Beware of Celebrity

[kkon]

We booked a shore excursion in Venice for the morning of our arrival in Venice. A few days before arrival in Venice the Silhouette captain announced we would not make port at the advertised 9 AM arrival, but now at 12 noon. In fact we didn't disembark in Venice until after 1PM!!!!!

So, everyone who had booked the better shore excursions with private companies in the AM was ostensibly out all of their money unless they could get the tour operator to give them a refund on extremely short notice. BEWARE OF CELEBRITY and their listed itineraries.

 

When I wrote to Celebrity and asked them what they would do to compensate those who lost money this was their response.

 

"However, as indicated in our Cruise Ticket Contract, Celebrity Cruises reserves the right to change or alter the itinerary, including arrival and departure times at various ports of call. As such, we must respectfully decline your request for compensation in this matter. We regret any disappointment this may cause."

 

Forewarned is fair warned----BEWARE!!!!!!!

[blueboro]

Unfortunately things happen where ships cannot make a port by a specific time. Was it mechanical or weather? I know when I book with an independent provider this could happen and I never pay in advance for that reason, and if they reqiure full payment in advance we do not book.

[Cruising89143]

Why beware? Things happen and ships can sometimes be late arriving. This is not the first time this has happened and Celebrity is not the only cruise line that has been late or had to alter the itinerary. It happens.

 

If you booked a private shore excursion then you need to find out their policy if the ship is late arriving or has to cancel the port call. Depending on their policy it then is your choice if you book the excursion.

Edited June 27, 2014 by cruisingator2

[CruisingChick]

I believe almost everyone on Cruise Critic knows that ships have delayed arrivals and departures many times.

 

This has happened to us a few times and our tour operators worked with us. I have never paid for a private tour beforehand (and I wouldn't).

 

Also you said you had a few days notice of your late arrival.

 

A few days before arrival in Venice the Silhouette captain announced we would not make port at the advertised 9 AM arrival, but now at 12 noon. In fact we didn't disembark in Venice until after 1PM!!!!!

 

Couldn't you have worked something out then when you knew it was changing from 9 AM to 12 PM?

[phoenix_dream]

Seriously?!?! This can (and does) happen to all cruise lines. When you book a private excursion it is your responsibility to review what happens if your ship does not dock as planned. Weather, mechanical issues,medical emergencies, issues with the port itself can all derail plans. No responsible cruise line (and Celebrity certainly is one) would make such a change without good reason as it hurts their bottom line as well when their own excursions get cancelled (as well as annoys the passengers).

[Orator]

I can understand your frustration, but you are directing it in the wrong direction. You had advance notice that your arrival time had been changes and could have contacted your private tour operator. In fact, Celebrity would have placed a call for you if you had requested it. A reliable tour operator knows that delays and changes frequently take place and they should have checked the revised port schedule and contacted you. I've missed ports due to war, civil unrest, strikes and weather. Have often experienced a change in schedule once onboard ship. But, I've also experienced delays while taking planes, trains and automobiles. Celebrity takes responsibility for their excursions. I had a delayed disembarkation in Lisbon due to a dockworker problem and my tour was delayed about an hour. Without requesting Celebrity gave us a OBC.

Your "Beware" should be a warning to those who booked with your excursion operator if they failed you.

Edited June 27, 2014 by Orator

[akowilm]

Wow! I have never paid for a private excursion in full prior to arriving in port! Most operators that I have dealt with (all ranked in the top 1% on Trip Advisor) won't even take your full payment until that day, and all ALSO have an agreement that you receive most or all of your deposit if you miss the excursion due to the ship not arriving in port at the scheduled time! I think BEWARE the tour operator that makes you pay IN FULL in advance!!! Besides, having sailed in VERY rough seas, I was always glad to arrive, even if we were late!:D

Edited June 27, 2014 by akowilm

[NLH Arizona]

If the Captain gave you a few days notice, couldn't you have called the tour company and let them know of your change of plans and either changed the time or cancelled the excursion. I would believe that if you couldn't make the tour, with a few days notice you would have gotten your money back, if you use a reputable company, as most have a cancellation policy of 24 hours notice. Not sure how much you paid for your excursion, but I would bet that what a phone call would have cost from the ship would have been way less expensive.

 

I think your anger is misdirected, it should be at the tour company and yourself, not at Celebrity.

Edited June 27, 2014 by NLH Arizona

[Orator]

If the Captain gave you a few days notice, couldn't you have called the tour company and let them know of your change of plans and either changed the time or cancelled the excursion. I would believe that if you couldn't make the tour, with a few days notice you would have gotten your money back, if you use a reputable company, as most have a cancellation policy of 24 hours notice. Not sure how much you paid for your excursion, but I would bet that what a phone call would have cost from the ship would have been way less expensive.

 

I think your anger is misdirected, it should be at the tour company and yourself, not at Celebrity.

 

The phone call would have been free. I've had a few problems with TAs not giving promised OBC and once a CC company. In every case the person at Guest Relations dialed the number and gave me the phone to speak with them. One conversation took at least an hour and there was no charge to me for the call.

[wallie5446]

So was this your first cruise?

It is this way on every cruise line out there.

Now you know.

 

Forewarned is fair warned----BEWARE!!!!!!!

 

This is the reason to book a private tour with a Company that does a small deposit, then allows you to pay when you get there.

 

I went and read the comments and see a few others said the same thing. Sorry to duplicate.

Edited June 27, 2014 by wallie5446

[ghstudio]

Those of you who have "never" paid in advance need to travel more :) because in some countries like Viet Nam, not only do you have to pay in advance, but you have to pay in cash...no credit cards or paypal accepted. Many other countries have a standard tour guide practice requiring a down payment in advance. You've led a "sheltered" travel life if you haven't run into this.....

 

However, we have never had a problem with tour guides prepaid or not if the ship is delayed or skips the port completely. The cruise ship tour guide industry realizes that there are delays and they have to go with the flow. They realize that the internet is a powerful information provider about good/bad guides and good/bad business practices. A few negative posts on key travel web sites (including this one) can really sink a tour guide or agency pretty quickly.

 

The unfortunately part of ships being delayed is not the loss of money...it's the loss of time to see the sites in that port. But things do happen, mechanical, medical, weather related and part of cruising is adjusting to changes out of your control.

[WestLakeGirl]

Happens sometimes on all lines, and not always the cruise lines fault. Problems with the pier, strikes, bad weather, all kinds of things. Airlines are late too, also trains and busses. It's the way things go

[cirpi]

We booked a shore excursion in Venice for the morning of our arrival in Venice. A few days before arrival in Venice the Silhouette captain announced we would not make port at the advertised 9 AM arrival, but now at 12 noon. In fact we didn't disembark in Venice until after 1PM!!!!!

So, everyone who had booked the better shore excursions with private companies in the AM was ostensibly out all of their money unless they could get the tour operator to give them a refund on extremely short notice. BEWARE OF CELEBRITY and their listed itineraries.

 

When I wrote to Celebrity and asked them what they would do to compensate those who lost money this was their response.

 

"However, as indicated in our Cruise Ticket Contract, Celebrity Cruises reserves the right to change or alter the itinerary, including arrival and departure times at various ports of call. As such, we must respectfully decline your request for compensation in this matter. We regret any disappointment this may cause."

 

Forewarned is fair warned----BEWARE!!!!!!!

Oh, my goodness. Thanks for the warning.

[COMBOY]

Sorry - This is "no beware of Celebrity." "This is beware of booking tours independently." If you book your shore tours through Celebrity or on any other cruise line you will be refunded 100% of the tour price if the ship is delayed or port cancelled. This happen to be on HAL and they automatically credited my ship board account when my port stop in Mexico was cancelled. If you book a tour independently then it is your financial responsibility if the ship is late or port cancelled. Some independent tour companies will refund you money if you can't make your tour (at no fault to you) so you should always check that up front before booking. I'm really sorry you didn't know that. Is a hard lesson to learn. Your cruise ticket is very specific that port stops and arrival/departure times can not be guaranteed and there is no compensation to the passenger if that occurs. Here is your cruise contract that you accepted when you boarded the ship:

 

6. CANCELLATION, DEVIATION OR SUBSTITUTION BY CARRIER:

Carrier may for any reason at any time and without prior notice, cancel, advance, postpone or deviate from any scheduled sailing, port of call, destination, lodging or any activity on or off the Vessel, or substitute another vessel or port of call, destination, lodging or activity. Carrier shall not be liable for any claim whatsoever by Passenger, including but not limited to loss, compensation or refund, by reason of such cancellation, advancement, postponement, substitution or deviation. In connection with a Cruise Tour, Carrier has the same right to cancel, advance, postpone or deviate from any scheduled activity, departure or destination, or substitute another rail car, bus, destination or lodging or other component of the Cruise Tour. Carrier shall not be liable for any claim by Passenger whatsoever, including but not limited to loss, compensation or refund, by reason of such cancellation, advancement, postponement, substitution or deviation. By way of example, and not limitation, Carrier may, without liability, deviate from any scheduled sailing and may otherwise land Passenger and her property at any port if Carrier believes that the voyage or any Passenger or property may be hindered or adversely affected as a result of hostilities, blockages, prevailing weather conditions, labor conflicts, strikes onboard or ashore, breakdown of Vessel, congestion, docking difficulties, medical or life saving emergencies or any other cause whatsoever.

Edited June 27, 2014 by COMBOY

[olemissreb]

Our cruise 4 years ago, we pulled into Curacao and it was pouring rain. I'm talking cats & dogs, coming down sideways, probably got their annual rainfall total all in that one day, rain.

 

Anyway, we had a private excursion booked. We did put down a deposit, but decided that we weren't going to even attempt to make it to the excursion and ride around in an open jeep in that weather. The cruise line was cancelling all similar excursions. I tried to call the company on my cell - duh, no international calling on my plan! Oh well, we figured we'd just eat the cost of the deposit. (Although now I know that I can go to guest relations to make that call in the future - thank you for that bit of info).

 

When we got back to San Juan, I was checking my email and there was an email from the excursion company. They too had cancelled the excursion and was refunding our money. By the time we got back home the next day, there was a credit on my credit card.

 

Stuff happens in life. It wasn't Celebrity's fault that they didn't get in on time. They did give you notice, so you should have found a way to contact the company to find out what Plan B was. DH and I are cruising the Southern Caribbean next year and I'll be adding a temporary international plan to my phone, just in case something happens, plus I'll have printouts of cancellation policies/change policies for all of the companies that we will be booking excursions with.

[akowilm]

Those of you who have "never" paid in advance need to travel more :) because in some countries like Viet Nam, not only do you have to pay in advance, but you have to pay in cash...no credit cards or paypal accepted. Many other countries have a standard tour guide practice requiring a down payment in advance. You've led a "sheltered" travel life if you haven't run into this.....

 

However, we have never had a problem with tour guides prepaid or not if the ship is delayed or skips the port completely. The cruise ship tour guide industry realizes that there are delays and they have to go with the flow. They realize that the internet is a powerful information provider about good/bad guides and good/bad business practices. A few negative posts on key travel web sites (including this one) can really sink a tour guide or agency pretty quickly.

 

The unfortunately part of ships being delayed is not the loss of money...it's the loss of time to see the sites in that port. But things do happen, mechanical, medical, weather related and part of cruising is adjusting to changes out of your control.

 

 

You are correct!!! We need to travel more! We still have a good 20 years of work ahead of us before we get to truly travel, but until then, we stick to our 7 day itineraries with Celebrity to the (mostly) sheltered destinations that we love! Hey, its a solid week that we aren't in our restaurant 24/7!!:D

[flyingv4me]

I understand your frustration at missing your excursion; however, you should be thanking Celebrity for several days notice of the change, not damning them.

Edited June 27, 2014 by flyingv4me

[NLH Arizona]

The phone call would have been free. I've had a few problems with TAs not giving promised OBC and once a CC company. In every case the person at Guest Relations dialed the number and gave me the phone to speak with them. One conversation took at least an hour and there was no charge to me for the call.

This is very nice gesture by Celebrity, but since the OP booked a private shore excursion, I really don't think it would be Celebrity's responsibility to give him a free phone call.

[HokiePoq]

I understand your frustration at missing your excursion; however, you should be thanking Celebrity for several days notice of the change, not damning them.

 

That's odd. How would they know several days in advance and not know prior to embarkation?

We sign away all our rights when we have to check that box on any cruise line contract when we do our online check in.

Have had to pay in advance several times and fortunately everything worked out.

So sorry you missed your excursion, OP. If you ever get the opportunity to return, get a guidebook and ride the vaporetto on your own. Lots of fun and you see a lot when you plan out your route in advance....for cheap.

[Oville]

This is very nice gesture by Celebrity, but since the OP booked a private shore excursion, I really don't think it would be Celebrity's responsibility to give him a free phone call.

 

But Celebrity changed the itinerary, letting passengers make calls is simply good customer service.

[Orator]

This is very nice gesture by Celebrity, but since the OP booked a private shore excursion, I really don't think it would be Celebrity's responsibility to give him a free phone call.

 

Definitely not their responsibility, but something they do frequently to assist passengers to resolve problems. Glance over to the counter next time you pass Guest Relations and you might see a passenger on a phone. Will they do it if you want to call home and check on the kids? No! But, they do what they can to assist in resolving a cruise related problem.

[flyingv4me]

We booked a shore excursion in Venice for the morning of our arrival in Venice. A few days before arrival in Venice the Silhouette captain announced we would not make port at the advertised 9 AM arrival, but now at 12 noon. In fact we didn't disembark in Venice until after 1PM!!!!!

So, everyone who had booked the better shore excursions with private companies in the AM was ostensibly out all of their money unless they could get the tour operator to give them a refund on extremely short notice. BEWARE OF CELEBRITY and their listed itineraries.

 

When I wrote to Celebrity and asked them what they would do to compensate those who lost money this was their response.

 

"However, as indicated in our Cruise Ticket Contract, Celebrity Cruises reserves the right to change or alter the itinerary, including arrival and departure times at various ports of call. As such, we must respectfully decline your request for compensation in this matter. We regret any disappointment this may cause."

 

Forewarned is fair warned----BEWARE!!!!!!!

 

 

HokiePoq: I was referencing the OP (red above). Stuff happens and itineraries change. It looks like Celebrity gave passengers as much notice as possible.

[Oville]

That's odd. How would they know several days in advance and not know prior to embarkation?

We sign away all our rights when we have to check that box on any cruise line contract when we do our online check in.

Have had to pay in advance several times and fortunately everything worked out.

So sorry you missed your excursion, OP. If you ever get the opportunity to return, get a guidebook and ride the vaporetto on your own. Lots of fun and you see a lot when you plan out your route in advance....for cheap.

 

Things happen and often times it is port related.

[cruisestitch]

They could have been told that a strike was being planned, or that a repair at one pier was causing a problem getting a berth, or that there wouldn't be a harbor pilot available due to unforeseen circumstances, there are lots of reasons that there could be a delay and you might get several days' notice, and even more that might come up at the last minute.

[CruisingChick]

Those of you who have "never" paid in advance need to travel more :) because in some countries like Viet Nam, not only do you have to pay in advance, but you have to pay in cash...no credit cards or paypal accepted. Many other countries have a standard tour guide practice requiring a down payment in advance. You've led a "sheltered" travel life if you haven't run into this.....

 

Most of us don't have the time and/or money to do all that traveling. it has nothing to do with being sheltered.

 

Also, it goes against every grain of my being to send someone cash before hand for goods or services before they are received, especially if they are in a foreign country. I think I would opt out of those tours and book with the cruise line.