johhnnyt

I'm back from my cruise onboard the Crown Princess. I believe the crew onboard the Crown were some of the best crew members that I've ever encountered since I started cruising in 1985.

 

Good job Princess!!!! Big Kudos for a job well done!

 

In order for a dog to have "public access" he/she MUST perform a task for the handler. Dogs in training, emotional support dogs and facility dogs DO NOT HAVE PUBLIC ACCESS rights. They don't have the proper and complete professional training that a Service Dog must have to be in the public.

 

A minor child MUST be accompanied by an adult when walking or wheeling with their Service Dog. They specifically go to Team Training and learn how to co-partner with their child and the Service Dog. A Service Dog should NOT swim in a public pool onboard a cruise ship unless other specified by the cruise line.

 

A Service Dog should NEVER be fed from the restaurant table, on public dishes or in public in general. It's not necessary. It may be given water from a paper bowl or from a portable container that the handler carries but NEVER from public dishes.

 

My Service Dog is fed prior to my entering the restaurant and I try to give him water prior to or after I've left the public venue. It takes excellent planning to walk and/or wheel with a Service Dog.

 

It's disrespectful to the public to expect that they should accept our dogs on the same level that we do. Our Service Dogs should be as invisible as possible when in the public venue.

Beautifully written and couldn't agree more with your statements. Thank You

BTW Horton Jeffrey is a handsome lad

This actually sounds like a good deal to me. We have stayed in a Sky Suite and did find it a cut above the regular balcony cabins such as AQ. Suite passengers are accommodated in Blu on a space available basis, but it's very rare to hear of anyone being turned away, so that should work out for you, especially if you could be a little flexible about times (I'm not even sure you will need to be). True, no free access to Persian Gardens but you can always buy a pass. You'll get a free dinner in a specialty restaurant on a 7 day cruise (2 on longer cruises), and a butler to bring you afternoon tea and serve meals in your suite. Personally, I'd be happy.

I'd take a sky suite over an AQ cabin anyday

Never ever had a problem eating in blu when staying in a suite, although I generally prefer the specialty rest over Blu , as I think its only real advantage of Blu is service in generally better, pretty much same food as MDR just smaller portions

I heard a rumor today that they have plans to order a new ship and have it delivered by 2018.

You never know, but unless you heard it from Mike Bayley or a member of the Board of Directors of RCCL I wouldn't put much credence in a rumor, but your guess is as good as anyones

I tried emailing Dondra Ritzenthaler, the SVP of Sales to see if she knew anything. Didn't get any type of reply from her or the other execs I emailed , but got a call from the resolutions department saying basically nothing. "We know that there is an issue, and we're working on it, blah blah blah "We apologize for the frustration" blah blah blah, if you want to buy something we can sell it to you over the phone.

 

Can't say I blame any of the higher ups for not answering, as I'd be hiding in my office also from the embarrassment that continues to grow with each frustrated passenger. Cruise critic is a small sampling of their customer base, I'm sure they are getting calls and letters from everyone on this, and what else can they say at this point other than its broken and they don't know how to fix it.

 

 

Couldn't agree more. I'm a glass half full type of guy, and I try and give every individual and/or company the benefit of the doubt when a problem arises, but it seems like no one is at least coming out saying, I'm in charge of this issue and this is the plan to remedy it. Instead you get the poor social media techs that monitor websites just passing on the generic non committal scripted replies on behalf of the management team.

 

For the first time in two decades, I'm actually considering HAL or Cunard for any future voyages

I did want to provide an update

The day after I posted this I did get an email from Dondra providing better clarity on the plan for resolution to the issue, and I appreciate that she took the time to do so

Today (Sunday) received a call from the Celebrity IT people following up on the specifics that were raised in my letter, and I have to say they were really helpful (not just standard scripted answers, but specific details on the problems and solutions)

They were also nice enough to give me a point of contact should I experience similar problems, Again very very appreciated. To me as the owner of an international business myself, I know recovery from a problem is just as important (if not more so) than addressing the problem itself.

So Thank You Celebrity :):D

If they give them away sure I'll wear one

But always thought it was silly to wear a billboard for a company I don't work for

The hotel director on Infinity gave me a nice Celebrity pullover, I like wearing that

Win Win for Celebrity though if they can get people to buy them and advertise for them

If using a TA can you still use Choice Air?

Yes, And from my understanding TA's like it because they get a commission on the Choice Air Airfare booked

Don't break out the champagne yet. I have two reservations, one works just fine. The second one gives me an error message stating "agency data not found for this country". This is for the 13 day Med cruise on the Equinox next month. Maybe they should call the Geek Squad for assistance.

Same Thing. Far from fixed it looks like

I sent an email to Michael Bayley, president of Celebrity regarding the web site, which has been telling me for over two months that they can't find my reservation and here is the reply:

 

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Meyerhoff:

 

Thank you for contacting the Executive Offices of Celebrity Cruises. On behalf of Mr. Bayley, I appreciate the opportunity to assist with your correspondence.

 

As valued Elite members with our Captain’s Club, you and your insights are important to us. Therefore, I am truly sorry to learn of the difficulties you have experienced as a result of recent updates to our website. Please be assured Mr. Bayley is aware of the issues with our web site and we are working to resolve them. Please feel free to contact me at (866) 755-2171(866) 755-2171, if you need additional assistance.

 

Mr. and Mrs. Meyerhoff, we are very happy you chose to sail with us again. We sincerely value your patronage and look forward to welcoming you onboard the Celebrity Silhouette soon.

 

Sincerely,

Shirley Leeks

From the Office of Michael Bayley, President & CEO Celebrity Cruises

 

I spoke to Canty in the Presiden't office today and she was of no help. I also mentioned that those of us who booked early could not take advantage of any of the promotions since we would have to pay a cancellation fee and rebook, losing our existing staterooms and go to a guarantee. She said that Bayley was aware of this too. Yet the net of my call and email is 0. I also mentioned the speed of the internet and the speed of the Silhouette. This was also a 0, thus 0+0=guess what!

 

It is utterly ridiculous and poor business to have an IT problem of this magnitude for over 2 months.

 

Call

Send SMS

Add to Skype

You'll need Skype CreditFree via Skype

I tried emailing Dondra Ritzenthaler, the SVP of Sales to see if she knew anything. Didn't get any type of reply from her or the other execs I emailed , but got a call from the resolutions department saying basically nothing. "We know that there is an issue, and we're working on it, blah blah blah "We apologize for the frustration" blah blah blah, if you want to buy something we can sell it to you over the phone.

Can't say I blame any of the higher ups for not answering, as I'd be hiding in my office also from the embarrassment that continues to grow with each frustrated passenger. Cruise critic is a small sampling of their customer base, I'm sure they are getting calls and letters from everyone on this, and what else can they say at this point other than its broken and they don't know how to fix it.

It is no secret that Celebrity's Website has been not the best for several years now... I personally gave up using it for anything important (interactive / transactions) back in 2012

 

I am a glass half full optimistic girl (some would say too much so)

 

Can we go so far as to HOPE that SOMEONE SOMEWHERE at Celebrity is listening ??

 

Afterall I have to agree, that this has been a MAJOR Topic here on CC with at least one post a day (other days more) with various Cruisers asking for assistance / clarification on what is wrong with the website or how it is supposed to work

 

Of course this is a Disaster for Celebrity (let's hope they are starting to see that) from a marketing money making POV

 

Never mind that the User's first thought that it is they who are doing something wrong

 

And the first rule of business is to make the Customer feel good about themselves thru association with your product

 

Clearly Celebrity isn't doing that...

 

They are making people the world over feel that there must be something wrong with themselves if they cannot do basic things on the website :mad:

 

Mr Bayley soooo needs to get on this IT problem ... days, weeks, months, years it all adds up... Truly think they have come to the breaking point these last 2 months.

 

Time to wake up & smell the coffee (ps... It has sat stagnant in the pot too long and is now BURNING & STINKING !!)

 

Cheers!

Couldn't agree more. I'm a glass half full type of guy, and I try and give every individual and/or company the benefit of the doubt when a problem arises, but it seems like no one is at least coming out saying, I'm in charge of this issue and this is the plan to remedy it. Instead you get the poor social media techs that monitor websites just passing on the generic non committal scripted replies on behalf of the management team.

For the first time in two decades, I'm actually considering HAL or Cunard for any future voyages

This chart has not been updated for half the fleet.

 

Thanks for all those who continue to post updates when they return from their cruise.

 

Just wanted to say thank you for updating this, have really found it the best feature of this board

I saw this post yesterday and emailed Celebrity, I received this response today, which to me clarifies what the issue is and what is being done to correct it, and what can be done as an alternate till the problem is corrected. THANK YOU CELEBRITY

 

 

Dear Mr. Tolliver:

 

Thank you for contacting us. As an Elite Plus Captain's Club member, you are very important to us

 

We sincerely regret the difficulty you have experienced with your "My Celebrity" account and want to add some clarity to the situation. We have recently integrated our reservation system with upgrades that will make the booking process easier. As you are aware, we have been experiencing issues and glitches with the new system. One of the problems that we have been experiencing is that guests booked in a travel agent group are unable to access their reservations in their "My Celebrity" accounts.

 

Our IT team is aware of the problem and is working diligently to correct it. They expect that the issue should be resolved by 09/16/14. We ask that you have patience and understanding while we work through these issues as we believe that in the long run this new system will be beneficial to both us and our guests.

 

In the meantime, we recommend that you not use this application when accessing your booking online. Instead, please enter your cruise information in the "Not Registered" section. If you need assistance with booking shore excursions or any other cruise enhancement, please contact our Cruise Enhancement desk at 800-722-5941.

 

Mr. Tolliver, thank you for choosing Celebrity Cruises. We look forward to welcoming you onboard the Celebrity Silhouette in November.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

 

Constance Wood

Customer Service Representative

As my old attorney used to say, time to cut losses and mitigate damages

Well, so much for the above fix being true. Site is still as dysfunctional as the Kardashian's.

You win Celebrity, I finally give up trying.

I feel bad now that I just got my friend in the UK to book his first Celebrity Cruise. For his sake I hope he doesn't try to view it online

Then to make matters worse spent an hour on the phone today to book some dining options and a drink package, got cut off twice and finally gave up

Just curious, did Celebrity hire the same guys that did the healthcare.gov website to fix their issues?

Seriously though, couldn't be more dissapointed on how this has been handled, it really sends the message that they don't give a crap

This is advertised on PP, And at least one other gay cruising TA, and also as a CME continuing education course, which is how medical professionals get tax deductible vacations. Don't know how big either group is, but the CME group will definitely be holdings meetings.

Any kind of group travel is normally picked up by other TA's marketing to same crowd

Same with e CME group, saw it advertised on 3 other medical relates websites, and I'm sure they will have some meetings onboard

Some groups surprise me though. We were on Summit a few years back and they had a group of bikers (with their motorcycles) onboard. I think they numbered about 150, My perception was that they would be annoying and loud, instead they were the nicest, most enjoyable group I've ever experienced onboard.

Having been on ten or so of the Pied Piper Groups, it's not the Pied Piper group holding a large block or rooms, generally the Pied Piper groups are less than 50 people w exception being their post Thanksgiving day cruise.

My guess is that it's the CME Group (Continuing Medical Education)

It's a large group of mostly Canadian (and American) Medical Professionals

that does quite a few enrichment programs like this for their members

This years focus is "Charting a New Course for improved patient Care"

And they have advertised this April 20th cruise on Solstice to their membership

On our transatlantic in April, they offered 50% the first night and 20-30% several other nights of the vogue. I am counting on it this next April..

I don't think it matters what type of cabin you're in, as they offered us same discounts past two three cruises, twice we were in concierge class, other time a suite

Sadly, Mr Martin left RCCL some time ago.

You're Right

I forgot Nick Hafner moved into the new position Vice President, Air/Sea after Troy left for Miami Air International

I had the same experience (couldn't my web reservation). I emailed them on Monday at the email address given web_reservations_cci@celebritycruises.com , and and Tuesday they emailed back this response, and what I found in their response is true. For now as previous posts have mentioned you need to view your reservations using the Not Registered option, and hopefully as they mention, it should be resolved on the 16th of September

Dear Mr. Tolliver:

Thank you for contacting us. As an Elite Plus Captain's Club member, you are very important to us

We sincerely regret the difficulty you have experienced with your "My Celebrity" account and want to add some clarity to the situation. We have recently integrated our reservation system with upgrades that will make the booking process easier. As you are aware, we have been experiencing issues and glitches with the new system. One of the problems that we have been experiencing is that guests booked in a travel agent group are unable to access their reservations in their "My Celebrity" accounts.

Our IT team is aware of the problem and is working diligently to correct it. They expect that the issue should be resolved by 09/16/14. We ask that you have patience and understanding while we work through these issues as we believe that in the long run this new system will be beneficial to both us and our guests.

In the meantime, we recommend that you not use this application when accessing your booking online. Instead, please enter your cruise information in the "Not Registered" section. If you need assistance with booking shore excursions or any other cruise enhancement, please contact our Cruise Enhancement desk at 800-722-5941.

Mr. Tolliver, thank you for choosing Celebrity Cruises. We look forward to welcoming you onboard the Celebrity Silhouette in November.

Sincerely,

Constance Wood

Customer Service Representative

I'm very happy it worked out as well. In my experience with Celebrity they always seem to go the extra mile in resolving issues once you reach the person responsible in that group.

Luckily I haven't had many problematic issues, but when I did they stepped in and resolved them, and it's one of the reasons I continue to sail with them

I admire that the social media group of RCCl/Celebrity does look at these threads and helps getting the complaint to the person that can deliver the solution/or answer the question

I do quite a bit of arbitration/mediation work and I know in most cases I've read on cruise critic Celebrity goes above and beyond their legal obligations for remedies, and tries to ensure customer satisfaction/retention as well

Celebrity Cruises posted that they will look into it. Some might be drawing conclusions with only partial information. I've said this before, but will repeat here: In my experience in cases similar to the one reported by the OP Celebrity has gone the extra mile to satisfy customers. Be calm and give them an opportunity to investigate the situation and respond.

Sometimes just a matter of talking to the person that understands the issue

Celebrity: Take responsibility for your actions

 

We signed up for a cruise on Celebrity’s Century’s April 5th sailing going from Dubai, through the Suez Canal to Rome. Exactly one week after booking the cruise Celebrity notified our Travel Agent that the sailing was being cancelled and redeployed. The new itinerary was one night shorter and was going to Singapore with 4 stops in India. We told our travel agent to cancel our booking because we wanted Europe not Asia and we had no desire to see the ports in India. Nine alternative sailings were offered at the lowest available rate but they were Asian itineraries as well.

 

Imagine our surprise when the travel agent explained that the $3,374 airfare charge would NOT be refunded. We booked the air through Celebrity, and their subsidiary ChoiceAir was the one refusing the refund. The travel agent appealed our case to both Celebrity and ChoiceAir but our claim was flat out rejected. I tried calling Celebrity Customer Service Department myself but they just forwarded my call to Choice Air who continued to stonewall me on the issue.

 

We are Captains Club Elite Tier cruisers. We did not cancel for our own convenience; Celebrity cancelled the cruise and substituted an itinerary so completely different that it was unusable for us. And they did it within a week of our booking! I can’t believe that (what we thought was) an upstanding cruise line could refuse to take responsibility for their own actions. My advice: choose another cruise line.

If you are unable to get it resolved, Just a suggestion, but I would call or write Troy Martin, he is Director, Air/Sea & Travel Services Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd.

and is overall in charge of the Choice Air for RCCL/Celebrity/Azamara etc, he was really helpful to me when an issue arose a few years back

Email me and I'll send you his contact information (his office number/mobile/email) John if they don't refund your account

Have been down the Park West dog and pony show once, luckily didn't buy anything, ended up buying the exact lithograph what they were selling onboard for about 1/5 of the cost when I researched it at home.

Two things will always be facts on cruise ships

1. You'll never get a bargain on a piece of art on a cruise ship, you'll pay high market AT LEAST when they add on all the MANDATORY extras

2. You'll never get a good deal on jewelry/gemstones either on board or in the Caribbean ports

Seen so many customers (I have a jewelry gemstone business called Simply Sapphires), that have come back with their FIND from a cruise of a gemstone or piece of jewelry and in 95 cases out of 100 I can tell them either

-I could of gotten it for them for much less than they paid

-It's a synthetic , lab grown, or some other term for not real

So like everything in life Caveat emptor

Although an email is simple and easy, it generally still just goes to customer service (even when you use the contactmichael@celebrity.com or concerns@celebrity.com.

Sometimes they will say they are calling from Mr Bayley's office, and since they are both in the same building, technically they are correct, but you still get customer service none the less.

I know a year or so ago, I wrote Mr Bayley, and did receive a signed letter back, and the remedy for my concern. I wouldn't have bothered him had it been a minor issue that could have solved by others in the organization, nor would I expect him to answer one that could be handled by someone more directly involved in the issue.

I can only imagine the hundreds of letters/emails he must receive every week complaining about slow internet/long wait times/smoking/waiter or waitress that a passenger didn't like

Hi all,

 

If you having any issues regarding our website, please email web_reservations_cci@celebritycruises.com or call 1-800-722-5941 with the following details:

 

• The website URL
  
• Which computer you are using - PC, Mac or Mobile Device
  
• Reservation number.
  

This will greatly help us troubleshoot the issue and create a better experience for you. Thank you!

I saw this post yesterday and emailed Celebrity, I received this response today, which to me clarifies what the issue is and what is being done to correct it, and what can be done as an alternate till the problem is corrected. THANK YOU CELEBRITY

Dear Mr. Tolliver:

Thank you for contacting us. As an Elite Plus Captain's Club member, you are very important to us

We sincerely regret the difficulty you have experienced with your "My Celebrity" account and want to add some clarity to the situation. We have recently integrated our reservation system with upgrades that will make the booking process easier. As you are aware, we have been experiencing issues and glitches with the new system. One of the problems that we have been experiencing is that guests booked in a travel agent group are unable to access their reservations in their "My Celebrity" accounts.

Our IT team is aware of the problem and is working diligently to correct it. They expect that the issue should be resolved by 09/16/14. We ask that you have patience and understanding while we work through these issues as we believe that in the long run this new system will be beneficial to both us and our guests.

In the meantime, we recommend that you not use this application when accessing your booking online. Instead, please enter your cruise information in the "Not Registered" section. If you need assistance with booking shore excursions or any other cruise enhancement, please contact our Cruise Enhancement desk at 800-722-5941.

Mr. Tolliver, thank you for choosing Celebrity Cruises. We look forward to welcoming you onboard the Celebrity Silhouette in November.

Sincerely,

Constance Wood

Customer Service Representative

FYI

I did find out that the Pick Your Perk for Choice Air ($600 credit to your choice air booking for 10+ day cruise), has to be used by October 6th.

So you have to purchase your airline tickets through choice air by October 6th or else you can pick one of the other pick your perk promotions

I went to book a Hawaii vacation cruise on Solstice last week that doesn't heppen till April 2015 , and noticed only 4 categories were showing ANY availability at all.

Did my research and found two groups had had reserved blocks of rooms. One a large medical convention of Canadian and American medical professionals, and the other a Travel Agency here in New York

I ended up booking it thrugh that travel agency, as they had about 10 categories of rooms available

MDR food is better

Rooms are better sized and more amenities (think AQ plus)

Demographics are probably Celebrity crowd +10 years