---
company: carnival-cruise-line
title: Carnival Cruise Line — how complaints actually go
last_verified: 2026-10-13
---

## In short

Carnival handles post-cruise complaints in writing through its Guest Care form; Guest Care has no published phone number. The Ticket Contract has short deadlines: written notice within 30 days after you leave the ship and a lawsuit within six months for non-injury claims, and 185 days and one year for injury. If Carnival cancels a cruise or delays it more than 3 days, its nonperformance policy gives a refund if you ask by the 180th day after the original sail date, and the Federal Maritime Commission is the next step if that fails. Cancelling yourself costs more the closer you get to the sail date, up to 100% of the fare 14 days or less before departure.

## How complaints actually go

- Phone calls about a current reservation go to Customer Service at (800) 764-7419; post-cruise matters go to the Guest Care team through the Post-Cruise Inquiries page, and the contact page lists no Guest Care phone number. [Carnival: Contact us](https://www.carnival.com/about-carnival/contact-us)
- The Contact Guest Care form asks for the booking number, ship and sail date, and offers four topics: Denied Boarding, Past Sailing, Did Not Sail - Cancellation, and Future Sailing. The page states no response time. [Carnival: Contact Guest Care](https://www.carnival.com/request-forms/contact-guest-care)
- Spa, art, casino, lost-and-found and photo issues go to separate forms or partner companies listed on the Post-Cruise Inquiries page, not to Guest Care. [Carnival: Post-Cruise Inquiries](https://www.carnival.com/post-cruise-inquiries)
- Accessibility complaints go to the Guest Access team (access@carnival.com, 1-800-438-6744 ext. 70025); Carnival says all post-cruise ADA concerns are answered within 30 days. [Carnival: accessibility FAQs](https://www.carnival.com/about-carnival/special-needs/faqs)
- For a cruise Carnival cancels or delays more than 3 calendar days, the nonperformance policy says Carnival answers a refund claim by email within 180 days; this text was seen in a search-result snippet because the help page needs JavaScript. [Carnival: Nonperformance of Cruise Refund Policy](https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/10034)
- The Federal Maritime Commission lists each cruise line's official nonperformance refund policy page, including Carnival's. [FMC: How to obtain a refund from a cruise line](https://www.fmc.gov/licensing-and-certification/passenger-vessel-operators/how-to-obtain-a-refund-from-a-cruise-line/)

## What tends to work

- Put the complaint in writing through the Guest Care form within 30 days after you leave the ship; the Ticket Contract (Section 14(b)) requires written particulars in that time for non-injury claims. [Carnival Ticket Contract](https://www.carnival.com/about-carnival/legal-notice/ticket-contract)
- When Carnival cancels or delays a cruise more than 3 days, ask for the refund rather than accepting a future cruise credit; the nonperformance policy (search-result snippet) says you are free to choose either. [Carnival: Nonperformance of Cruise Refund Policy](https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/10034)
- If you cancel, check the day count first: for cruises of 6 days or more there is no charge (except non-refundable charges) up to 91 days before departure, and for most 2–5 day cruises up to 76 days. Government taxes and fees and prepaid gratuities are refunded in full. [Carnival: deposit, final payment and cancellation policy](https://www.carnival.com/popups/bookingengine/deposit-and-final-payment-cancellation-policy)
- For accessibility needs, notify Carnival in writing at booking and meet the FAQ's advance-notice times, such as 14 days for hydraulic-lift transfers and one week for service dog documents on U.S. sailings. [Carnival: accessibility FAQs](https://www.carnival.com/about-carnival/special-needs/faqs)
- If an ADA problem is not resolved, the Department of Justice takes ADA complaints online and by mail. [ADA.gov: File a complaint](https://www.ada.gov/file-a-complaint/)

## Traps and fine print

- Non-injury claims must be sued within six months after you leave the ship. Claims under $8,000 must go to small claims court in Miami-Dade County, Florida; claims over $8,000 go to binding arbitration with National Arbitration and Mediation, and Section 15 waives class actions. [Carnival Ticket Contract](https://www.carnival.com/about-carnival/legal-notice/ticket-contract)
- Injury, illness and death claims need written notice within 185 days and a suit filed within one year in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in Miami. [Carnival Ticket Contract](https://www.carnival.com/about-carnival/legal-notice/ticket-contract)
- The contract lets Carnival change the itinerary or skip ports for any reason without compensation, except for mechanical failures and federal requirements. When it cancels a cruise for reasons other than mechanical failure, the contract gives a future cruise credit or onboard credit, not cash. [Carnival Ticket Contract](https://www.carnival.com/about-carnival/legal-notice/ticket-contract)
- The 30-day notice and six-month suit limits apply to ADA and civil-rights claims as well. [Carnival Ticket Contract](https://www.carnival.com/about-carnival/legal-notice/ticket-contract)
- An Early Saver deposit is non-refundable. Cancelling before final payment gives a credit worth the deposit minus a $50 per person fee, which must be used within 12 months, and any unused part is forfeited. [Carnival: deposit, final payment and cancellation policy](https://www.carnival.com/popups/bookingengine/deposit-and-final-payment-cancellation-policy)
- Pre-authorization holds on your card can exceed the actual charges, and Carnival says it cannot speed up their release; only your bank can. [Carnival: Post-Cruise Inquiries](https://www.carnival.com/post-cruise-inquiries)

## By the numbers

- July 23, 2015: Carnival Corporation's ADA settlement with the United States covered 62 ships of Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises and Holland America Line, with a $55,000 civil penalty and $350,000 in damages to complainants (archived DOJ fact sheet; current status not stated). [DOJ: Carnival settlement fact sheet](https://archive.ada.gov/carnival/carnival_fact_sheet.html)

## Scams that target customers

- Bitdefender (March 2025) reported that in January 2025 scammers posed as Carnival representatives, claiming unpaid balances or fees through emails, fake ads and fake phone numbers; one passenger nearly paid $456 after calling a spoofed number. Check any balance in your carnival.com account or by calling the number on Carnival's own contact page. [Bitdefender: cruise scams](https://www.bitdefender.com/en-us/blog/hotforsecurity/cruise-scams-how-they-work-and-how-to-stay-safe), [Carnival: Contact us](https://www.carnival.com/about-carnival/contact-us)
- The FTC warned in January 2020 of robocalls offering two free cruise tickets for a survey, followed by upsells and $59 per person in port taxes and fees. The alert does not name Carnival. Hang up without pressing a number. [FTC consumer alert, January 10, 2020](https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2020/01/free-cruise-try-illegal-robocall-upsell)
- Carnival publishes its phone numbers on its carnival.com contact page; use those numbers rather than numbers from search ads, social posts or unexpected callers. [Carnival: Contact us](https://www.carnival.com/about-carnival/contact-us)