quote:

Originally posted by bbrj887:
I went to listen to the plan. It was offering 20% to 40% off selected cruises. It also offered vacations for 7 nights (land tours) for only $299.00 (I think for two persons) You could add more people if the resort would allow. It started from $3,900 up to $9,800. There was a service fee for every 3 or 4 years. I remember the $3,900 was for 2 land vacations and discounts on cruises. We did not buy because we felt it was only pre-paying for the cruise and the land part there was not enough selections for the resorts. The resorts were mostly in the USA.

We have sat through the presentation twice. (on 2 different ships) because I wanted to make sure I was really hearing what they were saying.

The bottom line is that the cruises cost you a little more than you can get them book them on the Internet. However, if you are not a Platinum member and the VIP Check In and Debark is worth it to you...the Bronze package is cheaper than booking a Cat 11 or Cat 12 for the priviledges. People who have a few cruises under their belt (for whom this perk is worth it) are buying the Bronze for $3,500.00 and (since you still get the perks whether you use your points to sail or use cash money)...they enjoy these perks while building up the number of cruises. By the time their CVC perks expire, they have 10 cruises (which makes them Platinum members) which gives them the VIP Check In and Debark.

Basically what Carnival is doing is "selling the Platinum" perks for $1,000.00. *which is the amount of money you lose on the Bronze package* So if VIP Check In is worth $1,000.00, then this is the plan for you.

Well I sat thru the presentation eight or nine times with different friends all who also purchased a package of some sort. And If you find the price cheaper on the internet, The Vacation club beat the price by a very decent amount.
It is real funny how people DON'T hear what is being presented to them. It's like the old kids game tell them a story and by the time it gets a
to the last person it is nothing like what was said to the first person. It is not just the perks that people pay for it's the prices, service, vacations at 5 diamond resorts. I was already a Platinum member prior to buying the package. and the benefits are far Greater!

Perfectly Stated!

quote:

Originally posted by Cpresti246:
Well I sat thru the presentation eight or nine times with different friends all who also purchased a package of some sort. And If you find the price cheaper on the internet, The Vacation club beat the price by a very decent amount.
It is real funny how people DON'T hear what is being presented to them. It's like the old kids game tell them a story and by the time it gets a
to the last person it is nothing like what was said to the first person. It is not just the perks that people pay for it's the prices, service, vacations at 5 diamond resorts. I was already a Platinum member prior to buying the package. and the benefits are far Greater!

Sorry, but I can not allow such a misrepresentation to pass. The ONLY perk you get from being CVC as opposed to Platinum is a free party and that is ONLY if you are sailing on a ship that has a CVC office. If you want to pay $1,500.00 for that one party than go right ahead. But 80+ people furious, in just 6 months, that could not find those wonderful 5 star resorts is not "some story". It is fact.
And getting that Sheraton "resort" for the same price by any Joe Blow off the Street...is FACT.

Anyone who thinks that a State's Attorney General banned the sale of these programs to their residents because they were such a good deal....only proves there is a sucker born every minute.

quote:

Originally posted by Cpresti246:
Perfectly Stated!

Thank you...I thought so!!!

Cpresti246 either works for I.C.E. or he is just the idiot they want to sign on.

The only misrepresentation is the ones you put in your heads!
enough said.

Calling people names only shows the lack of intelligence you have. I don't work for I.C.E. or Carnival. I just think the deal is great and so do many of my friends. Like I said in a previous post, You make up in your heads what you hear.. Listen to the facts and process them as they are. And by the way I am a female..

quote:

Originally posted by Cpresti246:
The only misrepresentation is the ones you put in your heads!
enough said.

Why don't you tell that to:

anni522, DOREENrae, donnacruise,
myk1d3, larrytaylormade, DeeEngland,
nina, Ohibble , debandtim ,
FABRICMAN, sunset , Sailin_spanos,
Larry in Miami, Nanon foote , GJST,
Unhappycruiser, cinjim, nccruisers,
Dan J, briteminds, MadAtCVC,
PJFNME, Mastadon, babeenurse

which are just some of the folks who DID buy into this and are now livid at being deceived!!

And those are just some of the folks who posted on this thread alone!!

Tell them it is all in their minds, I dare you.
But then, you can't because you obviously did not have the decency to read them.

It is NOT in their minds...it is out of their wallets.

Sadly, you did not say anything close to the truth...much less "enough".

You are right it is enough,I have no time for this childish conversation.
Learn to listen with your ears and process what was said and there is no "Deceit". As a I know the law, I also legally analyed the information.

quote:

Originally posted by Cpresti246:
You are right it is enough,I have no time for this childish conversation.
Learn to listen with your ears and process what was said and there is no "Deceit". As a I know the law, I also legally analyed the information.

Really, then perhaps you would like to comment on the FACT that the ICE agents on the Spirit July 2005 cruise tried to sell these packages to South Carolina residents .... knowing that South Carolina banned their residents from buying them. The ICE agents tried to get South Carolina residents to use FALSE ADDRESSES (in another state) to circumvent the law!!!

Now that isn't childish commentary...that is ICE agents attempting to break this "law" you claim to know so much about!

BTW, this wasn't just one time. It was attempted repeatedly. Seems there was a group from South Carolina on this cruise and everyone that "listened to their presentation" from that State was asked the LIE ABOUT THEIR ADDRESS.

Last time I checked...that was DECEIT!

Just out of curiosity,Cpresti246. Exactly what cruises have you been on with your points, what type cabin, what ship,how many points, when, etc? It would be interesting to see exactly how we can use our points. Also the resorts?

OMG!
I just got back from my 5th Carnival cruise; seven days on the Conqest. I signed the contract for "the club". Now after reading all these comments I can't wait until 9:00 a.m. EST to cancel my membership! I left the ship Sunday a.m. and it's Tuesday a.m. now.
I had too many mimosas served by the rep before the presentation started. It sounded like a good deal at the time.
I am also going to tape record my telephone conversation when I cancel (of course inform the party that they are being recorded beforehand), this may help later.
Thanks for all of your input. I've been getting pretty good deals and upgrades just using Carnival's telephone reservations.
I had no idea this group was not associated with Carnival, they glossed over the ICE part.

I don't know much about this club, have only heard of it on here.

BUT, If they charged anything on a credit card call them now and start the dispute!

You got 3 days to void it all together here in SC and most US major purchases with financing terms.

LHP, that practice is not just deceit..It is FRAUD!

You can cruise cheaper, and platinum don't get that much to equal 1/100 of that. 5 quicker minutes in check in and a bottle of wine and fluff and fold, are you kidding me for $3500 ?

quote:

Originally posted by IslandCruz:
I don't know much about this club, have only heard of it on here.

BUT, If they charged anything on a credit card call them now and start the dispute!

You got 3 days to void it all together here in SC and most US major purchases with financing terms.

LHP, that practice is not just deceit..It is FRAUD!

You can cruise cheaper, and platinum don't get that much to equal 1/100 of that. 5 quicker minutes in check in and a bottle of wine and fluff and fold, are you kidding me for $3500 ?

Sadly, you are correct about the fraud part.

Just to qualify, Platinum members do not pay anything extra to be Platinum. That simply comes with having cruised 10 or more times on Carnival.

Some people use CVC to enjoy the perks until they accumulate the 10 cruises to get to the Platinum level. And then do not renew their CVC membership, because Platinum already gets you all of that (except one party).

However, to some people, VIP Check In and Debark is worth the money...and that is fine as long as they realize that at the very least they are paying $1,000 (Bronze package) for the priviledge. ($1,500 if they bought the $5,000 package)

Let's be honest, some people will pay any amount of money (yes, even $1,000) if it makes them feel special. Sadly, there are poor souls out there that have such pitful lives that they have to "buy" this kind of attention. Everyone knows the type.

However, others (probably elderly) use the VIP Check In/Debark to make their traveling more comfortable. There could be issues (like poor health) where standing in line is a problem for them. And this eliminates those kinds of problems for them.

I guess that is what saddens me the most. This program could have been sold honestly. And CVC choose not to do so. And it does reflect on Carnival's reputation, because it has the Carnival name on it.

And one has to wonder....why Carnival? Why not the RC Vacation Club or the Cunard Vacation Club?

[QUOTE]Originally posted by WendyO:
OMG!
I just got back from my 5th Carnival cruise; seven days on the Conqest. I signed the contract for "the club". Now after reading all these comments I can't wait until 9:00 a.m. EST to cancel my membership! I left the ship Sunday a.m. and it's Tuesday a.m. now.
I had too many mimosas served by the rep before the presentation started. It sounded like a good deal at the time.
I am also going to tape record my telephone conversation when I cancel (of course inform the party that they are being recorded beforehand), this may help later.
Thanks for all of your input. I've been getting pretty good deals and upgrades just using Carnival's telephone reservations.
I had no idea this group was not associated with Carnival, they glossed over the ICE part.[/QUOTE
P.S.
9:30 a.m. I read all the "fine print" on the contract for "the club". I found out I couldn't call to cancel the contract in my 3 day window. So, I quickly wrote out a letter of cancellation; including copies of all documentation stating I was in the 3-day window to cancel, then I went to the post office and mailed everything via overnight delivery with return receipt request.
Then, thanks to the suggestions on the web-site I called my credit card company to explain the situation. They were very helpful. VISA will be sending me a dispute of charges form, and they want copies of my letter and copies of the post office dated receipts to substantiate my claim. Thanks to everyone and their insights to this program. I was really only interested in the cruises anyway.

If, due to medical conditions, standing in the embarkation lines is too much for someone (elderly or not), if they speak up to a Carnival rep at check in, they will MOST likely be escorted to the VIP check in desk anyway. CCL does not want to have someone get injured or have an "attack" of some kind waiting in line. My mother in law had just finished chemo therapy before a cruise last year and after trying to stand in line got dizzy. My wife went to ask for a wheel chair and the CCL rep ran us through VIP so she didn't have to stand in the heat...

But I agree with the comment made about the club.. I have sat through the sales pitch and they do make it sound very appealling. But if you stop and do the math, UNLESS you can and do take the land vacations they include in this deal, you are definetely NOT saving any money. And from what I have seen here, many of th eposting people have not been able to get a land vacation reservation for the prices advertised in the sales pitch and no one has said they got one reserved for a time when they could go (i.e. family vacation peak times) What good is it if you can't take the "cheap" vacation when you can go? If I was going to travel off-peak times, I could most likely get the same low prices anyway.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim C.:
If, due to medical conditions, standing in the embarkation lines is too much for someone (elderly or not), if they speak up to a Carnival rep at check in, they will MOST likely be escorted to the VIP check in desk anyway. CCL does not want to have someone get injured or have an "attack" of some kind waiting in line. My mother in law had just finished chemo therapy before a cruise last year and after trying to stand in line got dizzy. My wife went to ask for a wheel chair and the CCL rep ran us through VIP so she didn't have to stand in the heat...

But I agree with the comment made about the club.. I have sat through the sales pitch and they do make it sound very appealling. But if you stop and do the math, UNLESS you can and do take the land vacations they include in this deal, you are definetely NOT saving any money. And from what I have seen here, many of th eposting people have not been able to get a land vacation reservation for the prices advertised in the sales pitch and no one has said they got one reserved for a time when they could go (i.e. family vacation peak times) What good is it if you can't take the "cheap" vacation when you can go? If I was going to travel off-peak times, I could most likely get the same low prices anyway.

I had not thought about how Carnival already gives VIP to the truly needy...which it appears they do. One less reason to give CVC your money.

As for the resorts, I could not help but laugh. On the very day the CVC cheerleader on another board was bragging about getting the Sheraton Vistana for $400.00 for a week (because he is a CVC member)....Sheraton sent me an offer in the mail for this same resort for $199.00 for 4 days. And I did not have to join anything...did not have to take a time share tour...nothing.

The sad thing is that this "cheerleader" claimed this resort would cost anyone else $2800.00 and then it was $3950 ( or some other ridiculous amount)...when the truth was any Joe Blow off the street can get it for $199.00 for 4 days. But every time he bragged about it, the savings he was getting kept growing.

This was the same guy who "claimed" a 1A GTY cost him over $900.00 a person in "the real world", so that is why these cruises were so much cheaper. I told him not to swindle others into CVC's scheme just because he had paid to much for his cruises in the past.

This CVC resort mess reminds me of the Capital One commerical where the family is hopping a freight train or trying to ski in the summer time, because their "points" are not any good.

My husband and I have sat through a few of these "club" things over the years. It's high pressure tactics like "you can get this great rate today only" that suckers people in!! We NEVER buy anything or join anything without sleeping on it, and of course doing research on the company!! 99.9% of the time it's a scam!! These people are only out to make money for THEMSELVES....they don't really care if the general public gets a good deal or not!

quote:

Originally posted by annies:
My husband and I have sat through a few of these "club" things over the years. It's high pressure tactics like "you can get this great rate today only" that suckers people in!! We NEVER buy anything or join anything without sleeping on it, and of course doing research on the company!! 99.9% of the time it's a scam!! These people are only out to make money for THEMSELVES....they don't really care if the general public gets a good deal or not!

oh no...remember (according to the one legal and contract "expert" on here ~for 10 minutes) any wrong doing by CVC is all in your mind!

Of course, you are right, Annie.
It is the typical time share techniques...they are trained Time Share Agents that work for ICE. These people make car salesmen look like Sunday School teachers.

I saw the thread that someone started about a class action lawsuit (that was combined with this thread).

I was thinking if folks don't want to go to all the trouble of a lawsuit, perhaps we could start
"Operation Inform" where knowledgable cruisers "inform" folks on these ships about the FACTS.

Something like:

1. "hey, now that you have bought it...try to book one of those 5 star resorts, as soon as you get home, so that you will still have time to cancel!"

2. "do you really think VIP Check In and Debark and a party is worth $1,000 minimum, cause that is all you are getting."

3. "perhaps you need to read this message board as soon as you get home, while you still have time to cancel!"

Certainly would make for some interesting conversation. ; )