Personal Vacation Planners

[cruisesformeandyou]

Instead of having a normal reservation agent, Carnival and Royal have "personal vacation planners." Does anyone have any comments about this? You contact one person instead of calling a reservation center and speaking to many different people. Is this good or bad? Do they work during the weekend and if not who do you call? WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS?:)

[big_duck]

Actually, Carnival has both. You can work with a PVP, or just call the 1 800 number and work with a regular agent (I think they refer to them as CVC or sumpin).

[Cotton]

My own personal experience with Carnival PVPs has been great. I've used two, but the last several cruises have been booked with the same one. I like having a working relationship with one person. She always finds some little perks for me, and I've never paid full price for any cruise since using her.

 

FYI to any newbies on the board - we aren't allowed to give the name or number of any booking agent, PVPs included. Can't ask for private emails for names either. (This question always arises.):)

[petro772]

As a first-time cruiser, I booked thru my "PVP". However, I had a question as to what to put on my Funpass pre-registration when it asked for the state of issuance for my wife's passport. There wasn't one listed. I e-mailed my PVP and asked him about it. His e-mail reply: "I don't know much about passports, but I've heard it's easier to get on board if you have one". Exact quote! Needless to say, he's NOT my PVP any longer! Everyone else I have contacted at Carnival has answered my questions and been very congenial.

[lindanick]

One of the most vital questions you can ask a PVP is: Have you ever been on a cruise? You will be surprised at the answer you get. :confused:

[cruisesformeandyou]

Is this the same w/ Royal Caribbean? What hours do they work?

[gr81]

Our PVP has changed 3 times in the last year. We never heard back from one, when booking so we just called the and talked to a "Carnival Vacation Specialist" (CVS). Worked out well, still got an extention to call if we had questions. The difference was, she answered and returned messages. We havent had the best of luck with the "assigned" PVP's we have had.

[big_duck]

when booking so we just called the and talked to a "Carnival Vacation Specialist" (CVS).

 

CVS not CVC thank you. :)

[gr81]

CVS not CVC thank you. :)

 

You could call the CVC but unless you are a member, I doubt they would be much help.;)

[CarribbeanTina271]

I have booked the last 4 cruises with the same PVP at Carnival and I have made a wonderful Friend, she is the Best, always seems to try to get me the best price, sends us little gifts on our cruises :) , She is just an AWESOME Person!!!

Tina

[Ilovefuncruises]

It's just the cruise lines version of a travel agent, difference is that you are always going to get the retail price except for any special sales that they might have going on. A travel agent can always get you the same deal if not better.

[Cotton]

quote=Ilovefuncruises]........ you are always going to get the retail price except for any special sales that they might have going on.

 

Five cruises w/the same PVP... I know what she can do and can't do. I'll repeat myself - I have yet to pay full price for a cruise since using her. Besides, she sends me a bottle of wine and other things.

 

A travel agent can always get you the same deal if not better.

 

Not always, Ron. However, I've had some good TAs in my many years of travel, and I think there are probably many good TAs out there. However, you can't make a blanket statement like that, because it just isn't true.

 

What works best for one cruiser may not work for another. BTW, welcome to the boards. Are you a TA?:D

[dan40]

Left out a choice. We deal with the owner of an online agency. Dozens of cruises without a hitch. And always well below any price from a PVP.

 

Dan

[halos]

I have had great service from on line agencies....wonderful TA's, knowledgeable and helpful and I stick with one through the entire process...unless like in my current case where I booked 16 months out & my TA was promoted to a different department. The newly assigned TA called AND emailed me to let me know of the switch and I have been dealing with her now and it's all been good.

[DqALEX]

My own personal experience with Carnival PVPs has been great. I've used two, but the last several cruises have been booked with the same one. I like having a working relationship with one person. She always finds some little perks for me, and I've never paid full price for any cruise since using her.

 

FYI to any newbies on the board - we aren't allowed to give the name or number of any booking agent, PVPs included. Can't ask for private emails for names either. (This question always arises.):)

I use carnivals PVP also. I feel I get the best price and perks. every little bit helps

[NRWO]

In my personal opinion, I think its best to book who you are comfortable with, unless price differences are so dramatic its of real significance. $30, $40 here or there, what's the big deal? If you enjoy working the person who has done you right before, and you trust them to get you the best vacation and the vacation you want, do right for them. Then again I never did buy into the "pinch a penny till it bleeds" philosophy.

[Djptcp]

I prefer to book our reservations online and not have to deal with anyone. I do enough background searching on a number of online booking sites, including the cruiseline websites, that I feel I am getting the best prices. Having said that, I will send email to the particular online agency if I want to change our dinner time or to check on a Guaranteed cabin.....I have done both recently. Before that, though, I have not had to communicate with anyone and found doing it myself to be very satisfactory. My niece is a cruise TA and she can never beat the prices I find onlne :D

 

I gave up on travel agents a long time ago when my mother and I found ourselves in Mexico trying to board a flight that had not been in existence for many months before theTA sent us our plane tickets. DH and I had ongoing "battles" (not really, but discussions) with one TA who insisted we couldn't do something when I knew we could and I wouldn't give up. She finally realized yes we could fly on a charter to Mexico and stay two weeks instead of having to return after one week. DH and I have lived all over the US and tried many different TA over the years until the Internet became our mode of making reservations about 9 years ago.

 

Holland America - 2004, 2006

Carnival - 1995, 1998, 2006, 2006

NCL - 1994, 1996, 1997, 2003

Royal Caribbean - 2002

[imn2trvl]

Too bad you gave up on travel agents!! Your problem was that you had a bad one...........just like you can have bad service with anything.

 

The great thing about the internet is that it allows the general public to be a lot more educated on destinations and choices. I'm a TA and I love it when a client comes in with some preliminary info and knowledge....not to cut down on time spent researching but to eliminate the choices the client doesn't want.

 

It's not that the internet uncovered some big secret about discounts. They've always been there. You just needed an agent that knows the ins-and-outs of finding them.

 

I'm glad you have had luck booking on your own. Plenty have not. I wish you could have seen the difference,last year during the hurricanes, between the people that had booked thru a TA and those that had not.

What a mess!!

[Guest YesitDonna]

I just booked a cruise today for June 5th Inspiration. I had called an online trael agent and spoke to a very pleasant and helpful man. He was able to get Carnival to hold a cabin for me for 24 until I heard from my friend if she could go. Today I called the Vacation planner from my email. I seemed to know more then she did. I would ask her what catagory and she would say... it's on the Empress deck. Ok great but what CATAGORY? There is more then one on the deck. Her prices ended up the same as the guy from yesterday but for an inside cabin instead of the porthole cabin. I called him back and booked through him. I think I would have had it been the same anyway because he was nice and seems to know what he is doing. After I booked through him he called me back and said he had just gotten me $40/person off from the price he quoted me yesterday! Thanks Billy!!

[NRWO]

I just booked a cruise today for June 5th Inspiration. I had called an online trael agent and spoke to a very pleasant and helpful man. He was able to get Carnival to hold a cabin for me for 24 until I heard from my friend if she could go. Today I called the Vacation planner from my email. I seemed to know more then she did. I would ask her what catagory and she would say... it's on the Empress deck. Ok great but what CATAGORY? There is more then one on the deck. Her prices ended up the same as the guy from yesterday but for an inside cabin instead of the porthole cabin. I called him back and booked through him. I think I would have had it been the same anyway because he was nice and seems to know what he is doing. After I booked through him he called me back and said he had just gotten me $40/person off from the price he quoted me yesterday! Thanks Billy!!

 

You may have gotten a trainee, possibly a newbie. It happens sometime when newly graduated trainees all hit the floor at once.

[hillbilly cruiser]

W ebooked our last cruise( leaving in12 days) with a PVP. This was my first time doing this and wll continue to do so. She was great and I think we have made a new friend that we have neber seen. We booked an inside gty and have a balcony on 8C. Not to bad.

[cruisesformeandyou]

After reading it appears a PVP is a travel agent but someone who works for the cruise line. I wonder if they are commission based like travel agents? What do travel agents think? Do you think they get paid like travel agents. Interesting.

[Cotton]

I'm not a TA, but I can answer that for you.

 

My PVP and I have discussed lots of things about Carnival over the past few years, and she said they work on incentives for promotions - no commission. The PVP I used before her was in her position as PVP for several years, then promoted to corporate office.

[BradleyPhiSig1997]

I used a PVP for my first 2 cruises (Jubliee and the Miracle), and she was great -- she even followed up after the cruise to see if we liked it. When I booked my upcoming Glory Cruise (Aug 19 Eastern Caribbean), it happened to be a Sunday and none of the PVPs were working, so I just booked with whatever rep answered the phone.

 

Should I call my regular PVP and get the reservation moved to her? Is that even "legal"? Is there any special advantage to having a PVP?

 

Any advice you have would be appreciated!

 

Thanks!

[Leo Jay]

[Nevermind, I wasn't really answering the question being asked...]