Carnival Cruise Line has canceled some reservations that were accidentally offered at a much lower-than-usual price, leaving guests infuriated.
Earlier this week, Reddit users pointed out a glitch on the company’s website showing a solo balcony room on a six-day cruise being offered for only $300. Customers who purchased the cruise were thrilled by the steep discount, as a five to seven-day trip usually costs between $600 to $1,500 per person, depending on the destination.
However, Carnival caught the error and sent an email to passengers about their reservations being canceled as a result, according to a screenshot of the message shared by a Reddit user.
“Following a planned IT maintenance project this past weekend, some guests saw a random display of prices that were far below any reasonable promotional fare,” the email reads. “The reservation you made was one of them. We regret to inform you that we will not be able to honor your reservation request. The reservation has been cancelled and any monies paid will be credited to your original form of payment.
“Since your travel plans were just made with us, we hope you will find another itinerary that suits your vacation needs. As a gesture of our appreciation, a non‑transferable onboard credit of U.S. $100 per stateroom will be applied to your future booking if made by August 31, 2026.”
Travelers were extremely disappointed about the company’s decision to cancel the reservations, especially after some had already booked their flights to the cruise ship’s initial port.
“I booked myself a little trip as a birthday present to myself. Found a great deal! Paid in full for a balcony & booked flights, only to get this email today. Now the same cruise is selling interior rooms for twice what I paid,” one wrote on Reddit.
“Sometimes when a company makes a mistake, they should just take the loss,” one person wrote. “This makes me not want to book anything in the future.”
“I just got the email saying they are cancelling my booking because of this, not happy,” a third shared. “I already got plane tickets.”
However, some social media users gave Carnival the benefit of the doubt, with one Reddit user writing: “It’s totally within their right to do this. But what if the fares were accidentally higher? Would they have refunded people the difference? Maybe they should work on getting their IT working so they don’t have massive pricing errors.”
In a statement to The New York Post, the company said: “We’ve apologized to the small number of guests who tried to book the fare, but as the online discussions have pointed out, our decision is consistent with our ticket contract.”
The Independent has contacted Carnival for comment.
The website glitch came two months after the cruise line canceled 11 voyages planned for later this year.
“Due to changes to itinerary plans, we have cancelled sailings aboard Carnival Firenze scheduled between October 12, 2026, and November 16, 2026,” the cruise line told USA Today in March. “We have apologized to our impacted guests and are offering them the option to rebook another Carnival cruise with their cruise fare protected on a comparable sailing in similar accommodations, along with an onboard credit.
“Guests who choose not to reschedule will receive a full refund of their cruise fare and any pre-purchased items to the original form of payment.”
The sailings were short trips, ranging from three to four nights, and all departing from Long Beach, California, according to Cruise Mapper.
