Celebrity just ruined my cruise leaving tomorrow

[Jane2357]

I think all side have very valid points however if I were on this cruise - I too would be crushed. I do think that anytime you book a cruise to an area that is known to be unstable - and yes Israel is unstable even when things are quiet - you have to know that you are taking a gamble. Things in that region can change quickly.

 

I've been fortunate to have land traveled Israel in what was a trip of a life time and I understand people's desire to go there. I would suggest a guided land tour - security is so much easier when one can blend into the woodwork as opposed to sailing in on a big ship. Land touring you will have so much more time and an opportunity to see so much more.

 

Frankly when I went - my grown children were unhappy with my choice :cool: - so I think there is always a risk - it was one that I was willing to take. My heart goes out to all of those on this cruise who are disappointed - I'll hope that you can find a way to enjoy the cruise that you get.

 

[upwarduk]

One possible unforeseen consequence of the change of itinerary is the cruise does not now appear to leave the European Union (sailing just to Italy, Greece and Malta). Hence Tax of about 20% may now be added to virtually all purchases on board

 

Aren't all on board purchases tax free?

I bought a iPad mini on our recent Baltic cruise and that was tax free.

It was charged in US $, which is the currency of the ship.

 

Yes. But person should be getting full refund if he /she wishes

 

Celebrity have always refunded cancelled excursions as OBC.

Edited October 16, 2015 by upwarduk

[richstowe]

Are you serious! The title of your post is total out of context!!! By doing this, Celebrity is protecting your life! If you're watching the news you should know that this is not a good place to go right now. And Cruise lines can't predict what will happen in the world.

 

I am also on this cruise, and I think all of you who are not on the cruise really don't have any place to comment. Many of us booked the cruise ONLY because of the ports in Israel. I have been to every other port multiple times and three out of the four new ports, the one exception being now the FIFTH stop in Greece. IT'S VERY EASY TO TALK WHEN IT'S NOT YOU WHO ARE BEING AFFECTED. AND I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT CELEBRITY IS "SAVING OUR LIVES". They are protecting themselves pure and simple.

After Muslim terrorists killed passengers on a museum tour from two cruise ships ,the MSC Splendida and the Costa Fascinosa, the entire industry has been hyper concerned about mid-east violence . It is however alarmist to say "Celebrity is protecting your life!" . Would they be saving my life by banning any passenger who ever had previous health issue from cruising because something might happen ? Or not let me disembark at any port because of any possible danger . Perhaps cruises shouldn't leave from dangerous cities like Miami or New York in order to protect our lives .

 

The odds of a specific tourist being harmed in Israel are (and have always been) infinitesimally small . I understand the cancellation but the danger is much more perception then actual .

Edited October 16, 2015 by richstowe

[CanadianDee]

I'm concerned daily for my family and friends there.

 

Thanks for perspective.

 

Difficult for those whose ports have been cancelled, to be sure, but truly an amended cruise ship itinerary is certainly a first world difficulty.

[cruise kitty]

 

 

Guests who purchased shore excursions in Ashdod and Haifa through Celebrity Cruises will have those funds refunded to them in the form of an onboard credit. This refund may be used to book future shore excursion, or for any purchases onboard.

 

Our Guest Services staff is available to assist you, should you have any further questions.

We truly regret having to take this action, but feel it is in the best interest of all our guests. Our entire onboard team will continue to do our very best to make the rest of your sailing as enjoyable as possible." [/i][/color]

 

.

 

Completely unacceptable, what I don't understand, is why doesn't Celebrity step up & do the right thing in the first place? (refunding all shore excursions for Israel in full) you know in the end that's what they'll have to do, so why make such a bad PR move in the first place?

[DYKWIA]

Aren't all on board purchases tax free?

I bought a iPad mini on our recent Baltic cruise and that was tax free.

It was charged in US $, which is the currency of the ship.

 

.

 

On your Baltic Cruise - Russia and Norway are both non EU ports for the purposes of Duty Free.

 

A cruise that doesn't have a non EU port on it is itinerary is liable to have VAT added to purchases made at the prevailing rate for the duration of the cruise. If your cruise calls in at one non EU port on its itinerary then the whole cruise is VAT free

Common ports on a schedule that aren't actually in the EU (or have Duty Free status) and therefore make your cruise Duty Free are

 

Gibraltar

Montenegro

Turkey

Russia

Faroe Islands

Iceland

Israel

Norway

Ukraine

The Canaries

Guernsey (I think)

 

Several threads on this and other forums by people who have been shocked at 20% added to all on board purchases on cruises that Just do Italy & France for example. Same thing happens on these 2 and 3 day mini cruises to France and Belgium.

[hobunny]

We are booked next week on Constellation with a very similar itinerary and are now fully expecting the same to happen to us. We too chose this cruise for a much awaited visit to the holy lands. We to will be dissappointed but value our safety:(

[RiotAct]

If this is indeed true, then SHAME on Celebrity!! :mad: That is totally unacceptable.... if I had pre-paid them MONEY for an excursion, then I would want my MONEY back!! NOT AN OBC!!

 

My sympathies to all whose cruise has been affected, but safety and security must always take precedence. Period.

 

Safe travels everyone....

 

Agreed... that's pretty effed up. The itinerary change wasn't the customers ' fault, so why not make them whole again? Although, I'm sure many people would be able to find ways to spend that OBC.

[Got2Cruise]

Really?? Tell me what you would do for two days and a night on your fourth stop in Athens? Once you have been to the Acropolis, there really isn't much else of interest. Shopping for junk in the Plaka?

 

If the State Department have issued a warning against traveling to Israel, I would take Celebrity's position more seriously!

 

I have had ports of call changed on almost every cruise I've ever taken. It's never been a big deal. But this IS a big deal, this is a very unique itinerary and the only thing different about it is the Israel ports. That's what makes it so disappointing. And to add insult to injury, they waited until the very last minute to make the announcement. Obviously they have been planning this for a while, since they have had time to add these additional ports, and it would really have been nice if they would've alerted us before we left home!

 

 

I subscribe to the UK.gov travel advisories. I don't trust U.S. Advisories as much. UK.gov has issued travel advisories pertaining to travel to Isreal.

[Langley Cruisers]

Although, I'm sure many people would be able to find ways to spend that OBC.

 

As a comparison, we booked and paid for well over $1000.00 in ship's excursions for our Europe trip (yes, more expensive than DIY but that was what was comfortable for us). I'd be choked if the itinerary was changed and the refund was in OBC. I do not drink, we do not gamble, and that just sounds like a heckuva jewelry purchase for my DH. :(:p

 

I guess we'll see what happens here.

 

I asked in another post earlier: can OBC be refunded out in cash from the casino (for a fee)?

 

.

[wwcruisers]

Someone will correct me if I'm wrong but I think you can cash out that remaining OBC in the casino (for a fee, of course).

 

Karen -- last time I checked, the casino would cash your OBC out, for a 5% service charge. In light these most unusual circumstances, wouldn't it be great if Celebrity offered to waive that fee, on this particular cruise? :cool:

 

And yep, it sounds like these folks really need to vent a little. Were I in their shoes, I would too. :(

[wrk2cruise]

I think you might find that the OBC issued for the canceled shore excursions might be in the form of Refundable OBC where if not used during the cruise will be refunded to the credit card used.

 

With the short notice I think doing OBC is maybe the most expedient way of doing the accounting. It can all be done on the ship. Of course they would love for you to use it onboard. I'd check with guest services once onboard to see if that specific OBC is refundable.

[CHEZMARYLOU]

I understand the disappointment of booking a cruise months ahead of time and then having the itinerary changed. However, I think Celebrity is doing the right thing for the safety of the passengers and crew.

 

As to the on board credit for booked excursions, Celebrity has 2 types of on board credits, non-refundable and refundable, which means any unspent refundable credit is applied back as a credit to your credit card. I can't imagine Celebrity issuing a non-refundable credit in this instance.

[CathyCruises]

On the first day do a private tour to Delphi or Argolis. This are 9-10 hour tours so they work for an over night, but too long for a single day.

 

We have been to Corinth, Mycenae, and Napflion on a prior trip and I really enjoyed that day a lot. Unfortunately at this point we don't have a lot of time to seek out tours in any of these ports. We had been considering taking the ferry to Hydra, and that has become much more realistic now. But I really appreciate the constructive suggestions, thank you!

Edited October 16, 2015 by CathyCruises

[Celebrity Cruises]

We have been closely monitoring the security situation in Israel, we have decided, in an abundance of caution, to cancel Celebrity Silhouette’s call to Jerusalem (Ashdod) and Haifa, Israel.

 

Instead, Celebrity Silhouette will now call to Catania, Italy; Chania, Greece; and Santorini, Rhodes, Greece.

 

We truly regret having to take this action, but feel it is in the best interest of all our guests. The safety and security of our guests and crew members is always foremost in our minds. Our shipboard team looks forward to welcoming you onboard, and will do everything they can to make your sailing as pleasurable as possible.

[TKS]

Sorry you lost your Israel port stops. I would have been sad too.

 

In 2013 we were on a Suez Canal cruise that spent time in both Israel and in Egypt (Luxor). We managed to keep Israel, although it was touch and go due to troubles there, but we lost Luxor. I too was very sad. However, we met many wonderful people on the cruise, we were treated very well by ship's crew, and we made the best of the situation.

 

Will I ever be back to Luxor? Don't know. I just keep reminding myself I'm SO LUCKY to be able to see so MANY things in the world a middle-class kid in 1970 never thought possible.

 

I find my list of things to see/experience gets longer as my time to see them dwindles. Therefore, I just try to be positive when cruise itineraries change, as they often seem to these days. Being "pissed," as someone called it earlier in this thread, only serves to ruin the rest of the cruise. Try to keep your head high and a smile on your face. Or, if that doesn't work, imagine if Israel hadn't been cancelled and someone from onboard (maybe not even you) was hurt or killed during the stop. Now THAT would ruin the cruise - for everyone - and you would all blame Celebrity for not taking security seriously enough. It's a no-win situation all the way around. Acting on the conservative side is, most certainly, the safest for everyone. I have to believe you will all think this once you are over the shock and sense of loss.

[cle-guy]

Aren't all on board purchases tax free?

I bought a iPad mini on our recent Baltic cruise and that was tax free.

It was charged in US $, which is the currency of the ship.

 

 

 

Celebrity have always refunded cancelled excursions as OBC.

 

And that OBC is fully refundable, so it boils down to this poster can't get cash today, but will get it on the ship. Bottom line they are refunded, assuming they purchased through X. Likely it's due to the short timing, usually there is a 4 day cutoff to cancel pre-bought items prior to sailing, after which time the refunds have to be settled on board, and can then be refunded to the account used on board, or in cash.

[CathyCruises]

We have been closely monitoring the security situation in Israel, we have decided, in an abundance of caution, to cancel Celebrity Silhouette’s call to Jerusalem (Ashdod) and Haifa, Israel.

 

Instead, Celebrity Silhouette will now call to Catania, Italy; Chania, Greece; and Santorini, Rhodes, Greece.

 

We truly regret having to take this action, but feel it is in the best interest of all our guests. The safety and security of our guests and crew members is always foremost in our minds. Our shipboard team looks forward to welcoming you onboard, and will do everything they can to make your sailing as pleasurable as possible.

 

Thank you. However I'm sure you understand that for those of us who booked this cruise specifically to go to Israel, this is a major disappointment. I would never have wasted my precious vacation time and dollars on the revised itinerary. Five ports in Greece for a total of six days is just over-the-top. Surely there had to be availability in some other country rather than this incredible redundancy. On top of which, notifying us of this decision at the very very last minute has left us very little opportunity to make any kind of plans for these new ports. A little more advance notice would've been appreciated when at least we could have had some options. I certainly hope that Celebrity will take this into account when we board.

Cathy

Cabin 6257

Edited October 16, 2015 by CathyCruises

[peteukmcr]

One possible unforeseen consequence of the change of itinerary is the cruise does not now appear to leave the European Union (sailing just to Italy, Greece and Malta). Hence Tax of about 20% may now be added to virtually all purchases on board.

As the sailing is visiting Kusadasi then no VAT should be charged as Turkey is not in the EU.

 

If the cruise was not visiting a non-EU port then as the ship sets sail from Italy, then the prevailing Italian VAT rate of 22% would be levied to all onboard purchases as we experienced on our recent Constellation sailing even though it terminated in Turkey (Istanbul) as this wasn't seen as a port of call, but a port of disembarkation.

 

If not visiting a non-EU port, in addition to charging VAT, there would be no onboard sale of duty free alcohol or tobacco.

 

Aren't all on board purchases tax free?

I bought a iPad mini on our recent Baltic cruise and that was tax free.

Not in all cases in the Mediterranean as detailed above.

[gek]

Refundable OBC is the most sensible way for Celebrity to refund cancelled shore excursions. Until the actual date of the planned excursion has passed then it remains a possibility that it may go ahead if the decision to bypass these ports is suddenly reversed. Unlikely I know, particularly in these circumstances but imagine the chaos that would ensue if an excursion was cancelled, refunded and then had to be completely rebooked en route.

 

Also, it's the quickest way to get the money back to the customer. The standard refund process takes weeks to occur. Chances are you wouldn't be refunded until well after you got home. With OBC you'll have access to your money as soon as your get on board and it will allow you to book excursions in the new ports. After the cruise the remaining amount well be refunded to your credit card.

 

The whole situation is unfortunate but it's one of the risks of cruising. I'd be upset too but I can't see that Celebrity have done anything wrong.

[vkb2751]

We have been closely monitoring the security situation in Israel, we have decided, in an abundance of caution, to cancel Celebrity Silhouette’s call to Jerusalem (Ashdod) and Haifa, Israel.

 

Instead, Celebrity Silhouette will now call to Catania, Italy; Chania, Greece; and Santorini, Rhodes, Greece.

 

We truly regret having to take this action, but feel it is in the best interest of all our guests. The safety and security of our guests and crew members is always foremost in our minds. Our shipboard team looks forward to welcoming you onboard, and will do everything they can to make your sailing as pleasurable as possible.

 

We are on the 10/23 sailing on Constellation. When will the announcement cancelling Israel and new itinerary be made for our cruise?

[dabear]

We also are on the Constellation cruise sailing one week later. We've already lost one day in Istanbul without a replacement port (only X cruise that did not have a replacement). Now there is a real possibility that Israel could be cancelled, which was the main reason for this cruise. While I understand the safety issues, please don't tell us not to be disappointed. We also bought insurance, but since the US State Dept has issued only a "travel warning" & not a "terrorist event", last February and has not changed it due to recent events, cancellation is not covered. Don't tell me to buy "any reason to cancel" insurance as the cost is outrageously expensive. We've paid alot for upgrade for our air. If we wanted a Greek Island & beach cruise, we wouldn't have chosen to go in October. Possibly we've wasted alot of money. if Celebrity doesn't step up to the plate in some manner if Israel is cancelled, we're through with them.

Edited October 16, 2015 by dabear

[compman9]

Hi, op here. Read everyone's comments with interest. Especially enjoyed those that said tough, or words to that effect - hopefully they will have a vacation they have waited a year for ruined for them one day soon

 

I do not need a cruise line to look after my safety - i would never have been allowed to go to London for work while the ira were active if they were in charge

 

I would have happily signed a waiver exonerating them while I was in Israel

 

Just as big an issue of missing the whole point of this trip is the fact that it is due to rain in Greece for much of the week they are planning there while Israel basks in 30 degrees

 

I feel for the front desk staff tomorrow - it could be a long day for them

 

I will still have a good time on my med cruise that I have paid twice as much for as if it were advertised as a med cruise, but it's certainly taught me a lesson for future vacation plans

[Rosethorn40]

Hi, op here. Read everyone's comments with interest. Especially enjoyed those that said tough, or words to that effect - hopefully they will have a vacation they have waited a year for ruined for them one day soon

 

I do not need a cruise line to look after my safety - i would never have been allowed to go to London for work while the ira were active if they were in charge

 

I would have happily signed a waiver exonerating them while I was in Israel

 

Just as big an issue of missing the whole point of this trip is the fact that it is due to rain in Greece for much of the week they are planning there while Israel basks in 30 degrees

 

I feel for the front desk staff tomorrow - it could be a long day for them

 

I will still have a good time on my med cruise that I have paid twice as much for as if it were advertised as a med cruise, but it's certainly taught me a lesson for future vacation plans

 

That's just mean. I understand that you are upset, and your emotions are justified (Because they are YOUR feelings, and you have the right to your feelings, and opinions), but to wish ruined vacations on everyone that doesn't agree with your point of view? I was feeling sorry for you. I still do, but for a different reason.

[DrivesLikeMario]

I'm sure Celebrity is looking at it as a business decision...a good business decision. You have to realize Celebrity is in the business to make money, not lose money, and harm their reputation.

 

Think about it from a loss prevention standpoint - if the ship is bombed or high-jacked when it's in a port that is currently not considered "safe" or passengers are injured while in port, then Celebrity's insurance policy most likely won't cover that loss. All of those passengers who have bought outside insurance probably wouldn't be covered either. Can you imagine the nightmare of issues they'd be up against if they made an unsafe decision? And the tons of money they'd lose?

Edited October 16, 2015 by DrivesLikeMario