Why did I get charged for 3 full adult rates on my April VGT?

[pyramid2000]

We only had 3 (vs 4) so a third room wasn't a good option or feasible. The rates I'm seeing right now aren't just for a 3rd child added, but for a 3rd actual adult. I honestly don't know if the rate was the same. I didn't book it online and didn't know any different. But everything I'm seeing now shows that a 3rd person isn't at the full rate.

Are you sure whoever booked it for you, since you didn't do it online, didn't just give you the full price and then split it 3 ways? They don't always give you the break down unless you ask.

 

[karl_nj]

I have been peeking at the *GT rates and everything I'm seeing indicates that the third adult to the room is offered at a lesser rate.

I've seen a quote (on NCL) where the price for the 3rd person was actually higher then the 1st/2nd passengers. Sometimes scenarios like this occur when the prices for the 1st/2nd are very low.

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

Are you sure whoever booked it for you, since you didn't do it online, didn't just give you the full price and then split it 3 ways? They don't always give you the break down unless you ask.

100000% yes! I'm VERY, VERY SURE. Absolutely 10000000% no doubt whatsoever. There is no other way to emphatically reply that this is not the case in this particular instant, although I understand what you are saying, but no. Most definitely not.

My CVP IS looking into this for me. I do not know what will come of it, all I know is that I have one of THE BEST CVPs who knows that I will book with her anytime that I can, because she is always available to me and helps me all the time. (Unfortunately, I could not get her to personally add the third adult to the reservation, she was already off duty by that time. Its the other CVP rep I talked to that I'm worried about! I should have waited and booked only with MY CVP...) In any case, mine did help me straighten out a major accounting error ON DCL'S PART AFTER MY CRUISE ALREADY OCCURRED but she still fixed it after the fact and so if anything can be done, I truly trust her to help.

 

[Zandy595]

I feel dumb for asking this question, but what is a CVP?

 

[Bear3412]

I feel dumb for asking this question, but was is a CVP?

There are no dumb questions, only dumb answers.

 

[lbgraves]

I think it is one of the CMs who answer the phone at DCL and book the cruise for you. I've never heard anything about dealing with one specific CM before this poster mentioned it a while back. I've always just talked to whoever answered the phone there and they've never referred to themselves as a "CVP" or said to contact them if I had any questions about our cruise.

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

It is Cruise Vacation Planner, and that is their title. When I email her and she emails me back, it signs with her name and CVP and her emails are from "CVP So-and-So."

On other cruise lines, they are called Personal Vacation Planners (PVP), but this is what they call themselves, I guess depending on the line. Its like your personal TA within Disney or another cruise line.

And mine has made everything happen for me since the beginning! Without her, I would not have gotten to go on the trip to begin with, she placed all our VGTs adjoining and connecting so we could open up our balconies even though there is no guarantee of placement with VGTs, she helped make sure to keep the surprise from our parents, and then helped straighten out a major accounting problem after the fact. Since then, she helped us with our latest reservations, got all our rooms next to each other, and is always an email away and with very quick response.

I know if anything can happen, it's because of her incredible customer service. She is tops for me, and a great reflection on the Disney customer service I have come to expect. It helps that she has an easy name to remember! Its unusual. Also, they have a direct extension so you can call them personally any time. You do NOT have to go into 'hold rotation' unless your CVP just isn't picking up or is off duty. But I have left her voicemails and gotten responses too.

 

[Zandy595]

I don't want to hijack your thread, but I'm very curious about the CVP's and I've never seen it mentioned anywhere else on the DIS. How do you "get your own" CVP, instead of a random CM?

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

Well, if you like who you get on the line, they give you their extension number and your email confirmations for reservations come from them etc. Frankly, she doesn't belong to me, but if you want her contact info, feel free to PM me. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to give it out on the thread,.but the more I can send her way, the better. I've had some stiff and sorta unfriendly CVPs, some that must have been new (because it put some Kathy someone from Wisconsin on our reservation! I wonder if they ever got a confirmation sent to them, that would be funny), and some that were trying to insist on adding tips to the normal rate as if that was just standard, others who were helpful, and then I have had my favorite. She was gone on ABD training for a while (I missed her!) but now she's back! So happy. So we shall see what happens with my complaint. Either way, she acknowledged it and has taken it to her managers to see what we can do about it. She is a person that gets things done and helps solve problems. I love to get emails from her!

 

[jahber]

I have been peeking at the *GT rates and everything I'm seeing indicates that the third adult to the room is offered at a lesser rate. Why did DCL charge me 3 full adult rates this year on our Dream Cruise? It was the first time I ever sailed with Disney, so I didn't know that the 3rd person got a discount. They said it would be the $540 plus tips and I didn't know any better. Now I'm irritated and feel like we over paid. I have contacted my favorite CVP rep about it, just in some kind of way to see an explanation. But I'm pretty well peeved. I want my $164 approx (That is about what the difference is) BACK to use towards the next cruise. NOT HAPPY.

This happens sometimes. On our Sept. cruise last year, all 4 of us were going to pay the same rate (I have 2 kids), so we just booked two rooms. Same price, double the space. And DCL kindly gave us connecting rooms as a bonus

 

[Meghatron]

I am sure your CVP is wonderful and has provided you with great service, but since many people, including newbies, read threads to learn information about DCL it's important to state that your CVP did not make your GT assignments other than indicating that your rooms are linked in the system, like any other party travelling together. CVPs DO NOT handle larger inventory control for GTY or *GT bookings. Plenty of people who use their own TA or no specific DCL CVP have received adjoining or connecting rooms when booking *GT rates; it's just not guaranteed as when paying rack rate and choosing specific rooms.

Sent from my Tricorder using DISBoards

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

Fair enough, but she does work incredibly hard to place all our rooms together when we are making reservations through her. If she wasn't able to assign them herself, I feel strongly that she added comments to whoever did to try and encourage us to get 3 VGT rooms all together. Deck 8 was pretty swell too! Regardless of however it came about, IT was awesome and SHE is also awesome.

 

[darkwing818]

I have been peeking at the *GT rates and everything I'm seeing indicates that the third adult to the room is offered at a lesser rate.

Why did DCL charge me 3 full adult rates this year on our Dream Cruise? It was the first time I ever sailed with Disney, so I didn't know that the 3rd person got a discount. They said it would be the $540 plus tips and I didn't know any better.

Now I'm irritated and feel like we over paid. I have contacted my favorite CVP rep about it, just in some kind of way to see an explanation.

But I'm pretty well peeved. I want my $164 approx (That is about what the difference is) BACK to use towards the next cruise.

NOT HAPPY.

Any Update Yet?

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

Well, I got her reply/acknowledgement on Friday and it's only Tuesday. But I will follow up with her if I don't hear back in a day or two. Whatever her response is, I will be sure to post.

 

[su_A_ve]

Weird indeed... It is possible that they had many staterooms but a high count of passengers - say if most of the already booked were with 3 - 5. They wanted more staterooms but not necessarily more people?

Looking for sample rates for March 6 3n Dream for example it gives me a discount on the 3rd adult for IGT, OGT and VGT rates:

IGT - Category $1,290.00
Guest 1 Cruise Fare $480.00
Guest 2 Cruise Fare $480.00
Guest 3 Cruise Fare $330.00

OGT - Category $1,335.00
Guest 1 Cruise Fare $495.00
Guest 2 Cruise Fare $495.00
Guest 3 Cruise Fare $345.00

VGT - Category $1,422.00
Guest 1 Cruise Fare $531.00
Guest 2 Cruise Fare $531.00
Guest 3 Cruise Fare $360.00

 

[su_A_ve]

Ok - so it varies per cruise... Look at the following for example: Feb 3 4n Magic:

OGT - Category $1,278.00
Guest 1 Cruise Fare $499.00
Guest 2 Cruise Fare $499.00
Guest 3 Cruise Fare $280.00

VGT - Category $1,402.00
Guest 1 Cruise Fare $549.00
Guest 2 Cruise Fare $549.00
Guest 3 Cruise Fare $304.00

Both rates have a higher rate for 1st and 2nd pax but a lower rate for the 3rd compared to the Dream itinerary I posted earlier. Percentages are indeed different...

 

[darkwing818]

Well, I got her reply/acknowledgement on Friday and it's only Tuesday. But I will follow up with her if I don't hear back in a day or two. Whatever her response is, I will be sure to post.

I suspect your CVP has turned this over to the folks in "Revenue Recognition" they usually take a couple days to research. Hopefully you'll hear soon.

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

So at first, she came back and said that management said that since the third adult was added later on, that the rates had increased at the point (was what management told her to say.) I dug up all my old email confirmations, the first initial one was for our reservation and it was time stamped 2:33pm. Then I dug up the next one showing the third adult and it was time stamped 4:25pm or so. A difference of two hours. I sent them both to her with a request to continue to move forward because I did not believe that there was an increase in about a two hour delay, and so she decided to do some digging. She pulled up similar multiple reservations for that sailing, and then she confirmed what some here had suggested: On that particular sailing, adults were the same rate, and a supplementary 3rd child would have been offered at a reduced rate. She had a very detailed explanation and really seemed to take the time to investigate it further rather than just relay a response from management.

I have learned a valuable lesson from this. Always, always check the rates first online yourself (which I do now) and don't just rely on the person on the phone. Than you will totally know what you are getting. I never expected anything that wasn't fair (to myself & DCL), I just wondered why others got a reduced rate, but I am learning truly that like most companies (especially vacation companies), well they aren't always consistent with their offerings, that is for sure.

Still, I'm happy with my immediate customer response from her many friendly and professional emails to my rather admittedly annoying multiple requests (hey, I know when I'm being annoying, but I want to be thoroughly convinced!) and I was, so I thanked her for her time and investigating and still feel magical about the whole thing.

So that's my update. I certainly know a WHOLE lot more now about booking DCLs than I did when I was a DCL baby in March!

Peace out!

 

[mmouse37]

Glad you got it an explanation to your satisfaction!!

MJ