Shore Excursion Price Protection

[notscb]

I'm currently having the go around with carnival guest solutions support over a clear case of "same shore excursion, same provider, same names mentioned in the reviews on the third party website as carnival's and same photos used, yet $30/per person higher price with Carnival" situation. I know Carnival and every cruise line marks up excursions as a money maker, but am wondering if anyone has had any success with the line's ""best price guarantee"?

 

For those that have had success with this guarantee program- what did you point out to them that tipped the scales in your favor?

For those of you who haven't, what happened?

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

I got the guarantee credit.  110% the difference posted as OBC (refundable).

 

All I did was send screen shots of the online booking pages along with the date they were taken and the website. Very easy. 

 

Of course.. this was for a cruise in July 2020, so I actually wound up with a full refund for the excursion anyway. 

 

They should tell you how it's not identical. 

[notscb]

1 hour ago, PrincessArlena'sDad said:

They should tell you how it's not identical. 

 

thanks for sharing your experience with it. They had shared that the one i linked to didn't include transportation to the actual excursion, but theirs doesn't either (even if it is implied). In every single way, the two excursions are comparable and even the names of the staff are the same in the reviews. I emailed them back to have them reconsider, but was surprised it was denied in the first place.

[Sailin_Pirate]

So you are saying Carnival is selling an excursion  implying they transport when they don't? Seems like something one can complain about

 

 

 

[Old Fart Cruisers]

Where are you finding a Carnival excursion that doesn't include transportation to the actual excursion?  I don't think I have ever come across this from Carnival. 

[wikoffclan]

In my experience, the Carnival Shore Excursion includes transport to the beach. If I book independently, I pay for the cab to the same beach. In order to be not confined by the shore excursion schedule, I book independently. When it all shakes out, I may pay more (or less) for the same product but I'm on my schedule not theirs.

[Sailin_Pirate]

4 minutes ago, Old Fart Cruisers said:

Where are you finding a Carnival excursion that doesn't include transportation to the actual excursion?  I don't think I have ever come across this from Carnival. 

Neither have I , but people that post vague messeges then add vital information later are usual being deceptive/leaving something out.

 

Carnival wouldn't be selling an excursion that says we transport then be like oppsie figure it out.

[cruisingTXfamily]

10 hours ago, notscb said:

 

thanks for sharing your experience with it. They had shared that the one i linked to didn't include transportation to the actual excursion, but theirs doesn't either (even if it is implied). In every single way, the two excursions are comparable and even the names of the staff are the same in the reviews. I emailed them back to have them reconsider, but was surprised it was denied in the first place.

I have successfully submitted 2-3 excursions under the guarantee and the guarantee has been honored each time. I only submit if the excursion includes the same time, activities, locations, amenities, etc. If an excursion does not include transportation from the port to the location of the excursion, I would consider it different enough for Carnival to legitimately not apply the guarantee. 

[notscb]

9 hours ago, Sailin_Pirate said:

So you are saying Carnival is selling an excursion  implying they transport when they don't?

 

No, i'm saying that Carnival is selling the same excursion I found online but denied it based on transportation, even though the excursion doesn't require formal transportation as it leaves from right next to the cruise port docks.

[notscb]

9 hours ago, Sailin_Pirate said:

but people that post vague messeges then add vital information later are usual being deceptive/leaving something out.

 

i don't think I was being vague or leaving anything out in my first post. For you to use this sort of language is disingenuous. 

 

The excursion on carnival and on viator share (as I mentioned in my first post):

-the same marketing photos

-the same staff names in the reviews

-the same locations, lunch, and actual activity provided

 

Carnival denied it saying there wasn't transportation provided by the third party and that the meeting location was unclear, when it is very clearly mentioned on the third party site.

 

[notscb]

7 minutes ago, cruisingTXfamily said:

If an excursion does not include transportation from the port to the location of the excursion, I would consider it different enough for Carnival to legitimately not apply the guarantee. 

 

I can understand that if the excursion is away from the port area (i.e. going to a specific beach club that requires a cab ride or ziplining which requires going to a specific spot in the forest or something). this one is directly in the port area and Carnival wouldn't need to provide any formal transportation other than walking us over to it or having their staff meet us when we get off of the ship.

[notscb]

9 hours ago, Old Fart Cruisers said:

Where are you finding a Carnival excursion that doesn't include transportation to the actual excursion?  I don't think I have ever come across this from Carnival. 

 

The excursion leaves from the same port area we're docking it (from what I can tell). The staff will likely just be meeting us there, kind of like some of them do in Nassau.

[cruisingTXfamily]

12 minutes ago, notscb said:

 

I can understand that if the excursion is away from the port area (i.e. going to a specific beach club that requires a cab ride or ziplining which requires going to a specific spot in the forest or something). this one is directly in the port area and Carnival wouldn't need to provide any formal transportation other than walking us over to it or having their staff meet us when we get off of the ship.

If you stated that in your original post, I overlooked it. If the excursion leaves directly from the port area and everything else is the same, it seems that Carnival should honor the guarantee.  I would point that out to them and ask once more for them to reconsider your request. 

[notscb]

1 minute ago, cruisingTXfamily said:

If you stated that in your original post, I overlooked it.

 

It's possible I didn't mention that detail specifically. The excursion is a snorkeling tour and it seems like it's right at the port area.

 

It's good to hear of others who have successfully gotten the guarantee. I didn't think it'd be an issue since every detail seemed to be the same down to the marketing photos and staff names mentioned. I'll definitely be emailing them again- customer service wasn't able to help via a phone call.

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

30 minutes ago, notscb said:

 

It's possible I didn't mention that detail specifically. The excursion is a snorkeling tour and it seems like it's right at the port area.

 

It's good to hear of others who have successfully gotten the guarantee. I didn't think it'd be an issue since every detail seemed to be the same down to the marketing photos and staff names mentioned. I'll definitely be emailing them again- customer service wasn't able to help via a phone call.

Could you tell us what the carnival excursion is, and where you're matching it to?  Then we could give you specific suggestions (either, what you can say to get it approved, or why you can't match).

[notscb]

5 minutes ago, PrincessArlena'sDad said:

what the carnival excursion is, and where you're matching it to?

 

Sure!

I don't know if it'll let me link it all on here,

but the Carnival Excursion is El Cielo Sandbar & Starfish Snorkeling Adventure

On Viator the tour is listed as: Cozumel Snorkeling Tour: Palancar, Columbia and El Cielo Reefs

 

 

[itching2cruiseagain]

23 minutes ago, notscb said:

 

Sure!

I don't know if it'll let me link it all on here,

but the Carnival Excursion is El Cielo Sandbar & Starfish Snorkeling Adventure

On Viator the tour is listed as: Cozumel Snorkeling Tour: Palancar, Columbia and El Cielo Reefs

 

 

If I am reading them correctly, the non-Carnival tour is meeting at the Cozumel Ferry Terminal. That is not right outside of the Carnival Port. That is approximately a 10-15 minute car ride. In my experience, Carnival provides transportation to and from unless specifically mentioned that it will not be provided.

Also the Carnival excursion includes lunch and I don't believe the other one does. 

[mz-s]

For example buying a day pass for Atlantis directly may be cheaper than an Atlantis excursion through Carnival because Carnival’s Atlantis excursion includes a bus ride from the Nassau cruise pier over to Paradise island. Those are not the same product so Carnival would be justified in declining that price match.

Edited November 23, 2022 by mz-s

[notscb]

23 minutes ago, itching2cruiseagain said:

That is approximately a 10-15 minute car ride

That could be the reason for their denial, then.

The third part mentions "snacks" but doesn't go into detail what that means or what's provided. I still don't know if $66 total for a 10-15 minute bus ride for 2 people justifies declining the protection when the activity itself and the provider appears to be the same.

[notscb]

22 minutes ago, mz-s said:

Those are not the same product so Carnival would be justified in declining that price match.

 

From a consumer perspective, I'd ague that product is much more similar than different when the actual activity being sold is the same. You don't buy an excursion for the bus ride there, you buy the excursion for what you do when you're there. Of course, I can understand where this would be "within reason," but in the Nassau/Atlantis example, a 5 minute ride over there doesn't significantly change the experience being sold IMHO.

[mz-s]

23 minutes ago, notscb said:

 

From a consumer perspective, I'd ague that product is much more similar than different when the actual activity being sold is the same. You don't buy an excursion for the bus ride there, you buy the excursion for what you do when you're there. Of course, I can understand where this would be "within reason," but in the Nassau/Atlantis example, a 5 minute ride over there doesn't significantly change the experience being sold IMHO.

 

I agree but this is how Carnival gets out of a lot of price matches. Another example is they’ll have tour guides offer their Carnival tours “with lunch” (which could just be a ham sandwich and a bottle of water) and the standalone tour doesn’t. Price match denied.

[notscb]

22 minutes ago, mz-s said:

Price match denied.

 

Yeah, the corporate nature of it all. I'm sure Carnival works hard, too, to make sure they are well aware of (and probably contract for) what excursion providers can and cannot offer via third party- otherwise they wouldn't offer this price protection in the first place.

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

By including transportation to and from the cruise ship pier, it isn't apples to apples.  You would need a cab to get to the meeting place for the viator option, which adds to the cost (though still a bit less than the Carnival one).

 

To be fair, it is justified for Carnival's price to be more than viator + cab combined, because you are also paying for the convenience of ship to tour service (though, I guess it is debatable whether that is something desirable, it is marketable, nonetheless).

 

For your: viator is $59 tour + $6 marine fee + $15 cab (estimated r/t) + $10 lunch (value of Carnival's lunch) = $90

Carnival = $89

 

So, I would say Carnival's price is fair.

[ontheweb]

In 2016 we had a price match for an excursion in Barbados. The excursion we matched said they would pick you up at your hotel. I contacted them, and they said that they would pick you up at the cruise ship. I included this in my submission. 

 

I do agree, however, that the transportation to the excursion site not provided by the company you want Carnival to match allows them within their rules to turn down your request.

[notscb]

7 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

I contacted them, and they said that they would pick you up at the cruise ship. I included this in my submission. 

 

Honestly, that's a pro-tip. Maybe I can contact them to ask about their transportation for folks coming in on cruises and see if they include it.