In the year since Carnival introduced the guarantee, the line’s 24 ships have carried 4.5m cruisers and the guarantee has been invoked only 47 times.
'You are statistically more likely to date a supermodel than you are to invoke the Great Vacation Guarantee,' quipped Jim Berra, Carnival’s chief marketing officer. 'However, we believe it is important to keep the guarantee in place given its effectiveness in communicating to consumers that we stand behind our product and are extremely confident you will have an exceptional vacation experience when you sail with Carnival.'
To exercise the Great Vacation Guarantee, passengers notify the ship’s guest services desk within the first 24 hours of their voyage to receive a full refund of their cruise fare plus an additional 10%, along with free return air transportation from the next port of call, and free ground transportation and hotel accommodations (if necessary), along with a $100 shipboard credit to be used on a future Carnival cruise.
Carnival fully handles the travel arrangements.
The Great Vacation Guarantee is valid on all three- to eight-day voyages to the Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Bermuda, Canada and New England through Dec. 31, 2015, including holiday sailings. The program applies to US and Canadian residents only.
