Personal Vacation Planner etiquette

[Suenos del mar]

Well, I finally booked my first cruise!! Yay! Sadly, in the process I inadvertently started a ruckus between a couple of vacation planners at Carnival. :confused: I read somewhere that you could sign up for Carnival's reward program even before you sail so I signed up yesterday. That seemed to spur several phone calls from Carnival and I talked to 2 or 3 of them. (And I am terrible with names, I have no idea who they were) Not one of them said anything like "I'm you're assigned person and it is faux pas to book thru anyone else" So...this morning, I was ready to book it, and the phone rang, and it was Carnival, and I booked it. And I did a little happy dance!:D Then about five minutes later, another one called and I found out that I was the worst cruise booker in the history of cruise booking. This lady was peeved. :eek: Lesson learned. Your personal vacation planner really is yours personally. Don't take it personal.:rolleyes: So, anyway, I apologized, they forgave, I'm a goob...but I'm going on a cruise!:cool:

[AndrewD65]

Well, I finally booked my first cruise!! Yay! Sadly, in the process I inadvertently started a ruckus between a couple of vacation planners at Carnival. :confused: I read somewhere that you could sign up for Carnival's reward program even before you sail so I signed up yesterday. That seemed to spur several phone calls from Carnival and I talked to 2 or 3 of them. (And I am terrible with names, I have no idea who they were) Not one of them said anything like "I'm you're assigned person and it is faux pas to book thru anyone else" So...this morning, I was ready to book it, and the phone rang, and it was Carnival, and I booked it. And I did a little happy dance!:D Then about five minutes later, another one called and I found out that I was the worst cruise booker in the history of cruise booking. This lady was peeved. :eek: Lesson learned. Your personal vacation planner really is yours personally. Don't take it personal.:rolleyes: So, anyway, I apologized, they forgave, I'm a goob...but I'm going on a cruise!:cool:

 

 

Well all in all congrats on your purchase.. let the count down begin.

[leaski]

Glad you got your cruise booked. It's addicting, so don't say you weren't warned! :D

 

And, as far as the PVP fiasco, how would you have known that? For her to get 'peeved' at you is just wrong. The truth is, you were not the worst cruise booker in the history of cruise booking, she was actually the worst PVP in the history of cruise booking. ;)

[combatboots2jimmychoos]

I'm happy that you will be joining us in this addiction but I just want to let you know that all PVP's are not jerks like that lady. Somehow someone got your information and called her before she did but how does a customer know that. I have used the same PVP for the past few cruises but thats because she gives me good service and I can email her whenever I have a question instead of calling Carnival. I needed my name changed this past time so I had to book through a live person and her computer was down so she called one of her associates who did my booking but they have an arrangement and she keeps my booking. Then I read about how a few cove balcony cabins were better because they didn't have a life boat above them and she switched my cabin in a few seconds. So if you do find someone you like who gives you good service, you can stick with them. But you should never feel obligated to work with someone.

[daddybuff]

Just think now, if you are the "worst cruise booker", you are in the record book:rolleyes:

[T&Dcruisers]

No way, you can book with whomever or however you want to! If you want to call and book great, book through a PVP fabulous, book online, fantastic. It's totally up to you! If you find a PVP that you like and is helpful then stick with him or her, but NEVER feel like you HAVE to use a particular person! That PVP was very unprofessional!

Edited January 29, 2014 by T&Dcruisers

[Suenos del mar]

Thanks. I think I am already hooked. :)

[thinfool]

Isn't it interesting that someone who has no need to know what/when you booked apparently has immediate access to exactly that information.

 

Not sure I like that.

[Thebosn1]

Well, I finally booked my first cruise!! Yay! Sadly, in the process I inadvertently started a ruckus between a couple of vacation planners at Carnival. :confused: I read somewhere that you could sign up for Carnival's reward program even before you sail so I signed up yesterday. That seemed to spur several phone calls from Carnival and I talked to 2 or 3 of them. (And I am terrible with names, I have no idea who they were) Not one of them said anything like "I'm you're assigned person and it is faux pas to book thru anyone else" So...this morning, I was ready to book it, and the phone rang, and it was Carnival, and I booked it. And I did a little happy dance!:D Then about five minutes later, another one called and I found out that I was the worst cruise booker in the history of cruise booking. This lady was peeved. :eek: Lesson learned. Your personal vacation planner really is yours personally. Don't take it personal.:rolleyes: So, anyway, I apologized, they forgave, I'm a goob...but I'm going on a cruise!:cool:

 

My take on PVPs...The one that consistently calls you back and the one that really actually helps you...that's your PVP. I have worked with the same guy for years and he really helps me. But I have already warned him twice, if you don't call me back, even AFTER I'm booked, you are out. He call back. Don't seat it, and enjoy your cruise.

[MuffyKismet]

This is interesting, because in my early days of cruising starting back over 15 years ago we had a PVP and used him exclusively for about 4 years straight then he left carnival for another job , after that we had shotty service from a variety of PVP's , our original guy always called and told us about new deals coming out and price drops etc, after he left we really got the bottom of the barrel so I just started booking it with who ever answered the phone at the time i was ready to book. Now if I am booking with a group of friends and family we do make sure we use the SAME PVP for all the bookings for just the reason stated previously, if there is a price drop or we need to add more people to our booking she is easy to reach and eager to help! I am hoping the one we just booked our upcoming cruise in September with will be our go to PVP in the future, she was very helpful and did not rush any of us through the process and ensured that we were all linked to the same booking and same dinner time etc!!! I am crossing my fingers that she stays with Carnival and I can start a nice new solid relationship with this PVP. I miss our old guy, he was a great communicator via emails and by phone! We shall see!

[riclop]

Well, I finally booked my first cruise!! Yay! Sadly, in the process I inadvertently started a ruckus between a couple of vacation planners at Carnival. :confused: I read somewhere that you could sign up for Carnival's reward program even before you sail so I signed up yesterday. That seemed to spur several phone calls from Carnival and I talked to 2 or 3 of them. (And I am terrible with names, I have no idea who they were) Not one of them said anything like "I'm you're assigned person and it is faux pas to book thru anyone else" So...this morning, I was ready to book it, and the phone rang, and it was Carnival, and I booked it. And I did a little happy dance!:D Then about five minutes later, another one called and I found out that I was the worst cruise booker in the history of cruise booking. This lady was peeved. :eek: Lesson learned. Your personal vacation planner really is yours personally. Don't take it personal.:rolleyes: So, anyway, I apologized, they forgave, I'm a goob...but I'm going on a cruise!:cool:

Just go and enjoy.

[ducklite]

This is a Carnival problem, not yours. If it was a big deal, they need to have a system in place. And the PVP shouldn't have gotten snippy with you. That was rude and very bad show. I would have told her to talk to her boss, because you don't really give a flying hoot about their obvious lack of internal systems.

 

 

Autocorrect responsible for most typos...

[Georgiagolfer]

6]Well' date=' I finally booked my first cruise!! [/color']Yay! Sadly, in the process I inadvertently started a ruckus between a couple of vacation planners at Carnival. :confused: I read somewhere that you could sign up for Carnival's reward program even before you sail so I signed up yesterday. That seemed to spur several phone calls from Carnival and I talked to 2 or 3 of them. (And I am terrible with names, I have no idea who they were) Not one of them said anything like "I'm you're assigned person and it is faux pas to book thru anyone else" So...this morning, I was ready to book it, and the phone rang, and it was Carnival, and I booked it. And I did a little happy dance!:D Then about five minutes later, another one called and I found out that I was the worst cruise booker in the history of cruise booking. This lady was peeved. :eek: Lesson learned. Your personal vacation planner really is yours personally. Don't take it personal.:rolleyes: So, anyway, I apologized, they forgave, I'm a goob...but I'm going on a cruise!:cool:

 

Congrats on your upcoming cruise, and welcome to cruise critic. You will find a ton of helpful info here. You didn't say which cruise and date you booked. I suggest you go to the roll call section here and join the roll call for your particular cruise. It's a good way to met some of your fellow passengers prior to the cruise, and it is always nice to actually met them on the ship.

[luv2trvlnow]

My experience with PVP's is not good. None have ever provided anything, and mean anything. A couple times I called after booking with a question or a problem and I was told they couldn't handle that and transferred me to the main number. I received absolutely no service. So why book with them. I did the research to decide on which cruise and then would call and book it. They did nothing! And continued to do nothing! I also never received calls about any cruises or deals.

 

One time when I needed to get a specific room on a cruise before it was gone. I called my then PVP and had to leave a message to get back to me because I wanted to book a cruise. After a couple of hours I just called the general number and booked it. The next day the PVP called ready to book my cruise. I told him that I already did with the general number. He was furious and told me that I should have waited for him. RIGHT!!! Never called him again. Now I just call the general number. Sure wish they allowed people to post about the names of the good and the bad PVP's on Cruise Critic.

 

Sharon

[Suenos del mar]

Thanks for all the insights. I believe next time I will book online. Since practice makes perfect, I must book more cruises, right? :D

[Scott D]

Are PVP is great we talk like old friends. She calls me back in minutes. And has always done great by us.

[LMaxwell]

My last PVP, a few years ago, was adequate and no more; I knew what I wanted and when, and booked.

 

However, if a PVP *ever* called me and gave me the business about how I did something wrong or booked wrong or screwed them over, etc., please rest assured that would be the start of a very, very miserable day for them.

 

Carnival is a SERVICE and HOSPITALITY company. Whether it is your first cruise or you 500th, they have absolutely no business treating customers like they treat you. I would cancel my direct booking with Carnival and go find a TA; you aren't going to pay anymore for a TA. Let that PVP lose a "sale" and maybe they will start to figure out that being belligerent with customers is a losing proposition, every time.

 

The more people accept verbal and mental abuse from large companies the more you can be sure it will become the new normal.

[cruisescouter]

I had an amazing PVP for many years with Carnival. I booked multiple cruises with him, but unfortunately he moved on. : ( Since then I became a TA and it made me think that it probably would have been a good alternative route since they can book anything. Either or, once you find someone you are comfortable with, stay with them.

[Tapi]

This is not your problem, it's Carnival's. Let me try to explain :o.

 

When you filled out your information, it created a profile which was then forwarded to a CVS (Cruise Vacation Specialist) to make the ONE follow up call. These agents have one shot at making the booking, but they can give you an extension for you to call back and nothing really prevents you from calling them back.

 

After that one call, then the computer system automatically assigns you to a permanent PVP (Personal Vacation Planner) who will then follow up with you from that point on. The problem then is that you will have talked to two different people in two different departments.

 

Why would Carnival assign your profile to a CVS and then a PVP? Simple. a CVS gets paid a very small fraction to make your booking than what a PVP makes. If they can get the CVS to book you in that one phone call, they've saved the money that they would've paid the PVP. But if they don't get you in that first phone call, then they need a PVP whose job IS to follow up, research and stay in touch with you on a more permanent basis. But they pay that PVP 10 times more per booking than the CVS.

 

To complicate matters more, there may be multiple profiles for you in the system assigned to different PVP's. This can happen if you've cruised before or registered online using different phone numbers or emails.

 

Unless you have inside knowledge about the process, there's no way for you to know who's who and what the proper "protocol" is. Once again, this is Carnival's problem for having a flawed profile distribution system designed to save them money, but can be a bit nightmarish for you.

 

 

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Edited January 31, 2014 by Tapi

[golfadj]

This is not your problem, it's Carnival's. Let me try to explain :o.

 

When you filled out your information, it created a profile which was then forwarded to a CVS (Cruise Vacation Specialist) to make the ONE follow up call. These agents have one shot at making the booking, but they can give you an extension for you to call back and nothing really prevents you from calling them back.

 

After that one call, then the computer system automatically assigns you to a permanent PVP (Personal Vacation Planner) who will then follow up with you from that point on. The problem then is that you will have talked to two different people in two different departments.

 

Why would Carnival assign your profile to a CVS and then a PVP? Simple. a CVS gets paid a very small fraction to make your booking than what a PVP makes. If they can get the CVS to book you in that one phone call, they've saved the money that they would've paid the PVP. But if they don't get you in that first phone call, then they need a PVP whose job IS to follow up, research and stay in touch with you on a more permanent basis. But they pay that PVP 10 times more per booking than the CVS.

 

To complicate matters more, there may be multiple profiles for you in the system assigned to different PVP's. This can happen if you've cruised before or registered online using different phone numbers or emails.

 

Unless you have inside knowledge about the process, there's no way for you to know who's who and what the proper "protocol" is. Once again, this is Carnival's problem for having a flawed profile distribution system designed to save them money, but can be a bit nightmarish for you.

 

 

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Thanks for explanation. We have been using the same pvp for some years now and we get along great and she is very helpful.

[Georgiagolfer]

Thanks for explanation. We have been using the same pvp for some years now and we get along great and she is very helpful.

 

DW and I also have used the same PVP for our bookings since 2008. However, all we use them for is booking. I do all the research and even know which cabin we want when we book. Based on this, the PVP only handles the original booking, so I could just call CCL direct to book. Convenience, I guess.

[Tapi]

We have been using the same pvp for some years now and we get along great and she is very helpful.

 

 

We've had the same PVP since 2005 who is also a great friend of ours. He's told me that if I ever get a phone call from someone else at Carnival saying that they are my "new PVP", to tell them to "@$#% OFF" :o. Apparently this "multiple caller issue" happens quite often.

 

 

 

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[PaulMedik]

We've had the same PVP since 2005 who is also a great friend of ours. He's told me that if I ever get a phone call from someone else at Carnival saying that they are my "new PVP", to tell them to "@$#% OFF" :o. Apparently this "multiple caller issue" happens quite often.

 

 

 

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Tapi,

 

I recently received a phone message and an email advising that my PVP was no longer with Carnival and introducing my new PVP. I replied to the email and had some questions; that was about three weeks ago and I haven't received a response yet from my 'new PVP.' :rolleyes:

 

My former PVP (I assume former...), would answer all emails promptly and knew what we liked, when we liked it, and when to call or not call. She also fixed many bookings that I made either online or with other agents without berating me. Seven years and not an issue; this new one starts off with not answering her email. :mad:

 

I will call in the next few days to verify my former PVP is indeed no longer with Carnival and aquire a new PVP. ;)

[splintz]

i do all the research myself and when i am ready to book my cruise i call the general number and whoever receives my call gets my business for that cruise. i check the rates myself and when they go down i apply for the obc on the computer. i don't want to wait around for someone to call me back to book my cruise or deal with a price reduction.

 

i do receive random calls now and then from Jose who claims to be my PVP. but i have never dealt with him or conducted any business with him so whatever he claims to be means nothing to me. all i am to him is a name on a list for him to cold call. when i see carnival cruise line on the caller id i just let it go to voice mail because i don't want to be bothered with a cold call. i only answer it if i have a cruise coming up and think it might be related to that.

 

as far as the PVP who called you back after you booked your cruise and gave you a hard time and called you the worst booker ever i would definitely never ever conduct business with that person and continue to book with someone else. because they don't deserve your business.

[crusinpsychRN]

Just think now, if you are the "worst cruise booker", you are in the record book:rolleyes:

 

Sounds like a good job title to become a member of the Whale Tail Club!:D