Customers were frustrated after Carnival Cruise Line canceled a batch of reservations following an IT problem on its website that drastically dropped prices.
An IT maintenance project reportedly disrupted sections of the company’s booking system and one passenger said they booked a trip for an extremely low price, Fox News reported Saturday, citing a Carnival Cruise fans Reddit page.
“After the site maintenance on Saturday, I was able to book a solo balcony on a 6-day cruise for $300 yesterday… Hoping Carnival will honor the price because it was quite literally a steal,” the individual was quoted as saying.
Although the company eventually canceled the affected bookings, informed the refunded customers what happened, and offered $100 onboard credit for people who booked again before late August, some people argued the company should have simply taken the financial hit and left the messed up bookings alone.
“Sometimes when a company makes a mistake, they should just take the loss,” a Reddit user said, per the Fox article. The outlet noted another person said the company did not need to honor a transaction that happened due to a glitch in the system.
The news comes as some cruise lines have been cutting fares before the summer due to a lack of demand, virus concerns, and increasing operating costs, Focus On Travel News reported Saturday:
The discounting wave comes after several high-profile health incidents involving cruise ships drew international attention in recent weeks, including hantavirus and norovirus outbreaks that disrupted voyages and triggered quarantine measures.
Travel agents reported that some travelers who booked cruises months earlier are now seeing the same itineraries sold at sharply lower prices. In some cases, agencies said it could even be cheaper for passengers to cancel an existing booking and rebook under the new promotional fares.
Earlier this month, Nerd Wallet informed readers on how they could save money on a cruise by booking at the right time.
“In the cruise world, ‘wave season’ — typically January through March — is an ideal time to book a trip, as cruise lines offer deals to fill ships for the year ahead. But even outside of that window, prices can vary widely,” the report said.
The recent glitch issue was not the first time Carnival passengers were upset over booking errors. In 2024, people onboard one of the company’s ships became frustrated when their itinerary was changed due to engine problems, Breitbart News reported.
“When the crew found a technical issue linked to the vessel’s cruising speed, it was forced to change plans and make stops in Nassau, Princess Cays, Freeport, and Half Moon Cay,” the outlet said.
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