Carnival's New Early Booking Savings Program

Carnival Cruise Lines is launching an exciting new cruise pricing option called Early Saver which offers fares as much as 25 percent lower than the best generally available rates and provides rate protection if rates later drop below what the consumer originally paid. Early Saver further enhances the exceptional value of a Carnival cruise vacation. Early Saver rates will be available beginning January 12, 2009 and offered up to three months prior to sailing date for cruises of five days or less and up to five months prior to sailing date for longer length voyages, subject to availability.

Early Saver fares include all stateroom types, including suites. The Early Saver rate protection feature provides that if a lower Carnival advertised rate becomes available after the booking is made, a rate adjustment can be requested and the cruise line will issue the difference in the form of a non-refundable shipboard credit.

The lower fare must be for the same ship, sailing date, stateroom category and number of guests. “Early Saver is a fantastic savings opportunity for those who are able to plan ahead and book early,” said Ruben Rodriguez, Carnival’s executive vice president of marketing and guest experience. “It is designed to provide consumers with complete confidence that the fare they are booking is the lowest Carnival rate available and that in the event they find a lower fare later, they need simply submit a rate protection request and we will provide a shipboard credit equal to the difference.” When booking an Early Saver fare, consumers are able to choose a specific stateroom. The standard required deposit is immediately non-refundable at time of booking.

Any changes in ship or sailing date outside of Carnival’s standard penalty period require a $50 change fee. For changes inside the penalty period, normal penalties apply. To request a price adjustment, a rate protection form must be completed and emailed to Carnival. Consumers can access the form via the cruise line’s web site at carnival.com or their travel agent may complete the form via the cruise line’s travel agent web portal. The lower rate must be available at the time the form is submitted and rate adjustments will be processed within two business days. Rate adjustment requests can be submitted up to two business days prior to the cruise departure date.

Early Saver fares are available for both individual and group reservations. The Early Saver fare program will be available on virtually all Carnival ships and itineraries, which include voyages ranging from three to 18 days in length to The Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Hawaii, Panama Canal, Canada, New England, Europe, Bermuda and South America. The fares are subject to availability and certain restrictions apply. To book an Early Saver rate, consumers may contact a travel agent, call 800-CARNIVAL or visit carnival.com.

###
Carnival Cruise Lines, a unit of Carnival Corporation
& plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), is a proud member of the
exclusive World’s Leading Cruise Lines. Our exclusive alliance also
includes Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Cunard Line, Costa
Cruises, and The Yachts of Seabourn. Sharing a passion to please each
guest, and a commitment to quality and value, our member lines appeal
to a wide range of lifestyles and budgets. Together, we offer exciting
and enriching cruise vacations to the world’s most desirable
destinations.

now tina - are carnival cruises better than they were in the past? i went on carnival about 3 years ago and when i got off i said it was good for the price but i'm going back to rccl but i hear people talking about them and see they are launching new kinds of ships and just wondered if anybody had any experiences on the new ships. i know it's good for kids but i don't have any so i would like it from an 'adult' perspective if you know what i mean.

Pat, the last time I was on Carnival was back in 2005 for the Carnival Liberty Inaugural, and, I really enjoyed it. Carnival has grown up a lot in the past 10 or 15 years and, I've actually enjoyed all the Carnival cruises I've taken. Then again, when I sail Carnival it tends to be to locations where the party crowd isn't going to head such as Europe, Bermuda, etc.

From my experience (2005) and from client feedback, I'd say there is a huge difference between shorter sailings (3-5 nights) and longer ones (7+ nights) plus a difference between destinations (Caribbean/Mexico lean towards "party" atmospheres more than Alaska, Europe, etc.) as Tina mentioned above.

i didn't mind the party part. since i don't drink i'm a foodie. as you can see by my pic. but regardless of that, i do like my food and i found the food part low end. the buffet was a bunch of lines you had to stand in like there was a deli section then an asian section and a salad section. i do have to say the pizza section was the best. i think rather than stand in the other lines i just ate pizza. the dining room i was at a table of 12 so it was hard to get really good service and i ended up at buffet every night. and the ship decoration was garish. hey maybe i just complain too much.

Well, anytime the consumer can save some money...is good in my book! I think in the state of the current economy...we are going to see a lot of adjustments in cruising that will be in our favor. In return for rock bottom pricing always seems to bring out more onboard 'nickel & diming', however. (ie...more extra fee stuff)
It's a trade off...but whatever it takes to fill the ships.

I've only been on one Carnival cruise...it was a week long cruise on Valor.
Here are my thoughts:

I received the best price I've ever gotten on a cruise. (they even have a veteran's discount! How nice is that!)
I loved the dining room service.
I loved the food. As good or better than Princess and RCI on our cruise.
The ship design & layout was....interesting. I prefer RCI ships, however. RCI really builds elegant and exciting ships!
Some of the fellow passengers seemed...to not care about...ettiquette, or rules.
There were some things we didn't like...but overall, we got a very good deal for our money. Enough so that I would defininately cruise with them again.

Are they my favorite cruise line? No.
Are they good at what they do? Yes.

oh i have to agree with you about price. that is why i tried them. would i try them again? sure would. but i do like rcl and celebrity. there was a table next to me where everyone had on brand spanking new denim overalls. funniest thing i ever saw on a cruise. but then again, i've said before on celebrity we had a man dressed like a woman so it doesn't matter how much you pay, people will wear what they want and i don't think in this economy they're going to be turned away.

So if I'm reading this right, when our Carnival Magic group opens for booking, it might be up to 25% off the regular rate? And, what I'm a bit foggy on is what do they define as early? Do we need payment in full to qualify or ??

After looking around the Carnival site, I think I got a beat on things:

1. The deposit and payment terms are the same. However, Early Saver reservations require a full non-refundable deposit per person.
   
2. The discount rates ARE available to groups.
   
3. Name changes are NOT allowed
   

I agree with the comments being made here. In today's economy we will see a return of cut throat competition in not only the Cruise Lines but in Travel Agents in general. Prior to the kids (Mid 90's) we took two cruises and the deals and tactics were those you found at Car Dealerships. Be patient and shop and you will find the most bang for your buck!

Remember free Stuff is great! Hold out and it will come to you!
Use all resources available and take advantage of the experience and knowledge of this forum!

RKlein wrote:

I agree with the comments being made here. In today's economy we will see a return of cut throat competition in not only the Cruise Lines but in Travel Agents in general. Prior to the kids (Mid 90's) we took two cruises and the deals and tactics were those you found at Car Dealerships. Be patient and shop and you will find the most bang for your buck!

Remember free Stuff is great! Hold out and it will come to you!
Use all resources available and take advantage of the experience and knowledge of this forum!

Just for clarification - it is not the travel agents who stopped discounting cruises. It is the policy of most cruise line companies that prohibits travel agents from advertising discounted or rebated fares for the supplier's products. The goal is to protect smaller agencies from unfair competition by larger ones. Agents who violate this policy are placing themselves in jeopardy of losing the right to even book with the cruise line who's policy is violated.

so tina - what you are saying is when you go to a website where they compete for your trip they are giving back their commission and risking the ability to book with that cruise site? so why would they do that? is it that the cruise companies don't check? because if you saw a lot of cruises with the same obc wouldn't you sort of get who was doing it?

oesnjstar wrote:

so tina - what you are saying is when you go to a website where they compete for your trip they are giving back their commission and risking the ability to book with that cruise site? so why would they do that? is it that the cruise companies don't check? because if you saw a lot of cruises with the same obc wouldn't you sort of get who was doing it?

Pat there a few loopholes in the no discount policies and some agencies are really pushing their luck. Like anything else, there are always a few who spoil things for everyone. I wouldn't be surprised to see the cruise lines once again revamp the pricing system for TAs and do away with rebating completely. However, with this economy, I doubt it will happen anytime soon, the cruise lines need bodies on their ships!

another thing to note, some of those heavy discounting online agencies went out of business when the economy slipped last Fall, because they were operating on such razor-thin margins as a result of rebating so much of their commissions. Such closures left clients in a lurch. How would you feel if this is what you saw when you visited the website of an agency with which you had a reservation pending?

Quote :

[travel agency name] HAS STOPPED TAKING NEW BOOKINGS.
HERE IS SOME HELPFUL INFORMATION.
1. Call the Cruise Line to find out the status of your booking.
�� If they have your deposit and final payment received… then have them send your documents to your home address.
�� If they have your deposit and you have not been charged for your final payment… then make your final payment to them and have your documents sent to your home address.
�� If they have your deposit and you have been charged on your credit card but the Cruise Line has not received the final payment… then call your credit card company and “dispute” the charge. You may receive your money back and you can pay the Cruise Line directly.
2. Regarding travel insurance … please contact the insurance company directly.
3. Any financial loss may be covered by your travel insurance… your homeowners insurance… or your credit card insurance. We suggest you contact them.
4. You may contact us by U.S. Mail only.
E-Mail and phone calls can not be read or answered.

Good to know info!

well i only have this february trip fully paid for so far and i have confirmation from rcl that it's paid in full but i won't be booking that way again.

Ivanova wrote:

From my experience (2005) and from client feedback, I'd say there is a huge difference between shorter sailings (3-5 nights) and longer ones (7+ nights) plus a difference between destinations (Caribbean/Mexico lean towards "party" atmospheres more than Alaska, Europe, etc.) as Tina mentioned above.

With Carnival (and some other lines) typically the shorter sailings and sailings from small market ports (ie Charleston) are on their older/smaller ships and the longer sailings are on their newer ships. I recommend to clients, that with Carnival & NCL, they stick with the newer ships. In general they are a better cruising experience.