Celebrity just ruined my cruise leaving tomorrow

[upwarduk]

Can't you just cancel and file a claim with the insurance. I believe Celebrity gives you a 75% credit on a future cruise.

 

 

Be very careful, until you read the small print, you don't know exactly what you are covered for.

We recently cancelled a cruise, as an investment had gone 'belly up.'

I rang our insurance company, and we were only covered if we had been made redundant. That is impossible, as we are retired.

Celebrity gave us nothing towards a future cruise.

I would go and enjoy myself. You could do a land trip later, if you really want to visit Israel.

[florisdekort]

I'm sorry this happened to you and I'm sorry for some of the reactions on here dismissing your concerns. Fact is that neither the U.S. nor the EU are recommending against travel to Israel, so this is a unilateral decision by Celebrity. Given that they charge a ~50% premium for Holy Land cruises, they owe you a significant refund for changing the itinerary into a boring standard med cruise.

[NorbertsNiece]

Those of us not on the cruise have every right to comment as this is an open forum.

 

The violence in the region has escalated over the past few days with random, unannounced, and localised attacks. I was on board Rhapsody in May, in Ashdod, when a bomb struck the town in the early evening. I was on deck at the time. We had to leave immediately, leaving people ashore. We ported, as expected, the next day in Haifa. We were advised to not travel further south than Hadera.

 

You do NOT want to be in Israel right now (I know, you do..... figure of speech). I'm concerned daily for my family and friends there. I'm sorry your cruise has been impacted. Really I am. But your safety, your life, is way more important than a visit to the Kotel.

Edited October 16, 2015 by NorbertsNiece

[Demonyte]

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. ... IT'S VERY EASY TO TALK WHEN IT'S NOT YOU WHO ARE BEING AFFECTED.

 

You have the right to have your opinion as we not on that cruise have the right for ours.

 

Personally (and having familiarized myself with the terms of the contract I agree to when making a big purchase, like a cruise) I feel that booking a specific cruise because of one port/country is a wrong reason to book the cruise because besides the political situation there are number of other reasons why a cruise itinerary may need to be changed - as already explained also by others in this thread.

 

Sorry that your plans don't work out, but this is the reality of the cruise travel.

[Wiltonian]

 

So we get an overnight in Athens, when in my opinion Athens needs a half a day at most.

 

Difficult to take seriously anything else you wrote after that comment.

 

The situation in Israel / Palestine is more chaotic than in Istanbul. I think Celebrity have called this one correctly.

 

Stuart

Edited October 16, 2015 by Wiltonian

[CathyCruises]

Difficult to take seriously anything else you wrote after that comment.

 

The situation in Israel / Palestine is more chaotic than in Istanbul. I think Celebrity have called this one correctly.

 

Stuart

 

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!

Edited October 16, 2015 by CathyCruises

[kenevenpar]

Be very careful, until you read the small print, you don't know exactly what you are covered for.

We recently cancelled a cruise, as an investment had gone 'belly up.'

I rang our insurance company, and we were only covered if we had been made redundant. That is impossible, as we are retired.

Celebrity gave us nothing towards a future cruise.

I would go and enjoy myself. You could do a land trip later, if you really want to visit Israel.

 

I was speaking to Celebrity's cruise protection, which does include a cruise credit in the case of a non-covered cancellation (at least in the US).

[cadburysmom]

My heart goes out to the OP and others on this ship.:(

 

Sure, safety first, but come on...these folks have spent a lot of time and money planning for a cruise that will now never be. They have a right to be somewhat upset. I'd be pissed, too. Who, wouldn't??

 

Let's cut them some slack and instead be a bit more supportive.

[cruisemom42]

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?

 

 

Cathy, I know you don't mean that. It's just frustration talking. :o

 

Have you been to Eleusis, where the Mysteries took place? (Short drive outside Athens and fascinating half-day, at least): http://www.visit-ancient-greece.com/eleusis.html

 

Have you visited the excellent National Archaeology Museum in Athens? Or the small but treasure-filled Archaeological Museum in Piraeus, walkable from the port?

 

(There's also the Benaki Museum, and the museum housed in Heinrich Schleimann's mansion, worth a visit just to see the decor).

 

A visit by ferry to Aegina?

 

I could go on..... Somehow I've managed to fill a week in Athens in the past not to mention many port stops.

[BigB1953]

Very disappointed that our three days in Israel are cancelled. We have been to other ports now offered. Very disappointed in Celebrity stating it would not refund the excursions in Israel that we booked and paid for before we left home. They are only offering a ship board credit. The least they can do is refund the celebrity sponsored shore excursions scheduled in Israel in full. We already have a large ship board credit and would prefer our money back!

 

Lasr Celebrity cruise in April through the Panama Canal had norvo virus. embarkation delayed by 7 hours, library closed.

 

Although we realize these events are not their fault, it seems they could do a better job by at least refunding our shore excursions that we cannot take. Years ago, we were on Carnival and unable to go into the port city for Florence because of high waves. Our prepaid shore excursion was refunded in full!

[CathyCruises]

Cathy, I know you don't mean that. It's just frustration talking. :o

 

Have you been to Eleusis, where the Mysteries took place? (Short drive outside Athens and fascinating half-day, at least): http://www.visit-ancient-greece.com/eleusis.html

 

Have you visited the excellent National Archaeology Museum in Athens? Or the small but treasure-filled Archaeological Museum in Piraeus, walkable from the port?

 

(There's also the Benaki Museum, and the museum housed in Heinrich Schleimann's mansion, worth a visit just to see the decor).

 

A visit by ferry to Aegina?

 

I could go on..... Somehow I've managed to fill a week in Athens in the past not to mention many port stops.

Thanks, Cynthia and Mariah. Yes, I AM very frustrated. Crushed. I will check out some of these alternatives to Athens, and try to make the best of it. There are just so many places I would rather have gone than the ports they have chosen! I am going to try to slap on my happy face and get over it--but people telling me how I SHOULD feel don't help at all!!:rolleyes: A little understanding goes a long way.

[RDC1]

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!

 

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.

[ScarlettMLB]

I understand the frustration. While many say don't plan cruises based on ports, that's what I do. So I'd be upset if I really wanted to see a port and it were cancelled. But Celebrity is in an impossible position here and I think they made the best decision they could. Yes, it's a bit of a protect themselves position, but by protecting themselves they're protecting their passengers, too.

 

And it's annoying that it's last minute but these things are so volatile and if they called it 2 weeks ahead and things got better, then people would be annoyed that they could have gone after all. So it sounds like they waited until the very last minute to make the call, so they could have the most up-to-date information by with to make their information. It sounds like they did everything they could to NOT have to make that call.

 

I've only been to Athens once and years ago (and not on a cruise) - I absolutely loved it. The thing that stands out in my mind that we did at night was an open air cinema. We went in summer, so I don't know if any are still open in the fall. However, some rooftops have movie theaters on top - it's not very touristy and I really felt like I was experiencing part of the culture.

http://www.greeka.com/blog/greece/athens-greece/athens-open-air-cinemas-special-thing-city

 

Otherwise I'd take the time to have a nice dinner in a local restaurant and find some kind of cultural performance - music or dancing or theater. The kind of thing you can't do in a regular cruise stop, because it's at night. Hopefully they'll give you some OBC to ease the blow, so even if you don't have an internet package, maybe you can spend a few minutes on a sea day researching. Greece has such a rich history of music and theater, it'd be great to take in a performance over there.

[DYKWIA]

I'm sorry this happened to you and I'm sorry for some of the reactions on here dismissing your concerns. Fact is that neither the U.S. nor the EU are recommending against travel to Israel, so this is a unilateral decision by Celebrity. Given that they charge a ~50% premium for Holy Land cruises, they owe you a significant refund for changing the itinerary into a boring standard med cruise.

 

The cruises to Israel with X when we looked this year were very cheap - much cheaper than other European cruises. We were at one time considering this cruise.

 

Most of us only know what is going on in these countries from what we read, what the government tells us or what relatives tell us - we don't know what is going on behind the scenes and what intelligence might be being shared with the Cruise Lines that informs the decisions they make. Cruise ship tourists have been targeted this year.

 

My wife and I would love to do a longer cruise around the Eastern Med - and down towards Turkey / Istanbul next year and yes there are cruises available next year. But we are nervous about the situation in Turkey / Israel and don't see it being resolved any time soon. We wouldn't book a cruise for next year there at the moment and wonder if Celebrity should be looking to alter the itineraries for next years cruises. This time last year I seem to recall the Black Sea and Ukraine was on several itineraries - I think they all got changed.

 

My sympathies to those who have had this last minute change.

[Langley Cruisers]

Very disappointed in Celebrity stating it would not refund the excursions in Israel that we booked and paid for before we left home. They are only offering a ship board credit...

 

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).

[Pickels]

So let me see if I understand...you wouldn't mind, or be concerned, if Celebrity DIDN'T change the stop to Israel, and you risk life and limb due to a bombing while you toured the country. Don't you pay attention to the news? Don't you know what 's going on in that country? Celebrity was thinking of your safety.

[Pickels]

So let me see if I understand...you wouldn't mind, or be concerned, if Celebrity DIDN'T change the stop to Israel, and you risk life and limb due to a bombing while you toured the country. Don't you pay attention to the news? Don't you know what 's going on in that country? Celebrity was thinking of your safety.

[tgwabd]

Originally Posted by BigB1953 View Post

Very disappointed in Celebrity stating it would not refund the excursions in Israel that we booked and paid for before we left home. They are only offering a ship board credit...

 

If you booked tours with Celebrity you will get a refund from them, and if you booked with a non Celebrity private tour, they tour company should refund your money and I am sure that they will because they do not want bad publicity if they don't. Celebrity is under no obligation to refund you for a private tour.

Edited October 16, 2015 by tgwabd

[cruise kitty]

I can completely understand the frustration & disappointment of the people on this cruise, it's one thing to miss a port, it's another to have the fundamental nature of the entire cruise changed; i.e., you booked a Holy Land cruise, & now you're on a Greek cruise, with no real time to make good plans.

 

I think part of the frustration is with the way Celebrity is handling the situation, chance are that they have known for a few days now that they were canceling/changing out all the Israel ports.

 

I'm sure that 90% of the people taking this trip have been in Rome for some days now, & many of them aren't even aware of the changes, I know I wouldn't be, we usually go at least 5 to 7 days ahead, & I'm not checking my email when gone, but DH is... all of our X email goes to my address, not his.

 

The fact that X is not offering to refund for their excursions is shocking, offering an OBC instead does not compensate those who booked Celebrity's overpriced excursions, & most probably booked private excursions... If Celebrity had given a few days more notice people would have had more time to adjust, even if X hadn't yet announced exactly what the new ports would be.

 

I imagine there are going to be some shocked/disappointed folks boarding in a few hours who had no idea that these changes had been made, & that X is going to come up with a more satisfactory compensation.

[hcat]

My heart goes out to the OP and others on this ship.:(

 

Sure, safety first, but come on...these folks have spent a lot of time and money planning for a cruise that will now never be. They have a right to be somewhat upset. I'd be pissed, too. Who, wouldn't??

 

Let's cut them some slack and instead be a bit more supportive.

 

My heart goes out to the people living in the affected areas....someone I know has a very sick elderly relative in Jerusalem who they would like to visit, but was advised not to travel there right now....

 

Violence and safety concerns have been an issue for awhile...yes it is disappointing to say the least but I would not want to be taken to an unsafe port...even if I stayed on board!

[Langley Cruisers]

From the Roll Call, I picked out a post that has the Celebrity e-mail with revised info. Indeed this is heartbreaking. One member said 3 years of planning and $15,000 down the drain. I completely understand the disappointment here, and on the Roll Call.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=48030526&postcount=2452

 

"Dear Celebrity Silhouette Guest,

 

I am writing to provide you with important information regarding a change to our scheduled port calls to Jerusalem (Ashdod) and Haifa, Israel.

 

As you may be aware, Israel has been experiencing some recent hostilities in areas around Ashdod and Haifa, the security situation has undergone a shift and violence has escalated. Based on information we have received from our local sources regarding the current security concerns in Israel, we believe the safest course is the best course. Therefore, we are canceling our port calls to Jerusalem (Ashdod) and Haifa.

 

While we will no longer visit Israel, we will sail to exciting ports of call in Italy and Greece.

 

Celebrity Silhouette’s revised itinerary:

 

Date Day Port Arrive Depart

10/17/2015 Sat Civitavecchia 5:00 PM

10/18/2015 Sun Naples 7:00 AM 6:30 PM

10/19/2015 Mon Catania 10:00 AM 7:00 PM

10/20/2015 Tue At Sea

10/21/2015 Wed Chania 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

10/22/2015 Thu Santorini 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

10/23/2015 Fri Rhodes 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

10/24/2015 Sat Kusadasi 8:00 AM 6:00 PM

10/25/2015 Sun Mykonos 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

10/26/2015 Mon Piraeus 9:00 AM

10/27/2015 Tue Piraeus 6:00 PM

10/28/2015 Wed At Sea

10/29/2015 Thu Valletta 8:00 AM 8:00 PM

10/30/2015 Fri At Sea

10/31/2015 Sat Civitavecchia 5:00 AM

 

We apologize for this unexpected development and its impact on your scheduled itinerary. Your safety and that of our crew members is always our foremost concern.

 

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."

 

.

[julia]

Very disappointed that our three days in Israel are cancelled. We have been to other ports now offered. Very disappointed in Celebrity stating it would not refund the excursions in Israel that we booked and paid for before we left home. They are only offering a ship board credit. The least they can do is refund the celebrity sponsored shore excursions scheduled in Israel in full. We already have a large ship board credit and would prefer our money back!

 

Lasr Celebrity cruise in April through the Panama Canal had norvo virus. embarkation delayed by 7 hours, library closed.

 

Although we realize these events are not their fault, it seems they could do a better job by at least refunding our shore excursions that we cannot take. Years ago, we were on Carnival and unable to go into the port city for Florence because of high waves. Our prepaid shore excursion was refunded in full!

 

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....

[DYKWIA]

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.

[GOLDENBONNY]

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.

 

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

[TeaBag]

I feel sorry for all the passengers on this cruise. I do think, however, that Celebrity is thinking of their safety. I would not be comfortable touring in Israel right now.

 

I do agree 100% with those who are outraged at the refunded excursions in the form of an OBC. I wonder if those affected could take this up with their Credit Card company and get the money refunded that way? Yes, they can get cash in the casino by paying the 5% fee.