Celebrity management ignores Puerto Rico warnings....just of bunch of CLOWNS!

[Mercruiser]

We are traveling on the summit on 10/28/2017.. . .. American Airlines won't refund our money either and they have no flights the day of. .

 

Your statement does not seem correct. American has four nonstop flights from Miami to SJU on 10/28. All four have seats available and all four get you there early enough for boarding. AA has two non stops from DFW on 10/28. (You are from Texas?) They are selling seats for $128 one way.

 

AA has been very flexible at changing itineraries. I am on the 11/11 Summit sailing. AA allowed me to change my reservation to fly from SEA to MIA the day before. We overnight at an MIA airport hotel and then get an early flight to SJU. AA didn't charge me anything to make this change. They are being very flexible.

 

There are ways to solve this problem - if you want to solve it.

[Mercruiser]

. . .

 

I would not want to be on the same sailing as the OP.... with their current approach to this situation.

 

bon voyage

 

Alas, I am on the same sailing. The OP also posted this rant on our roll call last night.

[cruzeluver]

Sorry OP, but you got some of your "facts" wrong.

 

Royal has already resumed sailing from PR with Carnival to follow very shortly.

 

Not sure hwy someone felt the need to point out they were travelling with elderly folks. Should X have one set of policies for the young, and another for older folks?

[RickT]

To theOP, please take ANYTHING the Canadian Government says with a grain of salt. Lately they are all about "CYA" and scared of their own shadow.

 

The Canadian government has an Embassy in PR but nothing else that would qualify them as a reliable source of information for any travel warnings to a foreign country.

 

Now, if you want a "Selfie" with our Prime Minister I'm sure they can help you out.

[VacationsRme]

Your statement does not seem correct. American has four nonstop flights from Miami to SJU on 10/28. All four have seats available and all four get you there early enough for boarding. AA has two non stops from DFW on 10/28. (You are from Texas?) They are selling seats for $128 one way.

 

AA has been very flexible at changing itineraries. I am on the 11/11 Summit sailing. AA allowed me to change my reservation to fly from SEA to MIA the day before. We overnight at an MIA airport hotel and then get an early flight to SJU. AA didn't charge me anything to make this change. They are being very flexible.

 

There are ways to solve this problem - if you want to solve it.

You should really get your facts straight before you blast someone. There are NO flights the day of on American. They are all overnight flights from our town which would mean we would miss the ship. They are also $1200.00. I never said American wouldn't work with me. They just don't have any flights the day of the cruise and certainly not for $128.00.

[snyniew]

You should really get your facts straight before you blast someone. There are NO flights the day of on American. They are all overnight flights from our town which would mean we would miss the ship. They are also $1200.00. I never said American wouldn't work with me. They just don't have any flights the day of the cruise and certainly not for $128.00.

 

They did have their facts correct as there are flights from DFW to SJU on the 28th for $128. If you are from Lubbock maybe you should look into driving to DFW vs your small local airport if you are really that concerned about flying in the day before.

[RickT]

To VacationRme, for clarification, did AA originally have a same day flight that worked? If so, is your issue with AA for cancelling that flight?

 

Also, if they did have a flight and cancelled it, can you work with them to fly from Lubbock to DFW the day prior and the catch the direct DFW to SJU flight? An overnight in a hotel in Dallas beats an overnight flight anytime.

Edited October 9, 2017 by RickT

[Bo1953]

You should really get your facts straight before you blast someone. There are NO flights the day of on American. They are all overnight flights from our town which would mean we would miss the ship. They are also $1200.00. I never said American wouldn't work with me. They just don't have any flights the day of the cruise and certainly not for $128.00.

 

Understanding, better now, you want the convenience of only leaving from your home town airport which has limited air services, which is fine. (I rather prefer that option as well, yet often times we have to travel up to 90 minutes to our nearest preferred international airport).

 

 

DFW, Which appears to be five to six (5-6) hours away from the location shown in your profile, is a major International airport that offers more frequent flights. This may necessitate going the day before/after your flight, due to the ages of your fellow travelers, that make connections to/from SJU more feasible in the total scheme of things.

 

I Am sure AA will accommodate that type of change to be sure, considering the situation at hand.

 

 

Is this ideal or convenient, possibly not, is this optimal for travel logistics to/from international destinations, most likely so.

 

Ultimately, you and your companions will have to decide what to do regardless. There are options out there for sure.

 

If you choose to sail, please enjoy the time away.

 

bon voyage

[richsea]

Canadian government has issued a AVOID ALL TRAVEL to Puerto Rico and also a ZIKA VIRUS warning/alert for all citizens to AVOID ALL TRAVEL TO PR.

 

Celebrity management refuses to cancel the Summit cruises or even give customers rebook options without penalty.

 

Carnival, RCL and Holland have canceled all stops in PR rest of 2017.

 

Celebrity customer service says all is great in PR don't worry..it is all FAKE NEWS!

 

WOW! Just a bunch of liars and CROOKS!

 

https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/puerto

 

While I sympathize with you,I do think you are over reacting a bit. I your hotel is not open, start looking for a back up, vefore all the rooms are gone. What if Celebrity cancelled your cruise and gave you a refund, but you lost $$ due to airfare. Would you then blame Celecrity for that, or would you be posting that the airline is a cheat and liar!

 

And lastly, WTH is "FAKE NEWS"? Does that mean anything you do not agree with, like a certain tweeter?

[Bo1953]

While I sympathize with you,I do think you are over reacting a bit. I your hotel is not open, start looking for a back up, vefore all the rooms are gone. What if Celebrity cancelled your cruise and gave you a refund, but you lost $$ due to airfare. Would you then blame Celecrity for that, or would you be posting that the airline is a cheat and liar!

 

And lastly, WTH is "FAKE NEWS"? Does that mean anything you do not agree with, like a certain tweeter?

 

:loudcry: ROFL Thanks

[Cruise Raider]

They did have their facts correct as there are flights from DFW to SJU on the 28th for $128. If you are from Lubbock maybe you should look into driving to DFW vs your small local airport if you are really that concerned about flying in the day before.

 

Spot on!

When we book cruises down in the Caribbean during hurricane season, we know ahead of time that we might need to exercise some flexibility in our plans.

Sometimes it feels like a necessity to rant when things don't go our way but it's always better in the long run to start working on alternatives as soon as we've gotten it off our chest. I see that cruise (which is incredibly inexpensive!) doesn't depart from San Juan until 8:30 PM. Would it be a possibility to change to a flight the day of the sailing? I think all onboard wouldn't be until 6 PM, maybe even 7 PM considering the circumstances!

 

I can't help thinking, though...how would all the other passengers that are scheduled to go into San Jose feel had their embarkation / debarkation port be changed? Yikes! It is a tricky situation now but think it could end up being a lot worse. Plus, we still have a couple months of an active hurricane season ahead of us so some further changes are not out of the realm of possibilities. I, too, have a Caribbean cruise planned for 3 weeks from now. I have planned for most possibilities, including taking my lumps if I need to cancel or reroute.

If the OP still doesn't want to go, 75% is certainly better than nothing. It would sting, for sure, but also be a live and learn moment.

[miched]

Copied off of Celebrity’s website under port updates

 

“This US territory suffered greatly from hurricanes Irma and Maria. The damage to the entire island was extensive. Recent reports indicate that cruise facilities were not as badly damaged as initially thought, and power has been restored to both cruise terminals.

Island officials have cleared the island to use gangways on the piers for cruise embarkation and debarkation until the covered cruise terminals are fully back in order. The airport is operational, and most airlines have resumed flights to San Juan.

If you have flights reserved, check with your airline to confirm your flights. Assessments of the tourist venues are ongoing.

We plan to sail from Puerto Rico aboard Celebrity Summit® beginning on October 28. We plan to visit San Juan as a port of call on November 21 aboard Celebrity Silhouette®.”

OP is worrying about nothing. A lot will be done in a month.

Key West, St Maarten, and St Thomas will all open to cruise ships in Nov.

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌞

[iancal]

Lots of misinformation floating about. We do not care vary much about Gov't advisories. They tend to be CYA. We make our own decisions.

 

We are actually contemplating booking a last minute Summit cruise in early December. Pricing is good and it appears that things are progressing in PR. Might be fine by late November or early December. Much can happen/change in 30-60 days.

[cruzeluver]

Key West, St Maarten, and St Thomas will all open to cruise ships in Nov.

Actually Key West is already accepting ships. Has been for a couple of weeks now.

[richsea]

Actually Key West is already accepting ships. Has been for a couple of weeks now.

Key West was on our original October 27 Equinox sailing with stop there on November 5. Celebrity notified us on September 19 that it has been replaced with a stop at Falmouth, Jamaica on the 11/4. I know that Key West is now accepting ships, but Celebrity has not reversed their call. No biggie to us, although we were looking forward to Key West.

 

We have a sailing booked on Royal Princess in January, with stops in St. Thomas and Dominica, & received an email the other day advising us that there may be changes to our itinerary depending upon conditions at the affected islands.

 

In both cases, I would prefer that the cruise line be safe rather than sorry.

[Tommy3putts]

I was on the Empress of the Seas Sept 23-27. We visited KW on the 24th.

[Tommy3putts]

Yes booked on the Summit 11-18 Thanksgiving cruise. Celebrity will not rebook us without massive penalty since we are already fully paid. They are GREEDY and just flat out do not care at all about the welfare of its customers. LAST TIME I EVER WILL DO BUSINESS WITH THE CRUISELINE.

 

 

 

To the OP. As stated above, as of now PR is resuming cruise operations. Instead of creating all this drama in the RCI forum with inflammatory rant filled with accusations against RCI as somehow deviating from other cruise lines, why not check out the Puerto Rico Ports of Call Forum. There you will find other cruisers are dealing with the same issues with other cruise lines. There appears to be a lot of useful information. Who knows you may find a more sympathetic ear there.

 

San Juan, PR

 

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?share_fid=24703&share_sfid=131&url=https%3A%2F%2Fboards%2Ecruisecritic%2Ecom%2Fforumdisplay%2Ephp%3F131&share_type=sfhttps://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?share_fid=24703&share_sfid=131&url=https%3A%2F%2Fboards%2Ecruisecritic%2Ecom%2Fforumdisplay%2Ephp%3F131&share_type=sf

 

I hope you go and have a great cruise. PR will need the support from tourism for its recovery efforts.

 

Cheers.

[Mercruiser]

You should really get your facts straight before you blast someone. There are NO flights the day of on American. They are all overnight flights from our town which would mean we would miss the ship. They are also $1200.00. I never said American wouldn't work with me. They just don't have any flights the day of the cruise and certainly not for $128.00.

As others have pointed out, my statement was exactly correct. If you want to solve the problem, there are lots of nice people on CC that can help with very good ideas. They have helped me many times in the past. On the other hand, if you just want to complain, we cannot help you.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Forums mobile app

[Zoedokey]

Sounds like you are only concerned with your pockets and possibly lack of insurance coverage....

 

bon voyage

What an ugly thing to say.

 

It will be months before drinking water and power will be restored to many parts of PR. Hotels are not taking reservations. It is a complete mess and a responsible company will not take part in sending people there.

[sfaaa]

. Celebrity is the only cruise line that continues to ignore reality and wants to put its customers in danger so they do not have to lose $$$$! Not panicking. Just facing the facts. https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/puerto-rico

 

No danger or risk to camp out at the buffet or chill by the pool with a good book and glass of wine. There are options if you are this worry about your own safety.

[kirkandtheresa]

For updates on hotel closures and re-openings, go to Puertoriconow.seepuertorico.com.

That list is highly unreliable. We know of someone that had reservations at one of those hotels and verified the booking 48 hours in advance. When they arrived the hotel was closed. The list shows the Isla Verde being open for reservations after 10/2. They are not open for reservations today 10/9 as per Marriott.com. They canceled our reservation for 11/2 and stated that they would likely not accept guests until after New Years.

[dodger1964]

What an ugly thing to say.

 

It will be months before drinking water and power will be restored to many parts of PR. Hotels are not taking reservations. It is a complete mess and a responsible company will not take part in sending people there.

 

I don't know how bad it is there...just from what has been posted and some news reports, but I just checked and you can reserve hotels... I just put in a random date in late november (expedia and then direct hotel site) and it showed plenty of availability.

[KuffMUp]

I didn't buy insurance on our first cruise. Two people were taken off the ship in Mexico due to medical emergencies. :eek: That woke me up. Bought insurance every time since. I actually had to use it in November 2009 because I smashed my eye on the counter in July that year. I was set to go on our B2B in a suite for our anniversary. The doctors wanted to operate yet again on my eye one week before the cruise and I wouldn't be able to fly. Reluctantly, I cancelled and got all of our money back. At the time, I was trying to save my eyesight but looking back I should have told the docs to operate when I got back or put silicone oil back into my eye so I could go. A very inexpensive lesson.

 

Other cruise lines seem to be able to go out of SJ. We were scheduled in November to go to Ponce PR, St. Thomas, and St. Kitts. Now we get Coco Cay and Aruba. Not your perfect itinerary but at least we aren't doing a western itinerary nor going to Nassau so it will work. When watching the storms I told my DH that I would be willing to go on a cruise to nowhere if it had to happen! At least I'll be on a ship somewhere.

[Bo1953]

What an ugly thing to say.

 

It will be months before drinking water and power will be restored to many parts of PR. Hotels are not taking reservations. It is a complete mess and a responsible company will not take part in sending people there.

 

A statement of potential 'fact' is considered ugly???

 

There is nothing wrong with individuals concerned about their pockets at all... just cutting through the verbiage to the bottom line.

 

As far as It is a complete mess and a responsible company will not take part in sending people there.' You are quite correct, in the way that if in fact it is a complete mess for cruise ships and their passengers.

 

Apparently not that much of a mess if X is choosing to remain committed to their sailing dates!

 

As I stated before, they would have a great liability on their hands if something went awry based on the decision and they know it, their lawyers know it and others know it.

 

Those who may want to cancel can use their travel insurance to do so, if they have the correct policy. If not, then they need to contact X and see what they can work out, if anything.

 

X is abiding by its' Contract of Carriage, as I would expect them to do, rather it be fair or not to the passenger. No transport company really has a 'fair' CoC, but we continue to use them regardless. We may want them to respond to our needs, demands and desires differently from time to time, but they have written down the rules and we need to try and understand them in advance of travel or it is caveat emptor and good luck.

 

 

bon voyage

Edited October 9, 2017 by Bo1953

[Straughn]

Will you also accuse AA for putting all of you at risk as they will fly you there! What is the reason you will not fight with them to refund your money as well, if you believe it is not safe to travel to PR???

 

Did you contact your travel insurance company about this? What is it they say? Usually, most travel insurance plans, third party that is, has provisions about hurricanes and storms which will prevent a sailing from taking place. It is one of the perils covered.

 

Let us know the results of your research on this, with your insurer, who by the way will re-imburse for non-refundable airline flights, too.

 

I understand how this can be distressing, but I believe many are over reacting because they possibly, quite possibly were not pro-active and looking to blame someone else.

 

While your hotel is not 'currently' does not mean it will not be open upon your arrival date or it maybe quite possible that if they cannot open that alternative arrangements can possibly be made for your accommodations. Quite possible, that is if you booked good accommodations and not a small independent property.

 

 

bon voyage

 

Bo1953,

I always love your posts. They get to the heart of the matter. Add to that, this is the first post from this individual.

 

I think we need to take this with a grain of salt. If the poster was truly concerned about the potential health issues, those concerns would far outway the insurance reimbursement.

 

Just my humble opinion.