I had booked a cruise for my wife, myself, my son and his girlfriend. I did this many months in advance and paid in full for all 4 of us.
Early in 2009 I underwent back surgery and because of improper handling was further injured which required 2 further surgeries and missed 60% of my work time for the year. I am fortunate to still be employed in this economy.
Calling Carnival was a fiasco. I was passed from rude employee to rude employee, each telling me that my prepaid fees would not be refunded. Because I would not give up I was finally passed to someone (rudest of all) who told me that if I got a note from my doctor that a portion of my own cruise fee would be refunded, but in no way would any of the others be refunded.
I obtained the letter from my doctor and contacted the employee asking for a fax number to send the letter to. I have never received any return correspondance.
We have been on multiple cruises with Carnival in the past. We will certainly go on more cruises in the future. But rest assured, none of these will be on Carnival.
To be sure, we did enjoy the cruises we took, and our travel coordinator, Omar Linton, has been wonderful. But the recent dealings with this company have convinced me that my money will be better spent elsewhere. I will not dignify unprofessional behavior and horrible customer service with further business. What really galled me was that they were all convinced that they were providing excellent customer service. Double yikes. If this is the way they treat all of their customers who have special circumstances I can see their ships sailing empty.
I am not submitting this to be vindictive, just to warn people that if you have special circumstances beware. Read all of the fine print, ask every question you can think of, talk to people who have done business with the company before, and most importantly, do not pay in full in advance. Had I taken this last point to heart I would have minimized the rip off by about $500. Live and learn.
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