Warning to those that prebook specialty restaurants

[Jgmagic2000]

Please be careful when reserving specialty restaurants on the carnival website prior to your cruise.  We booked 2 restaurants but ended up cancelling them on the carnival hub app after having a late lunch on one occasion and longer than expected port stay.  It’s been 3 weeks and I still haven’t been refunded.  I’ve emailed guest service support and reached out to socials only to be told I would have to wait up to 45 days to have my email responded to.  Carnival should have refunded the money as soon as the reservation was cancelled.  Per the website, only Bonsai teppanyaki  and the Chefs Table have fees associated with cancelling within a certain timeframe.  

[Haljo1935]

I wanted to move around so I could get the free wine at the steakhouse on 1st night. That meant I had to cancel and rebook.

Some of the reservations had the 18% gratuity charged at the time I booked, some did not. The credits showed up w/in a week, but none included the 18% gratuity.

So be diligent about looking for the dollar amount, not just that you got a credit.

Doesn't have to be this hard...

[Jgmagic2000]

This issue only occurs if you book online prior to the cruise and then cancel once on board via the carnival hub app.  The only way to get a refund is by communication with guest services via email and it takes up to 45 days to get a response.  

[Haljo1935]

9 hours ago, Jgmagic2000 said:

This issue only occurs if you book online prior to the cruise and then cancel once on board via the carnival hub app.  The only way to get a refund is by communication with guest services via email and it takes up to 45 days to get a response.  

I'm not onboard yet; I cruise in Sept.

I canceled and rebooked for 1st night. Original charge included 18% gratuity. Refund on credit card was for dinner only, did not get back the 18%.

[Jgmagic2000]

23 minutes ago, TreyB said:

You change your mind, you pay the consequences. Why do you expect them to immediately refund you when you booked prior and then changed your mind at the last minute, inconveniencing other guests who may have wanted a reservation?  You don’t deserve an immediate refund, if you deserve a refund at all. 

Because the website says that I can refund with no penalty.  Only Bonsai Teppanyaki and The Chefs table have cancellation penalties.  If I didn’t eat the food or receive the service then I am do a refund of my money.  We cancelled in a timely manner so others could get a reservation.

Edited July 16, 2023 by Jgmagic2000

[FastShip24]

2 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

I'm not onboard yet; I cruise in Sept.

I canceled and rebooked for 1st night. Original charge included 18% gratuity. Refund on credit card was for dinner only, did not get back the 18%.

How much in dollars is the gratuity?

[Haljo1935]

10 minutes ago, FastShip24 said:

How much in dollars is the gratuity?

$17.28

[vwrestler171]

36 minutes ago, Jgmagic2000 said:

Because the website says that I can refund with no penalty.  Only Bonsai Teppanyaki and The Chefs table have cancellation penalties.  If I didn’t eat the food or receive the service then I am do a refund of my money.  We cancelled in a timely manner so others could get a reservation.

Where does it say you can cancel without penalty?  I don't see anything regarding that.

[FastShip24]

20 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

$17.28

So for a total of 17.28, you felt a need on a Saturday to complain about a problem that will be corrected?

[Haljo1935]

5 minutes ago, FastShip24 said:

So for a total of 17.28, you felt a need on a Saturday to complain about a problem that will be corrected?

1) I didn't complain - I asked a question.

2) How do I know it will be corrected? It was part of an original bill and split out separately when a partial refund was done, which makes no sense. So, again, how do I know it will be corrected?

3) It's an indication of a potential issue w/the way Carnival is processing (or not, in this case) refunds. Withholding small amounts from multiple customers can be a pretty lucrative revenue stream for Carnival. I prefer they make money from me by fully transparent transactions. 

This is a place for people with questions to seek answers. Just because I ask a question on a Sat (or Tues...) is irrelevant. Nor does it mean a response is due at any particular time. What's it matter when I post a question? And why do you feel a need to complain on a Saturday evening about something that has zero impact on you?

[FastShip24]

27 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

1) I didn't complain - I asked a question.

2) How do I know it will be corrected? It was part of an original bill and split out separately when a partial refund was done, which makes no sense. So, again, how do I know it will be corrected?

3) It's an indication of a potential issue w/the way Carnival is processing (or not, in this case) refunds. Withholding small amounts from multiple customers can be a pretty lucrative revenue stream for Carnival. I prefer they make money from me by fully transparent transactions. 

This is a place for people with questions to seek answers. Just because I ask a question on a Sat (or Tues...) is irrelevant. Nor does it mean a response is due at any particular time. What's it matter when I post a question? And why do you feel a need to complain on a Saturday evening about something that has zero impact on you?

It's 18.dollars

[Jgmagic2000]

6 hours ago, vwrestler171 said:

Where does it say you can cancel without penalty?  I don't see anything regarding that.

 

Edited July 16, 2023 by Jgmagic2000

[Jgmagic2000]

[wemjam]

6 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

1) I didn't complain - I asked a question.

2) How do I know it will be corrected? It was part of an original bill and split out separately when a partial refund was done, which makes no sense. So, again, how do I know it will be corrected?

3) It's an indication of a potential issue w/the way Carnival is processing (or not, in this case) refunds. Withholding small amounts from multiple customers can be a pretty lucrative revenue stream for Carnival. I prefer they make money from me by fully transparent transactions. 

This is a place for people with questions to seek answers. Just because I ask a question on a Sat (or Tues...) is irrelevant. Nor does it mean a response is due at any particular time. What's it matter when I post a question? And why do you feel a need to complain on a Saturday evening about something that has zero impact on you?

I do have a suggestion for you, and you may have done this already.  I thought I had the same issue but realized I did not.  

 

I had prepaid a spa appointment for a cruise (like a couple months earlier), then decided to cancel and rebook something else instead.  I had the confirmation page and was going off that looking at the total.  It listed the price on my confirmation of the service AND gratuities (example purposes only as I can't remember exact numbers) - $98 - pedicure $80/gratuities $18.  So looking at the confirmation it looked like when the refunded me only $80 I was shorted $18.  I too reached out to them and was waiting and was a bit peeved.

 

However, at some point while I was waiting I went back and looked at the initial charge to my credit card months earlier, and even though the total on the confirmation showed $98, they only charged me the $80 (actual service amount - NOT including gratuities).    I went and looked at some other prepaid, and saw this happened to me at least twice!  The confirmation showed the total with gratuities but the actual amount charged did not included the gratuity.

 

This could be the case for you too.  Check the actual original charge on your card and see, don't just look at your confirmation.

[Haljo1935]

1 hour ago, wemjam said:

I do have a suggestion for you, and you may have done this already.  I thought I had the same issue but realized I did not.  

 

I had prepaid a spa appointment for a cruise (like a couple months earlier), then decided to cancel and rebook something else instead.  I had the confirmation page and was going off that looking at the total.  It listed the price on my confirmation of the service AND gratuities (example purposes only as I can't remember exact numbers) - $98 - pedicure $80/gratuities $18.  So looking at the confirmation it looked like when the refunded me only $80 I was shorted $18.  I too reached out to them and was waiting and was a bit peeved.

 

However, at some point while I was waiting I went back and looked at the initial charge to my credit card months earlier, and even though the total on the confirmation showed $98, they only charged me the $80 (actual service amount - NOT including gratuities).    I went and looked at some other prepaid, and saw this happened to me at least twice!  The confirmation showed the total with gratuities but the actual amount charged did not included the gratuity.

 

This could be the case for you too.  Check the actual original charge on your card and see, don't just look at your confirmation.

Thank you; I didn't realize they would charge a different amount, so I will definitely go look.

[MRVEGAS711]

Message should be CAUTION to those who cancel dinners they have already booked!

[sparks1093]

11 hours ago, Jgmagic2000 said:

Because the website says that I can refund with no penalty.  Only Bonsai Teppanyaki and The Chefs table have cancellation penalties.  If I didn’t eat the food or receive the service then I am do a refund of my money.  We cancelled in a timely manner so others could get a reservation.

The question was why an immediate refund. You'll get the refund it will just take time. You booked and paid before the trip so the ship can't refund anything and shore operations has a backlog. You just need to be patient.

[Jgmagic2000]

5 minutes ago, TreyB said:

What do you consider a timely manner?  Sounds like you cancelled both at the last minute because of a late lunch and longer than expected port stay. 🤷‍♂️

Maybe couple weeks max, definitely not 2-3 months.  Are you suggesting you would be fine paying for anything in life and then returning it or cancelling and then waiting 2-3 months or more to get a refund?  

Edited July 16, 2023 by Jgmagic2000

[Indiansbaseball]

4 minutes ago, TreyB said:

I’m confused. Your original post says you cancelled one dinner because of a late lunch, and one dinner because you stayed at the port longer than you expected. Now you are saying a couple of weeks?  I don’t get it. 
 

They were responding to the refund question. They are willing to wait a couple weeks. 

[sparks1093]

4 hours ago, Indiansbaseball said:

They were responding to the refund question. They are willing to wait a couple weeks. 

In these post-COVID days they may have to wait longer, since it seems like a lot of things are taking longer these days.

[FastShip24]

5 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

The question was why an immediate refund. You'll get the refund it will just take time. You booked and paid before the trip so the ship can't refund anything and shore operations has a backlog. You just need to be patient.

But I want it now🤣

[Rambler64]

Not a hill I'm willing to die on, I've worked with a LOT of credit cards. A refund -can- be processed almost instantly. The customer's bank can delay processing (usually a few days at most). 
Any other delay is the fault of the vendor, in this case the cruise line. However a refund is authorized (by meeting policy, or granted an exception), once approved, three weeks is unreasonably long. 
I have no idea why anyone would argue 45 days would be an acceptable amount of time for a communication response to questioning said issue. 

[kona_wahine]

I just cancelled two, and I wish I had saw that to respond to the email. I just wanted to change the dates as one ended up falling on an elegant night and the other was at 5:00 sail day and I wasn’t thinking when I booked. Sailing out of NYC so don’t want to be stuck in a restaurant if sail away is delayed. Anyhoooo… I’m not sure why anyone would think OP or I don’t deserve a refund for changing our minds. Pretty ridiculous. I just couldn’t find a way to change the date unless I canceled and rebooked. I didn’t get an email confirmation that I cancelled bit I ALWAYS screenshot everything, just for cases like this. 

[sparks1093]

4 hours ago, kona_wahine said:

I just cancelled two, and I wish I had saw that to respond to the email. I just wanted to change the dates as one ended up falling on an elegant night and the other was at 5:00 sail day and I wasn’t thinking when I booked. Sailing out of NYC so don’t want to be stuck in a restaurant if sail away is delayed. Anyhoooo… I’m not sure why anyone would think OP or I don’t deserve a refund for changing our minds. Pretty ridiculous. I just couldn’t find a way to change the date unless I canceled and rebooked. I didn’t get an email confirmation that I cancelled bit I ALWAYS screenshot everything, just for cases like this. 

I don't think anyone has said a refund isn't deserved. 

[sparks1093]

5 hours ago, Rambler64 said:

Not a hill I'm willing to die on, I've worked with a LOT of credit cards. A refund -can- be processed almost instantly. The customer's bank can delay processing (usually a few days at most). 
Any other delay is the fault of the vendor, in this case the cruise line. However a refund is authorized (by meeting policy, or granted an exception), once approved, three weeks is unreasonably long. 
I have no idea why anyone would argue 45 days would be an acceptable amount of time for a communication response to questioning said issue. 

Maybe because we're realists who know that this is how long it can take. It says that it can "take up to 45 days", not that it will take 45 days. Sort of like "allow up to 4 to 6 weeks for shipping". It might take that long, it might not. Companies always give themselves plenty of time. In any event none of us have any idea of what sort of staffing is available to handle this type of thing or how many requests (of all types) that they have to process.