Christine Duffy I am Not Happy

[phoneman69]

Carnival Cruise Line <funships@carnivalcruiselineemail.com>

To:

Sat, Mar 5 at 4:00 PM

 

To view this email as a web page, go here.

View Online

 

GUEST ADVISORY

 IMPORTANT CANCELLATION NOTICE
CARNIVAL FREEDOM – MIAMI SAILINGS
 OCT. 5, 2023 THROUGH AND INCLUDING MAR. 29, 2024 
(excluding Nov. 10 and 19, 2023, Jan. 28, 2024 and Feb. 11, 2024)
 

March 5, 2022

 

Dear Carnival Guest,

Our deployment plans have been revised and Carnival Freedom will be repositioning to Port Canaveral. This means your cruise has been cancelled and for this we sincerely apologize.  

A full refund of your cruise fare and any pre-purchased items will be issued to your original form of payment. There is no need to call us. (Note: This also applies to Early Saver reservations. Refunds could take up to three weeks to process through your bank).  

If you wish to reschedule, we have a variety of alternatives and are confident you will find another Carnival cruise that is filled with an equal amount of FUN. Our team is ready to discuss options and rebook you on another Carnival cruise right away.  Here’s what you need to know:

Your cruise rate will be protected on a comparable duration, in similar accommodations.* 

An onboard credit will be posted to your Sail & Sign® account based on the duration of your cancelled reservation, as follows:

5 days or less – US$50 per stateroom 

6 days or longer – US$100 per stateroom 

Please call our Guest Services Department at 1-800-CARNIVAL, your Carnival Personal Vacation Planner at 1-800-819-3902, or your travel advisor by March 31, 2022 to take advantage of our rebook offer. 

Once again, we are sorry for this change to your vacation plans and thank you for your understanding. We look forward to having you sail with us on another Carnival cruise.

 

Sincerely,
 

 

 

Christine Duffy
President, Carnival Cruise Line

So I just received this email canceling our 8 Day Carnival Freedom Cruise. This itinerary including St Maarten, St Thomas as well as San Juan and Amber Cove is Not repeated on other sailing by Carnival. WORST OFF is that she thinks a $100.00 OBC per cabin makes thing right. Not in my opinion. I know during Covid  we had many different OBC options that included 300 / 600 dollar offers. Now i am not looking for some thing that gracious but 100 per cabin and not having the itinerary available on another sailing is just Wrong. We have many a cruises with Carnival including our upcoming Mardi Gras. Just so Disappointed.

Matt

 

[CruisingFromLA]

Do you mean an itinerary like this one below? It is missing one port, but it is similar enough. It might not be the original dates you wanted, but it is on the newer, bigger Carnival Celebration vs the older and smaller Carnival Freedom. In addition, the email states "your cruise rate will be protected on a comparable duration, in similar accommodations". Therefore, you will be ahead as I am assuming the cruise on the Celebration will most likely be more expensive. Add the $100 OBC then I see this as a win. Pick the Dec 19th cruise, it will be a nice Christmas present for the family.

 

Edited March 6, 2022 by CruisingFromLA
Added a sentence

[Homosassa]

You are over a year out from the crise you had scheduled. This far out there many changes will be made to published itineraries to many ships on many lines.

 

Some of those changes might occur while on the cruise.

 

Protection of your cruise rate for a new booking and $100 OBC is generous.

 

Acknowledge your disappointment and move on.

 

Perhaps this is an unexpected opportunity to spread your wings and try a different cruise line.

[Indytraveler83]

Trust me, the Carnival Freedom's changes have been a headache for everyone.  I booked a 4J room to Alaska on the Freedom in 2023 (forward facing window by the "secret deck" that is priced at an inside rate) only to have it replaced by the Carnival Spirit, which doesn't have 4J's.  Still waiting on the room assignment that I'll likely need to make changes to.

 

The reality is that over a year out, and in your case nearly two, changes will happen.  Cruising schedules are still very unstable, and who even knows what ships will still be in service at that point? It sucks, but it's also part of the territory for us planners who like to book these things so far out. 

 

If I were you, I'd see how far you can get Carnival to take this rate lock, and try to book on a vastly nicer ship, like the Celebration mentioned above.  You may not get any actual money or additional OBC, but you might get to sail one awesome ship at a very low rate.

[TomCruise48]

21 minutes ago, Indytraveler83 said:

Trust me, the Carnival Freedom's changes have been a headache for everyone. 

I don't understand why Carnival is doing this.  They are losing a lot of goodwill with many loyal guests with all of the changes involved.  We received the letter yesterday about our September 2023 repositioning cruise through the Panama Canal being changed from Freedom to Spirit, one port being eliminated, and terminating in a different city. 

 

We booked 2 years in advance to get a balcony on Lido deck with our friends in the non-connecting cabin next door.  We always try to book Lido deck in an area with guest cabins above and below.  Spirit does not have cabins on Lido deck.  We will likely end up separated from our friends on deck 8 with the pool deck noise from above.

 

So Carnival is changing us to an older, smaller ship, will relocate us to a less desirable cabin, has dropped one port, changed the destination, and made no offer for any OBC!  On top of all this, persons in other threads have said that Carnival will not offer a full refund if you cancel.  This change was entirely under their control and very poorly handled.  They are sure making it difficult for us to remain loyal to Carnival.

[JT1962]

I expect there will be more changes of itineraries and ship locations as the cruise lines try to recover from Covid. Itineraries are never guaranteed and ports can be missed for many reasons - weather, mechanical issues, political issues, etc. If a specific port is of importance to you, booking a land vacation at that port is the best option. Take a refund, if available, then you are not tied to a specific cruise line or even a cruise.

[Indytraveler83]

34 minutes ago, TomCruise48 said:

I don't understand why Carnival is doing this.  They are losing a lot of goodwill with many loyal guests with all of the changes involved.  We received the letter yesterday about our September 2023 repositioning cruise through the Panama Canal being changed from Freedom to Spirit, one port being eliminated, and terminating in a different city. 

 

We booked 2 years in advance to get a balcony on Lido deck with our friends in the non-connecting cabin next door.  We always try to book Lido deck in an area with guest cabins above and below.  Spirit does not have cabins on Lido deck.  We will likely end up separated from our friends on deck 8 with the pool deck noise from above.

 

So Carnival is changing us to an older, smaller ship, will relocate us to a less desirable cabin, has dropped one port, changed the destination, and made no offer for any OBC!  On top of all this, persons in other threads have said that Carnival will not offer a full refund if you cancel.  This change was entirely under their control and very poorly handled.  They are sure making it difficult for us to remain loyal to Carnival.

 

As for the "Why":

 

Carnival is trying like crazy to get their full fleet operational again.  The Spirit has been burning money waiting for Australia to re-open.  Something happened internally and they decided that the Spirit needed to come back.

 

They are also trying hard to get the most efficient ships going and to eliminate the older, cost prohibitive ships (Fantasy class).

 

A lot of folks are angry about going from Freedom to Spirit.  Don't discount the Spirit class.  It was designed for HAL, and just because it is smaller doesn't mean it is less.  They are some of the least crowded ships in the fleet, and still have some fantastic public spaces.  It may be older than Freedom, but it is only a few years, and at the age of both of these ships, their condition is going to be based much more on when they had their last drydock than when they were originally built.  

 

As far as the room assignments: it sucks.  I'm right there with you.  Do you have a good PVP?  My own experience has taught me that no matter what Carnival says they can or can't do, a good PVP can pull a lot of strings to make you happy and not loose a booking or future business.  My own has told me to hold tight for my room assignment, and if it's not satisfactory, he will figure something out.  He's made non-transferable deposits magically transfer before, so I don't doubt him now.  

 

Overall: for me, I'm happy to go to the Spirit, it's really a better ship than you think.  I'm just waiting to get the room situation figured out before I feel totally great about it again.

Edited March 6, 2022 by Indytraveler83

[TomCruise48]

5 minutes ago, Indytraveler83 said:

A lot of folks are angry about going from Freedom to Spirit.  Don't discount the Spirit class. 

With over 50 Carnival cruises, we have sailed on all Spirit class ships, most multiple times.  We agree that they are great ships.  When we book a Spirit class ship, our cabin selection criteria is different from when we book a Conquest class ship.  We paid extra to be able to select our cabin and now Carnival is selecting it for us.  My concern is that with Spirit being smaller than Freedom, there will not be much flexibility in relocating if we end up with an undesirable location.

 

We are booked through a travel agent, who is a good friend.  In fact our travel agent is the one who booked the cabin next to us.  If things do not work out to our satisfaction, she is not shy about contacting the Carnival sales representative assigned to her agency to achieve a better resolution.

[Indytraveler83]

2 minutes ago, TomCruise48 said:

With over 50 Carnival cruises, we have sailed on all Spirit class ships, most multiple times.  We agree that they are great ships.  When we book a Spirit class ship, our cabin selection criteria is different from when we book a Conquest class ship.  We paid extra to be able to select our cabin and now Carnival is selecting it for us.  My concern is that with Spirit being smaller than Freedom, there will not be much flexibility in relocating if we end up with an undesirable location.

 

We are booked through a travel agent, who is a good friend.  In fact our travel agent is the one who booked the cabin next to us.  If things do not work out to our satisfaction, she is not shy about contacting the Carnival sales representative assigned to her agency to achieve a better resolution.

 

Totally agree with you on those points and that anxiety.  Thankfully our cruises are a little ways in the future, so there's some time to work through any issues.

 

I was on another thread with someone who booked a suite, and the Spirit has less suites than the Freedom.  Their impression was that these rooms were already sold out on their sailing.  Imagine being the poor employee in charge of sorting that out!

 

Good luck on the room assignment and be sure to post back how it shakes out.  These mass changes are sort of a new post COVID situation that we haven't dealt with much yet.  Any insight on how any of us have solved issues will certainly benefit others in the same situation!

[sanspike]

I am concerned about getting an accessible cabin since Spirt has less then half the cabins of Freedom   There is no way to accommodate all of us. I book early because in order to get a cabin that works for me I have too.  

Edited March 6, 2022 by sanspike

[urbanhawk]

1 hour ago, Indytraveler83 said:

 

As for the "Why":

 

Carnival is trying like crazy to get their full fleet operational again.  The Spirit has been burning money waiting for Australia to re-open.  Something happened internally and they decided that the Spirit needed to come back.

 

They are also trying hard to get the most efficient ships going and to eliminate the older, cost prohibitive ships (Fantasy class).

 

A lot of folks are angry about going from Freedom to Spirit.  Don't discount the Spirit class.  It was designed for HAL, and just because it is smaller doesn't mean it is less.  They are some of the least crowded ships in the fleet, and still have some fantastic public spaces.  It may be older than Freedom, but it is only a few years, and at the age of both of these ships, their condition is going to be based much more on when they had their last drydock than when they were originally built.  

 

As far as the room assignments: it sucks.  I'm right there with you.  Do you have a good PVP?  My own experience has taught me that no matter what Carnival says they can or can't do, a good PVP can pull a lot of strings to make you happy and not loose a booking or future business.  My own has told me to hold tight for my room assignment, and if it's not satisfactory, he will figure something out.  He's made non-transferable deposits magically transfer before, so I don't doubt him now.  

 

Overall: for me, I'm happy to go to the Spirit, it's really a better ship than you think.  I'm just waiting to get the room situation figured out before I feel totally great about it again.

Last week I received a  promo for an elite cruise cruise out of Australia on the Spirit  in the fall of 2023. I thought great that the Spirit was returning  to Oz, , after its season in Alaska. Then, a few days ago, I read that the Spirit would be moving to Mobile. After checking,  Sensation will now be  going out of Australia. Crazy times! (If I have  figured this all out, correctly).?

[Jamman54]

19 minutes ago, urbanhawk said:

Last week I received a  promo for an elite cruise cruise out of Australia on the Spirit  in the fall of 2023. I thought great that the Spirit was returning  to Oz, , after its season in Alaska. Then, a few days ago, I read that the Spirit would be moving to Mobile. After checking,  Sensation will now be  going out of Australia. Crazy times! (If I have  figured this all out, correctly).?

The Sensation will be heading to the breakers. You may be getting the refurbished Costa Magica. 

[cruisingguy007]

You didn't lose any money, you remain whole and have a bonus to boot. About the best they can do IMO. Feelings aside, they did right by you IMO. Mrs. Duffy, and the cruise industry as whole, are treading water. They need to make moves. It may suck, but they need to pivot and make profit to survive. 

Edited March 6, 2022 by cruisingguy007

[urbanhawk]

56 minutes ago, Jamman54 said:

The Sensation will be heading to the breakers. You may be getting the refurbished Costa Magica. 

I just received another promo for Australia-still has the Sensation. What are the breakers?

[Joe817]

15 minutes ago, urbanhawk said:

I just received another promo for Australia-still has the Sensation. What are the breakers?

It's where ships go to be scrapped.

[tidecat]

If I got carnival.com.au right now, I get an "Oh Snap!" when filtering on Carnival Spirit. The earliest AU booking for Carnival Splendor is 5 October 2022.

 

My guess is that someone in marketing is using Spirit/Sensation as a placeholder for Costa Magica.

[jetsfan58]

I am not trying to minimize this extremely stressful situation; I am just an individual that finds good in every situation. Hopefully all of you will find a silver lining in this experience.

 

Still beats a day at the office!   

[Illbcruzn4life]

4 hours ago, TomCruise48 said:

I don't understand why Carnival is doing this.  They are losing a lot of goodwill with many loyal guests with all of the changes involved.  We received the letter yesterday about our September 2023 repositioning cruise through the Panama Canal being changed from Freedom to Spirit, one port being eliminated, and terminating in a different city. 

 

We booked 2 years in advance to get a balcony on Lido deck with our friends in the non-connecting cabin next door.  We always try to book Lido deck in an area with guest cabins above and below.  Spirit does not have cabins on Lido deck.  We will likely end up separated from our friends on deck 8 with the pool deck noise from above.

 

So Carnival is changing us to an older, smaller ship, will relocate us to a less desirable cabin, has dropped one port, changed the destination, and made no offer for any OBC!  On top of all this, persons in other threads have said that Carnival will not offer a full refund if you cancel.  This change was entirely under their control and very poorly handled.  They are sure making it difficult for us to remain loyal to Carnival.

 

Sorry to hear about changes. I know it sucks but to the cruise lines it's just business. To me it doesn't make sense to be loyal to any cruise line.

[Joebucks]

You must have a real hard life if this is what it takes for you to lose your mind. Offered a refund, locked in price/OBC. All with plenty of time to decide. 

 

I get that it's not ideal, but it's far from unreasonable. Get over yourself that "this one of a kind option going away has ruined my life"

[cruisingguy007]

10 minutes ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

 

Sorry to hear about changes. I know it sucks but to the cruise lines it's just business. To me it doesn't make sense to be loyal to any cruise line.

 

Good point. Carnival is earning it though. Always has. They understand the passenger perspective and deliver like no one else. If you won't sail with them, invest in them, they understand the "experience" like no other IMO. It takes a special kind of skill to stay engaged on that kind of level.  Disney would be smart to hire their outcasts. They would be lucky to have them. 

[phoneman69]

3 hours ago, cruisingguy007 said:

You didn't lose any money, you remain whole and have a bonus to boot. About the best they can do IMO. Feelings aside, they did right by you IMO. Mrs. Duffy, and the cruise industry as whole, are treading water. They need to make moves. It may suck, but they need to pivot and make profit to survive. 

The point is Vacations take planning. Because of our job situation we like to plan ahead. We purchased a service for a specific date from Carnival. They took our money and we had an agreement. Now we have been sailing with Carnival sense 1994 and have many Cruises. Itinerary changes, chased by hurricanes, ports dropped. I understand how it works. I can still be mad at Christine Duffy as she made the change ( not solely i am sure ) that took away my Vacation and an offer of $100.00 OBC does NOT make me happy. Do i believe they will honor the deal i booked the cruise under and the perks i received with the booking, we will see. It maybe a year away but again it's going to take an effort that i had already completed.

Matt

 

[Bgcruising]

Ours was cancelled too, the 3/29/2024 sailing. Oh well

[staceyglow]

1 hour ago, phoneman69 said:

The point is Vacations take planning. Because of our job situation we like to plan ahead. We purchased a service for a specific date from Carnival. They took our money and we had an agreement. Now we have been sailing with Carnival sense 1994 and have many Cruises. Itinerary changes, chased by hurricanes, ports dropped. I understand how it works. I can still be mad at Christine Duffy as she made the change ( not solely i am sure ) that took away my Vacation and an offer of $100.00 OBC does NOT make me happy. Do i believe they will honor the deal i booked the cruise under and the perks i received with the booking, we will see. It maybe a year away but again it's going to take an effort that i had already completed.

Matt

 

Yes, you had an agreement. And I bet that agreement said they had a right to cancel or change your cruise. 

 

I understand why you are disappointed. But if a cruise line can't change a ship's itinerary simply because they have already sold a handful of cabins, it makes it much more difficult to operate in a way that keeps them in business. 

[Illbcruzn4life]

5 hours ago, cruisingguy007 said:

 

Good point. Carnival is earning it though. Always has. They understand the passenger perspective and deliver like no one else. If you won't sail with them, invest in them, they understand the "experience" like no other IMO. It takes a special kind of skill to stay engaged on that kind of level.  Disney would be smart to hire their outcasts. They would be lucky to have them. 

So of all the cruise lines you've cruised on only Carnival understands how to put on a good cruise? 

[phoneman69]

11 hours ago, staceyglow said:

Yes, you had an agreement. And I bet that agreement said they had a right to cancel or change your cruise. 

 

I understand why you are disappointed. But if a cruise line can't change a ship's itinerary simply because they have already sold a handful of cabins, it makes it much more difficult to operate in a way that keeps them in business. 

Yes i am sure that in the legal wording of the agreement that there is a cancel or change claws. I don't know how many bookings got cancelled but i am not the only one highly disappointed in Carnivals move.