OH.MY.GOSH. Carnival Customer service is AWFUL!

[Je Souhaite]

All I'm trying to do is upgrade from my Ocean View to a Cove Balcony on my Sept cruise, and not only can I not understand the man on the phone, but he is telling me I can't upgrade my room. He says I'd have to cancel my current booking, pay the fees, and then make a new booking. How is that possible? For my May cruise I upgraded and just paid the difference.

 

Is it possible to call back and get someone else? When I called to upgrade my room on the May cruise, I had THE nicest lady that was soooooo wonderful. Wish I could have her over and over!

 

I booked my Sept cruise with a PVP but I have no contact info for her, and she hasn't contacted me since booking.

 

That's the trick. As soon as you detect there's a dope on the other end of the phone, hang up and call back. You can do this many times, because you will find you will get more different answers, than the same one. Like here, it seems everyone is guessing with their answers.

[TaDaaa!]

All I'm trying to do is upgrade from my Ocean View to a Cove Balcony on my Sept cruise, and not only can I not understand the man on the phone, but he is telling me I can't upgrade my room. He says I'd have to cancel my current booking, pay the fees, and then make a new booking. How is that possible? For my May cruise I upgraded and just paid the difference.

 

Is it possible to call back and get someone else? When I called to upgrade my room on the May cruise, I had THE nicest lady that was soooooo wonderful. Wish I could have her over and over!

 

I booked my Sept cruise with a PVP but I have no contact info for her, and she hasn't contacted me since booking.

 

Really??? So Billy Joe Jim Bob has an accent that you couldn't understand and that makes all of Carnival Customer Service (even the lady you liked from a previous booking) AWFUL????? The drama here is unbelievable.......it's like reading the script to a soap opera.

 

It's okay.......I'm just venting too without the expectation of being judged. ;)

Edited March 5, 2016 by TaDaaa!

[TaDaaa!]

To op I am glad things worked out for you and your family. To all the nay sayers haven't yall heard of the old saying " if you can't say something nice, then don't say nothing at all." If you don't like a thread then move on to another one and quit meaning cc bullies!!!!

 

If you think the term "bully" is supposed to mean "someone who disagrees with my beliefs" you would be incorrect. Oops, does that now make me a bully as well? :rolleyes:

[wannagonow123]

Many times I have felt CS is horrible because I could not accomplish what I wanted/ needed. The problem is the person on the phone does not know, or won't explain their inability to complete my request.

 

Earlier this year I wanted to upgrade from an interior to an ocean view. After 2 calls of the rep saying no, or quoting me a huge fare jump, the 3rd person explained that the fare I had originally booked stated "no changes after booking or penalties would be incurred". My fare was non-refundable, so they would have had to cancel the old fare, I would get no credit for original booking, then rebook.

 

Once it was explained to me, it made sense, and I kept my original booking. Just request an explanation.

 

I have 4 cruises booked with Carnival upcoming, and I don't think any of the PVP's I booked with are still with Carnival. When I call their extensions, I get transferred to someone else.

[jimbri]

OP, I'm glad things worked out for you and that you shared your experience. It's always good to know how someone handles a situation. Hanging up and calling back is good advice and yes some people might get frustrated and not even think of it right away. Thank you.

[BeachChik]

Good lord. People act like their mother was being attacked. Im sure the cruise lines feeling haven't been hurt.

 

If the op feels carnivals customer service is horrible they can say that. It is really not that big a deal. Plus people say all the time that it sucks and that if you call ten different times you will get ten different answers. To me that is pretty bad service.

[Eeyoregon]

OP: I agree. I submitted an early saver price protection form online. Within an hour of doing so, I received a "congratulations your price submission has been approved" with an attachment showing my new cabin pricing.

 

I opened up the attachment and my cabin price had actually been increased by $17.00. Where was my $266 price reduction that I submitted? :mad:

 

I spent a combined total of 6 hours talking to and holding with different Carnival reps and finally got the $17.00 over-charge removed but no one could ever find any other information as to why I was told my request was approved, but never applied?

 

Early saver is the BIGGEST, misleading scam in the industry. I will never book under that rate again considering that the penalties and fees associated with doing so are ridiculous and the savings are non-existent. Factor in the inept staff at Carnival and it's just not worth it.

 

Buyer beware.

[firemanbobswife]

OP: I agree. I submitted an early saver price protection form online. Within an hour of doing so, I received a "congratulations your price submission has been approved" with an attachment showing my new cabin pricing.

 

I opened up the attachment and my cabin price had actually been increased by $17.00. Where was my $266 price reduction that I submitted? :mad:

 

I spent a combined total of 6 hours talking to and holding with different Carnival reps and finally got the $17.00 over-charge removed but no one could ever find any other information as to why I was told my request was approved, but never applied?

 

Early saver is the BIGGEST, misleading scam in the industry. I will never book under that rate again considering that the penalties and fees associated with doing so are ridiculous and the savings are non-existent. Factor in the inept staff at Carnival and it's just not worth it.

 

Buyer beware.

 

 

I am a huge fan of ES. If you know what you're doing, you can save a ton of money and not have to pay any penalties. First you need to make sure your plans are firm BEFORE you book. If they're not, then it's only your own fault for booking that rate.

 

Then if you see a price drop, CALL your PVP. If you don't have one you like, then that's your fault again. Keep getting a new one until you do. I have submitted forms online before and got the approvals back quickly but now I don't bother. I call my PVP and it's done before I hang up the phone. You must also make sure you are factoring in any promotional OBC when matching to the new rate. If you don't, and the base rate is lower, good chance it will be approved and you'll lose it. Again it's your own fault.

 

I could go on, but I won't. Bottom line is if you know 100% what you are doing, it's great. If you're unsure about how to price match, consult your PVP. Know the rules, and if you have any doubts, then choose a different rate. I have saved lots of cash by doing ES. I have also sailed on Celebrity, and they don't allow any price reductions after final payment. So to me, this is a huge plus.

 

As with lots of things, the reward can outweigh the risks. If you are an informed consumer and willing to take some of the risks, then the payout can be quite hefty. If not, then stick with the less restrictive, safer fares.

[bakersdozen12]

OP: I agree. I submitted an early saver price protection form online. Within an hour of doing so, I received a "congratulations your price submission has been approved" with an attachment showing my new cabin pricing.

 

I opened up the attachment and my cabin price had actually been increased by $17.00. Where was my $266 price reduction that I submitted? :mad:

 

I spent a combined total of 6 hours talking to and holding with different Carnival reps and finally got the $17.00 over-charge removed but no one could ever find any other information as to why I was told my request was approved, but never applied?

 

Early saver is the BIGGEST, misleading scam in the industry. I will never book under that rate again considering that the penalties and fees associated with doing so are ridiculous and the savings are non-existent. Factor in the inept staff at Carnival and it's just not worth it.

 

Buyer beware.

 

Before you submitted the Price Protection Form, did you do a mock booking to make sure that not only the base cruise fare price went down, but that the total price was still down from what you originally booked? I say this because it's possible for the other fees (port fees and taxes) to go up, meaning that there may not have been an actual price drop when you look at the total price.

[cruizinisthebest]

OP: I agree. I submitted an early saver price protection form online. Within an hour of doing so, I received a "congratulations your price submission has been approved" with an attachment showing my new cabin pricing.

 

I opened up the attachment and my cabin price had actually been increased by $17.00. Where was my $266 price reduction that I submitted? :mad:

 

I spent a combined total of 6 hours talking to and holding with different Carnival reps and finally got the $17.00 over-charge removed but no one could ever find any other information as to why I was told my request was approved, but never applied?

 

Early saver is the BIGGEST, misleading scam in the industry. I will never book under that rate again considering that the penalties and fees associated with doing so are ridiculous and the savings are non-existent. Factor in the inept staff at Carnival and it's just not worth it.

 

Buyer beware.

 

Early saver is not misleading if you know the rules and how to properly apply them when it comes to seeing a lower price. Nor is it a scam. This is what I'm talking about with these and other overreaching silly statements in this thread. Plenty of people benefit from price drops on cabins already booked, a savings not restricted to just early saver by the way. You need to know what you are doing and if you don't, then ask. I learned A-Z about early saver right from this board. Did alot of reading. Asked a few questions. Never once had a problem. It's not always the best option for booking your cruise. Often but not always.

[cruiser fanatic]

I use a PVP because I do not like dealing with the phone reps at Carnival. You will get a different answer every time you call. If the answer isn't sounding right, hang up and call again.

Edited March 5, 2016 by cruiser fanatic