Key Aspects:
- A guest is wondering if Carnival Cruise Line offers refunds or compensation for bad weather and rainy days.
- The answer is a resounding no, and nor does any other line offer compensation for poor weather during a cruise vacation.
- Even compensation related to hurricanes is not actually due to weather, but only applies if a cruise is cancelled or shortened.
Every cruise guest hopes their sailing is filled with the perfect temperature, brilliant blue skies, just the right amount of sunshine, and smooth seas. Naturally, cruise lines also want to deliver on that idyllic vacation experience.
But what if that doesn’t happen, and instead a sailing is filled with gray clouds, rain, rough water, and general dreariness? Has the cruise line failed in its vacation obligations and are guests due compensation for their unfulfilled expectations?
John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line’s brand ambassador, responded to a guest’s inquiry about that type of expectation, agreeing with and even praising rival cruise line Royal Caribbean.
“In today’s travel section of my area newspaper, there is a question being asked about refunds for a 5-night cruise that encountered rain every day,” the guest explained. “The writer … took a 12-year-old son on a Royal Caribbean cruise. Unfortunately, it rained every day of her cruise and a port was even cancelled due to the weather.”
The exact ship, sailing date, and itinerary of the impacted sailing is not disclosed, but poor weather can happen on any cruise at any time, anywhere in the world.
“Thinking that the cruise lines were supposed to avoid bad weather by going somewhere else instead of just sailing in a rainstorm for four days the writer is asking what refund or credit she is due,” the commenter continued.
“Royal Caribbean is not going to compensate. Does Carnival Cruise Line compensate for rainy days and if so how much?”
Heald normally redacts the names of other cruise lines from comments and complaints, steadfastly refusing to promote any false assumptions, rumors, or criticisms.
For this very entitled expectation, however, he offered praise and stands with the same policy.
“In this case, we are all in this together,” he said. “I’m glad that Royal Caribbean in this case didn’t give any money to Mrs. Glitterknickers.”
“We would not give anything either. We’re not going to give you cruise compensation because it rained for four days.”
Heald does note that if a shore excursion had to be cancelled because of bad weather, of course a refund would be provided for the tour a guest didn’t get to take.
Nevertheless, simple bad weather is not going to be a cause for any guest to receive a refund of any kind.
“If any cruise line did compensate for rainy days, it would set a precedent of people who are extremely disappointed and expect money back,” he noted.
For example, what about the guest who feels the day might be too hot and uncomfortably humid? Or the guest who gets a sunburn and feels the cruise line is responsible? What if there are too many clouds or too few clouds?
But Guests Get Compensated for Hurricane Changes!
Some cruisers might automatically believe that if their sailing is changed for a hurricane, they receive compensation. So what would be the difference for a simple rainy day?
In fact, no cruise line offers refunds or onboard credit for port and itinerary changes related to hurricanes or tropical storms. These decisions are made for the safety of the ship and everyone aboard, and no compensation is offered.
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Only in extreme situations might some compensation be available. For example, if a cruise line has to completely cancel a sailing due to an impending storm, of course, guests will receive refunds.
Similarly, if a cruise is shortened because the homeport is closed and the previous voyage cannot return on time, guests are compensated for the time lost out of their vacation. This has nothing to do with the quality of the weather, however.
