Carnival Cruise Line is sending out a letter to guests regarding new flexible options for cruises that are seven days or less. This comes due to continued uncertainty and waiting for further guidance from the CDC.
The aim is to provide further peace of mind for those booked on a departure through July 31, 2021. However, some guests are starting to worry that this could be a sign of a further suspension.
New Carnival Cancellation Options
The Miami-based cruise line has offered new options to guests booked through July 31, 2021, to provide further flexibility due to the uncertainty of resuming cruises. A letter has been sent from Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy recently with new cancellation options.
The letter includes that the return of cruise operations in the U.S. is still not determined, and the cruise line is still waiting on further guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). Guests can now choose what’s best for them moving forward, and it will help Carnival with ongoing frustrations.
So option one will allow guests to maintain their existing booking, including any payments that still need to be made. They will receive a $100 onboard credit if the voyage does still go ahead.
Also Read: Carnival Cruise Line Withdraws New Policies
If the cruise is eventually cancelled and guests have not yet received their Carnival’s enhanced value offer, they will receive what’s been offered during the suspension of operations. This will include a future cruise credit along with onboard credit, depending on the length of the cruise.
For option two, guests can cancel their voyage any time from now to March 31, 2021, and receive a full refund. If the cruise was booked with a future cruise credit, that could be kept along with onboard credit as long as the next cruise is booked by September 30, 2021, for a sailing departing by April 30, 2023.
These new options have come out just days after new details came out for guests impacted by the sailings that are longer than seven days.
Should Guests Be Worried?
Over the last several days these new options are making some guests worried. Many across social media think that cruises could be suspended through July.
With Carnival Cruise Line saying in the letter that it’s still waiting for guidance from the CDC, it could be a hint that the cruise line is nowhere near to resuming operations. There are no signs on any test sailings, and cruises can’t resume until this has happened per the Conditional Sailing Order framework.
Last week we did a post on Carnival’s Chief Communications Officer (CCO) responding to guest frustrations in an interview posted by Carnival Cruise Line Ambassador, John Heald. The take from that is that the cruise line simply doesn’t know and backed up the comments that Carnival is waiting on the CDC.
We’re just goin to have to wait and see and for now, cruises are cancelled through April 2021 with select voyages for even longer into the fall.