Questions from a "newbie cruiser"...

[tybrkr17]

Hey fellow cruisers!

 

I am booked on a cruise on the Carnival Inspiration on May 8th for the 4 Day Mexican Baja.

 

Now I call myself a "newbie cruiser" because it has been almost 10 years since my last cruise. This will technically be my 4th cruise with Carnival. I have taken 3 Carnival cruises with my family when I was a kid. So since its been awhile, I feel like a newbie again. :P

 

I just have a few quick questions for all you Veterans out there - I apologize if these were answered in another thread, I am new to this site so I haven't fully figured out how to navigate and find stuff.

 

Like I stated above, I am booked on the Inspiration on May 8th. I am suppose to go with a friend and his sister. So three of us total in a cabin. We have fully paid for everything when we booked a few weeks ago (I paid for myself and my friend paid for himself and his sister). We got a inside handicapped cabin on the Empress deck - really good location. We booked the handicapped room because my friends sister uses a wheelchair.

 

Something recently came up and my friends sister might not be able to join us. So...

 

1. Since we are still 55 days or so away, will Carnival reimburse us if she has to back out? If so, is that an easy process? My friend told me he doesn't care to get a refund, but in my opinion it would be nice to have extra money to do extra activities on the cruise and at the ports.

 

2. Would it just be easier to find another person to take her place? (we do have someone who is interested)

 

3. Also, would we loose our cabin if she has to back out? Would they move us to a non-handicapped room even though we already paid in full?

 

Thank you all for the advice!

[shof515]

it depends how you book? If you booked with Early Saver, there might be penalty involved that cost about $50 dollars.

[glrounds]

it depends how you book? If you booked with Early Saver, there might be penalty involved that cost about $50 dollars.

 

Yes, I think this is the NAME CHANGE penalty.

Not sure about maybe losing the handicapped cabin if the lady in the wheel chair isn't going. That is a distinct possibility. I'll let others to take that one.

[Organized Chaos]

Here is the Carnival FAQ info about cancellations. Depends on whether or not you're paid in full (which you said you are) and if you used a promotion, such as Early Saver. I don't know about the handicapped room, but if I had to guess, I'd say there's a good chance they'd move you to free up that room for someone else who needs it.

 

 

I need to cancel my booking, is there a penalty?

If you are canceling your booking prior to your final payment, there is no penalty to cancel unless you have booked a specific promotion with a non-refundable deposit and/or fare.

 

 

 

 

• Bookings made prior to December 2, 2015 for sail dates through April 30, 2017: For cruises 5 days or less, the final payment date is 60 days prior to sailing, for cruises 6+ days and Alaska cruises, the final payment date is 75 days prior to sailing and for Europe, Transatlantic and Panama Canal cruises, the final payment date is 90 days prior to sailing.
  
• Bookings made December 2, 2015 and onwards, for sailings April 1, 2016 and onwards: For cruises 5 days or less, the final payment date is 60 days prior to sailing, for 6-9 day cruises, the final payment date is 75 days prior to sailing and for cruises 10+ days, Alaska, Europe, Transatlantic and Panama Canal, the final payment date is 90 days prior to sailing.
  

The following promotions have a non-refundable deposit and/or fare at time of booking and will be penalized as such. Within our standard cancellation penalty period, regular penalties will apply.

 

• Early Saver and Early Saver Last Call: The deposit is non-refundable at any time after the booking is made. All cancellations that occur prior to the final payment due date will receive a non-refundable and non-transferable future cruise credit in US dollars in the amount of the deposit less a $50 USD per person service fee. The future cruise credit must be used on a cruise within 24 months from the date of cancellation and can only be applied to your cruise fare. Any unused portion will be forfeited.
  
• Super Saver: The deposit is non-refundable at any time after the booking is made.
  
• Pack & Go: 100% of Total Fare is non-refundable any time after the booking is made.
  
  

Once your booking is within our cancellation penalty period, the amount of penalty will increase as the cruise departure approaches. When calculating the days prior to sailing, the day of sailing should not be considered as one of the days. The day of sailing is considered the first day of the cruise.

 

• From the final payment date to 56 days prior to sailing (or 46 days prior to sailing for cruises 5 days or less), the penalty is the deposit amount.
  
• From 55 days prior to sailing to 30 days prior to sailing (or 45 to 30 days prior to sailing on cruises 5 days or less), the penalty is 50% of the total fare or the deposit amount, whichever is greater.
  
• From 29 to15 days prior to sailing, the penalty is 75% of the total fare or the deposit amount, whichever is greater.
  
• From 14 days prior to sailing to the day of your cruise, the penalty is 100%* of the total fare.
  
• No refunds will be made if you do not show up for your cruise or if you interrupt or cancel your vacation once it has begun.
  
  

The total fare is defined as Cruise Fare, Transfer Services, Pre/Post Cruise Vacation Packages and Air Supplements (excluding Restricted Air which is non-refundable at time of booking).

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

 

For booked guests: To check and see if your booking has a cancellation penalty, login to your carnival.com profile. Under the 'My Cruise Details' section, click on the 'Is there a penalty for cancelling this booking' link.