Husband can not go...Do I need to notify anyone?

[OUTLAW777]

My husband is not going to be able to go on our cruise...I will be in our cabin alone.  Do I need to notify anyone before the cruise or just inform them when I check-in?

[runner15km]

This happened to me, I checked in and then went to the customer service onboard. Taxes and port fees were refunded but lost some of my spouses OBC .

[shof515]

you do not need to notify anyone. at check in, just say they are not coming. you will get the taxes and port fees automatically refunded. You might lose some OBC depending on how it is coded in the booking, most OBC from sales is per person or cabin based. 

[cherylandtk]

The answer mostly depends on whether you have insurance and whether he is not going for an insured reason.  If the answer is no to either question, then you do not need to officially cancel in advance, and you may actually be better off financially if you do not notify them in advance.  

 

If you do have an insurance claim, do the math with repricing at a single fare before deciding which way to go.

[samiam0403]

If you don’t have insurance, just have him ‘no-show’ for the cruise. This happened to me for my upcoming cruise this weekend - my friend is unable to join me. I called Carnival and asked what the cost would be if she cancelled, and was told I’d basically lose her portion of the cruise fare and they would then charge me the solo supplement. 🙄 I then asked if she just no-showed what would happen and they said I would get her port fees/taxes refunded with no extra cost. Guess which option I chose? 😂 

[ProgRockCruiser]

1 minute ago, samiam0403 said:

If you don’t have insurance, just have him ‘no-show’ for the cruise. This happened to me for my upcoming cruise this weekend - my friend is unable to join me. I called Carnival and asked what the cost would be if she cancelled, and was told I’d basically lose her portion of the cruise fare and they would then charge me the solo supplement. 🙄 I then asked if she just no-showed what would happen and they said I would get her port fees/taxes refunded with no extra cost. Guess which option I chose? 😂 

I'm not arguing with you about what they said, because I've seen it mentioned previously, but:

 

I do find it very odd that Carnival thinks this is a good policy: Hey, your friend can't cruise, and thanks for telling us ahead of time, but not only are we not going to give him/her their money back (except port fees), but we're also going to slap you with an extra fee because now you are sailing solo! 

 

Isn't that like double-charging?  Why aren't lawyers chasing after this with all kinds of gusto?

 

And really, you would think, from their point of view, they would want to encourage the earlier notification, rather than: Hey, if you don't tell us until the last-minute when you check-in at the port, which is probably more annoying for us, we still won't refund the cruise fare (again, except port fees), but we won't charge you any extra.

[cb at sea]

If you're PAST the refund date, then "no-show" is the way to go.  They don't actually care if NO ONE shows up....they've got your money.

 

[cherylandtk]

2 hours ago, ProgRockCruiser said:

I'm not arguing with you about what they said, because I've seen it mentioned previously, but...Isn't that like double-charging?  Why aren't lawyers chasing after this with all kinds of gusto?....

Because it is in a written contract that both sides agree to in advance and no lawyer will touch it.   So it pays to read and understand the terms of the contract should one need to modify (cancel/change number of passengers/refare) after final payment date when the contractual penalty costs start.  It’s technically not a double (or triple) charge; it’s a penalty amount plus a fare plus a single supplement.  

[ProgRockCruiser]

1 hour ago, cherylandtk said:

Because it is in a written contract that both sides agree to in advance and no lawyer will touch it.   So it pays to read and understand the terms of the contract should one need to modify (cancel/change number of passengers/refare) after final payment date when the contractual penalty costs start.  It’s technically not a double (or triple) charge; it’s a penalty amount plus a fare plus a single supplement.  

I understand it is a contractual thing - that doesn't always stop lawyers.

 

 

My point is that Carnival penalizes you more if you tell them ahead of time, which is a dumb idea, IMHO.  You get penalized less if you cancel via "no-show".  Wouldn't it be better / more efficient for Carnival if someone who is going to cancel does so as early as possible?

[cherylandtk]

Well, yes and no...and we could spend hours going over the various scenarios and what if’s.  When only one person cancels, there is no timing benefit to the cruiseline, they cannot re sell the room no matter the timing.   So they can and do rebook the remaining one person with a single supplement if advance notice received.  If one person no-shows, the remaining pax is not usually charged the supplement...but it can happen.  

 

Early cancel notification is to both the passengers and cruiseline benefit when it is a full cancellation of a room, especially if for Covered Insurance reasons. Timing impacts cancellation penalty costs to pax and whether the cruiseline can resell the room.  If early enough, the full fare is refundable...but if left late it can be 100% of the fare as a penalty.

 

 

 

 

Edited November 19, 2018 by cherylandtk

[lettienets]

On 11/19/2018 at 12:13 PM, ProgRockCruiser said:

I'm not arguing with you about what they said, because I've seen it mentioned previously, but:

 

I do find it very odd that Carnival thinks this is a good policy: Hey, your friend can't cruise, and thanks for telling us ahead of time, but not only are we not going to give him/her their money back (except port fees), but we're also going to slap you with an extra fee because now you are sailing solo! 

 

Isn't that like double-charging?  Why aren't lawyers chasing after this with all kinds of gusto?

 

And really, you would think, from their point of view, they would want to encourage the earlier notification, rather than: Hey, if you don't tell us until the last-minute when you check-in at the port, which is probably more annoying for us, we still won't refund the cruise fare (again, except port fees), but we won't charge you any extra.

Singles always pay double for any cruise. If you go with somebody, you both pay. So if one cancels and claims it with insurance, the other person is stuck paying double. If the no show doesn't make a claim they lose their fare but port taxes are refunded. So it is still two people paying for the cruise.

[Treyatl2006]

That's why I like to book solo and add a person to my cabin just incase they cant make it or incase you break up for whatever reason. This way I dont have to pay a name change fee or any other fee. I can also board solo if needed. 

[Gallivanting Souls]

Could you possibly find someone else to go and just do a name change?