Silver Moon - nice with minor hiccup

[Keys2Heaven]

Our family of four sailed on the Carnival Destiny from 12/10 - 12/17 and the Silver Moon excursion was to be a highlight of the trip. We booked this tour back in May and put down a deposit of $200. No problem. The cruise was going as planned, but the whale watching excursion in Dominica turned out to be rougher than expected and my wife and daughter did not have a great time. Because of this, they decided to forgoe the Silver Moon excursion the next day. Honestly, I didn't know what the reprecusions of this would be. I figured that I had paid $200 and that my daughter and I would go and that would be that.

 

I put a few dollars in my drybox (I didn't really check) for some shopping later if we had time. We arrived at the terminal and I found the gate we were to check in at. I informed the individual at the gate that my wife and daughter were sick from the excursion the day before and that they would not be going on the excursion. My daughter and I were then directed to sit in an area to await the bus that would take us to the pier. During this time, we met some wonderful folks from New York and Florida. Apparently, the gal who checked us in had told them about my wife and daughter. The man from Florida asked me if they were going to charge me for my wife and daughter not being there. This was the first time that I thought that there might be a problem. I told him that we paid a deposit that covered my daughter and I and the worst that could happen would be that they wouldn't let us go.

 

We finally boarded the minibus and made our way to the pier. Once there, we met Ben who took us to the boat. We removed our shoes and boarded. My daughter and I went inside and put our gear down. Ben asked me if we were the party with folks that were sick and would not be going. I answered yes and he told me that they had to charge me another $100 as this was their policy since they had prepared all of the food for two more. Now, I didn't purchase any internet minutes on the ship, since I work with computers full time and wanted to get away from it all for a week. I looked in my drybox and to my surprise I only had $60 with me. By now, we had already cast off and I felt like a complete heel. I told Ben that I didn't know that there would be an extra charge and that I didn't have enough money with me. The gentleman from New York indicated that if I paid the deposit with a credit card then I should be able to have them put it on my card as well. I embarass easliy and, while glad about the suggestion, felt horrible that everyone around me knew about my money problem.

 

So, on the way out to the spot where we would snorkel with the turtles, I had to speak with Katrina on Ben's cell phone. I had her run my card which came back declined. I forgotten that the card I used for our deposit was renewed this year and that she had an old expiration date on file. I didn't bring the card with me on the trip and could not remember what the expiration date on the card was. I started having a minor panic attack with all of this. Here we are sailing and everyone else is enjoying themselves and all I can think about is what a dufus I am and that I getting taken for a ride.

 

I ended up talking with Katrina on Ben's cell phone three times before getting this worked out. I have another card number memorized and for the life of me couldn't recall it. I had to go inside the cabin and write it down because I was panicking about the whole thing. I finally got it written down and told Katrina to hold the phone while she ran it, as this whole incident was rather embarassing with all of the phone calls back and forth. She told me that I could have written to her and that they could have done something (i.e. not charge me) if they knew about my wife and daugter's problem ahead of time.

 

The rest of the excurison was o.k. but I felt it was marred by the incident with the "extra" payment. The food was o.k. and the people we were on board with were great. The snorkeling spots were o.k. I don't hold Ben responsible, he's just doing his job.

 

It would have been nice to have been told at the gate that we would have to pay more money because we failed to notify them that two persons in our booking would not be joining us. And frankly, I thought the extra $100 was a little steep. This was an unplanned event and it would have been nice to have just gone and not have to deal with any of this.

[Keys2Heaven]

After reading the above post, if it were you, would you ask for a refund of the extra $100? I felt like I was coerced into paying this, since they had already cast off line lines and the excursion was underway. What was I to do? I could either pay the extra $100 or what, be arrested in Barbados, when we got back to the pier?

 

Perhaps I'm making something out of nothing, but I think that if there was no written policy concerning refunds or passenger no-show's, then I shouldn't have to pay the extra fee.

[Keys2Heaven]

Edited: Double post

[Giorgi-one]

It is pretty standard policy with most reservations that if you cancel within 24 hours you are liable for the full payment. After all, the operators have reserved your place and most probably have turned down other bookings. I would have assumed that I needed to make full payment and brought the money with me. And you should always carry a credit card with you when you leave the ship. You can never be certain that you will get back to the ship on time and you will need the credit card to arrange for transportation to the next port.

[Paumavista]

We booked a number of shore excursions privately for our trip the same week on RC - all of the excursions were booked with the knowledge (whether written or expressed) that if we cancelled ahead of time our credit card would not be charged - - but anything cancelled less than 24 hours prior to the trip and we would be liable for the cost of the trip whether we went or not - that's usually the point of the credit card hold - a little safety net for both parties involved.

 

Sorry about your wife and daughter and the costs.

 

ps - also good advice about always carrying a credit card in port.

[thatbloominplace]

i must agree with the last 2 posters. it is always assumed you will be charged if you don't cancel before 24 hours. this is true of excursions and even hotel rooms. especially where this was not a life or death situation, but rather one of a voluntary choice, you really cannot blame a small businessman for covering himself. this excursion is almost always sold out or nearly so. one must assume that they could have filled their seats. i wish i could be more supportive, but i cannot in this situation.

 

steve

[Keys2Heaven]

Good advice everyone. I'll let it go.

[BADBUOY]

It's really unfortunate that your family was too ill to go. The other unfortunate part was that you didn't really enjoy what others have considered the highlight of their vacation - the excursion.

 

Sorry to hear things didn't work out better then they did.

 

Buddy

[jimbug]

I do have to say that I think they should have just charged you the deposit you already paid, rather than an additional fee. (Or did they and I misread it?)

 

To me, that's the point of a deposit - to hold your place or to serve as a penalty should you cancel beyond the allowable date. You shouldn't have to pay an ADDITIONAL penalty beyond the deposit.

[cruisermpaul]

I agree that they should have just charged you what you paid for deposit. The offer a quality service, but IMO the prices are a bit steep. While the boat is incredibly beautiful and the food is good to very good, the time with the turtle(s) seems short. What were the T-Shirt and Tank Top prices? If I remember correctly they were in the $20-$25 range each - seems a little steep.

[wrp96]

But two people in their group cancelled. They charged the deposit for those two people. BUT the two people that still went were still responsible for paying for their entire excursion.

[sviramo]

Just got back from Silver Moon. If you read the agreement, your will see you need to pay unless they receive notice 24 hours in advance or your ship does not make it into port. This is what I remember reading. I am sorry to hear this happened as this was one of our all time favorite excursions.