Key Points:
- A household missed their cruise on Carnival Glory when a visitors jam made them late to the cruise terminal.
- Carnival Cruise Line doesn’t supply refunds for this example – all visitors should arrive on the cruise terminal on time or they are going to be denied boarding.
- The steering on when cruise terminals shut is about however the federal authorities, not the cruise line.
I’m a nervous traveler at the perfect of occasions, and nothing makes me extra nervous than a visitors backlog on the way in which to the cruise terminal on embarkation day.
Granted, I stay simply 20 minutes away from the best cruise port in the world, Port Canaveral. Even then, a foul visitors accident or surprising detour may trigger important delays.
However what if cruise visitors are delayed a lot that they miss their terminal arrival appointment altogether and so they’re not permitted to board the ship?
One household trying ahead to their crusing aboard Carnival Glory came upon the laborious means that there’s nothing the cruise line can or will do.
The upset visitor reached out to John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line’s model ambassador, with their story of visitors woes.
“We missed the ship and it wasn’t our fault. We drove from Senoia, Georgia to get on the Glory. There was a wreck on I-75. We arrived 50 minutes earlier than the boat was leaving. The Glory was nonetheless there however the doorways to the terminal have been closed,” the visitor described.
“There have been no Carnival reps, we have been left stranded, no one helped us. How will we get our a refund?”
Whereas the cruise departure date was not talked about, Carnival Glory is homeported from Port Canaveral, offering 3- and 4-night Bahamas sailings.
The visitor mentions {that a} relative of theirs recommended they contact Heald with their criticism and to get a full refund.
Whereas John Heald does deal with all kinds of visitor complaints, from difficulties with onboard operations to the raging debate about butter or margarine, the coverage on refunds may be very clear.
He isn’t unsympathetic to their disappointment, however neither will he offer them a refund for his or her missed Carnival Glory crusing.
“I do know the stress you need to have been underneath driving and there being a wreck, a automobile accident I’m guessing, delaying the visitors,” he mentioned.
Heald explains that visitors should arrive on time so as to board their ship. In actual fact, a federal regulation determines when the terminal should shut and no extra visitors are permitted to board.
That the ship was nonetheless docked solely signifies that baggage and provides should still be within the strategy of being loaded onboard, or the ship could also be ready for the harbor pilot to grant permission for the vessel to depart.
Heald likened the state of affairs to flights, when the plane doorways are closed earlier than departure. This can be a safety and procedural concern, and as soon as these doorways are closed, no late passengers are permitted aboard.
He goes on to notice that it is a time when there’s nothing Carnival Cruise Line can do about any form of refund.
“Cruise insurance coverage will not be mandatory – till it’s,” he concluded.
Why Can’t Friends Board a Cruise Ship Late?
You will need to keep in mind that a departing cruise ship isn’t simply leaving a homeport for a pleasure crusing, it’s a vessel transporting 1000’s of passengers in a foreign country. Because of this, each cruise line should be in full compliance with federal legal guidelines.
Carnival Cruise Line’s website explains:
“US Division of Homeland Safety (DHS) requires Carnival Cruise Line to submit a ultimate departure manifest with particular visitor data a minimum of 60 minutes previous to departure.”
Even when visitors have been to reach only a few minutes after that deadline, they might not be correctly checked in and on that ultimate departure manifest, and subsequently wouldn’t be permitted to board.

“In preparation for departure, all visitors should be on board by the Closing Boarding time printed on the boarding cross or they won’t be permitted to sail,” the web site states.
This data can be discovered on the Carnival Hub app and within the Guest Ticket Contract that each one vacationers conform to once they guide a Carnival cruise. The difficulty of refunds can be famous in that contract, however not in a means these vacationers would discover useful:
“No refunds shall be made within the occasion of ‘no reveals,’” the contract clearly states.
Heald’s point out of journey insurance coverage is apt. Some insurance policies (relying on particular person phrases and circumstances) would refund a cruise as a result of circumstances exterior the traveler’s management, similar to a visitors jam that made them too late to board their ship.
Learn Additionally: Boarding a Cruise Ship – All You Should Know
Skilled cruisers may also emphasize the significance of arriving on the cruise homeport a day or two earlier than crusing, simply in case of such tense circumstances.
Much better to be late to at least one’s pre-cruise lodge keep and miss out on a pleasant dinner or night on the pool slightly than be late to the cruise terminal and miss the whole cruise trip.
No Refund for Carnival Guests Even Though It’s Not Their Fault
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