Carnival changed my stateroom - is that normal?

[csm5986142]

Disclaimer, I'm really OCD about researching and picking out my stateroom locations. 😄  So I was surprised to hear we'd been bumped from the one I had booked.

We have been on over 20 Carnival cruises and have never had this happen - I received a very brief email stating that our stateroom has been changed on our upcoming Jubilee reservation (and gave us the new cabin number) with no explanation or anything.  Although I'm disappointed, there is nothing we can do (there are very few options).  Just wondering if this is normal?  Or maybe it's because the ship is still under construction?  Anyone else experience this?

[EngIceDave]

If an adjoining or something like that, they may need to move you.

 

They do have that right, it's in your contract of carriage. 

[Lee Cruiser]

56 minutes ago, csm5986142 said:

We have been on over 20 Carnival cruises and have never had this happen

Same with us.  We are also very particular about the rooms we choose, so that would have been upsetting to us as well.  We were considering booking a cruise in November, but ended up planning something else because we couldn't find a room we liked. Hopefully your room will work out good.

[BlerkOne]

1 minute ago, Lee Cruiser said:

Same with us.  We are also very particular about the rooms we choose, so that would have been upsetting to us as well.  We were considering booking a cruise in November, but ended up planning something else because we couldn't find a room we liked. Hopefully your room will work out good.

 

1 hour ago, csm5986142 said:

Disclaimer, I'm really OCD about researching and picking out my stateroom locations. 😄  So I was surprised to hear we'd been bumped from the one I had booked.

We have been on over 20 Carnival cruises and have never had this happen - I received a very brief email stating that our stateroom has been changed on our upcoming Jubilee reservation (and gave us the new cabin number) with no explanation or anything.  Although I'm disappointed, there is nothing we can do (there are very few options).  Just wondering if this is normal?  Or maybe it's because the ship is still under construction?  Anyone else experience this?

It is Carnival's right and there could be several reasons. Perhaps call Carnival and ask?

[txcruiser1234]

We had this happen to us once last year. We had booked a porthole cabin (through a casino deal) which was changed to a regular inside cabin that happened to share a wall with the IMAX theater screen. Carnival considered this an upgrade because the IMAX cabin was on a higher deck. At the time of the change notification, the casino deal was still valid and there were other same category cabins available, so the casino dept was able to move us to a quieter cabin location (still not the porthole cabin we booked, but it could have been worse). It never hurts to call to see what your options might be...

[jsglow]

6 hours ago, txcruiser1234 said:

We had this happen to us once last year. We had booked a porthole cabin (through a casino deal) which was changed to a regular inside cabin that happened to share a wall with the IMAX theater screen. Carnival considered this an upgrade because the IMAX cabin was on a higher deck. At the time of the change notification, the casino deal was still valid and there were other same category cabins available, so the casino dept was able to move us to a quieter cabin location (still not the porthole cabin we booked, but it could have been worse). It never hurts to call to see what your options might be...

That REALLY surprises me.  Perhaps it had something to do with the Casino Rate.  I'd be on the phone in a nano-second with my PVP if Carnival ever moved us from a Porthole to a standard Inside absolutely insisting that we be given a standard Oceanview at the same price.

[csm5986142]

11 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

It is Carnival's right and there could be several reasons. Perhaps call Carnival and ask?

 

Good point, I was just curious how often it happens.

At first I had planned to call first thing in the morning, but then I realized that the ship is pretty much sold out - I couldn't find any better options than what we ended up with (went from one interior room to another - I just liked the first location much better).  It's the Jubilee's New Year's Eve cruise, and only its second sailing (if all goes as planned) so it got extremely popular after Carnival cancelled several of its sailings (due to supply chain issues during construction).  

[MistyRo76]

It could also be a capacity thing. If there are only two of you in your cabin and the cabin holds 3 or 4 people, they may have needed to move you to accommodate the larger group if there were no other cabins that hold that many in your cabin category. Sucks - but it's their right to do so. Our PVP always advises of this if anyone in our group books a cabin that holds more than they are traveling with. 

[BlerkOne]

1 hour ago, MistyRo76 said:

It could also be a capacity thing. If there are only two of you in your cabin and the cabin holds 3 or 4 people, they may have needed to move you to accommodate the larger group if there were no other cabins that hold that many in your cabin category. Sucks - but it's their right to do so. Our PVP always advises of this if anyone in our group books a cabin that holds more than they are traveling with. 

This is certainly valid. Or if someone has an accessible cabin but doesn't need it. or...

 

Carnival really doesn't have to gave a reason. They can even substitute a different ship if they want to. All cruise lines can.

[mz-s]

It's fairly common if you're in a room that has upper berths but only 2 booked, Carnival will move you out into a room without upper berths so someone who will use those upper berths can have the room.

 

That's one common reason why this happens. But as Blerk said they could move you for any reason whatsoever, or no reason at all.

 

I notice that when I book guarantee rates, I am often assigned a cabin that has upper berths even though I only book 2 people.

Edited March 11, 2023 by mz-s

[LoungingMcCoy]

I have never had my room changed, but what I have gathered in speaking with my PVP in the past I would have a guess at two things.

 

1)  You chose a room for 3 people max with only 2 people.  Someone needed a 3 person room and you got moved.

2)  You chose a handicapped accessible room.  On a past cruise all the rooms on the deck I really wanted showed sold out.  I asked if any were available on this deck.  She said that there were handicapped accessible rooms available, and she would book one of them for me, but there was a chance I would get moved.

 

I'm very particular about my rooms as well.  That would stink to get moved after I picked the exact room I wanted.

[BlerkOne]

On capacity - there are more bunks on a cruise ship than can be legally sold. Just because a cabin has more beds than you need does not indicate Carnival will snatch the room.

 

On the special needs, something similar can happen on airlines if someone with a service animal needs a special seat configuration (bulkhead comes to mind).

[EngIceDave]

Our last one on Celebration, our balcony had an upper drop down bed and the couch bed conversion to sleep 4, yet it was just us two.

 

If they needed that 4 sleeper balcony cabin, they'd swap me to a similar for two and just do it....