Carnival Cruise Lines Renews Great Vacation Guarantee For 2015

I have been on...four Carnival cruises this year alone, so I know that you guys are probably tired of hearing me talk about how much I love cruising. Or are you? You shouldn't be, because unless you suffer from an incredible fear of the water, cruising is one of the best ways to spend a vacation. Since I have gone on so many cruises this year, people have started asking me all sorts of questions about cruising (watch out for an upcoming article where I share 25 questions - and my answers - about cruising from people who have never cruised before!). I always recommend cruising as a fantastic way to get the most out of your vacation, so when I heard about the renewal of the Carnival Cruise Lines Great Vacation Guarantee for 2015, I saw it as just one more reason why travelers should consider a cruise for their next vacation!

What is the Carnival Cruise Lines Great Vacation Guarantee?

Carnival Cruise Lines is renewing its groundbreaking Great Vacation Guarantee which provides consumers an opportunity to receive a 110 percent refund, complimentary transportation home and a $100 shipboard credit on a future cruise if they are dissatisfied with their vacation for any reason. What other vacation destination provides a 100% money-back guarantee if you are dissatisfied with your experience - let alone 110%?! I travel quite a bit and this is practically unheard of in the travel industry!

In the year since Carnival originally introduced the guarantee, the line’s 24 ships have carried 4.5 million guests and the guarantee has been invoked only 47 times. Thousands of people cruise with Carnival Cruise Lines each year, so the fact that only 47 have invoked the guarantee is astounding. Keep in mind that this guarantee is valid for ANY REASON.

Both consumers and travel agents have lauded the guarantee -- the only one of its kind in the cruise industry -- with many travel agents citing it as an excellent sales tool to entice first-time cruisers to set sail.

“You are statistically more likely to date a supermodel than you are to invoke the Great Vacation Guarantee,” said 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.”

Berra added that with more than 300 new spaces and experiences added to Carnival’s fleet under the company’s multi-million-dollar Fun Ship 2.0 enhancement program, guest satisfaction has increased considerably since the program was first introduced. I can imagine that it would, I have cruised on both the regular ships and the ships with the Fun Ship 2.0 enhancement - like the Carnival Liberty, Carnival Sunshine, Carnival Freedom - and the Fun Ship 2.0 ships are my favorite ships!

Hello, how can you NOT be thrilled with all-you-can-eat cheeseburgers from Guy's Burger Joint and custom-made burritos from BlueIguana Cantina? You'd have to be a little crazy...

How to Exercise the Carnival Cruise Lines Great Vacation Guarantee 

To exercise the Great Vacation Guarantee, guests simply notify the ship’s guest services desk within the first 24 hours of the voyage to receive a full refund of their cruise fare plus an additional 10 percent, along with complimentary return air transportation from the next port of call, and complimentary ground transportation and hotel accommodations (if necessary), along with a $100 shipboard credit to be used on a future Carnival cruise.  Carnival will fully handle all travel arrangements to make it a truly hassle-free experience.

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 December 31, 2015, including holiday sailings.  The program applies to U.S. and Canadian residents only and guests must possess a valid passport to return to the U.S. by air.

So go ahead and book that Carnival cruise for your next vacation! What do you have to lose?

Oh, just the most amazing vacation ever...

Additional information on the Great Vacation Guarantee can be obtained by visiting carnival.com/vacationguarantee.

For additional information and reservations on Carnival “Fun Ship” vacations, call 1-800-CARNIVAL or visit carnival.com.

Carnival can also be found on:

Twitter: www.twitter.com/carnivalcruise

Facebook Fan Page: www.facebook.com/carnival

YouTube:  www.youtube.com/carnival