Getting my money back with "Vacation Protection" >

I am getting 2nd thoughts about these Carnival cruises.

My wife and I are booked on a short 4 day cruise from Miami to Cozumel on the Victory (balcony room).

I have already fully paid for the cruise, plus the prepaid gratuites and the "Vacation Protection" insurance.

Can I just call Carnival and cancel. Will I get a full "credit back" on my credit card for everything I have previously paid Carnival (except for the $98 I paid for the Vacation Protection)?

We are planning to re-book at a later date on a different cruise line.

Read over the terms of the insurance policy. I have never considered getting their insurance, so I don't know if your reason for canceling will be covered. Are you before the final payment date for your sailing, and are you not booked with Early Saver? If the answer to both is yes, you can cancel and get a full refund of any deposits, payments to the cruise fare, and prepaid gratuities. No need to even use the insurance. Keep in mind when looking at other cruiselines, that some are owned by Carnival Corporation. I know that Princess is. Royal, NCL, & Disney are not.

It depends on how far into the penalty period you are- their cancel for any reason coverage only offers a credit toward a future cruise IIRC (one of the reasons that I don't use cruiseline insurance). The gratuities aren't subject to a penalty though so you will get all of that back.

 

Are you before the final payment date for your sailing, and are you not booked with Early Saver?

I don't think I have a final payment to make ... When I booked this 4 day cruise over the phone with Carnival, I paid the full purchase price ($935) for the cruise which included the tax + the $92 for prepaid gratuites + the $98 Vacation Protection. This was a grand total of $1,125 on my Mastercard.

Didn't get any "Early Saver" since I booked this cruise only a week ago and the cruise departs on 28 Feb.

The only discount I got on the cruise for my wife and myself was a "Florida Resident" discount.

Again, I think don't owe Carnival anything more for this cruise.

I don't think I have a final payment to make ... When I booked this 4 day cruise over the phone with Carnival, I paid the full purchase price ($935) for the cruise which included the tax + the $92 for prepaid gratuites + the $98 Vacation Protection. This was a grand total of $1,125 on my Mastercard.

 

Didn't get any "Early Saver" since I booked this cruise only a week ago and the cruise departs on 28 Feb.

 

The only discount I got on the cruise for my wife and myself was a "Florida Resident" discount.

 

Again, I think don't owe Carnival anything more for this cruise.

You are well inside the penalty period then and I believe it's a 75% penalty at this point (going on memory, could be wrong) but again all you get is a credit toward a future cruise (other than the gratuities and the taxes, those you get back 100%).

 

.... all you get is a credit toward a future cruise (other than the gratuities and the taxes, those you get back 100%).

I should have read the fine-print on that Vacation Protection Plan, but didn't. The women on the phone at Carnival that booked my cruise didn't go into detail ... just told me that the optional Vacation Protection was a good idea, as I would not loose all my money if I had to cancel the cruise for some reason. I just assumed that I would get a credit back for the money I paid (less the $98 Vacation Protection Plan money).

You know, very reciently I had to cancel an international flight to the Philippines with Delta Airlines ... Delta credited my Mastercard back the full amount of the flight as long as I did not cancel the same day as the flight.

I guess these cruise lines don't operate like the airlines? .... oh well

I should have read the fine-print on that Vacation Protection Plan, but didn't. The women on the phone at Carnival that booked my cruise didn't go into detail ... just told me that the optional Vacation Protection was a good idea, as I would not loose all my money if I had to cancel the cruise for some reason. I just assumed that I would get a credit back for the money I paid (less the $98 Vacation Protection Plan money).

 

You know, very reciently I had to cancel an international flight to the Philippines with Delta Airlines ... Delta credited my Mastercard back the full amount of the flight as long as I did not cancel the same day as the flight.

 

I guess these cruise lines don't operate like the airlines? .... oh well

No, they don't but all of the cruise lines have similar policies, both the written kind and the insurance kind.

Why are you having second thoughts?

I think it is only natural to get nervous but do you have any other reason that "what if what happened on The Triumph happens to us?"

If this is the only reason then you must also realize that the same thing could happen on any ship on any cruiseline at any given time.

I would go, try not to think about "what if" and enjoy the cruise.

You know, very reciently I had to cancel an international flight to the Philippines with Delta Airlines ... Delta credited my Mastercard back the full amount of the flight as long as I did not cancel the same day as the flight.

 

The only way that would happen with Delta is if you booked a fully refundable fare. Most fares do not fall in that category.

We had to cancel our breeze cruise that was scheduled for January 19. We had to cancel on January 15. It was my mom and I going and her father (my grandfather) fell and broke his hip a couple weeks before the cruise. We thought everything would be fine, but he didn't recover and was taken on life support on January 15... Expected to live only a few days. We had carnival insurance. The paperwork we had to fill out was extensive and we were required to get a letter from his doctor as well as a copy of his death certificate. Today we finally got an Email stating we will get a full refund in 2 business days. The policy clearly states that for a full refund you have to have a sudden illness or injury to an immediate family member or death or an immediate family member. The other reasons listed includes weather that was documented, documented loss of a job, etc. it did not include "changing your mind". You would likely not a get full refund even with the insurance. Sorry!

The insurance does not cover 'buyer's regret'. Micky has your money. What you can get back depends upon the date until the ship embarks. Read your contract.

There are insurance policies that cover cancel for any reason. Though, the ones I have seen will only give you 70% back (of course there are a million different plans out there so that could be different). Sadly Carnival Insurance is not one of these companies as you are finding out.

I'm sorry you feel the need to cancel. Don't. Go and have a great time. I would love to be going on a cruise that soon!

 

The only way that would happen with Delta is if you booked a fully refundable fare. Most fares do not fall in that category.

Well, not exactly ...

4. Risk Free Cancellation, allowing reservations to be cancelled without penalty for 24-hours after the reservation is made.

QUOTE: Even if you buy a non-refundable ticket from Delta, we will give you time to compare our fares with those of other airlines (valid for travel originating in the United States, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Canada). You may cancel and refund your ticket in full until midnight, one day after the reservation is made. For example, a ticket purchased anytime on Monday can be cancelled and refunded until midnight on Tuesday. If the reservation is made on the date of travel, you may cancel and refund your paid ticket in full until midnight that day.

http://www.delta.com/content/www/en_US/traveling-with-us/ticket-changes-refunds/risk-free-cancellation.html

I paid $1,400 + change for a one-way ticket from Fort Meyers, FL to Manila, Philippines 4 days prior to the flight. 1 day prior to the flight, I cancelled and got a "credit back" for exactly $1,400+.

Fully refundable ... and this ticket was for the cheapest "coach class".

The only reason the ticket was expensive is that it was purchased just 4 days prior to departure.

]Risk Free Cancellation[/url], allowing reservations to be cancelled without penalty for 24-hours after the reservation is made.[/b][/b]

 

QUOTE: Even if you buy a non-refundable ticket from Delta, we will give you time to compare our fares with those of other airlines (valid for travel originating in the United States, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Canada). You may cancel and refund your ticket in full until midnight, one day after the reservation is made. For example, a ticket purchased anytime on Monday can be cancelled and refunded until midnight on Tuesday. If the reservation is made on the date of travel, you may cancel and refund your paid ticket in full until midnight that day.

 

 

I paid $1,400 + change for a one-way ticket from Fort Meyers, FL to Manila, Philippines 4 days prior to the flight. 1 day prior to the flight, I cancelled and got a "credit back" for exactly $1,400+.

 

If you are correct with your number of days, you should consider yourself lucky. You cancelled 3 days after reservation and their policy stated you could only cancel and be refunded before midnight of the next day.

some polices allow cancel for any reason

some allow cancel for certain reasons

some allow cancel within certain time

some allow cancel with deductible.

You need to review YOUR policy. Ignore people that say they did this, or did that. It may not apply to you. Or it might.