Apex due in Israel tomorrow

[hcat]

4 hours ago, lexmiller said:

Cruise Critic admins get extremely disturbed when you mention Facebook.  

You by now probably know that Celebrity is offering 100% FCC if you book another cruise at the time you cancel, and 90% FCC if you decide to wait and rebook something within a year.  Very generous terms I feel under the circumstances. 

very fair. What more could they offer? maybe some OBC for those who stick with the cruise itin  as amended?

 

Maybe if spaces open up,  they may offer a good price for some who  might be interested  in  the new itin just to fill in.  

 

hopefully airfare/ hotels can be rebooked as well!

Edited October 9, 2023 by hcat

[Jetstreamer]

16 hours ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

Try the Falkland Islands!  About half the ships make it for the scheduled port call.

 

Tried that and we made it there.  Was a calm, hot sunny day in Port Stanley!  Now the bad luck as we've got Israel and Egypt coming up in a few week (or not!)  

[kathy49]

20 hours ago, jelayne said:

Where did you hear that? 

the number of US hostages is up to 6 or 7 probably from the party where so many died. They captured some on. film being taken away. All the major networks and media have covered this. They are reported to have dual passports US and Israeli.

Edited October 9, 2023 by kathy49
more info

[Eli_6]

I was just about to book the Celebrity itinerary to Alexandria and Israel for spring break...with my husband and two young kids. Definitely will be changing plans now.  So sad for the entire country.  For the entire area.  

[Cruof2]

It seems Celebrity is offering a 100% FCC if you booked direct.  If you booked using a 3rd party they will only let you book another cruise which must be done right away.

[Lady Arwen]

2 minutes ago, Cruof2 said:

It seems Celebrity is offering a 100% FCC if you booked direct.  If you booked using a 3rd party they will only let you book another cruise which must be done right away.

See post #140 for specifics 

[Cruof2]

2 hours ago, hcat said:

very fair. What more could they offer? maybe some OBC for those who stick with the cruise itin  as amended?

 

Maybe if spaces open up,  they may offer a good price for some who  might be interested  in  the new itin just to fill in.  

 

hopefully airfare/ hotels can be rebooked as well!

Have you heard of them doing this for anyone?

[Cruof2]

3 minutes ago, Lady Arwen said:

See post #140 for specifics 

Thanks.  Just spoke with them 90% not being offered. 

[hcat]

29 minutes ago, Cruof2 said:

Have you heard of them doing this for anyone?

no..but would be good business sense..

[Eli_6]

12 hours ago, bEwAbG said:

 

The last time this happened in this part of the world, cruisers who booked in EU countries were given more options than those who did not when there was this type of significant change.  Different countries, different rules.   The admonishment that many are giving about the cruise line being able to do anything is not universally true depending on the consumer laws you book under.  Not the first time this has been a topic on Cruise Critic.

THIS is 100 percent accurate. 

 

With that said, I don't think any judge in any land would fault Celebrity for skipping ports in Israel given the current set of circumstances.  Egypt might be a different situation.

 

I feel for all involved.  Obviously more so for the people of Israel and the Middle East, but also for people who have dreamed of visiting these places their entire lives.  I was supposed to go to Egypt in 2020 with my local museum and then Covid hit.  I have wanted to go to the Holy Land for my entire life. I been looking at this exact itinerary (Egypt and Israel from Athens) for a year now and dreaming of going with my family.  I doubt that I would feel safe taking my children to Israel any time in the near future.  I suspect this will affect itineraries for not just months but possibly years.  Celebrity may pull out of even doing this itinerary. 

Edited October 9, 2023 by Eli_6

[Cruise till you drop]

Big question is how far in the future, even if the war ends, will people feel comfortable and safe traveling to Israel ?

[Arizona Wildcat]

18 hours ago, golferguy3 said:

 

Israel was canceled 10/7 before Israel declared war on 10/8, Egypt is not at war.   It was a terrorist.  event maybe, or just a targeted killing.  No doubt insurance companies will be arguing this.

FWIW, I was on Ovation of the Seas when passengers were lost due to the White Island volcano.  Half the ports were missed.    Cruise insurance did not cover any of it.  Although Volcano's were a named covered peril, the insurance companies stated the ship left and returned from the same port as scheduled and same number of days therefore no coverage.   In summary, it could have gone in circles for 12 days and the itineraries didn't matter.  They have good lawyers

Two important things to remember.

Isreal closed its waters immediately following the attack.

Egypt is not at war with anyone but the Seas around the Nile Delta are in what Lloyd's of London would call a "war zone".  Pretty much anything within a couple hundred miles of Israel would be an exclusion zone for cruise ships etc.  That likely covers any required refunds, even to UK passengers.

And, I agree Celebrity should allow for at least a price reduction or for people to cancel.

[Redtravel]

When you book a cruise, you agree to possible changes.  I have experienced many changes.  Some things happen that can make a change necessary.  I have experienced changes due to weather, evacuation for an ill guest, Covid lockdown, pier problems, demonstrations, etc.  Nobody wants these to happen.  However, things aren’t perfect. Accept it.  People on cruises may be disappointed cutting time short or skipping Israel. I would be too. Be relieved that you can sail away from the war.  There are lots of tourists on land trips that are stuck in an Israel. They are certainly not out exploring. Most likely they are in a bomb shelter wondering when or if they will get a flight out.  Pray for the hostages safe return.  

[neverlaysup]

18 hours ago, RD64 said:

If you do not like the new or the new new itinerary you are more than free to cancel. According to the passage contract -which you agreed to - whether you like it or not - Celebrity (and every other cruise line) owes you nothing more  than a cruise of the agreed number of days. Remember- you did accept the terms and conditions - whether or not you actually read the terms and conditions.

You are 100% right but with the massive premium this itinerary normally demands, the change of ports significantly diminishes the value of the cruise. The cruise contract may say one thing but it would be nice if Celebrity did the "right" thing and let people cancel without penalty. It's like booking an Antarctica cruise and the cruise line saying we are cancelling the Antarctic portion of the cruise and going to the Caribbean instead. 

[Eli_6]

1 hour ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

Two important things to remember.

Isreal closed its waters immediately following the attack.

Egypt is not at war with anyone but the Seas around the Nile Delta are in what Lloyd's of London would call a "war zone".  Pretty much anything within a couple hundred miles of Israel would be an exclusion zone for cruise ships etc.  That likely covers any required refunds, even to UK passengers.

And, I agree Celebrity should allow for at least a price reduction or for people to cancel.

That is true.  Gaza shares a southern border with Egypt.   

[Eli_6]

I just hopped on the Celebrity website and I am not seeing any cruises to Israel or Egypt until Feb 2024. 

 

The ones going to Morocco, Spain, etc. are still on the website for the rest of 2023, but not the ones that were going to Egypt and Israel. 

Edited October 9, 2023 by Eli_6

[Arizona Wildcat]

26 minutes ago, neverlaysup said:

You are 100% right but with the massive premium this itinerary normally demands, the change of ports significantly diminishes the value of the cruise. The cruise contract may say one thing but it would be nice if Celebrity did the "right" thing and let people cancel without penalty. It's like booking an Antarctica cruise and the cruise line saying we are cancelling the Antarctic portion of the cruise and going to the Caribbean instead. 

Not exactly, but we took an Antarctic/Falkland Islands cruise and because of bad weather never saw either place.  Simply sailed around and around and around.

 

[Lwhitley]

21 hours ago, golferguy3 said:

Just informed that Celebrity Apex cancelled the Alexandria port due to the terrorist issue in Alexandria on Oct 8, 2023.   This follows the cancellation of Israel due to the terrorism on Oct 7 2023.       The revised ports are not quite as exciting.     Any other cruisers on the Apex sailings currently in process (Oct. 6) or the upcoming one on October 16 have any thoughts?    Undecided here about embarking on the Oct 16 cruise.

We will be doing the 10/16 trip, which is now really just Greek islands. Celebrity is offering us to shift to another cruise, but we would lose out on our airfare. (booked it separately!) I am disappointed, but I guess the Greek islands will still be nice...

[azbirdmom]

47 minutes ago, Eli_6 said:

I just hopped on the Celebrity website and I am not seeing any cruises to Israel or Egypt until Feb 2024. 

 

The ones going to Morocco, Spain, etc. are still on the website for the rest of 2023, but not the ones that were going to Egypt and Israel. 

 

Correct, the October 16th Apex cruise was the last of the three consecutive cruises with the same itinerary.  The first one (think it left 9/26?) got the full itinerary and thankfully all were all safe.  The second is underway now and barely avoided the Israel port stop as the attacks began when they were on their way in to Haifa.  It's too soon to guess about what the future holds but we are going to wait a while to see what happens in the region before we consider rebooking.  Just hoping that the horrors end soon for the sake of everyone in Israel. 💔🙏

[sanger727]

1 hour ago, neverlaysup said:

You are 100% right but with the massive premium this itinerary normally demands, the change of ports significantly diminishes the value of the cruise. The cruise contract may say one thing but it would be nice if Celebrity did the "right" thing and let people cancel without penalty. It's like booking an Antarctica cruise and the cruise line saying we are cancelling the Antarctic portion of the cruise and going to the Caribbean instead. 

 

The "right" thing in this context also means that Celebrity will have a near empty ship next week. There is no option that is "fair" to everyone. 

[golferguy3]

I just off the phone with Celebrity.    They told me 100% refunds are available, not 90%. Was willing to process mine at 100% now. Yes I know others got 90% from them, I just was told 100% refunds.          And of course, rebook another cruise with all fees waived.

 

But no additional OBC, discounts, upgrades etc.      

I also asked if excursions will be on sale as they were a few months ago, 40% off.   That's a big unknown.  They could really hit us with expensive excursions as many were on sale at 40% off and I booked a bunch then.   This time, I suspect they will use the new excursions at full fare so more $ out of pocket.     

[ChutChut]

25 minutes ago, golferguy3 said:

I just off the phone with Celebrity.    They told me 100% refunds are available, not 90%. Was willing to process mine at 100% now. Yes I know others got 90% from them, I just was told 100% refunds.          And of course, rebook another cruise with all fees waived.

 

But no additional OBC, discounts, upgrades etc.      

I also asked if excursions will be on sale as they were a few months ago, 40% off.   That's a big unknown.  They could really hit us with expensive excursions as many were on sale at 40% off and I booked a bunch then.   This time, I suspect they will use the new excursions at full fare so more $ out of pocket.     

They're offering an 100% refund and you're crying about no OBC, etc. Come on, man....

[Zrf80]

1 hour ago, azbirdmom said:

 

Correct, the October 16th Apex cruise was the last of the three consecutive cruises with the same itinerary.  The first one (think it left 9/26?) got the full itinerary and thankfully all were all safe.  The second is underway now and barely avoided the Israel port stop as the attacks began when they were on their way in to Haifa.  It's too soon to guess about what the future holds but we are going to wait a while to see what happens in the region before we consider rebooking.  Just hoping that the horrors end soon for the sake of everyone in Israel. 💔🙏

were you booked for the Oct 16th vessel ?  If so, did you get a refund or FCC ?  I was booked through a travel agent and have reached out to them to provide options…

[lexmiller]

3 hours ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

Two important things to remember.

Isreal closed its waters immediately following the attack.

Egypt is not at war with anyone but the Seas around the Nile Delta are in what Lloyd's of London would call a "war zone".  Pretty much anything within a couple hundred miles of Israel would be an exclusion zone for cruise ships etc.  That likely covers any required refunds, even to UK passengers.

And, I agree Celebrity should allow for at least a price reduction or for people to cancel.

As has been reported this entire day, Celebrity IS offering 100% FCC - this is a copy/paste from our Oct 16 roll call, from Celebrity:

We do apologize for any inconvenience or disappointments; we currently are offering 2 options. 

Option 1 Re-book another Celebrity Cruises sailing for a later date at prevailing rates.
Please know, you'll be responsible for any difference in pricing for your cruise fare, taxes, fees, gratuities, and other non-cruise fare items.

Option 2 If you wish to cancel, we'll provide you with a Future Cruise Credit to use toward any future Celebrity Cruises sailing.
Future Cruise Credit (FCC) valued at 100% of the cruise fare paid on their current booking to book an alternative Celebrity Cruises sailing.
If you used a Future Cruise Credit on this sailing, we'll refund any NEW funds paid above the Credit amount, and we'll reinstate your original Credit.

[azbirdmom]

42 minutes ago, Zrf80 said:

were you booked for the Oct 16th vessel ?  If so, did you get a refund or FCC ?  I was booked through a travel agent and have reached out to them to provide options…

I was booked on the October 16th cruise but we cancelled at the final payment date.  When things in Israel started flaring up in May and the Odyssey OTS had their itinerary changed while underway we started to question if we wanted to take a chance on paying a premium for what could turn out to be a Mediterranean cruise.  We lost part of our deposit and just got the rest set up as FCCs last week.  Like others I've been watching to see if Celebrity ultimately does give out refunds or full FCCs, it seems like the response to that question varies based on who calls or who answers the phone at Celebrity.

Edited October 9, 2023 by azbirdmom