Carnival Cruise Lines Launches New Shore Excursion Best Price Guarantee

[Elaine515]

Very interesting...

 

 

From Carnivals website.. http://www.carnival.com/content/shore-excursion-best-price-guarantee.aspx

 

 

THE BEST SHORE EXCURSIONS. THE BEST PRICES. GUARANTEED.

Like most Carnival guests, you're planning some fun ashore during your upcoming cruise...and like everyone, you want that shore excursion at the best price. Booking yours through Carnival is not only easier and more reliable, but will make your wallet happy too.

 

Here's how it works:

 

Purchase one of our amazing Carnival Shore Excursions! If you find that shore excursion elsewhere for a lower price, submit your claim online.

Within 48 hours, you will be notified if your claim meets the Best Price Guarantee’s criteria.

If your claim is accepted, you will receive 110% of the difference in price to enjoy in the form of an onboard credit.

The following restriction applies: Carnival’s Best Price Guarantee only applies to shore excursions that are advertised with pricing and publicly available.

Think you've found a lower price?

Fill out our Best Price Guarantee Claim form to get started.

 

Submit a Claim In order to be eligible to receive the Best Price Guarantee, you must (1) reserve the applicable shore excursion(s) prior to the commencement of your cruise; and (2) complete and submit an online Shore Excursion Best Price Guarantee claim form at least seven (7) days prior to the commencement of your cruise. Shore Excursion Best Price Guarantee claim forms can be found at http://www.carnival.com/request-forms/shore-excursion-best-price-guarantee.aspx. Failure to meet any of the following conditions will result in your claim form being rejected. Carnival Cruise Lines will review your claim within two (2) business days. Lower rate must be publicly advertised and available to the general public at the time your claim is filed, as determined by Carnival Cruise Lines personnel. Rates offered on membership program websites, corporate discounts or rates; group, charter, rewards program, incentive, meeting, convention, consolidator or interline prices; prices obtained via auction or similar process; or prices available only by using a coupon or other promotion not offered to the general public are ineligible. The Best Price Guarantee is available only for exact shore excursion matches, for example, duration of the shore excursion, transportation fees, and the exact same dates of the shore excursion as booked through Carnival Cruise Lines. The Best Price Guarantee is not available for shore excursions booked through any third-party where excursion details are unknown until after purchase. If your claim meets these requirements, Carnival Cruise Lines will issue a non-refundable onboard credit worth 110% of the price difference. An email confirming the outcome of the request will be sent to you. If you cancel your excursion, your onboard credit will also be cancelled. The onboard credit is nonrefundable, non-transferable, and has no cash value. The onboard credit must be used during the applicable cruise. Any unused portion of the onboard credit will be forfeited. Carnival Cruise Lines reserves the right in its sole discretion to modify or discontinue the Shore Excursion Best Price Guarantee or to restrict its availability to any person, at any time, for any or no reason, and without prior notice or liability to you. The terms that are in effect at the time of your booking will determine your eligibility under the Shore Excursion Best Price Guarantee. No change in the Shore Excursion Best Price Guarantee will affect any coupon that has already been issued to you. The failure by Carnival Cruise Lines to enforce any provision of these Terms & Conditions shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.

Edited January 15, 2014 by Elaine515

[overthehillcruiser]

My view on this is that it is going to be difficult to find an independent tour that matches EXACTLY..Example would be in Roatan on our upcoming cruise Carnival offers some island tours for $59 or $69 PP..We get Victor Bodden with a private cab all day, not just say 3 hours , for $25 PP for the 4 of us. They will take us wherever, whenever, stop and get beer for the ride, etc. We are on our own schedule, not on a crowded bus, and much less expensive..I know many are afraid of private tours, not getting back on time, etc.,but after you learn the ropes you can get more for your money. I do not see them having to honor this guarantee much, simply because of the "exact match" clause. JMO...

[Daddyfto]

A lot easier to just book the cheaper tour on line? Example Moby Dick's Stingray Tour Grand Cayman great tour smaller group and less money. Does it match exactly with what the ship offers ...not likely and neither will 99.9% of so called advertised tours so no way Carnival is going to have to pay up...

[Phlybice]

If all they are going to do is match a price and give you a buck, just to go on a cattle call with the masses, I'll stick with an efficient private tour.

 

I guess the customer is getting smarter and booking their own excursions. We started that on our second cruise almost 30 year ago.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

A lot easier to just book the cheaper tour on line? Example Moby Dick's Stingray Tour Grand Cayman great tour smaller group and less money. Does it match exactly with what the ship offers ...not likely and neither will 99.9% of so called advertised tours so no way Carnival is going to have to pay up...

 

It's like the Vacation guarantee. If not completely satisfied we will give you 110% of the price of the cruise back.

 

While that sounds great, how many people are going to know if they are satisfied in the first 24 hours?

 

How many people are going to plan time off from work, buy airline tickets only to go home after 1 day.

 

Not many.

 

Bill

[jerrya72]

We're going on our first cruise in a couple of months and think we will definitely use this. We kept going back and forth on whether to book the Uxmal tour through Carnival or someone else. It's $30 cheaper elsewhere but if we book with Carnival we have piece of mind that the ship won't leave (sorry we're noobs). Now problem solved.

[OZZI69]

I will let you know what exactly happens. I just filed my claim for the close dolphin encounter in Freeport...carnival is 139.99 and unoexo is 85.00 per person. So if all goes right I should have a $60 onboard credit but we shall see.

[Phlybice]

I will let you know what exactly happens. I just filed my claim for the close dolphin encounter in Freeport...carnival is 139.99 and unoexo is 85.00 per person. So if all goes right I should have a $60 onboard credit but we shall see.

 

So, for a $5 savings, you would go with all the crowds? :confused:

[OZZI69]

$5? More likely $60.00....and yes that buys a few drinks...:)

[Green4me]

I have to agree private tours are much better IMO, small groups lower cost more qulaity time at destinations. Ship excursions are over crowded, betterto stay on board and enjoy the pool. You have to be smart about who you choose and track records. With technology today it is so easy to be an informed buyer.

[OZZI69]

I will take the crowds and the guarantee that they ship won't leave me...

[Staceelvls]

$5? More likely $60.00....and yes that buys a few drinks...:)

 

Please keep us updated with the outcome..

[suzski]

I will take the crowds and the guarantee that they ship won't leave me...

 

Here's the thing: if you're booking with a tour operator that you've found here on CruiseCritic you've probably read all about their great service, small groups, etc......now IMAGINE they didn't get you back before your ship sailed:eek: Believe me, their business would be done, finite, caput! The tour operators that you will see here on CC would not be in business if they failed to get their clients back to the ship on time so they are very committed to that....trust me when I tell you that the experience you will get on a small group excursion is MILES apart from that you will receive when you go as part of a large group excursion. Please do not let the fear of "getting back to the ship" be the deciding factor in what tour to take.

[gnc1229]

$5? More likely $60.00....and yes that buys a few drinks...:)

 

You do realize that you have to book and pay for the Carnival tour at their listed price so your net out-of-pocket savings will be only $5.50. Book with unoexo and pay $85 total, book with Carnival, pay $139.99, get back $60.50 so net of $79.49, but only if Carnival agrees the two tours are equal. If they don't, you would have paid the higher price and have no refund.

[Phlybice]

$5? More likely $60.00....and yes that buys a few drinks...:)

 

NO. If he went with the Carnival tour, the price would be $55 more, and they would credit him $60.

 

60

-55

___

5

[john91498]

So, for a $5 savings, you would go with all the crowds? :confused:

 

Edit - I see what you are saying...my bad...

Edited January 15, 2014 by john91498

[Phlybice]

$140 - $85 is not $5...you're as bad as some of my finance people...lol...

 

OMG! Another one!

[cantwait4cruise]

but if they don't credit you the difference, then can't you just cancel the carnival one and then book the other company if you want to save money

[Phlybice]

but if they don't credit you the difference, then can't you just cancel the carnival one and then book the other company if you want to save money

 

That's just it. Why WOULDN'T you go with the other company.

[gnc1229]

but if they don't credit you the difference, then can't you just cancel the carnival one and then book the other company if you want to save money

 

That would depend of the situation, if you pre-book the tour and the pricematch is refused before the cruise starts, then yes, you can cancel and book the lower price tour - assuming that it doesn't get sold out - most of the private tours are run by smaller companies and are limited in capacity.

 

If you booked Carnival on board and tried to file for the refund after the tour and get turned down - then what? You have already paid the higher price.

[asalligo]

Just applied for mine. Sounds a little like a promise Carnival will not keep, but Florida Sunshine Shuttles offers a tour to the Magic Kingdom for $145 compared to Carnival's $165 a person which would net me $110 OBC for my family of five. I am already thinking of the reasons carnival will claim they are not comparable.

 

Honestly, the only difference is the peace of mind that booking through Carnival might give you in the instance of being late to the boat.

[divinmule]

JUst submitted ours. The dive thru CArnival is $100 more for the two of us versus thru Unexso directly. Will see if they honor the difference...or simply state that UNEXSO is their operator so they will not honor the difference. very interested to see the outcome.

[fireman935]

I read a post by John heald today about Carnival price matching shore excursions at 110%. And I always felt more secure on carnival excursions. so I am glad to see this!!! But wondering if anyone has more in-dept info on this yet!!! And you thought as well!!!!!

.

Edited January 16, 2014 by fireman935

[Prisc777]

I just saw this new on Carnival's website:

 

CARNIVAL CRUISE LINES LAUNCHES NEW SHORE EXCURSION BEST PRICE GUARANTEE

 

Guests who book a Carnival shore excursion and find a comparable tour at a lower price will receive an onboard credit of 110 percent of the difference

 

 

MIAMI (January 15, 2014) — Guests sailing on a Carnival cruise who book a shore excursion through the cruise line can be completely confident they are getting the best price and best value with the introduction of a new shore excursion best price guarantee. The only guarantee of its kind in the cruise industry, the program is now available fleetwide for all Carnival Cruise Lines shore tours on ships sailing from North America.

Under the best price guarantee, guests who find the same tour offered by another operator at a lower price than their booked excursion either before or during their cruise can complete a claim form to receive 110 percent of the difference in the form of a shipboard credit.

The guarantee is available for excursions booked prior to or during a cruise. If guests pre-book an excursion, then find a comparable tour advertised online at a lower price, they can complete an online form up to seven days prior to the cruise to invoke the guarantee. Guests can also complete a form during the cruise either before or after their excursion has taken place. Claims are typically processed within 24-48 hours.

“Many of our repeat guests who have booked Carnival shore tours previously are already knowledgeable on the outstanding value our tours provide,” said Mico Cascais, vice president of tour operations for Carnival Cruise Lines. “However, our research indicates that many others, particularly first-time cruisers, are interested yet concerned as to whether or not they are getting the best deal. The best price guarantee program will assure our guests they are getting both the highest quality and the best value on all of our tours,” he added.

Guests who book their excursion through Carnival enjoy the convenience of having shore excursion tickets delivered to their stateroom, 24/7 access to shipboard staff to answer questions and obtain assistance, and an assurance that they will receive a refund or the excursion time will be adjusted as needed based on weather or other issues affecting a ship’s scheduled port of call visit. Additionally, ongoing communication between tour operators and shipboard staff ensures that the cruise line is aware and can make necessary changes to a ship’s departure time when a tour is running late or unexpected circumstances arise.

The online and onboard claim forms require guests to provide the name of the competitor offering the comparable tour, excursion name, where the tour was advertised and the duration, price and any items included in the tour such as lunch, drinks, transportation or admission fees. The best price guarantee is applicable to shore excursion matches on the same date as the tour purchased from Carnival.

 

 

NOW...we have found many if not all excursions on http://www.shoreexcursions.biz and http://www.cozumel-watersports.com for example to be significantly cheaper than Carnival's...does that mean we need to book a more expensive excursion to get a 110% refund of the difference in price (I guess next cruise on-board credit??)? So in actuality I get/save 10% of the difference and need to take another cruise to use that credit?? Am I missing something? I mean, if their tour is $20 more expensive I basically get $2 of REAL saving as credit to be spent with them again??? Can anybody help me out to make sense of this? :confused:

[MDSue]

The vast majority of the tours I take are from reputable private tour companies (most often found right here on CC). I truly worry about the impact this will have on the private companies. I want options and I hope the new policy does not impact private operators.

I've taken some excellent cruise sponsored tours as well, but they are quite often considerably more expensive and with large busloads of other passengers; instead of smaller, more personal tours.