OceanZena

1 hour ago, skridge said:

That is my point.  They know they are not going to be sailing in November.  The only reason they haven't canceled is so they can scrape in those final payments.  They should have made the announcement before the final payment is due in my opinion.  

And I just received yet another "Urgent Final Payment Due!" e mail from them this evening. I love Carnival, but this does make me think they are trying to rake in those final payments before cancelling and it's a little tacky imo. 

But i'll play chicken with then until 9/15 and then give in and move the deposit over to 2022 to not lose it...but i'd still rather have the refund. Will see how it plays out I guess. 

I'm sure there are others like myself who would rather have the deposit refunded while we watch and see how cruising goes once it resumes before wanting to book another sailing. IF Carnival is indeed "waiting for final payments" to collect from people before cancelling, I personally find that to be not so nice business practice and kind of greedy. I hope this is not what they're doing. 

I want to cruise again...however I don't want to lock up my deposit on another sailing at the moment because I really prefer to watch the first 6 months or so after cruising resumes and see how successful it is in order to feel comfortable booking another trip and I think Carnival should be understanding about passengers like us. 

Just want to give an update. I contacted Carnival (it took them 3 days to respond, but I do understand they're backed up, which was why I came here to ask my question). 

In any case, the rep confirmed to me that I can definitely move my non refundable deposit to any later sailing without penalty that I choose even if my November 30 cruise still sails. 

So i'll wait until a day before my 9/16 final payment is due and if the sailing isn't cancelled, then i'll just move it to that December 2022 sailing to not forfeit the deposit. 

2 hours ago, MsTabbyKats said:

If you're expecting special treatment because you're special....you won't get it.

They will give/allow exactly what the rules allow.

Nowhere did I even infer that i'm expecting "special treatment". Please don't make false assumptions about me. I'm merely going by the history of Carnival's policy where they allowed passengers to move their current booking to a later date without penalty. 

As of right now, I am perfectly able to do that with my current booking while Carnival is expecting to sail in November. So it's certainly not expecting "special treatment." It's expecting what's already being granted by them. 

While this is tentatively good news I thought it takes about a week or more for symptoms to start. I think a negative test upon debarking the ship can still potentially turn positive days later. Correct me if i'm misinformed on that. 

For me personally, I think after 2 or 3 months of no issues, then i'd be more comfortable sailing again. 

Just now, drsel said:

Correct, that is exactly what I said.
If OP cancels or if the ship sails as scheduled, they won't refund or transfer the deposit.

I believe they will allow me to transfer my deposit even if it sails. 

3 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

Carnival is allowing it. As is rcl, though rcl has it in writing and a form to do it yourself online. 

 

Just because you think carnival shouldn't allow it, doesnt mean carnival wouldnt. The only time I book 4 day cruises is if I have it as part of a b2b, but how far you live from the port etc might be a factor. 

 

Thanks for the clarification on that. I thought I read that they're doing that and i'd be surprised if they stopped it while we're still in this pandemic. 

3 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

 

 

5 minutes ago, drsel said:

In my opinion a non refundable deposit is also not transferable.

If Carnival actually sails on 30th November, I don't think they will let you transfer your deposit to another Cruise in 2022

I think they will allow me to transfer the deposit if they sail Nov 30. They'd have to understand it being one of the first sailings would make some passengers feel too uncomfortable, especially since we're still in the midst of the pandemic. 

I would be very surprised if they sail and don't allow me to use the deposit for a later date. If they do that, then i'd be through with Carnival forever. But I don't think they would be that callous. 

1 hour ago, firefly333 said:

You miss the pt that since OP is booked on a short cruise, the odds are he will know before his final payment is due since short cruises final payment is only due 60 days? Or is it 75 ... but later than if he booked a 7 day.

 

I'd bet he does NOT lose his deposit because carnival will cancel by then. If he was booked on a 7 day your reply about losing his deposit might apply. You miss my pt. you replied to.

 

Where did I say please make final payment? I said he will know before his final payment is due imo. 

My final payment date is 9/16 for an 11/30 4 day sailing. Hopefully the predictions are correct that the first week of Sept. we'll get notification from Carnival if November is cancelled (or all of 2020 which I personally feel would be the right thing to do since we're still in this mess, but that's a whole other subject.)

I do want the refund only because i'm too hesitant (chicken) to sail until I know for certain the virus isn't going to be a potential danger. I'd rather sit back and watch the first few months of cruising and see how things fare before I jump back in the waters so to speak. 

I do see a Dec. 2022 4 day sailing that seems far enough out---but when I booked in May I said to myself "Oh this thing will be over by November"...HA! So I don't want to make any predictions on this anymore and I did come across an article saying this pandemic may last 2 years. But I take all articles with a grain of salt because they all seem to contradict each other that you're just left even more confused then ever. 

So bottom line, I decided if Carnival does indeed sail for Nov 30, i'll just go ahead and move the deposit to Dec. 2022 and if they cancel all of November, i'll request the refund. 

2 minutes ago, ProgRockCruiser said:

So far, if Carnival cancels they give you the option of taking a full refund.   That may change - no-one knows.

Ok thanks, I didn't see this post when I replied to the other one. Hopefully they will still offer the refund if November is cancelled. 

I'll just wait until a day before 9/16 and if the sailing is still a go, i'll call and request a refund and if not, then I guess i'll just let them keep the $200 and take a loss on it. 

1 minute ago, drsel said:

Yes it will remain non refundable always, even for the future Cruise

What I was asking was if Carnival cancels my sailing, I would be able to get that non refundable deposit back correct? This is if I decline a future cruise booking. 

2 minutes ago, mybichon said:

I would wait until a day or so before your final payment is due and call to request an extension. I was able to do that for my October cruise. Carnival ended up cancelling the cruise a few days after my original payment date. I got my nonrefundable deposit back, which I would have lost if I had cancelled myself. Carnival does not care if you are uncomfortable about sailing regarding Covid. As long as the cruise is on, you are expected to proceed with final payment. This is what I was told when I asked.

Thanks. I think this is what i'll do. That is if they don't cancel before 9/16. And yes, it's a 4 day sailing so the obc would only be $300. 

2 minutes ago, drsel said:

If I were you, I would wait for Carnival to cancel and get $600 extra

If Carnival cancels, is the non refundable deposit still not refundable? 

8 minutes ago, cruizergal70 said:

Let's be rational here. While we don't know 100% of specifics, it's safe to bet on masks,  tests, social distancing, and cruise sponsored excursions for at least the next 9 months to a year.

 

So, if you don't like those things, go ahead and cancel. 

I don't like those things and will politely request a refund since back when booking in May I didn't sign up for thise things. If Carnival declines and keeps my $200 deposit that's ok. I will remember that next time I want to take a cruise. 

Thanks everyone for the advice. It's much appreciated. 

I know nobody can answer this officially, but do you think it's possible for Carnival to be understanding and if I let them know i'm not comfortable sailing with masks etc, that they will offer a refund under those circumstances if they do indeed sail? 

I know no one can know this, but if they do sail i'm going to ask if they can grant me a refund and let them know i'm too uncomfortable booking for a later date until I see cruising resumes successfully after a few months and i'd hate to lose that $200. 😞 

2 minutes ago, ProgRockCruiser said:

All along Carnival has made the decision to cancel cruises after their final payments were due for some cruisers.  And some before they were due, as well.

 

Since they are usually making the call about canceling the next month-worth of cruises 60 to 90 days out, but final payments are due 60, 75, or 90 days out, there is always some overlap in those that have made final payments but get cancelled.

 

I expect Carnival to make an announcement about Nov sometime soon - like by Monday afternoon (31 Aug 2020).  So you will have your cruise cancelled before your final payment if that plays out as such.

 

Dunno what else to say - it is all up in the air, and hard to make useful judgement calls sometimes.  If you move your booking out to 2022, you "should" be safe.

I'm really hoping next week we hear word on November. I'm hesitant to book even for 2022 because who knows how long this will last and while I wear my mask and social distance etc at home...I don't want to do it while cruising and would rather have my deposit back to apply it towards another vacation with less restrictions. 

Hopefully you're correct about Aug 31 for word on November sailings. 

1 minute ago, firefly333 said:

They have no obligation to inform you of new covid procedures which probably have not been agreed upon.

 

If you have a non refundable deposit then it's up to you if you choose to lose it. 

I think they should have an obligation to let passengers know of sailing changes for Covid in advance of final payment. It's only good business imo to let passengers know if they have to wear masks, social distance before agreeing to it since that's not necessarily what was originally agreed upon when booking the cruise. This is just how I see it. 

I got the e mail from them today saying my due date is "fast approaching" (9/16) and a reminder to make my final payment or my booking will be cancelled. What i'm waiting for from them is IF they are indeed planning to sail in November, wouldn't they have to release to the public any new changes or protocols regarding safety during Covid? I don't want to make final payment until I know exactly what i'm going to be dealing with while sailing and need to be able to make the decision if I want to sail in any new terms or not. (i.e masks, social distance etc)

So i'm wondering if they do indeed plan on sailing in November, would they have an obligation to inform passengers in advance of what to expect onboard before they make their final payment? I don't expect them to sail this soon anyway, but if they do, i'd like to know beforehand what to expect when on board. Their silence on this is concerning me and I wish they would release some official word already if they do indeed plan to sail and what we can expect. I think it's their responsibility to do so. 

And I really don't want to move my sailing to another date because any other date I choose IMO is still filled with uncertainties. 

OP thanks for sharing that information. It's getting close to my 9/16 final payment date and i'm hoping Carnival comes out soon with their next announcement of cancellations so I can request a refund. It's like playing a game of chicken with them. 😄

3 minutes ago, ULCajunCruiser said:

Again just a guess.   Lets take fever.   If you show up and they find you with a slight fever, I'd guess they'd want to take a closer look at you.   Not everyone with a fever has Covid.   I wasn't saying if you show up with a fever, shortness of breath and a cough.  But if they check you out and you show signs of one of the symptoms, then they'd want to take a closer look at you.

 

Thanks for the clarification. I understand now.

I agree with others that those on oxygen or with visibly apparent underlying conditions would most likely be closer evaluated, but I would think that those people wouldn't feel comfortable cruising anyway until a vaccine is available. Though I could be wrong. I know I wouldn't. 

14 minutes ago, ULCajunCruiser said:

I'm no expert but I imagine that means if you show signs indicative of the virus, without symptoms, then this would apply.   Things like a fever, uncontrolled coughing, shortness of breath, etc...     

I'm not sure I understand your wording. Fever, coughing and shortness of breath are symptoms. What do you mean by "signs indicative of the virus, without symptoms"? Can you clarify?

If they were aware of the new rules beforehand, they shouldn't have gone on the sailing in the first place rather than going and breaking the rules. It's incredibly selfish of them. That said, if these will be the rules for when Carnival sails again, I just can't see myself going and will have to cancel my booking. 😞 

I like to get off the ship and wander independently, but I do understand that these new rules are for passenger safety and I have no issue with it. I just personally don't want to cruise until (or if ever) we can get past that. 

If cruises start before my Nov. 30 sailing and it's with masks and social distancing, I hope they will honor refunds to those who still feel uncomfortable cruising under those new situations. 

It's the November 30 sailing on the Liberty from Pt. Canaveral. My neighbor is also booked on it and she's still hoping to go, but I think no matter what i'm backing out. We're booked separately so thankfully my backing out wouldn't affect her booking.