Carnival got me!

[CruiseCritic911]

Silly question , what is the Early Saver rate? On my confirmation email I see I cannot change the names of the people in the cabin. Is that true? On the phone with the agent they said we could. Large group is traveling and we know names will change

Thanks

[funkidd]

Look you should and everyone should be aware by now that cruise ships airlines and even hotels are notorious for non refundable tickets. I always assume that what I'm buying is non refundable unless it specifies otherwise.

 

 

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[firemanbobswife]

Silly question , what is the Early Saver rate? On my confirmation email I see I cannot change the names of the people in the cabin. Is that true? On the phone with the agent they said we could. Large group is traveling and we know names will change

Thanks

 

If you see something like this in the notes then you have ES and name changes aren't allowed.

"Changes made to the reservation may result in the assessment of cancellation penalties or service fees. Subsequent upgrades in lieu of price protection will no longer be offered. No name changes are allowed. Cancellation prior to final payment due date will receive a future cruise credit in the amount of the deposit less a $50 pp service fee. If you find a lower cruise rate, based on the total cabin occupancy & not from the booked ancillary services, such as air, transfers, prepaid gratuities, or Taxes, Fees & Port Expenses contact your Travel Agent or www.Carnival.com."

[cruizinisthebest]

There was no fine print to read because I was on the phone and not near a computer. Once I gave her the credit card number it was all over. So you are telling me it's my responsibility to ask them all of the questions. I thought they were to let me know if a certain rate was non refundable or not.

 

I'm surprised that they wouldn't make it a point to let you know, but I'm also surprised that you wouldn't know whether or not your fare was refundable or not. There are bullet points under early saver covering the most basic parts of it. So you don't have to read way down in any fine print to know it's non refundable. You lost $50pp. The good thing is you get to keep the majority of it to use on another cruise. Lesson learned.

[broberts]

The lesson to be learned is to never purchase anything for the first time without first getting & reading the terms of sale in writing.

 

In many jurisdictions consumers typically have a period of time to backout of transactions that do not include upfront paperwork.

[Essiesmom]

You can change it if you catch it right away. the first time I booked online, I didn't see where I could check other rates, and went through booking. Didn't realize the default was Early Saver. Then I got the online confirmation, saw the cancellation terms and realized I had booked ES. I called right away and got it changed to military rate.

[jimbo5544]

Look you should and everyone should be aware by now that cruise ships airlines and even hotels are notorious for non refundable tickets. I always assume that what I'm buying is non refundable unless it specifies otherwise.

 

 

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While it may not be the most popular thing here, ES actually (when used correctly) can be an asset to the consumer and it most certainly has stabilized pricing, which was a win win for everyone.

 

 

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[katiel53]

Many people ask to book the cheapest fare and usually the ESA is that. Even on the phone, there are questions to be asked.

 

If you went into a store to buy something that cost what a cruise does, don't you ask questions? Guarantee? Cancel and many others.

 

I guess I don't understand those who just happily pay without asking questions. Sorry.

[OldSaltyCruiser]

I disagree with Carnival PVP's all being painted by the same brush and rated poorly. There are good and some poor employees within most companies. I have used the same Carnival PVP to book many cruises on Carnival. Yes, he works for Carnival but he is diligent in advising us with cabin selection and the various pricing plans Carnival offers. Others I have referred to him over the years have been quite pleased with his level of service.

[rtfnl]

Silly question , what is the Early Saver rate? On my confirmation email I see I cannot change the names of the people in the cabin. Is that true? On the phone with the agent they said we could. Large group is traveling and we know names will change

Thanks

 

I have a larger group on a cruise late this year. I booked ES and had to cancel two people months apart. I wasn't charged the $50 cancellation fee. Thus it depends on the Carnival rep you get.

[hftmrock]

So I called Carnival and booked two inside cabins. Paid the $500 per cabin, only to have something come up a couple of weeks later that was not going to allow me to go. I called to Cancel the two cabins and Carnival said you lose $50 per person and we can hold the rest of your $500 per cabin for a future cruise. So they never told me when I booked these cabins that they were early saver and non refundable. When I printed the confirmation I never knew I had to read every bit of the fine on the ticket contract all the way to the bottom. That wouldn't have mattered because they had my money end of discussion! So what did I do wrong?

 

while the fact is that you should have done your homework and should have asked the question a bigger thing that you might be considered 'doing wrong' is not looking here at CC. You have been a member here for 15 years and you have gone on carnival cruises. The information here at CC is wonderful and you could have gotten information here in seconds. I always check rates (refundable and non refundable) for planes, hotels, etc. before I book it and sometimes its not entirely obvious.

 

They should have told you on the phone. I agree with that but you are your own advocate and you need to make sure you are spending you hard earned money the way you want it.

[Nic6318]

Silly question , what is the Early Saver rate? On my confirmation email I see I cannot change the names of the people in the cabin. Is that true? On the phone with the agent they said we could. Large group is traveling and we know names will change

Thanks

 

Hi

 

Welcome to cruise critic.

 

Did you happen to read my previous post #22? There are many reasons to inform yourself before making a purchase.

 

Here is a link describing most of Carnival's "cabin rates". https://www.carnival.com/legal/specials-terms-conditions.aspx

 

I would suggest that you call Carnival tomorrow and ask to a PVP (Personal vacation planner) and ask that they manage your booking. Ask them to clarify all your questions. If you are planning to make name changes, you very likely may have to pay some penalties. Don't put it off, you can generally get information on this site, but you would need to ask specific questions in a new thread to get the most response, but you are better off getting your answers from a Carnival rep, preferably in writing (email).

 

good luck

have a great cruise

[bingomamma19]

I have a larger group on a cruise late this year. I booked ES and had to cancel two people months apart. I wasn't charged the $50 cancellation fee. Thus it depends on the Carnival rep you get.

 

No it doesn't matter what rep you get...ES always charges $50 fee--you actually forfeit your $250 deposit--$50 is taken and $200 is held for a future cruise.

[jimbo5544]

I have a larger group on a cruise late this year. I booked ES and had to cancel two people months apart. I wasn't charged the $50 cancellation fee. Thus it depends on the Carnival rep you get.

 

 

 

Not sure what happened with your booking or the reason why, but it has nothing to do with whom you talked to. There are several reason in a group booking where the penalty might not apply (would need to understand the entire situation to really opine...) but early saver is early saver.... which rep or TA or PVP has nothing to do with whether "the system" will charge the fee or not.

 

 

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[cruizergal70]

By the way, the cancellation policy is on the website.

[lizardhowson]

So I called Carnival and booked two inside cabins. Paid the $500 per cabin, only to have something come up a couple of weeks later that was not going to allow me to go. I called to Cancel the two cabins and Carnival said you lose $50 per person and we can hold the rest of your $500 per cabin for a future cruise. So they never told me when I booked these cabins that they were early saver and non refundable. When I printed the confirmation I never knew I had to read every bit of the fine on the ticket contract all the way to the bottom. That wouldn't have mattered because they had my money end of discussion! So what did I do wrong?

 

You've been a member here since May 2003.

No way can you plead ignorance about non-refundable fares. :confused:

 

while the fact is that you should have done your homework and should have asked the question a bigger thing that you might be considered 'doing wrong' is not looking here at CC. You have been a member here for 15 years and you have gone on carnival cruises. The information here at CC is wonderful and you could have gotten information here in seconds. I always check rates (refundable and non refundable) for planes, hotels, etc. before I book it and sometimes its not entirely obvious.

 

Yep

Edited August 4, 2017 by lizardhowson

[fla gang]

I have learned my lesson and been scolded enough for being a dumb a$$. My fault for not asking the Carnival agent if the rate was non refundable!

[jewals]

No it doesn't matter what rep you get...ES always charges $50 fee--you actually forfeit your $250 deposit--$50 is taken and $200 is held for a future cruise.

I cancelled a cruise with an ES rate and booked a different date and my PVP got his supervisor to waive the cancellation fee. So it is possible. I did not ask about it, as I knew the cancellation/change policy. My pvp talked to his supervisor and he came back and told me they were waiving the fee for me.

I have also made name changes and had the fee waived. I have a great pvp.

 

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[hftmrock]

I have learned my lesson and been scolded enough for being a dumb a$$. My fault for not asking the Carnival agent if the rate was non refundable!

 

even though it might not help any, I am sorry for your situation and I dont think you are a dumb a$$. We all learn things in life and some things might be harder than others. For the most part, I dont see people here calling you anything but you asked for advice and the advice sometimes is not the easiest things to see especially if they point to you. It was an oversight on your part. you expected a lot from the carnival agent (and I agree they should have told you) but I never trust a phone worker to provide me with all the information that I need. I am a research-aholic and will check and recheck and recheck things before I put my money down. Its not perfect but it helps.

 

you didnt do anything that would be considered being a dumb a$$. please dont beat yourself up and consider using the money for another trip for you to enjoy

[FruitStandaficionado]

So I called Carnival and booked two inside cabins. Paid the $500 per cabin, only to have something come up a couple of weeks later that was not going to allow me to go. I called to Cancel the two cabins and Carnival said you lose $50 per person and we can hold the rest of your $500 per cabin for a future cruise. So they never told me when I booked these cabins that they were early saver and non refundable. When I printed the confirmation I never knew I had to read every bit of the fine on the ticket contract all the way to the bottom. That wouldn't have mattered because they had my money end of discussion! So what did I do wrong?

 

 

 

I know I will be flamed for suggesting this, but if you can't work something out with the Rep who booked your cruise, and you paid by credit card, you could complain to the credit card company.

 

 

NCL Sunward 1974

NCL Starward 1978

Costa Daphne 1982

Carnival Triumph 2001

Carnival Conquests 2005

Carnival Magic 2014

[gdisney]

I have learned my lesson and been scolded enough for being a dumb a$$. My fault for not asking the Carnival agent if the rate was non refundable!

 

Well, okay, but I think you bring up a valid point. The representative of the company should have explained the basics of what you were paying for, and since they have a variety of fare rates with some having refundable deposits and some not, I think that's a basic that should have been explained. Nor should they assume that you should know this stuff, either because you happened to cruise before or happened to be a member of an online forum. If it was me, I'd probably call back and try to talk to someone else higher up the chain, and explain the situation. I don't know if it would yield results, but I think it's a valid complaint, and of course companies want their customers to walk away happy if possible. I think it's worth a shot anyway.

 

On a side note - does anyone know if other cruise companies offer different rates including some with non-refundable deposits? I have only seen this on Carnival, but I'm certainly not as well travelled as some of you.

[broberts]

...

On a side note - does anyone know if other cruise companies offer different rates including some with non-refundable deposits? I have only seen this on Carnival, but I'm certainly not as well travelled as some of you.

 

Royal Caribbean has started to offer a non-refundable deposit rate.

[Tapi]

I would consider myself a veteran cruiser, and even though I'm very careful when booking, i fell prey to a non-refundable fare earlier this year when I booked a Holland America cruise through a third party online TA. I didn't see anywhere that the fare was non-refundable. That is, until I called to cancel and I was told that the deposit was indeed non-refundable. They said that there was a general disclaimer that said that "passengers assume all responsibilities for the cruise line's cancellation policies", so I wasn't elegible for a refund.

 

Long story short, i raised hell. I took screen shots of the entire booking process and forwarded them to customer service. I spoke to a manager and had the matter escalated. At the end of the day, they sided with me and agreed that there was nothing on their website that indicated that indeed it was a non-refundable deposit. They said that, "as a token of good will" they would refund the deposit and they did.

 

But after that experience, I don't place deposits without quadruple checking that it's indeed non-refundable. OP, you may want to escalate your situation with a manager at Carnival and let them know that the agent never mentioned that he/she was booking you under a non-refundable fare. Keep your composure but stay firm and respectful. You may get what you're looking for.

 

 

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[riclop]

So I called Carnival and booked two inside cabins. Paid the $500 per cabin, only to have something come up a couple of weeks later that was not going to allow me to go. I called to Cancel the two cabins and Carnival said you lose $50 per person and we can hold the rest of your $500 per cabin for a future cruise. So they never told me when I booked these cabins that they were early saver and non refundable. When I printed the confirmation I never knew I had to read every bit of the fine on the ticket contract all the way to the bottom. That wouldn't have mattered because they had my money end of discussion! So what did I do wrong?

Never book ER , book past quest.

[CruiseCritic911]

If you see something like this in the notes then you have ES and name changes aren't allowed.

"Changes made to the reservation may result in the assessment of cancellation penalties or service fees. Subsequent upgrades in lieu of price protection will no longer be offered. No name changes are allowed. Cancellation prior to final payment due date will receive a future cruise credit in the amount of the deposit less a $50 pp service fee. If you find a lower cruise rate, based on the total cabin occupancy & not from the booked ancillary services, such as air, transfers, prepaid gratuities, or Taxes, Fees & Port Expenses contact your Travel Agent or www.Carnival.com."

 

 

Thanks for your reply and explanation. I am new to Carnval we always cruise Disney. I thought I asked all the right questions, but I should have gotten an email stating it would be fine to change names.

I appreciate your response.