Carnival Corporation

Any non-injury claim against Carnival over $8,000 cannot go to court — it must go to private binding arbitration in Miami, Florida, before the National Arbitration and Mediation service. The same contract says 'NEITHER PARTY WILL HAVE THE RIGHT TO A JURY TRIAL OR TO ENGAGE IN PRE-ARBITRATION DISCOVERY' and each side pays its own costs, which makes small-value claims uneconomical for guests to pursue.

Any and all disputes, claims, or controversies whatsoever, other than for personal injury, illness or death of a Guest ... in which Guest or any other claimant asserts damages for more than $8,000.00 ... shall be referred to and resolved exclusively by binding arbitration pursuant to the United Nations Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards (New York 1958) ... and the Federal Arbitration Act ... solely in Miami-Dade County, Florida, U.S.A. to the exclusion of any other forum.

Cruise Ticket Contract, Clause 14(e)

Every guest gives up the right to join or start a class action against Carnival — for any claim, in any forum — and the waiver is deliberately drafted as 'material and essential' and 'non-severable' from the arbitration clause, so the two protect each other.

THIS CONTRACT PROVIDES FOR THE EXCLUSIVE RESOLUTION OF DISPUTES THROUGH INDIVIDUAL LEGAL ACTION AND SUPERSEDES ANY LAW ENTITLING GUEST TO PARTICIPATE IN A CLASS ACTION. ... EVEN IF APPLICABLE LAW PROVIDES OTHERWISE, GUEST AGREES THAT ANY ARBITRATION OR LAWSUIT AGAINST CARRIER WHATSOEVER SHALL BE LITIGATED BY GUEST INDIVIDUALLY AND NOT AS A MEMBER OF ANY CLASS OR AS PART OF A CLASS ACTION.

Cruise Ticket Contract, Clause 15 (Class Action Waiver)

Carnival openly admits it 'sold' guest data in the past year — names/identifiers, purchase history, preferences, and browsing/device data — to third parties for advertising purposes. This is the clearest 'data selling' disclosure among the travel companies researched.

In the previous 12 months, we have sold for monetary or other valuable consideration, or shared for cross-context behavioral advertising purposes, the following categories of personal information to third parties ...: (i) Personal Identifiers; (ii) Commercial Information; (iii) Preferences; (iv) Internet, network and device information.

Privacy Notice, California-Specific Information

Simply booking a cruise hands Carnival a sweeping license over your personal AND sensitive data (health, dietary, religious, sexual-orientation info): it may keep it, use it worldwide, share it across the whole Carnival corporate family (Cunard, Princess, Holland America, Costa, etc.), and hand it to unaffiliated third parties in broad situations including 'enforce this or other agreements' and corporate asset sales. Carnival may also 'change its privacy notice' at any time.

Guest agrees that Carnival may (1) keep their personal and sensitive data, (2) use it in its business worldwide in accordance with its published privacy notice, (3) share it with its affiliated or related companies and (4) subject it to processing worldwide provided Carnival's safeguards are used. Guest agrees that Carnival may disclose personal or sensitive data to unaffiliated third parties (1) with the Guest's consent or authorization, (2) to help complete a transaction for the Guest, (3) to comply with law ... (4) to enforce this or other agreements or protect the rights, safety or property of Carnival or others, (5) as part of a purchase, sale, or transfer of assets or our business ...

Cruise Ticket Contract, Clause 10(d)-(e)

Carnival can raise your fare after you've booked, tack on tax/fee increases even after full payment (and if you refuse to pay, your refusal counts as a cancellation), and change the itinerary or ports with zero notice and no compensation — unless the change is due to mechanical failure.

Subject to applicable laws, Carnival reserves the right to increase published fares and air fare supplements without prior notice. ... Carnival reserves the right to pass through the extra amount to Guests even if the Cruise Fare has already been paid in full. ... Guest's refusal or failure to pay any such increase may be deemed a cancellation by Guest. ... Carnival may change the duration and/or itinerary of the cruise at any time ... to omit or change any or all port calls, arrival or departure times, with or without notice, for any reason whatsoever ... Carnival shall have no liability for any compensation or other damages in such circumstances.

Cruise Ticket Contract, Clause 8(a),(d)

Carnival owns your face on board: your image can be used in ads and marketing forever, in any medium, without paying you, and the copyright in your own likeness transfers to Carnival. Meanwhile guests may NOT use their own photos/video for any commercial purpose, and for violations Carnival 'reserves the right to require any guest to immediately ... delete or remove any such recordings' with 'removal from the vessel without refund' as a penalty (Clause 17).

Each Guest grants Carnival and/or its promotional partners the exclusive right to include photographic, video and other visual portrayals of Guest in any medium of any nature whatsoever for any purpose including without limitation trade, advertising, sales, publicity or otherwise, without compensation to Guest, and all rights, title and interest therein (including all worldwide copyrights therein) shall be Carnival's sole property, free from any claims by Guest or any person deriving any rights or interest from Guest.

Cruise Ticket Contract, Clause 16

Carnival can rewrite its privacy terms unilaterally; your only objection mechanism is closing your account, and continued use equals consent. The same approach appears in the mobile app license ('You waive any right You may have to receive specific notice of such changes') and the rewards program, where guests 'waive[] any claim against Carnival arising from ... the modification, replacement, administration, or termination of any prior or current rewards program' (Clause 8(m)).

We may modify or update this Privacy Notice from time to time to reflect the changes in our business and practices, and you should review this page periodically. ... If you object to any changes, you may close your account. Continuing to use our Services after we publish changes to this Privacy Notice means that you are consenting to the changes.

Privacy Notice, Changes to Our Privacy Notice