... :)

[sanmarcosman]

Typical bait and switch tactics. Glad you didn't bite. ;)

[Almost Packed]

Typical bait and switch tactics. Glad you didn't bite. ;)

 

which is an illegal practice....i'd certainly call and complain. probably on deaf ears, but nonetheless.

[gelo7]

Call back and try a different PVP.

[RuthlessBoss]

Tricky reading, yes, but if you read the ad, it likely says in "select 4A's", which means the higher end 4A in that catagory. This is not unusual.

[MrPete]

Everything Carnival is doing the past 16 months is making it so much easier to book other lines. Even they don't know what the rules are, from the too, the bottom, and everyone in between.

[ready2cruzagain]

Tricky reading, yes, but if you read the ad, it likely says in "select 4A's", which means the higher end 4A in that catagory. This is not unusual.

What is a higher end 4A? Never heard of this...have booked several 4A's. It is 4A which is usually lowest level of the ship forward, then 4B which is lowest level mid ship, etc. Never heard of a high end 4A.

[AdGuyMG]

Does the explanation of the promotion not say UP TO $125? Compare a 4A on the Ecstasy for a 5 day Bahamas cruise and a 4A on the Splendor for an 8 day Caribbean cruise and 4A on the Legend this summer for a 12 day Mediterranean cruise and you will find the Cash Back amounts are different.

[ready2cruzagain]

Does the explanation of the promotion not say UP TO $125? Compare a 4A on the Ecstasy for a 5 day Bahamas cruise and a 4A on the Splendor for an 8 day Caribbean cruise and 4A on the Legend this summer for a 12 day Mediterranean cruise and you will find the Cash Back amounts are different.

Exactly! I noticed this also when getting rates with the new promo.

[RuthlessBoss]

What is a higher end 4A? Never heard of this...have booked several 4A's. It is 4A which is usually lowest level of the ship forward, then 4B which is lowest level mid ship, etc. Never heard of a high end 4A.

Someone with better writing skills needs to help me here. If you book way to the front, where select few people want to be, or a 4A next to a 4B, it's not in the front anymore, but in a more desireable location.

 

I see this thread has been moved to a less obvious place:mad:

[ready2cruzagain]

Someone with better writing skills needs to help me here. If you book way to the front, where select few people want to be, or a 4A next to a 4B, it's not in the front anymore, but in a more desireable location.

 

I see this thread has been moved to a less obvious place:mad:

A 4A right next to a 4B is still the same price as a 4A in the very front of the ship. Same price, same category. A 4A is a 4A. The poster above explained that reason in the difference...longer cruises for a 4A would get back more OBC.

[RuthlessBoss]

A 4A right next to a 4B is still the same price as a 4A in the very front of the ship. Same price, same category. A 4A is a 4A. The poster above explained that reason in the difference...longer cruises for a 4A would get back more OBC.

Sorry, but that's how someone explained it to me:o

[SUSIEK]

You will find this across the board on other lines also. This is not a new practice. It's called marketing.

 

Having owned an online cruise agency in the past I found out ALOT about these deals. Bottom line.....most is perceived value. 80% of the time when you break it all down the deal may sound great but the benefits are tied to a higher base rate. Some people just love the sound of getting "freebies". This generally works for the cruiseslines.

 

Make sure you READ the fine print. Sometimes you can combine the offers, but alot of the time you cannot. If a T/A is offering a "freebie" if may not be combinable with something the cruiseline is offering directly.

 

Good luck in figuring it all out!! Bottom line.... pay what you feel is a good price and don't worry about what anyone else says :-)

[awhcruiser]

Bingo!

 

Does the explanation of the promotion not say UP TO $125? Compare a 4A on the Ecstasy for a 5 day Bahamas cruise and a 4A on the Splendor for an 8 day Caribbean cruise and 4A on the Legend this summer for a 12 day Mediterranean cruise and you will find the Cash Back amounts are different.

[skyeman27]

And you can't a 2 category upgrade from a 1a cabin with their current 3 day sale, I am convinced that Carnival really does not have any sales, just confusion and some very inept PVPs...

[camper49]

Call back and try a different PVP.

That's what i do. It is amazing how many different one can get..

[skyeman27]

Everything Carnival is doing the past 16 months is making it so much easier to book other lines. Even they don't know what the rules are, from the too, the bottom, and everyone in between.

 

Very true, CCl is Carnival Confusion Lines. Many potential cruisers are confused and so are Carnivals PVPs. If you really want to book a Carnival cruise I would strongly suggest using a travel agency, as they know most of Carnivals gotchas...

[John Reid]

You will find this across the board on other lines also. This is not a new practice. It's called marketing.

 

I disagree. Today I am booking my next Carnival cruise. To get the OBC (just $50 for a seven day cruise), I have to select a higher fare rate. It is cheaper just to use one of the lower rates for which I qualify. The multiple configurations and possibilities can be mind boggling. I book online with Carnival because the actual onboard credit will show in a box when selections are made. The process takes quite a while, carrying the booking through the rate category, aft, mid, forward options (and price increase accordingly), and deck choice (also with price increase accordingly). It is a maze.

 

On the other hand, Saturday I am booking my next Royal Caribbean cruise when their WOW sale starts. 50% off deposits. The onboard credit is straightforward: a set amount for length of cruise. 3-5, $50//6-9, $100//10+, $200 per cabin. One caveat: on the first day of RCI WOW sales, some fares seem to mysteriously rise! It is necessary to check the fare the day before and the day of the sale.

 

I sail both lines, but the clarity of their sales is much different.

[skyeman27]

You will find this across the board on other lines also. This is not a new practice. It's called marketing.

 

I disagree. Today I am booking my next Carnival cruise. To get the OBC (just $50 for a seven day cruise), I have to select a higher fare rate. It is cheaper just to use one of the lower rates for which I qualify. The multiple configurations and possibilities can be mind boggling. I book online with Carnival because the actual onboard credit will show in a box when selections are made. The process takes quite a while, carrying the booking through the rate category, aft, mid, forward options (and price increase accordingly), and deck choice (also with price increase accordingly). It is a maze.

 

On the other hand, Saturday I am booking my next Royal Caribbean cruise when their WOW sale starts. 50% off deposits. The onboard credit is straightforward: a set amount for length of cruise. 3-5, $50//6-9, $100//10+, $200 per cabin. One caveat: on the first day of RCI WOW sales, some fares seem to mysteriously rise! It is necessary to check the fare the day before and the day of the sale.

 

I sail both lines, but the clarity of their sales is much different.

 

Carnival did raise its prices for this sale, Tried booking a 4a cabin with my TA for the agencys advertised price and was told that if I wanted to take advantage of Carnivals 'sale' The 4a cabin was $50 more. Was told by my TA that Carnival does this all the time. Sorry, but I believe my TA. See previous posts of price increase by Carnival..

[chill6x6]

I can only imagine trying to book a Carnival cruise with SIX "a sucker is born every minute" rate plans and doing a mock booking for each. Seriously....that ALONE causes me to look elsewhere. It's maddening.

[DaveNetMan]

OP here - Just to clarify, I did read and re-read the fine print on the promotions. The one regarding the $125 cashback (ie onboard credit) did say you need to book "a catagory 4A or higher to qualify", it did not say anything about only 'some' 4A cabins qualify. I suppose their loophole is at the end where it says "certain restrictions apply", which could mean anything. As for the $125 amount, that was accurate... I know there were different amounts offered depending on the length of the cruise, but that was the amount listed for a 7-day cruise, which this was.

 

I did see a part about not combining offers, so therefore I couldn't get both the $50 OBC and the $125 OBC, which were 2 seperate offers.

 

As for the cabin catagories, their system is not consistant. If one 4A is "high end" compared to another 4A, then they should call it 4D or something to differentiate it as "better". Regardless, if ANY cabin is labelled as 4A, and the deal says a 4A qualifies, then EVERY 4A should qualify, in my opinion. How the heck is a potential customer supposed to know upfront? If they didn't want to give me the advertised promotion, then don't give it... but they should at least admit their advertising is misleading, but she didn't even offer an explaination or apology.

 

It reminds me of when my wife and I went to Las Vegas for the first time. The TA gave us a coupon book, which included a coupon for a free drink at the hotel bar. We asked the bartender if we could get 'any' drink, and he said yes, you can get any drink. When my wife asked to use it for a mudslide, the bartender said "No". That's it, no explanation :)

 

After 16 cruises on Carnival, I'm looking forward to trying NCL later this year :)

[terryinal]

I sail at Carnival to me isn't really a sail. Most of the time when I look it cost more for the OBC. Just book what makes you happy.

[Leo's Rule]

A 4A right next to a 4B is still the same price as a 4A in the very front of the ship. Same price, same category. A 4A is a 4A. The poster above explained that reason in the difference...longer cruises for a 4A would get back more OBC.

 

I don't think so. I was only getting a $50 OBC for an 8 day sailing on the Breeze, but had a $100 OBC for a 7 day on the Valor...that was with the Past Guest 3 Day Sale. The other 3 Day Sale Promo still offered me $50 for the Breeze sailing, but $250 for the Valor! And I can't remember which ship offered me $60.

 

It was not worth it to me. But the promo made no sense.

[Leo's Rule]

I sail at Carnival to me isn't really a sail. Most of the time when I look it cost more for the OBC. Just book what makes you happy.

 

That's true; sometimes the sales really aren't sales. But if you check their prices often, sometimes you do find the rare gems. My Breeze cruise, I knew the price of it because I had been waiting to have all of my deposit money (paying for me and my mom) and Carnival had some sale where OBC was being offered. Turns out, I wasn't paying to get OBC from them...the price of the cruise never went up...I actually got $50 free from them. But you always have to make sure the OBC offers are actually great offers. 9 times out of 10 you've paid Carnival a big chunk of money to "give you" money. Book the lower rate and save the money to have all of the cash as OBC.