Celebrity's changed next summer's Alaska itinerary already!

[Jenbo57]

Anyone know why X changed the itinerary for the Infinity out of Seattle next summer? We booked as soon as the bookings opened -- was supposed to be Juneau, Hubbard Glacier, Icy Strait Point, Ketchikan and a brief stop in Victoria -- now they've dropped Icy Strait Point and we're doing an 8 hour stop in Victoria! I've canceled and rebooked with another line already (no desire to spend 8 hours in Victoria since I live so close); just wondering if anyone knows what prompted this. The gal I talked to when I called X to ask had no idea. *Sigh*

 

I'm thrilled to be heading back up to Alaska -- especially because we're bringing family members who've never been -- but I was looking forward to this particular itinerary!

[SeattleCruiselover]

Anyone know why X changed the itinerary for the Infinity out of Seattle next summer? We booked as soon as the bookings opened -- was supposed to be Juneau, Hubbard Glacier, Icy Strait Point, Ketchikan and a brief stop in Victoria -- now they've dropped Icy Strait Point and we're doing an 8 hour stop in Victoria! I've canceled and rebooked with another line already (no desire to spend 8 hours in Victoria since I live so close); just wondering if anyone knows what prompted this. The gal I talked to when I called X to ask had no idea. *Sigh*

 

I'm thrilled to be heading back up to Alaska -- especially because we're bringing family members who've never been -- but I was looking forward to this particular itinerary!

 

They are beinig proactive in case the PVSA changes DO affect the Alaska Market, but 8 hours in Victoria is not going to cover it, it will need to be about 2.5 times that to meet the letter of the rule if it is published as it stands right now.

[Jenbo57]

Thanks Karen. I suppose that could be the reason, but I'm wondering why the other four lines sailing out of Seattle haven't done the same?

 

It may be time to start taking the Alaska ferries again...truly the best way to get up close and personal with Alaska! ;)

[Putterdude]

I wondered the same thing that Karen has addressed, the proposed amendments to the PVSA. However the other thought that has crossed my mind is the fact that they have tried this year to return the Infinity down the east side of Vancouver Island in the Inside Passage. Because of the tides in Seymour Narrows they have only been successful in bringing her down this way once or twice and even at that they were late into Victoria; so by dropping ISP they have more flexibility for operating this routing next year if this is indeed their plan.

[Snookum]

What is PVSA? Ok for me duhhhhhhhh?

[krogerlady]

http://capitalcityweekly.com/stories/040908/news_20080409006.shtml

 

I read this whole thing, because your posts created a lot of questions. Now it sounds like as long as your cruise leaves out of Vancouver, it will be alright. Its still quite confusing.

[wrp96]

What is PVSA? Ok for me duhhhhhhhh?

 

 

PVSA = Passenger Vehicle Services Act. Basically the PVSA is what sets the rules for foreign flagged ships to transport passengers to, from, and within the US. Under the current rules, a roundtrip cruise from a US port has to make a stop at a foreign port with no minimum time required. Last fall a rule changed was proposed that would require a minimum length of time for that foreign port stop - 48 hours. We are just waiting to see what the final rule will say, which could be anywhere from no minimum time to the absurdly long 48 hours, but many of us are thinking that the minimum time will end up in the 6-8 hours range which would be why Celebrity lengthened your port time. They may just be the first line to make the change, although RCCL's Rhapsody of the Seas was already scheduled for a 9 hour stop at Victoria.

[anthk333]

All good thoughts, but incorrect. Per Celebrity it's all about fuel (this is from an e-mail I received yesterday):

 

"All changes above are a result of fuel savings initiatives and have been reviewed and approved by Senior and Executive management. It is also believed that the extended call times in Juneau, Ketchikan, and Victoria will improve guest experience."

[Jenbo57]

All good thoughts, but incorrect. Per Celebrity it's all about fuel (this is from an e-mail I received yesterday):

 

"All changes above are a result of fuel savings initiatives and have been reviewed and approved by Senior and Executive management. It is also believed that the extended call times in Juneau, Ketchikan, and Victoria will improve guest experience."

 

Wow, very interesting! Were you booked on a cruise, which is why you were sent the e-mail? When I called to ask them about my itinerary change, and asked whether they planned to notify guests who'd already booked, I was told "no". I would have expected more from Celebrity. I don't think I should have had to find out by visiting the web site to make a payment, only to see a changed itinerary.

 

But, in the general scheme of things, is it a big deal? No. I've re-booked on another line and I'm excited to be going back up there!

[SoonerCruiser51]

Wow, very interesting! Were you booked on a cruise, which is why you were sent the e-mail? When I called to ask them about my itinerary change, and asked whether they planned to notify guests who'd already booked, I was told "no". I would have expected more from Celebrity. I don't think I should have had to find out by visiting the web site to make a payment, only to see a changed itinerary.

 

But, in the general scheme of things, is it a big deal? No. I've re-booked on another line and I'm excited to be going back up there!

 

It's a huge deal if you're into things like whale and bear watching. There aren't a whole helluva lot of either around Victoria.

 

Beyond that, extending the time by an hour or two in Ketchikan and taking a couple of hours off Juneau and adding a few in Victoria seems like bad business to me. That's the primary reason I canceled and re-booked on another line. I understand that changes like this are necessary from time to time, but Celebrity shouldn't be pissing on my leg and telling me it's raining by re-arranging the times of ports that were already on the inten. as if playing some sort of shell game with passengers.

[Jenbo57]

Hey Sooner...

 

I saw your reply on the Celebrity board, and I totally understand your frustration! I'm frustrated too, but just the fact that I'm lucky enough to be able to afford to cruise, and take a couple of land trips a year, eases the frustration for me somewhat. I had actually really wanted to see Sitka, so when ISP was substituted (on the orignal itinerary) I was a little bit disappointed, but figured it'd be an ok substitution. Now that even that stop's been eliminated, well, all I could do was express my disappointment by canceling. Whether I'll ever cruise with Celebrity again...who knows?

 

Are you doing Hubbard Glacier or Glacier Bay on HAL? I'd looked at both of those itineraries before going with Norwegian; would really like to do one of the HAL itineraries, because they visit Sitka, but ultimately decided that it wasn't worth the additional almost $1,000 in price (since I can't miss my annual trip to Hawaii ;) ). We'll get up there by ferry (Alaska Marine Highway) one of these days...

[SoonerCruiser51]

Hey Sooner...

 

I saw your reply on the Celebrity board, and I totally understand your frustration! I'm frustrated too, but just the fact that I'm lucky enough to be able to afford to cruise, and take a couple of land trips a year, eases the frustration for me somewhat. I had actually really wanted to see Sitka, so when ISP was substituted (on the orignal itinerary) I was a little bit disappointed, but figured it'd be an ok substitution. Now that even that stop's been eliminated, well, all I could do was express my disappointment by canceling. Whether I'll ever cruise with Celebrity again...who knows?

 

Are you doing Hubbard Glacier or Glacier Bay on HAL? I'd looked at both of those itineraries before going with Norwegian; would really like to do one of the HAL itineraries, because they visit Sitka, but ultimately decided that it wasn't worth the additional almost $1,000 in price (since I can't miss my annual trip to Hawaii ;) ). We'll get up there by ferry (Alaska Marine Highway) one of these days...

 

Hey Jenbo,

 

We're re-booked on HAL Zaandam out of Seattle. It stops in Sitka, Juneau, Ketchikan and Victoria. It also goes to Glacier Bay. It's a very nice itinerary that we came very very close to booking in the first place.

 

We're limited to what we can do at the moment because of the king's ransom it takes to fly into Anchorage and go southbound. One of these days we'll do it, but starting the trip with about $1,500 committed toward air (We live in Oklahoma) is not something we want to do right now. Maybe later on down the road but it's cost prohibitive at the moment. That's why I look at ships going round trip out of Seattle.

 

Like you said, perspective is a good thing but where I find fault in RCCL (let's be honest, it's their call, not Celebrity's) is that adding a few hours in two stops, taking away an hour or two in another, seems more about suiting their needs than the customers.

[Jenbo57]

Like you said, perspective is a good thing but where I find fault in RCCL (let's be honest, it's their call, not Celebrity's) is that adding a few hours in two stops, taking away an hour or two in another, seems more about suiting their needs than the customers.

 

Agreed! And I think the thing that irritates me the most is the fact that, as I said earlier, I found out about the change only because I went to X's website to make a payment and just happened to take a look at the itinerary while I was there. What if I hadn't? I might have gone several months before I realized that we weren't going on the itinerary we'd originally booked. Not good customer service, if you ask me!

 

In any event, have a great cruise! I haven't sailed HAL, but I have family members who rave about them. Every Friday afternoon, all summer long, I watch HAL, RCL and Celebrity sail out of Elliott Bay, heading north, and think, "next summer, next summer, next summer". ;)