BEWARE! Read this before you book with Celebrity

[the penguins]

10 hours ago, 1Vigo said:

 

we were on an Alaskan cruise and because the ship had barnacles, causing us to sail slower, which meant less time in the ports and some excursions had to be cancelled or shortened, , everyone was issued OBC.    This was before Laura and friends took over.    

Why blame Laura?

Way before L we booked a Transatlantic onboard that included 3 stops in the Caribbean then to Southa"mpton. When we emailed our travel agent they replied that the cruise we had booked was had been changed over 6 months before to go via New York, a couple of stops further north and Cork. Went back to Future Cruises who's response was "We didn't know the route had changed. It's the the same cruise as it starts and ends in the same ports.  No offer of an OBC. They reluctantly agreed we could cancel but as it was part of a B2B this was impossible. " X's response was technically/legally correct but it left a sour taste. 

[locksley10]

I have always found that what is said on the ship doesn’t mean anything shoreside and visa versa.

A lack of communication?

[The_Big_M]

10 hours ago, RD64 said:

I would still like to hear how the OP enjoyed this cruise despite the fact that they did not receive the financial compensation they feel they were entitled to.

 

 

I haven’t seen the OP say they were entitled to it.

 

They have called out there were hints about it, and they believe something would have been appropriate.

 

I am of a like mind. I get the impression that the issue is that there was _nothing_, not about what it specifically should have been.

[sanger727]

While a good will gesture might have been nice; I think that the OP is overstating that something was "promised". There was no official offer made. You can hardly blame the ship staff who were over run with unhappy cruisers to put them off with vague hints and put the responsibility on corporate. It's entirely possible that corporate was unaware that this "offer" was made. In comparison to how some other cruise lines have handled this situation, them offering 100% FCC for all of the future cruisers is an incredibly generous offer. I wouldn't hesitate to book Celebrity in the future. In comparison, Oceania did officially extend an offer of 100% FCC to future cruisers and then 2 days later revoked the offer and are offering absolutely no compensation or options to change cruises. 

Edited November 29, 2023 by sanger727

[scidee]

During our September cruise from Southampton to Ireland/Iceland/ Channel Islands we were informed mid-cruise that 1 of 3 days in Iceland, Ireland and the Channel Islands would be taken off our cruise due to weather and replaced with sea days.   There was no mention of OBC or refund.  They eventually were able to return our Iceland (no over night) and Ireland (shorter stay).  We were not offered any compensation except refunds on excursions, but were thankful for a wonderful and safe cruise.  We never gave thought to more compensation.

[ohiojohn]

19 hours ago, ohiojohn said:

From a long time Celebrity cruiser, in my heart I believe the old Celebrity would have done some small gesture.  I believe Celebrity DOES NOT owe them anything, but I will leave you with this.  Last month we took a cruise from Montreal to Fort Lauderdale on our new primary cruise provider.  The cruise was going to be late into Port Everglades by 4 hours. This screwed up many flights as you can imagine.  This cruise was only the 2nd time over 25 cruises I used the cruise carrier's Air.   We were automatically rebooked on a direct flight at 5pm.  The cruise carrier allowed us to stay in our rooms to 10am and breakfast was open to 10am.  We were off the ship at 12:30pm.  When we got home I noticed a nice e-mail from the cruise carrier owning up to the delay and we should call a special number if we were impacted.  I was not impacted so I did not call.  This gesture was very positive.  Today, I booked another non Celebrity cruise, and today Celebrity notified me of a change in our Vancouver to Hawaii next September on the Edge.  We have the Ascent booked on Dec 10 2024 and after the Hawaii cruise, no more Celebrity.  Both of our last 2 Celebrity cruises are booked in the retreat.  Sorry for the long comment.

 

So an update from my previous post above.  After I reread the changes this morning to my Hawaii cruise it turns out the 2 days in Maui are cancelled due to the fires.  This is understandable, however we are receiving basically 2 sea days.  But 1 sea day is now advertised as a sail by the beautiful island of Kauai. I will not unload or vent how disappoint this is.  Celebrity had several months to fix this, but yet we get 2 sea days.  So, today I booked a cruise to replace my Celebrity Hawaii cruise on my new favorite cruise line.  Lucky for me I only had $200 invested for the Hawaii cruise. The new cruise is 15 days from Greece to Rome with 11 stops and 3 days in Venice in early October.  I only have one Celebrity cruise left which is on the Ascent Dec 10.

[DaKahuna]

12 minutes ago, ohiojohn said:

 

So an update from my previous post above.  After I reread the changes this morning to my Hawaii cruise it turns out the 2 days in Maui are cancelled due to the fires.  This is understandable, however we are receiving basically 2 sea days.  But 1 sea day is now advertised as a sail by the beautiful island of Kauai. I will not unload or vent how disappoint this is.  Celebrity had several months to fix this, but yet we get 2 sea days.  So, today I booked a cruise to replace my Celebrity Hawaii cruise on my new favorite cruise line.  Lucky for me I only had $200 invested for the Hawaii cruise. The new cruise is 15 days from Greece to Rome with 11 stops and 3 days in Venice in early October.  I only have one Celebrity cruise left which is on the Ascent Dec 10.

 

 It is unfortunate but understandable regarding Hawaii.  We were just on vacation in Hawaii earlier this month and while they are opening to tourist, the accommodations and activities are very restrictive.  Recovery from the fires is going very slow.  They were still removing burned out vehicles and cleaning up from the fires.  We inquired about flying over and taking a day or two for sightseeing on Maui but were encouraged not to do so. 

 

 There are very few harbors in Hawaii that can accommodate a cruise ship and or it's passengers.  Even so, it is disappointing that they cannot at least give you and overnight in Honolulu or something more than a sail by Kauai, which is a very beautiful island. 

 

Best of luck with your "new favorite cruise line." 

 

[Covepointcruiser]

And so it happens again, disasters in Maui have caused vacations to be disrupted.   The coast of the Kauai is beautiful and can only be seen from the sea although there is a hiking trail through the cliffs where you may see some of it if you don’t break your neck.   Hope Ohiojohn enjoys his new cruise.   What cruise line is allowed to dock in Venice?    Cruise ships are now docking in another town and you must take a water taxi to get to Venice.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

35 minutes ago, Covepointcruiser said:

And so it happens again, disasters in Maui have caused vacations to be disrupted.   The coast of the Kauai is beautiful and can only be seen from the sea although there is a hiking trail through the cliffs where you may see some of it if you don’t break your neck.   Hope Ohiojohn enjoys his new cruise.   What cruise line is allowed to dock in Venice?    Cruise ships are now docking in another town and you must take a water taxi to get to Venice.

The ship has to be under 25,000 tons , a ship that only holds about 270 passengers 

[ohiojohn]

52 minutes ago, Covepointcruiser said:

And so it happens again, disasters in Maui have caused vacations to be disrupted.   The coast of the Kauai is beautiful and can only be seen from the sea although there is a hiking trail through the cliffs where you may see some of it if you don’t break your neck.   Hope Ohiojohn enjoys his new cruise.   What cruise line is allowed to dock in Venice?    Cruise ships are now docking in another town and you must take a water taxi to get to Venice.

Apologize if I mislead you about Venice.  The correct port is Chioggia.   I should have identified the stop as Venice(Chioggia).

[TeaBag]

3 hours ago, ohiojohn said:

 

So an update from my previous post above.  After I reread the changes this morning to my Hawaii cruise it turns out the 2 days in Maui are cancelled due to the fires.  This is understandable, however we are receiving basically 2 sea days.  But 1 sea day is now advertised as a sail by the beautiful island of Kauai. I will not unload or vent how disappoint this is.  Celebrity had several months to fix this, but yet we get 2 sea days.  So, today I booked a cruise to replace my Celebrity Hawaii cruise on my new favorite cruise line.  Lucky for me I only had $200 invested for the Hawaii cruise. The new cruise is 15 days from Greece to Rome with 11 stops and 3 days in Venice in early October.  I only have one Celebrity cruise left which is on the Ascent Dec 10.

Is this the cruise on Edge, May 1 from Honolulu to Vancouver?  

[ohiojohn]

19 minutes ago, TeaBag said:

Is this the cruise on Edge, May 1 from Honolulu to Vancouver?  

nope my cruise was on Sep 20 2024  Vancouver to Honolulu 13 days.  Looks like your second day was affected also for your May 2024. Although I am guessing the second day was affected as the day is just cruising past the Island of Kauai.

Edited November 29, 2023 by ohiojohn

[TeaBag]

 

We were to start with 2 days in Honolulu, then Lahaina, Hilo and Kailua.  Now, we have only one day in Honolulu, boarding day, sailing at midnight, no Lahaina which is understandable, then Napali coast, 2 days in Hilo which is the pits, Kailua and on to Vancouver.  People are talking about cancelling.  I don't know why Celebrity doesn't return to Kauai as it is a beautiful island.

Hope you get everything worked out.

 

[vjmatty]

On 11/28/2023 at 6:01 PM, Ex-Airbalancer said:

The Israel cruise are usually 30% more expensive than a Greek island cruise 

some FCC would have been nice to make for the difference in price 

Yeah I’m surprised at how many are unaware of or simply ignoring that fact.

[vjmatty]

On 11/28/2023 at 6:12 PM, Lena11033 said:

This is my opinion, I'm sure it was disappointing not to receive anything but they do have the right to change the ports (mine was changed because workers in France were striking so MSC took us to Belgium instead) but considering WHY it was changed I feel like this is a first world problem complaint considering what's going on which was beyond their control.

This entire website is about first world topics and problems. Cruising is decidedly first world. 

[IDL]

On 11/28/2023 at 4:59 PM, YukonCanadianCruiser said:

I certainly was not expecting a free cruise, not at all. While we were on board, senior staff indicated we would be offered compensation (a goodwill gesture, which by definition is not contractually required) from Celebrity when we got home. They did not follow through on that commitment, which is why I felt the need to warn others. I think we can all appreciate why the ports were changed and what the contract says; however, the failure of X to follow through with even a small goodwill gesture is disappointing and I felt others should know.

Agree the is poor customer service and the apparent unwillingness to carry through with a verbal commitment made onboard is concerning as I would definitely file a complaint to senior Celebrity management.  We have an upcoming Panama Canal cruise and though a certain amount of ships are doing full and partial crossings I would not be shocked if the water levels decrease to the point that they cancel the Panama Canal crossing portion of the cruise but if they do certainly expect some consideration whether they are contractually obligated or not. 

[ohiojohn]

3 hours ago, TeaBag said:

 

We were to start with 2 days in Honolulu, then Lahaina, Hilo and Kailua.  Now, we have only one day in Honolulu, boarding day, sailing at midnight, no Lahaina which is understandable, then Napali coast, 2 days in Hilo which is the pits, Kailua and on to Vancouver.  People are talking about cancelling.  I don't know why Celebrity doesn't return to Kauai as it is a beautiful island.

Hope you get everything worked out.

 

 

We also spent a lot of time planning and booking for this Hawaii cruise.  I had just booked an AirB&B in Vancouver for 3 days.  Got a great air rate to Vancouver using air miles. A few weeks ago I booked the return trip from HNL to home, actually booked it at the 330 day period.  Glad I booked refundable air. Car rental in Honolulu for three days at a great Black Friday rate, will now need cancelling.  So now the fun begins tomorrow unwinding all the reservations.  But our replacement cruise is wonderful.  At the end of the day we just did not see the allure for the Hawaii cruise especially adding 2 more sea days.  The only money I will lose is the $200 for using Booking at Sea Future Certificates and around $78 for cruise insurance.  When final payment was due I up the limits on the cruise insurance.  Glad I kept the limits very low when first booking the cruise.  This is a great tip from Steve.

[Homosassa]

18 hours ago, ohiojohn said:

 

 So, today I booked a cruise to replace my Celebrity Hawaii cruise on my new favorite cruise line.  Lucky for me I only had $200 invested for the Hawaii cruise. The new cruise is 15 days from Greece to Rome with 11 stops and 3 days in Venice in early October.  I only have one Celebrity cruise left which is on the Ascent Dec 10.

If you want to make comparisons compare Celebrity to Princess or anther cruise line that is comparable in price and on board experience.

 

Your new favorite cruise line, Viking Ocean, is a more upscale cruise line than Celebrity.

 

I have received the same care in service when I was on Viking Ocean cruises. I do not expect the same from Celebrity, but Celebrity is less expensive.

 

You get what you pay for.

[sanger727]

 

18 hours ago, ohiojohn said:

 

So an update from my previous post above.  After I reread the changes this morning to my Hawaii cruise it turns out the 2 days in Maui are cancelled due to the fires.  This is understandable, however we are receiving basically 2 sea days.  But 1 sea day is now advertised as a sail by the beautiful island of Kauai. I will not unload or vent how disappoint this is.  Celebrity had several months to fix this, but yet we get 2 sea days.  So, today I booked a cruise to replace my Celebrity Hawaii cruise on my new favorite cruise line.  Lucky for me I only had $200 invested for the Hawaii cruise. The new cruise is 15 days from Greece to Rome with 11 stops and 3 days in Venice in early October.  I only have one Celebrity cruise left which is on the Ascent Dec 10.

 

It's understandable to be disappointed by having 2 extra sea days. But, sailing by Kauai is actually a thing to do, similar to sailing by the glaciers in Alaska. That side of the island is only visible by ship and this is an activity we paid extra to do while we were visiting. I wouldn't necessarily consider that a wasted day. 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

On 11/28/2023 at 4:19 PM, 1Virgo said:

we were on an Alaskan cruise and because the ship had barnacles, everyone was issued OBC

so, Celebrity ship had barnacles, making it Celebrity's fault, and you got OBC.

How's the war and keeping passengers safe Celebrity's fault? Sure, it would be nice if they offered something, but they still got a cruise.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

35 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

so, Celebrity ship had barnacles, making it Celebrity's fault, and you got OBC.

How's the war and keeping passengers safe Celebrity's fault? Sure, it would be nice if they offered something, but they still got a cruise.

Again you are paying a premium to go to Israel Alf just a Greek island cruise  

[1Virgo]

1 hour ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

so, Celebrity ship had barnacles, making it Celebrity's fault, and you got OBC.

How's the war and keeping passengers safe Celebrity's fault? Sure, it would be nice if they offered something, but they still got a cruise.

There were people that missed excursions.  You should reread posts. we were not in war zone.  The point oothers were making is that when you buy something and it doesnt materialize, customer service tried to make up for it.   And as for barnacles.  Better maintenance in waters that allow cleaning improve fuel consumption.     Now you have a nice day.  

[twsalso]

None of this surprises me. I dealt with Hacksaw Laura when she was at RCCL. I was taking family and grandchild on a Caribbean cruise. Low and behold three months prior to sailing and two days after final payment my daughter in law informs me she is four months pregnant with second grandchild. I called RCCL and tried to rebook. Nope cancelation fees! Only thing that saved me was Covid.

[rodndonna]

4 minutes ago, twsalso said:

None of this surprises me. I dealt with Hacksaw Laura when she was at RCCL. I was taking family and grandchild on a Caribbean cruise. Low and behold three months prior to sailing and two days after final payment my daughter in law informs me she is four months pregnant with second grandchild. I called RCCL and tried to rebook. Nope cancelation fees! Only thing that saved me was Covid.

 

Not trying to play the blame game - but why did your daugher-in-law wait until 2 days after final payment to tell you she was 4 months pregnant? 

[twsalso]

26 minutes ago, rodndonna said:

 

Not trying to play the blame game - but why did your daugher-in-law wait until 2 days after final payment to tell you she was 4 months pregnant? 

That is a little personal but it was a geriatric pregnancy and they had all of the testing done before going public.