discounts?

[Kat]

Can anyone tell me about discounts for past crusiers? We have been on two with Carnival now and we were told that you can get discounts on future trips - what are we talking about as far as the discounts, percentage off trips? upgrades? ship credit? Do we just contact our travel agent (we booked the last two with Carnivals TA) - I have actually come across the same cruise that Carnival wants to book us a lot cheaper thru some of the websites: Travelocity and Expedia....can anyone enlighten me?

[phoebe]

Past guest discounts are not available on all sailings only on select ones. Right now the only past guest discount is on the Glory 10/30/04 and the Destiny 09/19/04. No new ones are out yet.
Travelocity and Expedia give you cheaper prices because of one and/or all the following
a. they haven't added tax
b. they charge you a processing fee
c. they're rebating commission Carnival pays them

[lpetchen]

From my experience dealing w/the Travel Agents, and Carnival themselves... the past guest discounts are only particular cruises and particular dates. It seems as though the spring/summer cruises RARELY offer any past guest discounts. You can go into the carnival website and look under "specials", then "past guest" offers to check to see what's coming up. Even when they advertised recently that "virtually every summer cruise" had the past guest discounts, the dates I wanted in mid-july or early august were NOT available. Kind of a bummer, I know. I had originally thought that you'd get a discount on any cruise you wanted, since you were a past guest.... NOT so. I've also rebooked another cruise using one of the internet agencies that was much cheaper than going thorugh a "bricks/mortar" TA. Good luck!

[JeanS]

Once you cruise Carnival, you get a subscription to their magazine...be sure to check it carefully, usually during the first few issues, they include a coupon for discounts on future cruises....

Happy cruising!