randy98mtu
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Posts posted by randy98mtu
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Just now, Caymus88 said:
We complained many times about our issues. The last day of the cruise, called my TA.
He told us to get a letter from GS. Ha! That wasn’t happening.
evidently needed documentation. As we wer disembarking with a tight schedule, that was not going to happen on the last day.
I would suggest to those who complained on ship and/or via email post-cruise to call them. If you sent an email, they can find it. It was 2 weeks when I just called and they said "Yup, there's your email. We just haven't gotten to it yet." The impression I get from their customer service is they don't acknowledge this as an issue. They need to hear from more people.
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1 minute ago, bEwAbG said:
Threatening to never sail with them again doesn't really work. I'd suggest you write a (short) letter instead because your aggravation is probably not doing you any favors at this point. Keep it to the salient points and don't use the word "liar." Have someone who wasn't on the trip read your letter before you send it and take suggested revisions to heart. State in that letter what you think the appropriate compensation is and be realistic. They're not likely going to refund the entire cost of the trip.
You should also check out Christopher Elliott's consumer advocacy page. elliott.org
He has some good tips on how to seek satisfaction for valid complaints.
Thank you for your feedback. We did initially write a polite letter explaining our frustrations after we got off the cruise. It was 2 weeks later that I called them because I still hadn't heard anything. I continued to be calm until today when they told me nobody on the ship verified our complaint and for that reason, this was all they could offer.
I will check out Christopher Elliott's page. Thank you!
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We just got off Edge a few weeks ago. This odor was IN OUR ROOMS, 11224 and 11226. We complained about it from day 2 and solutions offered were horrible. We travel with 4 children - 5, 6, 8 and 9 on this sailing. We got the run around so bad and could never get in touch with any managers. We were offered suites on OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE SHIP. Then we were offered cabins that are 4 doors apart from each other (with only 3 days left on the cruise.) On the last night, we finally got to speak to a manager from guest services on the phone. He refused to come to the room and smell the odor and had the audacity to say we were making it up because no ship staff had experienced the odor. He offered us $300 future cruise credit for my wife and I. We paid for 6! On the last night, I waited 2 hours for the maintenance supervisor to come to the room, for the 3rd or 4th time, he applied masking tape to the air duct in the hallway. He acknowledged the odor and suggested I open the window. Number 1, this is not an acceptable answer, but number 2, the window WOULDN'T GO DOWN! He tried too!
Post cruise customer service really set me off today. They called back and said because nobody on the ship verified the smell, they could only offer us $700 ($350x2). When I pushed, I went to a supervisor who said the exact same offer was the most we would get. I got off the phone as fast as I could because I was furious. I called back a few minutes later and got forwarded to another supervisor. She just kept rereading me the script they have for an "unverified complaint." When I pressed about the housekeeping supervisor and the maintenance supervisor who DID smell the odor, they said they noted smelling a "beach odor" and attributed it to "wet bathing suits." So now you are telling me 1) I can't tell the difference between sewage and a wet bathing suit, 2) they thought they had a solution on the ship and never mentioned it to us and 3) they just taped off the air vents for fun and to placate us. She also started telling me things that were not consistent with what we were offered "on ship." She said they offered the suites (on opposite sides of the ship, not what we paid for) AND future cruise credit. They were never presented at the same time. Several other "ships log" notes were inaccurate.
We spent over 5 hours on the ship dealing with this and arguing amongst ourselves how to deal with it. I've been on the phone over 90 minutes post cruise trying to get a satisfactory outcome. I told the last woman I talked to if we could count ate $350 for all 6 fares I paid we would be close, but she said because it "wasn't verified" she couldn't do that. I told her she should know the staff on the ship are a bunch of liars and we would likely never sail with Celebrity again and she said she was sorry to hear that. This was our 8th cruise. Counting double rooms, family that usually sails with us and other sailings with Celebrity booked on our recommendations there are over 20 sailings. My wife and I are both Elite status as are her parents who sail with us. We have NEVER had a bad experience or made ANY complaint. I don't think it is unfair to expect something on the order of 25% of what we paid total (though honestly I think it should be 100%) for the trouble, frustration, disruption of our vacation, time wasted trying to resolve it, or being called a liar by customer service for a "high end" cruise line. But because their staff lied in their reports, I get $700 (she says it's 20% for my wife and I, I say it's 8% of what I paid for the 2 rooms.)
I have a few points I thought of after my second conversation with the "highest level of escalation," so I think I will call and talk to them 1 last time, make those points, and point them to this thread and continue to call me a liar.
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Date of Cruise: February 17, 2019
Ship: Edge
Cabin #: 11224 & 11226
Deck #: 11
Cabin Category: Concierge
Cabin Location: Aft third
Bed Position: 11224 away from window - 11226 near window
Balcony Type: Infinite (not so) Veranda
Balcony/Window Size: Normal
Balcony/Window View/Obstruction: I wouldn't call it a balcony anymore, but the window and view were fine - when the window would actually go down.
Balcony Overhang?: Not sure what this is, it was a pretty standard balcony.
Magic Carpet Issues?: No
Noise Issues?: No
Wind Issues?: No
Connecting Cabin? Where Does it Connect?: These are "connecting" rooms. With HEAVY doors that CANNOT be locked open. So if you want to go to the other room, you have to pull the door in the room you are in, push the door in the room you are entering. EVERY time you go between rooms. My wife and I travel with 4 children under the age of 10 - I saw this as a safety hazard.
Suite Details:
Advantages/Problems/Comments: I will NEVER go on Edge again. And likely never go on Celebrity again. If you stayed in these cabins and had a raw sewage odor, PLEASE report it. They are telling my wife and I that we made it all up - nobody on the ship staff smelled it. The 2 people who did leave it in the ships log described it as a "wet bathing suit" odor. Yet these people didn't every say that to us - "Hey, try moving your wet bathing suits somewhere else." Because of this, they will only offer an insulting future cruise credit because our complaints were "never verified" and "no cruises before or after yours filed a complaint." It was NOT from bathing suits. We have been on 9 cruises, 8 with Celebrity. This was a sewage odor. The staff on board were horrible in dealing with this issue in virtually every way. Post cruise support is almost worse.
I won't even go into all our other issues with this ship. I would just say if you are thinking about it, don't.
Would You Book It Again?: NEVER.
Photos or Photo Links: Didn't take 1 picture of the room. Wasn't impressed and didn't want to be in the room any more than necessary.
If you have any experience with this room, post cruise escalation, or anything else that could help, we have apparently gone as high as we can go with our max offer being $350 for my wife and $350 for myself for a FUTURE cruise. Nothing for my 4 kids. So she says "We offered you 20%". No, you offered me about 8% of the total I paid. And at this point I NEVER want to have to speak to your customer service every again. The only way I know to do that is to never sail with you again. Our previous 7 cruises were all fantastic. Millennium in 2006, Infinity in 2008 and 2016, and then 4 different Solstice ships starting in 2017 - ending in the Edge. They had a sign on disembarkation that said something like "Thanks for going to the Edge and back with us." They just don't say the edge of what...
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It's all about the spread. Last time, I had 200-400 "married" to a 1Dx, 24-70 "married" to a 1D3, and either a 70-200/4 or a Zeiss 15/2.8 on a 1Dx. That was an AWESOME combo, though I found the manual focus of the Zeiss to be a challenge while keeping the monopod and 200-400 in the crook of my left elbow (the MF ring would inevitably get bumped putting the camera down and back up again).
Example: Here's a shot I took of my wife using the 560/5.6 on FF:
Interestingly, the very next shot to make our keepers list was a shot of me by my wife using the 14/2.8:
So yes, range is beneficial.My current plan for our next cruise is: for me, 600/4 on a 7D2 with a 1.4x, 100-400II on a 1Dx, 24-70/2.8 on a 1D3, and 14/2.8 or 16-35/2.8 to trade out with the 100-400. For her (she prefers lighter and less "stuff"), 100-400 on 1Dx, 24-105 on 5D3, and 11-24/4 to trade out with the 24-105.
That's quite the collection you run with! Thanks for the tips.
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Hate to post back to back, but I'm processing the shots I took last week and I really like this one as well.
Gumbalimba Preserve by Randal Smith, on Flickr -
We were on Norwegian Dawn last week. Loved watching my 2 year old watching the scenery go by on the bus back to the ship in Honduras.
Roatan, Honduras by Randal Smith, on Flickr -
Checking in. I'm going in 2016. Need to get everything figured out long before! I looked this morning and I'm contemplating a 300 2.8 rental. I am considering carrying my 5D3 with the 17-40 or 70-200 and getting a 7D2 to stick the 300 on. I'll likely also bring my 35 1.4 for evenings (and because I'm a sucker for primes...)
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Going to follow this. Just booked for 2016. I currently own a 17-40 and a 70-200 f/4IS and a 5D3 (plus the Holy Trinity of primes). I'm planning to get a 7D2 before the trip to get a 1.6x crop (the wife wants to get into the hobby as well, so 2 bodies would be nice) Looks like I may consider renting a 300 or 400 as I fall in the category of cruising for photography and not photographing my vacation. Particularly for this trip. Though we are going to celebrate our 10th anniversary, and celebrate I will. ;)
I only see people talking about long lenses. Are wide angles still good for landscapes there? I was assuming so. I saw myself with the 17-40 on the 5D and a long lens on the 7D. Thanks and happy cruising!
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Just nailed down a great cabin for next year for a whopping $25 deposit! I was pleasantly surprised when that popped up! I can't wait now!
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Great thoughts. Definitely lots to think about. A bit more background on how we got to where we are:
On our first cruise together (my first, but my wife had been on several with her family before) we had a balcony. It was early November, so most of the trip it was a bit unnecessary. But the sailing into Venice made it worth it. Next trip through Panama Canal we got an ocean view (the odd shaped but larger 6019) This was a good choice for this trip, though a balcony might have been nice. On our most recent cruise, we went with my in-laws and our 4 kids in 2 inside cabins. The whole trip my wife and I were talking about our upcoming anniversary trip and saying "never again" to the inside cabin. We were also noting the differences between NCL and Celebrity. For me the biggest difference was the food. We both prefer the traditional seating where to get to know some people. The quality of the food was also not very good in my opinion on NCL.
The replies so far have basically covered one of my curiosities between an M class and an S class that there is no reason to pick an S over an M. As for a few of the specific suggestions, I had kind of leaned away from the north and south routes out of Seward due to flight costs being much higher. I started out looking at the aft C2 balconies, but after our cramped inside room I want to overshoot in the other direction this time. As for Vancouver vs Seattle, the wife and I were already leaning toward Vancouver and spending a few days before the cruise there.
So there you have it, I'm leaning towards the Vancouver/Infinity/Hubbard/6131-6132... That was my initial mindset starting this thread and you are all making me more comfortable with that choice. I will go check out the Alaska board. I haven't spent time on CC in a long time so I need to poke around a bit more.
Thanks for all the replies!
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Before you get to obsessing about those particular cabins - have you tried a mock booking to be sure any of them are even available right now? Both of those S1's would be very desirable - 1 being connected to the P.H. and the other with an oversized balcony. Also if you are traveling north the starboard side will be the most popular choice - going south the port side. 2016 Alaska opened for bookings November 18, 2014 - I know because that is when I booked for May of '16 :D so if you find the cabin you want - book it now.
Yes they are still open on at least a few of the dates. I have a 24 hour hold on 2 right now. ;) The trips I am looking at are round trips out of Seattle or Vancouver, so I'm thinking the side of the ship should be somewhat neutralized. The cabins connected to the PH sound nicer, but I'm wondering if the larger balcony with a slightly wider view forward might be a better option on this trip?
Thanks for your reply!
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My wife and I are planning a 10th anniversary cruise for summer 2016. In looking at itineraries, I see 2 options that appeal to me. Hubbard Glacier on Infinity or Tracy Arm Fjord on Solstice. I'm really into photography as a hobby, so that is a big interest for me.
My wife and I were on Millennium in the Med for our honeymoon in 2006. In 2008 we were on Infinity through the Panama Canal. We recently went on Norwegian Dawn with our children in the Caribbean. I think we will be going back to Celebrity and getting a fairly nice room for this trip.
Once I nail down a ship, I'll start obsessing over rooms. Looking at Infinity I was looking between 6131/6132 or 6145/6146. If I switch to Solstice I'll have a whole new ship to learn about. I'm interested in booking in the next week to get the 123go deal. Is this a deal that is regularly renewed month to month?
Thanks for any tips!
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Just 5 minutes in this thread and I'm ready to go!!!! Just over 7 months left.
Some of my favorites from our honeymoon; my first and only cruise thus far! I only had a P&S at the time so I'm really excited to have more flexibility with my DSLR on my next trip.
Sewage smell throughout Celebrity Edge?
in Celebrity Cruises
Posted
I just want to thank you again. I went through Elliott.org to find some executive emails. I emailed them and within 3 hours they called me back. Someone in the executive office. She claimed it was reviewed by the president of Celebrity and I was offered a much more reasonable solution (and profuse apologies.) I did suggest they google "Celebrity Edge Sewage Odor", so they may well have found this thread. Anyway, we accepted their offer and will apply it towards our next cruise to give them another shot. I honestly don't think I would like any other line as much. I'm just going to stick to Millennium and Solstice class ships.