Carnival Simplifies Fare Structure in Latest Change

After months of promises, Carnival Cruise Lines finally consolidated its fare structure, reducing its number of core fares from six to three.

Carnival’s new fare structure will go into effect on Oct 31. The Fun Select Plus, Easy Saver and Instant Saver fare codes will be discontinued.

Fares available under the new structure include:
•    Fun Select, which features a two-category stateroom upgrade, fully refundable before final payment

•    Early Saver, which guarantees price protection with a nonrefundable deposit of $50

•    Super Saver, which is nonrefundable, with staterooms assigned by Carnival.

Last year’s uproar
Carnival faced an uproar last year when it complicated its fare structure by adding four new fare categories and changing two existing categories.

Agents told Travel Market Report at the time that the changes discouraged agents from booking their clients on Carnival.

Carnival said travel agent input was instrumental in its recent decision to simplify its fare structure.

Easier sales experience
“Based on input from our travel agents, we modified the core fare structure to include those fare codes that offered the customer value and choice,” said Brenda Yester, senior vice president of revenue management for Carnival Cruise Lines, in a statement.

“By offering three fare choices instead of six, it simplifies the decision-making process and makes the overall sales experience easier for our travel professionals and their clients.”

Carnival began soliciting travel agent input in earnest this summer, conducting a series of open forums with its executives.

The cruise line has implemented a number of changes as a result, including bringing back physical brochures for agents and reinstating a travel agent call-to-action in many of its TV advertisements.

It has even gave away hundreds of free berths to travel agents so they can familiarize themselves with Carnival product.

Making an effort
“They’re making a visible effort to connect with the travel agent,” said Ralph Santisteban, owner of Ralph Santisteban & Associates, a CruiseOne Franchise in Miami. “Some agents have been requesting simplification of the rate codes for some time now, and Carnival has stepped up to the plate.”

The cruise line’s outreach to agents through Carnival Conversations, along with its recent pro-agent changes, show that Carnival has started caring about smaller travel sellers, he said.

In the past, “if you weren’t part of a large consortium, you may have felt left out, and I think they’ve realized that they need everybody,” said Santisteban. “They need the travel agent community onboard – and not just the big guys.”