Early Saver onboard credit sale FAIL

[SAN415]

Well I saw on here that there was an onboard credit of $200 per cabin offered. I went on the carnival website and checked the details.

 

We seem to qualify, we booked and early saver, we paid in full at the time of booking. The cruise is in January of 2017.

 

I spent 36 minutes on the phone. Carnival refused me the promotion because our category of cabin is sold out. I asked for a supervisor, but didn't get to speak to one. The person who took the call checked with one and that supervisor confirmed to the employee I was 1st on hold with that I can not have the $200.

 

I feel penalized because we booked the higher priced aft cabin.

 

I have mostly sailed on Holland America, this has never been an issue with them. Any promotion you are eligible for they will add to your booking.

 

We also have a 28 day cruise booked with Princess for 2018. They have a free beverage package that we qualified for, called them this morning...no problem, added it to my booking. A saving of more then $3000.

 

1st time with the Carnival line, while I will still enjoy the cruise, I wont book again with them. I guess we are not a good fit.

[cruizinisthebest]

They can't price a cabin category that's no longer available for booking.

 

There's really no advantage beyond the initial lower price to book a limited cabin category with Early Saver. Chances are good that it will sell out fast. Once sold out, there's nothing to match the price to.

[stobe1]

Are you sure you booked using the proper Early Saver Fare?

 

There are 2 Early Saver rates right now. One has 1/2 off deposit and the other has $200 OBC.

 

Is it possible that you inadvertently selected the 1/2 deposit ES fare instead of the $200 OBC?

[Micahs Grandad]

Sorry but since your category is sold out you are not entitled to the obc according to this promotion.

[SAN415]

Yes we booked Early Saver. We booked and paid for it several Months ago.

 

I'm just upset because I'm not familiar with Carnival. With the Holland America Cruises we have booked if they offer any promotion you qualify for they add it to your booking.

 

On a brighter note we have a 28 day Princess cruise in March of 2018 booked, they just added a free sip & sail package to our booking. I've never had a cruise company refuse to add a promotion to a booking unless it says new bookings only. And then they have giving us a good will gesture of a small OBC.

 

Carnival said our category is sold out so I was out of luck. No credit. So we probably aren't a good fit with Carnival. I called Princess this morning...very very happy after. Called Carnival tonight....not so happy.

[stobe1]

I'd be interested to know if the inventory of your cabin on Princess is sold out, and if it were, if they still would have given you the promotion.

[SAN415]

I don't know stobe1? She never mentioned it. She checked if we could also get a price reduction, without my asking her to. I knew the price was the same still. And she mentioned the cruise was within a month of my birthday so she was adding a birthday thing?? to our booking. Not sure what that is? Maybe cabin decorations? It seemed she was looking for what she could do extra.

 

One thing I will say is I felt the Carnival cruise was cheaper then what I am used to paying. So I guess you get the level of service you do or don't pay for.

 

Like I said, this is the first time we booked Carnival. We were hoping some of the family members that seem like they wanted to go could afford to go. Turns out the Only my Sister in Law and Brother In Law are going and they cruise regularly with us on Holland.

 

Oh well live and learn.

[bigman01]

With the Holland America Cruises we have booked if they offer any promotion you qualify for they add it to your booking

 

Can a new customer go right now and book an aft cabin like you have booked? No, because it's sold out. Your cabin category is no longer available, so therefore you don't qualify for the price adjustment. I've never cruised Holland America nor Princess, but I'd be willing to bet that if your cabin category is sold out, they also would not honor whatever lower price you may see. If your cabin category is not available, you don't qualify for any price adjustment.

 

I do hope you go and enjoy your cruise regardless.

[Bases5]

Also if your category cabin was available it might be $500 more. How would anyone know if no cabins are available,

So paying $500 more to get $200 OBC wouldn't be a wise move,

 

The thing with ES is you have to price match to the going price to get the promotion.

If you already had some OBC you could lose it.

Just because it look like a deal doesn't always mean it is.

 

now you can check several times a days to see if a aft cabin opens up and if it's a savings you could jump on it then if the promotion is still going on!

[SAN415]

Understood Bigman

I agree I'm not up on what Carnival is willing to do. And as far as I know if your cabin is sold out a "price" adjustment would be impossible. Your cabin category would not even show a lower rate online, it wouldn't show up at all.

 

I felt like the OBC was an addition to my booking. I have had several times when promotions offered some addition to your cruise. Like included gratuities, a premium dinner, or as was the case this morning with Princess, free sip and Sail.

Still a great day, the sip & sail is $56.35 per day per person and our cruise is 28 days long on Princess. They added it to my booking no problem. There was no change in cruise fare that we paid.

 

And yes I will still enjoy my Carnival cruise. And overall the Carnival cruise is lower priced to begin with then similar length cruises I have been on.

[cruizinisthebest]

I don't know stobe1? She never mentioned it. She checked if we could also get a price reduction, without my asking her to. I knew the price was the same still. And she mentioned the cruise was within a month of my birthday so she was adding a birthday thing?? to our booking. Not sure what that is? Maybe cabin decorations? It seemed she was looking for what she could do extra.

 

One thing I will say is I felt the Carnival cruise was cheaper then what I am used to paying. So I guess you get the level of service you do or don't pay for.

 

Like I said, this is the first time we booked Carnival. We were hoping some of the family members that seem like they wanted to go could afford to go. Turns out the Only my Sister in Law and Brother In Law are going and they cruise regularly with us on Holland.

 

Oh well live and learn.

 

The entire premise behind price matching is that the cabin can actually be priced to the new rate. If there are no cabins in that category, there's nothing for them to price match to. I think before you continue to feel slighted with what Holland does versus Carnival when it comes to price matching, it might be good to know if the cabins you book with Holland are still available to be sold when you call for price adjustments or not. It matters. As far as the birthday thing goes, that's something Carnival is also doing for people celebrating special occasions while on their cruise.

 

If a price is lowered, it's in an attempt to make it more attractive for a new booking. Carnival's price matching allows an existing booking to take advantage of that lower price if you're in the same cabin category. As far as I know, other lines that charge more don't allow for any type of price matching, so I don't see what the price you paid has to do with it. I hope you will enjoy your cruise anyway and that awesome aft balcony!

[kgb46]

If you had booked the Holland cruise instead of Carnival, how much more would the Holland cruise cost? If it is more then $200 then you are getting a pretty good deal. I have a cruise booked for April 2017 in an Ocean Suite and could not get the deal either because Ocean Suites are sold out already. Good luck and have fun!

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Yes we booked Early Saver. We booked and paid for it several Months ago.

 

I'm just upset because I'm not familiar with Carnival. With the Holland America Cruises we have booked if they offer any promotion you qualify for they add it to your booking.

 

On a brighter note we have a 28 day Princess cruise in March of 2018 booked, they just added a free sip & sail package to our booking. I've never had a cruise company refuse to add a promotion to a booking unless it says new bookings only. And then they have giving us a good will gesture of a small OBC.

 

Carnival said our category is sold out so I was out of luck. No credit. So we probably aren't a good fit with Carnival. I called Princess this morning...very very happy after. Called Carnival tonight....not so happy.

 

and if there was an available cabin available in your category you have gotten it added to this booking too.

 

On HAL and Princess was your booked category sold out when you called to get the adjustments?

 

Bill

[vwrestler171]

So you booked according to a certain rate without understanding the terms and conditions of the rate and now you're upset that you don't qualify for something that you think you should, but you don't according to the rate that you booked?

[wallybone]

You may want to see if a better room say a suite is open with the new offer, may or may not be a better deal and it never hurts to call again you may get a different outcome.

[SadieN]

Is a higher category cabin available? Can always upgrade yourself.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[hftmrock]

I couldnt imagine Princess would honor the price drop if the same situation happened so I did a little checking. here is a thread where this exact same thing hppened on princess

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1427975

 

so dont assume carnival would be the only one not to honor it

Edited July 12, 2016 by hftmrock

[Micahs Grandad]

The entire premise behind price matching is that the cabin can actually be priced to the new rate. If there are no cabins in that category, there's nothing for them to price match to. I think before you continue to feel slighted with what Holland does versus Carnival when it comes to price matching, it might be good to know if the cabins you book with Holland are still available to be sold when you call for price adjustments or not. It matters. As far as the birthday thing goes, that's something Carnival is also doing for people celebrating special occasions while on their cruise.

 

If a price is lowered, it's in an attempt to make it more attractive for a new booking. Carnival's price matching allows an existing booking to take advantage of that lower price if you're in the same cabin category. As far as I know, other lines that charge more don't allow for any type of price matching, so I don't see what the price you paid has to do with it. I hope you will enjoy your cruise anyway and that awesome aft balcony!

 

You nailed it

[BeachChik]

So you booked according to a certain rate without understanding the terms and conditions of the rate and now you're upset that you don't qualify for something that you think you should, but you don't according to the rate that you booked?

 

^this

 

To get upset over something that you booked without understanding the rules is a tad ridiculous.

[fuddrules]

I'm just upset because I'm not familiar with Carnival.

 

Just a little advice, it would have been better to ask questions prior to booking instead of figuring it out after booking. I know that's obvious now but it would have saved you some misplaced anger.

[SAN415]

Wow, thanks for all the advice everyone.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Wow, thanks for all the advice everyone.

 

You're very welcome.:)

 

Hope you enjoy your cruise!:)

 

Bill

[siestakeys04]

Wow, thanks for all the advice everyone.

 

Although you did not get the new promotion I hope you have a great time, but your attitude towards it all is great to me;) HAVE A BLAST!!!!!

[Debra Lynn]

Yes we booked Early Saver. We booked and paid for it several Months ago.

 

I'm just upset because I'm not familiar with Carnival. With the Holland America Cruises we have booked if they offer any promotion you qualify for they add it to your booking.

 

On a brighter note we have a 28 day Princess cruise in March of 2018 booked, they just added a free sip & sail package to our booking. I've never had a cruise company refuse to add a promotion to a booking unless it says new bookings only. And then they have giving us a good will gesture of a small OBC.

 

Carnival said our category is sold out so I was out of luck. No credit. So we probably aren't a good fit with Carnival. I called Princess this morning...very very happy after. Called Carnival tonight....not so happy.

 

Don't know if this is helpful or not, but I spoke with my PVP today and he told me that if we wanted to exercise the OBC promotion, not to pay the cruise off until he was able to implement it because if we pay it off before hand, he could not get us the promo. Since you have paid your cruise off already, that may be part of the problem. He also wanted to warn me of price difference which was not applicable in my situation... but he did say if the price of the cruise was higher now than what I already had booked, by taking the OBC we would also have to take the higher price.

[Arzeena]

Well I saw on here that there was an onboard credit of $200 per cabin offered. I went on the carnival website and checked the details.

 

We seem to qualify, we booked and early saver, we paid in full at the time of booking. The cruise is in January of 2017.

 

I spent 36 minutes on the phone. Carnival refused me the promotion because our category of cabin is sold out. I asked for a supervisor, but didn't get to speak to one. The person who took the call checked with one and that supervisor confirmed to the employee I was 1st on hold with that I can not have the $200.

 

I feel penalized because we booked the higher priced aft cabin.

 

I have mostly sailed on Holland America, this has never been an issue with them. Any promotion you are eligible for they will add to your booking.

 

We also have a 28 day cruise booked with Princess for 2018. They have a free beverage package that we qualified for, called them this morning...no problem, added it to my booking. A saving of more then $3000.

 

1st time with the Carnival line, while I will still enjoy the cruise, I wont book again with them. I guess we are not a good fit.

 

Can you cancel if you are within the 24 hour period?