Celebrity cruises have messed up on my incoming flights

[gonecroozin]

Last year I booked our September Adriatic cruise directly through Celebrity Cruises.

On our previous 2 cruises, I booked through a travel agent. This time, Celebrity were offering a £200 early booking discount.

That seemed attractive until I after I booked and noticed that the flights were actually £200 less ! But there you go, I had already booked it, another notch on Celebitries bedpost, and to be honest I was happy.

However, today, going through the Iternary with my husband , we noticed a big flaw.

Our cruise starts on 15th September, and out flights are booked for 14th September????

I phoned and after initially speaking to someone, I was put on hold numerous times and finally after more than 2 phone calls and 3 hours, I was told very politely that I would either have to pay for an additional night in Venice (£303pp night!!!) or risk paying more for an amended flight for the correct date.

I know have to wait until Monday to see what the charge for either options will be, however I am still incredibly upset and unsure of what to do.

[Keith1010]

Sorry you are not happy with this.

 

You know most people do fly in the day before their cruise. If you fly in the day of the cruise and the flight is delayed or canceled you can miss the ship.

 

Keith

[Bluebury]

That just does not seem right, it is not your error.

 

If you have travelled with Celebrity before an dare a member of the Captains Club maybe they could help. I have read on here that they seem to be very supportive and have solved problems for many people when the main Celebrity contact has failed.

 

I am sure that there will be others here with better advice.

 

Good luck

[Scrapnana]

I would not be upset that I am getting in a day early. In fact, I would never fly the day of my cruise -- too many things could happen. Since you booked the flight through Celebrity do you have transfers from the airport to a hotel and/or the ship? You could likely find a hotel in Venice for less than 303 pounds/night (hotels used by the ships are usually much dearer). If you told them that you wanted to fly on the 15th and they made a mistake perhaps you can at least some compromise offer from them.

[Karen@Steve]

Last year I booked our September Adriatic cruise directly through Celebrity Cruises.

On our previous 2 cruises, I booked through a travel agent. This time, Celebrity were offering a £200 early booking discount.

That seemed attractive until I after I booked and noticed that the flights were actually £200 less ! But there you go, I had already booked it, another notch on Celebitries bedpost, and to be honest I was happy.

However, today, going through the Iternary with my husband , we noticed a big flaw.

Our cruise starts on 15th September, and out flights are booked for 14th September????

I phoned and after initially speaking to someone, I was put on hold numerous times and finally after more than 2 phone calls and 3 hours, I was told very politely that I would either have to pay for an additional night in Venice (£303pp night!!!) or risk paying more for an amended flight for the correct date.

I know have to wait until Monday to see what the charge for either options will be, however I am still incredibly upset and unsure of what to do.

 

I think I'm probably confused. Didn't you have to book through Choice Air yourself? Did Celebrity do it for you?

[Baseball fan]

I agree that flying in a day early is good and Venice is a favorite of mine. Do you have to book the hotel thru them? There are some great hotels in Venice that are much less than that.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[Loracpin2]

The OP lives in the UK and that's probably why they didn't feel the need to fly in a day early.

[KaththeTaff]

This seems rather strange. It's possibel that Celebrity couldn't get you a flight that would arrive early enough to get you to the ship, but it is pretty poor not to tell you that you would have to fly a day early!

 

I wouldn't let this drop if I were you. Even if Celebrity haven't made an error, the level of customer service here is disappointing to say the least.

[RDC1]

So let me understand this. You booked the cruise and the flights last year and only now you have noticed that the flight was for the day before the cruise departure date.

 

When did they first send you the flight schedule? If it was several months ago and you did not catch the error until now, then I would not put the responsibility on Celebrity.

[gonecroozin]

Sorry, my parents have just visited us and I haven't been able to respond until now.

 

 

I am from the UK, I booked my cruise and flights directly through Celebrity.

This means that our flights, airport transfers and cruise are all organised by Celebrity, I appreciate that this may not be the way things works abroad, and indeed here if you are booking through an independent TA.

I have no idea why Celebrity would decide to fly us in over 24 hour before our cruise, what are we supposed to do ?

RDC1, no I actually booked my cruise over a year ago, and just received my flight itinerary . Whether I could have checked the dates earlier or not is irrelavent as surely I cannot be expected to pay for an extra nights accommodation on top of my fare.

[navyrotorhead]

I was told very politely that I would either have to pay for an additional night in Venice (£303pp night!!!) or risk paying more for an amended flight for the correct date.

I know have to wait until Monday to see what the charge for either options will be, however I am still incredibly upset and unsure of what to do.

 

 

First off, take a deep breath and calm down. I think you should consider this incident as a VERY fortunate turn of events. :confused:

 

Listen to the advice of Keith1010 and Scrapnana. Flying in to your departure port the same day of a cruise is nothing more than ASKING for trouble by TEMPTING FATE. :eek: Can it be, and has it been done successfully? YES. But ask the thousands of devastated cruisers that have missed their too-closely-planned connections.

 

The LEAST little one-in-a-million-problem could make you miss your departure. Don't risk it. (even if, as I suspect, your Venice departure MAY very well include a night on the ship while still in port.) A breach in airport security, bad weather, mechanical problems, a medical emergency or disturbance on the plane, or who knows what, could REALLY cause you stress and/or heartbreak. :(

 

I am looking at a Celebrity Constellation Cruise from Istanbul for this fall, that has the ship staying for an overnight in Istanbul before departing for the rest of the itinerary. I will STILL fly in a day early JUST TO BE SURE I do not "miss the boat." (AND enjoy an extra day seeing the sights) :cool:

 

Can spending an extra day in Venice really be all that terrible of an experience? Get online and BOOK YOUR OWN hotel for WWAAAYYY less than the price quoted by Celebrity, see the sights, and RELAX knowing you will NOT miss your departure. ;)

[CathyCruises]

Celerity charges a ridiculous amount for their hotels, AND charges per person--does any hotel anywhere do that??

 

Do not let them force you into booking their hotel--there are tons of recommendations on the Italy boards about places to stay for way less than that!

[gonecroozin]

First off, take a deep breath and calm down. I think you should consider this incident as a VERY fortunate turn of events. :confused:

 

Listen to the advice of Keith1010 and Scrapnana. Flying in to your departure port the same day of a cruise is nothing more than ASKING for trouble by TEMPTING FATE. :eek: Can it be, and has it been done successfully? YES. But ask the thousands of devastated cruisers that have missed their too-closely-planned connections.

 

The LEAST little one-in-a-million-problem could make you miss your departure. Don't risk it. (even if, as I suspect, your Venice departure MAY very well include a night on the ship while still in port.) A breach in airport security, bad weather, mechanical problems, a medical emergency or disturbance on the plane, or who knows what, could REALLY cause you stress and/or heartbreak. :(

 

I am looking at a Celebrity Constellation Cruise from Istanbul for this fall, that has the ship staying for an overnight in Istanbul before departing for the rest of the itinerary. I will STILL fly in a day early JUST TO BE SURE I do not "miss the boat." (AND enjoy an extra day seeing the sights) :cool:

 

Can spending an extra day in Venice really be all that terrible of an experience? Get online and BOOK YOUR OWN hotel for WWAAAYYY less than the price quoted by Celebrity, see the sights, and RELAX knowing you will NOT miss your departure. ;)

 

 

Okaaay..... Deep breaths.......

My hubby is like you, what's so bad about another night in Venice?.

 

I am going to look for alternative accommodation, but honestly he works all the hours and we book excursions and everything through Celebrity because It's easy and we really just want to not think or worry about anything else!

We love travelling, and on a land based trip we organise everything ourselves. We do the complete opposite while cruising.

[RickT]

At the risk of irking the forum members who are telling you it's a good thing to fly in a day early, they are way off base on this one.

 

1) You are flying from the UK to Venice in the middle of summer

2) Your ship overnights in Venice the first night so you already have your built in cushion

3) YOU did nothing wrong

 

My guess (and it's just a guess) is that the Celebrity Air department is used to doing flight bookings for those of us in North American and assumed you'd need to fly out the day before.

 

At this point I'd definitely escalate this with Celebrity and unless they can show you that you requested the early date (or show that they are allowed to do that) then it should be Celebrity who will fix it. As mentioned, if you are a Captains Club member it might be worthwhile bringing this up with them. I see you've cruised with X before so you are definitely entitled to be a member if you already aren't.

 

You can also check with the Airline to see. Just because Celebrity booked the flight, it is your ticket. Given it's 90 days out you may get some compassion from them.

 

If all that fails, get there a day early but book your own hotel. There are worse things than spending an extra night and I suspect you can get a decent one for $100 euros per night.

 

Please let us know what happens.

[gonecroozin]

Celerity charges a ridiculous amount for their hotels, AND charges per person--does any hotel anywhere do that??

 

Do not let them force you into booking their hotel--there are tons of recommendations on the Italy boards about places to stay for way less than that!

 

Apparently the only Hotel they have left for the night we are to be stranded is the Hotel Hilton Stuky Milano at £303pp per night!

I know Venice is expensive, but that is an awful lot on top of £5000 for the cruise.

I don't know, I have been looking forward to this for ages, I loved my last two Celebrity cruises

Already told my hubby, I am not giving it up, lol!

[gonecroozin]

That just does not seem right, it is not your error.

 

If you have travelled with Celebrity before an dare a member of the Captains Club maybe they could help. I have read on here that they seem to be very supportive and have solved problems for many people when the main Celebrity contact has failed.

 

I am sure that there will be others here with better advice.

 

Good luck

 

Thank you, it is definitely not my error, the agents were a little confused themselves when I phoned. They kept trying to put me through to the flight department to no avail. I hope it gets sorted soon so I can resume relishing the countdown.

[AlanAllyn]

I suggest that you check hotels dot com, a US web site. It has a 4 star Best Western near the airport for $123 per night. There are many others, some in the range you quote, but others in the $100 to $200 range. (That's dollars, not euros.

 

If they won't book someone from the UK, call the hotel directly.

[Lovemychoos]

My advice would definitely be to go back to Celebrity, and ask they why they think it is acceptable to change the 11 night cruise you booked into a 12night cruise with a pre-cruise stay, which you are having to fund yourselves!

 

I'm sorry, but I would be absolutely livid - apart from anything else, which if you couldn't go a day earlier (for any number of reasons)?

 

When we book in the UK, (and we have done our last 2 fly cruises with Celebrity in exactly the same way, although through a TA), we are booking a holiday 'package' with Celebrity, which includes flights and transfers, as well as the cruise itself.

 

My own thoughts are that someone has messed up big time, and you are being made to pay the price.

 

I really do hope you get this sorted - you have not done anything wrong - there is no way you should be out of pocket.

 

Good luck

 

Lou

[Suzy Smith]

Have you booked a fly/cruise package with Celebrity UK? If you have, it should include a hotel if required. This is from the website:

 

No matter which port your cruise departs from, a Celebrity Cruises® Fly/Cruise package makes sure your holiday is completely hassle free. We take care of all your travel arrangements – from hotel accommodation, to transfers to and from the ship. We will also be on hand for full assistance in case you experience flight changes, delays, or other unforeseen circumstances that might affect your holiday.

Perhaps you should ask them what date is on the transfer from the airport to the dock? Is it the 14th and they anticipate you will spend the night on the dock waiting for the ship to arrive, or the 15th and you will be expected to sleep overnight at the airport!

 

Flying to the port on the day of the cruise is usual for departures within Europe and you have the added cushion of your first night being an overnight in Venice, so I can't understand why they have booked your flights a day early - and why do you have to wait until Monday to find out if the flight change is going to cost you extra? I can't believe they will charge you a fee, if they have made a mistake.

[welshfamily]

Agree with all other UK posters. Celebrity have messed up. If you have booked directly with Celebrity you will see an ATOL certificate at the bottom of your booking. I believe this is your guarantee for a package holiday. Ring Celebrity ask for a supervisor, in Captains club, if you are a member and get them to sort this out.

For all in the USA. Celebrity never flights customers out the day before unless you pay a deviation fee of £30 each.

[KaththeTaff]

Yes, it looks like Celebrity have messed up somewhere along the line. Akthough my personal choice would be to spend a day or two in venice before the cruise begins, the OP has booked a pakcage with the cruise line that includes flights and transfers as well as the crusie itself.

 

I think Suzy Smith has highlighted a godo question to put to Celebrity (about the dates). I'd like to know what they say to that!

 

That said, I don;t believe that anythign was done deliberately. It's likely to be a simple human error somewhere, that was perhaps compounded by a misunderstanding of the issue when the OP talked to a representative.

[jacketwatch]

Sorry to hear of your troubles. I do agree that going in a day early is smart and that you can get a hotel for much less by yourself.

 

We had an issue with X once and our I initial encounter with their CS dept. was disappointing. However I kept going up the ladder and finally got someone who listened and made a generous offer for OBC. I suggest to keep going at it. There are some folks there who are penny wise and pound foolish and it seems you found one but don't give up. Good luck and please keep us posted.

[DebbieMacG]

The Hilton Molino Stucky is a fantastic hotel, however if you booked it yourself it would be £415 for the room with breakfast so £303pp is way over priced.

 

I think it's an error and would work to get it resolved. If they fly you in a day early they should pay for a hotel. I would always fly in early anyway but that's not the point and in this case you have the night onboard before the ships sails as a cushion.

 

I would ring Captains club, the UK team are excellent.:)

[drarill]

Apparently the only Hotel they have left for the night we are to be stranded is the Hotel Hilton Stuky Milano at £303pp per night!

I know Venice is expensive, but that is an awful lot on top of £5000 for the cruise.

I don't know, I have been looking forward to this for ages, I loved my last two Celebrity cruises

Already told my hubby, I am not giving it up, lol!

 

Too expensive!! Last year we cruised on the Silhouette and arrived a day earlier. I took Tom's advice, from Tom's port guides (google it), and stayed in Mestre. The Hotel Plaza was great, included internet and breakfast and was located across the street from the train station that took us to Venice for only 1 Euro. Our rate also included the transport from the Airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the port the next day. :)

[johhnnyt]

If you specifically told them that you wanted to arrive the day of the sailing, and they booked a different date, that is their fault.

 

Otherwise though, they (Celebrity) did the right thing, as the standard is to get you in a foreign city the day before a cruise to ensure you're there before the sailing, unless you tell them otherwise