Suspicious Cruise Itinerary Change

[mnocket]

Just wondering, is the reason for the change that the ship must travel at a reduced speed and therefore it will not arrive in SF until the following morning?

[iandjm]

5 minutes ago, mnocket said:

Just wondering, is the reason for the change that the ship must travel at a reduced speed and therefore it will not arrive in SF until the following morning?

Well that’s the result. At the same time they have extended the stay later at Catalina Island, so the obvious option to leave Catalina a little earlier, run at a slower speed (more than 9 knots which is more like drifting) and still make San Francisco the day before was missed.   An even better option would have been to skip Catalina Island entirely (it wasn’t in the original itinerary) and do two full days in San Francisco.  

Edited March 8, 2023 by iandjm

[MISTER 67]

6 hours ago, kdkstormy said:

In 2020 we missed Antigua due to wind on the Reflection.  Inquired at customer service about getting port fees refunded and was told NO refund.  

That stinks, shame on Celebrity.

[cruisestitch]

The issue of port fees and whether or not they are refunded,, it’s much more complicated than it first appears.

To start with, port fees are somewhat nationality dependent. That is to say that a port might charge US citizens a certain amount, but British citizens a different amount. So you and your neighbor might have paid different port fees to start with.
 

Port fees go up and down. If at the moment you booked the port fee was, let’s say $10, and it goes up to $11, they don’t charge you extra.  If it goes down to $9 dollars, they don’t give you the dollar back either.

 

So let’s say that on some given itineraries, you paid $10 for each port for you were scheduled to visit.  But suddenly one Port decides to increase their fee to $30.  The cruise line doesn’t adjust what you pay.  But if one of the $10 ports get cancelled you will get no refund because the aggregate fee went up.

 

Because port fees go up and down, and vary by your nationality, someone else might have paid different fees initially and they might get a refund for a missed port while you don’t.

 

[Charles4515]

12 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

So let’s say that on some given itineraries, you paid $10 for each port for you were scheduled to visit.  But suddenly one Port decides to increase their fee to $30.  The cruise line doesn’t adjust what you pay.  But if one of the $10 ports get cancelled you will get no refund because the aggregate fee went up.

I have been charged an additional amount a couple of times when port fees had been increased. 

[Honolulu Blue]

29 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

Port fees go up and down. If at the moment you booked the port fee was, let’s say $10, and it goes up to $11, they don’t charge you extra.  If it goes down to $9 dollars, they don’t give you the dollar back either.

 

So let’s say that on some given itineraries, you paid $10 for each port for you were scheduled to visit.  But suddenly one Port decides to increase their fee to $30.  The cruise line doesn’t adjust what you pay.  But if one of the $10 ports get cancelled you will get no refund because the aggregate fee went up.

 

Because port fees go up and down, and vary by your nationality, someone else might have paid different fees initially and they might get a refund for a missed port while you don’t.

I've gotten refunds as OBC several times on my Carnival sailings as I embarked. The amounts were usually small and odd (like $7.42). This was pre-pandemic, so I'm not sure if they still do this. I don't recall any other cruise lines doing this for me.

 

The one time I did have a port skipped without replacement was on Royal last year (Nassau). I got a $30 refund as OBC for that

[phoenix_dream]

You complain about an itinerary change for a May cruise.  Our late March cruise just had our entire itinerary adjusted, losing Monterey (my favorite of all the ports), adding an overnight in San Francisco, and cutting port times in two other ports.  Additionally, the schedule of the ports was completely changed.  This was after a port change last year as well.  I'm not happy about it, but it is what it is. 

 

Our late September cruise last year had not one, not two, but three ports canceled completely, and an overnight added.  All of these changes were made during the cruise itself.  It was my bucket list cruise that I had been waiting for for years.

 

Any experienced cruiser should know not to make any non-refundable plans in any port due to the chance of cancellation or modification of itinerary. It stinks, but it happens and generally is not the fault of the cruise line.  I'm sorry your schedule changed, but you are certainly not alone in experiencing changes, and that much notice would IMHO be a blessing.  

[Peteymil]

On 2/10/2023 at 5:49 PM, wrk2cruise said:

 

I don't believe they have refunded anything for missed ports since the restart.   Not on sailings I've been on and have heard others with the same experience.

We missed a port in January and our onboard account was credited. And the cancellation came several weeks  before the cruise. 

[Mark_K]

1 hour ago, Peteymil said:

We missed a port in January and our onboard account was credited. And the cancellation came several weeks  before the cruise. 

I’d guess that missing a port is a different topic than changing the length of time in a port.

[PTC DAWG]

On 2/10/2023 at 5:10 PM, finstotheleft said:

In the last 48 hours, we were informed by Celebrity Cruises of an itinerary change on the 6 May 2023 sailing of Celebrity Millennium from Los Angeles to Vancouver.   Specifically, an overnight stay in San Francisco was cancelled, citing the company's need to be sensitive to the migration pattern of whales, a phenomenon of which mariners have been aware for centuries.  It is implausible that a company with the resources, technology, and sailing prowess of Celebrity failed to consider this annual rite of passage in their planning.  Worse, Celebrity waited until inside 90 days to make the disclosure.  Many of us on this sailing had made arrangements with substantial financial commitments for the evening we were scheduled to be in San Francisco and Celebrity, as expected, has disavowed any responsibility.  In an age of rampant cost-cutting, my cynical mind is pointing in the direction of docking fees and a quick way to avoid them.  Either that or the whales are doing a poor job of giving advance notice of their travel plans.    

Wow

[daytona]

On 2/10/2023 at 6:49 PM, wrk2cruise said:

 

I don't believe they have refunded anything for missed ports since the restart.   Not on sailings I've been on and have heard others with the same experience.

 

On 2/10/2023 at 7:00 PM, D C said:

I have yet to read a thread where port fees were voluntarily returned to customers.

Ive had two port fees refunded on Celebrity since the restart. The last being the Falkland Islands on Infinity sailing Jan 28 2023. Have had close to 10 refunds through out the years.

Edited March 9, 2023 by daytona

[chengkp75]

16 hours ago, iandjm said:

That has to be total rubbish. Ships pay to be in port by the hour so Celebrity are saving a small fortune halving the port stay. 

Where do you get this idea? While I know this is a common misconception here on CC, the port of SF, just like nearly every port in the world, charges dockage fees on a 24 hour basis.  You pay the same amount for a 2 hour stay as a 24 hour stay.

 

Sorry, Terry, didn't see your post before I did mine.

16 hours ago, iandjm said:

I have worked out the speed we now need to maintain after leaving Catalina island to get to San Francisco at the new time and it’s under 8 knots! 

About 220 of the 370 nm from Catalina to SF are required to be transited at 10 knots or less.

[BridgeMates]

2 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Where do you get this idea? While I know this is a common misconception here on CC, the port of SF, just like nearly every port in the world, charges dockage fees on a 24 hour basis.  You pay the same amount for a 2 hour stay as a 24 hour stay.

 

Sorry, Terry, didn't see your post before I did mine.

About 220 of the 370 nm from Catalina to SF are required to be transited at 10 knots or less.

 

[BridgeMates]

Thank You chengkp75 for explaining and clarifying so many things accurately about ships, etc.

I am sure many others value your contributions as much as I have over the years.

And....you always do it in a calm, pleasant manner.

Just wanted to say how much I appreciate your input.  

 

 

 

[terrydtx]

I am surprised that Catalina Island was substituted for Monterrey. I grew up in the LA area in 1960's and spent many weekends in Catalina on a friend's boat. Other than fishing and very limited beaches there is not much to see or do on the island. I did a lot of abalone fishing there as a teen but I think that is now prohibited.

[NevadaCruiser2023]

Suspicious how?  Trenchcoat, Fedora and sunglasses suspicious? 

[DebInAntigua]

On 3/8/2023 at 4:33 PM, cruisestitch said:

The issue of port fees and whether or not they are refunded,, it’s much more complicated than it first appears.

To start with, port fees are somewhat nationality dependent. That is to say that a port might charge US citizens a certain amount, but British citizens a different amount. So you and your neighbor might have paid different port fees to start with.
 

Port fees go up and down. If at the moment you booked the port fee was, let’s say $10, and it goes up to $11, they don’t charge you extra.  If it goes down to $9 dollars, they don’t give you the dollar back either.

 

So let’s say that on some given itineraries, you paid $10 for each port for you were scheduled to visit.  But suddenly one Port decides to increase their fee to $30.  The cruise line doesn’t adjust what you pay.  But if one of the $10 ports get cancelled you will get no refund because the aggregate fee went up.

 

Because port fees go up and down, and vary by your nationality, someone else might have paid different fees initially and they might get a refund for a missed port while you don’t.

 

 

You seem to know a lot about this, so I'll hijack this thread a bit, cough, cough...We originally booked a cruise with a completely different itinerary and later shifted to a different cruise and ship due to the pandemic. The port fees and taxes from the original booking were much higher (Panama Canal) than our TA. I tried to get X to reduce them on a call with customer service prior to final payment, but I was told they would only adjust the port fees and taxes when we boarded. She promised that X would apply a credit in OBC if the fees were lower.

Was I told wrong? From your description, it sounds like X will keep the higher fees we paid and we're simply out of luck. It's a difference of over $200 so not exactly something I would shrug my shoulders about and ignore.

[cruisestitch]

Was this a lift and shift situation ?  Or were you applying FCC to the new cruise?

 

 

[wrk2cruise]

@DebInAntigua  That doesn't sound right at all.  When you changed to the new ship/sail date I'm pretty sure you should have been charged the Taxes/Fees/Port Charges for the new sailing at the time.   I confirmed this on 2 reservations I currently have booked that I moved from different sailings.

 

Edit:  And yes I suspect when you get on the ship they will know nothing about it!

 

On the other hand when I reprice an existing sailing the taxes/fees are never changed and remain the same as when I did the original booking, only the cruise fare/promo is adjusted.

 

Edited March 10, 2023 by wrk2cruise

[LB_NJ]

On 2/10/2023 at 5:54 PM, jwlane said:

Fill us in on your source that substantiates west coast whale migration 200 years ago.

 

By the way, MINIMAL research show new recommended procedures were adopted last September.  MINIMAL!  https://whalesafe.com/announcing-the-expansion-of-whale-safe-to-san-francisco/

Then Celebrity new about this last September but didn’t tell people until past final payment?

[phoenix_dream]

23 hours ago, terrydtx said:

I am surprised that Catalina Island was substituted for Monterrey. I grew up in the LA area in 1960's and spent many weekends in Catalina on a friend's boat. Other than fishing and very limited beaches there is not much to see or do on the island. I did a lot of abalone fishing there as a teen but I think that is now prohibited.

For people who have never been there, or not been there often, I think it is a very nice port.  The area around the port has a lot of nice little shops (may not thrill the men but many of us of the fair sex like that).  You can rent a golf cart and drive around the island which is fun in and of itself.  I personally like the nice little botanic garden they have.  I would absolutely rather have Monterey as there is of course much more to do, but I think Catalina Island is a great stop.  

[phoenix_dream]

4 minutes ago, LB_NJ said:

Then Celebrity new about this last September but didn’t tell people until past final payment?

Honestly I think you are giving Celebrity way too much planning credit if you think they deliberately withheld the information until past final payment.  Given their continuing staffing issues (we'll avoid discussion as to whether this is truly due to lack of candidates, training new staff,  or a cutback to save $$), I doubt they even gave it a moments thought until it came up in the long list of things to do.

[AstoriaPreppy]

Celebrity just got called out in a CBS News report for being amongst the most whale-unfriendly cruise lines on the West Coast. I'm assuming this itinerary change has something to do with that: 

 

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/whale-safe-ship-collisions-new-technology/

 

 

[Peteymil]

On 3/8/2023 at 8:37 PM, Mark_K said:

I’d guess that missing a port is a different topic than changing the length of time in a port.

Yes but the person I quoted was talking about missing a port. 
shortening a port results in no refund. We had that on our last cruise too

[iandjm]

20 hours ago, phoenix_dream said:

For people who have never been there, or not been there often, I think it is a very nice port.  The area around the port has a lot of nice little shops (may not thrill the men but many of us of the fair sex like that).  You can rent a golf cart and drive around the island which is fun in and of itself.  I personally like the nice little botanic garden they have.  I would absolutely rather have Monterey as there is of course much more to do, but I think Catalina Island is a great stop.  

It’s ok but not for what is now a 9 hour call