Son will graduate from basic training the same day we are supposed to be crusing!

My mom and I booked a cruise to Cozumel last year immediately upon returning from a cruise to the Bahamas. My son joined the Army a few months back. As luck would have it, his graduation date is the week we are taking our cruise. I called Carnival when he got his orders for Ft. Jackson but the person I talked to didn't seem terribly sympathetic to my plight. I am still supposed to incur a $100 cancellation fee whether or not I change the date or get a refund. Has anyone else dealt with this issue? I also have a cruise booked to Alaska for which I have paid an $800 deposit. Wish they would just let me roll the money over to that cruise. Very frustrating as we have spent thousands of dollars with this line and they don't seem to really care. Suggestions? Sympathy? Just tell me to suck it up, Buttercup? LOL

that cancellation fee is because you have a early saver booking. any changes to a early saver booking has a $50 dollar per person fee.

I have a cruise I booked for March and am in the same boat. Looks like my date will not work and I am either going to have to pay the 50 per person admin fee or make the date work.

I appreciate your son's service! If you booked early saver this is the policy. If they start making exceptions for one thing, it opens the door for lots of other things. The policy is one reason the prices are less expensive. Maybe someone else could go in his place?

My mom and I booked a cruise to Cozumel last year immediately upon returning from a cruise to the Bahamas. My son joined the Army a few months back. As luck would have it, his graduation date is the week we are taking our cruise. I called Carnival when he got his orders for Ft. Jackson but the person I talked to didn't seem terribly sympathetic to my plight. I am still supposed to incur a $100 cancellation fee whether or not I change the date or get a refund. Has anyone else dealt with this issue? I also have a cruise booked to Alaska for which I have paid an $800 deposit. Wish they would just let me roll the money over to that cruise. Very frustrating as we have spent thousands of dollars with this line and they don't seem to really care. Suggestions? Sympathy? Just tell me to suck it up, Buttercup? LOL

Unfortunately, if you book the Early Saver rate in the hopes of saving money this is the risk you take. This is one of the reasons why I never book this rate (especially a year in advance) as you never know what life will throw at you. Also, just so you are aware - if you chose to cancel you will not get a cash refund. Your deposit amount (minus the $50 admin fee) will be held in a bank with Carnival that you can use on a future cruise. There is a time limit to use the funds, but I'm not sure what that is.

Keep calling Carnival until you get an agent who will roll over your Cozumel cruise $$$ minus the 100 to your Alaska cruise. Don't be surprised if it takes 6 or 10 tries, just be polite as your ask each agent.

Sooner or later, you'll find one who will do what you are asking.

I know my TA was very clear with me about the $50 non refundable portion of our deposit as other lines we have cruised on have other rules.

I am sorry your cruise conflicts but your basically stuck with loosing $100 or missing your sons graduation.

I appreciate your son's service! If you booked early saver this is the policy. If they start making exceptions for one thing, it opens the door for lots of other things.

Thank you!! Yes, I totally understand that too. They are in the business of making money. That's one reason I did not use the ES when booking the Alaskan cruise and put down a large deposit. Hindsight and all that.

Our grandson’s ceremony was taped for broadcast. Viewable live and later. There also could be a date change, not likely but happened the second graduation.

Welcome to Cruise Critic. Unfortunately I have to agree with everyone else, since you booked a Early Saver fare it is a non-refundable fare. As mentioned you incur a $50 pp change/cancellation fee with the remaining deposit being held as a future credit which I believe has to be used in 2 years (but I haven't verified that). This is one of those situations that even having travel insurance would help unless you happened to have cancel for any reason coverage. So, you have to choose to go on the cruise or go watch him graduate. I would personally go to the graduation, for whatever that is worth.

Unfortunately, if you book the Early Saver rate in the hopes of saving money this is the risk you take. This is one of the reasons why I never book this rate (especially a year in advance) as you never know what life will throw at you. Also, just so you are aware - if you chose to cancel you will not get a cash refund. Your deposit amount (minus the $50 admin fee) will be held in a bank with Carnival that you can use on a future cruise. There is a time limit to use the funds, but I'm not sure what that is.

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Your boy is totally worth the $100 change fee. I'm remembering back to my boot camp graduation and seeing my parents in the bleachers. It was a wonderful feeling.

There was never any question of whether I will go. He's worth all of the money in the world to me <3

Sorry but I too have to fall into the "suck it up, Buttercup" category.

As a general rule, I will book a cruise for $20-30 more pp with a reservation I can change, and then when I know the date is as solid as it can get, change to ES if the price is less - which these days, it often isn't.

Right now, I am holding off booking Cuba March 2020 because neither my son's college nor my other son's HS schedule has been released. Once I get the college one, I will likely book a past guest rate and hold tight for HS, as I won't get that until March 2019 and then look at ES...

It’s not like he’s graduating from kindergarten.

Thousands of men and women complete basic training every year. They don’t need their mommies there.

They have taken the first step of separation from you and going out to make their own world.

Be proud of him for willing to make the sacrifice and go on your cruise

Travel Insurance. We booked a southern Caribbean cruise, then the islands were hit by hurricanes. We changed to Panama Canal cruise after paying $50 each change fee. 4 days before Canal cruise, we were hit by medical emergency, and had to cancel. 4 days!! Carnival returned some $$, and travel insurance will return balance except for the $218 (less than 10% of the total) we paid for the insurance.

My mom and I booked a cruise to Cozumel last year immediately upon returning from a cruise to the Bahamas. My son joined the Army a few months back. As luck would have it, his graduation date is the week we are taking our cruise. I called Carnival when he got his orders for Ft. Jackson but the person I talked to didn't seem terribly sympathetic to my plight. I am still supposed to incur a $100 cancellation fee whether or not I change the date or get a refund. Has anyone else dealt with this issue? I also have a cruise booked to Alaska for which I have paid an $800 deposit. Wish they would just let me roll the money over to that cruise. Very frustrating as we have spent thousands of dollars with this line and they don't seem to really care. Suggestions? Sympathy? Just tell me to suck it up, Buttercup? LOL

Sorry, but everyone has an excuse for wanting the 50 dollar pp fee to be waived when they have to cancel or change under ES. All believe their excuse is valid and worthy of sympathy from Carnival.

I also book ES, but know the risks/penalties and had to pay it on a cruise about 5 years ago when we had to change due to a medical emergency that changed our finances short term. I knew I would owe, and simply changed the booking to a year out and ate it. You get a bit of a cheaper fare in exchange for the penalty if there are any changes, simple as that. There is no sympathy scale to get them reduced or eliminated. After that I learned the importance of trip insurance also :) We never book without it now..although I doubt it would cover this issue for you (unless you have cancel for any reason, which usually costs more and doesn't refund 100% anyway)

Congrats to your son and family on his basic training graduation...take the 100 hit and enjoy the next cruise!!

It’s not like he’s graduating from kindergarten.

 

Thousands of men and women complete basic training every year. They don’t need their mommies there.

They have taken the first step of separation from you and going out to make their own world.

 

Be proud of him for willing to make the sacrifice and go on your cruise

I tend to agree with this. Nobody had graduation ceremonies when I went through basic in the 70's. It's just the fact that they started doing it and play families against families for who loves their children more, and it really benefits the local hotels and restaurants a great deal. We did Ft Sill in Winter time for our daughter graduating basic. While it is nice to support your children, I feel that the base is using it as an excuse to bring more money to the local economy to maintain a better relationship with them.

You would be far better off to visit them at their next assignment, probably another training base, where they will have more time to spend with you while you are visiting.

I tend to agree with this. Nobody had graduation ceremonies when I went through basic in the 70's. It's just the fact that they started doing it and play families against families for who loves their children more, and it really benefits the local hotels and restaurants a great deal. We did Ft Sill in Winter time for our daughter graduating basic. While it is nice to support your children, I feel that the base is using it as an excuse to bring more money to the local economy to maintain a better relationship with them.

 

You would be far better off to visit them at their next assignment, probably another training base, where they will have more time to spend with you while you are visiting.

The military is all about pomp and ceremonies, I doubt they care two shakes about the local economy which in some instances is practically non-existent. I attended my son's graduation at Ft Leonard Wood and talk about being in the boondocks. I appreciated my mom making the trip to see me graduate in '75 and I enjoyed watching my son graduate two years ago.

We had a cruise booked for this November we decided to cancel, and we had only put down $100 on it, so with that $50pp that zapped that. Fast forward to the next day after I cancelled, I got an email from Carnival that said they were going to give me $50 of the $100 back as a future cruise credit (which I applied to my April 2019 cruise). I was honestly surprised, I figured that C-note was gone for good, and while it was only half my money, it was still a nice gesture on Carnival's part. Now, I'm not saying that will for sure happen to you too, but it is a possibility.

I am an Army wife. I cannot count the number or graduation ceremonies and promotion ceremonies I have attended in the last dozen years, and I haven’t even gone to a fraction of them. The Army is huge on ceremony. Some are grander then others. Personally, I would go on the cruise and see if someone could tape the ceremony.

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When my DS graduated from boot camp he insisted we didn't spend the money to go.

Take the cruise.

If you still decide to cancel, people have had to cancel for much worse. Count yourself lucky and as you said, "Suck it up Buttercup."

Take the cruise. When I graduated from Basic Training (also at Fort Jackson), my parents didn't attend and I'm glad they didn't make the trip. You'll have very little time with your son. The guys that had family there didn't get to visit with them before the ceremony. We were exhausted because we had to get up at 0200 and completely clean the barracks because we would not be going back inside the building except to grab our personal bags. Once the ceremony was over, they got to visit with their families for maybe half an hour or so then we were all loaded into cabs to the airport as they became available because we all had to be at our AIT posts that evening. AIT graduation pretty much went the same way. Up early and to the airport as soon as it was over. I also got to experience this from the family point of view when I went to a friends graduation at Jackson a few years later. It would have been a waste of time expect that I was also detouring to visit a friend at Ft Bragg and My brother who was at Fort Gordon.

Just to add, I graduated in 1982 so things may have changed, but I doubt by much.

It’s not like he’s graduating from kindergarten.

 

Thousands of men and women complete basic training every year. They don’t need their mommies there.

They have taken the first step of separation from you and going out to make their own world.

 

Be proud of him for willing to make the sacrifice and go on your cruise

I have to agree, it has been 37 years since I graduated from boot camp but I do not recall any parents being at Fort Sill in the dead of winter. But I cannot fraught you for wanting to go to celebrate your son's patriotic service. God bless him. I hope you can get them to waive the $100 fee.

My mom and I booked a cruise to Cozumel last year immediately upon returning from a cruise to the Bahamas. My son joined the Army a few months back. As luck would have it, his graduation date is the week we are taking our cruise. I called Carnival when he got his orders for Ft. Jackson but the person I talked to didn't seem terribly sympathetic to my plight. I am still supposed to incur a $100 cancellation fee whether or not I change the date or get a refund. Has anyone else dealt with this issue? I also have a cruise booked to Alaska for which I have paid an $800 deposit. Wish they would just let me roll the money over to that cruise. Very frustrating as we have spent thousands of dollars with this line and they don't seem to really care. Suggestions? Sympathy? Just tell me to suck it up, Buttercup? LOL

Why should the be sympathetic at all? You son is graduating. That is a wonderful event. Now if your family all died in fireball car accident on the way to the port...yeah...sympathy would be in order. But if the $100 is more important to you than watching him graduate basic training, then by all means go on the cruise. We would not even consider going on that cruise and would not think twice about surrounding the $100.

Travel Insurance. We booked a southern Caribbean cruise, then the islands were hit by hurricanes. We changed to Panama Canal cruise after paying $50 each change fee. 4 days before Canal cruise, we were hit by medical emergency, and had to cancel. 4 days!! Carnival returned some $$, and travel insurance will return balance except for the $218 (less than 10% of the total) we paid for the insurance.

It would not cover this unless it was cancel for any reason.