XLVIII

Wasn't able to access FlightEase yesterday morning, but was able to bring it up in the afternoon. 

Haven't been able to access it at all today.

Frustrating because yesterday Delta changed our flights and I'm not able to get to them. 😒

I believe Discovery Princess also has the Salty Dog Gastropub?

We’re in Canada, but use a US based travel agent. Usually get back 8 - 10% of the fare in OBC. 

On 6/11/2023 at 1:59 PM, crusinthrough said:

When I read about CEOs taking pay or bonus cuts then I'll believe it's about getting out of the pandemic hole.  Prices have significantly increased and food quality significantly declined.  Unfortunately, there isn't much value in cruising anymore especially for those who have been to  ports multiple times and cruise for the enjoyment.  Some of the non refurbished ships are in a desperate need of "modern luxury" upgrades or a lower price tag so that expectations matches the actual experience.  

 

Suite pricing is insane and the non refundable 10% deposit makes them harder to justify.  I'm glad I took advantage of causing when it restarted and ships were empty because of the vaccine mandates and fear of getting back on a ship. These will forever be some of my best cruises.  

 

I stayed with Celebrity and booked a few cruises during the pandemic and restart.   Most have the old packages (Elevate or Indulge) and pricing.  These may be my last cruises, which is disappointing because I really like cruising but pricing is not matching the service.  Hopefully, I'll see deals like the Beyond April cruise. 

 

Where is the logic for this type of pricing on a mainstream cruise line? A 9N Caribbean sailing on the Beyond in November.  

Maybe the price is so high because the demand is so high. Looks like this is the only suite left on this cruise?

3 hours ago, crusinthrough said:

To financially recover from the global pandemic, It's either the consumer pays more or the corporate CEO million dollar bonus is reduced. Yes, I am advocating for both.  In Celebrity's case it appears to only be the customer.  

Million dollar bonuses are a drop in the bucket compared to the Billions of dollars in debt. It would take 1000 years of million dollar cutbacks to make up even a billion of the debt. I’d rather have a competent CEO getting the bonus vs a cut rate CEO driving the company into the ground. 27 million people will take a cruise this year - you’re probably paying less than a dollar per cruise for that compensation. 

During the shutdown, Carnival Corp was spending $650 million A MONTH just to keep everything running. They have undertaken massive debt just to stay viable as a corporation. HAL’s number one job right now is to stay afloat as a company. I’m sure they are quite aware of what the cutbacks effects have been, and would have preferred to avoid them as well. 

Make sure you have luggage tags ahead of time. Last year we couldn’t get our tags online from Celebrity - told to just get them from a porter at the pier. Waited an extra 45 minutes in that line alone. Ugh. 

47 minutes ago, iceman93 said:

@OlsSalt, your complaint is valid for sure.  You paid extra for what HAL advertised as a quiet escape, and other guests ruined that.  Then HAL didn't do the right thing, which would have been to apologize, refund your money, and enforce their own rules by cracking down on the other guests.  If they weren't willing to crack down (because it sounds like, from your reports, these annoying guests were somehow "VIPs"), then they still should have apologized and refunded your money.

 

But what happened to you, while it did involve unruly children, isn't really about children.  It's about rude, self-entitled, rule-breaking guests.  One could assume, for example, that they were also consuming copious amounts of alcohol.  But it wouldn't be right to say HAL shouldn't serve drinks, or that they shouldn't allow alcohol in The Retreat.  So please stop bringing this story up in every thread about children on HAL--you have my full sympathy for what happened on your cruise, but you chip away at it a bit every time you bring it up in a thread that complains about children on cruise ships.

This sums it up PERFECTLY. Thank you. 

Meanwhile, over on the Carnival board, a bunch of nine year olds are having this conversation:

-We just got back from a week on the Vista and the place was PACKED with Grandparents!

-Right? Us too! Everywhere we went there were seniors - in the buffet, at the pool, the IMAX - one got if front of me at the soda machine!
-They were even getting in line for ice cream and the SkyRide!

-Doesn’t Carnival provide the a Bingo Hall or something?

15 minutes ago, PWP-001 said:

Well, there's another way to handle the debt problem which I'll mention in a moment.  But first let me agree with you while changing he word from "income" to PROFIT which would be more accurate.

 

RCI is working to increase PROFIT and cash flows to service debt through a combination of  increasing income and reducing expenses. 

 

The alteration of housekeeping service while not lowering the gratuity is one of those initiatives.

 

It all may not be enough.

 

So.... they MAY have to entertain a Chapter 11 Bankruptcy.  

You’re right, it’s not going to be enough. There will be more cutbacks and price increases to come. The good news is that their financial update last week was very good. Record bookings at record prices. Stock price up almost $10 in a week. I think of all three main cruise companies, RCL is best positioned to avoid bankruptcy. 

1 hour ago, BennyandBo said:

"Other hotel services $7.00". LOL. Yeah, the salary Royal Caribbean wants us to pay, so they don't have to.

You’re going to pay for it whether it’s a Daily Service Charge or just in higher fares. All the cruise lines have billions of dollars in debt due to the pandemic. The money has to come from somewhere. 

1 hour ago, NorthStarStateCruiser said:

It's all dependent on the terms of the ticket purchased. Also in the FAQ:

I have purchased one of these fares and I need to make a change, how will this be handled?

Guests/travel partners will need to contact a Flights by Celebrity Specialist who will make the requested change. Outside of final payment, no air penalties will apply. Guest will be responsible for differences in fare.

Those 2 lines do seem to contradict each other. 

46 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

Not entirely correct, Flights by X does charge a $200 fee but that’s their money, it’s not passed on to the airlines.  Almost all airlines have eliminated change fees for regular coach and above (not “basic” fares, however)…Any 3rd party booking sites like flight by X can charge whatever fees they want.  If one is a person who needs flexibility with flights, it’s probably best to book directly with the airlines

Almost all US based airlines have eliminated change fees. Airlines in the rest of the world have started to re-implement them. Both Air Canada and WestJet here in Canada have brought back change fees. 

As per the Celebrity FAQ page:

Flights by Celebrity Itinerary Changes 

Can I change my flights?

Changes to your itinerary can be made however these changes are subject to any applicable airline penalties and fees.

Yes, Flights by Celebrity pass on all airline change fees. 

2 hours ago, Cruise Junky said:

Snooze you lose.  They had every opportunity to book whenever everyone else did.  If you wait around until after final payment you run the same risks of good cabins being gone and the best shore excursions being gone as well as your preferred dining times. That’s a risk you take by booking late. 

The same could be said about “just book a B2B2B” to get the good sanctuary spots. 

33 minutes ago, Cruise Junky said:

Same as specialty dining, same as shore excursions, same as a sale. It’s the only way that everyone is on the same playing field. If I want to check daily for it opening, that’s on me and everyone can do the same. Any other way, certain people get preferential treatment.  

What about people who book after that? Not fair to them. 

32 minutes ago, Cruise Junky said:

It’s been like this for over a decade. It needs to be handled with online booking like a shore excursion. It’s the only way everyone gets a fair shot.  

When do you open up booking? Do those that book early get a better shot? Not fair. Do you wait til the day of the cruise? What about those on their way to the pier without internet? On the ship? What about those without wifi?

It’s still going to be unfair, just to a different group. 

1 hour ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

I hear you, but I am also reminded of a regional VP I worked for, and learned so much from. He was a former Green Beret, and his most memorable line was “Don’t tell me it can’t be done. Figure it out and tell me when it’s done”. And thusly challenged, we usually did. 
 

In this case, Princess could simply bid out half days.  That’s it…no further details needed. Once on the ship, highest bid chooses first, both location and days. Looking at this from the Princess viewpoint, I think this would extract far more revenue from the Sanctuary than they are currently getting. From a guest perspective, there is no more rushing to get on the ship. If Sanctuary seating is really important to me, I will bid high enough that I get to be among the first to choose the spot and days I want.

Sorry, but this doesn’t sound simple at all. Where do you do this? When? You’re going to have to spend a great deal of time educating passengers on how this works. Someone will be unhappy because they had dinner reservations during bidding.

Like everything else on the ship, just raise the price to real market value. You want a better room, drink package or dinner, you pay more.

Change some signs, the notice in the patter and one line in the website.

Simple. 
Capitalism 101. 

59 minutes ago, Mike45LC said:

Raise the price until supply and demand are equal.  Basic Econ 101.

Thank you

Up the price - pay off some debt!

We’ve never had an issue with kids on Celebtity - hardly ever see them. Drunk adults are another story!

36 minutes ago, ReubenR said:

This whole debacle created by Celebrity should remind all of us to make sure we buy travel insurance at the time we pay rather than waiting until just before the cruise/flight/vacation. It's also important to do that to avoid exclusion clauses like pre-existing condition.

 

I don't think I'd recommend the cruise line's insurance, though. Some of them are very restrictive in what they cover and sometimes have a cap on total reimbursement. At the same time, you could be more likely to get a favorable result using the cruise line's own insurance if you have to file a claim.

 

My mindset when I buy travel insurance is that I hope it's a complete waste of money and just think of it as an unavoidable tax. If I pay it and never use it, it means the vacation went perfectly!

 

The only question I'd have in this situation is whether Celebrity's actions would be considered a cancellation. Yes, you've been kicked off the cruise, but it seems like Celebrity is trying to navigate some grey area of "we'll move your cruise to another sailing, but if you don't want that then YOU will have to cancel." And if YOU cancel, does your travel insurance pay? A rather slimy situation and dubious quandary, if you ask me.

I agree that you should always protect yourself with travel insurance. I don’t think I’ve ever seen medical insurance that doesn’t have a ‘pre-existing condition’ clause though. 

1 hour ago, hubofhockey said:

Not a fan of defending any cruise line that makes a series of mistakes and compounds the mistakes by offering poor solutions.  Nobody should be defending any of this on Cruise Critic.  That's just being insensitive to people who have had this happen to them.  PLEASE STOP.  

 

There are 2024 Japan itineraries that have unbooked cabins, so those should be offered before offering something two years out.  

Cruise Critic is full of different opinions. Just because you don’t agree with them doesn’t make them wrong or insensitive. 
P.S. I’m truly sorry about your Bruins. Was hoping to see them go far this year. 😟