You booked a Carnival cruise and the same cabin is now cheaper on carnival.com. Carnival will not lower your fare on its own, and nobody will email you about it. If your booking qualifies, Carnival has a published way to give you the difference, and it stays open far longer than most lines. The catch is the word "if".
This guide covers what to do once you have spotted the lower fare. The full rules are on the Carnival price protection page.
First check: did you book Early Saver?
Carnival's price protection belongs to one fare: Early Saver. Its price protection form says only bookings made with an Early Saver promotion are eligible. Find the promotion name on your booking confirmation or in your Carnival account before you do anything else. If it says Early Saver, keep reading. If it says something else, the form is not for you.
This is where the Early Saver vs Super Saver question matters. Carnival's FAQ says Super Saver and Pack & Go may be priced lower than Early Saver, but they come with more restrictions and do not have cabin assignment. Early Saver costs a little more at booking and buys you the price protection. Carnival also says Early Saver guests are not eligible to be protected on Super Saver, or on any program that does not let you select your cabin at booking, with the exception of Pack & Go. So a lower Super Saver fare on your sailing is not one you can claim.
The window: 2 business days before sailing
Carnival's FAQ says Early Saver guests are eligible for price protection up to 2 business days prior to sailing. That window runs past final payment, which is what sets Carnival apart from the other lines we track. A drop the week before you sail can still be claimed. Our final payment guide explains why most other lines close much earlier.
What you get back
The remedy depends on whether you have paid in full, according to Carnival's FAQ:
- Not paid in full: the cruise fare is repriced, so your remaining balance goes down.
- Paid in full: the difference is issued as a non-refundable onboard credit.
The form itself also offers a choice between requesting an upgrade or a non-refundable onboard credit for the fare difference. Onboard credit can only be spent on that sailing, so it is worth more to you if you would spend that money onboard anyway. Our guide to onboard credit or a refund goes through the trade-off.
One thing to check first: Carnival's form warns that if a promotional onboard credit came with your current fare, adjusting to the lower fare forfeits it. Carnival's terms add that repricing to a new promotion can mean giving up features of the original fare, such as cabin assignment, onboard credit or special deposit terms. Compare what you gain with what you give up.
What counts as a lower fare
Carnival's FAQ lists three conditions. The lower fare must be:
- for the same ship, sailing, stateroom category and number of guests
- available for booking at the time you submit your request
- a rate you are eligible to receive, if special restrictions apply
Carnival's terms also exclude group rates, membership programs, charters, select promotional fares, travel agent rebates and travel agent promotions not offered by Carnival to the general public.
How to claim, step by step
- Confirm the promotion is Early Saver on your booking confirmation.
- Price your exact booking on carnival.com. Same ship, sail date, stateroom category and number of guests. Screenshot the fare and note the promotion name shown with it.
- Open the Early Saver Price Protection Form on carnival.com. It asks for your booking number, name, phone, email, ship, sail date, promotion name, number of guests, where you found the fare and the total fare.
- Submit one form per booking. Carnival asks you not to send multiple requests for one cabin.
- Wait for the email. Carnival says it reviews claims within 2 business days and emails a confirmation if the request meets the requirements.
If a travel agent made your booking, the form says to contact your agent and they submit it for you. More on that in our travel agent price drop guide.
Carnival's FAQ also says that, provided you are eligible for the lower fare, there is no limit on the number of price protection requests. If the fare drops again later, you can file again.
Why most Carnival drops go unclaimed
Carnival sells each cabin at many rates at once, and they change often. Spotting a lower Early Saver fare on your exact category means repeating the same search for months. How often Carnival fares fall, and by how much, is on the Carnival price data page.
Carnival price drop alerts from CruiseSignal, an iPhone and web app for US and Canada residents, watch your sailing and category and tell you the amount when the fare falls, so you can file the form while the window is open. Whether a claim is approved is Carnival's decision. CruiseSignal is independent and not affiliated with Carnival.
