Can a PVP really give you the best deal

[S.S.Oceanlover]

We've contacted Carnival directly for a couple of cruises, but for the last four, we've used the same PVP. We like her because she responds immediately, she doesn't contact us, unless we contact her with a question.

 

We don't use the PVP to get us a better price, we use her because she has all our pertinent info, she "advises" us if there might be a better deal, i.e. Early Saver, Past Guest, Casino offers, etc., then leaves it up to us of course, to decide what we want. Recently, we booked a 2018 cruise, and a few weeks later, we booked for two other family members. They had cruised with us before, so she had their info too. As we were talked, she commented that they had a special offer which included an OBC. I said, "I should have waited to book with them." The PVP said "no worries," and applied it to our booking as well.

 

We like that we can contact her with exactly what cruise we want, what cabin, what price we're interested in, etc. and within 7-10 minutes the cruise is booked and deposit paid. We do a lot of pre-planning prior to the cruise, so we know exactly what we want before we contact the PVP. We're very happy with the PVP. We also never had any issues calling Carnival directly either. Enjoy your cruise!!

 

Yes that can be done with a phone call to your PVP any time a better offer comes up as long as it's before final payment date if not booked early saver If early saver you have until 2 days befor the cruise departs.

 

Was the $50 OBC showing up on the website at the time your friends booked?

 

Bill

[fair-winds39]

Yes that can be done with a phone call to your PVP any time a better offer comes up as long as it's before final payment date if not booked early saver If early saver you have until 2 days befor the cruise departs.

 

Was the $50 OBC showing up on the website at the time your friends booked?

 

Bill

 

Not sure if it was showing up on the website at that time. I booked for them, and I was booking the same cruise we booked so I didn't check the website. Our friends didn't even know they had an OBC, but I was happy the PVP mentioned it and added it to our booking.

[joepeka]

The only thing I seen that a PVP can do different then booking online is find rooms you like or prefer. I'm sure if you called and talked to them they might be able to work something out for the deposit. Never know till you try. But I needed 2 rooms one for my wife and I and one for our 3 girls. Because we did not want all 5 of us in one room. And that means no privacy for anybody so that would mean 1 bathroom to share and have to change 1 at a time or I get changed and leave the room so they could get ready. So we had 2 choices

 

First choice ocean view for us and them in an interior which had to be across the hall because of our youngest.

Second choice was 2 ocean view rooms with or without connecting doors.

I could not find either choice online so I contacted the same PVP I used before and he found rooms that didn't even show available not matter how many ways I looked them up. And we got 2 ocean view rooms with connecting doors. Which double our room space.

 

From my understanding if you use a TA you have to go thru everything with them. I'm not 100% sure on that. But if so I have no control of my booking which I don't like. And read most TA give out perks that you would not get otherwise.

 

This is true. DW and her family wanted two connecting cabins on their next cruise and none appeared to be available when viewing via the CCL web site but their PVP was able to hook them up with exactly the cabins they wanted.

[beans79]

I just got off the phone with the PVP that called me and he didn't offer me anything I couldn't get on my own. He kept putting me on mute and he just didn't really leave a lasting impression on me. I will just book my cruise on my own.

 

 

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[S.S.Oceanlover]

Not sure if it was showing up on the website at that time. I booked for them, and I was booking the same cruise we booked so I didn't check the website. Our friends didn't even know they had an OBC, but I was happy the PVP mentioned it and added it to our booking.

That's cool. You are a very good friend.

 

Bill

 

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[Astromaid]

Fairwinds_39, can you give information about your PVP? We have a person we don't care for as our PVP, plus he has not contacted us for several years, may not even work for Carnival anymore. Last time I booked I just booked with a PVP that answered the phone. The person who was supposed to be our PVP contacted me to scold and say I should book with him. Did not care for how he treated us in the past and that is why I booked with the PVP that answered the phone. Would love one that actually takes an interest and contacts me with deals. Now that we are retired would like to do more cruising.

[crusinpsychRN]

No....a PVP is just a travel agent for Carnival. Nothing special.

 

They have more training and experience and are special.

[Floating Lanai]

My PVP has never given me incentives well enough to book through him, it has been no different than what Carnival offers. I have been using a TA for out last few cruises and this next upcoming cruise she got us $275 OBC.

[firemanbobswife]

Fairwinds_39, can you give information about your PVP? We have a person we don't care for as our PVP, plus he has not contacted us for several years, may not even work for Carnival anymore. Last time I booked I just booked with a PVP that answered the phone. The person who was supposed to be our PVP contacted me to scold and say I should book with him. Did not care for how he treated us in the past and that is why I booked with the PVP that answered the phone. Would love one that actually takes an interest and contacts me with deals. Now that we are retired would like to do more cruising.

 

 

We can't share info on this site ☹️. You would need to contact someone outside of here.

[buddylover]

The prices r the same but many TAs give perks such as OBC, prepaid gratuities, specialty dining etc. also some big agencies book a block of staterooms so they can offer group rates. Bottom line a PVP offers bare bones, the highest prices.

 

 

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The OP specifically asked about better pricing from a PVP, not a TA!! Big difference, the PVP's work for Carnival and they CANNOT give anything better regarding pricing or perks than you can get yourself on line. They may be able to find an available cabin not indicated on the website, but pricing and perks are the SAME for PVP's and website pricing.

TA's are a completely different story....they can give you perks such as OBC or dining etc (it comes out of their commissions and is their prerogative).

[fair-winds39]

Fairwinds_39, can you give information about your PVP? We have a person we don't care for as our PVP, plus he has not contacted us for several years, may not even work for Carnival anymore. Last time I booked I just booked with a PVP that answered the phone. The person who was supposed to be our PVP contacted me to scold and say I should book with him. Did not care for how he treated us in the past and that is why I booked with the PVP that answered the phone. Would love one that actually takes an interest and contacts me with deals. Now that we are retired would like to do more cruising.

 

Astromaid, sorry I can't help you. Recommending and providing specific info about a particular PVP, TA, etc. is not permitted on the Cruise Critic forum.

 

I can tell you this, I don't remember how I came to use this PVP. Prior to booking with the PVP, I booked directly with Carnival and never had any problems. I think this PVP was someone that I either spoke to, or received a mailing or communication from, and based on my experiences with the PVP, I decided to continue booking with this PVP. I hope you find a knowledgeable PVP to work with for your cruises.

[Flatbush Flyer]

pvp gives you someone on your side when you run into a problem.

 

 

 

Has access to people we do not.

 

 

You may be forgetting that a PVP is a cruise line's employee and it is the cruise line who's paying his/her salary.

That said' date=' picking the right TA (a research endeavor seeming to be "too much work" for many cruisers), one who is a consistent top seller for the particular line and is recognized for customer service in high end reviews (e.g., Condé Nast Traveler's "best of..." lists), gets you a knowledgeable individual who may do a million+ dollars in annual business with that cruise line. Who do you think is going to be able to get what you reasonably want or solve a SNAFU?

Of course, there's the caveat that many of the best cruise specialist TAs won't even handle small commission cruises like Carnival's.

Nonetheless, it's worth doing the homework, particularly as you graduate to longer/more exotic itineraries or higher quality cruise lines, where that percentage of TA "commission sharing" (at 5-10% of the commissionable fare) could easily mean $1000+ extra OBC to you.

And then there's the fallacy of "losing control of your booking." Again, who is a cruise line going to respond to more immediately and often more positively? - you, whose measly few bucks are a rounding error in their daily receipts OR that $ million TA account?

Do your homework and then decide who's best to handle your cruise travel.

 

 

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[Astromaid]

Well, we are hoping to book a trip in the next month. I will spend the wheel and see who I get at Carnival.

[crusinpsychRN]

Fairwinds_39, can you give information about your PVP? We have a person we don't care for as our PVP, plus he has not contacted us for several years, may not even work for Carnival anymore. Last time I booked I just booked with a PVP that answered the phone. The person who was supposed to be our PVP contacted me to scold and say I should book with him. Did not care for how he treated us in the past and that is why I booked with the PVP that answered the phone. Would love one that actually takes an interest and contacts me with deals. Now that we are retired would like to do more cruising.

 

PVP's don't answer the phone, you need to have their extension. Mine has helped me in many ways. Got my rate changed from ES to PG on cruise I booked on board--the guy promised me it wasn't ES. Found out it was and she fixed it for me.

[jocko4279]

If you know what you are doing (where & how to look for rates) then, you don't need them. Anything they would offer to you , you can dig up on your own.

[firemanbobswife]

If you know what you are doing (where & how to look for rates) then, you don't need them. Anything they would offer to you , you can dig up on your own.

 

 

Mine has helped me with various issues and saved me tons of time and frustration. Many questions that people ask on here or complain that they have to speak to multiple people or get different answers to could have been solved with one call to their PVP if they had one.

[GuitarPlayer]

Mine has helped me with various issues and saved me tons of time and frustration. Many questions that people ask on here or complain that they have to speak to multiple people or get different answers to could have been solved with one call to their PVP if they had one.

 

Completely agree.

 

And other people saying they are worthless have apparently never run into any issues with a booking.

 

We booked with a TA on our 1st and 2nd cruise. 2nd cruise was Oct 2005 out of FLL. Hurricane Wilma blew through the morning of the cruise (we thought we'd be out to sea before she got there, but no).

 

Anyway, contacting the TA on a Saturday was fruitless. The people that had booked with a PVP had the BEST information of anyone. Sold me on PVP's from that point forward.

 

GP

[Flatbush Flyer]

Mine has helped me with various issues and saved me tons of time and frustration. Many questions that people ask on here or complain that they have to speak to multiple people or get different answers to could have been solved with one call to their PVP if they had one.

 

 

Again, with the caveat that discount Carnival's fares temper what a TA may be able/willing to share as extra OBC, a top selling TA can always get/give you more perks than a cruise line employee.

 

 

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[firemanbobswife]

Again, with the caveat that discount Carnival's fares temper what a TA may be able/willing to share as extra OBC, a top selling TA can always get/give you more perks than a cruise line employee.

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I had a TA (one that is part of this site) tell me Carnival caps the OBC TAs can give at $50. They actually sent me a check for it vs adding it to my account. Not to mention they were closed when a price drop happened and it was the last night before final payment was due. I booked too late for ES so it had to be done then.

 

Long story short it almost cost me around $400. Luckily I had called Carnival and got an excellent rep on the other end. She even tried calling, they had no back up number. Anyway she put a note in my file. The next day the TA was as nasty as they could be. Carnival gave me the OBC even though they didn't have to. That earned major brownie points with me. Now I only book through my PVP. I learned my lesson then and there.

[Flatbush Flyer]

I had a TA (one that is part of this site) tell me Carnival caps the OBC TAs can give at $50. They actually sent me a check for it vs adding it to my account. Not to mention they were closed when a price drop happened and it was the last night before final payment was due. I booked too late for ES so it had to be done then.

 

Long story short it almost cost me around $400. Luckily I had called Carnival and got an excellent rep on the other end. She even tried calling, they had no back up number. Anyway she put a note in my file. The next day the TA was as nasty as they could be. Carnival gave me the OBC even though they didn't have to. That earned major brownie points with me. Now I only book through my PVP. I learned my lesson then and there.

 

 

I'm afraid that TA may have been pulling your leg. While a cruise line may limit how much OBC can be paid out from "incentive/promotional funds" that line provides to a TA, it cannot limit what a TA may want to do with their commission. It's the sharing of that commission that adds to the efficacy of using a TA. As for reaching a TA when time is if the essence, your TA should provide a cell number, e-mail and/or 24 hr contact for whoever covers their clients when that TA is not available.

 

 

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[firemanbobswife]

I'm afraid that TA may have been pulling your leg. While a cruise line may limit how much OBC can be paid out from "incentive/promotional funds" that line provides to a TA, it cannot limit what a TA may want to do with their commission. It's the sharing of that commission that adds to the efficacy of using a TA. As for reaching a TA when time is if the essence, your TA should provide a cell number, e-mail and/or 24 hr contact for whoever covers their clients when that TA is not available.

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Could be. All I know is I wasn't impressed with their customer service at all. There was no one to take care of their business after hours as the whole place closed and everyone went home. When I asked about that the next day, they said it was my fault for not knowing this and they offered nothing to make it right. It was just a nightmare.

 

I know my PVP will answer or call me back night or day any day if the week. If he is away, he gives me the name of who is covering for him. As a last ditch emergency back up there is always the 800 number.