Celebrity cancels Oz/NZ cruises at least up to 21 December

[cruisingaussies]

Received via TA this morning.  No surprise but disappointed, there goes our Xmas cruise for the second year in a row.

 

"7 July 2021

Dear Celebrity Guest,

We are reaching out to provide an update on the status of your 2021 cruise holiday. Celebrity Cruises has been working closely with health and government authorities, in each country we sail from, to outline a clear path for cruising with new health and safety measures. As we thoughtfully plan our return to service, we are evaluating all current itineraries and the status of travel conditions around the world. Regrettably, the situation in Australia and New Zealand remains uncertain, therefore out of an abundance of caution, we will be cancelling seven Celebrity Eclipse® sailings departing 18 October through 21 December 2021. We sincerely apologise for having to cancel these sailings as we’re sure you are eager to enjoy the refreshing experience of traveling once again. Please know that your Celebrity family anxiously awaits the opportunity to show you the world. At this time, we would like to offer you the choice of being re-accommodated on another Celebrity Cruises holiday or receiving a 125% Future Cruise Credit (FCC) or a 100% Refund."

 

Has anyone managed to use their deposit as a 125% FCC towards an already booked cruise?

[Annbri]

Thank you so much for the update! We have a cruise scheduled for January 14, 2022 leaving from Auckland and finishing in Sydney. This cruise is a replacement for our Australia/New Zealand Cruise that was was booked for January of last year which was also cancelled.

 

As of yet, we have heard nothing from Celebrity as to whether our January 2022 cruise will be cancelled or not. Based on the letter you received,  it does not look too promising that it will be a go for us. Our final payment is due on October 16. As we live in Niagara Falls, Canada, I am truly hoping we hear from Celebrity well before that date as we don’t want to pay our balance in full only to have the cruise cancelled. We also do not want to book our airfare if the cruise is not a go as we are still waiting to get a refund from an airline for another Celebrity cruise that we had booked for April 2020 for Japan which was also cancelled. 

 

Any updates from fellow travellers pertaining to Celebrity’s Australia/New Zealand cruises leaving in January 2022 would certainly be greatly appreciated. 

[cruisingaussies]

All we can do is hope that AUS/NZ cruises will happen in January 2022.  It depends on whether or not our government opens up our international borders.  Currently they are saying mid-2022 but pressure is on from many sectors to do so earlier, hopefully beginning of 2022.

We have our fingers crossed for you and will post any updates.

[emmas gran]

We have a cruise booked with another line for March 2022 travelling with friends from Newcastle, this replaces last October cruise. Someone posted on roll call for Equinox which I have copied below, our friends have agreed its very unlikely we will cruise next March. They have just done a trip to Uluru  and Alice Springs, but lockdowns have popped up in certain states

 

 

 

"Our government will not allow us out of the country for leisure travel until at least May 2022, so we cannot justify paying the final payment knowing that it will take so long to be refunded or become a credit".

[RickT]

Had my 2021 New Zealand cruise cancelled, unfortunately lift and shift to a similar cruise in 2022 wasn’t available so booked on Princess instead. That Princess cruise is now showing “currently not available” on the Princess website.  Seems Princess may be cutting back on the number of ships down under in case Australia and New Zealand don’t open their borders.

[neenee61]

RCCL have just cancelled 2021/2022 summer sailings for Aust.  Think Celebrity will follow.  PO Aust have not announced any restart as all up to the Government.  

[Ronin23]

No surprise at all that RCCL have pulled the plug on the 21/22 season and yes that will certainly include Celebrity.

Can’t imagine we will see sailing in these waters until the 22/23 season.

[4774Papa]

We have friends in Melbourne, Australia that say they they might not be able to leave their country until mid-2022.

That doesn't bode well for Australian cruises.

[bebe08]

9 hours ago, Annbri said:

Thank you so much for the update! We have a cruise scheduled for January 14, 2022 leaving from Auckland and finishing in Sydney. This cruise is a replacement for our Australia/New Zealand Cruise that was was booked for January of last year which was also cancelled.

 

As of yet, we have heard nothing from Celebrity as to whether our January 2022 cruise will be cancelled or not. Based on the letter you received,  it does not look too promising that it will be a go for us. Our final payment is due on October 16. As we live in Niagara Falls, Canada, I am truly hoping we hear from Celebrity well before that date as we don’t want to pay our balance in full only to have the cruise cancelled. We also do not want to book our airfare if the cruise is not a go as we are still waiting to get a refund from an airline for another Celebrity cruise that we had booked for April 2020 for Japan which was also cancelled. 

 

Any updates from fellow travellers pertaining to Celebrity’s Australia/New Zealand cruises leaving in January 2022 would certainly be greatly appreciated. 

We are also on the Jan 14th cruise and would love to know sooner than later if this is a go.  I posted this info on our roll call.  FWIW we have booked our Airfare thru Celebrity and no payment is required until final payment date for the cruise.  I am honestly not expecting this cruise to happen but I figured better safe than sorry so booked the airfare.  We are also from Canada and flights are out of Montreal.

[mahdnc]

Not unexpected, but depressing nevertheless--I feel bad for all of you that are affected.  We are in a similar situation with our Solstice cruise (Hong Kong to Singapore) set for this coming Christmas.  I am expecting for it to be cancelled and would prefer to hear sooner than later.

[mahdnc]

11 hours ago, cruisingaussies said:

Received via TA this morning.  No surprise but disappointed, there goes our Xmas cruise for the second year in a row.

 

"7 July 2021

Dear Celebrity Guest,

We are reaching out to provide an update on the status of your 2021 cruise holiday. Celebrity Cruises has been working closely with health and government authorities, in each country we sail from, to outline a clear path for cruising with new health and safety measures. As we thoughtfully plan our return to service, we are evaluating all current itineraries and the status of travel conditions around the world. Regrettably, the situation in Australia and New Zealand remains uncertain, therefore out of an abundance of caution, we will be cancelling seven Celebrity Eclipse® sailings departing 18 October through 21 December 2021. We sincerely apologise for having to cancel these sailings as we’re sure you are eager to enjoy the refreshing experience of traveling once again. Please know that your Celebrity family anxiously awaits the opportunity to show you the world. At this time, we would like to offer you the choice of being re-accommodated on another Celebrity Cruises holiday or receiving a 125% Future Cruise Credit (FCC) or a 100% Refund."

 

Has anyone managed to use their deposit as a 125% FCC towards an already booked cruise?

 

Here is the same announcement for USA passengers that I found posted by Celebrity: link.  Similar wording as what you have although a Lift and Shift option is also offered.

Edited July 7, 2021 by mahdnc

[TeeRick]

Unfortunately Sydney has an ongoing surge with the Delta variant and is early in its vaccination goals.  Only 9% of Australians are fully vaccinated. I would not anticipate it to be open until some time in 2022 or even later for travel or for international cruise passengers.

https://apnews.com/article/sydney-australia-coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-9479be832923c849a80446f5156d8717

[bebe08]

Does anyone know if it is possible to just sail NZ without Australia or do they have something similar to the Jones Act?  Our Jan 14th cruise is Auckland to Sydney...wondering if the itinerary could be modified to eliminate Australia.  

[Babr]

6 minutes ago, bebe08 said:

Does anyone know if it is possible to just sail NZ without Australia or do they have something similar to the Jones Act?  Our Jan 14th cruise is Auckland to Sydney...wondering if the itinerary could be modified to eliminate Australia.  

I don’t think it is so much maritime law as it is closed borders. As far as I know, neither country is open to international cruises with no indication of when that will change.

Edited July 7, 2021 by Babr

[downundermatt]

As an Aussie I can't see Celebrity coming down under this season at all - to come mid season as currently announced seems most unlikely. As others have pointed out with constant lockdowns and sadly the lowest vaccination rate in the developed world, I think it will be well into next year before cruising restarts and the border opens sadly.

[Korimako]

10 hours ago, bebe08 said:

Does anyone know if it is possible to just sail NZ without Australia or do they have something similar to the Jones Act?  Our Jan 14th cruise is Auckland to Sydney...wondering if the itinerary could be modified to eliminate Australia.  

No international tourists are allowed into New Zealand - only NZ residents and citizens - who must quarantine for 14 days on arrival. This situation is set to continue until, at least, late 2022.

So the chances of your cruise happening - regardless of what Celebrity says -  are slim to zero.  The government will decide - not a cruise company - who and when. Sorry!

[cruisingaussies]

2 hours ago, downundermatt said:

As an Aussie I can't see Celebrity coming down under this season at all - to come mid season as currently announced seems most unlikely. As others have pointed out with constant lockdowns and sadly the lowest vaccination rate in the developed world, I think it will be well into next year before cruising restarts and the border opens sadly.

Unfortunately I have to agree. It’s time that Celebrity cancelled the whole season so that passengers know what is going on. 

[NCHPcruiser]

From what I read Australia most likely will not be opening it’s borders much later in 2022 than January.   Some articles have actually mentioned 2024 before borders in Australia are fully opened!  It is doubtful a  cruise out of Australia in the first half of 2022 will sail.  

Edited July 8, 2021 by NCHPcruiser
Misspelled word

[TeeRick]

11 minutes ago, NCHPcruiser said:

From what I read Australia most likely will not be opening it’s borders much later in 2022 than January.   Some articles have actually mentioned 2024 before borders in Australia are fully opened!  It is doubtful a  cruise out of Australia in the first half of 2022 will sail.  

It depends on vaccine access and vaccination percentage in the population.  The US is (was) the worst country for COVID worldwide according to numbers of cases and deaths cumulatively.  But the situation changed pretty quickly this year as more of the population received the vaccine.  I expect that once the threat to AUS and NZ is highly reduced due to vaccinations, then borders will open relatively quickly as seen in the US and UK and EU.  So maybe sometime in 2022?

[Manchester is blue]

The window to use our FCC is now quite a narrow one. For those celebrity cruisers that had their holiday cancelled months ago, they have had the opportunity of a much longer window to use their fcc. 
I wonder if Celebrity will consider extending the deadlines for FCC use in order that those of us that have recently suffered a cancellation might benefit from a more reasonable period to use the credit, in line with those that were cancelled some months ago.

[jg51]

.

Meaning no disrespect to anyone, but we think that there is a lot of hyperbole -- unnecessary and unhelpful, inspiring pessimism and less than good mental health --  being used in reference to the CoViD-19 situation in Australia.  Here's why we say this:

 

1.  As of July 1 (a week ago) -- five months since vaccinations began

-- 32% of the Australian population had received at least one dose (of Pfizer or Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine) and ...
-- 10% of them had received both doses.

 

2.  The above numbers are higher by now and will continue to climb every week.  We think that they should be very high long before the end of the year, as long as the government does what is necessary to keep the Pfizer product pouring in.  [Many believe that AZ should be avoided, for either or both of a couple of reasons.]

 

3.  While there has been -- since June 20 -- an increase in the average number of CoViD-19 cases in Australia, that increase is just a "blip" (not a "surge" or "outbreak"), in normal parlance.  To say more than that is hype/sensationalism from the unreliable media.  The reason we downplay this is that these are the very small numbers of new cases that have been reported, each day from June 21 thorugh July 8, in the ENTIRE CONTINENT of Australia (not Sydney):

25 ... 10 ... 12 ... 30 ... 14 [weekend] ... 35 ... 42 ... 29 ... 34 ... 48 ... 33 ... 15 [weekend] ... 76 ... 23 ... 46 ... 29 ... 29 ... 44.

 

We can compare the above numbers to the (continuously descending) average number of new daily cases in the U.S., which has been between 10,000 and 15,000, over the last 35 days.  Since the U.S. has 13.4 times as many people as Australia, it becomes obvious that the actual number of new cases "down under" are very small indeed.  [If Aussies were becoming ill as frequently as Americans are, their daily  average would be between 746 and 1119 (not between 10 and 76).]

 

Also, the current increase in cases could be partly attributable to the fact that Australia has entered its winter "flu season," when viruses are able to survive more easily.

 

4.  Last -- but definitely not least -- is the following fact:

There has not been a SINGLE CoViD-19-related death in Australia since October 28, 2020!  The nation knows how to treat the people who do test positive.

.

We think that Aussie cruising should begin in late 2021 or very early 2022.  There is far too much unnecessary fear.

Thank you.

.

Edited July 8, 2021 by jg51

[CalTexCruiser]

I read that Sydney is sending more police into the streets to make sure folks don't leave their houses during the lockdown unless for valid purposes.

 

Folks are distressed that people are gathering with others in their homes, and spreading delta.

 

So maybe Australia will be able to bring this under control sooner rather than later, and cruising can resume hopefully by 2d half of 2022.

 

 

[Lastdance]

I have a TP on April 17, 2022 - Sydney to Honolulu.  Since the fall TP is canceled, Eclipse will not be in Sydney.  Personally, I do not think it will travel Down Under unless Australia opens beginning 2022, but just my thoughts.  Definitely, 2023/24 for me to rebook, as I really thought this one would be a go; not thinking that way anymore.  

Edited July 8, 2021 by Lastdance

[neenee61]

On 7/9/2021 at 4:21 AM, jg51 said:

.

Meaning no disrespect to anyone, but we think that there is a lot of hyperbole -- unnecessary and unhelpful, inspiring pessimism and less than good mental health --  being used in reference to the CoViD-19 situation in Australia.  Here's why we say this:

 

1.  As of July 1 (a week ago) -- five months since vaccinations began

-- 32% of the Australian population had received at least one dose (of Pfizer or Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine) and ...
-- 10% of them had received both doses.

 

2.  The above numbers are higher by now and will continue to climb every week.  We think that they should be very high long before the end of the year, as long as the government does what is necessary to keep the Pfizer product pouring in.  [Many believe that AZ should be avoided, for either or both of a couple of reasons.]

 

3.  While there has been -- since June 20 -- an increase in the average number of CoViD-19 cases in Australia, that increase is just a "blip" (not a "surge" or "outbreak"), in normal parlance.  To say more than that is hype/sensationalism from the unreliable media.  The reason we downplay this is that these are the very small numbers of new cases that have been reported, each day from June 21 thorugh July 8, in the ENTIRE CONTINENT of Australia (not Sydney):

25 ... 10 ... 12 ... 30 ... 14 [weekend] ... 35 ... 42 ... 29 ... 34 ... 48 ... 33 ... 15 [weekend] ... 76 ... 23 ... 46 ... 29 ... 29 ... 44.

 

We can compare the above numbers to the (continuously descending) average number of new daily cases in the U.S., which has been between 10,000 and 15,000, over the last 35 days.  Since the U.S. has 13.4 times as many people as Australia, it becomes obvious that the actual number of new cases "down under" are very small indeed.  [If Aussies were becoming ill as frequently as Americans are, their daily  average would be between 746 and 1119 (not between 10 and 76).]

 

Also, the current increase in cases could be partly attributable to the fact that Australia has entered its winter "flu season," when viruses are able to survive more easily.

 

4.  Last -- but definitely not least -- is the following fact:

There has not been a SINGLE CoViD-19-related death in Australia since October 28, 2020!  The nation knows how to treat the people who do test positive.

.

We think that Aussie cruising should begin in late 2021 or very early 2022.  There is far too much unnecessary fear.

Thank you.

 

On 7/9/2021 at 4:21 AM, jg51 said:

.Good to see you researched our Aust stats.  You would be pushing for a Aussie to agree with you on allowing cruises to resume.  The Ruby deaths hit us pretty hard and has left a very taste with the cruising industry during COVID.  As for international visitors that just wont be happening before mid 2022 at the earliest.  I miss my cruising as much as everyone else on CC, but also very happy to wait before being stuck on a sick ship.  Have had both vaccs, but will still use a common sense approach in my travels.  As I write this there is a lady and her young son on Current Affair.  They both contracted COVID on The Ruby and 16 months out still quite unwell. 

So please excuse our Government for not putting cruising ahead of peoples health and wellbeing.

 

[TeeRick]

On 7/8/2021 at 2:21 PM, jg51 said:

.

Meaning no disrespect to anyone, but we think that there is a lot of hyperbole -- unnecessary and unhelpful, inspiring pessimism and less than good mental health --  being used in reference to the CoViD-19 situation in Australia.  Here's why we say this:

 

1.  As of July 1 (a week ago) -- five months since vaccinations began

-- 32% of the Australian population had received at least one dose (of Pfizer or Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine) and ...
-- 10% of them had received both doses.

 

2.  The above numbers are higher by now and will continue to climb every week.  We think that they should be very high long before the end of the year, as long as the government does what is necessary to keep the Pfizer product pouring in.  [Many believe that AZ should be avoided, for either or both of a couple of reasons.]

 

3.  While there has been -- since June 20 -- an increase in the average number of CoViD-19 cases in Australia, that increase is just a "blip" (not a "surge" or "outbreak"), in normal parlance.  To say more than that is hype/sensationalism from the unreliable media.  The reason we downplay this is that these are the very small numbers of new cases that have been reported, each day from June 21 thorugh July 8, in the ENTIRE CONTINENT of Australia (not Sydney):

25 ... 10 ... 12 ... 30 ... 14 [weekend] ... 35 ... 42 ... 29 ... 34 ... 48 ... 33 ... 15 [weekend] ... 76 ... 23 ... 46 ... 29 ... 29 ... 44.

 

We can compare the above numbers to the (continuously descending) average number of new daily cases in the U.S., which has been between 10,000 and 15,000, over the last 35 days.  Since the U.S. has 13.4 times as many people as Australia, it becomes obvious that the actual number of new cases "down under" are very small indeed.  [If Aussies were becoming ill as frequently as Americans are, their daily  average would be between 746 and 1119 (not between 10 and 76).]

 

Also, the current increase in cases could be partly attributable to the fact that Australia has entered its winter "flu season," when viruses are able to survive more easily.

 

4.  Last -- but definitely not least -- is the following fact:

There has not been a SINGLE CoViD-19-related death in Australia since October 28, 2020!  The nation knows how to treat the people who do test positive.

.

We think that Aussie cruising should begin in late 2021 or very early 2022.  There is far too much unnecessary fear.

Thank you.

.

What you say is true in comparing data - particularly to the US.  But my friends in Sydney are worried anyway.  Remember that we in the USA have been used to very high case numbers and deaths.  We to a great extent have become desensitized to these numbers.  But our friends in Australia have not had any COVID to speak of compared to ROW.  So they are proceeding with high caution still.