bap335i Posted January 22, 2020 #1 Share Posted January 22, 2020 I am on the January 29, 2021 Equinox cruise to the ABC islands. Celebrity sent an email today letting me know they were dropping Curacao, adding Key West and changing the arrival time for Aruba and Bonaire. As far as I can tell there is only one other ship currently scheduled for Curacao on the original scheduled date. Curious if this is due to proximity to Venezuela, dissatisfaction with Curacao, or an attempt to cheapen my ABC cruise to just AB? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mahdnc Posted January 22, 2020 #2 Share Posted January 22, 2020 37 minutes ago, bap335i said: I am on the January 29, 2021 Equinox cruise to the ABC islands. Celebrity sent an email today letting me know they were dropping Curacao, adding Key West and changing the arrival time for Aruba and Bonaire. As far as I can tell there is only one other ship currently scheduled for Curacao on the original scheduled date. Curious if this is due to proximity to Venezuela, dissatisfaction with Curacao, or an attempt to cheapen my ABC cruise to just AB? That's too bad. Celebrity did not cite any reason for the change? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bap335i Posted January 22, 2020 Author #3 Share Posted January 22, 2020 The note said due to potential berthing issues and port congestion. I interpreted that as too many ships for the port to handle. I couldn't find the site I have used in the past that listed the ships and number of passengers in port, but what I could find just had one other ship on 2/4/21, the original date. Mostly just curious, Curacao wasn't a deal breaker. The new itinerary gets us into Bonaire at 2:00PM, leaving at 10:00PM, so hard to plan with a late start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmas gran Posted January 22, 2020 #4 Share Posted January 22, 2020 Celebrity has Summit x 2 , Reflection and Silhouette listed on Ports of Call for March 2020 calling at Curacao. I would be a little disappointed as a nice place to walk into town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordoncruickshank Posted January 22, 2020 #5 Share Posted January 22, 2020 51 minutes ago, emmas gran said: Celebrity has Summit x 2 , Reflection and Silhouette listed on Ports of Call for March 2020 calling at Curacao. I would be a little disappointed as a nice place to walk into town. The also have the Silhouette on 14th February. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moby Jones Posted January 22, 2020 #6 Share Posted January 22, 2020 I'd be disappointed too. Key West is best for its nightlife but as far as I know no ship overnights there, I don't believe they're allowed too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jshli Posted January 22, 2020 #7 Share Posted January 22, 2020 Still showing Curacao on their website, therefore anyone booking this cruise now will not see the correct itinerary. Celebrity should do a better job of updating changes in a more timely manner so people will know exactly what they are getting before they book, giving them the opportunity to choose a different cruise. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare terrydtx Posted January 22, 2020 #8 Share Posted January 22, 2020 1 hour ago, Moby Jones said: I'd be disappointed too. Key West is best for its nightlife but as far as I know no ship overnights there, I don't believe they're allowed too. I would too, the ABC islands are our favorite stops in the Caribbean, along with St Martin and the BVI. Key West has no interest and is nowhere near the fun of Curacao. I wonder why X didn't just schedule an extra day or overnight at the A & B Islands. Going to Key West is a little out of the way and must be costing a lot more in fuel. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
son3cruisers Posted January 22, 2020 #9 Share Posted January 22, 2020 Well, this is disappointing to hear. We too sail to the ABC islands in March, in fact in 50 days. Wondering if this is just for your sailing, or ongoing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
son3cruisers Posted January 22, 2020 #10 Share Posted January 22, 2020 JUST re-read your post. You are sailing next year, 2021. So maybe next years sailings will be effected. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordoncruickshank Posted January 22, 2020 #11 Share Posted January 22, 2020 21 minutes ago, son3cruisers said: JUST re-read your post. You are sailing next year, 2021. So maybe next years sailings will be effected. My Equinox 9 night cruises on 19th February 2021 and 4th March 2022 are still showing Curacao as a port. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perky1 Posted January 22, 2020 #12 Share Posted January 22, 2020 (edited) I think I have wrong island... Edited January 22, 2020 by Perky1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moby Jones Posted January 22, 2020 #13 Share Posted January 22, 2020 5 minutes ago, Perky1 said: If I remember correctly, didn’t the officials in Curacao early last year make comments that the cruise industry was ruining their Island. I think at that time some lines announced they were going to remove the stop from their as of certain date. If my memory serves me correctly I checked and our cruise this April was before the date... maybe I am dreaming this...😜 This article would suggest not...https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/20531-curacao-looking-for-1-million-cruise-guests.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BridgeMates Posted January 22, 2020 #14 Share Posted January 22, 2020 44 minutes ago, son3cruisers said: JUST re-read your post. You are sailing next year, 2021. So maybe next years sailings will be effected. Hope you're right ....we are on Silhouette to the ABC islands this coming March. Hopefully they aren't dropping Curacao from current itinerary!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4774Papa Posted January 22, 2020 #15 Share Posted January 22, 2020 7 hours ago, mahdnc said: That's too bad. Celebrity did not cite any reason for the change? Too bad, we like Curacao better than Aruba. Our favorite Caribbean islands were St. Lucia and Grenada. They seemed the most authentic. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oneputt18 Posted January 22, 2020 #16 Share Posted January 22, 2020 Currently only the Explorer is listed for 02/04/21 https://www.cruisemapper.com/ports/willemstad-port-31?tab=schedule&month=2021-02#schedule Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bo1953 Posted January 22, 2020 #17 Share Posted January 22, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, jshli said: Still showing Curacao on their website, therefore anyone booking this cruise now will not see the correct itinerary. Celebrity should do a better job of updating changes in a more timely manner so people will know exactly what they are getting before they book, giving them the opportunity to choose a different cruise. It is/will be a disappointment to a few passengers, I know. I Am sure 'potential' bookers will be notified of the change, in some manner, prior to final payment. If not, I Am sure with some arm twisting that X would allow refunds or changes without penalty if brought to their attention in a timely manner, especially if not going to Curacao is a deal breaker.... There is, at least one (1), travel insurance policy which may cover such port changes. bon voyage Edited January 22, 2020 by Bo1953 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bo1953 Posted January 22, 2020 #18 Share Posted January 22, 2020 2 hours ago, son3cruisers said: JUST re-read your post. You are sailing next year, 2021. So maybe next years sailings will be effected. Plenty of time to change.... bon voyage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sippican Posted January 22, 2020 #19 Share Posted January 22, 2020 Maybe they have not paid their bill to the Damen Shipyard in Curacao, as it seems the Xpedition is still there (way beyond expected repair time).😂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jshli Posted January 22, 2020 #20 Share Posted January 22, 2020 I agree with you Bo 1953 that Celebrity would allow changes or cancellations in many cases and it won’t be a deal breaker to many. My only thought is to those who would want to book a different cruise, by the time they discover the modification, there may not be the cruise availability or cabin choice they would have had if the modified itinerary was posted on their website in conjunction with the itinerary change. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR_T Posted January 22, 2020 #21 Share Posted January 22, 2020 Currently on the Reflection and it’s still on our schedule in a few days 👍🏼 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare hcat Posted January 22, 2020 #22 Share Posted January 22, 2020 (edited) We would prefer KW and just about any port to Curacao unless we wanted a long ride to a beach day or a visit to a local hotel... This port is not what it used to be!, We had Curacao on our recent EDGE cruise. We signed up for what was billed as a "culinary tour". It was awful. The nice market boats from Venezuela are no longer berthed there, the real food market was closed and we were taken through a filthy flea market where we were careful not to touch anything. The port town itself was filthy with a noticeable stench. We saw a few historic buidings..including the outside of the Synagogue..time to say a quick prayer! The stop at the Distillery was no more than a very short bathroom break..,,,just as well..it was an unimpressive..tourist trap. We did have a nice lunch at the Green House at the beach..but only after we begged our way inside to the air conditioned bar. On our last ABC cruise before EDGE, we did enjoy a day at a beach club..but that's a one and done. So sad for me. I have been going there before the big bridge was built, before lots of traffic and before the place became a dump! Others will disgree but we would prefer KW any day! Edited January 22, 2020 by hcat 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bap335i Posted January 22, 2020 Author #23 Share Posted January 22, 2020 I talked to a Celebrity Vacation Planner today and it sounds like it is just the January 21, 2021 cruise that is affected. Plenty of time to change. I was looking forward to a day in a golf cart in Bonaire, but may have to rethink that with a 2:00PM arrival. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare hcat Posted January 22, 2020 #24 Share Posted January 22, 2020 That would be sad..Bonaire is a great port...the golf carts are very popular along with snorkel trips! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Alsmez Posted January 22, 2020 #25 Share Posted January 22, 2020 Thanks for the info. We are booked on that cruise as well and didn't get a notification about the change. I'll report back if/when we do. I was definitely looking forward to the ABC islands but we have never been to key West so perhaps that will be an okay substitution. Luckily there is plenty of time to change if we want! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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