Carnival Cruise Cancellations and Refund Policies

The refund policies of Carnival Cruise Line are determined by the length of the cruise, your selected fare, and the remaining time until your sailing date.

More inflexible refund policies apply to cruises with special pricing. Carnival Cruise Line typically responds to refund requests on special prices by offering the guest Future Cruise Credits instead of a full refund.

The refund policies of cruises that Carnival Cruise Line cancels entail the added benefit of onboard credit for those who choose the Future Cruise Credit option instead of a full refund. Information regarding the cancellation policy will be communicated directly to each guest and available on the Carnival Cruise Line website.

Carnival Cruise Line Refund Policies

Covid-19 Refund Policies

Carnival Cruise Line has not released defined refund policies regarding Covid-19, but the ticket contract does stipulate that Carnival reserves the right to refuse guests to board if they are unfit for travel without providing them with a refund if information regarding their test results was not provided.

Price Guarantees

Carnival Cruise Line offers a guaranteed lower price on a cruise fare during the first 48 hours after making a cruise booking. There may be a difference of 110% between the cruise fare you paid and the fare you later discover, which Carnival will refund as an onboard credit.

Cruise Cancellation Policy

Carnival issues full refunds for cruise tickets canceled more than 75 nights before the sailing date of short cruises and more than 90 nights before the sailing date on extended cruises. However, cancellation fees apply to cancellations made within those dates.

Cruises Cancelled by Carnival Cruise Line

If Carnival cancels a cruise, full refunds are issued along with an additional option of Future Cruise Credit with onboard credit. Drink packages and Wifi purchases are fully refunded via the same payment means used to purchase the tickets.

Significant Dates

The full refund period coincides with the final payment date, which is 75 days prior to sailing for cruises of between two and five days, and 90 days prior to sailing for 6-night or longer cruises.

Cruise Cancellations

Cancellation fees are demanded based on the amount of time between the cancellation and the sailing date. You effectively lose your deposit if you cancel a cruise between the final payment date and 56 days before the sailing date.

If you cancel between 55 days and 30 days prior to sailing, you lose a large portion of your deposit or 50% of the cruise fare. If you cancel between 29 days and 15 days prior to the sailing date, you lose a large portion of your deposit or 75% of the total cruise fare.

For cancellations made within two weeks of the sailing date, except for mid-cruise cancellations and no-shows, you will only receive refunds for fees, taxes, port charges, and pre-paid purchases.

If Carnival Cancels a Cruise

Guests have a period of 24 months to receive their onboard credit and six months to book another cruise when Carnival Cruise Line cancels a cruise. Full refunds in monetary form may take up to three months to be issued.

Future Cruise Credit

Future Cruise Credit (FCC) is issued based on the cruise fare paid on the date of cancellation. For instance, if a guest has paid the full amount for a cruise by the time of cancellation, they will receive Future Cruise Credit for the amount they paid. Future Cruise Credits will be issued according to the amount paid if only a deposit has been finalized.

Cruise Cancellation

A Future Cruise Credit is issued for Early Saver cancellations minus a service fee of $50 for cancellations made before the final payment date. Any unused portion of the credit will be lost, and the credit must be used on a new booking within a year of cancellation. This policy applies to cruises that will sail within two years of the cancellation date.

If Carnival Cancels a Cruise

If Future Cruise Credit is chosen instead of a full refund for cruises that Carnival Cruise Line cancels, an expiration date applies, which is typically two years from the date of cancellation.

Carnival will always communicate this with every guest. If onboard credit in addition to Future Cruise Credit is offered, it will depend on acceptance from the guest. For instance, if Carnival cancels a cruise in March of 2021, the cruise line requires guests to book a new cruise by the end of September of the same year to be eligible for the bonus offer.

Carnival Cruise Line Fine Print

Cruise cancellation

Non-refundable tickets include deposits made on the Early Saver program of Carnival Cruise Line. Cruise fares on pack-and-go tickets are also non-refundable.

A different set of cancellation policies apply to the Fly2Fun fares of Carnival Cruise Line. For up to 60 days before the flight, the Flexible Airfare is refundable. Non-refundable airfare further includes the Restricted Air option.

Cruise bookings made outside Canada or the U.S. may be associated with different refund policies, which can be found on the ticket contract of the cruise received when you book.

If Carnival Cancels a Cruise

The opportunity to choose either a full refund or Future Cruise Credits is available to each reservation, meaning traveling companions who initially booked the same stateroom don’t have to choose the same option. However, each guest is required to choose either a full refund or Future Cruise Credit (FCC).

Regardless of whether you or Carnival Cruise Line cancel a cruise, every guest must cancel any additional travel arrangements with the appropriate third party.

Canceling a Cruise Due to Covid-19

Covid-19, unfortunately, remains a topic of concern in the cruise industry, and testing positive for Covid-19 will mean you can’t board your cruise. Luckily the cruise line’s cancellation policies address this issue by including measures to prevent guests from being maltreated.

Guests are entitled to a Future Cruise Credit (FCC) based on the paid amount if their traveling companions assigned to the same stateroom or family members living in the same household as the guests test positive for Covid-19 and are forced to cancel their cruise. This policy applies for cancellations made within ten days before the sailing day.

Guests are also eligible to receive Future Cruise Credits if they report being in close contact with someone expected to have Covid-19 within ten days before the ship sails. Similarly, if a guest is deemed unfit to travel by Carnival Cruise Line due to a suspected or confirmed Covid-19 diagnosis, they will also receive Future Cruise Credits.

Policy Conditions

Guests must notify Carnival Cruise Line within a day of testing positive for Covid-19 to qualify for Future Cruise Credits.
All of the following must be included in a provided test result: Full name, birth date, test type, laboratory name, time sample was provided, healthcare provider details, testing site, and a clear indication that the person tested positive.
All guests are required to present a verified positive test result in a form acceptable to the cruise line, including a digital certificate, a laboratory test record, or a healthcare record.
Unacceptable forms of test results include photographs and handwritten test results.

Note that particular shore excursions will entail varying policies regarding Covid-19. Therefore, all cruisers are advised to stay up to date on the latest cruise news and research the ship’s itinerary to avoid running into issues at the ports.

Cruise Travel Insurance

Many companies and independent advisors, such as travel agents, offer insurance products. Additionally, Carnival Cruise Line also urges guests to make use of its customer insurance program called Carnival Vacation Protection.

This insurance relates to cancellations and covers the common causes of cancellations, including diseases and dangerous weather. Carnival Vacation Protection ensures that guests will get all their money back.

If guests cancel for reasons unlisted in the provided insurance plan, 75% of the cruise fare will be refunded in the form of an FCC certificate.

Policies on Delays

There are many instances where guests don’t make it to the cruise terminal in time due to delayed flights. Unfortunately, Carnival Cruise Line will not refund your ticket for a cruise departing without you.

The cruise line does, however, keep your reservation for up to two hours before the check-in time. Therefore, Carnival always recommends buying interruption and cancellation insurance in case something comes up, as you will not be reimbursed for delays.