sippican

2 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

So perhaps it should be clear that "They've lost my business!" was referring to Celebrity Air, not to AA.

 

I highly recommend that everyone considering purchasing air through a cruiseline should carefully read the actual terms and conditions of the air program -- not just the marketing fluff and weasel words.

 

To be clear, I am not saying "Don't buy cruiseline air" -- I'm just saying that many of the supposed benefits are less than assured.  Do your own cost/benefit analysis and see what you are willing to accept.

 

Caveat emptor.

  
Many good points!

Actually, yes to not choosing choice air in the future, but another yes to avoiding AA. The e-mail I received from them today was a joke. Why is it they were so severely impacted by weather last weekend  when other airlines had little, if any,  problem flying in and out of Texas? And the other reason given was staffing issues. Did they only realize this 24 hours in advance? 

11 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

 

Putting these two together, we have the great example of some of the limitations of cruiseline air.

 

I am going to assume that the ticket from Celebrity could not be endorsed over to another carrier.  A frequent condition of the fare rules of a bulk contract ticket.  Because of that, the AA ticket could not be sent over to fly home on DL or UA or several other possible carriers, including AeroMexico, Air Canada, Copa, Avianca or others.  And since your daughter got you tickets on DL, there were seats available to leave Ecuador.

 

I wouldn't be so quick to put this all on AA -- you bought a restricted ticket and the restrictions came back to get you.  Look at the Celebrity ticket fare rules and you might see how one can be "stuck".

 
Yes, the tickets were purchased through Flights by Celebrity.  I did not put this all on AA. They did send a text advising of cancellation on Friday, at which point I contacted Guest Relations onboard. Friday evening I was told by X that there was no problem with my flights, they were confirmed. Saturday morning, I received another cancellation text from AA. Celebrity again assured me the flights were fine.  So, my point is that, despite the fact that Celebrity advertises emergency travel support, it was nonexistent in this case. 
 

The great news is that my daughter was able to spend hours on the phone with Celebrity  and the tickets were paid for by X. (Almost 3k for economy on DL). 
 

22 hours ago, mahdnc said:

 

Any reason cited for keeping Xploration inactive?  It cannot be lack of demand.

 No reason given.  We did not sail at capacity. Not sure about Flora.

American Airlines left us stranded in Ecuador this weekend. They rescheduled us on a flight that was three days after the cancelled flight!  FWIW,  Celebrity Air was absolutely no help whatsoever. My daughter was able to book us a flight home on Delta.

They've lost my business!

On 10/29/2021 at 2:59 PM, IAN TREVES said:

This is interesting. We’re booked on the Xploration for Feb 2022 - had two Xpedition cruises cancelled - 1st was when it run aground and 2nd because of COVID.

I hope if they are pulling Xploration from service we get the offer of the Xpedition at no extra cost - this was our original choice.

We just returned from our 2nd Xpedition sailing. I saw Xploration achored offshore and asked about future plans, I was told they “hoped” to have her back in service within a year. Sorry that’s not a very helpful answer. Since Xpedition is in service, and that was your original booking, I don’t understand why they didn’t rebook the same cruise for you. 
 

We ordered a six-pack of the Binax Now directly from the manufacturer for much less than Celebrity is charging. They were delivered in two days.

I had the same question for one of my clients who need proof of insurance. I called X and they said it was reflected on the invoice - it is not. 

I had to go into the agents' portal and print out a screen shot of the actual booking information which reflects a charge for Cruise Care.

20 hours ago, Barwick Cruiser said:

I’m so envious of everyone, including other Canadians, traveling on cruises at the moment. I’d love to book but one thing is holding me back…I realize Celebrity will test us at the end of our cruise with the required PCR test but what if we have total bad luck and happen to test positive? The protocol is to put us off the ship and they say they look after quarantining us but will they actually do that until we get a negative test (which could realistically take a couple weeks) and then they’ll fly us home to Canada since we’ll have missed our original return flights?  Even in checking the Canadians boards I haven’t seen this situation come up or even discussed. Anyone know what happens? We can’t obviously get into our home country if we test positive aboard the ship and I don’t see what the option would be at that point except staying in Fl at our own expense.  Time is no issue since we’re both retired. Also, both vaccinated. 
 

I am so envious of those Canadians traveling to the US to cruise and having X say they will provide the testing to return home.

We just returned from a fantastic (and very expensive) tour in Canada on the Rocky Mountaineer. We were required to complete a quarantine plan for the Canadian government, along with vaccinations and a PCR test ($225 USD each) at our own expense. We got no assistance whatsoever with our return testing; it was our own responsibility.

That being said - was the trip well worth the hassles? Heck yes!!!!!

20 hours ago, Keithb said:

We just returned from the Galapagos. We did both the inner and outer loops. The outer loop by far has more animals. The outer sees the Albatrosses and iguanas, sea lions galore, the inner sees red footed boobies and more penguins. I my opinion the outer was better but seeing both loops was outstanding. 

I'd like to add, we cruised on Xpedition prior to Flora. At the time, the itineraries were Inner and Outer. We did the inner loop. We saw a TON of animals: marine and land turtles, red and blue footed boobies, frigates, sea lions, seals, golden rays, penguins, albatross marine and land iguanas, and even mountain goats! During the post-tour we met up with a couple who had completed the outer loop on Xperience and they seemed to not have seen as many as we had. I really believe that it's pure chance and luck, not that there are "more animals" on any particular itinerary.  Even on the same exact excursions, people in one group would report seeing totally different animals than those in a different group.

Way too many people stress about which month or itinerary is the "best". They may be different, but they are all exceptional!

Next month we're taking the "southern" itinerary on Xpedition. We chose the itinerary that stopped at North Seymour Island because it was our favorite three years ago. 

16 hours ago, sanger727 said:

A month before the trip, getting the free test that takes 24-72 hours sounded fine. But as the trip approached we just started to get really concerned about an asymptomatic case or false positive. We literally just drove to the airport 2 days ahead to get the rapid test and go home (airport was the ONLY place locally that did rapid pcr). We just couldn’t imagined packing our bags and boarding a plane without having our negative test in hand.

We will make an appointment at the airport for the rapid PCR the night before our departure to Quito (we are staying at an airport hotel, as is our routine before travel).  I'll sleep much better with the test in hand!

We also purchased the Abbott Binax Now monitored test kit (NOT a PCR test) for return to the US from Canada next week (and as a back-up to return from Quito). 

13 hours ago, sanger727 said:

We are flying down to Ecuador on Monday for our Galapagos cruise (not celebrity). We had plans to test this morning at a public testing site (free) and that was cancelled at the last minute. We ended up just driving down to the airport and getting a rapid pcr test there. Cost was $200, but we were so excited to get our negative results! Our trip is on!

We are using the airport testing site for our trip to Canada on Tuesday. (Not a cruise, but Canada requires the PCR as well.)  We were afraid that the turn around time for the local free PCR testing would not fall within the 72 hour requirement.  Fingers crossed that it goes as well for us.

We are relieved that Celebrity offers the testing both ways for our Galapagos trip. 

5 hours ago, kent4489 said:

There were people leaving the night of disembark. We were at JW Marriott, but I am sure they had the same set up for the passengers that went to the EB. (Although we only had an antigen, just insist that you are given the test that is required for your travel needs.) We had our tests at 7:00 pm and received printed test results within 2 hours. People going to EB arrived to hotel earlier so probably got tests earlier. Since we stayed 2 days, I think our tests were scheduled later than people leaving before us, but we all got results at 9:00 pm.

 

Thank you! That is very helpful.

10 hours ago, frankh1969 said:

How long did it take to receive your PCR results? We have a flight that leaves at midnight  on disembarkation day. Thanks

 We have the same situation, 

On 9/15/2021 at 3:51 PM, DrKoob said:

Plus, when Celebrity went to everything included for all, they basically took all the benefits I used to have for being Elite Plus except the free laundry. Why bother having any loyalty to them. We do plan on sailing Celebrity again, but only Flora when we do the inner loop in 2024. 

 

Jim

Were there any loyalty benefits on Flora? Seems like in the past some mentioned a massage. Was your laundry free? Did upper level categories get different rooms at the EB? In Quito, we were placed on the Executive Floor.

Did you feel you got good value for the price on Flora?

Have you considered the Machu Picchu extension? 

Are people getting the double point offer as well?

11 hours ago, twoguysinsocal said:

Since our Xploration cruise has been cancelled, we switched to the same date on the Xpedition, along with our group. October 23, 2021. 

We'll see you onboard!

7 hours ago, twoguysinsocal said:

The Xploration cruises have been cancelled through December. 
 

 September 13, 2021
Dear Guest,
We are reaching out to provide an update on the status of your 2021 cruise vacation in the Galapagos Islands. Celebrity Cruises has been working closely with health and government authorities, in each country we sail from, to outline a clear path for cruising with new health and safety protocols. As we return to service, we are continuously evaluating all itineraries and our ability to maintain these protocols. Currently we have decided to postpone our return to service for Celebrity Xploration. Therefore, all Galapagos Island sailings aboard Celebrity Xploration, departing October 16, 2021 through December 25, 2021 will be suspended.
We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this causes as we value your vacation time and want to ensure you have the best experience possible on a Celebrity Cruises vacation. At this time, we would like to offer you a complimentary upgrade to our award-winning, 48 passenger, Celebrity Xpedition. You may also choose to be re-accommodated on a Celebrity Cruises Galapagos vacation in 2022 or receive a 100% Refund.
From now through September 20, you have the option of keeping your cruise vacation plans to the Galapagos on your originally planned departure date, at no additional cost, aboard Celebrity Xpedition. You may also choose to reschedule at prevailing rates aboard the all-Suite, Celebrity Flora departing on Sundays. If you would like to move your vacation to 2022 and continue to sail on Celebrity Xploration we will shift your current reservation, at the same daily rate, for any 2022 sailing within four weeks of your original departure. Guests interested in sailing aboard Celebrity Xpedition or Celebrity Flora in 2022 may do so at prevailing rates.
Please contact us or your travel partner at your earliest convenience for details and your reservation will be shifted. Guests interested in adding or changing any pre/post cruise package may do so at prevailing rates.
If you are unable to rebook by or if you simply prefer a 100% refund to your original method of payment, you may contact us anytime up until September 20, 2021. With the choice of cancellation, guests with air travel and hotel booked through Flights by Celebrity would be refunded automatically. Guests with independent air arrangements would need to contact their air carriers directly to make all required cancellations.
Please contact your Travel Agent or Celebrity Cruises at 1-888-751-9303 in North America or (316) 554-5961 worldwide, to discuss available re-accommodation options as space on our alternate Galapagos ships is limited. Rest assured we will do all possible to accommodate you on the same departure date with minimal disruption to your travel plans.
Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work through these unique circumstances. We look forward to welcoming you aboard soon for an amazing Celebrity Cruises vacation.
Sincerely,
Celebrity Cruises
 

I'd take the upgrade to Xpedition in a heartbeat!

I have wondered all along if X actually intends to put Xploration back into service.

7 hours ago, californiagirl said:

Thank you Fouremco for your input about bringing my snorkeling equipment.  If it were anywhere but the Galápagos Islands I wouldn’t even ask.  I wondered because there are so many restrictions in the Galapagos.  

In 2018 we brought our own masks and snorkels, and plan to do so again next month.

19 minutes ago, In Toronto said:

Does anyone know the hours that Celebrity is open for telephone calls?

 

Seems to be a mystery! They are not open the hours the recording states.

7 hours ago, calsnoozie said:

Kent4489 - would you recommend bringing trekking poles?

 

-Sue From California

My DH and I are hikers. The poles onboard were wooden with no rubber tips. We found them useless and are packing our own collapsible poles (make sure they have tip covers) this time. 

24 minutes ago, NoWhiners said:

 

Thanks for this. I was thinking of wearing crocs for the water, then changing into a sturdier shoe once on land. Some advised against crocs for the water part and I was trying to understand the limitation for them.

 I used the inexpensive water shoes for wet landings, then changed into my hiking shoes. 

Has anyone received notifications of changes or cancellations regarding Xpedition's October sailings?  Rumors are swirling. 

Any hint of the rumor that Xpedition cruises have been cancelled through October?

I had no idea that people still even received luggage tags in the mail! 

Even before I ordered the plastic holders, I used to print them out, then cover them with wide plastic tape.

What's the big deal?

15 hours ago, kent4489 said:

We decided on a favorite waiter and a favorite table and now we’ll have them for the rest of the week. 
 

Any questions, just ask!

Thank you for your continued updates!

The we sailed Xpedition, dining was first come, first served. We really enjoyed getting to meet the different guests onboard, and honestly, all the staff seemed great.

Do they work the dining differently aboard Flora?