Urgent Final Payment Due

[RWolver672]

 

Received this e-mail this morning.  Never had that happen before.  Is this something new?   I must admit it threw me into a panic when I first read the title.  

 

View Online       IMPORTANT INFORMATION     PAYMENT REMINDER     ATTN:   XXXXXX XXXXXXXXX   RE:   Ship/ Sail Date: Carnival Horizon — 02/23/2019  Booking #: XXXXXX Balance Due: $XXXX.XX   Hi there!  Thanks for choosing Carnival for your cruise! We're really looking forward to welcoming you on board.  There's just one thing — your final payment due date is fast approaching.  If payment is already on its way, then simply delete this email!  Payment needs to be in our office by 12/10/2018 or unfortunately, the booking will be automatically cancelled. And, because the sailing date is around the corner, customary penalties will be assessed.  So, don't miss the ship! To lock in some fun, complete your payment today.    • To make a payment, please visit https://www.carnival.com   ›   First, select "Manage my Cruise"   ›   Login or click "Access Your Booking Now," and enter any  required information.   ›   Then, on the Cruise Manager page, click your booking number  to view your reservation.   ›   Finally, click "Make a Payment" button.   For bookings made in non-USD currency, please call 1-800-CARNIVAL to complete your payment.  Thanks for taking care of this important detail. We can't wait to have you aboard for a fun and memorable cruise vacation!  Sincerely, Sailing Support – Guest Services CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE         This email was sent to: rwolver672@aol.com   Carnival Place, 3655 NW 87th Avenue, Miami, FL 33178-2428. Attn: Interactive Marketing. Help  |  Privacy  |  About Carnival © 2018 Carnival Cruise Line. All rights reserved.

[tallnthensome]

Are you saying a payment reminder is strange? Are you paid up and still getting this email? I’m Confused ......

[RWolver672]

Yes, a payment reminder is strange.  This is our tenth cruise on Carnival and have never gotten a reminder before.   We normally pay the week before final payment is due so we still have two weeks or more before it's due.  The thing that threw me was the title of the e-mail "Urgent".   Urgent usually means  immediately.

[lizardhowson]

Uhhh.. looks like a payment reminder to me.

It clearly says payment is due December 10th

No big deal 

[beachbum53]

Maybe Carnival needs your money right away so they can fill up the fuel tank before the ship sails. 

[Lottacruises]

Yes it's new. They used to send it only when you were a couple days out from final payment due. 

[sanmarcosman]

I received the same reminder notice 3 weeks before the due date. I'll agree the use of URGENT caught my attention and was concerning.

 

Some of us have been on here long enough to remember people asking why Carnival won't send a reminder notice and instead cancels cruises without notice for missed payment. Now the situation has swung the other way and we get a reminder that alarms and makes your heart go in your mouth at once.

 

I suppose the heart in the mouth approach is the lesser of two evils but a gentle reminder is preferred. 

[RWolver672]

I agree 100%.  I have been around long  enough to remember people asking about reminders and this is the first time we've gotten one and it did make my heart go into my mouth at first.  The funny thing is that I still can't go in to select a check in time for another five days.

 

[sanmarcosman]

3 minutes ago, RWolver672 said:

The funny thing is that I still can't go in to select a check in time for another five days.

 

Yes, that's precisely what happened with us. But that served as a reminder as well to go online and select our check in time as soon as it was available. It's a two-fer!

[bakersdozen12]

Because if they don’t give ample warning of the final payment date, people accuse Carnival of being at fault when they forget to make their payment and their cruise gets cancelled. Welcome to the day and age of extreme hand-holding of customers. 

[summersigh]

5 hours ago, RWolver672 said:

Yes, a payment reminder is strange.  This is our tenth cruise on Carnival and have never gotten a reminder before.   We normally pay the week before final payment is due so we still have two weeks or more before it's due.  The thing that threw me was the title of the e-mail "Urgent".   Urgent usually means  immediately.

Some who sail Carnival really make sacrifices to enjoy this special vacation and may need a few days to move money into a credit or debit account or have a couple of weekly paychecks to juggle.  For these folks a reminder a couple of weeks ahead it a welcomed reminder. 

There are also folks like those in the California fire areas or the path of the hurricanes that hit the Carolinas and Florida that have been focused on what's going on around them and not realize the final payment date is closing in.  Again, a welcome reminder.

[dmdiver]

I think it's a good idea - maybe they use the word urgent so people will pay attention & not delete it.  

[Tiger0613]

I have received this email twice for each of my past six cruises.

 

5/26/16 - 21 days before due date

6/22/16 - 6 days after due date (I was already paid in full.)

 

10/6/16 - 21 days before due date

10/13/16 - 14 days before due date

 

11/20/16 - 21 days before due date

11/27/16 - 14 days before due date

 

1/17/17 - 21 days before due date

1/24/17 - 14 days before due date

 

10/31/17 - 21 days before due date

11/7/17 - 14 days before due date

 

10/24/17 - 21 days before due date

10/31/17 - 14 days before due date

[shof515]

I cruise in June, final payment is not due until March. Every month or so, i get a email with the following subject:

Your FUN Cruise Needs Your Attention

an email to remind me to submit a payment

[BlerkOne]

Most likely a result of someone not accepting personal responsibility and trying to blame Carnival for not being their mother.

[RWolver672]

17 hours ago, summersigh said:

Some who sail Carnival really make sacrifices to enjoy this special vacation and may need a few days to move money into a credit or debit account or have a couple of weekly paychecks to juggle.  For these folks a reminder a couple of weeks ahead it a welcomed reminder. 

There are also folks like those in the California fire areas or the path of the hurricanes that hit the Carolinas and Florida that have been focused on what's going on around them and not realize the final payment date is closing in.  Again, a welcome reminder.

I can't speak for others but if I were in their shoes, I would be calling Carnival to cancel and get my deposit back before final payment.  I would need that money to survive more than to take a cruise.  We all know how insurance companies drag their feet when disasters happen.

[grandmarnnurse]

I don’t find it unusual. Actually, if I was not paid up by that point, a reminder may be helpful. But the Type A, OCD person that I am, I pay either totally when booking, or months long before due, or I’d have an anxiety attack thinking about it! Lol! Just the way I am. I pay my bills the day they either come in mail or drop to my email. As it is, although I paid in full at booking for my 2019 cruise, I’m paying on my 2020 cruise monthly, and it’s making me antsy. I won’t relax until it’s paid in full. 😜

[ButterflyGirly]

I think it is a good idea, I appreciate the reminder although the word URGENT did make my heart flutter a little bit it did prevent me from just deleting the email without reading it.

[WorkerBee74]

Just pretend the definition of "Urgent" is actually "You're going cruising in LESS THAN 90 DAYS - YAY!"  

 

No bother if you already had the payment date committed to memory 

 

I won't get this notice because this time I've went on the payment plan - I've got three more (Nov/Dec/Jan)... can't wait until Jan 28!  (But then it's just time to pay for Cheers 🍸🍷🍹🍺🥃)

[robc1972]

Its a good idea, I know somebody that has forgotten to make a final payment.

[KelSny1011]

There is never an easy way to ask for money.  I've learned that since I handle the AR's for the company I work at. I'll tell you one thing I'm damned if I do and I'm damned if I don't.  I've been told that I should send out reminders sooner, why am I wasting their time on such a small dollar amount, why am I bugging them about this when it's just over 30 days, the list honestly goes on with all the reasons why they forgot to pay and now it's become my company's problem b/c they don't want to take ownership due to their oversight.  There was probably a general consensus with the customer service who handles the stream of calls by Carnival Customers who claim they were not given a more advance notice regarding payment so Carnival is trying a new thing to see if it alleviates the calls.  That's my assumption on why.  Take it for what it's worth.

Edited November 21, 2018 by KelSny1011
spelling error

[sanmarcosman]

7 minutes ago, KelSny1011 said:

  There was probably a general consensus with the customer service who handles the stream of calls by Carnival Customers who claim they were not given a more advance notice regarding payment so Carnival is trying a new thing to see if it alleviates the calls.  

Carnival never gave any notice at all that final payment was due until very recently. This is why the OP started the topic and I hopped on board. In years past many people here shared their nightmare stories of cancelled cruises without notice. 

[Tiger0613]

1 hour ago, sanmarcosman said:

Carnival never gave any notice at all that final payment was due until very recently. This is why the OP started the topic and I hopped on board. In years past many people here shared their nightmare stories of cancelled cruises without notice. 

It's been happening since at least June 2016.

[sanmarcosman]

2 minutes ago, Tiger0613 said:

It's been happening since at least June 2016.

We sailed in 2017 and did not receive one. Not saying you are mistaken, Carnival has been known to be hit or miss. Of course when you've been here for 10 years two years is enough. 

[SeaScout]

Perhaps instead of using the word "Urgent", they use the phrase "time sensitive" or some similar wording.  2 or 3 weeks out isn't really "Urgent" in my world.