She confirmed that Carnival declined pre-cruise refunds, but after the cruise, De la Cruz said, Carnival would review, on a case-by-case basis, requests from customers who canceled because of ''specialized circumstances.'' She did not define the circumstances or possible remedies.

From Sept. 9 to 11, more than 600 Ecstasy customers canceled, she said.

Al Anolik, a San Francisco travel attorney and co-author of The Frequent Traveler's Guide, said that despite what a ticket contract might say, passengers shouldn't have to pay for a cruise if its departure city is under a mandatory evacuation order. Here's the logic, he said: If fulfilling your end of the deal might require you to break the law, the contract is canceled.

Lesson 1: Don't count on a refund.

• Can I get a refund if the itinerary changes?

Unlike many other people who canceled their Ecstasy cruise at the last minute, Shanna Sutton of Texas City, Texas, got her money back.

Her secret? When she phoned Carnival on departure day, the agent told her the ship would miss its scheduled call on Cozumel, Mexico, and instead call on Veracruz, Mexico. Sutton asked for a refund and got it: $782.96 total for herself and a friend.

Carnival's brochure says customers may cancel without penalty if a ship's itinerary is changed before departure. You must cancel within 24 hours after being notified of the change.

Carnival decided to make Ecstasy's port switch the morning of departure, De la Cruz said. It notified passengers about the change as they were boarding, without reminding them that they could cancel without penalty, she said.

By the time the Hills and the Norses said they figured that out, it was too late.

Lesson 2: Read the cruise brochure.

• Will a ''Vacation Guarantee'' help?

Under this program, Carnival says that if you are not satisfied with your cruise, you can get your money back. But you must notify the ship's information desk before arriving at the first port of call and disembark at the first non-U.S. port of call. (Carnival would then pay for your flight back.)

By several accounts, the Ecstasy cruise went pretty well until Veracruz, the first port of call, which some cruisers found disappointing, or later, when they learned they wouldn't return to Galveston as scheduled. By then it was too late to protest.

Lesson 3: Absolute guarantees don't exist.

• What about insurance sold by the cruise line?

Many travel insurance polices will reimburse you -- with various restrictions -- if a hurricane affecting your destination interrupts your trip or causes it to be canceled. But not the Cruise Vacation Protection Plan that Carnival offered.

Under covered reasons for trip interruption and cancellation, that plan listed a hurricane affecting your home but not your destination.

On the sunny side: Because ''inclement weather'' was covered for trip delays, policy holders who got off the Ecstasy in New Orleans or Houston might be entitled to collect as much as $500 for air fare they paid to get home and other costs, according to Carnival and BerkelyCare, the plan's administrator.

Lesson 4: Be wary of insurance sold by your travel supplier.

• What about traditional travel insurance?

''We didn't buy travel insurance,'' Mark Hill said. ``We could have kicked ourselves now.''

But the truth is, it's unlikely that such insurance would have solved all the Hills' problems.

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