Carnival Cruise Line Cancels Bookings Made at Erroneous Low Prices During IT Glitch
The company cancelled an undisclosed number of reservations after a glitch during routine IT maintenance on Saturday allowed some guests to see and book prices far below reasonable promotional fares. Affected customers received refunds and a non-transferable $100 onboard credit for future bookings made by August 31, 2026.
nypost.comCarnival Cruise Line cancelled an undisclosed number of reservations after an IT glitch during a routine IT maintenance project on Saturday allowed some guests to see prices far below any reasonable promotional fare. One traveler booked a solo balcony on a 6-day cruise for $300. “After the site maintenance on Saturday, I was able to book a solo balcony on a 6-day cruise for $300 yesterday.
Seems to be fixed now. Did anyone else notice this? Hoping Carnival will honor the price because it was quite literally a steal,” said one hopeful traveler. The company cancelled reservations made under the cheap fare and issued refunds.
In an email to affected customers, Carnival Cruise Line stated: “Since your travel plans were just made with us, we hope you will find another itinerary that suits your vacation needs. ” Carnival Cruise Line’s terms and conditions give the company the right to cancel bookings made under incorrect pricing caused by technical errors. Some customers expressed disappointment at the decision.
“Sometimes when a company makes a mistake, they should just take the loss. This makes me not want to book anything in the future,” said one user. Another user wrote: “It’s totally within their right to do this.
But what if the fares were accidentally higher? Would they have refunded people the difference? ” This is not the first time Carnival Cruise Line has faced criticism over pricing glitches. In 2023, Carnival Cruise Line offered on-board beverage packages at an incorrect low price, did not honor the packages, and issued a discount code instead.
The IT mishap follows a series of unfortunate events for Carnival Cruise Line. An 88-year-old passenger on Carnival Cruise Line lost control of her mobility scooter and died after falling into the water. com reported.
Com reported that despite the $100 credit offered as a gesture of appreciation, the response from some travelers was anything but smooth sailing. The brief appearance of low fares gave travelers a glimpse of hope before the reservations were cancelled.
Key Facts
Story Timeline
5 events- 2026-05-10
Routine IT maintenance project occurs; pricing glitch allows bookings at shockingly low fares including a solo balcony 6-day cruise for $300
3 sourcesnypost.com - 2026-05-11
Hopeful traveler posts about the $300 booking and questions whether Carnival will honor it
1 sourcenypost.com - 2026-05-12
Carnival Cruise Line cancels affected reservations, issues refunds and offers $100 non-transferable onboard credit for bookings by August 31, 2026
2 sourcesnypost.com - 2026-04-30
24-year-old jumps from her room on a Carnival ship near Catalina Island
1 sourcenypost.com - 2023
Carnival Cruise Line offers onboard beverage packages at incorrect low price, does not honor them and issues discount code instead
1 sourcenypost.com
Potential Impact
- 01
The cruise line continues to manage negative publicity from recent passenger fatalities alongside the pricing incident
- 02
Carnival faces repeated public criticism over IT reliability following multiple glitches
- 03
Some customers report reduced willingness to book with Carnival in the future due to the cancellation policy
Transparency Panel
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