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

[Hlitner]

We have some (not much) sympathy for the OP.....but suggest they get over it. Flying out of a small regional airport (like Lubbock) will always add to the air cost and create some difficulties. If in the OP's situation we would have considered driving to DFW (about a 5 hour drive) the day before....and then taking a direct flight. But where we are sympathetic is the issue with a pre-cruise hotel (flying into any port a day early is a good idea).

 

So we took a look at the situation and the OP makes little sense. There appear to be quite a few San Juan hotels with available rooms on 11/17 including lower cost places like the Holiday Inn Express and the high end Intercontinental. A few clicks on the internet, using a site like Orbitz or Expedia, would quickly yield a San Juan Hotel....some at sale prices. And consider that AA has a non-stop flight from DFW to SJU! One truth is that part of the Caribbean (including Puerto Rico) is a mess....but that is just the way it is :). I would add that we have a 21 day Caribbean cruise booked in late November (there have already been multiple itinerary changes) and we are looking forward to our annual cruise in those waters. We lose our favorite port (an overnight in St Maarten) but we will simply roll with the waves...while our hearts go out to those in St Maarten as they work to recover from a true disaster.

 

Hank.

[Jade13]

One issue is the hotel situation considering people should be flying in a day earlier. We are on the cruise from San Juan right after Thanksgiving. While our hotel seems to be operational, friends of ours were just informed that the Coral Princess where they were going to stay is closed. We had originally booked that hotel and then canceled.

 

We do not know if there will be enough hotel availability for all of the cruise passengers.

 

 

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[Luvcrusn]

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

I'm confused. What is "potential fact?" It is anything like "fake news?" :confused:

[bouhunter]

d

 

It is a complete mess and a responsible company will not take part in sending people there.

 

Hmmmm, RCCL just sailed from San Juan and from most reports things went quite well:)

[FastandFurious]

Bo1953 I 2 appreciate your comments.I usually need to take mood altering medication to sound so wise and insightful! If you want to read more about San Juan check out our lively Summit Oct. 22 Roll Call! It seems to me that there should be 2 groups that will have different levels of concern. We are simply disembarking and immediately flying out. Based on what I know today I have no concern. But for those trying to make high confidence hotel reservations or want to experience Puerto Rico excursions I understand their anxiety. If you check out our Roll Call you will see that X has been very accommodating for those who have cancelled. Not sure what their policy would be on other cruises. If you know my posting history then you would know I'm not always complimentary.

[Mercruiser]

One issue is the hotel situation considering people should be flying in a day earlier. We are on the cruise from San Juan right after Thanksgiving. While our hotel seems to be operational, friends of ours were just informed that the Coral Princess where they were going to stay is closed. We had originally booked that hotel and then canceled.

 

We do not know if there will be enough hotel availability for all of the cruise passengers.

 

 

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This concern is why I am flying from SEA to MIA the day before, and then from MIA to SJU the morning of the cruise. Seattle is too far away for me to fly all the way on the day of the cruise. I'll stay at a Miami airport hotel the night before the cruise. American airlines was very flexible in allowing me to change my itinerary to accomplish this.

 

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[CruiseZZ1956]

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

It amazes me that Holland, Carnival and RCCL all canceled out their stops in PR because they are actually said they care about their customers safety and providing a relaxing stress free vacation experience. But X could care less except for the dollars of course, IF they did care they would cancel just like the other lines did. Called X customer service again today they were rude at best and would not accommodate any rebook requests. Gave me 3 hotels to call that they are "working with and are open" so tried calling called the hotels they gave me (phone service out) and low and behold then found out they all are closed and not accepting any reservations and have no power currently and don't expect to regain anytime soon. (X lies again) So I will try to make the best of this mess however this X cruise line will never see another dollar from me again. That is the only thing they understand so I will speak their language. Check out X facebook page..they are getting blasted by hundreds if not thousands of people over this inaction on their part.

[CruiseZZ1956]

I'm confused. What is "potential fact?" It is anything like "fake news?" :confused:

You bet, Just call Celebrity customer service and ask. They said the situation in PR is overblown and a bunch of "Fake News".... "Canadian Gov. does not know what is going on in USA".....their words exactly to me!

[sfaaa]

"Canadian Gov. does not know what is going on in USA".....their words exactly to me!

 

Well I would say there is some merit to this statement. Do your neighbors across the street know what's going on in your household?

[upwarduk]

You bet, Just call Celebrity customer service and ask. They said the situation in PR is overblown and a bunch of "Fake News".... "Canadian Gov. does not know what is going on in USA".....their words exactly to me!

 

I am puzzled, why are you using a Canadian government warning( to Travel ) site if you live in Ohio?

 

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

[steamboats]

It amazes me that Holland, Carnival and RCCL all canceled out their stops in PR because they are actually said they care about their customers safety and providing a relaxing stress free vacation experience.

 

The port of Puerto Rico is only open for cruise ship turnovers not for port stops. RCI´s Adventure of the Seas is just on her first trip out of San Juan. Carnival will start next weekend. So is Celebrity. Ships homeported in San Juan are allowed to come in and start their cruises. Ships which have San Juan as a port stop on their itinerary are not allowed to come into the port of San Juan.

 

It´s not just Celebrity ... RCI and Carnival do have cruises out of San Juan up and running too.

 

steamboats

[Tommy3putts]

I am puzzled, why are you using a Canadian government warning( to Travel ) site if you live in Ohio?

 

 

 

This is the best post of the thread

[Tommy3putts]

The port of Puerto Rico is only open for cruise ship turnovers not for port stops. RCI´s Adventure of the Seas is just on her first trip out of San Juan. Carnival will start next weekend. So is Celebrity. Ships homeported in San Juan are allowed to come in and start their cruises. Ships which have San Juan as a port stop on their itinerary are not allowed to come into the port of San Juan.

 

 

 

It´s not just Celebrity ... RCI and Carnival do have cruises out of San Juan up and running too.

 

 

 

steamboats

 

 

 

Agreed. There is plenty of activity going on in the Puerto Rico ports of call thread. Good information on how fellow cruisers are handling the hotel issue.

 

OP’s rant against celebrity is misguided. If he wants to vent he should vent against the cruise line industry as a whole not just Celebrity.

 

I can’t wait to visit San Juan and St Maarten on our February Celebrity cruise.

 

Tom

[Big_G]

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

 

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

 

For clarity purposes, the may have cancelled stops but both Royal and Carnival are still sailing from San Juan.

[dodger1964]

It amazes me that Holland, Carnival and RCCL all canceled out their stops in PR because they are actually said they care about their customers safety and providing a relaxing stress free vacation experience. But X could care less except for the dollars of course, IF they did care they would cancel just like the other lines did. Called X customer service again today they were rude at best and would not accommodate any rebook requests. Gave me 3 hotels to call that they are "working with and are open" so tried calling called the hotels they gave me (phone service out) and low and behold then found out they all are closed and not accepting any reservations and have no power currently and don't expect to regain anytime soon. (X lies again) So I will try to make the best of this mess however this X cruise line will never see another dollar from me again. That is the only thing they understand so I will speak their language. Check out X facebook page..they are getting blasted by hundreds if not thousands of people over this inaction on their part.

 

If you really want to take the cruise I would suggest you go to Expedia dot com and book your hotel. There are many open.

[Jade13]

p - third party insurance is not much more than what one can purchase through the cruise line, yet for decent coverage, yes it does cost more...

 

 

 

Of course most insurance policies, do have deductibles, yet with a third party policy great re-imbursement, in cash that is and NOT a cruise credit.

 

 

 

Given the OP's current rant, what would be more valuable just about this time for cancelling for any reason, cruise credit (with no credit for airline or hotel reservations which may be non-refundable) OR payment in full for non-refundable portions of all travel plans sans cost of the insurance?

 

 

 

to be on the same sailing as the OP.... with their current approach to this situation.

 

 

 

bon voyage

 

 

 

Paulras was specifically commenting on cancel for any reason insurance which is more expensive and typically only covers 75% of the cruise fare. The Celebrity policy covers 75% in the form of credit on a future cruise which, at least in the past, had to be used within a year.

 

The best cancel for any reason is HAL’s cruse protection which covers 95% back on your credit card at 31 days (and 90% back at 30 days up to 24 hours) prior to departure. That can work for some traveling on that line who already have medical they can use out of network.

 

 

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[soccermommy]

OP, I understand part of your frustration. If I were 5 weeks out from a cruise and were unsure of the conditions, I would be upset. But, I think in 5 weeks, you will find things are very different.

Getting San Juan and its tourist areas up an running are a huge priority. How do I know? DH has family on the island.

Already, there are some areas in San Juan with power and Internet, not much, or all that great, but it is improving. I have a feeling there will be places to stay, especially the larger hotel chains. Of course, I can't be sure. who can?

The real uncertainty is outside San Juan. There, people don't have power, unless supplied by generator, gas is available, but rationed, everything is cash, and banks are waiting for more, there is no mail, and people wait in long lines for food and water. Supplies are coming in, but are slow to get to the people who most need them. Zika might be a problem, not that I have heard lately, but that isn't much different from most of the Caribbean, or even Miami. We find good bug repellent works well. DH really wants to go down to help, but at this point he knows he'd just be another mouth to feed.

It seems to me that if you just don't want to deal with the uncertainty, and you either have insurance or can afford the self-insurance, cancel. If you can change your flights to fly in the day of the cruise, that might work. But things just might work out okay, too, in a couple of weeks.

Good luck to you. I hope we all send good wishes and good luck to the people of Puerto Rico, who really need it.

[AmberCascades]

I am puzzled, why are you using a Canadian government warning( to Travel ) site if you live in Ohio?

 

I had the same question. Of course the Canadian government wants to advise Canadians not to go down there and think that hotels and resorts are going to be operational. And they don't want us to be in the way of relief efforts. They aren't specifically addressing people who are stopping in for a day or staying overnight and leaving on a cruise.

 

What does the U.S. government say about this? Any travel advisories? I wasn't able to find anything, but I only did a quick search. I would think you would be more concerned about what your own government is saying. And if they aren't saying anything, then aren't they the clowns and liars?

 

We were talking to a couple from P.R. last week on our Pacific Coastal cruise. They said that San Juan itself is mostly operational. It's the outlying regions (i.e. nowhere near the cruise ports) that are still without electricity, etc. in some areas. I told them we had planned to see El Yunque in January. She said there were no leaves on the trees and it would be years before the island was back to what it was. But they appreciate people still coming to visit and help out the economy. We felt very sad for them.

[Luvcrusn]

[quote name=AmberCascades;54271585

 

We were talking to a couple from P.R. last week on our Pacific Coastal cruise. They said that San Juan itself is mostly operational. It's the outlying regions (i.e. nowhere near the cruise ports) that are still without electricity' date=' etc. in some areas. I told them we had planned to see El Yunque in January. She said there were no leaves on the trees and it would be years before the island was back to what it was. But they appreciate people still coming to visit and help out the economy. We felt very sad for them.[/quote]

 

I feel awful for the people in PR. I would not advise going to El Yunque in January. It was a wonderful tour when we took it, and beautiful to see, however it was at least a 45 minute bus ride from the port as I recall (if not longer) and based on everything I've read I can't imagine that the area it's in would be restored by then. In addition, the roads through El Yunque weren't the best when we toured, so I can't imagine that they'd be anywhere near negotiable after this storm, and also, since that area is not a residential one that it would be on top of any priority list for repairs. I'd hope they'd work to restore populated areas first. Sorry to veer off topic.

[KuffMUp]

This concern is why I am flying from SEA to MIA the day before, and then from MIA to SJU the morning of the cruise. Seattle is too far away for me to fly all the way on the day of the cruise. I'll stay at a Miami airport hotel the night before the cruise. American airlines was very flexible in allowing me to change my itinerary to accomplish this.

 

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Oh, where is your sense of adventure?? :D I flew from PDX to SJU in one day. I was super exhausted! Left at 6 am and got in at 12 am! Thanks for posting this. I never thought to do it that way but will know better next time!

[KuffMUp]

It amazes me that Holland, Carnival and RCCL all canceled out their stops in PR because they are actually said they care about their customers safety and providing a relaxing stress free vacation experience.

They cancelled their stops there because what do they expect people to do for excursions? Carnival and RCCL currently have cruises departing SJ.

[CruiseZZ1956]

I am puzzled, why are you using a Canadian government warning( to Travel ) site if you live in Ohio?

I was raised that you always have to look out for yourself...Celebrity cruises is sure not going to do that for you. They are too busy looking at and sitting on their fat wallets...IE always follow the money trail to find out the rest of the story. Since you don't trust the Canadians when you get a chance check the US state department as well Zika warnings PR AVOID!

 

Risk level(s)

 

 

 

Puerto Rico - AVOID ALL TRAVEL

 

Global Affairs Canada advises against all travel to Puerto Rico due to damage caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria. See Natural disasters and climate and Hurricanes Irma and Maria for more information

[psimusista]

I have a friend that left San Juan a few days ago on a cruise. I don't know all the details, but I have heard a little first hand about the area.

 

In general things are up and running. Airport is working, hotels are open, etc. I don't recall which line he is on, but they reached out and shared that looting is an issue currently. He flew in the night before and shared that the cruise line opened up the ship for them to stay on board before leaving the next day for their security. Again, I know I don't have all the details and will be asking more once he returns. The main thing is the system is functioning. Safety for travelers will probably be an issue for a bit longer, but I guess my travel partners and I have assessed the risk and the experience we have. For us, it's not enough of an issue to change plans yet. We are sailing out in November and are arriving 2 days early. That will just mean we will go to the hotel after our flight and stay there as much as possible, but we will monitor as we get closer. And still probably make a trip to the Bacardi Factory! :) I think the biggest thing to remember is progress will be made every day, but in reality it is still going to be months to have everything back to how it was pre-2017 hurricane season.

[steamboats]

psimusista,

 

Your friend must be on the Adventure of the Seas which is the first ship departing from San Juan after hurricane Maria. And yes, as the ship was just returning from Fort Lauderdale after a hurricane relief trip they opened up the ship for all passengers to spend the planned pre cruise night onboard. But that will be of course a single offer as it was the first cruise. They can´t do this for the following cruises as the ship won´t arrive empty.

 

steamboats

[steamboats]

CruiseZZ1956,

 

You still ignore all posts stating that Celebrity is not the only cruise line departing from San Juan. RCI´s Adventure of the Seas was the first ship resuming the departures from San Juan last weekend. The Carnival Fascination will follow on Sunday.

 

As for travel warnings... Zika is no new thing and valid for almost all Caribbean islands. This was in effect months before hurricane Maria and definitely by the time you´ve booked your cruise. This mainly affects pregnant women.

 

There are lots of travel warnings issued by the US state department... There´s also a current travel alert for whole Europe. Gee, I´m still living here!!

 

And you also have to read the warnings and alerts closely! Of course I would not suggest a two weeks trip to Puerto Rico with a car trip all around the island. Due to the damage this currently is no good idea. But flying into San Juan with hotels open and departing the following day on a cruise is a whole different thing! Take it as your contribution to hurricane relief efforts getting up the tourism business in Puerto Rico!

 

steamboats