Why cancelation charges for no show?

[cruisinfanatic]

I'm guessing that the cancellation fee was actually for the 2nd leg since this was a b2b. The passenger didn't show up for the 1st leg, so Carnival will assume they will not show up for the 2nd leg either and cancel that leg in advance. But I still do not understand the fee... I would assume you just forfeit your cruise fare...:confused:

Carnival would not assume that. It's 2 different cruises and 2 different booking numbers.

[cle-guy]

I'm wondering if the "charge" was actually a hold placed on her credit card for charges onboard and will be released when actual charges go through.

 

i wondered same thing...

[Anyislandwilldo]

Here is what the first letter is showing.

 

Dear Guest/Travel Partner,

We are sorry that your reservation has cancelled. Since the cancellation occurred within the penalty period, the

following cancellation penalties apply:

BookingRef: XXXXXXX

CARNIVAL VICTORY

02/08/2014

Guest Names Cancellation Date Penalty Assessed

XXXXXXXX 02/09/2014 USD 200.00

A refund of the government fees and taxes will be processed to the original form of payment within 10-14

business days.

We hope you will once again consider Carnival when making future vacation plans.

Sincerely,

Carnival Cruise Lines

 

 

Called Carnival and talked to a random agent, John. The cruise was not canceled prior to arrival at the port. I knew in advance to do a no show so I told John that she had a family emergency. He said that since she did not show up at the port, the cabin now becomes a single supplement. I told him that was unfair. The cruise was already paid in full. He said that she could write a letter to Carnival with supporting documentation as to why she was unable to make the cruise due to a family emergency. Waiting on your thoughts and opinions. Thanks everyone!

[Princess Ariel]

When you did the 'no show' did you actually tell the agent that the person was not coming? Or did you simply get aboard the ship and act like the person would be joining you later?

[Anyislandwilldo]

We said she was arriving on a later flight.

[Princess Ariel]

Yikes! You definitely covered your bases.

 

I would be so pissed. I wonder if you are going to get a similar letter and fee for the second leg of the trip.

[Anyislandwilldo]

Did get a similar letter for the 2nd leg and there was a $0 cancelation fee for that one plus the guy on the phone told me that the port fees of $109 are being refunded to the credit card. I'm so confused on this one.

[jks336]

no, something is way off. her cruise was paid in advance. the policy anyways of cancelling too close to the cruise is 100% loss. If you book a single (and no single special) your paying for 2 ppl anyways only not paying the port chgs and taxes.

 

OP definitely should be calling carnival to find out. There is no way there should be charges as they paid for 2 ppl. doesn't matter if it was 1 or 2 that cruised

[jks336]

anyislandwilldo.. go to carnival forums and go to looking for carnival assistance and ask mary/michelle about this. she will tell you to forward her the information and will get guest relations to look into it.

 

a single person cruiseing pays for 2 ppl to cruise, just not the port chg's and taxes which as they say they are reimbursing you for. So the cruise WAS paid. there should be NO extra charges. you should have been able to say as well that it will just be you cruising because as it was you were past the time for any cancellation.

[cruisinfanatic]

Here is what the first letter is showing.

 

Dear Guest/Travel Partner,

We are sorry that your reservation has cancelled. Since the cancellation occurred within the penalty period, the

following cancellation penalties apply:

BookingRef: XXXXXXX

CARNIVAL VICTORY

02/08/2014

Guest Names Cancellation Date Penalty Assessed

XXXXXXXX 02/09/2014 USD 200.00

A refund of the government fees and taxes will be processed to the original form of payment within 10-14

business days.

We hope you will once again consider Carnival when making future vacation plans.

Sincerely,

Carnival Cruise Lines

 

 

Called Carnival and talked to a random agent, John. The cruise was not canceled prior to arrival at the port. I knew in advance to do a no show so I told John that she had a family emergency. He said that since she did not show up at the port, the cabin now becomes a single supplement. I told him that was unfair. The cruise was already paid in full. He said that she could write a letter to Carnival with supporting documentation as to why she was unable to make the cruise due to a family emergency. Waiting on your thoughts and opinions. Thanks everyone!

who did the charge the $200?

[Anyislandwilldo]

anyislandwilldo.. go to carnival forums and go to looking for carnival assistance and ask mary/michelle about this. she will tell you to forward her the information and will get guest relations to look into it.

 

a single person cruiseing pays for 2 ppl to cruise, just not the port chg's and taxes which as they say they are reimbursing you for. So the cruise WAS paid. there should be NO extra charges. you should have been able to say as well that it will just be you cruising because as it was you were past the time for any cancellation.

 

 

Thank you jks, I will contact Mary/Michelle!

[Anyislandwilldo]

who did the charge the $200?

 

This was SIL's first cruise so I booked it for her using her charge card.

300 some days ago when she booked, we booked her solo. Last summer her friend decided to join her and paid the SIL her share of the cruise. So the SIL's card is being charged. Friend had family issues and said she was not able to make the cruise. I did my homework and said we would just say she was on a later flight once we got the the port, thus become a no show. I never thought it would end up like this.

[DebJ14]

Or could be that Carnival is monitoring the boards and caught on to the fact that people were deliberately being no shows to avoid the penalty. Maybe just fixing the loophole that so many took advantage of and bragged about online. Just like they tell them where to find the smuggled booze...

[tarmand]

I just booked today with my free cabin and was told that if I didn't buy the insurance and cancelled we would be charged the full fare price.

[keishashadow]

I'd like to hear as well the final outcome here.

 

If I were OP, I'd first call my credit card company to dispute the charge, and wait for Cruise line to proved the documentation to support the charge.

 

absolutely, if the guest didn't agree in these terms in original cruise documents/carriage of contract, I'd certainly dispute it.

 

same as with the round of 'free' cruises going out. Nowhere in 'my' documentation, award letter or on the CCL website fine-print, does it indicate any sort of additional penalty for cancelling the cruise other than the normal loss of $ paid.

 

I'd hate to think that CCL is trying to upsell their own insurance to those who got the 'free' cruises by using scare tactics.:rolleyes:

[Ausgirl101]

Was the $200 the total of her fare for the cruise?

Is it possible that this letter is just formally stating that she looses her full fare due to being a "no show" and that her port fees etc are being refunded?

 

I may be reading it wrong but I don't see anywhere on that letter that states a "further $200 will be charged".

[cruisinfanatic]

Was the $200 the total of her fare for the cruise?

Is it possible that this letter is just formally stating that she looses her full fare due to being a "no show" and that her port fees etc are being refunded?

 

I may be reading it wrong but I don't see anywhere on that letter that states a "further $200 will be charged".

I bet you are right

[k2excursion]

Carnival definitely made a mistake somewhere along the line here. An even $200 is never the cruise fare. It could be $199 or sometimes even a $204 or $194, but I never see $200 even. That is not a solo supplement extra charge. That's the amount of the deposit. But even if they somehow marked this as a cancellation, the penalty would be the full cruise fare, not the deposit. And it would apply to both cruises. That phone agent saying that it becomes a single supplement is also wrong.

 

And for those wondering, yes, according to the letter of the rules, a cancellation penalty would be an additional charge when a double becomes a single booking, as penalty amounts cannot be applied to the booking itself. A 3-person booking going down to 2 is no problem, as the 2-person booking will not get charged for 3, so the extra amount paid can go towards the penalty. But since 1 person has to pay 2 cruise fares, it doesn't work that way. The penalty amount cannot be used to pay the solo supplement. That would equate to being allowed to not pay your speeding ticket because you paid more than that amount in your state taxes. Many people think that the penalty amount can remain on the booking, but it cannot, not according to the rules. A penalty is a penalty, not a payment. But there aren't supposed to be any penalties for no-shows. They penalize the cancellations in that way in order to prevent people from manipulating the system in a way that would allow them to do name changes for free. That cannot be done with no-shows. And even if Carnival did cancel & apply a solo supplement, which they shouldn't, the amount is wrong. It sounds like a multitude of mistakes were made by Carnival here.

Edited February 21, 2014 by k2excursion

[cruisinfanatic]

Carnival definitely made a mistake somewhere along the line here. An even $200 is never the cruise fare. It could be $199 or sometimes even a $204 or $194, but I never see $200 even. That is not a solo supplement extra charge. That's the amount of the deposit. But even if they somehow marked this as a cancellation, the penalty would be the full cruise fare, not the deposit. And it would apply to both cruises. That phone agent saying that it becomes a single supplement is also wrong.

.

Absolutely $200 could be the base fare for 1 person. In fact it's almost always a flat amount like that. Then they add non commissionables (port fees) and then tax

[Anyislandwilldo]

Haven't had a chance yet to call Carnival but last night I made a dvd of the video we took on the cruise. It just so happens that I taped the part at the port where they asked about the other passenger. The agent asked if she was still coming and my husband said yes as far as we know. We let it go at that. I will report back after I contact Mary/Michele at Carnival.

[rickechambers1@aol.com]

Ii don't think they should charge...but there is a whole lot of fibbing going on here...later flight...family emergency...all along you knew they weren't coming. Id chalk it up to getting busted...wouldn't fight to support a lie.

[cruisinfanatic]

Haven't had a chance yet to call Carnival but last night I made a dvd of the video we took on the cruise. It just so happens that I taped the part at the port where they asked about the other passenger. The agent asked if she was still coming and my husband said yes as far as we know. We let it go at that. I will report back after I contact Mary/Michele at Carnival.

Can I ask what the total amount you pd per person was?

[cruisinfanatic]

Haven't had a chance yet to call Carnival but last night I made a dvd of the video we took on the cruise. It just so happens that I taped the part at the port where they asked about the other passenger. The agent asked if she was still coming and my husband said yes as far as we know. We let it go at that. I will report back after I contact Mary/Michele at Carnival.

Can I ask what the total amount you pd per person was?

 

Have you checked your credit card to see if there is a charge there?

 

I'm really leaning towards a previous poster's take on this. The letter you received outlined the cancellation penalty, but that's the amount taken from what you already paid, not a future charge

[Lace]

Lots of speculation here. I booked and paid for a triple. Had to go solo. They were very accommodating in trying to get a friend to go with me for a small fee, but couldn't on such short notice.

 

So I was simply conveyed to a solo with a supplement. They not only refunded the fees for the second passenger, but they also refunded the third passengers fare.

[peg013]

Carnival definitely made a mistake somewhere along the line here. An even $200 is never the cruise fare. It could be $199 or sometimes even a $204 or $194, but I never see $200 even. That is not a solo supplement extra charge. That's the amount of the deposit. But even if they somehow marked this as a cancellation, the penalty would be the full cruise fare, not the deposit. And it would apply to both cruises. That phone agent saying that it becomes a single supplement is also wrong.

 

And for those wondering, yes, according to the letter of the rules, a cancellation penalty would be an additional charge when a double becomes a single booking, as penalty amounts cannot be applied to the booking itself. A 3-person booking going down to 2 is no problem, as the 2-person booking will not get charged for 3, so the extra amount paid can go towards the penalty. But since 1 person has to pay 2 cruise fares, it doesn't work that way. The penalty amount cannot be used to pay the solo supplement. That would equate to being allowed to not pay your speeding ticket because you paid more than that amount in your state taxes. Many people think that the penalty amount can remain on the booking, but it cannot, not according to the rules. A penalty is a penalty, not a payment. But there aren't supposed to be any penalties for no-shows. They penalize the cancellations in that way in order to prevent people from manipulating the system in a way that would allow them to do name changes for free. That cannot be done with no-shows. And even if Carnival did cancel & apply a solo supplement, which they shouldn't, the amount is wrong. It sounds like a multitude of mistakes were made by Carnival here.

 

What happens if the second person on a 3 person Spa Suite ends up having to skip the cruise? She is waiting for paperwork that may or may not make it on time. She may not know until the day before the cruise if she can make it or not since if she doesn't get the paperwork, she can't cruise. The cruise is in 10 days so she is already in the 100% cancellation phase. The cruise was only booked 2 weeks ago and was paid in full at that time.

 

What is the difference if she calls the day before the cruise to cancel or just is a no show.

 

Does the 3rd person in the suite now get the spa pass or is it forfeited? What happens to the OBC that Carnival gave the suite? ($120)

 

She has already prepaid her gratuities, will they be reimbursed?

 

How about the OBC she purchased?

 

Will they now force the two remaining people to give up the suite, since it is rated for 3 people? Where would they put them at this late date?

 

I am correct that she is better off being a no show, than cancelling one day before the cruise departs?

 

I am sorry about all the questions. This is only my third cruise on Carnival with my most recent being 2007, so I'm virtually a newbie again when it comes to Carnival.