Alaska L&S Program

[foxnan]

As many know Alaska cruises through Canada have been put on hold.  Today Celebrity sent out their official letter  on this topic.  

I have already implemented their Lift and Shift program.  This is the second time as we went through the same thing last year.

It is a good deal and you get to choose the room you want early on.

[CMW5060]

I did not see anything about a letter from Celebrity on Alaska? Did you receive an email? We did L&S from ladt yesr to July this year. Doesnt look like its going to happen. Can we do another Lift/Shift to 2022?

[SunFun80]

10 minutes ago, CMW5060 said:

I did not see anything about a letter from Celebrity on Alaska? Did you receive an email? We did L&S from ladt yesr to July this year. Doesnt look like its going to happen. Can we do another Lift/Shift to 2022?

We did a L&S on Wed. This is the 2nd time. 2020 to 2021 now to 2022. We start and end in Vancouver. 

[cruisetonowhere10]

Okay I got the email but I didn’t get lift and shift out of it.  Did I misread it?  (We were a Seattle based cruise so technically “on hold” per the email.)

[coastcat]

13 minutes ago, cruisetonowhere10 said:

Okay I got the email but I didn’t get lift and shift out of it.  Did I misread it?  (We were a Seattle based cruise so technically “on hold” per the email.)

Here's the relevant part of the letter I received:

 

At this time, we would like to offer you the opportunity to keep your reservation until a final determination on the status of your sailing can be made or be re-accommodated on another Celebrity Cruises vacation in 2022. You will also have the option to receive a 125% Future Cruise Credit (FCC) or a 100% Refund. If you are booked on a May 2021 sailing and choose to keep your reservation, your final payment date will be extended by 45 days. If you would like to keep your cruise vacation plans to the same destination and reschedule for next year, please contact us or your travel partner and your reservation will be shifted at the same rate including any promotion you currently have on the booking.

 

I'll have to call Celebrity to see how this applies, since my sailing was actually the transpacific in September from Vancouver to Tokyo. I'd certainly love to L&S that to 2022 at the booked price, which was about 60% of the current price for the 2022 sailing...

[LGW59]

1 hour ago, coastcat said:

Here's the relevant part of the letter I received:

 

At this time, we would like to offer you the opportunity to keep your reservation until a final determination on the status of your sailing can be made or be re-accommodated on another Celebrity Cruises vacation in 2022. You will also have the option to receive a 125% Future Cruise Credit (FCC) or a 100% Refund. If you are booked on a May 2021 sailing and choose to keep your reservation, your final payment date will be extended by 45 days. If you would like to keep your cruise vacation plans to the same destination and reschedule for next year, please contact us or your travel partner and your reservation will be shifted at the same rate including any promotion you currently have on the booking.

 

I'll have to call Celebrity to see how this applies, since my sailing was actually the transpacific in September from Vancouver to Tokyo. I'd certainly love to L&S that to 2022 at the booked price, which was about 60% of the current price for the 2022 sailing...

100% refund all the way

[wrk2cruise]

Moving out a year with protected price/perks would be attractive for many people, especially if you are only in for the deposit.

[eltigre]

Today we got the L&S for our June 26th Alaska sailing which moved to June 27th 2022.  Sitka was changed to Icy which is disappointing. 

Edited February 13, 2021 by eltigre

[cruisetonowhere10]

7 hours ago, eltigre said:

Today we got the L&S for our June 26th Alaska sailing which moved to June 27th 2022.  Sitka was changed to Icy which is disappointing. 

Okay I guess that means I need to call...can’t wait...sounds like they can be moved to 2022.  I realize the letter language alludes to that but does not state it as “lift and shift.”

[sherbear850]

We were able to “lift and shift” our Canada New England cruise from October this year to October 3rd, 2022, same price, same perks, only difference will be that Port taxes are up a bit.  More than happy!  Was on the phone for less than 15 minutes, booking invoice to follow in a week or so.  

[wrk2cruise]

2 hours ago, cruisetonowhere10 said:

I realize the letter language alludes to that but does not state it as “lift and shift.”

 

That's because it's not "Lift & Shift".   That was a specific program associated with Cruise with Confidence.  That part of CwC expired on Jan 30 and was open to all sailings through April/May 2021 as the new sailing had to be 1 year out +/- 4 weeks and sailing prior to 5/4/2022.

 

Your sailing is being offered price protection ( or refund or 125% FCC ) for moving it out 1 year due to the closure of the Canadian ports.   The T&C are different than the official L&S program.  In my opinion this is a very generous offer given the price increases and the fact that some had already moved their  sailings from 2020 to 2021.  There will be many people sailing in 2022 on reservations they made in 2018.

 

Many people have used Lift and Shift as slang for any movement of a reservation which has caused confusion on these boards.

 

[mimbecky]

I moved ours as well.  At the time of first cruise for 2020 there were only 3 perks, the TA additionally offered free gratuities.  We lifted and shifted once to 2021 and all the remained the same.  This time for the 2022 move the original TA perk was taken off because it isn't a current perk (not given by Celebrity either because it wasn't on original booking). They did give us their current additional OBC offer of $100 but with a raise in port fees/taxes it leaves us about $150 shorter than initial amount.  With the good deal we originally received, it is still a deal.

[eltigre]

wrk2cruise you are right, this was not in the original lift & shift that has expired. This one was a new offer as of Friday I believe. All offerings & pricing remained the same. The only caveat was the  limit to moving within a specified time frame of the following year. 

[sherbear850]

Point taken. I should not have used the term L&S. Sorry for the confusion.

Still happy with the outcome though.Hopefully by then all this Covid stuff will be behind us.

[boxkite]

On 2/12/2021 at 9:58 PM, eltigre said:

Today we got the L&S for our June 26th Alaska sailing which moved to June 27th 2022.  Sitka was changed to Icy which is disappointing. 

 

eltigre, while we have yet to make it to Alaska and are yet again delayed to 2022 to take our Alaska cruise, my research leads me to believe that Icy Strait Point can be a very nice port. It did win port of the year last year.

"The native Tlingit Corporation Huna Totem owns Icy Strait Point, and in conjunction with cruise line partners and investors, they've created a cruise port with some of the highest passenger satisfaction levels around."

"facilities that offers cruise travelers an authentic "wilderness experience" and a refreshingly non-commercialized alternative to the usual run of Alaska ports." Now if you have already been to Icy and not to Sitka I understand your disappointment.

 

May we all get to enjoy an Alaska cruise in 2022!

[eltigre]

Thank you for the positivity. Living in BC & being so fortunate to have many of the same experiences in our back yard, I was looking for something a bit different like the Russian aspect.

BUT being able to cruise and hopefully seeing calving glaciers is the main reason for me!

 

PS,  sister lives in Beeville Texas..enjoy visiting when we can.

[wallyh4184]

We just shifted from August 2021 to August 2022, 10 night cruise & land tour, only in for $200 deposit when we booked onboard last year.  Happy we're not losing $1150 in OBC between Celebrity and our TA

[Baron Barracuda]

From Dow Jones newswires today, while Carnival is cancelling Alaska cruises to/from Vancouver across their brands they are negotiating with Canadian and US authorities to salvage some to/from Seattle.  Article below (couldn't grab link)  Perhaps there's some hope for Alaska in 2021.

 

 

Carnival Corp. (CCL) on Wednesday canceled several voyages in Canada for various parts of the year after the Canadian government extended its cruising ban by a year through February 2022.

The move prolongs the cruise operator's hiatus in North America longer than a year since shipboard coronavirus outbreaks brought cruise voyages to a halt last year. Carnival Cruise Line, the company's flagship line, also extended its sailing pause in the U.S. through the end of May.

Holland America Line said it is canceling several Alaska, three Canada and New England and two Pacific Coast cruises in the summer and fall, including all land and sea journeys. It said it hasn't canceled Alaska cruises departing from mid-May and sailing roundtrip from Seattle. Customers of canceled Alaska cruises and land and sea journeys involving a Vancouver gateway can't move to roundtrip Seattle cruises at this time, the company said.

"We must be practical in our approach by acknowledging the limitations put in place by the current Canadian order that requires us to cancel select sailings," Holland America Line President Gus Antorcha said.

The company's Seabourn luxury line canceled 19 voyages scheduled aboard its Odyssey ship in the summer between Vancouver, Canada, and Juneau, Alaska, including one Pacific Coast voyage at the end of the season.

Princess Cruises said it is canceling Alaska seven-day Voyage of the Glaciers cruises between Vancouver, Canada, and Anchorage, Alaska; Pacific Coast sailings that start or end in Vancouver; and the Canadian Adventure sailing roundtrip from Southampton, U.K.

Princess said it is engaging with the U.S. and Canadian governments to try to keep a portion of the Alaska and Canada and New England cruise seasons in 2021. The cruise line said it is still operating the Kenai Princess Wilderness lodge along with McKinley Chalet Resort in Denali and Westmark Fairbanks Hotel this summer. It also said it is working on vacation land package details that will be laid out soon.

The Carnival units said guests can be automatically rebooked on similar voyages in 2022 or receive a refund.

In the U.S., the timing for voyages ultimately depends on receiving a permit from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is requiring operators to conduct mock sailings and apply for a certificate at least 60 days before offering passenger cruises. A CDC spokesman said no cruise operator has applied for the permit and that it will publish more instructions "in the next few weeks."

Carnival shares rose about 3.8% to $27.47 Wednesday afternoon.

Write to Dave Sebastian at dave.sebastian@wsj.com

[Fouremco]

50 minutes ago, Baron Barracuda said:

From Dow Jones newswires today, while Carnival is cancelling Alaska cruises to/from Vancouver across their brands they are negotiating with Canadian and US authorities to salvage some to/from Seattle.  Article below (couldn't grab link)  Perhaps there's some hope for Alaska in 2021.

 

 

Carnival Corp. (CCL) on Wednesday canceled several voyages in Canada for various parts of the year after the Canadian government extended its cruising ban by a year through February 2022.

The move prolongs the cruise operator's hiatus in North America longer than a year since shipboard coronavirus outbreaks brought cruise voyages to a halt last year. Carnival Cruise Line, the company's flagship line, also extended its sailing pause in the U.S. through the end of May.

Holland America Line said it is canceling several Alaska, three Canada and New England and two Pacific Coast cruises in the summer and fall, including all land and sea journeys. It said it hasn't canceled Alaska cruises departing from mid-May and sailing roundtrip from Seattle. Customers of canceled Alaska cruises and land and sea journeys involving a Vancouver gateway can't move to roundtrip Seattle cruises at this time, the company said.

"We must be practical in our approach by acknowledging the limitations put in place by the current Canadian order that requires us to cancel select sailings," Holland America Line President Gus Antorcha said.

The company's Seabourn luxury line canceled 19 voyages scheduled aboard its Odyssey ship in the summer between Vancouver, Canada, and Juneau, Alaska, including one Pacific Coast voyage at the end of the season.

Princess Cruises said it is canceling Alaska seven-day Voyage of the Glaciers cruises between Vancouver, Canada, and Anchorage, Alaska; Pacific Coast sailings that start or end in Vancouver; and the Canadian Adventure sailing roundtrip from Southampton, U.K.

Princess said it is engaging with the U.S. and Canadian governments to try to keep a portion of the Alaska and Canada and New England cruise seasons in 2021. The cruise line said it is still operating the Kenai Princess Wilderness lodge along with McKinley Chalet Resort in Denali and Westmark Fairbanks Hotel this summer. It also said it is working on vacation land package details that will be laid out soon.

The Carnival units said guests can be automatically rebooked on similar voyages in 2022 or receive a refund.

In the U.S., the timing for voyages ultimately depends on receiving a permit from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is requiring operators to conduct mock sailings and apply for a certificate at least 60 days before offering passenger cruises. A CDC spokesman said no cruise operator has applied for the permit and that it will publish more instructions "in the next few weeks."

Carnival shares rose about 3.8% to $27.47 Wednesday afternoon.

Write to Dave Sebastian at dave.sebastian@wsj.com

I'm not sure why there would be any negotiations with Canada over RT cruises out of Seattle. That's a PVSA issue that only US authorities can address.

[lyndarra]

48 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

I'm not sure why there would be any negotiations with Canada over RT cruises out of Seattle. That's a PVSA issue that only US authorities can address.

Could RT cruises be done from Vancouver?

[Fouremco]

42 minutes ago, lyndarra said:

Could RT cruises be done from Vancouver?

Yes, during normal times, but not during the current Canadian ban on cruising in Canadian waters. 

[Texed]

3 hours ago, Fouremco said:

I'm not sure why there would be any negotiations with Canada over RT cruises out of Seattle. That's a PVSA issue that only US authorities can address.

 

They possibly could be negotiating with Canada to allow a "service" stop to satisfy the PVSA.  I remember they used to do that in Ensenada,  Mexico on Hawaiian cruises. 🙂 

[Fouremco]

28 minutes ago, Texed said:

 

They possibly could be negotiating with Canada to allow a "service" stop to satisfy the PVSA.  I remember they used to do that in Ensenada,  Mexico on Hawaiian cruises. 🙂 

US authorities put an end to service stops a number of years ago; passengers now have to be allowed to disembark at a port for the stop to be considered under the PVSA. So again, the cruise lines would need to deal with the US government to seek a temporary exemption, not the Canadian government.

 

As the current ban is from Canadian waters, I doubt that the government would ever agree to both rescind the ban and also allow cruise ships to enter Canadian ports, even if cruise lines were able to get US permission to revert to service stops under the PVSA.

[Arizona Wildcat]

4 hours ago, Fouremco said:

I'm not sure why there would be any negotiations with Canada over RT cruises out of Seattle. That's a PVSA issue that only US authorities can address.

The negotiation with Canada is to transit the inside passage which is mostly in Canadian territorial waters.  Otherwise all ships would need to travel West of Vancouver Island.

No predictions.  A northbound transit would make emergency medical stops less likely as it would be early in the cruise.

[Fouremco]

1 minute ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

The negotiation with Canada is to transit the inside passage which is mostly in Canadian territorial waters.  Otherwise all ships would need to travel West of Vancouver Island.

No predictions.  A northbound transit would make emergency medical stops less likely as it would be early in the cruise.

You could be right, but I'd be surprised if the Canadian government would allow it. In 2020, the ban was from Canadian ports, not Canadian waters. Having made the decision to tighten up restrictions this year, I'm not sure that they'd be willing to make a quick reversal. Many Alaskan cruises already take the outer route to the West of Vancouver Island and Graham Island, so there's really no compelling reason for them to sail the Canadian portion of the Inside Passage. Besides, there's nothing to be gained if the US government doesn't first provide an exemption to the PVSA.