Carnival Cruises Scams – What You Should Know

Carnival Corporation & plc is one of the biggest cruise companies. Its history dates back to 1972. Interestingly, Carnival Corporation & plc consists of Carnival Corporation, which is based in the United States, and Carnival plc. As a reminder, Carnival plc is based in the United Kingdom.

Many brands are part of Carnival Corporation & plc. For example, Carnival Cruise Line, Holland American Line, Princess Cruises, P&O Cruises, and others.

However, this article isn’t about the history of one of the biggest cruise companies in the world. Today’s article is about cruise scams.

Unfortunately, many people fall victim to cruise scams as the allure of a “free” cruise is too great to pass up. Let’s take a look at several cruise scams and how you can avoid them.

There are plenty of cruise scams, including Carnival cruises scams. So, people should pay attention to even minor details as it isn’t always easy to identify a scam. 

One of the most common scams related to the cruise industry is letters that are sent in the mail congratulating you on a free cruise. Such letters usually include the official logo of a cruise line at the top of them to gain clients’ trust. The most common logos you will see are Carnival, Norwegian, and Royal Caribbean. 

Remember, if you get one of these letters, look and see who the letter is from. In the vast majority of cases, letters are written by travel agencies. It is important to examine their offers carefully. 

Cruise scams part two 

Apart from letters, you should pay attention to other scams as well. 

Another cruise scam that won’t go away anytime soon is random phone calls saying you won a free cruise. Scammers may say that in order to get the voucher, you should provide your credit card number. 

Remember, if someone asks for your credit card number over the phone, you don’t know; just hang up. 

We should also mention one cruise scam that has gained popularity over the last several years on Facebook. Scammers actively use social media to find new “victims.” 

You have probably encountered posts written by “Disney” or “Royal Caribbean.” First and foremost, you need to remember that numerous posts have nothing to do with Royal Caribbean or other companies. 

It is vital to check the information about a Facebook page. It is not their official page if you do not see the blue check mark by their name.

Nonetheless, cruise lines, as well as large travel agencies, will often have legitimate contests where they give away free cruises; however, the contest is always held on their website.

Carnival cruises scams (example) 

As stated earlier, there are numerous cruise scams, including Carnival cruises scams.

Carnival Brand Ambassador John Heald is a well-known figure in the cruise industry. He has hundreds of thousands of followers on Facebook.

Heald regularly shares details on what is happening with the cruise line. Moreover, he conducts numerous polls regarding what people like and doesn’t like on a cruise. Heald has a huge experience when it comes to cruises. He likes to share his experience with inexperienced and experienced travelers. 

 Scammers like to use celebrities’ personal information to gain the trust of potential “victims.” Heald’s post underlines the severity of the problem.

According to Carnival Brand Ambassador, there are fake Facebook pages that pretend to be him. Someone contacts users and asks passengers to pay for onboard items.

Heald’s followers and travelers, in general, should be careful when it comes to scammers. 

Hopefully, it is possible to reduce risk. 

It is worth noting that Carnival does accept PayPal for payments on cruises. However, it isn’t mandatory to pay via PayPal. Moreover, the company will not ask you to send payment to a Gmail account. 

Besides, you can expect any notification of payment due from Carnival to be done through an official Carnival account.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact Carnival in order to solve any issue. 

Scammers try to take advantage of Heald’s popularity and reputation in order to persuade travelers to send them money. So, it is vital to check the information to protect your assets.