Change in Infinity's Alaska itinerary for next summer - sad!

[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!

[Fredr]

Hello,

 

I have been to Icy Strait Point Alaska twice. It is essentially a very small Native American town that the town fathers want to turn into a cruise port. It is scenic to be sure but it is not like Skagway or Juneau. And for most passengers, an 8 hour visit to Victoria is by far the more interesting port to visit.

 

Icy Strait Point is a nice port to visit though.

 

Fred

[Putterdude]

I am just wondering if they are anticipating changes to the PVSA which may require a longer stay in Victoria? By staking out those 8 hours now, they may be ahead of the competition. The other factor may be that they tried bringing the Infinity down the Inside Passage past Vancouver Is. this year but with the tides at Seymour Narrows were only successful in doing so once or twice so far this year; so maybe the are going to try it again next year and by dropping ISP they have more flexibilty in bringing her thru the narrow. But all are just guesses on my part.

[Ma Bell]

I would agree that for most travelers Victoria is one of the places they would love to spend some extra time.

[wrp96]

I am just wondering if they are anticipating changes to the PVSA which may require a longer stay in Victoria? By staking out those 8 hours now, they may be ahead of the competition. The other factor may be that they tried bringing the Infinity down the Inside Passage past Vancouver Is. this year but with the tides at Seymour Narrows were only successful in doing so once or twice so far this year; so maybe the are going to try it again next year and by dropping ISP they have more flexibilty in bringing her thru the narrow. But all are just guesses on my part.

 

 

My first guess was the PVSA issue, but they Seymour Narrows thought is a good one as well.

[Jenbo57]

Thanks for the input! Putterdude, I was hoping you'd weigh in, since I'd read on another thread where you'd said the Infinity was having trouble keeping it's schedule this summer. I know that's why the Mercury was moved from Seattle to Vancouver.

 

As far as the PVSA issue, none of the other cruise lines sailing from Seattle have changed their itineraries, and those that I called to ask about it said they had no plans to, so who knows?

 

I'm amazed at folks who think Victoria is more interesting to visit than an Alaskan port. Wow! Don't get me wrong, I think Victoria is nice, but I go on an Alaskan cruise to see Alaska. Two stops in Alaska on a $4,000 (for two)cruise just isn't enough for me!

[Ma Bell]

It's probably because you are from Seattle that you feel that way. I've probably been to Alaska 10 times and I do love the Alaska ports but for many people who have never been to Victoria it is a much desired stop. The Butchart Gardens alone are a beautiful attraction.

[ktcruiser]

I myself would be thrilled at this new itinerary - one of our big complaints from our recent Alaskan cruise was the stop at Icy Strait Pt, which we felt was just a money making stop for the criuse line. (The one big positive, admittedly, was the absence of foreign jewelry stores!)

[Constance331]

I'm amazed at folks who think Victoria is more interesting to visit than an Alaskan port. Wow! Don't get me wrong, I think Victoria is nice, but I go on an Alaskan cruise to see Alaska. Two stops in Alaska on a $4,000 (for two)cruise just isn't enough for me!

 

I'm with you on this one, Jen (and I'm from NY).:)

 

I've been to both Victoria and ISP on X, and much preferred my experience at ISP - preferred it even to Juneau and Skagway, which IMO have become much too commercial.

[CruisinNewb]

Not sure if this is related but someone on our roll call thread for the 8/15 Infinity cruise out of Seattle just said her T/A advised her via email that the itinerary had changed with longer stops in Juneau and Victoria.

 

Anyone have any information on that?

[wrp96]

As far as the PVSA issue, none of the other cruise lines sailing from Seattle have changed their itineraries, and those that I called to ask about it said they had no plans to, so who knows?

 

 

Actually RCCL has their Seattle ship doing a 9 hour stop at Victoria next year so it sounds like RCCL and Celebrity are trying to be proactive. At least by making the changes now while there are still other options available, you may be able to find an itinerary that will better suit you if the change does not meet your approval. If they had waited until the government finally made a decision on the issue, and then made the change, you might not have as many options.

[Jenbo57]

I had also posted this question on the Alaska board. Here's what anthk333 just had to say about this:

 

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."

 

Thanks, everyone, for your input! I'm happy...I re-booked on another line and I've got the itinerary I want, so all is well! Happy cruising everyone!

[SoonerCruiser51]

Sigh......

 

My wife and I were booked on the June 5, 2009 sailing on Infinity. I say were because I canceled it today.

 

We specifically booked this cruise after just returning from a 7-day to Alaska on Rhapsody earlier this month because of the stop at Icy Strait Point (for the whale and bear viewing that some Celebrity passengers we met on one of our shore excursions raved about).

 

Having read some of the posts on ISP, I think it's a lot like Prince Rupert in that if you don't book a shore excursion, you're probably not going to like it.

 

I'm not at all interested in Victoria and more or less considered it a throwaway stop in the original itinerary anyway. I go on Alaska cruises to see Alaska. I understand the unfortunate and frankly out-dated rules of the Jones act as it relates to cruising in Alaska, but I'm not interested in seeing a large city on a trip to Alaska no matter how many gardens it may have.

 

Beyond that, adding hours to an already short port visit rather than offering another stop in Sitka or somewhere else seems like bad business to me.

 

At any rate, we were looking forward to our first Celebrity experience but I'm afraid they've lost this potential customer for the time being.

 

I do give them credit on one hand, at least they announced the change early. We're re-booking with HAL which was our second choice and we won't be charged any fees or lose our deposit.

 

Also kudos to this board. I've researched 5 cruises on CC and every nugget of advice, every tip I've used, have been spot on every single time. If not for this board, I don't know that we would have found out about this until it was too late to change the trip.

[Putterdude]

Sigh......

 

I go on Alaska cruises to see Alaska. I understand the unfortunate and frankly out-dated rules of the Jones act as it relates to cruising in Alaska, but I'm not interested in seeing a large city on a trip to Alaska no matter how many gardens it may have.

 

 

The relevant act is the Passenger Vessels Service Act or PVSA. The Jones act deals with shipping. However both are archaic and protectionist in nature a probably should be abandoned. The way of course to get around the Victoria stop is to sail out of Vancouver .... but I am sure that you have already considered that.

[Shirley and Les]

...I'm amazed at folks who think Victoria is more interesting to visit than an Alaskan port...

I agree. ISP was the only port where I was able to watch bears wander around on the hills while having breakfast on the ship. At the same time, I could look in another direction and watch whales in the harbor. It was a great port.

I was also going to speculate that it could be fuel related. One more day at a port close to the home base would allow slower sailing and improved fuel economy.

Les

[SoonerCruiser51]

The relevant act is the Passenger Vessels Service Act or PVSA. The Jones act deals with shipping. However both are archaic and protectionist in nature a probably should be abandoned. The way of course to get around the Victoria stop is to sail out of Vancouver .... but I am sure that you have already considered that.

 

Thanks for the clarification. On our RCCL cruise to Alaska earlier this month, our captain mentioned the Jones act when a passenger asked the question about a mandatory stop in his Q and A. I had no idea there was such a law, since our past cruises have been in the Caribbean so the PVSA requirements were satisfied on the first stop.

 

I did look into Vancouver as an option but we have already booked our flights at a very good rate ($748 roundtrip from Oklahoma City to Seattle for 2 people) so we have to have something that corresponds with those dates. We could re-book but the fares have gone up considerably since we made our reservations. I guess that's one of the hazards of booking everything so early.

[Putterdude]

Thanks for the clarification. On our RCCL cruise to Alaska earlier this month, our captain mentioned the Jones act when a passenger asked the question about a mandatory stop in his Q and A. I had no idea there was such a law, since our past cruises have been in the Caribbean so the PVSA requirements were satisfied on the first stop.

 

I did look into Vancouver as an option but we have already booked our flights at a very good rate ($748 roundtrip from Oklahoma City to Seattle for 2 people) so we have to have something that corresponds with those dates. We could re-book but the fares have gone up considerably since we made our reservations. I guess that's one of the hazards of booking everything so early.

 

Lots of pax fly into Seattle then catch Amtrak, or rent a car or catch the shuttle that runs between the 2 cities. One of the advantages of sailing out of Vancouver is that you are in the Inside Pasage for the the whole cruise so there is scenery pretty much 24/7 plus the waters tend to be very calm. Cruises out of Seattle sail up the west side of Vancover Is. out in the Pacific so you don't have the same potential for scenery and you are subject to the sea conditons of the open ocean. Just grist for the mill , so to speak.:)

[White Cat]

There is one of the largest feeding grounds for humpback whales located near Icy Strait Point and on our excursion there we saw scores of them when they surrounded the boat, complete with soundings and blowing of air. Unfortunately this port is now being dropped as I believe Holland America also deleted it from its cruises; however for those who go to Alaska to see the wildlife and majesty of its land, deletion of this stop is unfortunate.

[SoonerCruiser51]

Lots of pax fly into Seattle then catch Amtrak, or rent a car or catch the shuttle that runs between the 2 cities. One of the advantages of sailing out of Vancouver is that you are in the Inside Pasage for the the whole cruise so there is scenery pretty much 24/7 plus the waters tend to be very calm. Cruises out of Seattle sail up the west side of Vancover Is. out in the Pacific so you don't have the same potential for scenery and you are subject to the sea conditons of the open ocean. Just grist for the mill , so to speak.:)

 

Yeah, we sailed out of Seattle earlier in the month and that portion of the trip was bumpier than anything I've experienced in the Caribbean.

[Ma Bell]

The truth is you never know what you're going to see in Alaska. We've sailed the Inside Passage many times and the scenery is beautiful. Our cruise on Infinity in June out of Seattle had the most unexpected surprise ever. Coming out of Ketchikan we encountered a group of hundreds of whales feeding. I've never seen anything like it in our many trips. They were everywhere.

[djh]

Lots of pax fly into Seattle then catch Amtrak, or rent a car or catch the shuttle that runs between the 2 cities. One of the advantages of sailing out of Vancouver is that you are in the Inside Pasage for the the whole cruise so there is scenery pretty much 24/7 plus the waters tend to be very calm. Cruises out of Seattle sail up the west side of Vancover Is. out in the Pacific so you don't have the same potential for scenery and you are subject to the sea conditons of the open ocean. Just grist for the mill , so to speak.:)

 

Doesn't this new itinerary do inside passage both ways?

[SoonerCruiser51]

Dear Mr. XXXXXX,

 

Thank you for your e-mail. We appreciate the opportunity to respond.

 

We are very disappointed that you cancelled your cruise with us due to the itinerary modifications.

 

 

In this case, the itinerary had to be altered because we were not able to port in Ketchikan on Wednesday, June 10, 2009. They had too many ships scheduled for that day and denied us access to the port. Therefore, we were forced to change our itinerary so we could still offer the port of Ketchikan. Unfortunately this meant that we had to eliminate Icy Strait Point. We felt that this was the best decision as this was not a scheduled stop but a cruise by so we thought that it was the best decision.

Thank you for choosing Celebrity Cruises.

XXXXX XXXXXX

Customer Service Representative

 

 

Not a scheduled stop? These people don't even know their own product.

[Putterdude]

Doesn't this new itinerary do inside passage both ways?

 

I hadn't checked Celebrity's website before my last post and yes it does appear that in '09 the Infinity is going to sail both ways in the Inside Passage which is a real plus. However in order to accomplish this they have dropped the day ordinarily spent in Skagway or Sitka, unfortunately this is the only way they can make up the extra 100+ miles differnence between Vancouver and Seattle and still use the Inside Passage both ways. To me a day in Skagway is very important to others it is Sitka.

[hermang]

I hadn't checked Celebrity's website before my last post and yes it does appear that in '09 the Infinity is going to sail both ways in the Inside Passage which is a real plus. However in order to accomplish this they have dropped the day ordinarily spent in Skagway or Sitka, unfortunately this is the only way they can make up the extra 100+ miles differnence between Vancouver and Seattle and still use the Inside Passage both ways. To me a day in Skagway is very important to others it is Sitka.

 

The post alluded to the fact that ISP was limiting the number of ships per week that were allowed to go to ISP. For a long time it was a Celebrity exclusive now other cruise lines may be willing to pay more to visit.

 

We enjoyed it in 2006 and would like to go back some day but we did the Southbound Cruise tour from Seward to Vancouver with 4 days pre-cruise - wonder if that has something to do with it?

[Putterdude]

The post alluded to the fact that ISP was limiting the number of ships per week that were allowed to go to ISP. For a long time it was a Celebrity exclusive now other cruise lines may be willing to pay more to visit.

 

We enjoyed it in 2006 and would like to go back some day but we did the Southbound Cruise tour from Seward to Vancouver with 4 days pre-cruise - wonder if that has something to do with it?

 

I was responding to djh's post not SC51's which did raise a different matter.