Cruises Only:Carnival, Bad feeling
marksol...@my-deja.com
recent experience with the travel agency Cruises
Only and/or Carnival Cruises. First the good
news, we're leaving this March 19th on the
Carnival Paradise, woohoo, so all is not lost.
This is our (my wife and I) fifth cruise, all on
Carnival. We generally travel with a group of
friends, from 8 to 18 people. We research and
book almost a year in advance, to get what we
want and a good rate. This year there are 4
couples going, including us. My wife and I got a
good price and good service last year from Sam's
Travel Club (part of the WalMart group). For
this year we were quoted a good rate by them also
(729.00+139.75port/per person, Cat 4D:Inside
Empress) for an assigned cabin. However our
friends also shop around and have agents they
deal with. This year we all went with an agent
from Cruises Only, partly because all of our
friends do not belong to Sam's Club (small fee)
and partly because they matched the price we were
quoted by Sam's Club. We were apparently given a
group rate, as evidenced by our tickets, although
I know we did not book enough rooms to qualify
for a group rate.
As many of you probably do, the closer we get to
our cruise date, the more information we start to
look for on our cruise. My wife was on the
Carnival website last night and found that they
were offering the same deck and category online
for 619.00 including port charges. This is a
difference of almost $250.00 per person, so I
thought I would pursue it. Having read on r.t.c
before that rate adjustments are possible we
contacted or agent to see if they would check
into it for us.
So my wife called our agent Virginia at Cruises
Only and in what I will politely call
an "unfriendly" manner, said that Carnival
doesn't do that (because they would have to
refund everyones money!) and that we could call
Carnival because she "wasn't going to waste her
time".
So I called Carnival and spoke to a sales
representative who informed me that only the
agent could call on such matters, because they
(Carnival) didn't have access to the exact
booking information.
So I called Cruises Only back and spoke to a
different representative, Jeremy I believe, and
explained the situation. He was helpful and
asked whom I had spoken to at Carnival.
Unfortunatley, I had not gotten a name or
extension. He pulled up our booking and said
that I would need to speak to someone in
Carnival's group booking department and that if
Carnival would not make an adjustment to call get
their name and extension and to call back to
Cruises Only and ask for a supervisor.
So I called Carnival back and spoke to Stephen in
the group booking department. He said that only
agents could make these type of requests and told
me noone in group bookings has an extension.
So I called Cruises Only back and asked to speak
to a supervisor. I explained the situation to
Laura, a supervisor, and after she checked our
booking number, told me that since we were booked
under a group rate we would not be eligible for
individual rates listed on Carnival's site. She
explained that as a group you recieve other
amenities. However, as I recall from last year,
when we actually booked enough to have a group,
there were no more group amenities being offered
by Carnival. It seems odd that individual
booking rates would be better than group rates.
So I quit, I give up! I will never again book
with Cruises Only. I do not fault Carnival for
this situation. That is my only satisfaction I
guess.
I would like other's, particularly you agents out
there, opinions on this situation. And yes I
know that a good agent would have either resolved
this or we would at least have an explanation to
satisfy us.
Mark Solberg
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
villa deauville
We used Cruises Only for a long time till they got too big.. We were
aways satisfied with their service. But along the way they got lost and
out of touch with the populace. On our last two bookings with them we
encountered rudeness, indifference, T/A not returning calls etc.
So, we just stopped using them.
SUNNY<..........wonders if the owners of these agencies or businesses
know how clients are being treated.
Direct2UDiscount
client. It is not important as to who needs to call, in my opinion, since the
commision is being paid to the agency, the agent should follow through and do
everything to resolved the situation. I apoligize for their behavior. Not all
agents are like this, in fact many go out of their way to work with their
clients.
Thanks,
Bill Wright, Travel Specialist
Direct 2U Discount Travel
Anita Lapeyre
call centers (who don't have time to deal with customers properly) in favor
of smaller agencies where service is still important.
Besides - booking a cruise shouldn't be a game of "who pays the lowest price
wins the game". The overall goal should be to pay a fair price and have a
great cruise that "works" for you.
Anita Lapeyre
www.cruisestravel.com
LaMer Cruise & Travel
UNIGLOBE InHouse
Direct2UDiscount <direct2u...@cs.com> wrote in message
news:20000315115902...@ng-cf1.news.cs.com...
Lunyma
It's not YOUR job to apologize for THEIR behavior... If YOU give good service,
then bravo for you, but if THEY give bad service, it's their problem and not
yours and you shouldn't feel that it reflects on you personally in a bad way...
Pam : )
Imagination 3/30/00
Ecstasy 9/4/00
Emerald Seas 6/83
Nordic Empress 6/93
Pinelands3
vowed never again to use large agencies. There is absolutely no reason
whatsoever that the agency cannot pass along that savings to you. Next time,
before you book, I would ask an agent up front if there is any problem with you
keeping a check on prices and if they come down, with your getting a refund.
If they say they can't accomodate you, move on. Too bad, if you had even
booked on your own directly with Carnival, Carnival could have given you the
reduction as soon as you called. We booked a cruise directly with Carnival
last September, and it was very last minute (6 days before cruise). We got a
fabulous rate, and even then, the reservationist at Carnival told me I should
feel free to check the rates each day until the day before the ship sailed, and
if the price had come down, to call Carnival and they would readjust the price.
The only advice I would give you now is to let go of the frustration and
aggravation, and just have a good time. And never give that TA your business
again. Have a great cruise.
MACE
customer.
We did a late booking on the Triumph last year and via a different T/A's
web site, saw they were offering a lower price for the same category we
booked. I then checked CCL's web page to verify, and just when I was
calling cruise.com, they called me to say a discount was coming my way.
When we shopped around for this year's cruise on the Voyager (always get
quotes from at least 3 T/As), we found a smaller agency than cruise.com
who beat cruise.com (hey, no advertising, damn it!) in price and booked
with the smaller folks, who volunteered that if prices go down, we get
the difference...we didn't even have to ask about this.
BTW, cruise.com was very professional and up front about not beating the
other agencies price (they suspect that agency was willing to give up
more of their commission than cruise.com was willing to part with), and
did no hard sell as to why we should still book with them or express
frustration in loosing the booking, and wished us a good cruise.
Six cruises to date, 3 upgrades, and no problems with any TA we have
used....do you folks follow the "3 strikes and your out" rule, or how
many chances will you give your T/A for booking your next cruise, if
they are responsible for a problem or offer bad service?
One minor B&M: out of the 6 cruises, only on the first one, did a T/A
leave us a gift in the cabin...the current T/A has already promised
us a gift basket, free coupons for on-board activities, and other
"goodies"...not that we always expect this, put a nice thought and
surprise.
In article <20000315131631...@ng-cb1.aol.com>,
CBenn92586
>there, opinions on this situation. And yes I
>know that a good agent would have either resolved
>this or we would at least have an explanation to
>satisfy us.
>
wished to hear.
When you book a group (8 cabins is a group with CCL) that pretty much does it
right there. Unless the whole group is re-booked they couldn't do anything for
you.
What normally occures in a situation where a price goes down and you want the
new price, is your agent cancels your old booking and re-books it again at the
same time. This only works if there is space available elsewhere on the ship
and/or there is no waitlist or anything like that. If this is not done when
there is space it is possible to lose the cabin completely and then your dead
in the water. This is easy to do woth one or two bookings and is done fairly
regularly. Of course it must be remembered that the new "deal" has to apply
(regional special, dates, cabin catagory, availablitly, etc.) to your booking
or it wont work at all.
I hope that your old agency will take you back and continue to give the service
you remember. Nothing is worse than going for the "deal" and leaving your old
dependable, hard working, and good agent in the lurch only to have it come back
and bite you later. Good agents like good customers.
Are n Eye
sorry to read about your problem with Cruises Only. If the rate for your
category has dropped in price, you can get the lower rate. All Cruises Only
has to do is call Carnival for a rate adjustment. The difference will be
credited back to your credit card. If Cruises Only refuses to get you the
rate adjustment, call the sales dept at Carnival and tell them the problem
your are having with your agent. When the agent calls for a rate adjustment,
the cruiselines are glad to make the adjustment. There is no excuse for the
way you are being treated. I hope the rate is still at the lower rate for
you. Good Luck.
Roy
<marksol...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:8ano11$bca$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
> I would like other's, particularly you agents out
> there, opinions on this situation. And yes I
> know that a good agent would have either resolved
> this or we would at least have an explanation to
> satisfy us.
>
> Mark Solberg
J.R.S
I don't know if the Cruises Only you are talking about is a national chain.
My fiancée contacted Cruises Only here in the Orlando area for a honeymoon
cruise info. They never sent any info he requested. He called a second time
and nothing. This was months ago and to this day we have not received a
thing. On the other hand, he left a msg. with another TA (works out of her
home) and the by the next day we got info in the mail. Needless to say, we
booked our Sept cruise with her.
Gina
villa deauville
was cruising with a female friend and when we arrived at the ship
(Celebration) we were informed our cabin had been changed.When we put up
an argument we were escorted to the office of Carnival and the
information was fed into the computor. It was discovered that Cruises
Only had lumped us in with a group (which we were not) and so moved us
out of our cabin. It was still on the same deck but further from the
elevator we had opted for. We made a call to Cruises Only and was
informed by a agent "I cant help you, your T/A is not here".
Carnival gave us a 10% off future sailing whichI never used.
SUNNY<.......Never went back.
raf...@gci.net
This is kind of a live and learn or live and cruise deal. We just returned
from a cruise with CCL last week (group rate) booked 8 months in advance
through a TA and received every discount that was applied up to ticket
time. We didn't have to ask for discounts or upgrades. They are applied
automatically. Whether your TA passes them on to you is the question. I
think your probably right about the excuse of not looking into it. But as
for a group not receiving discounts is wrong. That's what group rates are
all about. We been on 3 group cruises and received all discounts applied
to them. We were notified of every discount as well. A good TA can go a
long way in making sure you get what your entitled to. Better luck next
time and thanks for the info on Cruises Only.
Tim
>
thecruiseguy
took one time. Being a cruiser befor and after I started my agency, I
can see both sides. First, Carnival pays 15% of the total fare less
port taxes. If you book a $750.00 cruise, the agencies commision is
$112.50. You asked for more discounts so lets say they cut thier
commision in half{not unusual to get your busines}. That comes to
$56.25 commision to the agency, unless your dealing with the owner, the
agents portion of the agency commision can be as low as 20%, thats
$11.30. What kind of service are you going to get for this? It may
sound like I'm being hard on you but I'm just trying to put everything
in its proper perspective. Discount cruise agencies do offer great
pricing but usually at the cost of service. Remember, best price does
not also mean best service. Shop around by all means but stay away form
the boiler room type agencies.
* Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet's Discussion Network *
The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet - Free!
jobe...@my-deja.com
that ours was completely different (of course, they are a network of
what once were independent agencies, that were bought up I believe)
When we first started looking for our cruise (Grand Princess, 1/21/01),
I sent emails to probably 7 or 8 different online TA's, as well as
stopping in to see our local TA. Of the group, we got replies from 5.
Of the 5, our local TA was THE WORST as far as service & pricing went
(she quoted me the price straight out of the Princess brochure, with no
discounts, etc. & said that 'Princess doesn't discount'). Good thing
I'd been reading the NG because I found out otherwise! Of the 4 online
TA's, 2 responded with 'thanks for your email, call us & we'll see what
we can do for you' (canned response email--I had listed specific
information I was looking for)--we pretty much knew where & when we
wanted to sail, it was a matter of line & price.
The Cruises Only TA sent me an email listing all available options.
When I emailed her back, she recommended 3 lines, we chose Princess
because of the services, and I requested a quote for a PH Suite. She
had the quote & room # available for me the next day, and her price was
10% below Princess' EBS for the cabin.
When I called to book, she answered all my questions, and everytime I
come up with a new one, if I don't get her right away, she always calls
me back. I've emailed her questions, and she's called me back.
I'm extremely pleased with her--but I think it's just luck of the draw.
Beth
marksol...@my-deja.com
not necessarily expecting to get an adjustment. How it was presented
was as an excuse for not even looking into it. I suspect part of the
reason is that Cruises Only booked us as a group. We did not attempt
to get a group rate this year because we knew we would not be booking
enough cabins to qualify. Two years ago we did book enough cabins to
qualify and one member of our group had to sign a group contract which
outlined our responsibility (maintaining at least 8 cabins) and their
responsibility (a one hour cocktail party, maybe something else, but I
don't really remember). I will venture a guess and say that there will
be people on board the ship this year under the same group name that we
have never met before.
Your response seems to imply that we shop around prices with different
agents and that somehow we did an injustice to the agency that booked
us last year by not booking again with them. Not accurate, and I
disagree.
At this point in our cruising career we are "easy" customers. The
first cruise my wife and I took we used and very much appreciated the
services of a full service cruise agent. She directed us to the type
of ship we might like, a route that may work and answered a lot of
questions we had. She made it a much better experience for us. Before
we book now we know exactly what ship we would like to go on, what
route and what date. We book in excess of 300 days in advance. The
only request we make of our agent is that we get current pricing on two
or at most three categories of cabin. This takes our agent maybe two
minutes. We do not "bargain" with agents trying to get a better price.
I very much appreciated the service our "limited service" agency gave
to us last year. In fact I asked our booking agent if we should refer
another couple that we knew were going to book the same agency to him.
He told us that he would be happy to take the booking but that it was
not necessary because they did not work on any type of commission. I'm
pretty sure the Walmart chain will not hold it against us for booking
with someone else. If it was a local agency or one that had a
financial benefit for us booking with them we certainly would have
rebooked with them.
Debra R. Monahan MCC
>One minor B&M: out of the 6 cruises, only on the first one, did a T/A
>leave us a gift in the cabin...the current T/A has already promised
>us a gift basket, free coupons for on-board activities, and other
HI THERE MACE:
It probably isn't that your TA's are not thankful for your business.... but now
that everyone is discounting to compete (by taking commissions out of their own
pocket) they can't also buy gifts.
Nowadays most agents spend dozens of hours researching trips that the customer
buys from someone else for a buck less. When a TA makes the occasional booking
(where they probably had to cut their commission to get that sale) ... there is
often not much left to pay salaries and over-head. Do you have any idea how
many agencies have gone out of business in the last few years due to these
tactics?
Thank God... Sometimes a cruise line will offer something complimentary like
shipboard credit or have special onboard coupons that an agent will send to a
client to use. That is usually the only way to get extra's (except for the
occasional unexpected upgrade that happens for umpteen reasons). Oh... I
forgot.... If someone does book a longer, more expensive cruise at or near the
going rate... they will usually receive a gift. These are the only bookings
that you can afford to send something extra for.
So... in a nutshell..... You can have the travel agent cut their commission to
give you a super deal..... or..... you can pay the going rate and get a nice
cabin gift. My guess is that you got a gift for the first cruise because you
paid at or near the going rate. Your first TA actually had a buck or two left
to get you a gift. Please don't flame me. These are the facts and this is the
"new wave" in cruise bookings.
My name is Debra... I am a Cruzaholic & Jags Fan!!!!!!!!
marksol...@my-deja.com
appreciated.
Okay, it bugged me too much and I called Carnival. The better rate was
not available at the Carnival site tonight so I only did it for my own
peace of mind. And I got an answer. Not the one I would have liked,
but at least a satisfactory explanation.
I spoke to a representative in group sales. At first, when I explained
I was a guest and not an agent she informed me that she could not
discuss anything with me, only with my agent. When I told her my agent
was not giving me a satisfactory explanation she agreed to hear me out,
but politely explained that she may not be able to answer. I explained
the situation to her and she was able to answer.
She said that group policies and individual booking policies and
allocations are completely separate. She explained that group rates
and individual booking rates are two separate structures and not
necessarily applicable to each other. Okay, this I understand.
She implied that it was possible to get adjustments on group rates (not
based upon changes in individual rates) but only before final payment
is made. I assume these type of adjustments would be because an agency
negotiates a better group rate with a line, or some such scenario.
This, I understand too.
I appreciate the satisfactory explanation I have been given.
I am somewhat disappointed because as I stated earlier, we did not book
a group but were "given" a group rate. If we had individual bookings
this the lower rate would have been honored. This is per Carnival
sales line: rates can and would be adjusted right up until the date of
sailing! I will make it a point to not be put into a group in the
future. Live and Learn.
Debra R. Monahan MCC
group rate was better than the going individual rate. This is usually the
norm. However, Carnival did not fill this ship to expectation and had to drop
rates at the last minute. Bam!!! Your great group rate was no longer the best
rate.... but you were stuck. This is the gamble we take in this crazy cruise
pricing game. It usually doen't work that way though. Sorry that it happened
to you this time, but it probably wouldn't the next time. Bon Voyage!
Debra Schroeder
As you've already come to the conclusion - you aren't going to book with
Cruises Only again I won't belabor the point. A few thoughts: group
rates generally are better than individual rates, however there have
been times where individual rates are better and we TAs have complained
till our faces have turned blue as it negates the whole point of having
a group. Often as you've found out, the rates are reduced closer to
sailing especially if the ship is not selling as the cruise line hoped
it would.
On Carnival there are many amenities that could (emphasis on the word
could) come with a group rate. Each agency selects what amenities they
want the group to receive. It sounds as if the first time you cruised
and had the numbers to receive a group rate but didn't get amenities is
because you booked with Sam's Club. Both Sam's and Costco for some
reason only do individual rates vs groups. Not sure why but had a
client come to me from there because of this. But now that I'm more
intrigued, I think I'll call in the am and find out.
--
Debbie Schroeder
Days Off Travel
1-877-580-0861 (toll free)
http://www.daysofftravel.com
marksol...@my-deja.com wrote:
> We were apparently given a
> group rate. My wife was on the
> Carnival website last night and found that they
> were offering the same deck and category online
> for 619.00 including port charges. This is a
> difference of almost $250.00 per person,
JCrui0922
Were you aware that cruise.com is comprised of Cruises Only, Cruise One,
CruiseMasters, Cruises, Inc., and a myriad of other companies? This is a mega
agency website!
Sherrie in Nashville
www.c...@justcruisinplus.com
800-888-0922
JCrui0922
>My fiancée contacted Cruises Only here in the Orlando area for a honeymoon
They are one and the same!
JCrui0922
Cruises Only is a part of Travel Services International that was just purchased
by Airtours. cruise.com is also owned by TSI.
Uf Tukel
Travel Services International does own Cruises Only, Cruise One, Cruise
Masters, Cruises Inc, and Cruise Outlet of the Carolinas (formerly
cruiseoutlet.com), but they do not own Cruise.com
Cruise.com is owned by Omega World Travel.
JCrui0922 <jcru...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20000316081935...@ng-fh1.aol.com...
> >Some large T/As (I'll call cruise.com a large T/A)
>
> Were you aware that cruise.com is comprised of Cruises Only, Cruise One,
> CruiseMasters, Cruises, Inc., and a myriad of other companies? This is a
mega
> agency website!
Uf Tukel
International.
JCrui0922 <jcru...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20000316091256...@ng-cd1.aol.com...
Debra R. Monahan MCC
great thing for them. Give it a couple of years to smooth over with all the
new changes.
Pinelands3
>future.
Wow, what you've related here is quite interesting. I didn't realize you could
be put into a "group" without realizing it. For future reference, how do we
know if that is happening to us? I certainly would rather be able to get the
discounted price should it go down, which seems to happen alot lately. Perhaps
TA's need to give the clients two choices: one price to be put into a "group"
and one price as an individual booking. You weigh the pros and cons, and
decide which you want to book with? If you choose the later, you may pay more
initially, but later on be entitled to a discount should the price come down.
I guess it would be a gamble, but I would hate to be "locked" into a rate that
had no chance of being lowered, especially in today's cruise climate where
prices are dropping like flies. I hope this trend continues into early next
year, since we're booked on the Victory for March 2001.
MACE
dmona...@aol.comnojunk (Debra R. Monahan MCC) wrote:
> G
> >One minor B&M: out of the 6 cruises, only on the first one, did a T/A
> >leave us a gift in the cabin...the current T/A has already promised
> >us a gift basket, free coupons for on-board activities, and other
> >"goodies"...not that we always expect this, but a nice thought and
surprise.
>
> HI THERE MACE:
>
> It probably isn't that your TA's are not thankful for your
business.... but now
> that everyone is discounting to compete (by taking commissions out of
their own
> pocket) they can't also buy gifts.
>
> Nowadays most agents spend dozens of hours researching trips that the
customer
> buys from someone else for a buck less. When a TA makes the occasional
booking
> (where they probably had to cut their commission to get that sale) ...
there is
> often not much left to pay salaries and over-head. Do you have any
idea how
> many agencies have gone out of business in the last few years due to
these
> tactics?
I use a $100 PP price difference as a threshold when considering what TA
to use, re: booking, after I get quotes.
After we just booked, another online T/A offered us a cheaper booking by
$60 for the entire cruise, no PP, saying we could spend that $60
difference on shore excursions. Many emails went back and forth till I
finally said the $60 difference wasn't enough to have me drop the other
TA's booking (this TA forgot that in my original email, I said I was
shopping, and besides, he was the last to reply to email when I
originally sent one out on the cruise.marketplace NG). I said that since
he replied late, I already had a booking I was comfortable with, price
wise, but he still wanted to price the cruise...he did, I said he didn't
have to, no offense to other TAs, but this one got downright nasty when
I said I wouldn't book with him...jerk!
>
> Thank God... Sometimes a cruise line will offer something
complimentary like
> shipboard credit or have special onboard coupons that an agent will
send to a
> client to use.
Yep, that is the case with our current booking.
That is usually the only way to get extra's (except for the
> occasional unexpected upgrade that happens for umpteen reasons). Oh...
I
> forgot.... If someone does book a longer, more expensive cruise at or
near the
> going rate... they will usually receive a gift. These are the only
bookings
> that you can afford to send something extra for.
>
> So... in a nutshell..... You can have the travel agent cut their
commission to
> give you a super deal..... or..... you can pay the going rate and get
a nice
> cabin gift.
Rather have the super deal, appears in the past you could have gotten
both at times, though.
My guess is that you got a gift for the first cruise because you
> paid at or near the going rate.
Yep, was a rookie then, used a T/A that did our corporate travel, never
questioned the price.
Your first TA actually had a buck or two left
> to get you a gift. Please don't flame me. These are the facts and this
is the
> "new wave" in cruise bookings.
I see no flame bait in this at all...have no worries.
>
> My name is Debra... I am a Cruzaholic & Jags Fan!!!!!!!!
>
>
Debra Schroeder
blocked group space. One way to tell is if the price they offer is
considerably lower than any other agencies. This usually is a big tip.
Many agencies block space well in advance, a year or so that way we can
offer rates much lower than other agencies. Another tip is if there are
amenities to the rate: are they offering you shipboard credit, cocktail
parties etc. If so, then you're booking into blocked space. Another
tip, the megaagencies do this frequently and don't always give out
amenities despite the blocked space.
Before you book always ask if you are paying individual rates or if
you're booking into blocked space. And if rates should be lowered for
individual rates if you can change your booking. An agency that wants
to keep your business will happily accommodate you.
--
Debbie Schroeder
Days Off Travel
1-877-580-0861 (toll free)
http://www.daysofftravel.com
Cal Ford
vary from time to time and from Cruise Line to Cruise Line. An
experienced agent will always discuss your booking process with you and
explain the subtle differences and how they may affect you downstream.
If they don't then ask them to. Carnival seems to have the most
restrictive Group policies followed by Royal Caribbean. In my opinion
only....
Cal Ford
Lido Deck Cruises
Debra Schroeder
I believe that most consumers are value conscious as they should be.
Everyone works hard for their money and for some, a vacation comes only
once a year if that often. As an agent we should respect that and be
accommodating. I want clients for the long term vs the short run: great
service and prices help.
--
Debbie Schroeder
Days Off Travel
1-877-580-0861 (toll free)
http://www.daysofftravel.com
Ian wrote:
>
> Really, Debbie...are you saying you want value-concious clients?
>
Charlotte Hall
carnival and for me that is the only way to go. their customer service
is fantastic. on the first cruise in april 99 i was originally booked in
a category 4 inside on riviera deck for $982 pp. about 4 weeks before
the cruise i called to check pricing and there were cat. 9 lido deck
cabins going for $732. these were great cabins right next to te pool.the
customer service rep said no problem. she re-booked us for lido deck and
a $500 credit was immediately applied to my mastercard. no hassles at
all. i really like carnival but i would be more inclined to try another
line if i could book directly instead of through an agent.
CBenn92586
Who ever that is. duh
You can cancel your cruise anytime within a couple of months of sailing at no
penalty and then re-book or not, your choice.
Most cruise lines will let your agent make any changes they want prior to final
payment anyway. Trust me, it happens all the time.
plai...@my-deja.com
Thank you all!
Pat
gono...@my-deja.com
Of all the responses to Mark's comments yours
comes closest to reality.
Unfortunately, the competition, internet, Sam's
Clubs, etc, turn this into a used car business.
Yet clients demand not only the "lowest price"
guaranteed! BUT service as well. Something's
got to give, you can't have it both ways. But
the "boiler room" agencies are usually the most
knowledgeable, best educated, highly trained and
experienced cruise experts around. They are open
the longest hours/days and have more clout with
the cruise lines when push comes to shove and
helping clients with problems or unusual
circumstances. Like the time I got Holland
America to put my clients on a sold out ship and
waive penalties for cancelling their original
cruise so they could go to their son's funeral,
& got them upgraded as well. Miracles do happen
and we "boiler room" agents are still expected to
go the extra mile for our clients.
It's amazing that Mark doesn't fault Carnival for
price swings and last minute "k-mart blue lite
specials". If he had been just an individual
reservation then we "mega agencies" can usually
get the cruise lines to honor lower rates... even
just 3 days from sailing; but groups..no way!
Mostly cause in the past some agencies would get
the group rates reduced within 2 months of
sailing (when penalties start at 70 days) and
keep the price difference inhouse. So the cruise
lines said "no more" will they lower prices on
groups within penalty time frames. The cruise
lines don't have to, what are you gonna do,
cancel your cruise when you are in penalty, of
course not.
Maybe this group will book with you next year;
after 4 years of time consuming research on
ships, cruise lines, destinations, and then they
shop me to death, demanding upgrades, and
generally being more trouble then they are worth,
I'm over it.
And now I find my name and company splattered all
over the internet, misquoted and completely taken
out of context by someone I didn't even talk to.
I completely agreee with your comment, "best
price doesn't mean best service", but JOHN Q
PUBLIC seems to thing they are entitled to both!
Virginia
In article <0d37d126.5f9b8b7f@usw-ex0107-
050.remarq.com>,
thecruiseguy
gono...@my-deja.com
policies. You talk like you might have been a TA at one time but you
are certainly not one now or at least not one that deals with the
cruise lines.
You cannot, repeat, cannot get a rate reduced w/ Carnival's group dept
once you are within 2 months of a 7 day cruise and certainly NOT within
1 week of cruising! They used to do this but discontinued last year
due to over abuse of the group discounts and ammenities.
SO I would be very careful telling anyone on an open forum such as this
that they can get Carnival to reduce the rates unless you personally
work for Carnival's group dept.
As a cruise specialist travel agent, I work with them on a daily basis
and know for a fact they have changed their policy and will not lower
rates on groups that are within the cruise lines penalty time frames
(usually 60 days on 7 days cruises).
Please verify your facts before you give someone advise!
Va
> sorry to read about your problem with Cruises Only. If the rate for
your
> category has dropped in price, you can get the lower rate. All
Cruises Only
> has to do is call Carnival for a rate adjustment. The difference will
be
> credited back to your credit card. If Cruises Only refuses to get you
the
> rate adjustment, call the sales dept at Carnival and tell them the
problem
> your are having with your agent. When the agent calls for a rate
adjustment,
> the cruiselines are glad to make the adjustment. There is no excuse
for the
> way you are being treated. I hope the rate is still at the lower rate
for
> you. Good Luck.
> Roy
>
> <marksol...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
> news:8ano11$bca$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
> > I just needed to express my disappointment in my
> > recent experience with the travel agency Cruises
> > Only and/or Carnival Cruises. First the good
> > news, we're leaving this March 19th on the
> > Carnival Paradise, woohoo, so all is not lost.
> >
> > This is our (my wife and I) fifth cruise, all on
> > Carnival. We generally travel with a group of
> > friends, from 8 to 18 people. We research and
> > book almost a year in advance, to get what we
> > want and a good rate. This year there are 4
> > couples going, including us. My wife and I got a
> > good price and good service last year from Sam's
> > Travel Club (part of the WalMart group). For
> > this year we were quoted a good rate by them also
> > (729.00+139.75port/per person, Cat 4D:Inside
> > Empress) for an assigned cabin. However our
> > friends also shop around and have agents they
> > deal with. This year we all went with an agent
> > from Cruises Only, partly because all of our
> > friends do not belong to Sam's Club (small fee)
> > and partly because they matched the price we were
> > quoted by Sam's Club. We were apparently given a
> > group rate, as evidenced by our tickets, although
> > I know we did not book enough rooms to qualify
> > for a group rate.
> >
> > As many of you probably do, the closer we get to
> > our cruise date, the more information we start to
> > look for on our cruise. My wife was on the
> > Carnival website last night and found that they
> > were offering the same deck and category online
> > for 619.00 including port charges. This is a
> > difference of almost $250.00 per person, so I
> > thought I would pursue it. Having read on r.t.c
> > before that rate adjustments are possible we
> > contacted or agent to see if they would check
> > into it for us.
> >
> > So my wife called our agent Virginia at Cruises
> > Only and in what I will politely call
> > an "unfriendly" manner, said that Carnival
> > doesn't do that (because they would have to
> > refund everyones money!) and that we could call
> > Carnival because she "wasn't going to waste her
> > time".
> >
> > So I called Carnival and spoke to a sales
> > representative who informed me that only the
> > agent could call on such matters, because they
> > (Carnival) didn't have access to the exact
> > booking information.
> >
> > So I called Cruises Only back and spoke to a
> > different representative, Jeremy I believe, and
> > explained the situation. He was helpful and
> > asked whom I had spoken to at Carnival.
> > Unfortunatley, I had not gotten a name or
> > extension. He pulled up our booking and said
> > that I would need to speak to someone in
> > Carnival's group booking department and that if
> > Carnival would not make an adjustment to call get
> > their name and extension and to call back to
> > Cruises Only and ask for a supervisor.
> >
> > So I called Carnival back and spoke to Stephen in
> > the group booking department. He said that only
> > agents could make these type of requests and told
> > me noone in group bookings has an extension.
> >
> > So I called Cruises Only back and asked to speak
> > to a supervisor. I explained the situation to
> > Laura, a supervisor, and after she checked our
> > booking number, told me that since we were booked
> > under a group rate we would not be eligible for
> > individual rates listed on Carnival's site. She
> > explained that as a group you recieve other
> > amenities. However, as I recall from last year,
> > when we actually booked enough to have a group,
> > there were no more group amenities being offered
> > by Carnival. It seems odd that individual
> > booking rates would be better than group rates.
> >
> > So I quit, I give up! I will never again book
> > with Cruises Only. I do not fault Carnival for
> > this situation. That is my only satisfaction I
> > guess.
> >
> > I would like other's, particularly you agents out
> > there, opinions on this situation. And yes I
> > know that a good agent would have either resolved
> > this or we would at least have an explanation to
> > satisfy us.
> >
> > Mark Solberg
JCrui0922
>once you are within 2 months of a 7 day cruise and certainly NOT within
>1 week of cruising!
gotten rate reductions after final payment. The first time I ran into CCL not
reducing a rate was on a Millennium cruise. When I raised a question about it,
I found out about the policy. When I mentioned that we had received
reductions, I was told that those had been done on a case by case basis and
that the policy was going to be more rigidly enforced in the future. That they
have done.
Virginia's post is correct. Once final payment is made, a rate reduction is
NOT automatic, even if the T/A calls and asks for it EXCEPT - cancel the old
res, pay penalty and rebook at the lower rate.
Chalrie
Debra R. Monahan MCC
>price doesn't mean best service", but JOHN Q
>PUBLIC seems to thing they are entitled to both!
>
>Virginia
>
You go Girl! Hey Virginia.... tell Greggy Poo I said Hi. This is your good
ol' CCCL rep Deb Monahan agreeing with your statements. I do not know if you
saw a post that I made some time back defending you against this complaint....
but this complaint did not hold water.
The consumer now wants to have 20 agents (contacted over the phone and
internet) researching the same cruise and then book with the one who quotes $5
buck less. Then they want an upgrade, champagne, and your first born child.
When I was an agent... I sometimes had consumers wanting deals that I would
have actually lost money on.
I have seen people flat out say that they don't think that agents should get
more than $25 for booking their cruise because it can't be that much work. If
only they knew. Besides, even when a client calls and knows what they want....
since when did they get to decide what the cruise line pays you. They don't
realize that most of your days are researching cruises that aren't even booked
and when you occasionally pop one... it all doesn't even go to the agent. In
fact, you are lucky to get 20% of the commission (which may be only 16% of the
fare minus the port charges and THE DISCOUNTS/REBATES). The company retains
the rest to pay for salaries and overhead. An agent is lucky to actually close
approx 2-3 out of 10 phone/walk-in inquiries. Internet inquiries will be
significantly less than that. If my numbers are off for you Virginia...
remember I am making an approx statement. Of course aggressive veteren agents
might close a few more.... but not much more.
Keep up the good work AS THEIR IS STILL ROOM FOR GOOD AGENTS. And there are
still a few out there who will not mind paying well for great service and
knowledge.
Debra R. Monahan MCC
huge deals and then still get a gift and upgrade... or ... the consumers who
have 20 poor agents working on the same cruise booking...
This was not meant for all consumers or everyone on this newsgroup. There are
so many of you who seem to have got it. Many of you have posted that you
indeed have no problem allowing an agent to make a buck and have no problem
paying a little more for a good agents work and customer service. Also... many
of you who do want the most incredible deals seem to be willing to take the
time to research the cruises yourself instead of sending 20 agents on a wild
goose chase.