compensation for cabin repair

We are booked in the reflections suite on Celebrity's new Reflections ship. It is the only two bedroom suite on the entire Celebrity line (1,636 sq. feet) at a cost of $3,000 per day for a seven day cruise. I will be accompanied by my wife and 88 year old mother. Two weeks before my cruise I was contacted by Celebrity and told they plan on doing a repair to the suite that will take 8 hours. During this time we have to vacate the suite. I have to choose the day for this repair at least a week before my cruise. They offered us a spa treatment in return for having no access to the suite for 8 hours. Normally I would choose to do an excursion for the repair day but the age of my mother precludes excursions for all intents and purposes. I am not an experienced cruiser as, I am sure, many of you are but, given the exorbitant cost of our accommodations, a spa treatment seems to be somewhat chintzy for being denied access to our suite for 8 hours. I am certainly not looking to gouge Celebrity but does anyone have a suggestion as to what would constitute reasonable compensation for this major inconvenience given the cost of the suite and the age of my mother?

Are there no excursions offered during the entire cruise that your mother could handle? Given the average age of the cruise population, and the significant portion of very elderly passengers, there must be something gentle enough (although perhaps not every day).

I would think that a shore excursion would be an apt offer. A spa treatment is nice, but I agree that it doesn't feel like sufficient compensation.

There are stops at St. Thomas and St. Martins (sp. ?). A couple of excursions are essentially transportation to shopping areas. Something (1) we would not normally do and (2) you never know how prepared an 88 year old will be for an excursion of any kind on a day you have to choose a week in advance. In actuality, we did not plan on doing any excursions as none of them seem to be all that appealing and/or are too strenuous. My guess as to why Celebrity chose our week to do this repair is that we are but three people in a suite that accommodates six. Other weeks probably have more people booked into the reflections suite so they would have to compensate more people if another week was chosen.

I'd say press for dinner at a specialty restaurant on top of the spa service. and a little extra OBC.. Frankly I'd be very not happy at being told I was kicked out for 8 hours( port day or no).

we spend a lot of time in our stateroom. and I bet your mother will not know a week ahead of time how she will be feeling on any particular day. she may have a day where she needs to spend the day resting...

Thanks for your reply. You are absolutely correct. The day we choose ( a week in advance) to vacate our suite might not be a day she is up for an excursion. This is in addition to the fact that the excursions offered are not all that appealing. If not for this cabin repair, we would not have considered an excursion at all.

I am not an experienced cruiser as, I am sure, many of you are but, given the exorbitant cost of our accommodations, a spa treatment seems to be somewhat chintzy

A spa treatment?:eek:

At the least I would want $1,500 credit.

thank you for your support. The straight math suggests that at a suite cost of $3,000 per day, a mandated vacancy of 8 hours works out to be $1,000. This does not account for the disruption and the need to do something else I would not normally do for eight hours. Your figure of $1,500 in on board credit to use as we see fit (specialty restaurant, spa, etc.) seems about right. Thanks again.

Taking it logically, if the room is $3000 per day, and you'll be out for 1/3 of the day, I'd suggest that a reasonable compensation would be $1000 in on board credit, which can then be spent on spas/excursions/dinners as your family sees fit.

I would also ask if there's a spare room somewhere (an empty interior cabin, for example), where your mum could go for a lie down if she wanted, and where you could put a few bits and pieces that you might not want to carry with you all day.

Thanks for your reply. You and I are thinking exactly alike. The math suggests $1,000 in on board credit at a minimum giving us the flexibility to do what we want when we want to do it. An additional amount would serve to compensate for the disruption for 8 hours having to do something we might not normally do.

Your cruise per day cost $3,00.00 per day for the room, how did you figure that out?

Deny repair or demand $3,000.00:D

This repair is when? this repair is what?

You could request OBC in the amount that would cover a shore excursion for all three of you, with the logic that this would fill the time, but then use it as you see fit. If she's feeling up to an excursion and there's one that interests you and they have room, go for it. If not, use it as you see fit.

Any idea what the repair might be? I am wondering if this repair is really so involved that no part of the suite will be available. For example, if the repair involves the master bath, mother's bedroom and bath might still be usable. or vise versa. If you are totally displaced, asking for a large OBC ($500 to $1000 perhaps), seems appropriate. If no compensation will make you happy, I'd go to the Celebrity boards and ask if somebody could provide the email address of the hotel director or suite concierge (if X has one) so you can express your concerns...maybe the repair can be postponed. The next party in the suite may or may not be larger, but they may already plan long excurusion(s); they might experience less inconvenience and be happy with the spa offer or such.

I would negotiate for an OBC so you are more flexiable with choices

for using your reward for being displaced.

As a former TA , I'm not sure there is any suite, on any mass market ship worthy of $3000 a day, but I would do cartwheels (not to mention gifts galore ) for a booking like that . ;)

My math says that you are awake and using the suite for a total of 16 hours and sleeping 8 hours.

You are denied use for half of the 16 hours, and half of $3,000 is $1,500.

If they have any open cabins, maybe you could arrange to sleep there, and let them work on your cabin from 11:00 PM to 7:00 AM or whatever time frame you arrange.

Before asking for OBC, consider how much you will use. If it is non-refundable, it is of less value. I would ask for a refund of the agreed amount.

At least they warned you in advance.

One of our Celebrity cruises, we were in the Royal Suite.

It was last day on board and I returned to our cabin at about 12 noon to find them cleaning the carpets and a do not enter sign on the door.

Of course, I entered and asked what was going on. They informed me I could not use the suite for the next 4 or so hours and would have to wait for the carpets to dry. I reminded them it was the last day of the cruise and I needed to pack and advised I did not feel well and wished to rest for a while.

I informed them they best plan to do this at another time.

While I fully understood their need for maintenance, IMO, they handled it so poorly without so much as giving us notice and by choosing such an impossible time for a guest.... last day, they knew we had to pack. I would certainly have been cooperative had they been more considerate. A little prior notice and we could have worked something out.

They packed up their materials and left.

Half of the daily rate as a cash refund-not an OBC.

Or tell them to wait a week to do the repair. If they don't care what day the repair needs to be done, it can wait until someone more accommodating has the room.

Taking it logically, if the room is $3000 per day, and you'll be out for 1/3 of the day, I'd suggest that a reasonable compensation would be $1000 in on board credit, which can then be spent on spas/excursions/dinners as your family sees fit.

 

I would also ask if there's a spare room somewhere (an empty interior cabin, for example), where your mum could go for a lie down if she wanted, and where you could put a few bits and pieces that you might not want to carry with you all day.

I really like this line of thinking. Actually, the three of you should have some temporary "home" - a cabin close by, perhaps - to use while you cannot access your cabin.

Thanks for your reply. You and I are thinking exactly alike. The math suggests $1,000 in on board credit at a minimum giving us the flexibility to do what we want when we want to do it. An additional amount would serve to compensate for the disruption for 8 hours having to do something we might not normally do.

Yes - our previous posts obviously crossed :)

Personally I'd go for the $1000, with access to another cabin (for showers/naps), but if access to another cabin is worth $500 to you that works too.

Another thing to consider...What type of repairs will be done? Will fumes be an issue? As an asthmatic that would be my concern. With an elderly passenger, lingering fumes could be an issue.

I would get details regarding the repairs before I would agree to anything. And I totally agree, at least $1000 refund and another cabin made available is not too much to request.

Good luck.

My math says that you are awake and using the suite for a total of 16 hours and sleeping 8 hours.

 

You are denied use for half of the 16 hours, and half of $3,000 is $1,500.

 

If they have any open cabins, maybe you could arrange to sleep there, and let them work on your cabin from 11:00 PM to 7:00 AM or whatever time frame you arrange.

I have to wonder where you learned math. If you sleep in the cabin for 8 hours, you are certainly "using" it; so it makes no sense to say that the 8 daytime hours represent 50% of your cabin use. On a straight math basis, 8 hours is 1/3 of the day, so the amount should be $1,000. Of course, the $3,000 per day does not just entitle the passenger to the use of the cabin; meals, the use of public spaces and entertainment are also part of the package.

Sure, a spa treatment is an absurd low-ball offer. If the ship cannot offer other (reasonably comparable) space, they should be willing to approach $1,000 in value of on-board credit, or alternate dining meals or future cruise credit, or some combination. Hopefully a reasonable request, reasonably presented, will result in an acceptable form of compensation.

I'm wondering if the repair is a safety issue and could not or should not wait any longer then necessary. I personally don't use the spa so would find that offer useless.

Since you been notified. I request a new room. not worth the calculation of compensation

Last time I remembered 8 hrs is a work day, no matter how you look at it.

Since you been notified. I request a new room. not worth the calculation of compensation

 

Last time I remembered 8 hrs is a work day, no matter how you look at it.

DH would be over the moon if his work day was a mere 8 hours.

I have to wonder where you learned math. If you sleep in the cabin for 8 hours, you are certainly "using" it; .

Obviously, your definition of "using it" is completely different than mine.

And my math was quite defined, clear and accurate.