hats off to Celebrity/ RCI

[gkrebs]

Just wanted to let you know what Celebrity through their parent RCI is doing for my mom who has a cruise this Saturday from Norfolk. She is located in SE Fla where Frances made landfall. Because of the damage to her traveling companions house, Celebrity is giving her a full refund or a credit (her choice) for her cruise this Saturday.

 

The cruiselines are going above and beyond anything they have to do for the victims of the storm. She doesn't even have Travel Insurance and this was done with the cruisline directly as it is impossible to reach the TA. :)

[tbelian]

What a refreshing 'change of pace'. It's nice to see a compliment about service once in a while, as opposed to the constant complaints people are so quick to give.

 

Hope everything works out ok for your mom.

 

Maybe this will dull out some of the 'big bad company' stigma.

[ho]

Tbelian,

 

This is a Celebrity board, if you think the complaints are bad here about Celebrity, try reading some of the Princess boards comments about Celebrity. I have found allot, not all posters on this board are die hard Celebrity fans and will tolerate anything the cruise lines throws at them. They will then justify why the poor cruise line had to take the action it took.

 

I have sailed on NCL, RCL, Princess and Celebrity. I think they are all good but my ranking would be Princess, Celebrity, RCL and NCL as far as the actual cruise experience is concerned. I would also say I have had more problems with Celebrity then any other line as far as the administrative staff goes. I am glad they did the right thing in this case. Maybe they do read these boards after all. You are right, there has not been much positive press for Celebrity maybe this is a step in the right direction. They sure need it.

[tbelian]

Tbelian,

 

I would also say I have had more problems with Celebrity then any other line as far as the administrative staff goes.

 

I cant speak from experience with othe cruise lines. If that makes me a die hard, so be it. I can say that my DW, and my mother in law HAVE travelled other lines, and Celebrity with me. They have ranked Celebrity very high on their list, when comparing to other lines, including NCL and Princess.

 

On all of our past (5) Celebrity cruises, we have found everything to be top notch, service, and staff, all have done well to make the cruise experience on their line one that keeps us coming back.

[springtxbill]

I think all of the cruise lines have done an outstanding job above and beyond their contractual obligations for everyone in dealing with the storms.:)

[argosy]

I agree. The cruise lines know that cruising only appeals to a certain segment of the population. Not everyone is into that kind of vacation, hard as that is to believe for people like us! So therefore, I feel they make every effort to keep their customer base satisfied.

[gbphipps]

I am pleased for all the people whom Celebrity treated exceedingly well regarding the hurricane problems. Seeing as how hurricanes are "acts of God" they would not have to go as far as they did and are doing. I think it is lovely for those involved that they are. This post is, in no way, meant to say that those who are being treated well in those circumstances shouldn't be treated as they are. I wish to take nothing from them. However (isn't there always a however?), those of us scheduled for the Summit's (9/17) 14 day Alaska/west coast repostioning cruise are not faring as well with Celebrity. The Summit had bearing problems (a Celebrity maintenance issue, not an act of God) and our cruise is shortened by 3 days. The compensation offered hurricane victims on the Century, for example, was $500 per cabin credit and 50% off a future booking. The compensation offered our passengers on the Summit is $500 credit per cabin (which does not cover the per diem of what I paid for those 3 days -- it is more like $500 per person) and a 25% credit on a furture booking. We will miss 3 ports and they have not offered a refund of the port charges paid for those 3 ports either. Why do they offer much less to passengers inconvenienced by THEIR maintenance issues than they are to passengers inconvenienced by a hurricane? This makes no sense to me. I understand they have a suit pending against the manufacturers of the Azipod system in question. If they win (and they should) they stand to recupe everything they needed to pay out in goodwill and compensation. Where would be the downside to Celebrity for treating us all the same, at the very least? We have another cruise booked for Thanksgiving which needs final payment on Friday. Last Thansgiving we had a Royal Suite on the Century. The Alaska trip we booked an aft cabin in CC. We cruise about 3 or 4 times a year and had become loyal Celebrity customers, but that loyalty needs a two-way street. I don't want the moon, I just don't want to be considered less worthy than others.

[tbelian]

I think the topic for this thread is 'hats off to Celebrity/RCL'...

 

I believe there are other current threads to discuss the opposing point(s) of view.

[ho]

Maybe the title of this topic, explains why there is only 3 post touting the virtues of Celebrity.

 

Gbphipps,

 

I think you have a very valid point and why not post it here, it would be lost if you posted it with all the other negative comments concerning Celebrity. In my opinion Celebrity has a good on board staff which offers very good service for a medium priced line which is comparable with Princess, RCl, NCL, and Holland. There administrative and management staffs however are atrocious.

 

Myself and several other on these boards went through a similar situation last year on the Millennium. We were cancelled, re-booked with a written confirmation for 3 additional days at the same price but for a latter date, then told that was a mistake and we needed to pay more. Flights and hotels had been made. To make a long story short we were offered a 25% discount on a future sailing. This was offered only after we had elevated the problem to Jack Williams. I would suggest you work through your T/A, if you have one, believe me the aggravation you will face dealing with Celebrity will not be worth your time or trouble. If you don't have a T/A, I would send a letter or an email directly to Williams and then be prepared to wait. Continue to follow up on a weekly basis and with any luck you may hear from old Jack before the end of the year.

 

I think you said the cruise effected is on the 17th of this month. Will they allow you to cancel for a full refund because of the problem? I would guess not, knowing Celebrity. Do you have insurance on the cruise? I doubt you will have anything worked out with them by your Thanksgiving cruise date and even if you did they would not let us use our discount on cruises that had already been booked so I would not count on that. Good luck. I know how frustrating it is to deal with Celebrity.

[Nliedel]

There is no reason in the rules of the board or in keeping with free speech that someone who has an opposing viewpoint cannot post in this forum. I always read with amazement people who post in a board upset that people post things they do not like. That comes with the territory.

[gbphipps]

Celebrity will allow us to cancel this cruise with a full refund, plus $175 future cruise credit. I remember your fiasco with the Millenium. I read all that with interest last year and found it to be shocking! Our travel agent is extremely annoyed with Celebrity right now. She has been trying to get an answer from them, to no avail. They are basically saying that they don't care that they are keeping 3 days of our money, that this is the deal, take it or leave it. We have to pay for the Thanksgiving cruise on Friday, if we are going and we have to leave for Vancouver next Saturday if we are accepting the shortened cruise. It will really sour the cruise for us if we feel like others got the propeller and we're getting the shaft. If that is the case, we'll just cancel both and Celebrity will have lost a family of frequent cruisers who love to cruise in suites or CC. I really hate that though, because I do like their product. I wish they'd just come to their senses with the inequity here, make it right and then we could relax and enjoy a much-needed vacation!

[DocJohnB]

Celebrity will allow us to cancel this cruise with a full refund, plus $175 future cruise credit. They are basically saying that they don't care that they are keeping 3 days of our money, that this is the deal, take it or leave it.

 

gbphipps. If I read you right, you have been given a choice. Don't cruise, full refund, plus $175 future cruise credit. Or take a shortened cruise, get a $500 cabin credit and a 25% credit off a future cruise.

 

My point being, it is your choice. They are offering you options. You very obviously do not like the second choice because you will be missing 3 ports of call, and IMO that is reasonable. So take the first option. You will probably not be able to find another cruise this late in the season, but you have other options with this selection. I realize the missed vacation aspect to all this, but again, your choice.

 

Hope whatever you do, you will find satisfaction in your choice.

[gbphipps]

Doc, it isn't so much the missed 3 ports of call. The issue is that 3 missed days of cruise in a CC aft cabin cost me more than $250 per person. It is approximately $500 per person which I spent on that portion of the trip (cruise fare). The missed and shortened ports are disappointing, certainly, but the issue is that they took more of my money for the time missed than they are willing to return to me, unless I just cancel outright. If I cancel this cruise, I will cancel the Thanksgiving cruise as well and it will be a long time before I return to Celebrity, if at all. Our travel agent feels she can get us a 12 night balcony stateroom on a Canada sailing of the QM2 for the same dates and about the same money, if you include the almost $2000 we've put up in shore excursions. In Canada I wouldn't need to take the cruise line's shore excursions as we are very comfortable venturing out there. I had my heart set on Alaska for this 25th anniversary cruise, but the adventure of the QM2 may be romantic enough to offset the change in itinerary for me. I am seriously leaning toward that option. We really want to get away now and have child care arranged (my mother), time off from work arranged, etc. And after all this hassle from Celebrity, we NEED this vacation! Thanks for talking this through with me. Again, I am happy for the hurricane victims that Celebrity stepped up to the plate for them. I just wish they'd give equal treatment to passengers who have been inconvenienced by Celebrity's own mechanical problems. They need to take responsibility for that which they are responsible.

[SaltwaterTwo]

gbphipps. If I read you right, you have been given a choice. Don't cruise, full refund, plus $175 future cruise credit. Or take a shortened cruise, get a $500 cabin credit and a 25% credit off a future cruise.

 

My point being, it is your choice. They are offering you options. You very obviously do not like the second choice because you will be missing 3 ports of call, and IMO that is reasonable. So take the first option. You will probably not be able to find another cruise this late in the season, but you have other options with this selection. I realize the missed vacation aspect to all this, but again, your choice.

 

Hope whatever you do, you will find satisfaction in your choice.

Doc. I hope you read gbphipps response very carefully. Your point "they are offering you options" is the same point which we are getting from Celebrity which is "take it or leave it". "Never mind the expense and inconvenience we have caused you because of our own stupidity."

[ho]

GP and Salt Water,

 

The response you are getting from Celebrity sounds very familiar. One thing to keep in mind is at least your T/A gets paid to deal with them and that is one reason you use a T/A. I know our group last year felt there was no way the T/A's were making enough money to deal with the frustrations of Celebrity but they probably had a better frame of mind then we did when dealing with Celebrity. I don't think you have any choice other then to cancel. Unless your T/A can get results to your satisfaction very quickly you will loose all leverage once you sail. I know you said you had another cruise booked with Celebrity in November and I would keep that reservation with the hopes that your T/A may be able to get you some sort of on board credit for that cruise. My T/A was able to get me what I felt was a fair offer but it took a couple of months.

 

Another thought, what about shore excursions, I assume if you booked with Celebrity they would be refunded. Also remember to get something off to Jack Williams. In the end we found out it does not matter what Celebrity says or what they put in writting, they will do exactly what they want but the more information you can provide the better your case will be with Williams.

Good luck.

[palermo22]

I am also on the 9/17 Summit cruise - what this should show everyone is the inconsistency of Celebrity in dealing with passengers. And what my fellow cruisers have been trying to point out is that 21.4% of the cruise has been curtailed; yet, while the credit should be closer to $1000 they are only offering $500. True, they are offering a 25% discount on a future cruise (with mutiple conditions attached) - since everyone doesn't cruise every year and this cruise must be taken in the next 12 months - it doesn't come close to making it an equitable offer. Lastly, while it's true they have offered a full refund - how would you like to have made plans for vacation - made plans for a dog sitter - and everything else people have to do to leave work and go on vacation - then 10 days prior to leaving you are hit with this? No, you still go and try to get an equitable settlement.

[reggierail]

I have always had excellent service from both Celebrity and Royal Caribbean.

Carnival and Princess have done very well also.

The only cruise line I have ever had problems with is NCL and the problems have been numerous and varied. I had to cancel a back to back group cruise with NCL and probably will never sail with and will discourage others from sailing with them.

After cancelling my group with NCL, Celebrity worked very closely with me and my group to ensure we had a marvelous experience. They made many accomodations including extending option dates and payment dates.

NCL was very slow and very unhelpful in processing refunds for my group and Celebrity was very patient, pleasant and reassuring that there would be no problems as they would do whatever was necessary to assist me. I was also upgraded upon boarding the ship and sent a very nice letter thanking me for switching the booking for my group.

We had a marvelous 8 night cruise on the Mercury and Celebrity is now my cruise line of choice.

 

Reggie:D

[palermo22]

I believe again most of you are missing a key point: sure Celebrity is a great line and as long as everything goes right they perform admirably; however, when something goes wrong (as it has with our cruise) that is when a great company should shine - and they definitely have not in this situation. It's like if someone can do their job under normal circumstances - then that's fine; however, can they do the same under pressure or unusual circumstances - then they really shine above the rest. Believe me folks, Celebrity is definitely not shining now. Also, for those of you booking an M class ship - you never know if you won't wind up in the same situation as us!