What is the advantage of booking online?

[brockstout]

I normally book online, but this time I need five rooms, and it is getting confusing.  Are rates the same if I use the telephone to book?

[cherylandtk]

Yes.  And any TA worth their name would love to help you with that booking and provide some OBC to boot.

[MCC retired]

5 cabins ?  A good Cruise Specialist TA will  do cartwheels for those bookings . Expect a $$$ thank you for booking in the form of OBC's and  Amenities , not to mention service .

[dmdiver]

We booked 4 cabins & did it by phone through Carnival.  The rates were the same as listed online.  You could book them in a couple of separate groups online yourself.  I suppose the only issue would be if a cabin you were looking at got snatched up while you were still working on booking one of the other ones.  When we did it by phone, I started a booking to see what cabins looked to be available, then told the PVP which ones I was interested in booking.  He was able to grab them all.  While I have booked through an outside agency before to get OBC, I don't like the fact that I have to always go through the agency for price drops, etc.  For example, if I see a price drop at 5:30am, and my booking agent doesn't respond until 9am, the prices could possibly change.  I know some TA's will have a cell to contact them, but I'm not gonna call someone at odd times when they could be asleep.

[PhillyFan33579]

I like to have total control of my booking from start to finish, so I always book all my Carnival cruises on their website. I have never had any issues or problems doing it this way.  The only time I call Carnival is to link bookings together and when ES bookings have price drops, which I personally haven’t seen for awhile now. 

[serene56]

carnival does not allow discounting.   so the price willbe the same if you book online  or by calling or speaking to any outside agents.

 

But by booking an outside agent make sure if they charge for fees etc.    Have someone explain to you the various rates and why that early savers is the cheapest rate

 

 

[ProgRockCruiser]

2 minutes ago, serene56 said:

carnival does not allow discounting.   so the price willbe the same if you book online  or by calling or speaking to any outside agents.

 

True, but:

 

Often an outside TA will offer up additional OBC, or something else like them paying the auto-grats, or some nice gift from the Fun Shops "free".  The cruise fare itself can't be discounted, but there can be other incentives, because the TA is getting a commission from Carnival.

[coevan]

Although the price might be the same, an online TA got us 2 Steakhouse dinners, $100 each leg of a B2B, a bottle of wine, and a big thank you.

[n6uqqq]

For me same price but my big box store got me a $285 dollar gift card and 200 OBC for my upcoming Alaska cruise. Odd thing is, their customer reps are more knowledgeable that Carnival's! And unlike a small agency the customer service is easy to get a hold of.

[moeferg]

I booked three rooms with a Carnival TA and got nothing...I guess I should have asked...

[ishap]

55 minutes ago, moeferg said:

I booked three rooms with a Carnival TA and got nothing...I guess I should have asked...

 

I think the TA everyone is talking about is a TA not working for Carnival.  I use the PVP at Carnival and he always helps me book the best possible room, but don't get me any extras that I've seen.

 

Benefits of using the Carnival PVP:

• They will make sure all your cabins are close together
• If you have underage kids traveling with you, they can help book the kids in their own cabin.  I was never able to do this online.
• They usually get you the dining time you want and can hook you up with a good table.
• Are available if you have any issue with your booking

I have used an outside TA and the prices for them are the same as booking directly with carnival.  Our outside TA did buy us an onboard gift the first time we used her, so I think any extra you get is either at their own expense, or maybe perks Carnival gives them?

 

While I can easily book online for just one room, I still call my PVP to help book.  He sometimes has unadvertised specials that he can get us.  If you need a Carnival contact, just message me and I can get you a name and number.

[moeferg]

Thanks for the reply