Wow! Free Cruise on Carnival

[thomarvin]

golfer 1903: My son and my nephew each got a letter in the (snail) mail. But you can go into the Carnival website and go to "Manage" then "VIFP Club" then check "special offers" all you need it your VIFP number. there is a spot to find it if you dont know it. Dont forget to check all family members. Good luck.

[MikyMous]

We got the free cabin too! I too didn't believe the letter when we got it in the mail and threw it away. Thank goodness my carnival PVP looks out for us, because he called. We booked 4/14/14 on the Dream - 6 day - for spring break. Balcony was $120.12 for 2 of us. We added our son for $295 more. We wanted to go for spring break but also wanted to do some things around the house. I guess Carnival thought we should relax because the "sea was calling"!! Glad I answered!!!

[pit239]

Has anyone cancelled or had a cabinmate "no show" on a free or discounted cruise?? I haven't heard anyone here on these boards say they were charged extra on a free or discounted cruise because they cancelled for a valid reason.

My last 2 cents on this, i promise. The cancellation policy was stated right on the letter I received with the free offer (legaleeze at the bottom). You and others may have received a different free offer, so YMMW.

Edited February 21, 2014 by pit239

[pit239]

Keisha - we were also told the same. If we didn't show for any reason (illness, missed flights due to weather, etc.) that we'd be charged the prevailing rate (which we were given by the PVP). We also took the $49pp insurance through Carnival although I normally would also always buy it from an outside source but I was afraid that would only cover the $280 we'd actually paid instead of the $1900 "real" cruise cost.

 

You don't have to go with Carnival's insurance. Just make sure that the outside policy you buy has the coverage limit high enough to cover the cancellation fee. You're buying insurance to cover your legitimate cancellation costs, which would normally be what you paid to purchase the trip, but not in this case), so it's fine. This is from my insurance rep.

[zenjohnny67]

Carnival is doing it. There are posts on Cruise Critic's Carnival page about this.

 

People are paying some money - I assume taxes and fees. Some are booking balconies for a little bit more.

 

I am not surprised - there are so many births to fill, cruise lines have had to make adjustments.

 

I did got a free cabin and booked it is legit and it's a casino offer.

[ibcnusoon]

You don't have to go with Carnival's insurance. Just make sure that the outside policy you buy has the coverage limit high enough to cover the cancellation fee. You're buying insurance to cover your legitimate cancellation costs, which would normally be what you paid to purchase the trip, but not in this case), so it's fine. This is from my insurance rep.

 

Thanks. I'm going to call Carnival tomorrow and get a figure on the total cost today to book. Then I'll call the travel insurance company and explain that the cancellation policy says "prevailing rate", not the price of what I paid. I was quoted prices for $30 for the two of us at $266, can't be that much more, besides, it's obviously cheaper than Carnival's insurance.

[ibcnusoon]

Thank you again, pit329. :)

 

I called Carnival this morning. My $288.22 cabin has a "prevailing rate" of $2,566.22 - which if anyone else needs to know, is the Fun Select rate. The Carnival rep also told me that if I cancel or no show for any reason, I will be charged the "prevailing rate". (My PVP did not inform me of all of this when I booked :mad:).

 

I then called my travel insurance company, explained to them that I paid $288.22 but that the "prevailing rate" that I would be charged if I had to cancel for ANY reason is $2,566.22.

 

They gave me quotes based on the $2,566.22 and I'm looking them over now and will buy within the next few days in order to get the pre-existing medical coverage, too.

 

Just a heads up to others, the Carnival rep on the phone said this also pertains to people who get free cruises from the casino.

 

On a side note, the Carnival rep did tell me that more free cruise offers will be awarded once people start cancelling.

[AJI2596]

Where else can you get trip insurance?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[pit239]

Where else can you get trip insurance?

 

 

Insuremytrip.com -- it's like Kayak for travel insurance. Make sure you select the right policy type, as it will retrieve everything available ( package, med, evac, etc )

[Lisyroo87]

It's been said that more ocean view and balcony rooms have opened up. Does anyone know if one is already booked that they can upgrade for a nominal fee? Thanks in advance!

[pit239]

It's been said that more ocean view and balcony rooms have opened up. Does anyone know if one is already booked that they can upgrade for a nominal fee? Thanks in advance!

 

If upgrade cabins are available for your promo -- you should be able to. Call Carni ( or have your TA call them ) -- you'd probably be transfered to talk to the marketing dept, as this is a "special fare" allocation. worst that can happen is they'd say "no", right ? :eek:

[ibcnusoon]

It's been said that more ocean view and balcony rooms have opened up. Does anyone know if one is already booked that they can upgrade for a nominal fee? Thanks in advance!

 

For the post above, I like to call InsureMyTrip and speak to someone prior to booking my travel insurance. I explain to them my situation, they email me quotes, and I review them before choosing. Easy Peazy.

 

As for upgrades already booked, while I was on the phone with the Carnival rep, I asked him if there was availability still for a free balcony cabin on my cruise. He said all of the "free" balcony cabins were taken but there were some oceanviews still available at the $40 rate, but that since I was in a spa interior, I was better off staying there, it is a nicer room, has spa access, and on a higher floor. I wasn't going to upgrade, just thought I'd ask what was available on my cruise right now.

[Momof3A's]

no letter for me or hubby, ugh. Have fun on your free cruise!

[tigtoo30]

I got the letter and I bit. And thanks to my sister who gave me a $200 gift certificate to Carnival at Christmas, my total out of pocket expense for OV on the Sunshine for an 8day to the Eastern Caribbean was $24.54. It's an amazing deal and yes mine was through the casino. So technically I had already paid for a future cruise on my last sailing. ;-)

[deltahog]

golfer 1903: My son and my nephew each got a letter in the (snail) mail. But you can go into the Carnival website and go to "Manage" then "VIFP Club" then check "special offers" all you need it your VIFP number. there is a spot to find it if you dont know it. Dont forget to check all family members. Good luck.

 

There are no new special offers at this time.

:(

[keishashadow]

Keisha - we were also told the same. If we didn't show for any reason (illness, missed flights due to weather, etc.) that we'd be charged the prevailing rate (which we were given by the PVP). We also took the $49pp insurance through Carnival although I normally would also always buy it from an outside source but I was afraid that would only cover the $280 we'd actually paid instead of the $1900 "real" cruise cost.

 

This is a snap of the bottom of the letter we received with the offer that talks about being charged for a no show or cancellation:

 

 

thanks for posting your screenshot! went back and re-read our letter, has the same. I don't plan on cancelling;) but may go back to our TI company and read them that section and ask if they think we should 'up' our coverage.

 

I never received any sort of verbal or written information regarding what CCL considers to be the exact prevailing rate at the time of our booking. Not a lawyer but believe if I did have to cancel for any reason, and CCL attempted to place 'whatever' charge upon the CC I used to book the cruise without my express permission, It'd be easy to dispute, but again that's jmho.

 

ps you packed yet? lol

Edited February 21, 2014 by keishashadow

[ibcnusoon]

I have another question:

 

Now that my prevailing rate is "$2,566.22" and I thought about insuring at that price but then it dawned on me if I cancel for a valid reason, will they charge me $2,566.22 plus the $266.22 I paid or just the $2,566.22?

 

I'm gong for sure on this cruise, unless something unexpectedly comes up, I found a policy that has a Cancel For Work Reason.

[marciemi]

thanks for posting your screenshot! went back and re-read our letter, has the same. I don't plan on cancelling;) but may go back to our TI company and read them that section and ask if they think we should 'up' our coverage.

 

I never received any sort of verbal or written information regarding what CCL considers to be the exact prevailing rate at the time of our booking. Not a lawyer but believe if I did have to cancel for any reason, and CCL attempted to place 'whatever' charge upon the CC I used to book the cruise without my express permission, It'd be easy to dispute, but again that's jmho.

 

ps you packed yet? lol

 

I priced it out using the current pricing for the same category to get an idea but when I actually booked it, the PVP did tell us what the "prevailing" rate would be and that's when she suggested/encouraged the $49 insurance through them. Seemed easier than figuring it all out on such short notice so we just went with that.

 

And you seem to take this packing much more seriously than I do. ;) I've thrown a large quantity of stuff in the corner of the room - is that good enough?

[Midwestgal]

After speaking with my TA about insuring this "free offer" it was cheaper for me to buy Carnival insurance ...this is something I never do but it was the best all round in this case. So now we're insured for $1,658.00 in the event we couldn't make it. I know I feel much better about it.

I'm ready to start breezing on the Breeze:)

[keishashadow]

I priced it out using the current pricing for the same category to get an idea but when I actually booked it, the PVP did tell us what the "prevailing" rate would be and that's when she suggested/encouraged the $49 insurance through them. Seemed easier than figuring it all out on such short notice so we just went with that.

 

And you seem to take this packing much more seriously than I do. ;) I've thrown a large quantity of stuff in the corner of the room - is that good enough?

 

packing is an art;) crusing my big chance to bust out my fancy duds & be a girly-girl.

 

problem with CCL's insurance is it doesn't offer waiver for pre-existing conditions (which I need with my mom living in attached MIL apartment in my home). Their policy also wouldn't include all the other components of our trip, including airfare purchased independently.

 

The broker has decided the insurer must make the determination. A conference call is scheduled with them & insurance company tomorrow morning in an attempt to sort this mess out. When I know what's going on, i'll post back so others can potentially avoid this hassle.

 

I can see the point the broker is making. They are looking at the cruise costing me under $300 (vs 'free' which falls under a different situation when it comes to insurance I'm told) & they have concerns whether any insurance company would cover the amount CCL states is the 'prevailing rate', even if I upped the policy amount I have in hand to reflect it. They did mention they can't recall any past instance where a cruise line stated they intend to recoup monies in this manner if a guest doesn't sail.

[ibcnusoon]

 

I can see the point the broker is making. They are looking at the cruise costing me under $300 (vs 'free' which falls under a different situation when it comes to insurance I'm told) & they have concerns whether any insurance company would cover the amount CCL states is the 'prevailing rate', even if I upped the policy amount I have in hand to reflect it. They did mention they can't recall any past instance where a cruise line stated they intend to recoup monies in this manner if a guest doesn't sail.

 

Thank you, I appreciate you coming back here and following up. I have a few days before I have to pull the trigger on a policy ourselves that includes pre-existing conditions.

 

Looking forward to hearing what you find out in this conference call, this whole insurance issue has had me puzzled. I always but private travel insurance for our cruise vacation and this time even the experts can't answer.

Edited February 22, 2014 by ibcnusoon

[pit239]

Thank you again, pit329. :)

 

Now that my prevailing rate is "$2,566.22" and I thought about insuring at that price but then it dawned on me if I cancel for a valid reason, will they charge me $2,566.22 plus the $266.22 I paid or just the $2,566.22?

.

 

Glad to have been of assistance ! Enjoy your trip

 

I believe that 2,566.22 is the full amount, including the taxes. you can easily check the existing rates for your cabin class for your cruise. I bet you it would be $1150 pp

Also ( i'm not a lawyer, just play one on this board ), as long as you pay an insurance premium for a certain amount of coverage, and you're NOT PROFITING from a claim, which you would not be as the coverage amount would go to pay the cancellation fee, you would not be committing any fraud, and you claim would be valid.

Edited February 22, 2014 by pit239

[pit239]

problem with CCL's insurance is it doesn't offer waiver for pre-existing conditions Their policy also wouldn't include all the other components of our trip, including airfare purchased independently.

 

 

If you paid with a Visa or a MasterCard, check the benefits it offers. Many offer automatic TI protection on any "common carrier" ( plane, train, etc )tickets. And if it doesn't -- maybe it's time to shop for a new credit card :D

I'm partial to Chase Freedom, but there are MANY choices. As usual with standard policies, they do not cover pre-exisitng conditions, so the point may be moot for you.

 

Isn't it somewhat sad that we're spending so much time discussing insurance nitty-gritty and pre-existing conditions when we should be rejoycing in our upcoming vacations ? :( Necessary evil, i know ...

[ibcnusoon]

Glad to have been of assistance ! Enjoy your trip

 

I believe that 2,566.22 is the full amount, including the taxes. you can easily check the existing rates for your cabin class for your cruise. I bet you it would be $1150 pp

Also ( i'm not a lawyer, just play one on this board ), as long as you pay an insurance premium for a certain amount of coverage, and you're NOT PROFITING from a claim, which you would not be as the coverage amount would go to pay the cancellation fee, you would not be committing any fraud, and you claim would be valid.

 

Yes, it's $2,278.00 before taxes and fees, about $1150 per person about $40 per person for Travel Guard Gold, pre-existing conditions and all.

 

Thanks so much for your help. Even if Carnival comes back and says to only insure for $288 or "you must buy our insurance", I'm going to go ahead and buy the TG policy, at least I know I'm fully covered.

[MoMo07]

Are you all receiving this in email or the USPS regular mail?