price reduction
Aug 7, 2018, 9:47 am
#1
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: south of WAS DC
Posts: 10,131
price reduction
wife bought a week(sep 23) in a suite from united on carnaval. the price was just cut in half over the weekend. who i contact to get the price i paid reduced? how i go about it? should i contact united or carnival
Aug 7, 2018, 11:09 am
#2
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: MSP
Programs: DL Gold, DL MM 8/22/16!
Posts: 2,563
When I had a somewhat related situation where I spotted a price drop, I contacted the agency where I'd bought the cruise (VacationsToGo). In my case it was a lowly inside cabin. They wouldn't give me any money back, but instead upgraded me to a window cabin and gave me some on-board-credit. I was happy with the deal as the original price I'd paid was already excellent. I know the agent went back to the cruise line to sort things out, but I didn't deal with them. Another later cruise I spotted a price drop and thought I'd go for something similar. No luck this time, the agent explained to me, as I'd passed the full-payment date.
I have to assume the results are pretty arbitrary and depend on all sorts of things. Some of which we will never know.
Hope someone has experience more specifically relate to your situation. But you might check the full-payment date and be sure to act before that.
I have to assume the results are pretty arbitrary and depend on all sorts of things. Some of which we will never know.
Hope someone has experience more specifically relate to your situation. But you might check the full-payment date and be sure to act before that.
Aug 7, 2018, 11:19 am
#3
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Hawai'i Nei
Programs: Au: UA, Marriott, Hilton; GE
Posts: 7,139
You contact the agency that made your reservation, in this case, United Vacations or whatever they are called.
Aug 7, 2018, 12:15 pm
#4
Join Date: May 2011
Location: San Antonio, TX
Programs: AA EXP, DL Silver, Global Entry
Posts: 1,863
You do realize you’re probably inside the final payment date and there’s a good chance you’ll get nothing or very little. The fine print in this case could be very limiting.
Aug 8, 2018, 12:53 am
#5
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Hawai'i Nei
Programs: Au: UA, Marriott, Hilton; GE
Posts: 7,139
I do have a friend whose TA was able to get her OBC and a cabin upgrade on Seabourn after final payment date when the price of suites drastically decline. A case of YMMV.
Aug 8, 2018, 5:12 am
#6
Join Date: May 2011
Location: San Antonio, TX
Programs: AA EXP, DL Silver, Global Entry
Posts: 1,863
Indeed it happens but the smaller luxury lines like Seabourn and Silversea are much more likely to try to accommodate passengers than the mass market lines. In fact Silversea has a fare guarantee program that extends any fare cuts to already booked passengers. Of course what they do is rather than cut fares they’ll throw in other incentives like free air or pre-cruise hotel rooms and those don’t automatically extend to booked passengers. When that happens I have sometimes been able to get something like a slightly offsetting OBC. Will be interesting to see what RCCL does with Silversea now that they control it as they’re bringing a whole different set of fare management practices. As you said YMMV.
Aug 8, 2018, 5:18 pm
#7
Join Date: Jan 2013
Programs: Mileage Plus
Posts: 186
It worked for me with Seabourn. I booked a cruise and months later talked my in-laws into booking. I cut and pasted the current Seabourn offer to show them and noted that the price had gone down. I called Seabourn and asked for the new deal and they gave me the lower price. I always book direct with Seabourn, don't know if that helps.
Aug 8, 2018, 11:22 pm
#8
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Hawai'i Nei
Programs: Au: UA, Marriott, Hilton; GE
Posts: 7,139
Randyk47 and I share the same travel agent (thanks to Randy's referral). She is able to offer 10% off Seabourn bookings. Since I have started to use her 1.5 years ago, I've saved around $7K. Thank you Randyk47
PS: I used to book directly with cruiselines, but these saving are too good to pass up.
PS: I used to book directly with cruiselines, but these saving are too good to pass up.
Aug 9, 2018, 1:26 pm
#9
Join Date: Jul 2009
Programs: Delta Gold, silver, what yr is it?
Posts: 2,417
Yep, we started using that TA (and my inlaws happened to book 2 Oceania cruises with them at the same time and used us as their referrals, so....) Spread the good cheer! [our Seabourn cruise is in just under 3 weeks and I am SO excited.]
Aug 16, 2018, 12:47 pm
#15
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: ATL
Posts: 802
Randyk47 and I share the same travel agent (thanks to Randy's referral). She is able to offer 10% off Seabourn bookings. Since I have started to use her 1.5 years ago, I've saved around $7K. Thank you Randyk47
PS: I used to book directly with cruiselines, but these saving are too good to pass up.
PS: I used to book directly with cruiselines, but these saving are too good to pass up.
I paid exactly $2k less than Seabourn was charging on one of their cruises a few years ago using www.cruisecompete.com