My daughter is MAD at Carnival

[Joe_Antonelli]

As someone stated it is Carnival's right to cancel cruises. Many people have limited vacation schedules, so, why be so angry and narrow-minded? Airline tickets can be changed, you won't get a refund, but, you can change the dates and even location (if necessary) for a fee. Carnival also has a fleet of ships, many with very similar itineraries. It's a shame and absolutely an inconvenience - no arguement about it BUT, your daughter DOES have options...

[cantwait2cruise]

I'm interested in how Carnival handles it when you have airline tickets...do they help with the fees?

[gymbrat33]

Laura23- I'm sorry to hear that your daughter's cruise was cancelled.

 

I'm a teacher and yes we have 10 days a year. They can either be personal or sick. The administration gets very upset when we take days off because we have so much vacation time, however that is the time when cruising is more expensive. (Christmas, Spring Break, Thanksgiving, Summer)

 

I had not missed a day in four years and last month I missed a day because I had a stomach virus and could not get out of bed. Then they actually called me back to see if I was really sick (My aunt works at the office and she told me this)They told me that they could not find a substitute teacher if I could go in to work. Once again I told them that I could not get out of bed. 13 out of 26 teahcers left the school last year.

 

The administrators called in the school counselor to their office because she took 5 days to go on vacation since it was less expensive that week. She told them that she is given 10 days a year and she is entitled to take them if she wants.

[Auburn Tigers]

PtCruiser

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Herbalife charted Valor for the April 17th Voyage. Im surprised Carnival didnt tell you that when you spoke with them. Someone on either this site or one of the other cruise-related sites mentioned that Carnival offered $100 toward airfare and the chance to book on another cruise. I know it must be frustrating. That is Spring Break for lots of people and its problematic to change plans, plus Im sure you wanted to sail on the newest ship in the Fleet.

You might want to guess again on who chartered the boat. Here is the info on the Herbalife cruise:

 

This year’s Silver Anniversary cruise in honor of Herbalife’s twenty-five stellar years of business is awarded to any fully qualified supervisor who accumulates 100,000 points during the qualification period of February 1st through December 31st. The thousands of lucky supervisors joining this ultimate Caribbean cruise are scheduled for voyage on February 1st 2005! These folks will be sharing the bow, the stern and the sun-drenched deck with Herbalife CEO, Michael O. Johnson and other members of the “Herbalife Dream Team.” This is a fully paid trip for two and is looking to be one of the best promotions ever. The relationships, friendships and ideas shared on this vacation should inspire all supervisors to strive for success in order to attend. It’s also an incredible opportunity to motivate those supervisors in your organization to do what it takes to get on board!

[Joe_Antonelli]

We have several teachers in our family and it angers me beyond belief that the ones who are overpaid and overcompensated - meaning administration - are so unkind, and, at times cruel, to their teaching staffs. I would love to put them in a classroom during the winter months with kids dragging themselves in with colds, flus, and viruses and then "order" them to work when they are so sick they can't get out of bed... They'd change the policies in a heartbeat. And people wonder why there is a shortage of teachers... Ok, getting off my soapbox now...

[shungirl]

I am a TA and it happens to all lines. I have had it happen on RCCL and HAL. It makes you mad, because you try to do the right thing and book early. My advice is always book the air with CCL (even though seperate is usually cheaper) and you wont be stuck with cancel and change fees. CCL will pick up some of the costs, but since she did it seperate, they are no liable for it. I have been on all lines, and love CCL the most. I will NEVER go on RCCL again. I went on the Explorer and it was nasty, the people were nasty, and the food and service HORRIBLE!! Anyway, everything happens for a reason... keep that in mind... for some reason, it was not meant for her to be on that ship

[mikeymars]

Not to work up the anger here anymore, but here's an annoying current picture from the Herbalife website:

herbalife.bmp

[staceyvols]

Hi:Mad at Carnival' Mom

I suggest she tries Royal Caribbean. She will never go back to the other. Trust me...

 

Why are you on the Carnival page anyways then? I went on a RC and found it a little sedate although a very nice ship, just boring.

[CanTex]

This DOES happen on the other cruiselines as well. Just peruse the other boards a little and you'll see the same complaints about whole ship charters or large groups. This may happen more on Carnival simply because their pricing / mainstream target market demographics / "fun" reputation make them more attractive to large groups.

 

Frankly, I wouldn't book my flights a year in advance. Not only is there a risk of the cruise being canceled this far out, the better promotional flight prices aren't usually available so far in the future. And you know the airlines aren't going to give you a credit if the price drops!!!

[PiperMcB]

I am also a teacher. We are allowed 2 personal days which may not be taken the day before or after a school holiday or else they deduct the holiday from your pay (and don't pay you for the personal days.) If we take more than 2 sick days in a row, we must bring a doctor's note before we are allowed to return to work.

 

I am teaching summer school right now and have gone in to work sick all this week because you get no sick days for summer school and substitutes are few and far between!

 

So, although I would like to cruise when it is less expensive (especially since I pay the single supplement,) it is out of the question!

[tjevans]

I think that would only be fair.........She had a Contract !

 

That's right, she had a contract in which she gave away her right to complain if Carnival should cancel the cruise due to a charter.

 

As an aside, any disputes would have to be resolved according to Florida law. Carnival contracts contain a choice of law provision that specifies the contract will be interpreted according to Florida law. (Learned that little nugget in a case in law school).

 

BTW, I do understand your and your daughter's anger. I was a teacher, and I even had to get special permission to miss work to attend my son's birth because it was during the week of thanksgiving and the district had a policy of no leave during that week.

[jeniceglassman]

I'm just curious who your daughter booked her air with this far out?

[steveaaaa]

She is only protected if she is paid in full!!!!!!!!!!A deposit is just that a deposit!. If you decide not to go,you get your deposit back.Since she did not pay in full,she did not make up her mind yet so they sold it.

Steve

PS. I had this happen years ago on NCL, and yes I was paid in full a year out. Instead of my 4 night cruise which was paid in full, they gave me a 7 night cruise on another ship and gave me airfare included for the same price.

[cmez]

I think it's wrong what Carnival did to your daughter. But aren't travel agents fore-warned of charters by Carnival? Just a thought....

 

I think your daughter should email Bob Dickinson, if they cant help her on the price difference of her airfare, maybe they can make it up to her with an onboard ship credit.

 

Let us know how it works out!

[GAndie]

I'm sorry this happened to her. It did happen to me once with a cruise. I paid for it and it was then chartered by a private group.

 

The cruise line gave me a refund on the cruise because it wasn't my fault I couldn't go.

 

As for the airline tickets..can you call the airline and ask them how long they are good for? Some airlines give you up to a year to change the date. I'm not sure if there's a charge for that or not, but if there is...it still might not be as much as waiting for up to a year and having to buy tickets again at a much higher price.

 

Just a suggestion. Good luck. I always suggest getting the traveling insurance as well, although, if the cruise line is refunding the money and it only costs $100 to change the tickets, it might not be worth it. :)

[GAndie]

[quote name='halos']I'm just curious.....do any of the other cruise lines have this policy?? Surely it can't just be carnival that does this?? Does anyone know (for sure, no guessing)?[/QUOTE]

[COLOR=DarkSlateGray]It happened to me once with Windstar. They refunded the money..although it took a few registered, return-receipt requested letters to them. I didn't have to deal with airfare.[/COLOR]

[cruiseco]

[quote name='steveaaaa']This is clearly covered with your travel insurance policy,your cruise was cancelled.[/QUOTE]

Not necessarily. Here's from Travel Guard:

"Additional EXCLUSIONS for Trip Cancellation . . .
(2) travel arrangements canceled or changed by an airline, cruise line, or tour . operator . . ."

However, Travelex handles it this way:

" If your travel supplier cancels your trip, you are covered up to $150 for the reissue fee charged by the airline for your tickets."

Here's the problem with that: Say the airline charges you $50 for the change fee. Travelex will cover it but that's the end of that policy. When you re-schedule the trip you have to purchase another policy. Say the premium is $75.

The smarter way to go would be to eat the $50 change fee and roll the existing policy over to the new trip (there's no charge for this). You end up $25 better off after it's all figured up. The only time it would pay to file the claim is if the change fee to be claimed is more than the cost of buying the coverage for the substituted trip.

[scubaman]

I was also booked on the Valor April 17th. My travel agent called carnival and the only thing they will do is let us go in March or May for the same price. No shipboard credit or upgrade offered and YES she asked?

[halos]

scubaman....
This is one of the reasons I like to book vacations myself. I know there are plenty of reputable TA's out there, but I know that I've read on these boards of people being offered an upgrade at no additional charge for rebooking, and/or ship credit when carnival cancelled their cruise...which leads me to believe your TA isn't working hard enough.
If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself!!

[yarlenna]

This can happen on ANY cruise line. IF somebody comes along and books the whole boat, then you are out. The TA should be able to get a deal for you to transfer to a different date or ship. You have plenty of time to make alternative plans. Sometimes, the charters are booked AFTER you put your money down. They just go back and cancel anyone who was already booked.
This is not just a Carnival policy. If the "Contract" is in the no penalty time, there is usually not a lot of compensation. IF ANYONE can get compensation, it would be the TA because they have more leverage than just one little booking.
In 30 cruises, this has happened to me 3 times - once Carnival, once Windstar (before it was Carnival) and once on another line that doesn't exist any more.

[cincyfire]

I had an incident a few years ago that a travel agency did not send the deposits to carnival. Our rooms were let go, and the ship sold out. Yet we had our confirmations from the agency. The travel agency changed our ship, which was a little more expensive. They told us we were out of luck on the airfare because we had not booked through them. We called the regional manager and explained, and our airline tickets were changed at their expence. You had a contract with carnival, they may have right right to cancel, but they should pay all costs that you incur. If the first person doesnt help, keep moving up the chain.

[voyagerfl]

[QUOTE]only costs $100 to change the tickets, it might not be worth it.[/QUOTE]
The airlines charge $100 each, plus any difference in fair.
If 2 people are traveling that's a minimum $200 !:(
If they were traveling with a couple of kids that would be $400
I know we certainly don't have that kind of money to throw away.

I think Carnival should have to repay them.

[voyagerfl]

[QUOTE]gogetter posted: Sorry for the inconveinence...but.........things like this happen. What do you EXPECT Carnival to do? REfund the airline ticket price?[/QUOTE] [size=3]
Yes....that would be good for starters. It's the least they can do.
All the "Carnival Defenders" (you'd think you guys own the company or something) keep pointing out that
"Carnival Reserves The Right"
This may be true........but they don't reserve the right to screw you over........they can Charter their ship.......but why should I lose money because of it....

We been on 10 Carnival Cruises and if they ever did this to me....I'd never sail them again.
[/size]

[Jett456]

[url]http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=43252[/url]

[DebBrown]

[quote name='lovetocruiserccl']Hi:Mad at Carnival' Mom
I suggest she tries Royal Caribbean. She will never go back to the other. Trust me...[/QUOTE]
That being the case, why are you on the CCL boards??