Carnival cancelled my cruise -- need advice pls

[tinainfl]

Hi: My brother & I booked a Carnival cruise back in Feb. for the Glory on Oct 23rd by paying a deposit of $500. We booked directly through Carnival. Final payment for Carnival is due 70 days before the cruise; however, neither of us ever received a bill for the final payment. On September 8th, Carnival sent my brother an e-mail saying our final payment was overdue. He didn't get the e-mail until the 9th & when he called yesterday he was advised that they cancelled our cruise; it was sold out; they could not get us back on the boat; & they were keeping our deposit. I pitched a fit & they agreed to refund our deposit; however, I'm still infuriated as they have now ruined a family trip for 10 people that we have been planning for months.

 

Has anyone heard of Carnival not sending out a bill for the final payment? Has anyone had Carnival automatically charge the final payment to the credit card that they paid their initial deposit with? That's what the travel agents who booked the rest of my family's rooms did. But Carnival tells me they don't do that w/cruises booked through them.

 

I can't believe Carnival thinks that less than one-day's e-mail notification is sufficient. We received a good price by booking so far in advance. I'll bet they were more than happy to cancel our rooms as they can probably sell them at double the rate now.

Would very much appreciate any info or advice that someone might have. Thanks so much, Tina

[travellady]

Not sure about Carnival but when I just booked directly through RCCL for a Dec 2004 cruise, the agent told me they would not be sending a bill so please note what date the final payment is due. A reminder would be nice - when you book something in advance so much time goes by that it's not always easy to remember. I went ahead and put the date in my Outlook calendar so it will ping me and I won't forget.

[serene56]

I have never received a bill even from a travel agent for final payment. I think that is your responsibilty. If you check the print on your agreement for your cruise the date may have been on their. Im sorry to hear your cruise was cancelled. is there another sailing the same time?

[glrounds]

I'd have to go with the consensus so far also. It looks to me like you were 45-50 days out, Well past the 70 days point for full payment.

 

Paying your bills on time is your responsibility. I think they did you a favor with the "courtesy" e-mail even though it didn't seem like a lot of advance warning. :(

 

Refunding your deposit also seemed like a nice touch.

[aceinnw]

I booked with Carnival for my 10/16 cruise and got a final invoice the end of July about 2 weeks before the final payment was due. They did not automatically debit my credit card I called and made the payment a few days before it was due.

[aceinnw]

I jsut went to expedia and they show some oceanview and inside cabins (as well as suites) available for the 10/23 sailing of the Glory. People cancel all the time, I would keep checking you may be able to find a room for that sailing.

[SevenVII]

I dont think I will forget about my final date this time around, since its my first cruise and only 5 months to go....but I would have thought they at least sent you a final bill requesting the final payment....seems pretty shabby to me.

[shivfam]

We booked in July for our 11/14/04 cruise we were told at that time (by our pvp) we would not receive a bill and that payment was due by a certin date. Believe me DW was not going to forget about that bill

[Vicar]

I always make arrangements with my TA to automatically charge my final payment to my credit/debit card . As a courtesy to me (we have been doing business with him for a few years now) She always calls me about a week before he will be chargeing the payment to my account so that I can make sure I have the money in the acct.

[teedee]

When I pay my deposit I always get a statement from the TA showing the deposit and the balance due with the date the final payment is due. I've never received a reminder close to the due date. I'm sorry this happened to you, but ultimately it is your responsibility to make sure the final payment is made. I think it was nice of Carnival to agree to refund your deposit since they do not have to do so. I hope that some cabins open up so you can still go on the cruise.

Terri

[kathyjack]

What a bummer! We have a group of 16 going on the Destiny in Janaury. My daughter called our TA yesterday asking to change or dinner time. Our TA told her at that time, to mark October 23 on our calendars as our date to pay off the cruise. She told DD that they do not send out reminders. I'm so glad DD called about the dinner reservation or we may have been cancelled too. I hope you can work out another cruise. Please don't give up and not go, even if it's at another time.

[HeidiHo]

While I think it was your responsibility to remember to get the final payment in on time, it would have been nice of Carnival to wait at least a few days after sending that e-mail to cancel your reservation. If they are going to send a reminder, waiting for a response is the polite thing to do. Things happen. For all carnival knew, you could have sent a check in the mail but it could have gotten lost. My daughter's Six Flags season pass got lost in shipping this year. It happens. Their cusomer service could use some improvement.

[herb]

when you book a cruise online remembering final due date is your responsibility. No one will call or send you a note to remind you. For our upcoming cruise the same credit card used for the deposit will be used for the final payment. This way we won't forget. :)

[suzybruner]

Sorry you are having this problem, but I am surprised they refunded your deposit.

 

I can't stress enough how much I appreciate my TA. One of the many services she provides is letting me know when final payment is due.

 

I would not book a cruise any way except through my TA.

 

Suzy

[PricePerformer]

I'd have to go with the consensus so far also. It looks to me like you were 45-50 days out, Well past the 70 days point for full payment.

 

Paying your bills on time is your responsibility. I think they did you a favor with the "courtesy" e-mail even though it didn't seem like a lot of advance warning. :(

 

Refunding your deposit also seemed like a nice touch.

 

 

All this is true... although it also seems reasonable that if they can wait until the 50 day mark to cancel the cruise by e-mail, they could send out a warning e-mail at the 65-70 day mark and give you warning of the 2 weeks grace period inferred by their actions.

 

With computers today an e-mail delivered at 12:01 AM of the 69th day is not unreasonable. I suspect the cruise was overbooked.

 

 

Did you see where Carnival cancelled some folks with "assigned Cabins" out of Baltimore because the ship was overbooked... the first time I ever heard of that. I saw the article at Sunspot.com ... article may no longer be available.

 

PricePerformer

[dosi]

No company is responsible for billing you....it is done as a courtesy. As soon as you incur the debt it is on your shoulders to remember it. Whether the debt be for a cruise, or electricity, or car payment no one is ever obligated to bill you. :rolleyes:

[mathgal]

I've only done two cruises and both were booked through an online TA. Both times we authorized them to credit our VISA card for the final payment automatically on the date it was due. They took care of it and I didn't have to worry.

[halos]

Sorry, although it is shabby, this is the procedure that is used. It's up to you to send final payment on the due date specified. That is why we always book using a credit card and have the TA or cruise line charge the balance on the due date automatically to the card...and we always check our statement to make sure it was done...so far we have had no problem doing it that way and once waswith a 'live' TA...once was with Carnival direct..and once was with an online TA.

I've always seen this clearly written in my paperwork after making a deposit.

Making final payment is up to you.

 

Keep looking at on line TA's...maybe you still can get cabins.

[NinaCO]

I always set a pop-up reminder in Outlook that shows up about a week before final payment is due. I can also count on my TA to email a reminder. (He sure doesn't want me to miss the payment date! :D ) The one time I booked directly with Carnival, they sent a confirmation of reservation/deposit that listed the due date for final payment. There were no other reminders from the cruise line.

 

I'm sorry they cancelled your cruise! :( It must be very disappointing, but I agree with others that you should keep checking to see if there are openings because of cancellations.

[Cotton]

It was VERY nice of Carnival to refund your deposit. They certainly didn't have to, and I think you're pretty lucky that they agreed to do so.

 

Every time I book a cruise through my Carnival PVP, she tells me the date that final payment will be due. I immediately write this down in my date book. (If you're adult enough to book a cruise, you should be responsible for knowing when payment is due.)

 

No, Carnival doesn't send out reminders, and I don't see any reason they should have to. They also do not keep your credit card number on file, so of course, they don't assume the responsibility of charging the balance to your account. (If travel agents do that, that's fine, but Carnival does not.)

 

Also - if you go to your reservation online, you can see exactly how many days are left until your cruise, and when final payment is due.

 

I hope you and your brother can still find an available cabin for that cruise. But....don't blame Carnival for your lack of responsibility. Good luck!:)

[Grayce]

I booked with an online TA and they automatically billed my final payment to my credit card. On my upcoming cruise (with RCI) they told me when I booked when final payment was due and also told me that I would not be recieving any sort of invoice.

[glrounds]

Because its ironic, I guess, but I cruise last minute so I purchase passage a week or so before the cruise. Usually from some online site in the middle of the night, hit the card, get e-mail confirmation within minutes. Pic my tix at the pier and I'm off.

 

Never really gave this deposit and final payment date much thought. :D

 

The more I read my initial response the more I think maybe I was a little too harsh (sounding). Sorry. :)

[tef43]

Not harsh at all, Gary. People have to assume a certain level of personal responsibility.

 

Carnival mails a booking confirmation soon after you deposit, and it clearly shows the final payment due date. The fact that some people cannot adequately organize and manage their lives is not Carnival's responsibility. They are a cruiseline, not a babysitting service.

 

In fact, every booking I've ever made for any type of vacation that involved a deposit and a deferred final payment had the due dates clearly indicated on the itinerary, regardless if it was booked through a brick-and-mortar TA, an online agency, or direct with the facility/operator.

 

A payment-due reminder would be a courtesy, nothing more. certainly not required, and should never be assumed.

[hstrybuf]

When I book through my TA, I receive a confirmation e-mail with the final payment due date on it. She is very reliable, but I take responsibility for notifying her when to make that payment.

 

Sorry your cruise was cancelled, but it was your responsibility to make the payment on time. Maybe you can still get on the ship.

[tinainfl]

Thanks to all who have responded. My brother booked this cruise & he has been in Tampa since 8/14 because his sheriff's ofc required him to work for FEMA w/the Hurricane Charlie clean up. When he returned to his home in Vero Beach Hurricane Frances hit. He works 16 hr days & still has no power or water, which is why he did not receive the e-mail sent by Carnival on the 8th until the 9th when it was too late.

 

I guess that long explanation begs the question of why I didn't pay. I thought Carnival automatically charged the credit card that was used to pay the deposit. My brother had all of the info so I didn't have paperwork in front of me. Instead, I based my thought about the automatic charge on what happened w/the rest of my family going on the cruise who had booked through a TA. They were automatically charged. No pain, no strain.

 

I think it's ridiculous that Carnival does not send a payment reminder. We booked this cruise 6 mos earlier & it certainly wouldn't seem to take much effort on Carnival's part. Further, if Carnival is going to send notice of non-payment then they should at least give you a couple of days to respond. Less than 24 hours is absurd.

 

Finally, in reference to the post earlier that said no company has the responsiblity to send you bills . . . well, I disagree. That's not standard business practice . . . all of the companies mentioned, e.g., electric & cars send bills.