Cruise cancellation refund issue

[nursepixie]

Ok, I'm coming here because I feel like I'm being screwed around by carnival. I booked a cruise last March for 4/2/17. I've recently lost my job, so sadly had to cancel the cruise because I need the money to pay bills. I've made payments on this cruise with an old checking account that is no longer open, and several gift cards that I disposed of because I wasn't going to be needing them anymore. This wasn't going to happen.

So now, CCL is saying that all payments are refunded to their original form of payment, which means I won't get most of my money back. Has anyone else had this experience, and what did you do to get it fixed. HELP CC!

 

 

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[TerReuv]

Yep - that is the way refunds are handled. We had an extra $12 on our S&S account from Gift Cards and it was put back on a gift card.

 

Same way it is handled in a store. If you paid by CC it is refunded to that CC.

[Schoifmom]

Ok, I'm coming here because I feel like I'm being screwed around by carnival. I booked a cruise last March for 4/2/17. I've recently lost my job, so sadly had to cancel the cruise because I need the money to pay bills. I've made payments on this cruise with an old checking account that is no longer open, and several gift cards that I disposed of because I wasn't going to be needing them anymore. This wasn't going to happen.

So now, CCL is saying that all payments are refunded to their original form of payment, which means I won't get most of my money back. Has anyone else had this experience, and what did you do to get it fixed. HELP CC!

 

 

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I had to cancel the 3rd person from our last cruise and was refunded all money to a NEW gift card, after I explained to my PVP that I no longer had the original gift card. Call them back. Explain the situation. Escalate to a supervisor, if necessary. If they attempt to refund the money to a non-working credit card or bank account, it will bounce back to them.

 

You have to take the initiative here if you want your refund in a timely manner.

[Kamloops50]

You can ask them to issue a check for the credit. That will take about 2 to 4 weeks to receive in the mail.

[Jana60]

You can ask them to issue a check for the credit. That will take about 2 to 4 weeks to receive in the mail.

 

This sounds like the best option. While many stores do insist on crediting back the original credit card most stores do not accept payment for an item two years before delivering the item so I think this situation with Carnival is different then it would be with your local Walmart!

[lizardhowson]

First let me say to the threadstarter, I hope you get this sorted out and recover all your money. Also, you are not being "screwed" by Carnival. Sounds like you are just naive about these types of financial matters.

 

This is precisely why every travel expense/payment should be made using a credit card ! You have many types of protections when using a credit card.

 

Secondly, it is never a good idea to pay any travel expenses BEFORE they are due. If you want to save toward a cruise, throw the money into an envelope or an account to be paid just before the due date (that's what I did for my January 2016 Valor cruise - each month I set aside some cash in anticipation of the final payment date. On final payment date, I paid with a credit card then dumped my cash savings into the credit card to make the card balance $0).

 

That way I could cancel up to final payment date, Carnival only had my deposit (also paid with credit card) but the cruise, tips, on-board expenses were saved and ready to be paid in full - had $0 balance on Sign & Sail card on debarkation day.

 

I am always in full control of my travel payments, deposits and costs - not the travel provider !

Edited February 11, 2016 by lizardhowson

[bakersdozen12]

I agree with lizardhowson. I also don't understand why people pay off cruises before they are due. Why hand your money over to Carnival so that they can then earn interest in your money? Not only that, when you have to cancel, your money is not readily available to you.

 

And I also agree with paying with a credit card. I use a card to make all purchases. I earn points for every dollar that I can convert to airline points for free tickets. And it's not like you have to carry a balance and pay interest. Just pay off the card every payday.

 

Anyway, not trying to lecture the OP, I just think it's a good learning experience for others that may read this.

 

To the OP: best of luck and I hope you get it all sorted out. I'm sure Carnival will be able to find a workaround for you.

[firemanbobswife]

I buy my gift cards at 10% off and use my CC that gives me FF miles to do that. I don't spend money I don't have so that's not an issue and it makes no difference to me when Carnival gets paid as it's all the same to me. My GCs are bought when they are available.

 

10% off plus other perks are a lot more valuable to me than the pitiful "interest" I would otherwise earn.

 

Hope the OP gets it straightened out to their satisfaction in a timely fashion.

[zqvol]

Ok, I'm coming here because I feel like I'm being screwed around by carnival. I booked a cruise last March for 4/2/17. I've recently lost my job, so sadly had to cancel the cruise because I need the money to pay bills. I've made payments on this cruise with an old checking account that is no longer open, and several gift cards that I disposed of because I wasn't going to be needing them anymore. This wasn't going to happen.

So now, CCL is saying that all payments are refunded to their original form of payment, which means I won't get most of my money back. Has anyone else had this experience, and what did you do to get it fixed. HELP CC!

 

 

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You will get it all back, but it may take some phone calls.

 

Gift cards will go back on gift cards. The money to a checking account will go to a checking account. You will have to provide them the new account information. They are not going to keep your money, you may just have to jump through a few hoops to get it back.

[kteachcruiser52]

Like the above poster said you will get the money you paid from your checking account back, but any money that was paid using gift cards will be refunded by putting the money on another gift card. That is only fair. If you are not going to use the gift card, perhaps you can sell it to a website that buys gift cards at a discounted rate and resells them. While it would not get you all your money back, you could recover a portion of the gift card amount that way.

Edited February 11, 2016 by kteachcruiser52

[nursepixie]

End result....most of you were right. All of what I paid by gift cards will be re-issued onto a new gift card and mailed to me. And the rest will be issued to the original funding source. And I definitely will use the gift card to book a cruise in the future!

 

 

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[goldesq]

End result....most of you were right. All of what I paid by gift cards will be re-issued onto a new gift card and mailed to me. And the rest will be issued to the original funding source. And I definitely will use the gift card to book a cruise in the future!

 

 

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When you paid to carnival via gift cards, were those carnival gift cards or just regular visa or mc gift cards? I'm confused bc you said you will use the new gift cars that they send to you to book a new cruise in the future. Didn't you want the refund so you can pay bills?

 

If you used carnival gift cards to pay,I understand them just re-issuing you a new carnival card with the refund. If you paid via visa / MasterCard, then they really should just send you a check.

 

Lastly, since your old checking a not was closed, they just sgould send that share of the refund to a new checking account. I don't know what you mean by original funding source.

[nursepixie]

When you paid to carnival via gift cards, were those carnival gift cards or just regular visa or mc gift cards? I'm confused bc you said you will use the new gift cars that they send to you to book a new cruise in the future. Didn't you want the refund so you can pay bills?

 

 

 

If you used carnival gift cards to pay,I understand them just re-issuing you a new carnival card with the refund. If you paid via visa / MasterCard, then they really should just send you a check.

 

 

 

Lastly, since your old checking a not was closed, they just sgould send that share of the refund to a new checking account. I don't know what you mean by original funding source.

 

 

They were carnival gift cards. Yes, I wanted the money to pay bills. The only thing they'll send me a check for is when they get the returned money from the bank acct that was closed. Luckily I still had one of the 3 sources of payments (rather than "funding source") so that I'll receive some of the refund now and can pay some bills. They said that they had already issued the refund to the closed account, so it couldn't go to a new acct, and I talked to several different people. I'm ok with the outcome. Just glad to get it all back even if some is on a gift card that won't pay the bills.

 

 

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