Bored Panda works better on our iPhone app
Continue in app Continue in browser

BoredPanda Add post form topAdd Post
Tooltip close

The Bored Panda iOS app is live! Fight boredom with iPhones and iPads here.

Family Watches Cruise Sail Off Without Them After Social Media Post Costs Them $15k Vacation
564

Family Watches Cruise Sail Off Without Them After Social Media Post Costs Them $15k Vacation

Family Watches Cruise Sail Off Without Them After Social Media Post Costs Them $15k VacationCruise Sails Without Family After Social Media Post Costs Them $15k VacationFamily Watches Cruise Sail Off Without Them After Their $15k Package Is Lost Due To Social Media PostCruise Sails Without Family After Their $15k Package Is Lost Due To Social Media PostWoman In Tears After Losing $15k Vacation Due To Social Media Post“Eff You Carnival”: Woman Loses $15K Cruise Vacation After Sharing Booking Number On FacebookFamily’s $15k Cruise Vacation Disappears Overnight After They Posted The Booking Number On FacebookWoman In Tears After Losing $15k Vacation Due To Posting Booking Number On FacebookMom Outraged After $15K Dream Vacation Gets Mysteriously Canceled Two Days Before Trip“Go To Hell!!!“: Mom Slams Carnival Cruise After $15K Vacation Was Canceled Without Her Knowledge
ADVERTISEMENT

A Kentucky woman declared that she would never sail with Carnival Cruise again after her family’s vacation was unexpectedly canceled just two days before the holiday.

Tiffany Banks shared the saga on social media and revealed how her cruise holiday with her husband and children turned upside down.

The family was meant to travel aboard the Carnival Celebration ship and had paid in full for their trip. After a year’s worth of planning, about $15,000 exited their pockets for the off-ship excursions and their stay in the ship’s largest room—the Excel Presidential Suite.

Highlights
  • Tiffany Banks' $15,000 cruise vacation was canceled two days before departure due to a mysterious booking cancellation
  • The disappointed mother-of-four was told she was the “victim of a form of identity theft” and was forced to take an Airbnb
  • Carnival Cruise offered the Kentucky woman two cheap rooms and refused to give the family a refund

Tiffany Banks stirred up a storm on TikTok as she revealed how her family’s cruise vacation was mysteriously turned upside down

Image credits: Pixabay

Image credits: Ryan Wallace

The plan was to catch a flight to Florida and set sail from Miami. However, it was only the day before their flight when the nurse practitioner discovered that their cruise trip had been mysteriously canceled.

In a series of TikTok videos, the scorned customer revealed that she received an email about their off-ship excursion and their stay at the Excel Presidential Suite being canceled.

ADVERTISEMENT

The mother-of-four found out just about 48 hours before the trip that somebody somewhere somehow had their ship booking canceled

Image credits: thathippiedoc

“I have to laugh, or I’m just going to sit down and cry and just absolutely lose my mind,” she said in a TikTok video posted on May 12.

“We have nearly $15,000 tied up in for this vacation including excursions. The room itself was I think $12,000 or $13,000, and then we’ve got a few grand tied up in excursions, and actually with almost $2,000 for flights,” she noted.

Following the fiasco, the cruise company made a disappointing offer to provide two of the cheapest rooms available on the ship

@thathippiedoc We will never book with carnival again … #carnival #celebration #carnivalcelebration ♬ original sound – Tiffany Banks

Tiffany thought it might be a system glitch and tried telling the cruise line that she never canceled the trip. But she received an unhelpful response from Carnival about the Excel Presidential Suite already being booked by another customer.

Further disappointment came when the cruise company offered the family two interior rooms, which were the cheapest ones available on the ship.

“It’s not fair,” the frustrated customer said at the port as she laid eyes on the ship they were meant to sail in

ADVERTISEMENT
@thathippiedoc #carnival #justgotreal #carnivalcelebration #fyp #foryou ♬ original sound – Tiffany Banks

The company also refused to offer their money back, stating their policy said no refunds could be made within 15 days of the ship setting sail.

“Eff you carnival — Go to hell!!!” the mom wrote on TikTok.

She said she went into “a full-blown panic” after finding out her reservation was canceled. Her kids were also in tears as they had been looking forward to the trip for about a year.

The Kentucky woman was outraged that the cruise company refused to give them their money back because of their strict refund policies

Image credits: thathippiedoc

Image credits: thathippiedoc

Tiffany decided to fly with her family to Miami anyway and attempt to salvage their holiday. But the disappointed customer had to helplessly watch the ship she was meant to travel on leave without them.

After checking into an Airbnb, the family tried to enjoy their time in the Sunshine State. The mother continued sharing updates during her stay about her conversations with a Carnival representative.

ADVERTISEMENT

The family was forced to stay in an Airbnb and tried to make the most of their time in the Sunshine State

@thathippiedoc #carnivalsucks @carnival #fyp #dreamvacation #dreamcrushers ♬ original sound – Tiffany Banks

@thathippiedoc Eff you carnival — Go to hell!!! No one from their has contacted us, but this BS response that John is posting that there’s another side to the story and leading to people to believe that he is messaging us privately is total BS we have gotten no private contact from anyone at Carnival !!! I aint even brushed my hair hair and again i got no makeup and look a damn mess – but i know yall dont care at this point ##fyp##carnivalsucks ♬ original sound – Tiffany Banks

In one of the videos she posted, the frustrated woman shared a message with her haters, who were pointing fingers at her and claiming she was making things up or not sharing the full story.

“I’m an open book. I talk too much. I give out too much information — that’s just me naturally,” she said.

Eventually, when the cruise line got to the bottom of how their trip was canceled without their knowledge, a representative allegedly told Tiffany that she was the “victim of a form of identity theft.”

When Carnival Cruise finally found out what happened to Tiffany’s booking, they informed the mother that scammers used the booking information to cancel her trip using the information she shared online herself

@thathippiedoc Sorry take 2 Update — carnival has finally reached out– I am pretty new to tik tok- so editing went crazy with the first one .. Even with help from my teenager daughter 🤣 the call was almost 12 mins but if everyone wants to hear the entire thing I can look into finding a way #truth #truthteller #c#cruisetokc#carnivalf#fyp#t#tiffanybankscarinval ♬ original sound – Tiffany Banks

@thathippiedoc Lets find ashley in 17210 ! I want answers . I know y’all do too #cruisetokc #carnivalcelebration #ashley17210 #whosashley? ♬ original sound – Tiffany Banks

Prior to the holiday fiasco, the mother and her husband had posted an update about their upcoming cruise vacation on Facebook and unassumingly shared their booking reference number, which should not have been disclosed.

On the same day they posted their Facebook update, someone created a fake online Carnival account with the booking number linked to their profile. Then, about 48 hours before the ship was meant to leave the port, the alleged impersonator canceled the entire cabin booking that Tiffany had made for herself and her family.

ADVERTISEMENT

The cruise company said they would provide future cruise credit amounting to $10,404 if she was willing to state on social media that the company had positively resolved their issue

Image credits: thathippiedoc

Image credits: thathippiedoc

ADVERTISEMENT

Details about the person behind the alleged identity theft remain unclear. But the luxury cruise brand said the IP address linked with the cancellation originated from British Columbia.

Although this proved that the TikToker was telling the truth all along about never having canceled the trip, she still did not get a satisfactory response from Carnival. The company promised to provide future cruise credit amounting to $10,404 if she was willing to state on social media that the company had positively resolved their issue.

“They apologized and then spit in my face with another bogus offer…” the mother said about the luxury cruise brand’s offer

ADVERTISEMENT

Image credits: thathippiedoc

Image credits: thathippiedoc

“Well they still aren’t willing to make this right .. they apologized and then spit in my face with another bogus offer…” she wrote in the caption of one of her videos. “I want an apology from them trying to make it look like i was lying or hiding something or even worse – that there were security issues…”

“@carnival you owe me a public apology, and my money!” she added.

The mother felt let down and believed the high sea hospitality expert should change their policy. She also could not believe how easy it was for someone to carry out the fraudulent action and take over her booking.

Tiffany vowed to never travel with Carnival again after the disheartening experience

@thathippiedoc Well they still aren’t willing to make this right .. they apologized and then spit in my face with another bogus offer.. i want an apology from them trying to make it look like i was lying or hiding something or even worse – that there were security issues.. i will keep yall posted I promise .. #cruisetokc #carnivalcelebration #truth @carnival ♬ original sound – Tiffany Banks

“We’re not sailing with Carnival ever again,” she stated.

Carnival Cruise Line acknowledged the incident in a statement to LADbible and said customers should not be posting personal information about their travel plans online.

“While we are not going to comment on any specific guest complaint or incident, it is never a good idea to post personal information about your travel plans, including a confirmation number for a booking, which could allow a bad actor or identify thief to use that information in inappropriate or even illegal ways,” they told the outlet.

ADVERTISEMENT

Several people pinned the holiday drama on the woman for posting the information she should not have shared in the first place

ADVERTISEMENT
Ic_polls

Poll Question

Thanks! Check out the results:

Share on Facebook
Binitha Jacob

Binitha Jacob

Writer, BoredPanda staff

Read more »

Working as a writer for Bored Panda offers an added layer of excitement. By afternoon, I'm fully immersed in the whirlwind of celebrity drama, and by evening, I'm navigating through the bustling universe of likes, shares, and clicks. This role not only allows me to delve into the fascinating world of pop culture but also lets me do what I love: weave words together and tell other people's captivating stories to the world

Read less »
Binitha Jacob

Binitha Jacob

Writer, BoredPanda staff

Working as a writer for Bored Panda offers an added layer of excitement. By afternoon, I'm fully immersed in the whirlwind of celebrity drama, and by evening, I'm navigating through the bustling universe of likes, shares, and clicks. This role not only allows me to delve into the fascinating world of pop culture but also lets me do what I love: weave words together and tell other people's captivating stories to the world

Donata Leskauskaite

Donata Leskauskaite

Author, BoredPanda staff

Read more »

Hey there! I'm a Visual Editor in News team. My responsibility is to ensure that you can read the story not just through text, but also through photos. I get to work with a variety of topics ranging from celebrity drama to mind-blowing Nasa cosmic news. And let me tell you, that's what makes this job an absolute blast! Outside of work, you can find me sweating it out in dance classes or unleashing my creativity by drawing and creating digital paintings of different characters that lives in my head. I also love spending time outdoors and play board games with my friends.

Read less »

Donata Leskauskaite

Donata Leskauskaite

Author, BoredPanda staff

Hey there! I'm a Visual Editor in News team. My responsibility is to ensure that you can read the story not just through text, but also through photos. I get to work with a variety of topics ranging from celebrity drama to mind-blowing Nasa cosmic news. And let me tell you, that's what makes this job an absolute blast! Outside of work, you can find me sweating it out in dance classes or unleashing my creativity by drawing and creating digital paintings of different characters that lives in my head. I also love spending time outdoors and play board games with my friends.

What do you think ?
Add photo comments
POST
SBocker78
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So, her trip was canceled because she posted her info online and the cruise company offered her over 10k in compensation when they didn't have to, but somehow they're the jerks? As a nurse, I hope she's more discreet with patient information than she is with her own.

WindySwede
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

she was a nurse? (did only skim through). SOmeone might give her a call and tell her "I'm Dr. Hornswoggle, I need info on John Doe with SSN [something] stat!"

Load More Replies...
Little Wonder
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"The family was forced to stay in an Airbnb". No they weren't, no one forced them to. And yep, cover ALL reference numbers, booking confirmations, addresses - EVERYTHING - if you're going to post online.

WindySwede
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

same with the one that posted her new credit card online with all numbers on the front. Someone asked for the CCV code and she posted that to.. (DOnät know if true?). Or someone else that posted their ticket(?) for the flight and got it cancelled.. 😐🤦‍♂️😬

Load More Replies...
Load More Comments
SBocker78
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So, her trip was canceled because she posted her info online and the cruise company offered her over 10k in compensation when they didn't have to, but somehow they're the jerks? As a nurse, I hope she's more discreet with patient information than she is with her own.

WindySwede
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

she was a nurse? (did only skim through). SOmeone might give her a call and tell her "I'm Dr. Hornswoggle, I need info on John Doe with SSN [something] stat!"

Load More Replies...
Little Wonder
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"The family was forced to stay in an Airbnb". No they weren't, no one forced them to. And yep, cover ALL reference numbers, booking confirmations, addresses - EVERYTHING - if you're going to post online.

WindySwede
Community Member
5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

same with the one that posted her new credit card online with all numbers on the front. Someone asked for the CCV code and she posted that to.. (DOnät know if true?). Or someone else that posted their ticket(?) for the flight and got it cancelled.. 😐🤦‍♂️😬

Load More Replies...
Load More Comments
You May Like
Related on Bored Panda
Related on Bored Panda
Trending on Bored Panda
Also on Bored Panda