Online TA vs Carnival PVP ?

[UpstateCruizer]

After all the intitial craziness of deciding cruiselines/destinations/dates etc we have finally decided Carnival's Triumph is the cruise most appropriate for us. I keep reading all this info about Carnival offering frequent sales, doing price adjustments, on board credits etc. I also read the post about the nasty email from a travel agent regarding cancelling a booking. To be fair to the person we decide to book with I have a few questions. If we go with the online travel agent that has provided the best price for what we want and seems to have an outstanding rating is it unreasonable to expect the same price reductions that would be available to those who use Carnival's PPV's? Is it customary to keep an eye on such deals and to contact the travel agent to request adjustments? Is it better to book direct with Carnival's PPV knowing the prices usually come down with sales? Are these sales and adjustments the norm for cruises? I don't want to be unfair to any agent and want to be sure that by booking with one I'm not losing out on any potential savings. Any advice?? Thank you! Also a huge thanks to those that post on these boards .....I've gained a wealth of information in the past couple weeks. Information that has probably saved a travel agent hours of questions ;) I find that as much as a travel agent can offer information the absolute best comes from those that experience it first hand.

[jleq]

After all the intitial craziness of deciding cruiselines/destinations/dates etc we have finally decided Carnival's Triumph is the cruise most appropriate for us.

 

I use an online TA....have used the same person for years. Others here have used the same PVP for years. Both can do a good job for you as far as saving money when there are "price adjustments". At the same time you can get somebody [TA or PVP] that will do a lousy job for you. Some TAs/PVPs have never even been on a cruise. You don't appear to have the luxury I had to talk to a TA/PVP for some time..."feel them out", so to speak...before booking.

 

My only advise, if you find somebody that helps, is to stick with them. Granted, on some future cruises they might cost a little more. Then again, they might cost a little less. But the important thing is to have someone you know/trust "in your corner" when you have problems

[UpstateCruizer]

Thank you for replying :) I have talked with a PVP from Carnival who has called me twice but his quoted price was significantly higher than the online TA. I'm hoping to speak with the online TA after the holiday weekend. I do prefer to find one person and stick with them as we do love to travel. I'm praying that my husband enjoys this cruise immensely as I'm sure I will :) Thank you again!

[LHP]

Thank you for replying :) I have talked with a PVP from Carnival who has called me twice but his quoted price was significantly higher than the online TA. I'm hoping to speak with the online TA after the holiday weekend. I do prefer to find one person and stick with them as we do love to travel. I'm praying that my husband enjoys this cruise immensely as I'm sure I will :) Thank you again!

 

 

Once you get a firm price from the online TA ...make sure it is the "out the door" price (all taxes, government fees etc). If you would still like to use the PVP, I would just be upfront with them and say "hey, I am getting xyz price from an online TA, can you match it?" All they can say is no.

[Wennfred]

Like LHP said, tell the PVP youre getting a much better price with a T/A, they usually match it. As for me, I prefer dealing directly with the source, when the poop hits the fan, Carnival will not be able to help you since you booked with a T/A.

[DD]

I prefer dealing directly with the source, when the poop hits the fan, Carnival will not be able to help you since you booked with a T/A.

 

 

Well, actually, that's not true to think that the cruiseline will be more able to help you because you booked direct. When "it hits the fan", you're one person who represents a very small percentage of the cruiseline's annual revenue. I'm not saying that they don't value your business, they do. However, even if you're a very frequent cruiser, say 3 or 4 times a year, how does that compare to a full time cruise travel agent? I book 100s and 100s and 100s of cabins a year on the same cruiseline. Who is going to have more connections, more clout, more insight in helping you when "it hits the fan"?

[CrusinAgain]

I did learn a couple things about booking with Carnival directly or thru a TA.

 

TA's are not allowed to be lower than Carnival. The only thing they can offer is "perks". Make sure when you get the price that it is the same category and all taxes included.

 

If you don't book with Carnival, your TA always has to contact Carnival for any questions you have. Carnival will not speak to you since you are contracted with a TA unless the question is general in nature.

 

Also, you cannot look up your info online if you booked through a TA. So make sure that perk is worth it before booking with a TA. I know with Princess cruises TA's can go less, but not Carnival.

[UpstateCruizer]

I did end up booking today with the online TA that provided a quote through cruise compete. His agency rating was outstanding and his price was considerably less than the PVP at Carnival. I followed the advice from someone who suggested telling the PVP what I had been quoted to see if they could work something out. I had not contacted the TA at that point so all they had invested was the intitial quote. The PVP from Carnival was checking on the rate I had received to see if there was something he could do to match it. He sent me an email later that day and told me to go with the online TA as he couldn't get anything that good. So online TA's can beat the price and almost every quote received online did beat the PVP's quote.

[tef43]

TA's are not allowed to be lower than Carnival.

Not entirely correct. TA's may not advertise a lower price, but if you call and ask for a quote, they can and occasionally will beat Carnival's rate. All they are doing is rebating a portion of their commission, no big mystery here.

 

It's RCI that strong-arms the TAs and actually prohibits undercutting the price.

[CruzVinnieCruz]

We started to use an online TA and then the booking got messed up and we had to talk to Carnival to get things ironed out. The PVP convinced us to book directly with Carnival, because they price match and honor price drops we did and have for the last four cruises. The upcoming cruise is the first one the price dropped significantly and we called Carnival and they would not match it. They did give us a room upgrade but not that much of one besides we only sleep in it. To say the least we were disappointed, especially when the Carnival supervisor we talked to said we should have used a TA because they have more clout with Carnival.

[AdeleMc]

I have to agree with DD. A single consumer does not have as much pull as an agency that does a lot of business with Carnival. I move almost 2000 passengers a year on Carnival, so when I need something, I usually get it! Whoever you choose to work with, make sure it is someone you can trust to take care of YOUR concerns, NOT the concerns of the cruiseline. A GOOD TA may be hard to find, but they are out there and are invaluable.

[surfklutz]

Like LHP said, tell the PVP youre getting a much better price with a T/A, they usually match it. As for me, I prefer dealing directly with the source, when the poop hits the fan, Carnival will not be able to help you since you booked with a T/A.

 

I always book with an agent - who works as an agent FOR me. If I have any trouble - I simply call the agent and they work it out. This is especially helpful if you are having troubles along with the rest of the ship. Once, we had to end a cruise in a different port- and I simply called my agent to change my return air. You should have seen the absolute riot of people lined up to deal with the cruise line information deck. In a situation like that, you do not have preferential treatment because you booked direct. But you do have preferential treatment from your own agent.

[britishiles]

Once you get a firm price from the online TA ...make sure it is the "out the door" price (all taxes, government fees etc). If you would still like to use the PVP, I would just be upfront with them and say "hey, I am getting xyz price from an online TA, can you match it?" All they can say is no.

 

This is exactly what I did. The price I told the Carnival PVP was not including taxes or port fees. The PVP quoted me a price including taxes & port fees that was even cheaper than the price I had. So I saved over $150 per person.

 

The first two cruises I used a TA but didn't get the service I needed. In fact last year I booked the cruise and paid in full with a credit card then my credit card was hit for an extra $500 from a computer company in Florida. When I call my TA she had left the company and it took 2 days to get assigned a new TA.

 

I will probably always use a PVP myself. Seemed easier for me.

[Neals6]

:) :o I have also used both and I love my carnival pvp more than likely the price will drop and carnival offers the lower price. She is always on top of things and i have used her for years. A lot of times the online TA charges extra fees and the FINAL price is usually higher. I also got a lower price from an online TA and in the end had to rebook with my carnival PVP. Look at the bottom line.