Excursion 110% Guarantee - Honored?

[netbug]

Ok, let me preface this comment with the fact that I have just booked my 10th cruise with Carnival, so I am generally a very happy camper with them. Love the experience you get for the value! Can't be beat.

 

Having said that, I recently booked my excursion through Carnival and then found the vendor Carnival uses for the excursion through a Trip Advisor reviewed. In my mind, this should be an open and shut case. I was denied because the vendor didn't guarantee cruise transportation. Then WHY do they use them if they don't guarantee the transportation.

 

Has anyone had Carnival actually honor this?

[riffatsea]

Hi,

In some ports Carnival has made deals with vendors so that they canNOT book cruise passengers unless the folks book through Carnival.

This is probably what has happened in your case. The tour operator cannot guarantee that he can book you.

He can book folks visiting on land vacations but cannot book you for the tour so Carnival doesn't have to deal with whatever lower price you have found.

[spotte]

When the excursions are booked directly with the cruise line, transportation is always included in the price of the excursion. The vendors, when they sell their excursions direct, may not include the transportation, as sometimes locals will want to do it and don't need the transportation. In those cases, they will not price match, as it is not apples for apples (even though adding in the transportation cost will be cheaper still). They have had to have some vendor contracts rewritten to be sure the "same" excursion is not offered direct, therefore not allowing the price matching. There are lots of people that have been successful in getting this guarantee through. There have been several threads with the successful ones listed. Good luck.

[ncovert]

Ok, let me preface this comment with the fact that I have just booked my 10th cruise with Carnival, so I am generally a very happy camper with them. Love the experience you get for the value! Can't be beat.

 

 

 

Having said that, I recently booked my excursion through Carnival and then found the vendor Carnival uses for the excursion through a Trip Advisor reviewed. In my mind, this should be an open and shut case. I was denied because the vendor didn't guarantee cruise transportation. Then WHY do they use them if they don't guarantee the transportation.

 

 

 

Has anyone had Carnival actually honor this?

 

 

If I found a company that is not doing go practices you are comfortable with I would move on to another one. As others have pointed out, the excursions have to be exactly the same. Any difference is a disqualifying difference. If it is an excursion you really want to do I would just keep my booking with Carnival.

[netbug]

It is the same company that Carnival uses for the excursion i booked. They provide the transportation. But because the site says they don't "guarantee" it, they won't honor it. According to reviews by other cruisers, they are the ones who provided the transportation

[bigdog1958]

When the excursions are booked directly with the cruise line, transportation is always included in the price of the excursion. The vendors, when they sell their excursions direct, may not include the transportation, as sometimes locals will want to do it and don't need the transportation. In those cases, they will not price match, as it is not apples for apples (even though adding in the transportation cost will be cheaper still). They have had to have some vendor contracts rewritten to be sure the "same" excursion is not offered direct, therefore not allowing the price matching. There are lots of people that have been successful in getting this guarantee through. There have been several threads with the successful ones listed. Good luck.

 

When they first announced this promotion, people were able to get the carnival price match. However, Carnival has now had time to reach out to all their vendors and change contract language to you cant get an exact match and longer. This is now just PR stunt and not really a benefit any longer

[jimbo5544]

When they first announced this promotion, people were able to get the carnival price match. However, Carnival has now had time to reach out to all their vendors and change contract language to you cant get an exact match and longer. This is now just PR stunt and not really a benefit any longer

 

While being true, the other side of the coin is you are getting the best deal (apples to apples).

[pulledporky]

When they first announced this promotion, people were able to get the carnival price match. However, Carnival has now had time to reach out to all their vendors and change contract language to you cant get an exact match and longer. This is now just PR stunt and not really a benefit any longer

 

Pretty close to a bingo right there.

 

When they first started this program I was able to get a price match on the Rythm of the Nights in Puerto Vallarta (around $10pp). A few weeks later they were denying people the same match because of the transportation clause. Funny thing tho, transportaion to ROTN is your own two feet. It's about a 150 yard walk from the cruise ship to the boat used for ROTN, you don't even leave the terminal! Go figure.

[bruadhin]

While being true, the other side of the coin is you are getting the best deal (apples to apples).

 

I'm not sure how accurate that is if Carnival paints a stripe on their apples so no other apple can match it.

 

I had a feeling something like this would happen with this guarantee. That Carnival would set it up so they were the only one offering the exact excursion.

 

If you think about it, there is no way Carnival can do this on a complete honest and transparent basis. If the operator has to charge X to offer the excursion and Carnival wants to profit from the excursions, then they automatically have to charge X+. If the upcharge were minimal, then it might make sense as you have the security of booking through Carnival in case the excursion is delayed in returning to the ship.

[jimbo5544]

I'm not sure how accurate that is if Carnival paints a stripe on their apples so no other apple can match it.

 

I had a feeling something like this would happen with this guarantee. That Carnival would set it up so they were the only one offering the exact excursion.

 

If you think about it, there is no way Carnival can do this on a complete honest and transparent basis. If the operator has to charge X to offer the excursion and Carnival wants to profit from the excursions, then they automatically have to charge X+. If the upcharge were minimal, then it might make sense as you have the security of booking through Carnival in case the excursion is delayed in returning to the ship.

 

Nuts and bolts of how an excursion operator makes or does not their money aside, the point is that a cruiser can feel assured that if they book an excursion through Carnival they are getting the best priced deal. Are there excursions someone can do on their own that they can do for less? sure. Some here do just that. The vast majority of cruisers want to enjoy their cruise vacation without it be a "project" that to find something to do or worry about all the what if's.

 

I don't care how much Carnival makes, or the vendor makes, I am only concerned with whether I think the price is worth it to me and how much enjoyment it brings.

[bruadhin]

Nuts and bolts of how an excursion operator makes or does not their money aside, the point is that a cruiser can feel assured that if they book an excursion through Carnival they are getting the best priced deal. Are there excursions someone can do on their own that they can do for less? sure. Some here do just that. The vast majority of cruisers want to enjoy their cruise vacation without it be a "project" that to find something to do or worry about all the what if's.

 

I don't care how much Carnival makes, or the vendor makes, I am only concerned with whether I think the price is worth it to me and how much enjoyment it brings.

 

I have no problem with Carnival or a tour operator earning a profit. I do have a problem with a middle man inserting themselves while delivering not delivering value sufficient for their markup. Carnival is not ensuring people get the best priced deal, otherwise they wouldn't require vendors to only take cruisers if booked through Carnival or other cruise line. Carnival is simply ensuring they do not have competition, hardly the same as delivering the best priced deal.

 

Case in point. Two Chevy dealers are in your town and both have a car with exact same options, exact same colors, everything is identical except the VINs. Dealer A advertises the car for X. Dealer B advertises it for X+500 and also says they have the best price in town and will beat any price in town. But when you go to Dealer B, point out Dealer A's advertising and ask them to price match, Dealer B says, "Oh, we stick a case of water in the trunk. Dealer A doesn't do that. It's not the same, so we won't match."

 

While perhaps technically correct, Dealer B is still being dishonest in their advertising and is much the same with Carnival. They are making a promise, but stacking the deck to ensure they never have to uphold their promise.

 

Forunately, I would like to think most consumers are getting smart to this. If you see a price match guarantee from a store, you can be all but certain they will make sure the items aren't identical and thus no match.

[jimbo5544]

I have no problem with Carnival or a tour operator earning a profit. I do have a problem with a middle man inserting themselves while delivering not delivering value sufficient for their markup. Carnival is not ensuring people get the best priced deal, otherwise they wouldn't require vendors to only take cruisers if booked through Carnival or other cruise line. Carnival is simply ensuring they do not have competition, hardly the same as delivering the best priced deal.

 

Case in point. Two Chevy dealers are in your town and both have a car with exact same options, exact same colors, everything is identical except the VINs. Dealer A advertises the car for X. Dealer B advertises it for X+500 and also says they have the best price in town and will beat any price in town. But when you go to Dealer B, point out Dealer A's advertising and ask them to price match, Dealer B says, "Oh, we stick a case of water in the trunk. Dealer A doesn't do that. It's not the same, so we won't match."

 

While perhaps technically correct, Dealer B is still being dishonest in their advertising and is much the same with Carnival. They are making a promise, but stacking the deck to ensure they never have to uphold their promise.

 

Forunately, I would like to think most consumers are getting smart to this. If you see a price match guarantee from a store, you can be all but certain they will make sure the items aren't identical and thus no match.

LOL, it would not be a good discussion without an analogy of cars....

 

Dishonest, stacking the deck are strong terms to throw around, but it is the internet. Who determines what a "fair" mark up is.

 

To throw an analogy back at you, what is the mark up on jewelry (or most things in life)? Does that stop you from buying said product (regardless of how the actual price paid is)? A cruise is a vacation. You can buy or not buy an excursion through the cruise line (regardless of what contract they in place with the provider). It's that simple.

[lazyart]

As soon as I saw the 110% guarantee I sniffed right through it. There is nothing wrong with booking with the ship and not worrying about anything else. That is the essence of the upcharge: peace of mind.

 

There are those of us who enjoy doing the legwork to find alternate excursions, or the joy of getting what they feel is a deal. Years from now I might not want to scope out excursions. I admit it's a lot of work, and I end up changing my mind a dozen times. I giggled when I looked back at my postings about planning our honeymoon cruise. Yep, my original plan was quite a bit different from the final selections. But it was a good time.

[jimbo5544]

As soon as I saw the 110% guarantee I sniffed right through it. There is nothing wrong with booking with the ship and not worrying about anything else. That is the essence of the upcharge: peace of mind.

 

There are those of us who enjoy doing the legwork to find alternate excursions, or the joy of getting what they feel is a deal. Years from now I might not want to scope out excursions. I admit it's a lot of work, and I end up changing my mind a dozen times. I giggled when I looked back at my postings about planning our honeymoon cruise. Yep, my original plan was quite a bit different from the final selections. But it was a good time.

 

That's the way it is supposed to work (excursions....not your honeymoon).

[bruadhin]

LOL, it would not be a good discussion without an analogy of cars....

 

Dishonest, stacking the deck are strong terms to throw around, but it is the internet. Who determines what a "fair" mark up is.

 

To throw an analogy back at you, what is the mark up on jewelry (or most things in life)? Does that stop you from buying said product (regardless of how the actual price paid is)? A cruise is a vacation. You can buy or not buy an excursion through the cruise line (regardless of what contract they in place with the provider). It's that simple.

 

The buyer determines what is fair. ;)

 

I hate gimmicks. I strongly believe in deliver value and the money will follow. And for the record, I work on commission. So I have to walk the walk.

 

Also, my point isn't a markup, it is a markup for no value, especially when they try to tell you they are the cheapest around and will beat any price. Well, no you won't. You intentionally tweak the product so you don't have to price match.

[jimbo5544]

The buyer determines what is fair. ;)

 

I hate gimmicks. I strongly believe in deliver value and the money will follow. And for the record, I work on commission. So I have to walk the walk.

 

Also, my point isn't a markup, it is a markup for no value, especially when they try to tell you they are the cheapest around and will beat any price. Well, no you won't. You intentionally tweak the product so you don't have to price match.

 

I get it. I guess my point is for the majority of cruisers, the guarantee is just that. The price is the price. They don't need to look elsewhere. Whether Carnival makes 10% or 100% on markup is really not an issue to me. Do I want to pay the"price" is. Life (for the most part) is not equal or fair, so it is with cruising as well. It's the way it is. There is give and take on both sides when they negotiate with vendors for excursions. Do they hold the majority of the cards, probably, but I have not idea.

 

The other way to look at it is that an excursion vendor has a contract with Carnival and then comes to places like here (and discounts the price to get people to book with him) that way he gets the whole enchilada (pun intended).

[justlaff69]

The buyer determines what is fair. ;)

 

I hate gimmicks. I strongly believe in deliver value and the money will follow. And for the record, I work on commission. So I have to walk the walk.

 

Also, my point isn't a markup, it is a markup for no value, especially when they try to tell you they are the cheapest around and will beat any price. Well, no you won't. You intentionally tweak the product so you don't have to price match.

 

Ditto, case in point, the X-Rails excursion in Cozumel. Carnival had it priced at 149.99 per person, we passed. We cruised on NCL and it was 149.99 for the buggy.

 

When I sail with NCL, it's very hard to find an excursion cheaper that what NCL offers, it usually ranges from 5-10 per person.

 

Just last week, I booked Buggy's with an outside vendor for 138.00 for a 2 person Buggy. Carnival was charging 119.99 per person.

 

Typically, Carnival's dive rate are pretty good, but most everything else is highly inflated.

 

'Peace of Mind' is another 'tactic' Carnival uses to scare you into booking with them. Tour operators generally make it a priority to get you back to the pier on time.