Celebrity's Handling of their Millennium Sailing is SHAMEFUL!

[Bo1953]

17 minutes ago, BelloMundo said:

 

I’ve stayed away from this topic because I have better things to do. After reading the posts, I’m so sad to read SO much misinformation, assumptions as to our motives and plain wrong information. Thank you to those that even partially saw part of our point. To the trolls, naysayers and attackers calling my posts “rants”, I say “I told you so”, too bad some who are all knowing , have all the answers, ridiculed my post and made this a personal attack. We are all here to plan a wonderful trip, some let by their blind loyalty to Celebrity let them ignore their fails. I do hope everyone comes back healthy from these sailings.

 

A little background, I’ve traveled, flown and cruised for over 40 years, for both pleasure and work, making all our own arrangements.

 

Years ago I worked as a part time travel agent concentrating on cruising, mostly for the discount. I’ve cruised on nearly a dozen cruise lines, more than once, on several and have mid to high status, I don’t see the need to list then on my signature.

 

I’ve worked in the health industry, for over 40 years, and had ample experience with all kinds of medical claims including international and travel insurance claims.

 

Unless you have a condition/accident that may necessitate being medivacked, travel insurance is a crock. First, the passenger is required to pay for most services in advance and then file a claim with the travel insurance company, then hope to be covered, AND at the Insurance companies’ payment schedule, be prepared to have “valid” documentation for every expense. I’ve had to deliver the news of non-coverage, many a time. So if you invest in CFAR travel insurance, be sure to read the fine print. Working in the industry, insurance companies are in the business of taking money in, not paying it out, most, including CFAR, do not cover, epidemics, riots nor wars. Do your homework. No, we did not buy travel insurance, we’ve taken dozens of cruises and this is the first time we encountered this type of mess. ALL my travel expenses were cancellable or refunded, and I DO my homework, except for Celebrity, who continues to hold our fare hostage in spite of an impossible situation and we cannot make alternate plans.

 

No, the epidemic is not Celebrity’s fault, they just failed to do right by their passengers, especially with the available advance data and daily escalation of the crisis. They are trying to salvage their loss, period at the expense of their guests. Passengers are on pins and needles waiting for Celebrity’s decision regarding our travel plans and ultimately our safety. Loss of vacation, denied disembarkation at planned ports of call with pre-booked tours, additional days at sea with nothing to do, cabin confinement are just some of the unknowns, undesirable outcomes and the real prospects we may have to look forward to, not to ignore the potential for quarantine upon arrival in the USA are just a few of the uncertainties. No, we don’t want to expose ourselves to this. After the way Celebrity has ignored our safety on this trip, we do not want to sail with them again.

 

Celebrity’s “offer” to cancel and their restrictive FCC is ridiculous, they took our payment in less than 10 seconds, then to cancel and being issued a FCC, which is their only offer, after drastically changing the itinerary, it takes a minimum of 2 to 3 weeks or longer to get the FCC issued, which comes with numerous restrictions on our hard earned money. This is not a cancellation on a whim, there is a declared world emergency, and there is a level 4 CDC advisory in place. Celebrity keeps saying they are monitoring the WHO and CDC, what else do they need to take action as the virus cases continue to spread?

 

Main points in my original post, Celebrity’s late reaction to the epidemic/pandemic and their lack of timely responsiveness, especially sending the February 1^st sailing on a “Mystery” cruise is irresponsible. Even when the sister company, RCC acted timely a week earlier, along with the fast spreading of the positive cases putting everyone at a very high risk, Celebrity did not. Should we decide to continue on with this adventure, is more than certain that our original and revised itineraries will change. Definitely in the future, we will plan a China trip, for now we are definitely out, all the best to those that brave this sailings and unknown circumstances.

 

There were reports as early as January 11^th that this virus was a serious concern.

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/01/china-releases-genetic-data-new-coronavirus-now-deadly

There is plenty of early precedence on this type of infection and how unpredictable it is. Please don’t compare it to the Flu, two different animals. It is the cruise line’s business to be on top of world news, especially epidemics/pandemics, which make the cruise industry and their passengers especially susceptible to these threats. This is not their first rodeo.

 

Making the necessary route changes is also the cruise line’s business, they are experts and do this every day. Yes, it takes planning, but that is their job and the reason thousands of passengers place our trust in them. Celebrity has certainly disappointed many in the handling of this serious world emergency.

 

We are not novices, we’ve experienced canceled ports of call, re-routing and other inconveniences, and we took it in stride. To compare the current Corona Virus crisis to previous viruses outbreaks, is risky. This is a totally unprecedented situation and it should have been recognized and handled as such by Celebrity. The presentation of this virus is totally different, this was known early on. Compromised carriers can walk around for nearly two weeks and transmit the virus without anyone being aware, as the new cases on the Diamond princes has shown, anyone is at risk.  

 

It was not my intent to force the Cruise Line to change itineraries with my initial post, in our opinion, all the Asia itineraries were at risk, as resent events are starting to confirm, we decided early not to take a risk. We simply asked for a fair alternative. We initially asked to be allowed to take an alternate cruise and Celebrity declined, stating we would forfeit the full fare, no credit. My TA and we made numerous attempts to reach out to Celebrity to appeal their decision, via phone and their customer service email, including escalation. We were still willing to sail an alternate route. Celebrity again, declined.

 

I wish nothing but the best for those still on these voyages, but I’m really concerned for their wellbeing. Celebrity can only protect us so much, to those that thank Celebrity for all their safety efforts I say: How can Celebrity protect us while we are in ports, on tours and exposed to an unknown contagion among the population or an infected passenger that boards without symptoms? Too many unknowns and risks.

 

The Chinese/Asian people are uber prolific travelers, as I can attest from my travels around the world. This population travels extensibly, especially throughout all of Asia, as well as other continents. It is not a farfetched assumption that the spread of this virus, that goes unnoticed for as much as 14 days, will get worse, before it gets better, sadly and unfortunately that is exactly what has happened. There is no doubt in our mind that this WILL get worse sooner than later. This was the motivation in my original post.

 

Just yesterday, two additional ports (Taiwan and Japan) on our 3/14/2020 itinerary have been impacted, either temporarily or permanently, all the passengers on this cruise had to scramble to make flight changes at a considerable extra cost for some. We tried to stay positive and really wanted to go on this cruise. We checked airfares, it was more than double the original fare we booked over 3 months ago, the $500.00/pp Celebrity offered would hardly cover the expense. Oh yes, and we would still be flying, voluntarily into a very high risk area.

 

Celebrity only cares about their bottom line and salvaging as much as they can, I get it, and it’s a business. We don’t buy their line “we care about our passengers and crew. A passenger currently on the February 1, 2020 cruise reported that the crew disembarking in Hong Kong on the previous cruise were allowed back on the ship against notices made by Celebrity. Later this passenger also was told that there was a “flu situation amongst the crew” that “Celebrity is handling. Not reassuring at all. Unfortunately, I’m sure this is not the end of this.

 

Side note: Sadly, Dr. Li Wenliang, who first reported the virus, has died on February 5^th, 2020. Don’t believe the China reported statistics for a second, they are grossly understated and likely to be exponentially higher than those published.

 

If you are hateful or judgmental, or want to provide unconfirmed information, please reconsider responding. I will not reply.

 

I believe, that if you knew as early as 11 January and you have CFAR insurance coverage and you are a medical professional, you could have canceled your sailing... and be ahead of the game at this juncture.

 

Similar situations are being discussed on the Insurance Forum on this board, have read or posted there?

 

Most of us now understand that your plans were not 'flexible' enough to accept the new sailing/routing, so be it.

 

We also understand and accept that nothing short of a 'full and nonrestrictive' refund will satisfy you, in this situation, so be it.

 

I also believe that you have failed to understand the reason many posters reacted the way we have, I think once you have time to cool down a bit AND reflect and read every thing you posted, you may come to understand the somewhat lack of sympathy which may have been written.

 

Most of us wish you luck, a great resolution to your issue/claim/distress and truly trust that you and X can come to a resolution which YOU are happy with or at least to a greater degree than which is currently on offer.

 

bon voyage!

[BelloMundo]

17 minutes ago, Bo1953 said:

I believe, that if you knew as early as 11 January and you have CFAR insurance coverage and you are a medical professional, you could have canceled your sailing... and be ahead of the game at this juncture.

 

Similar situations are being discussed on the Insurance Forum on this board, have read or posted there?

 

Most of us now understand that your plans were not 'flexible' enough to accept the new sailing/routing, so be it.

 

We also understand and accept that nothing short of a 'full and nonrestrictive' refund will satisfy you, in this situation, so be it.

 

I also believe that you have failed to understand the reason many posters reacted the way we have, I think once you have time to cool down a bit AND reflect and read every thing you posted, you may come to understand the somewhat lack of sympathy which may have been written.

 

Most of us wish you luck, a great resolution to your issue/claim/distress and truly trust that you and X can come to a resolution which YOU are happy with or at least to a greater degree than which is currently on offer.

 

bon voyage!

 

Did you read my response? I'm not looking for "sympathy" each person is entitled to make their own decisions, my motivation was to expose Celebrity's lack of costumer service. It looks as though some have drank the Celebrity Koolaid, sorry.

 

How in the world being a medical professional makes me exempt from Celebrity's arbitrary decisions? Misinformed.

 

Its not a matter of "cooling down", its a matter of health safety. Are you scheduled on an Asia cruise? Probably not. Your opinion is irrelevant unless your health and $$$ is at Celebrity's judgement.

 

I was still hoping to go on the sailing and no, I did not choose insurance I was able to get refunds from every other reasonable operator, except Celebrity.

 

I was flexible, Celebrity declined. I just refused going into a pandemic, did you read my post?

 

Edited February 7, 2020 by BelloMundo

[ipeeinthepool]

1 hour ago, BelloMundo said:

 

Did you read my response? I'm not looking for "sympathy" each person is entitled to make their own decisions, my motivation was to expose Celebrity's lack of costumer service. It looks as though some have drank the Celebrity Koolaid, sorry.

 

How in the world being a medical professional makes me exempt from Celebrity's arbitrary decisions? Misinformed.

 

Its not a matter of "cooling down", its a matter of health safety. Are you scheduled on an Asia cruise? Probably not. Your opinion is irrelevant unless your health and $$$ is at Celebrity's judgement.

 

I was still hoping to go on the sailing and no, I did not choose insurance I was able to get refunds from every other reasonable operator, except Celebrity.

 

I was flexible, Celebrity declined. I just refused going into a pandemic, did you read my post?

 

 

Did Celebrity cancel your cruise?

[jelayne]

4 minutes ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

Did Celebrity cancel your cruise?

 The OPs original post said their cruise was 3/14.  As far as I know that cruise hasn’t been cancelled but the itinerary has had major changes.  With some  ports closing to ships its unknown what will happen to a lot of cruises, not just Celebrity’s.

[BelloMundo]

1 hour ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

Did Celebrity cancel your cruise?

How is that even relevant given the current and or upcoming conditions?! Please read the post and area news.

[BelloMundo]

1 hour ago, jelayne said:

 The OPs original post said their cruise was 3/14.  As far as I know that cruise hasn’t been cancelled but the itinerary has had major changes.  With some  ports closing to ships its unknown what will happen to a lot of cruises, not just Celebrity’s.

Thank you, this was the expected outcome from the start, passengers have been bounced around by Celebrity for their own financial advantage.

[mayleeman]

I am still stuck on what the first post could be called if not a rant.

 

Saying that Celebrity is making its decisions in this matter just to steal from its passengers is likely what turned everyone against you. 

 

Frankly, my wife and I, in your situation, would have waited it out and given Celebrity time to deal, first, with its currently affected passengers, then second, with passengers whose cruises are imminent, and, finally, third, with people six weeks off like you.

 

If the situation gets more dire by then, I would expect a drastic response by X to a drastic situation. 

 

And if I felt endangered by their proposal, I would not go and would seek refund avenues if available. (We have some vulnerabilities that might make exposure to the virus, or to extreme stress, unwise.)

 

If a refund was not forthcoming, our health is not worth it. Chalk my loss of money up to bad luck. And no, we do not have lots of money--less than most on this forum, I would guess, considering that so many take several or more cruises a year. 

 

If I go, the money is spent and I might get stuck in a living hell, or as some, bounced around going nowhere with no cruise anyway. If I cancel and lose it all, I am out the money anyway, but maybe not the extra thousands spent scrambling to get home. I lost far more money on my house we owned from 2006 to 2014 when we downsized for retirement. 

 

You live with it, you lose gracefully, and you move on. 

 

Edited February 7, 2020 by mayleeman

[ipeeinthepool]

6 hours ago, BelloMundo said:

How is that even relevant given the current and or upcoming conditions?! Please read the post and area news.

 

If I understand the note on Celebrity's website, you are eligible for a 100% Future Cruise Credit.  Is that correct?  If that's correct then it seems like a reasonable accommodation to me for something that is completely out of Celebrity's control.

[Bo1953]

9 hours ago, BelloMundo said:

Okay paragraph by paragraph:

 

I’ve stayed away from this topic because I have better things to do. After reading the posts, I’m so sad to read SO much misinformation, assumptions as to our motives and plain wrong information. Thank you to those that even partially saw part of our point. To the trolls, naysayers and attackers calling my posts “rants”, I say “I told you so”, too bad some who are all knowing , have all the answers, ridiculed my post and made this a personal attack. We are all here to plan a wonderful trip, some let by their blind loyalty to Celebrity let them ignore their fails. I do hope everyone comes back healthy from these sailings.

    Any 'mis-information posters may have is based on your initial post and information you provided.

 

A little background, I’ve traveled, flown and cruised for over 40 years, for both pleasure and work, making all our own arrangements.

   You sound like an 'experienced' traveler, which is good. You do know, I trust that things happen outside of anyone's control, correct?

 

Years ago I worked as a part time travel agent concentrating on cruising, mostly for the discount. I’ve cruised on nearly a dozen cruise lines, more than once, on several and have mid to high status, I don’t see the need to list then on my signature.

   Again, it sounds like you have experienced quite a few cruises and quite possibly have had more than your share of mis-haps with docking, missing ports, etc... or almost, to say the least. AND most definitely, have heard of such.

 

I’ve worked in the health industry, for over 40 years, and had ample experience with all kinds of medical claims including international and travel insurance claims.

   Then you know that there are health situations which happen around the world which defy explanation and immediate cure or curbing, correct? You also may have privy info in advance of these situations so you can make your decisions accordingly and not wait until full blown?

 

Unless you have a condition/accident that may necessitate being medivacked, travel insurance is a crock. First, the passenger is required to pay for most services in advance and then file a claim with the travel insurance company, then hope to be covered, AND at the Insurance companies’ payment schedule, be prepared to have “valid” documentation for every expense. I’ve had to deliver the news of non-coverage, many a time. So if you invest in CFAR travel insurance, be sure to read the fine print. Working in the industry, insurance companies are in the business of taking money in, not paying it out, most, including CFAR, do not cover, epidemics, riots nor wars. Do your homework. No, we did not buy travel insurance, we’ve taken dozens of cruises and this is the first time we encountered this type of mess. ALL my travel expenses were cancellable or refunded, and I DO my homework, except for Celebrity, who continues to hold our fare hostage in spite of an impossible situation and we cannot make alternate plans.

   Not quite true, travel medical insurance coverage is dependent on what one purchases. If there is not a basic understanding of what coverages one may need and purchases it, then it is a crock, to be sure. You may not have gone to the Travel Insurance Forum here on CC, there are discussions about CFAR, as such your assertion about it is not quite on mark. Yes, in any insurance claim (health, auto or home) valid documentation always expected, IME. There is always that first time and here it has happened, you self-insured essentially. Your fare is NOT hostage you do have options to use it or not.

 

No, the epidemic is not Celebrity’s fault, they just failed to do right by their passengers, especially with the available advance data and daily escalation of the crisis. They are trying to salvage their loss, period at the expense of their guests. Passengers are on pins and needles waiting for Celebrity’s decision regarding our travel plans and ultimately our safety. Loss of vacation, denied disembarkation at planned ports of call with pre-booked tours, additional days at sea with nothing to do, cabin confinement are just some of the unknowns, undesirable outcomes and the real prospects we may have to look forward to, not to ignore the potential for quarantine upon arrival in the USA are just a few of the uncertainties. No, we don’t want to expose ourselves to this. After the way Celebrity has ignored our safety on this trip, we do not want to sail with them again.

   From all evidence presented X has not failed to do right by their passengers, they started with the most immediate sailings and passengers and moved forward as they see how the situation is or is not progressing. Customers can take whatever action they choose in advance of their sailing pending on their comfort level and ability to work with the known. Best planing sometimes go awry, to wit the current situation.

 

Celebrity’s “offer” to cancel and their restrictive FCC is ridiculous, they took our payment in less than 10 seconds, then to cancel and being issued a FCC, which is their only offer, after drastically changing the itinerary, it takes a minimum of 2 to 3 weeks or longer to get the FCC issued, which comes with numerous restrictions on our hard earned money. This is not a cancellation on a whim, there is a declared world emergency, and there is a level 4 CDC advisory in place. Celebrity keeps saying they are monitoring the WHO and CDC, what else do they need to take action as the virus cases continue to spread?

   This is the first I Am hearing, from you, that X canceled your sailing, this is new information. You are indicating that X canceled and did not offer you a refund? That is not right in the least bit. I Am sure their COC (or even best business practices) requires them to refund your money. Many certificates, FCC's, airline or hotel certificates issued for service issues do come with restrictions. It sounds like you may have never had one issued to you.

 

Main points in my original post, Celebrity’s late reaction to the epidemic/pandemic and their lack of timely responsiveness, especially sending the February 1^st sailing on a “Mystery” cruise is irresponsible. Even when the sister company, RCC acted timely a week earlier, along with the fast spreading of the positive cases putting everyone at a very high risk, Celebrity did not. Should we decide to continue on with this adventure, is more than certain that our original and revised itineraries will change. Definitely in the future, we will plan a China trip, for now we are definitely out, all the best to those that brave this sailings and unknown circumstances.

   Epidemic and pandemic are two (2) distinct and separate situations, currently the situation is referred to as an 'epidemic' by most medical professionals and organizations and never has been used inter-changably, as far as I can tell. X reacted in real time based on the best information they had, or so I believe along with other cruise lines in the same situation. As far as the mystery cruise goes, is it better to leave people standing on the dock? Those who made most of their advance travel arrangements through X were covered, from what I have read, those who did not, again were self-insuring and expecting nothing to go awry. Gambled and lost, in this case.

 

There were reports as early as January 11^th that this virus was a serious concern.

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/01/china-releases-genetic-data-new-coronavirus-now-deadly

There is plenty of early precedence on this type of infection and how unpredictable it is. Please don’t compare it to the Flu, two different animals. It is the cruise line’s business to be on top of world news, especially epidemics/pandemics, which make the cruise industry and their passengers especially susceptible to these threats. This is not their first rodeo.

   Based on what you wrote above, it sounds like you knew about this on 11 January and did not act on it and was expecting someone else to do it on your behalf. Is this correct or not? Yes, you are not quite correct about comparing the flu to corona, they are both virally spread, are they not? Maybe not from the same or similar sources of infection, yet still. Would not many medical professionals think hard and long about this and take action accordingly and not wait? That is right, no CFAR or any other insurance can re-imburse for this self taken action or not.

 

Making the necessary route changes is also the cruise line’s business, they are experts and do this every day. Yes, it takes planning, but that is their job and the reason thousands of passengers place our trust in them. Celebrity has certainly disappointed many in the handling of this serious world emergency.

   Yes, many in your position are very disappointed to be sure, I can agree. Logistics that is what is behind most of the decisions being made by X and not wholesale decisions made on a whim based on what a few vocal 'disappointed' passengers decide what needs to be done. X has provided options well before others sail to address the situation. Take one or continue to rally for your cause.

 

We are not novices, we’ve experienced canceled ports of call, re-routing and other inconveniences, and we took it in stride. To compare the current Corona Virus crisis to previous viruses outbreaks, is risky. This is a totally unprecedented situation and it should have been recognized and handled as such by Celebrity. The presentation of this virus is totally different, this was known early on. Compromised carriers can walk around for nearly two weeks and transmit the virus without anyone being aware, as the new cases on the Diamond princes has shown, anyone is at risk.  

   Again, if  you knew this in advance then I would suggest that you failed to take timely action IMO or did you? Most viruses are different from previous ones. Anyone is at risk, to be sure.

 

It was not my intent to force the Cruise Line to change itineraries with my initial post, in our opinion, all the Asia itineraries were at risk, as resent events are starting to confirm, we decided early not to take a risk. We simply asked for a fair alternative. We initially asked to be allowed to take an alternate cruise and Celebrity declined, stating we would forfeit the full fare, no credit. My TA and we made numerous attempts to reach out to Celebrity to appeal their decision, via phone and their customer service email, including escalation. We were still willing to sail an alternate route. Celebrity again, declined.

   The ship is sailing apparently, with or without you and others who choose not to board. Is that not to be expected? The ships are being re-postitioned.

 

I wish nothing but the best for those still on these voyages, but I’m really concerned for their wellbeing. Celebrity can only protect us so much, to those that thank Celebrity for all their safety efforts I say: How can Celebrity protect us while we are in ports, on tours and exposed to an unknown contagion among the population or an infected passenger that boards without symptoms? Too many unknowns and risks.

 

The Chinese/Asian people are uber prolific travelers, as I can attest from my travels around the world. This population travels extensibly, especially throughout all of Asia, as well as other continents. It is not a farfetched assumption that the spread of this virus, that goes unnoticed for as much as 14 days, will get worse, before it gets better, sadly and unfortunately that is exactly what has happened. There is no doubt in our mind that this WILL get worse sooner than later. This was the motivation in my original post.

 

Just yesterday, two additional ports (Taiwan and Japan) on our 3/14/2020 itinerary have been impacted, either temporarily or permanently, all the passengers on this cruise had to scramble to make flight changes at a considerable extra cost for some. We tried to stay positive and really wanted to go on this cruise. We checked airfares, it was more than double the original fare we booked over 3 months ago, the $500.00/pp Celebrity offered would hardly cover the expense. Oh yes, and we would still be flying, voluntarily into a very high risk area.

 

Celebrity only cares about their bottom line and salvaging as much as they can, I get it, and it’s a business. We don’t buy their line “we care about our passengers and crew. A passenger currently on the February 1, 2020 cruise reported that the crew disembarking in Hong Kong on the previous cruise were allowed back on the ship against notices made by Celebrity. Later this passenger also was told that there was a “flu situation amongst the crew” that “Celebrity is handling. Not reassuring at all. Unfortunately, I’m sure this is not the end of this.

 

Side note: Sadly, Dr. Li Wenliang, who first reported the virus, has died on February 5^th, 2020. Don’t believe the China reported statistics for a second, they are grossly understated and likely to be exponentially higher than those published.

 

If you are hateful or judgmental, or want to provide unconfirmed information, please reconsider responding. I will not reply.

  Are you indicating that YOU are not hateful or judgmental in this case??? Well, maybe one and not the other. I and others may have been mis-reading your posts/rants/comments/tone.

Most of us do wish that you are able to salvage much of your 'sailing' or not pending on what you decide for yourself. We cannot even begin to understand how you feel beyond what we read here and elsewhere where you have posted about this.

 

Your feelings and thoughts are quite a known entity at this point, and this is an understatement... LOL

 

In good health and bon voyage!!!

9 hours ago, BelloMundo said:

 

 

[waterbug123]

10 hours ago, BelloMundo said:

So if you invest in CFAR travel insurance, be sure to read the fine print.

 

If you are hateful or judgmental, or want to provide unconfirmed information, please reconsider responding. I will not reply.

 

 

And if you book a cruise, read the fine print.  It clearly says the itinerary can change, and it doesn't say it will only change to something that every single passenger will be happy about.  It's a risk you take when you book the cruise.

 

10 hours ago, Bo1953 said:

I believe, that if you knew as early as 11 January and you have CFAR insurance coverage and you are a medical professional, you could have canceled your sailing... and be ahead of the game at this juncture.

 

 

This!    The OP is convinced that Celebrity should have acted earlier.  Yet with all her vast knowledge of both the travel industry and the health industry, she apparently saw no reason to get ahead of the ball and cancel on her own.  Hindsight is 20/20 and she herself said this is an unprecedented situation.   Is there a magic trick to knowing via foresight that something is going to turn out to be unprecedented? 

 

7 hours ago, BelloMundo said:

Thank you, this was the expected outcome from the start, passengers have been bounced around by Celebrity for their own financial advantage.

 

Yes, Celebrity wants to do things to their own financial advantage, just like you want them to do things to YOUR financial advantage.  Tough to find an alternative that satisfies both.

 

I'm sure the OP will see my reply as judgemental and therefore will heed her own promise not to respond to it.

1 hour ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

 

[terrydtx]

11 hours ago, BelloMundo said:

No, we did not buy travel insurance, we’ve taken dozens of cruises and this is the first time we encountered this type of mess

This is where I lost all sympathy for the OP's case and complaints about Celebrity. How is this Celebrity's customer service's fault when no travel insurance was bought. This reminds me of a long thread about this time last year in the Viking Ocean forum. I couple on cruise had to cancel 1 week before the cruise because the wife fell and broke her hip and they could not travel. VO would not issue a refund (no cruise company would), and the husband went on a rant against VO customer service said he would never cruise with them again ect ect. There was a lot of sympathy for this couple until he revealed a similar disdain for travel insurance and never buys any when he travels. In the long run they were out over $12,000 for the canceled cruise and airfare. We are booked on a VO cruise in September and our total investment with airfare is about $15,000, our travel insurance is $679 per person, a small investment for total peace of mind.

 

I learned the lesson of the need to have travel insurance first hand 12 years ago when my parents had a terrible mishap on a River cruise in Europe. The night before the cruise was to depart my 80 year old father fell in the bathtub at the pre cruise hotel and broke a rib that punctured his lung and required emergency surgery in a Brussels hospital. He ended up staying in Brussels for 30 days in the hospital to recover before he was allowed to fly home. The travel insurance paid for everything, the hospitals, the doctors, the hotel and meals for my mother for 30 days, the TOTAL cost of the cruise for both and the first class flight home for my Dad with an attending nurse. The final bill for everything the insurance paid was over $100,000. Their out of pocket expenses were less than $1000. For those of us who are over 65 and on Medicare having travel insurance is a must, because Medicare will not cover you when you travel outside of the US. BTW my Father always thought travel insurance was a waste of money but after he turned 70 he smartened up and started buying it for all of their traveling.

Edited February 7, 2020 by terrydtx

[ipeeinthepool]

Travel insurance always comes down to a question about risk management.  The OP decided to take a risk and is now dependent upon solutions offered by cruise lines and vendors.  That's an ok way to go, just understand the amount of risk your assuming.  

 

For me I've evolved to buying the cruise line insurance as a form of Cancel for Any reason insurance.  I'm ok with taking the cruise credit and I'll assume the $200 pp airline change fee.  For me this is cheaper and I don't need to purchase the insurance a couple years ahead of time when I book most of my cruises.  Conventional travel insurance gets expensive as you get older.  I couple this with a year GeoBlue policy for Medical and evacuation.  Yes there may be holes in the coverage such as trip interruption coverage.  But I'm aware of the risk and if something happens that I need to leave in the middle of the cruise I have bigger problems. 

[BelloMundo]

10 hours ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

Did Celebrity cancel your cruise?

We are not going. We are in the process of cancelling, my credit card company has put a hold on the cruise fare and processing our claim.

[TeeRick]

9 hours ago, BelloMundo said:

Thank you, this was the expected outcome from the start, passengers have been bounced around by Celebrity for their own financial advantage.

I guess you still believe this as you said it again even after this long thread. But you are of course entitled to your own opinion here.

[Bo1953]

1 minute ago, BelloMundo said:

We are not going. We are in the process of cancelling, my credit card company has put a hold on the cruise fare and processing our claim.

b - once the credit card company receives X's response, you do realize that it will be denied, correct?

 

Yet I support the exercise of trying to prevail, even if frustrated in the end...

 

bon voyage

[BelloMundo]

3 hours ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

If I understand the note on Celebrity's website, you are eligible for a 100% Future Cruise Credit.  Is that correct?  If that's correct then it seems like a reasonable accommodation to me for something that is completely out of Celebrity's control.

Not to us.

[ipeeinthepool]

4 minutes ago, BelloMundo said:

Not to us.

 

Early in this thread, I suggested that you would be better off to take a deep breath and calm down.  That's still my advice. I'll suggest that you will eventually end up with nothing.   I agree with Bo that the credit card company will side with Celebrity and not refund any funds.  If you would just call and cancel at least you would have a cruise credit.  

 

Enjoy your future vacations

[ipeeinthepool]

10 minutes ago, Bo1953 said:

Yet I support the exercise of trying to prevail, even if frustrated in the end...

 

Bo, I'm not sure I agree with you on this one.  Maybe it makes you feel good during the fight but when all the evidence suggests a poor outcome, why not look for the best solution possible?

 

Custer thought he was fighting the good fight and it didn't end up well for him.

 

[terrydtx]

12 minutes ago, Bo1953 said:

b - once the credit card company receives X's response, you do realize that it will be denied, correct?

 

Yet I support the exercise of trying to prevail, even if frustrated in the end...

 

bon voyage

A credit card is not a replacement for CFAR or any travel insurance. I agree this will be denied and the OP will have zip, nada, zero of his costs back.

 

[Bo1953]

6 minutes ago, ipeeinthepool said:

Bo, I'm not sure I agree with you on this one.  Maybe it makes you feel good during the fight but when all the evidence suggests a poor outcome, why not look for the best solution possible?

 

Custer thought he was fighting the good fight and it didn't end up well for him.

When one knows the rules behind credit card refunds/blocks, then one knows that this is a failed action 'in most cases'.

 

I Am not sure, based on what the OP has said here repeatedly, they will prevail given what X has done thus far.

 

I admit, I could be off the mark, but not by far...

 

It will be interesting to hear back from the OP within 45 days the outcome of the charge back.

 

If they get it, then there will be an avalanche of claims and charge backs, which I personally think will not happen. There is no fraud here or goods paid for which were not delivered or is there and I have missed it??

 

The OP has an opportunity to accept the best outcome and thus far, refused it, based on what has been posted.

 

I will only say that I believe, personally, that Custer got what was coming to him... LOL

 

bon voyage

Edited February 7, 2020 by Bo1953

[BelloMundo]

1 minute ago, Bo1953 said:

b - once the credit card company receives X's response, you do realize that it will be denied, correct?

 

Yet I support the exercise of trying to prevail, even if frustrated in the end...

 

bon voyage

Denial is yet to be determined. We did our due diligence documenting every step, and there were many, this is not a frivolous claim. There’s a dire global emergency, the likes of which have never been seen before, there is no cure and a vaccine is several months in the future. We’ve taken many cruises and this is the first time we’ve taken steps to cancel. We’ve had less than a handful of issues in over 30 years with my credit card company, they have come through every time. They either negotiated an acceptable resolution or a full refund. 
 

Thank you, we’re not about to give up on our hard earned money. It is true that the virus is not Celebrity’s fault, but neither is ours. They have miss handled this whole situation. There is no news yet for the 2/15/20 sailing, mere days before passengers travel out with two ports closing to cruise ships.  

[Bo1953]

17 minutes ago, BelloMundo said:

Denial is yet to be determined. We did our due diligence documenting every step, and there were many, this is not a frivolous claim. There’s a dire global emergency, the likes of which have never been seen before, there is no cure and a vaccine is several months in the future. We’ve taken many cruises and this is the first time we’ve taken steps to cancel. We’ve had less than a handful of issues in over 30 years with my credit card company, they have come through every time. They either negotiated an acceptable resolution or a full refund. 
 

Thank you, we’re not about to give up on our hard earned money. It is true that the virus is not Celebrity’s fault, but neither is ours. They have miss handled this whole situation. There is no news yet for the 2/15/20 sailing, mere days before passengers travel out with two ports closing to cruise ships.  

Clearly I must not be seeing the same thing you are, yet on X's website there is news for this sailing and sailings through 17 March 2020.

 

Have I missed something there, the official 'information outlet' of what is going on with sailings?

 

Or, do you have another X 'official source' that you would care to share so we can verify your information?

 

bon voyage

[Fouremco]

16 minutes ago, Bo1953 said:

Clearly I must not be seeing the same thing you are, yet on X's website there is news for this sailing and sailings through 17 March 2020.

 

Have I missed something there, the official 'information outlet' of what is going on with sailings?

 

Or, do you have another X 'official source' that you would care to share so we can verify your information?

 

bon voyage

There you go again, @Bo1953, trying to confuse the issue by presenting accurate, factual information.Tsk, Tsk.

[ipeeinthepool]

44 minutes ago, BelloMundo said:

Thank you, we’re not about to give up on our hard earned money. It is true that the virus is not Celebrity’s fault, but neither is ours. They have miss handled this whole situation. There is no news yet for the 2/15/20 sailing, mere days before passengers travel out with two ports closing to cruise ships.  

 

You and Celebrity had a contract for you to sail on a certain date and a specific ship.  If this situation isn't Celebrity's fault why should they take the complete loss?  The ship will sail on 3/15 and they will go to safe locations.  You've just decide you don't want to go.  What's an acceptable solution for you other than a complete refund?  It seems like the 100% FCC is a reasonable alternative.  

 

Communication when the situation was initially developing may not have been the best but that's not a reason for a complete refund.  Celebrity depends on the TA's to provide the information on cancellations and changes and all TAs don't get the information at the same time and they may take a while to forward the info.  This is exactly what we saw last year when we had a cruise cancelled.  Yes, it can be frustrating but eventually it all gets sorted out.

[Reijo]

On 1/31/2020 at 4:43 PM, Jim_Iain said:

Celebrity published a notification to passengers on the Feb 1 cruise yesterday.   Looks like the itinerary has been changed to protect those traveling.     They are offering a 100% refund or modified itinerary.

 

We received a similar email earlier this week concerning those who would NOT be allowed to board any ship if they had been in or flown into certain countries.....and our cruise isn't until 3/15.  I thought they were being very pro-active.