Cruise still there, flight cancelled

[Bruin Steve]

Okay...so I have back-to-back cruises in Europe for July...paid in full, but really just waiting for the cancellation notice from Celebrity.  Figure options MIGHT be better than if I just cancel myself.

Originally, we booked our flights through Celebrity on Lufthansa with refundable rates...but those flights were cancelled by the airline (at least partially)...

So we called Celebrity Air back and re-booked new flights with American, again refundable rates...

Shortly thereafter, American cancelled the foreign legs of our itinerary--leaving us with LAX to O'Hare, Charlotte to LAX!!

So, we called and re-booked once more...This time via Delta (using flights on Alitalia, KLM and Delta)...Today, I've discovered that the AMS-LAX leg has been cancelled...

 

Basically, it seems the airlines are just ahead of Celebrity in cancelling service to Europe this summer.  But, somehow, Celebrity is still moving along as if our cruises are still a "go".  But, won't it be awfully hard to run a cruise out of Rome if none of your passengers can get a flight to Rome?

 

And, what to do in the meanwhile, while waiting for Celebrity to call off the cruise?  Seems pointless to try to re-book the airfare one more time.  The Choice Air website is actually still showing our flights...but at over $500 pp more than we paid...

And, of course, we really do not any longer expect to be cruising this July...

 

So, I guess, eventually, we will get our full refund on airfare and on the fees and taxes on the cruise...and some sort of option to either:

1)  Get a full refund on the rest...or...

2)  Get a 125% FCC on the rest...or

3)  Get the option to leave the entire sum of the cruise fare with them and convert the booking to the same cruise next July?  Of course, they are not running the same exact cruise next July--the schedule leaves out the two ports that we specifically booked these cruises to visit...and the back-to-backs on Infinity duplicate too many ports...

 

Of course, what they do offer after cancelling a cruise seems to be a moving target...

[kwokpot]

21 minutes ago, Bruin Steve said:

Okay...so I have back-to-back cruises in Europe for July...paid in full, but really just waiting for the cancellation notice from Celebrity.  Figure options MIGHT be better than if I just cancel myself.

Originally, we booked our flights through Celebrity on Lufthansa with refundable rates...but those flights were cancelled by the airline (at least partially)...

So we called Celebrity Air back and re-booked new flights with American, again refundable rates...

Shortly thereafter, American cancelled the foreign legs of our itinerary--leaving us with LAX to O'Hare, Charlotte to LAX!!

So, we called and re-booked once more...This time via Delta (using flights on Alitalia, KLM and Delta)...Today, I've discovered that the AMS-LAX leg has been cancelled...

 

Basically, it seems the airlines are just ahead of Celebrity in cancelling service to Europe this summer.  But, somehow, Celebrity is still moving along as if our cruises are still a "go".  But, won't it be awfully hard to run a cruise out of Rome if none of your passengers can get a flight to Rome?

 

And, what to do in the meanwhile, while waiting for Celebrity to call off the cruise?  Seems pointless to try to re-book the airfare one more time.  The Choice Air website is actually still showing our flights...but at over $500 pp more than we paid...

And, of course, we really do not any longer expect to be cruising this July...

 

So, I guess, eventually, we will get our full refund on airfare and on the fees and taxes on the cruise...and some sort of option to either:

1)  Get a full refund on the rest...or...

2)  Get a 125% FCC on the rest...or

3)  Get the option to leave the entire sum of the cruise fare with them and convert the booking to the same cruise next July?  Of course, they are not running the same exact cruise next July--the schedule leaves out the two ports that we specifically booked these cruises to visit...and the back-to-backs on Infinity duplicate too many ports...

 

Of course, what they do offer after cancelling a cruise seems to be a moving target...

Why did you keep rebooking the flights? Didn't the cancellations tell you something? 

[jelayne]

If they cancel to soon to even begin to handle the added volume of refunds & FCCs then people get angry waiting for their money.  If they don’t announce cancelling of what appear to be obvious no go cruises, then people are unhappy .

 

It was obvious our April cruise wasn’t going to occur so we cancelled air, hotels, private tours before the cruise was officially cancelled.  Then sat back and waited for our FCCs.

 

Since Lift & Shift doesn’t work for you take a look at fares for next year using the Loyalty promotion.  Technically it only applies to booking made after 5/11 but we had a Jan 21 cruise we didn’t want and wanted to book a 2022 cruise with the Loyalty discount.  Initially I was told they couldn’t move the deposit from the 2021 so I said ok,  cancel it and I’ll book the 2022 later.  Put on hold for 10 minutes and they came back and moved the deposit to the 2022 sailing.  
 

[Bruin Steve]

1 minute ago, kwokpot said:

Why did you keep rebooking the flights? Didn't the cancellations tell you something? 

When we rebooked, we lowered our price and had money returned...got back around $1000 and still had flights in place just in case we got that surprise miracle.  The alternative would be either to cancel the flights entirely--leaving us with no flights if the cruise actually would happen...or to leave everything as-is and hope Celebrity would actually straighten it out.  Seems re-booking at that time made perfectly good sense...besides, we were able to switch from a stop in Frankfurt on the way to a stop in Chicago on the way...to a non-stop LAX-FCO.  Really, lots to gain, nothing to lose...

[Bruin Steve]

2 minutes ago, jelayne said:

If they cancel to soon to even begin to handle the added volume of refunds & FCCs then people get angry waiting for their money.  If they don’t announce cancelling of what appear to be obvious no go cruises, then people are unhappy .

 

It was obvious our April cruise wasn’t going to occur so we cancelled air, hotels, private tours before the cruise was officially cancelled.  Then sat back and waited for our FCCs.

 

Since Lift & Shift doesn’t work for you take a look at fares for next year using the Loyalty promotion.  Technically it only applies to booking made after 5/11 but we had a Jan 21 cruise we didn’t want and wanted to book a 2022 cruise with the Loyalty discount.  Initially I was told they couldn’t move the deposit from the 2021 so I said ok,  cancel it and I’ll book the 2022 later.  Put on hold for 10 minutes and they came back and moved the deposit to the 2022 sailing.  
 

 

When we rebooked the air, we actually changed the dates and cancelled a week's worth of hotels and pre-paid rental car and moved arrival to two days before the cruise...Just left the revised air and hotel in Civitavecchia in place--because--with a July cruise, cancellation, at that time, wasn't as much a sure thing.

 

As for the "Lift and Shift", there are two options we would take...But, since they are for a longer time or for a newer ship, we're not sure how Celebrity will react...

 

Instead of our current back-to-back cruises on Infinity at 7 nights each, there are two consecutive cruises--9 nights and 11 nights--on Constellation and, then, Infinity--which hit all of the same ports (including Zadar and Rijecka--the reasons we had booked this one)...OR...

 

We would take back-to back cruises on Apex--which would have no repeat ports other than LaSpezia (and we had originally planned to do part of our pre-cruise this year in the Cinque Terre)--two 7-nighters...

 

But, I suspect Celebrity won't want to trade straight across from 14 nights to 20 or from an M-Class ship to the Apex, even if the same dates and same number of nights.  But, I guess we could ask and see...

[kwokpot]

We have a 10nt Greek Islands Cruise departing Rome on July 9th on NCL. It's a family cruise with four cabins. My parents my final payment the 3rd week of March, thinking this will all be over by July. Two weeks later I knew they made a mistake and there's no chance we're going on this cruise. I've canceled pre and post hotels in Rome - they were just reservations no money down, so that was easy.  With regards to air, BA has not cancelled any of our connecting flights from NYC to ROM via LHR. Obviously if the flights aren't cancelled we'll take future travel credit. 

NCL still hasn't canceled our cruise yet, just waiting it out.

[az_tchr]

21 minutes ago, Bruin Steve said:

 

When we rebooked the air, we actually changed the dates and cancelled a week's worth of hotels and pre-paid rental car and moved arrival to two days before the cruise...Just left the revised air and hotel in Civitavecchia in place--because--with a July cruise, cancellation, at that time, wasn't as much a sure thing.

 

As for the "Lift and Shift", there are two options we would take...But, since they are for a longer time or for a newer ship, we're not sure how Celebrity will react...

 

Instead of our current back-to-back cruises on Infinity at 7 nights each, there are two consecutive cruises--9 nights and 11 nights--on Constellation and, then, Infinity--which hit all of the same ports (including Zadar and Rijecka--the reasons we had booked this one)...OR...

 

We would take back-to back cruises on Apex--which would have no repeat ports other than LaSpezia (and we had originally planned to do part of our pre-cruise this year in the Cinque Terre)--two 7-nighters...

 

But, I suspect Celebrity won't want to trade straight across from 14 nights to 20 or from an M-Class ship to the Apex, even if the same dates and same number of nights.  But, I guess we could ask and see...

Would Definately ask.  Would guess you will be asked to pay for the additional days.  The difference in ships should not matter.  Would paying for the extra days be reasonable to you if at the same daily rate you are now paying.  Perks move too.

Think if you cruise with a modified itinerary does happen - read 1 or 2 ports all new.  They can and probably would need to make huge changes that you likely would not like much.

 

[kwokpot]

1 minute ago, az_tchr said:

.

Think if you cruise with a modified itinerary does happen - read 1 or 2 ports all new.  They can and probably would need to make huge changes that you likely would not like much.

 

There are ZERO chances that a European cruise will happen ESPECIALLY for Americans. ZERO

[az_tchr]

2 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

There are ZERO chances that a European cruise will happen ESPECIALLY for Americans. ZERO

You are preaching to the choir.  I have repeatedly stated my opinion was little or no cruising till 2021.  However Italy is opening their borders to tourism in early June.  My thought is the miniscule chance a cruise from some obscure place to another might happen like the Canada cruise scheduled to go to Bermuda.

[BEAV]

Since your cancelled flight qualifies you for a refund of your air fare, I’d call Flights By Celebrity and have them get the ball rolling on that. Then when Celebrity cancels the cruise, make a determination at that time whether you want the cruise fare refunded or take the 125% FCC. 

[Volleyball Family]

We are supremely frustrated with Celebrity right now!  Supposed to cruise the Baltic, 14 nights, from Southampton June13, 2020.  British Airways has already cancelled our flight from Vancouver and Canada is supporting no non essential travel, so how are we supposed to get to the ship?  I check every day, but the cruise has still not been cancelled.  What’s the delay, Celebrity?  Do you seriously plan to sail June 13??  Cancel and give us our FCC!

Edited May 17, 2020 by Volleyball Family