Worst Kids Sail Free Promotion of ANY line

[CdrescherRBL152]

Drive nuts every time this comes up. So I just did 2 mock bookings. 7 day western Cribbean on the Conquest out of Miami July 13. Fun select price $3571.04 ,KSF price $1988.32. Every sale I have ever seen has the fine print CAN NOT BE COMBINE WITH ANYOTHER OFFER. So can't see the complaints over this offer.

 

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[Chrisp414]

Well, my thoughts are that if you advertise Kids Sail Free it should let kids sail free with you no matter what rate you book under. End of story. No strings attached - kids sail free - should mean exactly that. I don't understand why anyone would defend Carnival for this deceptive advertising. That's mho.

[CdrescherRBL152]

Well, my thoughts are that if you advertise Kids Sail Free it should let kids sail free with you no matter what rate you book under. End of story. No strings attached - kids sail free - should mean exactly that. I don't understand why anyone would defend Carnival for this deceptive advertising. That's mho.

 

Here would be my question how is it deceptive advertising. Or anymore then when say a car dealer advertisement reads buy for xxx per month and then in fine print says with fico score of y and z dollars down plus tag, title and tax. Or when a store ad says buy 1 get 1 free then in fine print says of equal or lesser value.

 

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[soccersharon]

Well, my thoughts are that if you advertise Kids Sail Free it should let kids sail free with you no matter what rate you book under. End of story. No strings attached - kids sail free - should mean exactly that. I don't understand why anyone would defend Carnival for this deceptive advertising. That's mho.

 

It's not deceptive if you understand what price (fun select) the first 2 pax pay.

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my mobile device. Typos are inevitable.

Edited May 1, 2014 by soccersharon

[jmediii]

Well, my thoughts are that if you advertise Kids Sail Free it should let kids sail free with you no matter what rate you book under. End of story. No strings attached - kids sail free - should mean exactly that. I don't understand why anyone would defend Carnival for this deceptive advertising. That's mho.

 

Well, you know what they say. Opinions are like buttholes, everyone has one and some of them stink.

 

 

Would you get upset if you had a coupon for 50% off of a non sale item at your favorite store? Similar premise here. You can use their "coupon" (KSF offer) but you can't use it on an item already on sale. (another discounted rate)

[cruizinisthebest]

Well, my thoughts are that if you advertise Kids Sail Free it should let kids sail free with you no matter what rate you book under. End of story. No strings attached - kids sail free - should mean exactly that. I don't understand why anyone would defend Carnival for this deceptive advertising. That's mho.

 

Your way is full of stringd and double dipping, which you cannot do. The terms are clear. Read 'em.

 

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[guxu]

Yes, stores have buy 1 get 1 free deals all the time. Most of the times they raise the prices as well. But you never see them saying "You only want to buy 1? We have a great sale this week. It's $5.", "You want to buy 2? We have another great dsale buy 1 get 1 free this week. But the 1st one is $10 now."

 

It may not be deceptive. But I would say they are insulting customers' IQ. Apparently some people do not think that way. But at least you should admit that this Kids sail free sale is not a good deal for most people.

[CocoaMom]

 

 

 

We love Carnival, but if you're going to run a promotion, don't jack up prices and pretend like anyone is sailing free.

 

Sorry, but I can't resist - I truthfully have yet to find a cruise line that doesn't jack up prices only to offer said "discount." People may think they're getting a discount, but need to be more of an educated consumer. And by the way, the Royal promo that offers 2nd passenger @ 50% ... well, had I waited for that promo, each of my cabins I booked a few weeks ago would have cost me an additional $500 as of today! They too jack up prices, they all do.

[pcl_cruiser]

This is not just a Carnival thing! As with other things, if you don't like it don't book it. I don't like that Carnival doesn't do many cruises that are conducive to solo travelers in the summer when I can go, but it is what it is and I still love 'em!

[SeagoingMom]

Can anyone say, "Bait and switch?"

[CdrescherRBL152]

Yes, stores have buy 1 get 1 free deals all the time. Most of the times they raise the prices as well. But you never see them saying "You only want to buy 1? We have a great sale this week. It's $5.", "You want to buy 2? We have another great dsale buy 1 get 1 free this week. But the 1st one is $10 now."

 

It may not be deceptive. But I would say they are insulting customers' IQ. Apparently some people do not think that way. But at least you should admit that this Kids sail free sale is not a good deal for most people.

 

However that is not what Carnival is doing. They are saying we have our KSF sale, here the price. Now keep in mind we are offering other sales as well. The fun saver price, which is the normal price has stayed the same. What some on here want tobe able to do, is go to the with the buy 1 get 1 sale and use a 40% off coupon on top of it. Sorry not going to work.

 

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Edited May 1, 2014 by CdrescherRBL152

[Out to sea!]

We've cruised a lot and we have taken advantage of NCL and RCCL's kids sail free promotions in the past. With those lines, the first two passenger's are well within the parameters of traditional pricing AND the kids sail free...no bumping up the 1st/2nd passenger rates or hiding in fine print. They are truly great deals.

 

We called Carnival because we thought the website was doing whacky things...it happens, right? ;)

 

Nope. The price for an interior on the May 31st sailing out of Charleston came out to be 2106.00 for four passengers with 3rd/4th supposedly sailing free. We're platinum on Carnival and I can't find any 7 day cruises that are 800.00/1000.00 for the first two passengers in an interior UNLESS they are part of the kids sail free promotion.

 

We love Carnival, but if you're going to run a promotion, don't jack up prices and pretend like anyone is sailing free. Just don't run the promotion. And to the cheerleaders who'll say this is from standard pricing: No, it's not. Interior rooms on a seven day Carnival are NOT 800.00 to a 1000.00 bucks a person even with standard prices. Ever. They typically run anywhere from 300-550.00 dollars for the 1st and 2nd passengers. That's what they should be and the 3rd and 4th passengers should be FREE, like the promotion suggests.

 

On this, Carnival could take a lesson from NCL and RCCL. Their kids sail free are TRULY kids sail free promotions without price hikes. :)

 

Or, you can just sail a different line if you don't like Carnival's pricing structure. :rolleyes:

[Out to sea!]

I think the point that the OP is making is that while advertized as kids sail free, this is not really true. Our evidence is what we have experienced when attempting to do a mock booking for the same cabin, same cruise etc. The price is not different when compared to what I paid for 4 paying customers. two adults and two kids. Also, I did not book early saver and had not other discounts other than past guest.

 

Yes, it is completely true. 3rd and 4th are not paying anything. Whether 1st and 2nd have to pay more is immaterial.

Edited May 1, 2014 by Out to sea!

[AmberTeka]

When I first read the title of the thread I thought there was a new promotion for Worst Kids....

 

I laughed out loud when I read your post. I am pretty sure we will book a last minute cruise in June. when I read this thread title I thought...........Oh No. the worst kids in the world are all sailing on Carnival Ships at the Kids sail free rates.

 

then I read a few...settled back down. And I love kids. have one. She has one. Apple of my eye. Just not too many running around unsupervised all hours of the night. Coes not seem to happen as much as it used too, or I am just too old to notice.

 

I am wary of Miami. That is odd. But every time we sail from there, Some of people on that ship I am almost afraid of....again.........I am probably just too old.

 

And the GOOD fares............all in S.Florida.

[blrgrl]

We had a suite with four people booked and then the kids sail free came out and it ended up being over $1000 LESS than our original rate, we canceled and rebooked as kids sail free and even with the $200 penalty we came out ahead by $800. So for us it was a better deal.

[gtalum]

Carnival frequently has wonky "promotions" that don't save any money.

[Tapi]

I qualify for Past Guest as well as Interline rates. Carnival has NEVER allowed me to double dip and take advantage of 2 discounts in one booking. Why should the Kids Sail Free promotion be any different?

 

I think that the only people crying foul here are the ones that don't understand pricing or who want to write their own terms and conditions.

 

 

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Edited May 1, 2014 by Tapi

[jmediii]

I think that the only people crying foul here are the ones that don't understand pricing or who want to write their own terms and conditions.

 

Bingo! +1

[Tapi]

On this, Carnival could take a lesson from NCL and RCCL. Their kids sail free are TRULY kids sail free promotions without price hikes. :)

 

 

Uh, take off the rose-colored glasses. The other cruise lines do the same thing, and even worse. We are booked on the Enchantment of the Seas for this summer. Booked at $499 per person. When Royal had its Kids Sail Free promo, they jacked the rates to $770 per person on the morning that the promo started! :eek: By the time it was all said and done, we would've saved a grand total of $40 for the cabin. Definitely NOT kids sail free!

 

At least Carnival tells you that the promotion is based on standard fares, and they don't jack the prices overnight like Royal did! :mad:

 

 

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[guxu]

Same thing, I can advertise a brand new BMW for $100 and in fine prints put $60,000 fees. If you think it is a fine business practice, I guess it's good for you.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I'd rather have the various discounted pricing options so I can pick the one best for my situation. If kids sail free doesn't give you the best price for your situation, then don't use it. I prefer early saver. I don't expect carnival to discount my already discounted fare... I also have to live with the early saver restrictions. If I were not a past guest and didn't want the early saver restrictions and wanted to choose my own cabin, the kids sail free promotion would save me money on several cruises I looked at... It saves money over the always higher fun select pricing...

 

RCCL doesn't give me the same pricing options so o usually end up paying more anyway...

 

 

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What's the point of offering kids sail free if they offer other options that are cheaper?

 

As Kristi Williamson said in post #6 they are just trying to trick the newbie cruisers.

 

Bill

[AmberTeka]

Or, you can just sail a different line if you don't like Carnival's pricing structure. :rolleyes:

 

If I remember right, you gave that same advice to folks upset over the "Free Cabin Giveaway" to everyone but loyal, repeat cruisers.

 

Many took that advice. The Celebrity sailing that I booked on..is now 90% full. The rates have almost doubled. You see lots of people on this thread coming from Celebrity and posting. Not necessarily for that reason, but some on the Celebrity threads have said....................they were disgusted, so they left.

 

Be careful of what you wish for......it might come true. And I agree with the You can't use a coupon on Door Busters. it is that kind of thing. For really low rates........wait until you are two weeks out......book then. You might be sleeping in one of the lifeboats, but you are on the ship.

Edited May 1, 2014 by AmberTeka

[DebJ14]

I thought about that, too, Champagne. Honestly, it left a sour taste in my mouth because they are the only line who does the kid's sail free promotion in this way. We saved loads of money with NCL and RCCL when they ran this promo. Seems like nothing more than a way to trick new family travelers to me. Boo for Carnival on that one...

 

I agree boo on Carnival for how they are handling the kids sail free promo. We booked an RCCL cruise over Labor Day under their kids sail free promo. We had been looking at the same cruise for just DH and I a few days before they started the promo.

 

The price for the first two in the cabin did not increase one penny and we were able to book our son for only the $96.00 government fees and taxes. Previously, the 3rd person in the grand suite was 799 + tax. And, there was no age limit on the 3rd and 4th. Our son is an adult.

 

We actually canceled a cruise on the Magic and switched over to the Navigator because the Grand Suite with all the perks on RCCL was cheaper than the Ocean Suite on Carnival. Even with the $100 penalty Carnival charged it was worth it.

[Out to sea!]

If I remember right, you gave that same advice to folks upset over the "Free Cabin Giveaway" to everyone but loyal, repeat cruisers.

 

Many took that advice. The Celebrity sailing that I booked on..is now 90% full. The rates have almost doubled. You see lots of people on this thread coming from Celebrity and posting. Not necessarily for that reason, but some on the Celebrity threads have said....................they were disgusted, so they left.

 

Be careful of what you wish for......it might come true. And I agree with the You can't use a coupon on Door Busters. it is that kind of thing. For really low rates........wait until you are two weeks out......book then. You might be sleeping in one of the lifeboats, but you are on the ship.

 

I'll give that advice to anyone who whines about the company they do business with. If you don't like the rules, move on. People left, new people came, the world continues to turn. Wouldn't bother me in the slightest if Carnival went out of business tomorrow. I have no loyalty to any cruise line. I have sailed or have booked 7 different lines so far (and counting). Carnival is not the only cruise line out there and there are plenty of other fish in the sea. In fact, my next 3 cruises are on NCL, MSC, and NCL (in that order) because they were the cheapest cruises for the times I wanted to sail.

Edited May 2, 2014 by Out to sea!

[Timmys_mom]

Would you get upset if you had a coupon for 50% off of a non sale item at your favorite store? Similar premise here. You can use their "coupon" (KSF offer) but you can't use it on an item already on sale. (another discounted rate)

 

This is the most accurate comparison I have seen here.

 

I, too, thought this was a thread about the "Worst Kids". I had my popcorn all popped and was ready for some entertainment. You guys haven't been very fun. :p