Carnival 'One free change'?

[Dirk Bogarde]

Have booked on Splendour for late this year and now want to move to a different date which suits other family members. Booked a cheap rate direct with Carnival Australia with a $150pp deposit. Online it looks like the only option is to cancel and lose the deposit - are there any alternatives? I'm a bit surprised I can't pay a change fee + fare difference like on a airfare. 

 

I see a couple of Australian online TAs state for Carnival cruises: "You are entitled to "one free change" to a different cruise under the following terms: 121 days or more prior to departure One free change to a different Carnival Cruise departing from Australia."

 

My departure is more than 120 days out, would Carnival offer this for bookings made directly with them?

[Aus Traveller]

Try Carnival to see if they will allow you to make the swap. If not, try another solution. Check with the Aust on-line TA you mention to ensure that you will be allowed to swap to another cruise. If they confirm you can, then switch your booking from Carnival to that TA. After that do the cruise swap you want.

[Relaxing Robbies]

I changed one booking to a different cruise by phoning Carnival last year and had no problems. The new cruise deposit was more, so I had to pay the difference in deposit.

[rkmw]

15 hours ago, FormalHall said:

Have booked on Splendour for late this year and now want to move to a different date which suits other family members. Booked a cheap rate direct with Carnival Australia with a $150pp deposit. Online it looks like the only option is to cancel and lose the deposit - are there any alternatives? I'm a bit surprised I can't pay a change fee + fare difference like on a airfare. 

 

I see a couple of Australian online TAs state for Carnival cruises: "You are entitled to "one free change" to a different cruise under the following terms: 121 days or more prior to departure One free change to a different Carnival Cruise departing from Australia."

 

My departure is more than 120 days out, would Carnival offer this for bookings made directly with them?

There’s no free change and if booked direct with Carnival you would have to speak with them and depending who you get on the phone they may allow you to change but don’t bank on it

[rkmw]

If you google Carnival cruises one online agent mentions you are allowed a free change but not sure if that’s correct if you book direct, I know a long time ago you could do that with p&o Australia and haven’t heard of it for a long while, I can’t mention the online agent but might be worthwhile to ring Carnival and ask them….. I moved a cruise recently and was not charged a cancellation fee but the person said they normally don’t do it 

[Relaxing Robbies]

It probably depends on the terms of the ticket contract at the time the cruise was booked. Pre covid there used to be a clause in the Australian contract that allowed one free change. The current contract valid from November 2022 does not have that clause. I am not sure when the clause was deleted.