Paying More for a cancelled guest?

[PDXJAS]

Was talking to someone about cruising. They told me a few years back they booked about 5 rooms for a family cruise. A week before a family member broke her elbow and could not go. They cancelled her and were charged $135. They had already paid for 2 in the room. Shouldn't they have gotten $$ back for taxes and port fees on her? Just wondering. I told them they got screwed by the TA.

[k2excursion]

Was talking to someone about cruising. They told me a few years back they booked about 5 rooms for a family cruise. A week before a family member broke her elbow and could not go. They cancelled her and were charged $135. They had already paid for 2 in the room. Shouldn't they have gotten $$ back for taxes and port fees on her? Just wondering. I told them they got screwed by the TA.

 

Other than a few exceptions, all Carnival rooms must have 2 cruise fares paid, even if there is only 1 person in the room. If you have to cancel just a week before the cruise, there is a 100% penalty (of the cruise fare) assessed. The key word there is PENALTY. A penalty must be paid, in addition to the 2 cruise fares paid. I know that some people will argue this, and others won't think it's fair, but it is how it works. A penalty is a penalty. That money is removed from the booking entirely. A penalty is different than a payment on the booking. 2 cruise fare payments must be made for the solo booking, plus the penalty must be paid. For people to think that nothing extra should be paid since they already have paid for 2 in the room would be the same as saying that you don't have to pay your speeding ticket because you paid enough in your taxes to cover it. Good luck with that!:rolleyes: Penalties just don't work that way. Penalties are always an additional charge. When it's a 3rd person being cancelled, nothing extra needs to be paid, as the now-2-person room will only be paying for 2, and the penalty can be taken out of what had been paid to the booking. The penalty amount will be removed from what has been paid to a booking. Once a double goes down to a single, the penalty gets removed, and the booking is now short on being fully paid off. Will Carnival break (key word=break) their rules and not charge a penalty? Sometimes, but they don't have to, and truthfully, they shouldn't.

 

The way to counter this is to have that 2nd person in the room just not show up. Don't cancel them. Carnival has even told people specifically to do this, after they had called up to cancel the person. It's not about being deceptive. If a person could cancel and not pay a penalty, they could instantly turn around and book a different person into the room as a 2nd person; and bingo, free name change. Some rates do not allow name changes, and others will charge a $50 fee. People could easily manipulate the situation and get out from these fees or restrictions if no penalty were charged for cancelling a 2nd person. That's why it is done that way. Carnival is protecting themselves, understandably so. Government taxes do get refunded for a no-show or cancellation. Port fees are hidden within the cruise fare, so those do not get refunded (even though they should).

 

The situation you described sounds like a pretty cheap cruise for the cruise fare to be only $135. What I'm thinking is that the TA deducted the taxes from the penalty amount, which makes sense. That would still be a cheap cruise, not much over $200. Sounds like the TA didn't screw them to me. In fact, I'm guessing that the TA found a way to cut them a break. Yes, that late 2nd person cancellation penalty seems quite steep, but it is what it is. And the TA may have reduced their own commission to lessen the penalty amount.

Edited March 5, 2014 by k2excursion

[Freckles_51]

Yes as PP said, taxes are refunded for a no show.

 

As for the single supplement, it all depends on the cruise line and insurance coverage.

 

NCL does not charge an extra penalty if one of 2 people cancel, at least they didn't in 2012. They just keep the cancelled persons cruise fee.

 

On either line you do have to cancel if you have insurance coverage otherwise insurance will not pay for no show. However the insurance may also pay for the single supplement due to cancellation of travelling companion, at least that is how my policy works.

[winddawn]

Was talking to someone about cruising. They told me a few years back they booked about 5 rooms for a family cruise. A week before a family member broke her elbow and could not go. They cancelled her and were charged $135. They had already paid for 2 in the room. Shouldn't they have gotten $$ back for taxes and port fees on her? Just wondering. I told them they got screwed by the TA.

The best way to have handled this when 2 passengers have already paid in full is for the person who can't go to just be a no-show. In other words, don't cancel, but instead just do not show up at the port. Handling it that way avoids the cancellation penalty, and a good TA would have informed them of that.

 

And yes, paid port charges should be refunded, and depending on whether it was paid by the same credit card as the passenger who does go, it may have been credited as a shipboard credit on the sailing passenger's Sail & Sign account.

[k2excursion]

The previous 2 posters do make excellent points. The defense for the TA is weak because a good TA certainly should have known that the no-show was the better way. And yes, I forgot about the insurance. If insurance was purchased and the reason for cancelling is covered, then you would cancel, pay the penalty, then get the money back from the insurance company, including the solo supplement. So in the end, only 1 cruise fare would have been paid for the room.

[PDXJAS]

Thank you for the education. I already have my doubts about their TA. She couldn't find their VIFP #'s. They are going on their 10th Carnival cruise with me in 19 days. I am their acting TA since they do not have a computer I am in charge of all the pre check in and printing out luggage tags and boarding passes. It was a 4 day out of Long Beach cruise 2 or 3 years ago. Inter. room. SO the pricing is about right after taxes.

[jks336]

well, I read not too long ago that a person couldn't go on the cruise. they had her be a no show. When she didn't show, they got charged penalties. she had to pay the single supliment charges on top of that I believe what it was. yes they refunded the port chg's/fees but other than that they got charged the fee on top of it all.