can anyone tell me how the Carnival Vacation Club works?

[salty dingo]

So let me ask you Salty dingo, you don't think that the Land Shore Certificates are not worth the extra .08 cents you are claiming?

 

Correct - I am focusing on the value of the cruise. I don't want or need a land-based vacation after taking my cruise (only so much time I can afford now, maybe different when I retire.) I think the air certificates are often pretty much worthless because they have expensive restrictions.

 

The perks are worth something, but again, I am focusing on the value of the cruise, which is the main point of joining the club. The other stuff is just fluff to me. An no, not worth $400 of my $5000 club fee. The value is going to the sales commission.

 

So, when figuring costs, I suggest we leave out airfare (some of us will drive of find cheap flights), and land vacations (which we may never be able to take), and even the unknown value of being the first in line and having another party onboard. Just look at how may points the cruise costs at 0.25 a point (not 0.17 a point) and then compare it with the sales and group discounts that are so easy to come by. I think in most cases the facts will show that CVC is not a better deal from a pure economical cost-of-cruise viewpoint.

 

I look for low prices, and I would be the first to jump onboard if there were truly a way to get cruises for less than I can get them for now. I already have an air certificate, and I know how they work. I would have loved to use it on my next cruise but it was cheaper to book two $198 fares than one fare that qualifies for the certificate.

 

If the numbers crunch differently for you, super! But for me they just do not work.

[Wennfred]

But Fred, you said on an earlier post that you bought 2 Silver packages...not one. So you spent $10,000.00.....not $5,000.00 right???

 

No, I only got 1 Silver, I think if you go back I stated that you are better off buying 2 Silver Memberships then 1 Gold, because with the Silivers you get more 2 for 1 air certs or 2 extra Land resort certs.. Something like that.

 

Fred

[Wennfred]

That is what I was asking Fred. You paid 800.00 (cruise) + 285.00 (port charges) per person for a 1a or 4a gty??? (which is all you said you book with CVC)

 

What your "example" also leaves out is are you comparing apples to apples when it comes to which ship you sailed (new or old....large or small)

It also leaves out when you are comparing sailing perk season or off season.

 

As you well know, you can't compare a 7 day on the Freedom with a 3 day on the Holiday. Folks should know that.

 

Those are Cat. 4a quotes, and on the Spirit Class ships. Mexican Riveria cruises are pretty expensive.

[Wennfred]

So, when figuring costs, I suggest we leave out airfare .

 

Thats pretty easy for you to say, you only live 1 hour or so from Miami via Air. We on the other hand live on the other coast, so Airfare savings to us and others that live in California is a big deal. :)

[mkshea]

We joined CVC last December. We used our points to book our May cruise on the Elation. We enjoyed the perks (Priority embarkation/debarkation, chocolate covered strawberries, discounts on spa visits).

 

Last week, I booked our next cruise. I booked an 8A GTY. Here are the actual figures:

 

Price per person from CVC: 3726 points

Price per person from Carnival: $954.06 (909.00 + 45.06 for taxes)

 

That figures out to be .256 per point. It looks like I'm getting my moneys worth!

 

I would normally book with Carnival, so I would have paid the 954.06 pp.

 

One of the reasons we joined CVC was for the perks and the land based vacation certificates. I have not use the certificates yet, but I have been looking at our options. There are some places that look really nice, but others that I would not book. I will research fully before I book.

 

I agree that this membership will work for some, but not others. So far, it has been good for us.

[LHP]

Those are Cat. 4a quotes, and on the Spirit Class ships. Mexican Riveria cruises are pretty expensive.

 

Wennfred, our family of four just cruised the Mexican Riveria on the Pride for $2,200.00 for a 5A. I don't think that is expensive at all. This was during Spring Break.

[ArizonaRalphie]

I cancelled my CVC as soon as we got home. It was a no brainer for us. Let me say this about all of you mathmaticians our there. "Figures never lie, but liars figure"

 

Ralph