The price of the "award" or "incentive" cruise is full price. Actually, the cruise we selected costs $28 less if booked directly through Carnival. 7-day Eastern Caribbean from Miami on January 19 double occupancy. $1283 using our "Incentive Award Certificate" that we had to jump through hoops for, or $1255 booked through Carnival Cruise Lines website.
Do a critical read of the letters, flyers, and any other written communication. It does not say anywhere that the cruise is free or discounted or that the "award" has any monetary value at all. This is something that I found out when we were finally contacted by phone to book the date and port. When she told me the cost, I told her that I understood the cost of the cruise would be covered by the certificate and I would only be financially responsible for the taxes and port fees. She tried talking around it for awhile but finally said, "The cruise isn't free."
I read the paperwork again. Sure enough, it entitles you to a cruise - not a free cruise.
I read all the blogs about how they try at every stage to render the award invalid. I followed all advise and sent everything certified mail, included the pre-addressed stamped 6X9 envelope when required, and met all deadlines. All this only to find out that the only benefit I would get from booking the cruise with them would be that I could recoup my $100 deposit. $100 isn't worth the risk of booking through this unscrupulous company. Who knows what would happen if I gave them my credit card number!
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