Potentially cancelling my cruise, 10 days until sailing

[mroden2699]

Hello guys, I was all set to sail on March 10th out of Miami for a 3 day cruise on Carnival Victory. I just found out my grandmother will be refusing all treatment for her cancer, and will opt to do hospice. She's already stopped eating, and drinking very little. My whole family is encouraging me to spend as much time with her now, but also encouraging me to take the cruise. Right now, it's looking like a 50/50 chance for me to still take the cruise. I'm really not sure what to do.

 

This leads to my question, because the trip is only 9 days away, I'm assuming cancelling the cruise and getting a 100% refund is totally out the question? Does Carnival offer a deal where I could use my money spent as credit for a future cruise, or is this also out the question. If I don't go, could I just assume that my $900+ spent is just money down the drain?

 

I'm sure I could call them, but would like to hear any insight from past experiences dealing with cancelling. Thanks guys!

[shof515]

If I don't go, could I just assume that my $900+ spent is just money down the drain?

 

money is down the drain unless you have travel insurance

[StolidCruiser]

Carnival offers no such deal.

 

Spend what time you have left with Nana and hope she left you at least $900 in her will.

 

Even if she doesnt, it will be worth the money lost.

[sheeniwoo]

Do what your heart tells you to do. I cruised last year 4 days after my grandfather died, his funeral was on day 2 of my cruise. My family gave their blessing to take the cruise, and I did- I loved my grandfather immensely. This is personal choice and no one can really guide you on this. Is there a such thing of atleast getting port fees back or something like that if you do a no show?

 

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[CuriousCruiser37]

Carnival will refund all of your money minus what you paid for the deposit. That has always been my experience. Sorry to hear about your grandmother. :(

 

Don't wait until the day of the cruise. The only refund you'll get that day is the port fees.

 

 

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[spencercoop]

Carnival will refund all of your money minus what you paid for the deposit. That has always been my experience. Sorry to hear about your grandmother. :(

 

Don't wait until the day of the cruise. The only refund you'll get that day is the port fees.

 

 

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Unfortunately not since the OPs cruise is less than 14 days away. At most they will get their taxes and fees back.

[volmoma]

Carnival will refund all of your money minus what you paid for the deposit. That has always been my experience. Sorry to hear about your grandmother. :(

 

Don't wait until the day of the cruise. The only refund you'll get that day is the port fees.

 

 

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Without Travel Insurance??

 

 

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[Wheatie59]

Carnival will refund all of your money minus what you paid for the deposit. That has always been my experience. Sorry to hear about your grandmother. :(

 

Don't wait until the day of the cruise. The only refund you'll get that day is the port fees.

 

 

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Not this close to sailing:

 

 

 

• From 14 days prior to sailing to the day of your cruise, the penalty is 100%* of the total fare..
  

*Note: For full 100% penalties, the refund will ONLY include: Taxes, Fees and Port Expenses and Optional Prepaid Gratuities.

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3401/kw/cancellation

[ce_cruise]

Hello guys, I was all set to sail on March 10th out of Miami for a 3 day cruise on Carnival Victory. I just found out my grandmother will be refusing all treatment for her cancer, and will opt to do hospice. She's already stopped eating, and drinking very little. My whole family is encouraging me to spend as much time with her now, but also encouraging me to take the cruise. Right now, it's looking like a 50/50 chance for me to still take the cruise. I'm really not sure what to do.

 

This leads to my question, because the trip is only 9 days away, I'm assuming cancelling the cruise and getting a 100% refund is totally out the question? Does Carnival offer a deal where I could use my money spent as credit for a future cruise, or is this also out the question. If I don't go, could I just assume that my $900+ spent is just money down the drain?

 

I'm sure I could call them, but would like to hear any insight from past experiences dealing with cancelling. Thanks guys!

 

This is a tough decision. One I had to make myself with my mother. I can not answer your questions about refunds and penalties but I can tell you my experience. Your description of your grandmother's medical decisions were exactly what happened with my mother. In my case I sat down with mom and basically told her my dilema. The nerve of her to be dying! As only a mother could she told me she would kick my a__ if I wasted all that money over her! After laughing all around I told her my fear was that I would not be able to have my last kiss. She said it was ok, she new that I loved her but since it seemed to mean so much to me that should she pass she would instruct my sister to not have the cremation till I returned. Fortunately my mother did not pass while we were on the cruise.

Looking back I would recommend that you have a talk with grandma, talk with the family and once you make your decision be at peace with it. I will say one thing and it is not to be cold, Whether you are there or are not there, if it is grandma's time to go she will pass. At the same time she will know that you love her and she will know that you are having a great cruise and she will be happy for you.

My condolences in advance.

[louanne93]

If they offered Nana treatment and she refused, I would say she is probably in the beginning of the end. If that is correct, you will still have 9 days before you leave and probably time when you get back.

 

When my Nana refused treatment she still hung around for 2 years. When my mother refused treatment she hung around for 41 days (and that was with the most aggressive kind of brain tumor). I agree with the statement above, she would probably kick your but if she ever found out how much you spent and just threw it all away!

 

Regardless, you are the one that has to live with yourself. I would talk to her Dr. or Hospice as they can give you a better idea of the stages she will go through, and where she is right now.

[mroden2699]

This is a tough decision. One I had to make myself with my mother. I can not answer your questions about refunds and penalties but I can tell you my experience. Your description of your grandmother's medical decisions were exactly what happened with my mother. In my case I sat down with mom and basically told her my dilema. The nerve of her to be dying! As only a mother could she told me she would kick my a__ if I wasted all that money over her! After laughing all around I told her my fear was that I would not be able to have my last kiss. She said it was ok, she new that I loved her but since it seemed to mean so much to me that should she pass she would instruct my sister to not have the cremation till I returned. Fortunately my mother did not pass while we were on the cruise.

Looking back I would recommend that you have a talk with grandma, talk with the family and once you make your decision be at peace with it. I will say one thing and it is not to be cold, Whether you are there or are not there, if it is grandma's time to go she will pass. At the same time she will know that you love her and she will know that you are having a great cruise and she will be happy for you.

My condolences in advance.

 

Thank you for your insight, it truly means a lot.

[renza]

If u paid with a credit card call that company. Mine will refund me up to $3000 pp if I cancel due to weather or illness or death in family.

 

 

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[CocaCola19]

If you purchased travel insurance, check your policy. It is likely covered. If you did not, check with your credit card company. A lot have travel insurance built in and may cover this. My credit cards are actually very generous with travel coverage so it might surprise you. All the details should be available on your CC website if you manage your account online. You are are basically in the 100% penalty phase so it won't be money you are guaranteed to get back. You can always request from Carnival that they make a one time except and break the rules for future cruise credit or refund. It would be a totally kind gesture on their part as that is not in the cruise contract.

 

Please do what is right for you. As someone who works in healthcare and also suffered a very personal loss of a family member this past year, I can assure you no decision you make with going or not going will be wrong. DO WHAT IS RIGHT FOR YOU. You will find a lot of keyboard warriors with all kinds of opinions. No matter what you choose you will find others who choose the same and or differently. There is no right answer.

 

I hope your family member has a very peaceful passing and my condolences to your family.

[abby1257]

Carnival offers no such deal.

 

Spend what time you have left with Nana and hope she left you at least $900 in her will.

 

Even if she doesnt, it will be worth the money lost.

 

 

Did you actually just say that? WOW

[MomofTheBoy]

Looking back I would recommend that you have a talk with grandma, talk with the family and once you make your decision be at peace with it. I will say one thing and it is not to be cold, Whether you are there or are not there, if it is grandma's time to go she will pass. At the same time she will know that you love her and she will know that you are having a great cruise and she will be happy for you.

.

THIS RIGHT HERE!!! Best advice!

 

Talk to your grandmother. I rescheduled my Christmas cruise because we didn't think he'd make it. He couldn't eat anything or pretty much take any liquids. Christmas came and went and he was still here. On the very rare occasion he was lucid he told me to live my life and that I should have gone. He passed January 3. I would have been back home by then. The one thing I will always take away was that I knew he loved me and that I need to truly live my life. Talk to your grandmother. You'd be surprised she may tell you to go ahead.

[kshees]

Carnival will refund all of your money minus what you paid for the deposit. That has always been my experience. Sorry to hear about your grandmother. :(

 

Don't wait until the day of the cruise. The only refund you'll get that day is the port fees.

 

 

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We just went through this a month ago with my mother in law. If you cancel now you will only get your excursions refunded, port fees, and taxes. Your cruise will not be refunded at all unless you have insurance. We had the insurance so we submitted a claim and are waiting for a response. The only things they refunded for us right away was Port fees, taxes, we bought the Cheers program, and our excursions. We are also dealing with the fact that we paid for our excursions with a gift card and they are reviewing the process and trying to figure out how to refund that back to us.

I am very sorry you are going through this. Good luck

[Boozebabe]

This may sound mean but I would hope your grandmother was worth more to you than $900. I would be ashamed of myself for being so selfish. Of course she would NEVER tell you to stay home. No grandma would. Thats what grandmas do. I would never want to regret being there for a dying relative.

 

To answer your question, I hope Carnival gives you every penny back (but they won't) so you don't feel so bad.

[tonit964]

I'm sorry about your grandmother's health.

If you do decide to cancel, it's worth a call to Carnival and see if they can transfer your cruise to another date. All you can do is ask. If they won't do that, you will get your port fees, taxes, and anything else you prepaid back.

Best of luck to you.

[Taylor523]

Not sure if this will be any help or not, but hey worth a chance to mention it. I was in a situation in 2015, and had to cancel less than two weeks before cruise due to boyfriends job. No insurance. Our pvp gave us a carnival email to request getting a refund. We did have to send a copy of his start date of his new job. I can't remember exactly what percentage we got back, but i know it was atleast 2/3 of the total fare. I'm not sure how they decided or what, but maybe worth a chance of you asking a pvp about it?! Good luck!

[kctwinmommy]

Like others said, you need to do what you feel is best and right for you. I can tell you from personal experience, I feel it's more important to be with the person you love while they're alive if you have to choose what time you can have with them. When our 9-year old daughter was sick, my husband's niece was living and teaching in Japan. It was very difficult, and expensive for a 20-something to come home to see her, but she did. She spent a week with her, visiting her in the hospital every day for hours. They talked, played games, laughed, etc... That same niece couldn't fly home again 2 months later when our daughter died. When I saw her several months later, I told her it was way more important to us and way more special that she was with our daughter for that time she was still alive. You can always pay your respects in other ways at other times.

 

I hope you can be at peace with whatever happens and whatever decision you make.

[gnocchi_mommy]

I have shared this before and some people got very rude about it but I'll share anyway- it can not hurt to call or write. A few years ago we purchased a cabin for my parents on a cruise we were going on. My fathers sister died 3 days before sailing, we opted to sail anyway but obviously my parents could not. We did not have insurance (and yes every cruise since we have purchased travel insurance from a secondary site because live and learn.) At the behest of my TA, I emailed a letter to Carnival corp requesting a compassionate exception- and they were very kind and gave my parents a full future booking credit for the cruise which they were able to use the following year on another cruise with us. My point being, sometimes exceptions are made, cruise companies are staffed by real humans after all.

[pusywillow]

I can't tell you what to do, but I'll tell you what happened with me.

 

My FIL had been in a nursing home for many years. Then he took a turn for the worse, not eating etc. We visited each day and on the day before the cruise, we said our goodbyes. We prepared things with the home, funeral parlor {he wanted to be cremated} and gave instructions to hold the services until we returned if he passed. He did indeed pass and his wishes were carried out when we returned.

 

Next week we are taking a two week cruise and my MIL is in the same home recovered from a broken leg. She is stable and the doctor said she will start therapy when we get back.

 

There is nothing you can really do to help her other then saying how much you love her before you go on your cruise. Good luck!

[sanger727]

This may sound mean but I would hope your grandmother was worth more to you than $900. I would be ashamed of myself for being so selfish. Of course she would NEVER tell you to stay home. No grandma would. Thats what grandmas do. I would never want to regret being there for a dying relative.

 

To answer your question, I hope Carnival gives you every penny back (but they won't) so you don't feel so bad.

 

 

Your life doesn't come to a grinding halt because a relative is near the end of theirs. OPs grandmother could pass in the next days, weeks, or months... my grandparents have already passed but I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that in this scenario my parents would want me to take the trip. OP has over a week left to spend with grandma, it just comes down to how they will feel if they miss the death/funeral. If that not something OP can live with then cancel; if OP will be fine knowing they spent the time they could with the relative, then by all means. There's nothing wrong with taking the trip at this point. It doesn't sound like grandma will be alone if OP takes the cruise.

 

And carnival most likely won't give them anything back except the port fees; that's what insurance is for.

 

 

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[Warm Breezes]

We had a cruise scheduled when my Grandmother started going down hill really fast. The night before we left we went to see her, she was not doing well at all, and we told our relatives that if she passed away before we got on the ship we would come home. If it was after we were on the ship we didn't want to know until we returned. She passed away the next day as we were driving from MI to NY the day before our cruise. We spent a few hours at our hotel discussing it between ourselves (DH, DD, DS and myself) if we would continue on or return home. Fortunately we had travel insurance so we knew our cruise was covered if we decided to return. Having the insurance made our decision easier, that and DS saying "we can go on a cruise anytime, there was only one Great Grandma". Keep in mind that my kids were very close to my Grandmother as my Aunt was their daycare while DH and I worked when they were growing up and she was always over there. We turned around and drove home to MI to grieve with our family after cancelling our cruise at the very last minute.

 

If you booked with a credit card check to see if you have travel insurance through that if you did not get it on your own. Don't count on Carnival covering your loss for you as it was your responsibility to cover your trip. Other than that it is a very personal decision to go or not to go that only you and your family can make. I do emphasize with you as I personally know what a tough decision it is to make. Prayers for your family.