I have not been on a Carnival Cruise in 9 years and wanted to book one on the Carnival Glory for my son's 8th birthday. I have been to two different travel agencies and one will not book Carnival at all and the other said they were told to only book if the customer was insistent upon it. Both told me that it was because of too many problems with the line. We had a great time 9 years ago. I know I can book online, but I want to know....What's going on? Thanks!
Sounds to me like the TA's you talked to are going on old Carnival reputations and that they have never been on a Carnival cruise. I was reluctant to book on Carnival when we decided to try the Victory last Jan but I was very surprised and extremely pleased with our time on the Carnival Victory. We did back to back both east and west Caribbean. Our first week did have mostly college kids and was a little noisier and the crowd was a little messier but we still had a great time. Our second week the college kids were gone and the cruise was very pleasant and we had a great time. The crew did an excellent job and the food, service and entertainment were very good.
We liked it so much we are booked on back to back Paradise. If you want to try Carnival there are plenty of agents that will book you. I say go have some fun and give them a try you will have a great time.
By the way Carnival is not my favorite line but as I said I am booked on them again because I was so pleased with them and I have no doubt that I will enjoy my time on Carnival again.
Sounds more to me as though the TA is not getting the same commission from Carnival that he/she may be getting from another line. This could be the reason for steering you away from them.
We just got off the Fantasy last month. We've been on it many times but the rest of the family members on this trip had never been with Carnival. At the end of the cruise they all admitted they had better food, better service, and more fun than the other lines they've been on. Not that they've been on dozens, but enough to warrant a justified claim.
Although I have a cruise line I prefer over Carnival, I have done 3 Carnival cruises in the past 7 years. The first was good, the second great , the third (7 weeks ago) was fabulous. Your TA's do not know what they are talking about. I agree with Thomas, you are being steered away for the TAs benifit, not for yours. Get a new TA. Mone has no problem booking Carnival.
I have been on the old Carnivale, and The Paradise. I will sail the Holiday this coming September. The food was as good as any of the other 23 cruises. I will post a critque when I return from the one out of New Orleans Sept. 18.
Beginning in 1978, and as recent as last september, we have cruised on Carnival.
Mardi Gras, Celebration, Jubilee, Holiday, Destiny.
We have also cruised Norwegian and Dolphin.
We have been on good cruises, and great cruises, but never a bad cruise.
The Cruise industry is still a competitive market, and the passenger is still
the one who chooses where, when, and which ship.
Choose one, and go. Find a new T/A if you have to.
Someone is pulling your leg and methinks it is your " travel agent ". Like Thomas said, it sounds as though the T.A. may be wanting to book you on another line for reasons beneficial to him/her in the form of dollars.
Ask for a specific list of the problems Carnival is supposedly having. They didn't get to be the largest cruise line in the world by having hordes of problems.
Remember they own Holland America, Seabourn, Costa, Cunard and Princess.
The same thing happened to me. I walked into my ta's office and asked for cruise information for the week of October 18th. The ONLY brochure that she handed me was RCI. I asked her why she didn't give me any other books to look at and she said, "Because this is the line you want to sail with...I don't want to waste your time with the others." I was really going to follow her advice and book with RCI, but on a whim I looked at Carnival's website and saw that they were offering a tremendous deal that RCI couldn't touch. I took my business to the travel agency down the road and am booked on the Triumph 10/18. For all I know RCI might be better, but who cares. I'm not interested in ice skating or rock climbing on board. I just want to sit on my balcony and watch the ocean, eat too much, drink too much, see lots of beautiful ports, and come home with less money than I arrived with.
There is definately something going on. The TA we have used for the past 3 years has pulled the same stunt. We have spent over $25,000 with her in the past couple of years (in cruises and overseas tours) and she knows our loyalty to Carnival...however, this past year ...every time we went to book our Carnival cruise (4 in the past year alone) she has tried to get us to change to RCCL. When we booked the July 5th Holiday...she said "you don't want to do that. It is an old ship in horrible shape...I wouldn't sail on her". Well, we FINALLY talked her into doing the booking and we had a WONDERFUL time. (Such a good time, that we are going back on the Holiday in October).
Now I am sure other cruise lines are fine....but Carnival fills the niche we like right now. Our TA has lost our business....we booked this last cruise on-line because we don't need the hand holding anymore...we just need someone to book the cruise and send us our docs. I also emailed a contact I have at Carnival and reported the tactics of this TA and her agency....to let them know what is going on. I am not saying I won't ever go on another cruise line. But for now...it is Carnival who has the best value for what we want.
I would appreciate it if you all emailed me the name of the agencies who would not book Carnival for you. They are definitely NOT servicing you with your best interest in mind. I am guessing they have some kind of preferred commission structure with other cruise lines.
I just got back from a Carnival cruise and it was great. Excellent food, entertainment and service.
__________________
I am the editor, but I also speculate, ask questions and play devil's advocate. I reserve the right to change my mind.
I am a travel agent and never have I felt it my place to dictate who my clients should book with nor would I ever refuse to book a Carnival Cruise for someone. If an agent feels that a client is making a mistake (which would not include taking a Carnival Cruise) or going somewhere where they may get ripped off etc it is one thing to advise or make kind alternative suggestions, but to offer no valid explanation or to benefit from it is another. Don't give up on travel agents, there are plenty good agents out there. Good Luck. Gina
We came back from the Triumph in February and I have to say it was FABULOUS!
The ports were awesome, the food was great, and the cruise director was so FUNNY...
I think you'll have a great time!
And for the original poster....Sounds fishy to me that they say they won't book Carnival. Maybe there's no money in it for that TA but I have to say I've sailed 2 Carnival cruises (Sensation and Triumph) and am booked on the Inspiration for March and I haven't had any bad experiences with Carnival.
Ask for a list of the troubles cause I haven't seen any! And then tell them you won't give them your business and walk out and go to another TA that is open to whatever you want.
I booked mine online this time and last time but my very first one I used a local TA. If you know what you want then I would just use an online TA cause they will quote you on whatever line you want without a hassle.
I have been on eight Carnival Cruises beginning in 1992. I must admit that some of the earlier cruises had a few snarls but nothing major. I continue to use Carnival as overall I have always had a Fabulous time!
I say foget the TA and call Carnival direct. They can book it for you and answer all your questions as well. I used a TA for the first two cruises and have just booked with Carnival directly since then - most often they have the best price or are within $20 of others. I'd rather deal with the top man anyway - less chance for confusion or errors. And if you need a preview, order the video of the ship you are considering - its great and will give first-timers a heads up! I believe its about $8-10.
We really enjoyed Pride. The decor takes some getting used to but once you did, it was full steam ahead. the food was very good. David's was exceptional. I really can't say much about the entertainment as this was a full charter cruise and we brought our own.
The question of booking direct vs. using TAs has been discussed ad nauseum on this and other boards, and I know that it wasn't the original subject of this thread. But I still have to comment about one of the previous assertions made herein:
<<..forget the TA and call Carnival direct...most often they have the best price or are within $20 of others...>>
We'll be on our 8th Carnival cruise in Nov. I have always booked through a TA, but this time I did something a little different. I got a quote from the TA (a well-kmown cruise specialty agency), and I then called Carnival (special 800 no. for Past Guests) and asked for their price for the same 8B balcony on the same sailing date. I told the Carnival agent that I had a price from the TA and that I was just curious as to what CCL could offer us. I even told her what my TA had quoted.
Her polite reply was, "Take it." The best price that CCL could offer was $340 ($170 pp) more than my TA's discounted price. And this only an hour after I spoke with the TA. I do believe that some people can get better deals from the cruise line, but only because they didn't consult the right TA ( the one with the most volume and deepest discounts for that particular carrier). As usual, the bottom line is "shop around".
Hi everyone.... I just wanted to offer my opinion. We have salied with Carnival 11 times
and have enjoyed them all. We started out with the Carnivale, we were hooked on
cruising. The last two febuarys we have sailed on the Pride and it was a excellent
ship and excellent cruise. The rates are good and the cabins, food, servirce are just
excellent!! I think you need to check with some other travel agents. We are now booked
on the NCL Star for 10/2/04 but I think Carnival will always be number one for us.
We always use AAA, you dont have to be a member to book through them. You just cant get the AAA discount if one is offered. So if you have access to a AAA office, they are great to work with. Have booked two Carnival trips through them. Good Luck.
TA doesn't want to book Carnival
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