HELP - PVP or TA to book

[NightOne]

On 8/3/2019 at 8:26 PM, xitappers2bx said:

, but remember the TA works for you whereas the PVP works for Carnival.  So if you end up with a problem, then you won't really have someone with the incentive to go out of their way to help (nothing may happen, but the one time I've had an utter disaster occur my TA moved mountains to fix it, I highly doubt a Carnival employee would have been so inclined to do so.  

 

 

Exactly, the PVP works for Carnival so when you end up with a problem you can talk to ANYONE at Carnival to fix it vs having to talk to just that TA (or their agency). Also, guess what? The TA has to call Carnival themselves to fix a lot of these things so all you are doing is putting a middle man into the equation. A middleman who is purely in it for the commission vs the PVP who is not.

 

If you get a good PVP it is just like having a TA but with more control on your side.

[NightOne]

On 8/3/2019 at 9:21 PM, Lottacruises said:

I just book mine from the website. Never felt once that I wasn't able to get what I wanted. The perception that the best rooms are given out  by agents is wrong.

 

I know that all play around with OBC and pricing,  So those that mention OBC go where you feel you are getting the best deal.

 

 

 

I agree the best rooms aren't being held by anyone but the website only shows you 10 available cabins and there can be a LOT more available that you aren't getting to choose from without calling. 🙂

[NightOne]

23 hours ago, ray98 said:

 

 

They are both salesmen chasing a commission.....nothing more.

 

Not technically correct ... so yes there is more.

 

PVPs do earn more for more bookings but it is not a straight up commission type situation the way I understand it. Also, pretty sure the PVPs get paid a base salary too. (unlike almost all TAs in 2019).

[2wheelin]

3 hours ago, disfan13 said:

As a TA - I can apply the gift cards for you. A PVP will not monitor your rates - this far out there are always price drops. I monitor this for my clients. In many cases there's also an OBC offered by me. It's really up to you - how much time are you willing to monitor your rates? If issues arise - we have reps behind us to resolve etc. Not knocking PVP's, they are great but they work for Carnival, we work for you. At least the good ones do. 

Underlined is what I said earlier. I am not a TA so did not include the self promotion. Not sure that is allowed on CC since we can’t name TAs

[iheartmarshall]

On 8/3/2019 at 11:50 AM, jdemps said:

I often wonder why use a TA if it's so easy to book online.  Am I losing money on vacations?  We use the 10% off gift cards to pay for everything we can when we book online so if we use a TA, does it work out to be cheaper than booking online and paying with the cheaper gift cards?  anyone have any real world experiences?  We typically book a suite about 18 months in advance for 2 people during January, February or early March sailings lately out of Long Beach but next one is out of Fort Lauderdale.  Thanks!

 

I used to be a TA part-time and have actually booked clients on Carnival cruises before.  The gift cards, OBC, etc., TAs can also use and have access to. The difference is largely in the level of service you receive from a TA -- they can set up alerts for price drops, will stay on hold for an hour or more should something need changed in the booking, and they're there to help with any emergencies or last-minute issues that arise.  Essentially, TAs offer "peace of mind."

 

That said... I am no longer a TA and I would much rather book directly with Carnival.  Nearly every time I checked rates, what I could get as a TA was the same I could get on the public website (very few times did I ever see a cheaper deal as a TA for clients).  Also, as others have mentioned, if you book through a TA, they "own" the booking and you cannot call Carnival directly for assistance.  For some, that peace of mind of having others take care of your plans is worth it.  But for me?  I'm a control freak and would rather book directly.  🤷‍♀️

[jdemps]

1 hour ago, iheartmarshall said:

 

I used to be a TA part-time and have actually booked clients on Carnival cruises before.  The gift cards, OBC, etc., TAs can also use and have access to. The difference is largely in the level of service you receive from a TA -- they can set up alerts for price drops, will stay on hold for an hour or more should something need changed in the booking, and they're there to help with any emergencies or last-minute issues that arise.  Essentially, TAs offer "peace of mind."

 

That said... I am no longer a TA and I would much rather book directly with Carnival.  Nearly every time I checked rates, what I could get as a TA was the same I could get on the public website (very few times did I ever see a cheaper deal as a TA for clients).  Also, as others have mentioned, if you book through a TA, they "own" the booking and you cannot call Carnival directly for assistance.  For some, that peace of mind of having others take care of your plans is worth it.  But for me?  I'm a control freak and would rather book directly.  🤷‍♀️

I had no idea a TA could pay my balance down with a carnival gift card.  Now I know!  

If there isn't any cost advantage, I think i would rather just book myself too.  Appreciate the replies.  🙂

[Organized Chaos]

1 hour ago, iheartmarshall said:

I used to be a TA part-time

 

The difference is largely in the level of service you receive from a TA -- they can set up alerts for price drops, will stay on hold for an hour or more should something need changed in the booking, and they're there to help with any emergencies or last-minute issues that arise.  Essentially, TAs offer "peace of mind."

 

I am in no way trying to put you down for having been a TA in the past so I hope you don't take offense, but those are all things I would expect a TA to say about TA's.

 

Does anyone ever get put on hold with Carnival for an hour or more? Along those lines, a PVP doesn't have to be on hold with Carnival to change something because they are Carnival. If a TA chooses to make themselves available outside of normal business hours, it's no different than a PVP doing the same, which some do.

 

We used a TA once. Looking back, the only difference I see was that she did check for price drops, sort of. She only ever alerted us to one on her own, but we watched for them ourselves and had to tell her about a couple more. So she wasn't checking for them very diligently. We decided that there was no advantage worth using one again. There's good and bad TA's just as there's good and bad PVP's. The qualities you spoke of don't apply to all of them.

[iheartmarshall]

1 minute ago, Organized Chaos said:

 

I am in no way trying to put you down for having been a TA in the past so I hope you don't take offense, but those are all things I would expect a TA to say about TA's.

 

Does anyone ever get put on hold with Carnival for an hour or more? Along those lines, a PVP doesn't have to be on hold with Carnival to change something because they are Carnival. If a TA chooses to make themselves available outside of normal business hours, it's no different than a PVP doing the same, which some do.

 

We used a TA once. Looking back, the only difference I see was that she did check for price drops, sort of. She only ever alerted us to one on her own, but we watched for them ourselves and had to tell her about a couple more. So she wasn't checking for them very diligently. We decided that there was no advantage worth using one again. There's good and bad TA's just as there's good and bad PVP's. The qualities you spoke of don't apply to all of them.

 

No offense taken at all!  I am no longer a TA because of that same mindset (and my full-time job/career is just way more intense).  I just wanted to point out some differences that might cause someone to choose a TA, since the original comment seemed to question the need for one when booking online is so easy.  I never used a TA to book a cruise prior to becoming one because I am exactly like you and am proactive about my bookings.  However, I did enjoy helping others but still... In all honesty, there's not much difference.

 

I have used a PVP before though and had a good experience!  I don't have a set PVP but the few times I've called to upgrade or change a booking, everyone I've talked to has been incredibly helpful. 

[disfan13]

19 hours ago, 2wheelin said:

Underlined is what I said earlier. I am not a TA so did not include the self promotion. Not sure that is allowed on CC since we can’t name TAs

Thanks. I wasn't promoting myself, simply stating my opinion to the OP's post. 

[2wheelin]

6 hours ago, disfan13 said:

Thanks. I wasn't promoting myself, simply stating my opinion to the OP's post. 

Sorry, I may also have typed too quickly. I think it is allowed to identify as a TA as long as you don’t use your full name or email, or ask people to PM you. My bad.

I was probably in the wrong frame of mind since I did not agree with most of what you said as it relates to some (many apparently from reading CC) TAs. First, I am sure you are a good one since you pointed out the qualities of a good one but I have been forced to use one because of a group and there is NO help forthcoming. No OBC or any other incentive. When I asked her to check for a better rate than what she booked, she said I could call her if I found one. I can’t ask more than one question per email if I want answers and can only reach her on one of the four afternoons she is in the office.

[beshears]

My, oh my, thank you for the wealth of information everyone has posted here.  To say it is good, but in some areas, I am still confused, but that is OK.

 

I was with my son/d-i-l tonight, and since he works for the school district and has 7 boys, as you can guess, he doesn't have a lot of money, so it would be better for him to take off the Easter vacation time for the school district, so he wouldn't lose any vacation time.  I'm thinking of moving it up a couple weeks, instead of March 29th.  I'm just hoping since we are in KC, MO that we don't have ice/snow to strand us here.  I always take out insurance to cover us for flight and cruise.

 

OK, here is another question.  I thought (maybe not) I had mentioned that the large cruise office that my TA is with, some way or another, they do NOT promote Carnival, but all the other cruise lines, but my TA will get me information when I ask.  Here is my question, I know she does not stay with Carnival to see if the rates are going down.  Is this something that "I" would have to do until final payment?  I guess what I'm saying is, do PVP's always let you know when Carnival rates go down, or do "I" have to always watch for this?

[Organized Chaos]

5 minutes ago, beshears said:

My, oh my, thank you for the wealth of information everyone has posted here.  To say it is good, but in some areas, I am still confused, but that is OK.

 

I was with my son/d-i-l tonight, and since he works for the school district and has 7 boys, as you can guess, he doesn't have a lot of money, so it would be better for him to take off the Easter vacation time for the school district, so he wouldn't lose any vacation time.  I'm thinking of moving it up a couple weeks, instead of March 29th.  I'm just hoping since we are in KC, MO that we don't have ice/snow to strand us here.  I always take out insurance to cover us for flight and cruise.

 

OK, here is another question.  I thought (maybe not) I had mentioned that the large cruise office that my TA is with, some way or another, they do NOT promote Carnival, but all the other cruise lines, but my TA will get me information when I ask.  Here is my question, I know she does not stay with Carnival to see if the rates are going down.  Is this something that "I" would have to do until final payment?  I guess what I'm saying is, do PVP's always let you know when Carnival rates go down, or do "I" have to always watch for this?

 

Midwesterner here too. I think you should be ok in March as far as winter weather goes. Whether you go in mid or late March. Remember the old idiom about March...In like a lamb, out like a lion (and vice versa)? I think I use that every year, but I don't think too many people say it anymore. But even if you get bad weather at the time of your trip, the interstates should be in good shape. And in March, it doesn't usually stick around long.

 

Now on to your question. I have seen some people say their PVP's will watch for price drops for them, but I don't think many will. That's something you're more than likely going to have to do yourself. That is, if you book Early Saver. Price Protection only applies with Early Saver rates. You just do a mock booking as if you were going to book your particular cruise and see if the price has dropped for your exact cabin category. It has to be the same category in order to price match. If a category sells out, you can no longer price match, because obviously there's nothing to match to. But if someone in that category cancels, it'll open up and and you can price match again (unless/until it sells out again). Sometimes a particular category is available on more than one deck, so if you check the deck you're actually staying on and it looks to be sold out, it might still be available on a different deck.

 

I submitted a price match to Carnival a few months ago and they denied me. I was pretty sure their reasoning was wrong, so I sent an email to our PVP and within 45 minutes, our price was adjusted. So I'm glad we had him.

 

Since  your TA doesn't normally handle Carnival cruises, I'd be a little hesitant to use them if it were me. Since they aren't familiar with Carnival, they may not be able to help you as closely as you'd like. But you know them better than any of us, so that's something you'll have to think about.

[NightOne]

1 hour ago, beshears said:

 

OK, here is another question.  I thought (maybe not) I had mentioned that the large cruise office that my TA is with, some way or another, they do NOT promote Carnival, but all the other cruise lines,

 

Probably because of higher commissions for the TA. :)

[disfan13]

17 hours ago, 2wheelin said:

Sorry, I may also have typed too quickly. I think it is allowed to identify as a TA as long as you don’t use your full name or email, or ask people to PM you. My bad.

I was probably in the wrong frame of mind since I did not agree with most of what you said as it relates to some (many apparently from reading CC) TAs. First, I am sure you are a good one since you pointed out the qualities of a good one but I have been forced to use one because of a group and there is NO help forthcoming. No OBC or any other incentive. When I asked her to check for a better rate than what she booked, she said I could call her if I found one. I can’t ask more than one question per email if I want answers and can only reach her on one of the four afternoons she is in the office.

No worries - I promise you there are great TA's out there. There are also lazy / unethical ones.  I don't always offer an OBC or a gift - my service is what sells me :). 

[beshears]

Thanks for "explaining" in regard to my question about promotions/sales of Carnival rooms for TA's and PVP's, "if" they would go down in price.  I thought I had the right answer, but it looks like it has been confirmed.

 

Another question.  Is it the "higher the deck," the room cost goes up?  Also, would the center of the ship rooms, instead of the end rooms  the cost be more?

[Organized Chaos]

9 hours ago, beshears said:

Another question.  Is it the "higher the deck," the room cost goes up?  Also, would the center of the ship rooms, instead of the end rooms  the cost be more?

 

Usually the higher decks cost more, and the middle too, but there are times they don't, so you just have to look carefully. When you do a booking and get to the part where you pick a section (back, middle, front), look under the green buttons and it'll tell you if it's "Included in price" or it'll say it's so much more per person, per day. The same goes for when you click through to pick a deck, to the right of the deck number (next to the Select button) it'll tell you if it's included in the price or costs more. From what I've experienced, as cruises fill up, they'll start including sections and decks in with the price even though they cost additional before. They're trying to fill them up.

[tm_aw_love]

As was already mentioned, if you are concerned about the price, you always have the option to begin a booking (deposit) with a PVP or directly from the Carnival site, then transfer the booking to a TA. However, a TA will nearly always be able to add some sort of perks to your vacation, even if it is just a little bit of OBC.

[Jabee]

I normally book with a PVP. They are paid on booking a cruise.
I told my PVP I was going to switdh the booking to a TA, because they could give me $200 in OBC.,..a no brainer and my PVP agreed it was best for me, but told me it had to be switched within two weeks of booking, or you can not switch..

MY PVP said it would not affect her, as she had booked the cruise, so I take the best of both worlds.

BTW...I use cruise compete dot com to get the best options.

 

Edited August 8, 2019 by Jabee

[maryhou]

On 8/1/2019 at 3:25 PM, buddylover said:

This is completely correct.....however, one caveat, when you book with a TA, you lose the ability to deal directly with the cruislines.  Any and all changes, and sometimes even just questions, must be directed to the TA (who typically has shorter business hours vs. the cruiselines 24/7 hours) - which is why we typically book directly with the cruiselines and we don't use PVP's - you can call their general 800 number.  The only reason for us to use a TA sometimes is some extra "perks" offered (like OBC, pre-paid gratuities etc) which the cruiselines rarely offer.

we just booked today and I got $300 OBC and a tad better price that Carnivals PVP..... why can't Carnival just give us the perks?  

[Organized Chaos]

1 hour ago, maryhou said:

we just booked today and I got $300 OBC and a tad better price that Carnivals PVP..... why can't Carnival just give us the perks?  

 

You want Carnival to give $200-$300 worth of OBC to everyone who books through them? I think you answered your own question. 😉

[jbethel11]

11 minutes ago, Organized Chaos said:

You want Carnival to give $200-$300 worth of OBC to everyone who books through them?

Don't we all?

[beshears]

Just when I think I have things going through, my d-i-l and son (married to another d-i-L) throw in wrenches to what I'm trying to do. 😞 I have not received quotes back from the TA, and I know the longer I hold out, it seems like the prices are going up. 😞 Organize Chaos, I appreciate you trying to explain to me.  Are you saying "after" I put a down payment on the cruise, I can then go to the deck plans where the rooms are?  Or are you saying when I click on a deck and room "before" I put a down payment, it will say if this room is in the quoted price I see, or more/less? Sorry, I have cruised a lot, but trying to get rooms/decks, etc. for 8 people is not easy, as everyone seems to have their own opinion.

 

 

[Organized Chaos]

6 hours ago, beshears said:

Just when I think I have things going through, my d-i-l and son (married to another d-i-L) throw in wrenches to what I'm trying to do. 😞 I have not received quotes back from the TA, and I know the longer I hold out, it seems like the prices are going up. 😞 Organize Chaos, I appreciate you trying to explain to me.  Are you saying "after" I put a down payment on the cruise, I can then go to the deck plans where the rooms are?  Or are you saying when I click on a deck and room "before" I put a down payment, it will say if this room is in the quoted price I see, or more/less? Sorry, I have cruised a lot, but trying to get rooms/decks, etc. for 8 people is not easy, as everyone seems to have their own opinion.

 

I'm not sure if you're talking about price matching or your last question about whether or not higher decks are more expensive. Let me start with your last question (post #40). Usually the higher the deck, the more expensive it is. Or maybe the Middle is more expensive as opposed to the Front and Aft (Back). But as the cruise fills up, they might change that to try to fill up the ship.

 

When you're trying to pick a cabin before you actually book the cruise, each section of the booking process will show you if that part of the ship is included in the price or costs more. First you pick a cabin type, like Interior, Ocean View, etc. The first image below, I picked Interior as an example. Notice that a regular Interior is "Included in Price" but a Porthole cabin is $0.80 more per person, per day.

 

 

Then you choose which section of the ship you want. The Middle of the ship for the cruise I'm using as an example is $2.00 more per person, per day while the Front is Included in Price.

 

 

Then you get to the part where you'll choose which deck you want. Oftentimes, the higher you go, the more expensive the cabin. Here, any cabin on Deck 2 is Included in Price, but they get more expensive as you go up.

 

 

All of these can change as the ship fills up. For example, higher decks or the middle of the ship that started out costing more might be changed to be included in the price.

 

These are all costs that are in addition to, or included with, the base rate. The base rate itself often goes up as the cruise gets closer. Supply & demand, I guess.

[buddylover]

16 hours ago, Jabee said:

I normally book with a PVP. They are paid on booking a cruise.
I told my PVP I was going to switdh the booking to a TA, because they could give me $200 in OBC.,..a no brainer and my PVP agreed it was best for me, but told me it had to be switched within two weeks of booking, or you can not switch..

MY PVP said it would not affect her, as she had booked the cruise, so I take the best of both worlds.

BTW...I use cruise compete dot com to get the best options.

 

Small corrections - PVP's are not 'paid' for booking, they work on a point scale, not $$.  And you do have up to 30 days to switch to a TA, not within just 2 weeks, unless they have just changed this??  You are lucky to have a PVP that actually helps you, we have not used a PVP in years, we know what we want and we just call in to find out if the specific cabin/loc is available and then book it ourselves.  We occasionally use a TA if the 'perks' are worth losing control of our booking with the cruislines.

[buddylover]

12 hours ago, maryhou said:

we just booked today and I got $300 OBC and a tad better price that Carnivals PVP..... why can't Carnival just give us the perks?  

Not sure how you got a better price, TA's are not allowed to give pricing any different than what is offered via the cruislines.....what they can give is 'perks' which you snagged.  That is the only time I go to a TA - when the 'perks' outweigh losing control of our booking.  Our upcoming Med cruise, we got OBC, pre-paid gratuities, dining package etc through a TA, so I booked directly with the cruiselines and then transferred to the TA.  However, any and all changes, help, questions then need to be directed to the TA and that is not optimal to us normally (takes time for returned phone calls, and timing can be important sometimes - and more limited availability of TA's vs, cruiselines direct).  But, to 'each his own" and what is best for you is all that counts.