Irritated by the Valor/Liberty swap

[amyh13]

I have been on both ships, and really enjoyed both. The valor was a great ship back in 2009...but I'm sure she needs a little sprucing up by now.

 

We have also sailed the port intensive itinerary from San Juan. I don't understand why they would move the an upgraded ship to a port intensive schedule. Guys burgers and the Blue iguana cantina are only open for lunch - when most people are out enjoying the ports. Makes no sense.

 

This is what confuses me also. I am on the same cruise with OP and we have 4 sea days! I booked mainly for the itinerary and that we are within driving distance to PC.

 

Our room number is listed as the same, with the two ships being so similar that doesn't surprise me.

 

However I DO NOT feel that the price should be the same. I booked on a ship that is one year younger than the valor, has 2.0 upgrades, is a Cruise Critic Top Ten ship and has a higher Cruise Critic rating. Now they have switched us. I am grumpy too.

 

I have a refundable deposit so I'll have to mull over my options. Will probably not cancel.

[tandemcruzr]

We're in the same boat so to speak. :)

 

We booked a B2B on the Liberty for Nov 2015 in the same cabin for both legs. Will it be likely that we will keep the same cabins?

 

Have spoken to our PVP, but it seems too early for definitive answers.

[RubyGold]

Don't you think I've tried? Guess what, the only number given is a US number, really inexpensive for me in the UK, not!

 

And then I'm put on hold, not very good customer service.

 

Carnival UK 0808 234 4495

 

It really wasn't difficult to find.

[PCHENG]

I am quite upset about the swap. I booked a 6k cabin on the Valor more than a year in advance, and the Liberty has no 6k cabin. I suspect Carnival may "upgrade" me to a balcony, but I specifically booked a 6k for its size and unique view. Good thing I hasn't booked air or hotel to San Juan so if I cancel there will be no financial penalties.

[ragethjj23]

I am quite upset about the swap. I booked a 6k cabin on the Valor more than a year in advance, and the Liberty has no 6k cabin. I suspect Carnival may "upgrade" me to a balcony, but I specifically booked a 6k for its size and unique view. Good thing I hasn't booked air or hotel to San Juan so if I cancel there will be no financial penalties.

 

We did as well. They will give you an 8d on lido. Im still looking forward to the cruise but this is our honeymoon cruise and the room was going to be a surprise (as I told her it was an interior hee hee). Oh well it will still be a heck of a cruise.

[jwle143]

I feel the same as the OP. I originally booked the liberty because I had never been on it, it had all the upgrades, and completely new itinerary for me. I also booked 2 rooms, connecting. I also did not receive any info regarding this change until I read about it here. No phone call or email. And when I called my PVP about it, I no longer had connecting rooms. It was like pulling teeth just to have him move me so my rooms were the same as the original booking. I don't think this is a fair swap at all. Some of you might not think the 2.0 is worth it, but I just feel like I was downgraded for the astronomical price I paid. I feel I paid for the upgraded ship. This particular cruise, for the 4 of us in my room, and the 3 in the other, is the most I have ever paid to be on Carnival. Just my .02

[luv2trvlnow]

I'm not happy at all. We were on the March 22 Valor cruise. Guess what. It hasn't been swapped, it's been cancelled. They won't even help with the fees to change our airfare. They think we should have waited longer to book but the rates kept going up since it is Spring Break. So we booked 10 days ago. Now we have round trip airfare to San Juan and no cruise.

 

They think $50pp OBC is a good compensation. Insurance says it doesn't matter that Carnival cancelled the cruise, we still can use the airfare. So if we cancel the airfare we would have to have Cancel for Any Reason to get something back. And we still wouldn't get it all back. But it doesn't matter because we don't have Cancel for Any Reason. The insurance would cover $75 of the $200pp fee but then we would have to buy new insurance for another cruise. Not to mention possible increase in airfare. So we have booked Celebrity Summit because it works for the time we will be in San Juan since we were coming in early.

 

I would take a swap of ships over the mess we have on our cruise now.

 

Sharon

[amyh13]

Great. I have been talking up Seuss at Sea and the Green eggs and ham breakfast that was coming to the Liberty in September. Another downgrade with the Valor.

[lucy2mb]

We had booked the Dream out of Port Canaveral last year. When they moved the Dream to New Orleans, they put us on the Sunshine and gave us $50 per person onboard credit. The rooms they gave us on the Sunshine were on lower decks. I switched the rooms but was paying more for them. I ended up switching back to the Dream but going out of New Orleans. They let us keep our onboard credit and we were very happy. You should be getting onboard credit for the change and make sure your rooms are just as good as you had on the Liberty. Is the Liberty only going out of San Juan now. I was hoping to go on it again out of Port Canaveral. We have been on the Valor before and liked it a lot.

[deladane]

I'm not happy at all. We were on the March 22 Valor cruise. Guess what. It hasn't been swapped, it's been cancelled. They won't even help with the fees to change our airfare. They think we should have waited longer to book but the rates kept going up since it is Spring Break. So we booked 10 days ago. Now we have round trip airfare to San Juan and no cruise.

 

They think $50pp OBC is a good compensation. Insurance says it doesn't matter that Carnival cancelled the cruise, we still can use the airfare. So if we cancel the airfare we would have to have Cancel for Any Reason to get something back. And we still wouldn't get it all back. But it doesn't matter because we don't have Cancel for Any Reason. The insurance would cover $75 of the $200pp fee but then we would have to buy new insurance for another cruise. Not to mention possible increase in airfare. So we have booked Celebrity Summit because it works for the time we will be in San Juan since we were coming in early.

 

I would take a swap of ships over the mess we have on our cruise now.

 

Sharon

 

I'm so glad you decided to book on the Summit rather than cancelling and losing all that money! I sailed on the Summit in 2010 (but we had the other itinerary that goes to Grenada and St. Croix), and it was a great cruise! The Summit has been drastically upgraded since then (I think Celebrity calls it "solsticized" as they have added features of the Solstice ship) and you will get to visit almost all the same islands that the original Valor itinerary goes to. I almost booked the Valor for March 22, but went with the March 15th sailing instead (making my sailing the last one on the old itinerary before it makes the switch with Liberty). I'm sorry you had to go through all this stress, but I hope you have a great cruise with Celebrity!!

[blondietink]

I'm happy ..... love the Liberty! :D

[topspin1267]

I forgot to mention we have 3 cabins booked, 1 of which is a handicapped cabin. My mom and dad are going to celebrate their 50th. With her mobility issues they usually ate at Guys or blue iquana as the booths and crowds at the buffet are hard for them to navigate.

 

We're on an itinerary where the ship makes a a big difference (8 days only 3 ports)

 

Researching options for other sailings but Southern itineraries out of Port Canaveral are hard to find.

 

The more I think about it the worse I feel about it.

[UpstateCruizer]

I feel the same as the OP. I originally booked the liberty because I had never been on it, it had all the upgrades, and completely new itinerary for me. I also booked 2 rooms, connecting. I also did not receive any info regarding this change until I read about it here. No phone call or email. And when I called my PVP about it, I no longer had connecting rooms. It was like pulling teeth just to have him move me so my rooms were the same as the original booking. I don't think this is a fair swap at all. Some of you might not think the 2.0 is worth it, but I just feel like I was downgraded for the astronomical price I paid. I feel I paid for the upgraded ship. This particular cruise, for the 4 of us in my room, and the 3 in the other, is the most I have ever paid to be on Carnival. Just my .02

 

I'm not on this sailing but I would be disappointed if I were booked on the Liberty and it was swapped out for the Valor with none of the 2.0 upgrades. For some the upgrades may not be important but I enjoy them and prefer the ships that have them. I'm not much into productions shows and rarely make it to the main lounge to watch any of them so having the older shows wouldn't matter to me!

[maritaysa]

We did as well. They will give you an 8d on lido. Im still looking forward to the cruise but this is our honeymoon cruise and the room was going to be a surprise (as I told her it was an interior hee hee). Oh well it will still be a heck of a cruise.

 

We booked a cat 6K also for our family of 4 for two years out. I thought that I'd better grab it while it was available. The upgrade to an 8d balcony is nice, since it would've cost us more if we had to pay for it. Proximity wise, it works for us since we'll be close to Camp Carnival, the pools, and food. They changed ships on us the last time we booked this same cruise two years out. I guess that I'll have to expect this when booking so far out.

Edited August 29, 2014 by maritaysa

[Casco Bay Kid]

I would be really upset if I booked the Liberty and they put me on the Valor. Valor doesn't have Guys Burgers. No Blue Iguana Cantina. No Red Frog Rum Bar. No Blue Iguana Tequila Bar. No Alchemy Bar. No EA Sports Bar. But if I had booked the Valor and ended uo on The Liberty I would be happy as a clam. I won't book the Valor til it gets updated. Needs it bad.

 

Sent from my HTC One mini using Forums mobile app

[BABSIER]

Third time in past three bookings with Carnival where they have changed the ship, cancelled the cruise or discontinued itineraries. I am canceling and may not be back.

[peteukmcr]

Carnival UK 0808 234 4495

 

It really wasn't difficult to find.

Thank you - for your sarcasm. I am well aware of the UK number, but I was referring to the fact that there was only the US number provided in the letter.

[peteukmcr]

3 more letters from Carnival this morning. 1 advises the cancellation of my shore excursion and refund (from the original letter they should be automatically rebooking for me in September). 2 ESTA reminder letters (will only apply to non-US guests who are from countries eligible for this travel authorisation).

 

Checked the booking and our stateroom has been assigned. The same number but I need to check if it is in the same position.

 

Dining option is still wait listed, that is not acceptable.

 

From the comments on here overnight it would appear the verdict is that those who were sailing Valor are getting a good deal by the switch to Liberty, but those of us who chose Liberty because of the facilities provided are not getting such a good deal by being switched to Valor.

 

Sailing on RCI Adventure of the Seas today so I'll be out of touch for a few days which is frustrating when I want to sort this out.

 

Has anyone been on Sunshine? Looking at an alternative sailing, only 7 days but as I said earlier, we are stuck with non-refundable flights (and non refundable deposit with Carnival if we decided to ditch this company totally).

Edited August 29, 2014 by peteukmcr

[beachbum53]

We are booked for the Liberty April 4 out of Port Canaveral and just got info that they are moving the Valor to Port Canaveral instead. No biggie but..... The Valor does not have the 2.0 upgrades and hasn't been in Dry Dock in awhile and they are offering no compensation for the loss of amenities or inconvenience.

 

I know they can move ships, change policies, etc based on the ticket contract but I don't feel that a non 2.0 un refurbished ship is an equal experience.

 

Guess we'll have to think about if we still want to take Carnival that week.

 

Just the opposite happened to us back in 2010 when we booked the Valor for a 2011 cruise. About a week after we made our initial deposit, we got an e-mail telling us the Valor and the Liberty had been switched. Since we had booked the cruise for the itinerary (Western Caribbean) more so than the ship, it was no big deal. I called our PVP right away to make sure we were still getting the same cabin we had chosen (we did), and to make sure there wouldn't be any additional charge to us (there wasn't). Turned out to be a very good swap for us, since the Liberty had gone into dry dock and got the 2.0 upgrades prior to our sailing date. At some point, we'd still like to do a cruise on the Valor, but up next is the Breeze, then the Glory after that. To the OP, I can certainly understand your frustration about being switched from the Liberty to the Valor. We've been on the Liberty twice and love that ship. Not having the 2.0 upgrades would be a disappointment, but I'm not sure it would be a deal breaker for us, especially if we had booked the cruise primarily for the itinerary. If there's no change in your cabin selection, and no additional out of pocket expenses, why not go ahead and give the Valor a try? As my wife is fond of saying, things happen for a reason. Who knows? Maybe something really great will happen, like winning a big jackpot in the casino, or winning a free cruise, while on the Valor.;)

Edited August 29, 2014 by beachbum53

[peteukmcr]

Tried to call Carnival here in the UK. Was redirected to the US

 

 

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[TerReuv]

While I had not booked yet, we were planning on a Liberty cruise next October. We have sailed on the Fascination & Conquest. I was already doing research on the ports and had done lots of research on the Liberty and we were looking forward to it. Now, we will have to re-think everything.

 

We like driving to port as we are from Atlanta. We prefer to do a 7 or 8 day and want the 2.0 upgrades. Any suggestions for which ship to choose now? Frustrated! Even though we had not booked, we were getting excited about the Liberty as we enjoyed the Conquest a lot and were looking forward to having everything on the Conquest plus the Mongolian wok.

 

So our choices now are Conquest (again), Sunshine, Valor, Dream or Glory. Any suggestions? With Valor not having any 2.0 upgrades I just cannot get excited about changing to that ship. Not really sure we want to do the Dream as we cruised out of NOLA last year. We would like to try other ports.

[Nadersmom]

Maybe it was listed in this thread somewhere but I missed it. When are they moving the Liberty out of Port Canaveral?

 

We are sailing in 8 weeks Nov 2 on the Liberty. Is it next year that this is happening? or has my ship been changed and I know nothing about it :eek:

[zoof26]

First World Problems, people....

 

It will be fine. Enjoy your vacations. The Valor is fine. The Liberty is fine. The food is the same on both ships except for a hamburger. I've been on new ships, I've been on older ships. Ask for some OBC if you feel you need extra attention. I'm sure that carnival will work to keep folks happy. The ports are the same. The islands will look the same no matter what ship you show up on. Be happy that you the ability to enjoy a cruise and spend time with your loved ones. Don't be your own worst enemy.

[zoof26]

While I had not booked yet, we were planning on a Liberty cruise next October. We have sailed on the Fascination & Conquest. I was already doing research on the ports and had done lots of research on the Liberty and we were looking forward to it. Now, we will have to re-think everything.

 

We like driving to port as we are from Atlanta. We prefer to do a 7 or 8 day and want the 2.0 upgrades. Any suggestions for which ship to choose now? Frustrated! Even though we had not booked, we were getting excited about the Liberty as we enjoyed the Conquest a lot and were looking forward to having everything on the Conquest plus the Mongolian wok.

 

So our choices now are Conquest (again), Sunshine, Valor, Dream or Glory. Any suggestions? With Valor not having any 2.0 upgrades I just cannot get excited about changing to that ship. Not really sure we want to do the Dream as we cruised out of NOLA last year. We would like to try other ports.

 

Check out the Breeze out of Miami. Beautiful ship!

[Coopdog08]

First World Problems, people....

 

It will be fine. Enjoy your vacations. The Valor is fine. The Liberty is fine. The food is the same on both ships except for a hamburger. I've been on new ships, I've been on older ships. Ask for some OBC if you feel you need extra attention. I'm sure that carnival will work to keep folks happy. The ports are the same. The islands will look the same no matter what ship you show up on. Be happy that you the ability to enjoy a cruise and spend time with your loved ones. Don't be your own worst enemy.

 

100% agree....