Carnival Ambassador’s ‘Gut-Wrenching’ Warning on Lack of Insurance: ‘Saddest Part of My Job’

“One of the saddest, most gut-wrenching parts of my job,” shared Carnival Cruise Line’s beloved Brand Ambassador, John Heald, in a more serious-toned message on his Facebook page this morning.

In his daily three-minute Facebook Live video, Heald took a moment to address an issue he sees happen over and over again: the financial fallout faced by guests who skip cruise travel insurance and are forced to cancel their cruises, with little to zero compensation.

Heald’s Heartfelt Plea: Don’t Skip Travel Insurance

Want to know why insurance companies have some of the funniest and most entertaining commercials on TV?  Because if they didn’t no one would pay attention.  After all, who really wants to think about insurance. 

It’s the kind of thing you ignore until it’s too late, and then it’s all you can think about.

Heald, typically known for his upbeat and hilarious vibe, started his video with a very different tone this morning.  As someone who receives hundreds of emails and online comments daily, he has a pulse for the kinds of things impacting cruise travelers on a regular basis.

Acknowledging that everyone has a budget, Heald really wanted to stress how important travel insurance is. He explained that he often gets messages from people who’ve had to cancel their cruises due to things like getting sick, losing a loved one, or dealing with an emergency back home.

“They ask me–they beg me– to help them reclaim their money because, well they didn’t take insurance,’ he said. ‘Responding to you when you write that to me is so hard and many times even though their posts contain angry words and personal attacks against me, I know they are writing through sadness and emotion. Nevertheless, it really does tug at the heart strings.”

He then shared a particularly sad example.

“I had one of these yesterday. Somebody involved in a serious motor traffic accident, and it resulted in them being in hospital for seven weeks and no [travel] insurance. And they want me to reclaim 100% of their money for them.”

It led Heald to make a straightforward and heartfelt request to his viewers.

The Real Cost of Canceling

“I hope I’m not out of place to say to everyone please, if you can purchase travel insurance please do so,” Heald said.

He also touched on how it’s easy to think bad things won’t happen to you. “Of course, like most people, it’s human to say it will never happen to me… until it does. thank you for listening,” he finished.

Heald’s point is clear: travel insurance is a really important thing to consider, especially when you think about how much a cruise costs. Unexpected things like medical emergencies can end up costing a fortune, with things like emergency medical flights running into the tens of thousands of dollars.

Plus, those last-minute family situations that you just can’t predict can force you to cancel your trip. Having travel insurance can really take away that financial worry in those tough times, so you can just focus on the people that matter most to you.

He mentioned that he hears from a lot of people after they’ve had to face Carnival’s cancellation rules without any insurance to back them up.

Carnival Cruise Line Cancellation Policy

Generally, you can cancel most Carnival cruises without a penalty before the final payment date. However, some special deals like ‘Early Saver,’ ‘Super Saver,’ and ‘Pack & Go’ have non-refundable deposits or are non-refundable right from the start.

Once you’re past the final payment date, the cancellation fees go up as your sail date gets closer, and within two weeks of the cruise, you might not get any money back at all. If you don’t show up or have to cut your cruise short, you also won’t get a refund. You usually can get back any government taxes, fees, and prepaid tips if you cancel.

From the final payment date up to 56 days before sailing, the penalty is at least your deposit. This increases to 50% of the total fare (or the deposit, whichever is greater) between 55 and 30 days out, then 75% between 29 and 15 days. Within 14 days of your cruise, you’ll forfeit 100% of the fare.

While Carnival’s rules lay out what happens if you cancel, insurance can often cover those non-refundable costs if you have to cancel for a covered reason, like getting sick or a family emergency.

Your Financial Lifeline at Sea (and Before)

On top of that, it can also help with things beyond just cancellations, like those expensive medical emergencies (including getting you home), lost luggage, and travel delays – things Carnival’s regular cancellation policy doesn’t handle.

While getting excited about your cruise is the fun part, thinking about what could go wrong and getting travel insurance can give you real peace of mind.

And I get it.  Reading through an insurance policy is way less fun than looking up cruise ship tour videos in preparation for your getaway at sea.

But having the peace of mind of a good travel insurance policy for your cruise, will let you focus on the fun part.  And hopefully you never have to use that insurance.

Read more: The biggest reasons to get cruise travel insurance that most overlook