Cruise cost vs cancellation cost

[WestCoastCruiser123]

Really strange... Yesterday, I booked a cruise for next month for a great price. During the final payment disclaimers, the rep tells me that if I cancel, the cruise price is nearly 2.5Xs what I paid because I got a special deal. Not sure how it was special. It's just the past guest rate. Anyway, I have no plans to cancel, but what price do I insure the trip for? The actual price I paid or the much larger price they'll charge me to cancel?

 

Has anyone even heard of this before?

[Algebralovr]

That is really strange, and I would read the fine print. They are saying that if you cancel you owe more that the full cost?

 

What do you need out of insurance? To be made whole, emergency health care or more?

[sirwired]

That doesn't make any sense to me at all; I've never heard of such a pricing setup... Why would anybody cancel in that case? Why not just not show up?

[GeezerCouple]

Really strange... Yesterday, I booked a cruise for next month for a great price. During the final payment disclaimers, the rep tells me that if I cancel, the cruise price is nearly 2.5Xs what I paid because I got a special deal. Not sure how it was special. It's just the past guest rate. Anyway, I have no plans to cancel, but what price do I insure the trip for? The actual price I paid or the much larger price they'll charge me to cancel?

 

Has anyone even heard of this before?

 

Is it possible that what the rep meant was that "if you cancelled, and then tried to re-book, it would be 2.5x as much"?

 

Otherwise, bizarro.

 

As sirwired wrote above, IF that bizarro case is true, then why in the world would anyone actually "cancel", vs. just not showing up.

(And in that case, IF you plan not to show up, to be safe, get a new charge card number to replace whatever the cruiseline/travel agent has on file. Don't give them a chance to charge you a fortune for the privilege of not showing up!)

 

GeezerCouple

[thinfool]

Really strange... Yesterday, I booked a cruise for next month for a great price. During the final payment disclaimers, the rep tells me that if I cancel, the cruise price is nearly 2.5Xs what I paid because I got a special deal. Not sure how it was special. It's just the past guest rate. Anyway, I have no plans to cancel, but what price do I insure the trip for? The actual price I paid or the much larger price they'll charge me to cancel?

 

Has anyone even heard of this before?

 

You got a special deal because it is "fill up the ship" time for your sailing. Indeed, the rate before final payment may well have been lots higher.

 

You are well past final payment date hence the lower sale pricing.

 

If you cancel you will not lose more than you paid.

 

You will likely lose ALL that you paid if you cancel as you likely paid in full.

 

The 2.5x comment sounds like "sales hype" to impress you with what a good deal you got. Kinda like buying a used car.

 

Insure for the price that you paid, not the 2.5x price. Insurance will only reimburse for actual "out-of-pocket" losses.

Edited July 13, 2014 by thinfool

[WestCoastCruiser123]

Thank you for all saying that cancellation fee was weird (and ridiculous). I was thinking that this was some new policy and someone here might tell me that was normal. I just called Carnival to verify and this rep told me that the cancellation would just be the fare that I paid on Friday. Though, I liked your suggestions of no showing and changing the CC#.

 

I knew that the policy sounded weird when the original rep told me that because I was booked on a casino promotion, I got such a fabulous deal that the penalty for cancelling would be higher. First, the rate was already super low on the website without even logging in. Second, I don't play in the casino on a cruise so how would I have gotten a casino deal.

 

For insurance I'm really just looking for medical coverage (evacuation and emergency care). Probably also emergency cancellation as well since it's only a month away at this point.

 

I don't think I even have to get coverage for the port fees and taxes. I think that if you don't cruise that you don't have to pay for that, correct?

[Algebralovr]

Correct, port fees and taxes should be refunded, along with any prepaid gratuities and excursions.

 

I would insure for the non-refundable cruise fare.