Mercury to Alaska, May 8-Problems & Concerns

[luvthis]

We booked a trip from Ensenada for 11 nights on the Mercury to Alaska. All this talk about the norovirus can't help but turn our stomachs a bit. However, this will be our 4th cruise on Celebrity and I have to believe that by May 8 they should have the bug under control.

 

Thanks so much for the preventative tips, though. Many of them were things I did not know. Heck, I'm even considering taking some plastic cleaning gloves along (isn't that the fashion statement).

 

Who else out there is joining us on the Mercury, May 8? We are in our mid-50's and just now made the decision to see Alaska, verses a warm climate with palm trees.

 

By the way: We currently are trying to work out a problem with our booking. Our travel agent has tried multiple times to reach a "real manager" instead of "customer no-service" and has been getting nowhere. After multiple calls and faxed copies of our problem, Celebrity to this date has not even had the courtesy of allowing her to speak directly with the manager in charge of our concern. I'm having trouble understanding why Celebrity would jeopardize angering happy Captain Club members AND a large volume travel agency from California by putting off addressing the problem. All we want is a direct conversation and a definitive answer in a timely response time. This is day 3 and no response at all. I am still hopeful they will handle our concern today, as our previous history with Celebrity has always been positive.

 

I'll keep this board posted as to how things are resolved...positive or negative or not at all!!

 

Regardless, we will have a great vacation, in an area of the world we have never seen in person.

 

--Jean & Bob, Racine, Wisconsin

[cruznduo]

We are booked on the Mercury for the April 28th sailing to the Mexican Riviera and I, too, have contacted the Captain's Club with some questions...all I can say is WHAT A JOKE! This is to be our 10th cruise with the company and all we get are generic replies. I find it to be insulting and am becoming very annoyed with the treatment. And honestly, we are just asking questions! We have cruised with Celebrity since 1993 (have also cruised on Princess and RCCL) and have always enjoyed it. However, I believe when you ask specific questions, you should get specific answers or be referred to someone who can answer what you have asked. I don't know about everyone else, but in my job, I am expected to answer what I am asked! As I wrote back to the representative who wrote to me...Are you really in customer service??? I hate to be a complainer, but???? I hope you have better luck than I have! Linda

[bububr]

Dave from Oak Park / Chicago here...just off Mercurys March 17th sailing.

 

Wrote a thread : Beach break on stone island....

 

Its a little informative and fun, but I'd be happy to help if I can with any opinions or info.

 

Dave:eek:

[luvthis]

It's now 2:40 p.m. central time on March 28 and still no word back from our travel agent. I promised her I wouldn't bug her at all today, but to please make every effort to reach management about our booking problem and to contact us at some point no matter what. This is "day 3" of trying to get someone in authority to review our concern and give us an answer. The situation is time sensitive and involves a reduced fare and a cabin number assignment, that needs an immediate response in order for us to get the reduced rate (that has since been sold out, but our agent has a hold on one) or the new cabin assignment. Drat! I just don't understand why Celebrity won't just give us a direct answer. It makes no sense.

 

I'm trying to stay optimistic by thinking that Celebrity is just overwhelmed with the norovirus problem and all the related complaints. However, does that mean my concern that needs an immediate response just can't get addressed? Phoey!

 

--Jean & Bob in Racine

[bububr]

Regarding your concern about Norovirus/ Norwalk....

 

No one can predict when and how wide spread this virus will happen, so I don't think a definitive answer will be address to you.

 

Its not about the ship, its about the passengers, their honesty about their health, and their adherance or non to suggested guidelines regarding health aboard the ship. A 1/10,000 solution of bleach will kill the virus instantly, but a person that is carrying it and refusing to follow sanitation rules will spread it just as quickly.

 

You have more of a chance of catching this in an airport, bus terminal, or hotel where hand sanitizer is not readily available, and enforced than you do on a ship.

 

I wouldn't worry. I would just sit back and have a great time.

 

BTW its more sanitary to wash your hands than to wear gloves. The gloves especially latex can hve contact with and hold the live virus, giving you a false security.

 

My advice is to eat right, get lots of rest, drink lots of water, and remember to wash and sanitize your hands before eating or touching your face and after using the facilities, and touching railings in public areas.

 

You should be fine

 

Dave:eek:

[luvthis]

My concern has zero to do with the norovirus. I'm confident Celebrity will have things well back in order by May 8. It's a completely different issue and I need an answer from them by no later than tomorrow or will lose a $900. credit on our booking. Like I said...phoey! --Jean & Bob

[bububr]

It may be an answer one of us might be able to help you with

 

Dave:eek:

[luvthis]

You're a sweetie Dave. Our reservation confirmation came thru on the internet with a guaranteed catagory that is higher than what the room guarantee was promising. We paid for the trip in full immediately assuming that Celebrity would stand behind the printed reservation confirmation. Shortly thereafter, a cabin was assigned in the lower catagory, not the catagory in print on our reservation. We understand that computer glitches can happen, but feel that they should honor the reservation confirmation that was paid for in full. There are cabins available in the higher catagory promised on the reservation. In the meantime, a lower price became available in the catagory they assigned us a cabin to. Problem? If we rebook at the lower price, we lose the ability to argue over the reservation we paid for. Hence, we get the lower price on the lower catagory, but they get away without acknowledging the reservation confirmation promise. The other problem is that now the lower price cabin special has been sold out, but our travel agent has a hold on one of them. So...do we just give up the fight for what we were guaranteed and change the booking to get the $900 credit, or do we stand firm waiting to get an answer from Celebrity and completely lose the opportunity to get the price adjustment as no more of those cabins are available. The travel agent's hold on the special price cabin ends tomorrow! Complicated? You bet! Are we being unreasonable to ask Celebrity to honor what the reservation confirmation promised us with either a yes or no answer? I don't think we're being unfair. They are keeping us in limbo by not even letting a manager review all of the faxed documentation to his office that his "customer no-service" told our travel agent to send 3 days ago and again yesterday.

 

This will be our fourth cruise on Celebrity, but we are also multi-time cruisers on Princess and NCL. We have cruised on Carnival, Cunard, Regency, and Dolphin cruise lines as well. Apparently, our decision to return to Celebrity for a fourth time over any of the other cruise lines doesn't warrant a 5 minute discussion with our travel agent regarding the reservation discrepency.

 

I am still hopeful our agent will be able to get thru to someone high enough in management to review our request and make a determination. We have always been pleased with Celebrity's food, service, condition of ships, and value. If tomorrow comes & goes with no response, we will definately sail with Celebrity and have a wonderful cruise, but it will be our last on that line. We're not asking for the moon....we just want them to review the promised accommodations and give us a "yes, we'll honor it" or a "no, we can't change the cabin assignment". The clock is ticking and it's our $900. at stake. Phoey!

 

--Jean & Bob

[bububr]

But I would hope they would honor it.

 

Theres a lot of folks here and I'm sure you'll get an answer ASAP.

 

Persistance is a virtue, especially if it is in print.:D

 

Will get back if I dig up any info for you...

 

Dave:eek:

[luvthis]

I started out believing that loyalty and repeat business, as well as the fact that our travel agency does a large volume with Celebrity, would assure us a quick review & a positive response. However, as time ticks by and my travel agent still is at a standstill, I wonder if the above means anything to Celebrity at all. I have always been a strong promoter of Celebrity and their cruise product, posting many positive opinions and helpful information to other cruisers trying to decide what cruise line to sail on. My travel agent informed "customer no-service" of that, as well in the fax she has sent multiple times along with the written reservation guarantee. I realize I'm in my 50's and times have changed, but boy...word of mouth can spread pretty quickly and I would think Celebrity would not want people to think the ignore their repeat passengers and not even give them the courtesy of consideration.

 

Thanks for listening, Dave! Hope you had a memorable cruise. Many on that sailing were pretty disappointed with the unfortunate norovirus contamination.

 

By the way...we're flying out of O'Hare on May 8th. Near your neck of the woods, huh?

 

Best,

--Jean & Bob

[bububr]

not that I'm all that much an optimist...but life is what you make of it.

 

Norovirus, Norwalk virus...we used to call it the 24 hour bug or the stomach flu....now it has a fancy name that makes it scarey. I even saw a website for a legal office today that specializes in it......

 

I took a chance on an excursion and then went on a non-excursion horseback ride. Had the BEST time of my life...then the horse took off, My leg slammed into a tree and when I pulled the reins back...he threw me.

 

In sheer amazement to everyone, I later walked over to 'Napoleon'..Kissed him on the nose, gave him a hug and forgave him. remind you that even a week later (today) I can barely walk on my hip, my back has spasms, and it just really hurts. But I'm alive and I had a really scarey adventure, but lived through it ( the tequila afterwards didn't hurt either).

 

The virus on the ship was not in the least a concernto me. The rule is if you wash your hands, and don't touch your face.

 

Dave:eek:

[luvthis]

I continue to be confident that by May 8, the norovirus situation will be cleared up and Mercury will be cleaner than most of the other ships sailing. Nothing like a crisis to bring out the cleaning crews!

 

Bob & I are giving up the fight on the reservation guarantee promised us. Talked to our travel agent last night and no luck getting thru to whoever's in charge. We told her to secure the price adjustment since it is no longer available and the hold she has on one of the cabins expires today.

 

I received an email back from her saying she tried to do that last night and was told she has to go back to "customer no-service" today because since the offer is no longer available, they could not make the change thru the reservation department. She explained that we had a cabin on hold at that price, but got no where!

 

What is Celebrity's problem!! I will hold judgement until hearing back from our TA today. However, if as a result of their refusal to answer our initial concern we also lose out on a $900 price reduction, you can bet I'll be all over the cruise message boards!!

 

Bob & I like to horseback ride, as well. There is a tour at one of the ports in Alaska. However, since I am not a cold weather vacationer, the thought of a chilly ride for over $100 a person doesn't grab me. There is nothing like seeing the countryside by horse, though. It's worth being stiff and smelly to gain those lifelong memories. I'm sorry you were injured. Last fall we were riding in Aruba and the girl in front was thrown off her horse after we had completed a 3 1/2 hour ride along the desert side of the island. Another horse spooked the one she was on and her guard was down because we were just about inside the gates. Her ego was hurt and she suffered abrasions, but no major injury.

 

Celebrity has raised my emotions to feel "Mercury madness" now, but regardless of this whole mess Bob & I will have a memorable vacation. After almost 36 years of marriage, he is not only my spouse, but my best friend, and traveling companion. Nothing can destroy that bond and commitment we share.

 

--Jean & Bob, Racine, Wisconsin

[luvthis]

Okay...for those of you who have been following the saga of the computer glitch upgrade promise and the lower rate posted discount on our cruise to Alaska on the Mercury, May 8...here's the latest.

 

Our travel agent called "customer no-service" this morning to just give up the fight for the higher grade cabin confirmed on our paid booking and just get the discounted rate for the cabin level we originally thought we were booking. They have refused to make that adjustment of $900 as well. Their explanation is that we originally booked a guaranteed cabin level and the reduced fare for the catagory of what we ended up assigned is not the same code. Since the reduced fare is no longer available, or travel agent has been told she needs to have a supervisor take care of the adjustment. We're back to the same spot we were! She can't get thru to the supervisor or he is just ignoring her plea. Our agent has one cabin on hold for us at the lower rate, but they are currently putting off dealing with the issue, saying it is an accounting problem due to the different booking codes.

 

So, we DO have a cabin assignment at the original price paid. They have never addressed the paid reservation that guaranteed a higher cabin catagory and now they are putting us off regarding honoring the lower fare in the catagory we ended up assigned in. They have told our travel agent to give them until April 3 to see if anything can be done or adjusted.

 

I am really peeved. What is the big deal? We are 4 time Celebrity cruisers and the computer glitch was their error, not ours. Because of their refusal to talk to our travel agent about it, we now may not even be able to get the lower price special.

 

Any suggestions out there? We will still have a great vacation, but what ever happened to customer service?

 

--Jean & Bob in Racine, Wisconsin

[luvthis]

Hi All,

 

I got up this morning to an e-mail from our travel agent saying that she was able to confirm us at the special lower rate, but we were moved to another cabin number (similar proximity, just on port side instead of starboard side).

 

We should see a $900 credit on our credit card, and we are still on the same deck as originally assigned and the same section of the ship.

 

So, we lost the fight over the higher catagory guarantee we had in writing, but did end up saving the $900.

 

How do I feel about this whole mess? Very tired, frustrated, and belittled. However, at least now we can move ahead, plan, and let the excitement build. We will enjoy our trip to Alaska and not dwell on the lack of response and lack of consideration that started this whole mess with Celebrity.

 

Thanks for all your views to this thread and for the responses posted to it.

[trcori]

I've heard that if you book one, sometimes you get a brief cabin assignment ... that changes. Sounds like that's what happened to you? I have never booked a GTY -- they don't seem to allow 'em if there's three in your traveling party -- but it seems like a lot of stress is saved by following the advice many have posted, "if you book a guarantee, be sure you will be happy even with the absolute lowest category/worst location cabin possible for that rate." All the stress you have gone through just because you briefly saw something showing a cabin in a higher category, just doesn't sound worth it. Do hope you still enjoy Mercury --- it's our favorite X ship --- sailed Alaska last August, California coast/Mexico two years ago ... TR

[luvthis]

I am relatively confident the cabin number assigned now is a firm one. The reduced rate deal was for an assigned cabin status, not a guarantee. So, unless Celebrity feels some sort of last minute guilty concience for not honoring our original paid reservation for a guaranteed higher catagory than the base one, we can just move forward. That's what we intend to do. When it comes time to book our next cruise, we can evaluate after this one if we want to travel with Celebrity again. Way too soon to make a decision about that, ya know?

 

Glad you like the Mercury, TR. Message boards are wonderful ways of hearing multiple opinions. I have learned not to expect anything, good or bad. Rather, I make my own evaluation once aboard.

 

Happy spring everyone!

--Jean & Bob, Racine, Wisconsin

[CA traveler]

Now that your are secure with your cabin, you should join the roll call and on board party for this sailing.

[luvthis]

I have been pondering that. Thanks for the invite. We may just do that.

--Jean