Carnival email "Urgent Final Payment Due"

[OceanZena]

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. 

[firefly333]

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. 

[ProgRockCruiser]

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.

[OceanZena]

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. 

[OceanZena]

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. 

[naxer]

I think there will be uncertainties for a good long while, and even when they start again, there will be modifications. Obligation is a strong word--it would be nice to know what the plans are, but, I don't know if they know yet, and there's still a lot of space and unknown circumstances between now and November, and beyond.

[ProgRockCruiser]

2 minutes ago, OceanZena said:

 

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. 

As noted, they will tell you when they officially know.  Right now, the CDC has not (as far as we, the public, know) issued any guidelines for what will be acceptable measures for cruising to resume.

 

Carnival has stated on their website what they consider to be some initial gestures towards that.

 

But the CDC hasn't extended the no-sail order that expires 30 Sept, so the only thing Carnival can officially assume is that sailings will indeed resume, as they have currently planned, on 1 Nov 2020.

[OceanZena]

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. 😞 

[xDisconnections]

12 minutes ago, OceanZena said:

 

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. 

While that may be your opinion, it might not be in the company’s best interest or match the needs of the business.

 

When Carnival is ready to tell you, they will.

Edited August 27, 2020 by xDisconnections

[BlerkOne]

8 minutes ago, OceanZena said:

 

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. 

 

That's worse that blaming Carnival for the weather. They have no control over the virus or what changes will be required. If you don't like the uncertainty go ahead and cancel. Carnival is communicating as best they can.

 

UPDATE

We are currently assessing enhanced health and safety protocols in light of COVID-19 and how they may impact our future offerings.

Our actual offerings may vary from what is displayed or described here. Stay updated on current Health and Sailings Advisories.

 

[sanger727]

5 minutes ago, ProgRockCruiser said:

As noted, they will tell you when they officially know.  Right now, the CDC has not (as far as we, the public, know) issued any guidelines for what will be acceptable measures for cruising to resume.

 

this. They can’t tell you now and certainly don’t have an obligation to tell you until they have a plan that has been approved by the CDC. Otherwise they would be updating you every other week as they negotiate with the CDC on the when where and how’s of mask wearing, testing, shore excursions, etc. I think it is incredibly unlikely they would tell you the updates prior to final payment. However, you are lucky enough to be in a situation where you can still get out now. Look at what measures other cruise lines have implement - mandatory masks for crew and guests, mandatory testing, mandatory shore excursions and make an educated decision based on those. If those don’t work for you then the answer to cancel is obvious. They may not all be implemented in exactly the same way but some will be implemented. 
 

btw, my money is still on no sailings from the US in 2020 for what it’s worth.

[EllaDuChien]

Zena - I was able to call and get my Final Payment pushed out to 30 days.  Maybe that would at least give you a bit more time to decide.

[volfan22701]

they are not going to tell you anything about what restrictions there may be because as of now there is no plan in place.

the reason there is no plan is the fact they all know there will be no cruising any time soon. they just are not will to admit that or people will quit sending them money,

[Cruising_Addict]

33 minutes ago, OceanZena said:

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.

With respect, anyone who is hoping that their November cruise is going to sail needs to understand that masks and social distancing measures will be necessary. There’s really no question about whether it will be a possibility. It’s a guarantee. The virus will not be gone by then, so the only way the CDC will let us sail is if the cruise lines do what needs to be done to mitigate the spread. And that’s wearing masks and social distancing. 

[sfaaa]

23 minutes ago, OceanZena said:

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. 😞 

Before you ask for goodwill and understanding, Carnival would like you to know it is currently in a difficult financial situation and fighting to survive.

[drsel]

You can try to get your last day to make the final payment extended.

 

Please make the final payment and don't forfeit your non-refundable deposit.

 

If Carnival cancels the cruise they will give you a reward of $600 OBC to transfer your deposit to a future Cruise

 

 

[OceanZena]

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

[cruizergal70]

35 minutes ago, OceanZena said:

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. 😞 

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. 

[Florida Paesano]

38 minutes ago, EllaDuChien said:

Zena - I was able to call and get my Final Payment pushed out to 30 days.  Maybe that would at least give you a bit more time to decide.

 

I called and was only able to get my final payment extended 7 days (yes, just one week.)  This extension was of no benefit to me and the final payment would have still been due prior to the ultimate cancellation of October sailings.  I have read of EllaDuChien's and other's experiences which resulted in more of an extension.  So, if you do call requesting an extension and do not like the answer you get, you may want to politely end that call and redial and see if you get better results from another representative. YMMV.  

[OceanZena]

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. 

[drsel]

If your deposit is non refundable, there is no way they are going to refund your deposit

 

 

 

 

[drsel]

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

[OceanZena]

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? 

[mybichon]

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.

[ProgRockCruiser]

2 minutes ago, drsel said:

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

The OP has a final payment due 16 Sept, IIRC, for a "November" cruise.  That makes it a 3-5 day cruise, so not $600 OBC, more like $300 (also IIRC, and always subject to change).