Silhouette Trip Report (Yes, that Israel one!) October 2015 (Very Long)

I should warn readers that this is not a traditional happy clappy fluffy bunny Cruise Critic Trip Report, but instead it is an honest review of the events that made what I have now had time to assess was a good vacation but a poor cruise.

As many will know, I was the poster who revealed here that Celebrity had cancelled the Israel section of the Silhouette cruise. Again, post-trip, I would describe what we received instead was a replacement cruise on the same ship.

We booked a Holy Land cruise, but were instead provided with an over-priced late season Mediterranean cruise without any notice or time to cancel - A cruise that hardly anyone on board would have booked.

Before proceeding I think it is important to address the ‘Safety Issue’, or in other words the reason Celebrity took the decision to change the cruise so dramatically.

Celebrity claimed it was for “Passenger Safety”. It is not a decision I believe was made lightly, but I do believe it was made after lengthy discussions with the Celebrity legal team.

As passengers were not offered any sort of recompense, or any sort of explanation, and all staff stuck rigidly to the ‘passenger safety’ line whenever the issue was raised, this would suggest the cruise line were thoroughly confident they had nothing, legally or financially, to worry about.

This was aided and abetted by the clearly deliberate act of not revealing these plans until it was too late for passengers to do anything about it.

So, the question is - was it for passenger safety?

This is the key issue here and facts are often confused with opinion, but one thing is without debate: If a Celebrity Cruise passenger was hurt during a trip to shore, anywhere; it would be major news. If it was during a major news event, which the Israeli troubles can be described as, it could cause them irreparable damage.

It would be nice to imagine that it was an incredible act of altruism on the part of Celebrity, but they are not a Mom and Pop store on the corner that know which brand of cereal you like, they are a corporate behemoth that work with balance sheets and realism.

I know this will come as a great disappointment to the reading cheerleaders (they will be the ones that will add negative comments below this report), but I see Celebrity as nothing more than a vacation provider, not an entity that I owe loyalty to because I ordinarily enjoy those vacations.

Returning to the facts and opinion issue, there will be some that believe Israel is on the verge of Sodom and Gomorrah, but instead, while the tragic events that are unfolding on a weekly basis are incredibly sad and unpredictable it does not take into account the following facts:

1. 11,000 people have been killed in gun related incidents alone in the USA this year. Yet, this is deemed a safe country to visit by all major cruise lines.

2. More tourists have been killed in the USA this year than in Israel. Indeed, the only non-Jew or Palestinian killed in Israel this year was an Eritrean man who was a suspect in an attack.

3. Neither the US or UK governments have issued blanket advisories against travel to Israel.

4. Instead they have offered advisories regarding the areas affected. No ship tours go to the West Bank or the Gaza Strip.

5. Tour professionals in all countries are fully versed in how to keep their clients safe. I wanted to add this here because we were in touch with a private tour company that was keeping us updated the two weeks prior to the trip. They said they knew where to avoid and explained why we had little to worry about.

6. Ashdod and Haifa are well protected international ports that have not experienced violence during the recent troubles. Anyone that felt unsafe could have stayed on the ship and Celebrity would have therefore fulfilled their obligations.

7. I could add more facts here, but I will wind up with the fact that Seabourn felt it perfectly safe to visit during the same week as the Silhouette was supposed to visit. I believe MSC are also visiting this week but this is unconfirmed.

I would appreciate it that when Celebrity’s biggest fans pile in that they consider the opinion on the issue to be just that, their opinion. The above are facts.

My own opinion, and as this is my report, I feel I kinda have a right to express it here, is that I have been to war zones, areas of mass civil unrest, and travelled on vacation with armed guards, so I can assure anyone reading that I always consider facts very carefully and fully trust my own awareness and personal responsibilities. I certainly do not need to be nannied by a vacation provider.

With that in mind, I would have issued an advisory against travel and anyone using a Ship’s tour would have had to sign a waiver.

Which sort of leads neatly onto the one thing Celebrity could have done and which brings into question the reality behind their ‘Safety’ claims... They could have cancelled all their tours. Of course, economically, this was never going to happen. And although that aspect sounds like opinion, we can probably draw our own conclusions based on the understanding of the word ‘fact’.

It also leads to the subject of the alternative ports.

But not before an issue that was not considered at any time. As a UK resident, I am not scheduled to see or feel heat and sunshine for the next half a year – we booked this trip for two reasons:

1. It went to Israel

2. It would be 30 degrees hot for at least half the trip

I would have preferred it stayed fifty miles of the coast of Israel for five days bobbing around in the sunshine than visit Greek Islands that I have visited many, many times.

But hey, I said I would deal with facts rather than opinion, so the only guaranteed sunny alternative on the regular Cruise schedule in this region was Egypt.

Again, a place I have been to, but surely a more worthy replacement on a cruise of this type.

Indeed, even though guaranteed sunshine may not have been an issue for many on the cruise, most, if not all that I spoke to said they would have preferred Montenegro, Croatia, Venice etc. than the Greek additions.

Before moving on to the Trip Report, there are additional related issues that should be remembered.

1. Many people had non-refundable overnight accommodation booked in Israel.

2. Many had non refundable trips and travel arrangements.

3. In the UK, parents can be fined for taking their children out of school during term time. There were families on-board that did just that.

4. Many were on a personal pilgrimage. This was not a ‘normal’ cruise.

5. Many were visiting family and friends etc.,

6. Those comparing this to missing Roatan on a Caribbean cruise because the sea was a bit choppy are simply on the wrong page.

So, here goes...

Day 1

Although it’s a bit of a pain travelling from Rome to Civitavecchia, most know the score so it only makes the anticipation more enjoyable.

However, at the check-in area there was a palpable air of shock. The leaflets handed out with the new itinerary created an eerie atmosphere. There were people literally trudging towards one of the most beautiful ships in the world with their heads down. It was all a bit strange.

The evening was a muted affair, but this would have been partly due to a relatively aged profile, the many religious people, and unidentifiable entertainment.

Day 2

A Naples visit often sees a divided ship. Half get off, half have been many times. It was warm enough for sunbathing for some.

I didn’t write notes so bear with me. I am not sure which of the three nights it happened, but a man got up at the captain’s address and had a good old fashioned rant. This led to him being asked to leave the ship, and, according to post cruise airport gossip, receiving a full refund.

Both the Sky Lounge and the Martini Bar had good atmospheres for the first two nights.

Day 3

Catania, Sicily. This was the first of the replacement ports and for many, it left little to grumble about. There was a City Hop on Hop off bus. There was Mount Etna. And best of all, Taormina, which may seem like one of those best kept secret deals, but it was a very important Italian resort place for years, so for me it seems somewhat surprising that it isn’t rated more highly than Capri.

It was also nice and sunny for much of the day.

Day 4

A glorious sea day. It was very calm and beautifully sunny all day. It was also formal night, so this may have been the shouting match thing at the Captain referred to above.

Day 5, 6, 7, 8

The Santorini, Crete, Rhodes, Mykonos marathon. This really was island hopping in the extreme, or as I thought; quantity over the quality I had booked. But also, why for me, it was a good vacation, but a bad cruise because my individual experience included quad biking around Santorini, visiting family of one of our party on the unscheduled stop of Crete, a visit to Rhodes for the first time (loved the old cobbled town, hated the wall to wall souvenir stores). It should also be mentioned that many of the main shops were closed, as were most of the shops and restaurants in Mykonos, which was so windy and cold that waves were crashing over tourists.

Another aspect of this mini tour within a tour was the weather deteriorated as the days progressed. This either coincided with or caused a change in atmosphere on the ship. Pre-dinner events were well supported but there were not many people around later in the evening.

While on a shuttle bus in Crete, I also had the unedifying experience of witnessing a middle aged American man telling some elderly females that they were “Stupid” and they were “Idiots” during a discussion he was not invited into because he supported Celebrity’s stance. This perhaps summarised best how feelings simmered throughout the cruise. There was a perpetual feeling that there was a powder keg somewhere.

Day 9

Similar to Athens, which I will get to, Kusadasi/Ephesus is another place that features an interesting tour or a ship board stay, but as this featured on the original itinerary no-one would grumble except for the fact that it now appeared as part of a port intensive, non-stop marathon.

Days 10 and 11

An overnight in Athens was great for the senior staff, many of whom got to spend quality time with relatives.

It was also the first opportunity for people to leave the cruise to travel for Israel. There was a massive religious group that spent hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars and were obviously secure enough in their personal safety to ensure they saw out their only reason for booking this trip.

News of this spread like wildfire and after this, the cruise ship like a ghost ship – almost every evening venue was empty, which it would certainly appear if there were 400 plus less people around. Not to mention however many others left that were not part of this group.

This port is perhaps the one that creates a divide among those missing out on Israel. If you hadn’t been before there is certainly plenty to see and do. If, like us, you had been there many times before, it was two days aboard in temperate weather conditions. By this time Cafe Al Balcio had run out of English Breakfast Tea, I had run out of movies to watch in the room and the Trivias had run out of appeal!

What I would say is that although I would personally have preferred to have stayed literally anywhere else on the itinerary for two days rather than Athens, it was the best and most logical overnight stop for many reasons.

Day 12

Sea Day. Mild weather. Formal night.

Day 13

Malta was warm in the morning and very cold and windy in the afternoon. It is a cruise stop but not a regular one and apart from Israel it was the only port I had not visited, so I had a great day.

Day 14

Sea Day. Warm and windy in the morning. Cold and blustery in the afternoon. Packed, drank coffee, packed some more, drank some more coffee.

There are two important aspects of a cruise that can often be grouped together for assessment. The first is entertainment.

There were three house bands, all were proficient to good. There were a couple of DJs. The theatre entertainment was dancing and singing. No comedians, a bit of gymnastic stuff and a touch of magic. All in all, not great.

My favourite bit was on three trips to Quasar, the DJ deliberately put some truly awful music on at the end of the evening to make sure the stragglers went to bed before the witching hour.

My favourite section of any trip report is the bit where everyone unanimously praises the Celebrity Cruise staff. Anyone could write it... They are all great. They always smile. They can’t do a thing wrong. There is never a thing they won’t do for you. Blah, blah.

I have a theory why this is the case...

It is true.

As always every member of staff we encountered was great. Indeed, considering the mood of many of the passengers, they went above and beyond this time. Especially in the face of unnecessary abuse and the propensity for many cruise passengers to omit the words ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ from their vocabulary.

I also have an additional comment which has probably been raised on many other threads.

This was the first Celebrity Cruise I have been on where staff from the paid for restaurants would approach us throughout the ship to hard sell their venues; some with crazy low deals. And one from Q-Sine, who made us feel a little uncomfortable by the fifth night.

I did have a theory that the introduction of Luminae may have created a loss of regular attendees among the wealthier cruisers, but that is for others to discuss.

I also saw the Porch had a $25 surcharge when I turned up for lunch that I had previously paid five bucks for. I wasn’t aware that had happened and it was understandably empty all cruise. It certainly didn’t get my patronage.

To summarise this lengthy report, if you take a minute to look at my very lengthy signature below, you will see I am realistic enough to appreciate why the decision was made to spoil my cruise by providing an inferior product with no legal recourse in a calculated manner, but it has clearly not deterred me from cruising with Celebrity again. I booked three new trips on one of the many cold days on this trip!

I am also fully aware that I will not be compensated for the change in cruise to one I did not want to go on, but it will not stop me from selecting cruises with my favourite cruise line that visit places I have never been to.

If anything it has added further pragmatism. I will book itineraries first and foremost for the next couple of years and then reassess when Celebrity bring their new ships out.

This pragmatism stretches as far as my winding up point. Two days into our cruise The Constellation was still being advertised as an Israel Cruise by Celebrity in full knowledge that it would not go there. As I said before, this level of calculation is not below any large corporation.

My pragmatism does not however stretch as far as perhaps the most important aspect of all of this.

Returning to Celebrity’s honourable intentions (sic), we have the timing of the revelation that our cruise was changed to a different one.

1. Celebrity knew of their decision well in advance of their notification to passengers.

2. The logistics and planning for the replacement ports was done well in advance of the notification passengers were received.

3. Indeed, a senior member of the Guest Relations team told me that they knew of the decision but had to adjust to itinerary before informing passengers.

4. I will address that as a separate point to underline my view and the view of every passenger that went on this cruise that, NO –YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD THE PASSENGERS AS SOON AS YOU MADE THE DECISION. Thus allowing them to make the decision of whether to travel or not, book last minute hotel stays or not, pre-pay for taxis or not etc.,etc.

In conclusion, and this is just my view, I would say that I believe Celebrity panicked and acted purely in the interests of maximising profits in a poor situation, with full awareness of their legal obligations.

That will obviously not prevent anyone questioning those obligations of course. I wrote one of hundreds of letters to Celebrity during the cruise. Some preferred to rant and rave at Guest Relations staff that had nothing to do with the decision, but I preferred the civil approach.

As it was the penultimate day that I received a reply, and by now I was in full acceptance-make-the-best-of-it mode, I will reveal that I had a good chuckle when I received compensation...

...Six chocolate coated strawberries!

After returning, I have written this relatively cathartic Trip Report, but also had a quick look at some legal issues to see where I stand regarding an unlikely compensation pursuit. Any advice from people that do know what they are talking about would be gratefully received.

This is what I have learned so far:

1. In Celebrity’s Passenger Bill of Rights it does not say anything about changing a whole cruise, but it does say, “The right to timely information updates as to any adjustments in the itinerary of the ship in the event of a mechanical failure or emergency, as well as timely updates of the status of efforts to address mechanical failures.” We have already learned that “timely information” was deliberately withheld.

2. According to UK Law, it is possible that because changes were made to my itinerary before departure then regulation 12 and 13 of the Package Travel Regulations may apply. According to the law, “If the changes are significant and you are no longer happy with your cruise - for example you're booked on a Mediterranean cruise and it can no longer travel around the Mediterranean - you have three options. You can either: Request a refund, Request a substitute package of equal or greater value, Request a substitute package of lower value with a price adjustment, Depending on the circumstances of the changes you may also be able to claim compensation.” As we were told in the check-in line, I think this may count and I will pursue this next week.

3. EU Law is very similar, and I will write to the relevant people next week, including my European Member of Parliament.

4. My personal cruise does however exist in a grey area. Although a UK citizen, I use a US Travel Agent, so I will await further information about where I stand because of this.

5. I am not aware of US Consumer Rights regarding travel, if there are any, so if anyone can point me in the right direction it would be appreciated.

Bravo, compmann9. I think you have done a fine job of reporting on your trip and feelings; it is difficult to try to present a balanced report when one is angry or disappointed.

I am with you... as a loyal Celebrity fan, I agree that passengers should have been given information immediately after the decision was made; people should not have to go on a trip which is altered so much from the original, main (advertised?) itinerary that they don't want to travel. Celebrity should have allowed time for cancellations, or options to at least re-book for another trip. Sure it would have been a lot of work for Celebrity personnel, but then Celebrity was the cause of the problem in the first place.

And if I read correctly, people were not compensated for pre-booked ship's tours?

Bill

All ship tours were at first compensated by way of on-board credit, but as withdrawing these funds would have cost 5% commission, the cruise line quickly realised they would have had a mutiny on their hands and altered their policy to return all monies for ship tours in Israel

Thanks for taking the time to share your views on this. I did not see anything about the possibility that Celebrity's insurers forced this decision (sorry if I missed it). Do you think that wasn't likely because Seabourn was there? Thanks.

You've done a great job of eloquently explaining the situation. Now some of the other comments I've read make much more sense. We were on the Constellation in April, where a lot of unhappy Australians cancelled their reservations when they found out they wouldn't be able to attend the Anzac celebrations in Galipoli. Some travel agents had promoted this opportunity. Luckily, they had enough notice and could change plans. Celebrity seemed quite accommodating, but the issue wasn't last minute like yours was.

Too bad you couldn't have docked in more "obscure" ports than Mykonos and Rhodes.

Thanks for taking the time to share your views on this. I did not see anything about the possibility that Celebrity's insurers forced this decision (sorry if I missed it). Do you think that wasn't likely because Seabourn was there? Thanks.

I was told Seabourn were there, but I don't know if anyone else has been there in the past couple of weeks - does anyone know if there is a way of finding out?

You've done a great job of eloquently explaining the situation. Now some of the other comments I've read make much more sense. We were on the Constellation in April, where a lot of unhappy Australians cancelled their reservations when they found out they wouldn't be able to attend the Anzac celebrations in Galipoli. Some travel agents had promoted this opportunity. Luckily, they had enough notice and could change plans. Celebrity seemed quite accommodating, but the issue wasn't last minute like yours was.

Too bad you couldn't have docked in more "obscure" ports than Mykonos and Rhodes.

I think, for many of the regular cruisers that were more accommodating of Celebrity's decision and the timing of that decision, this was an even bigger issue. The replacement stops made a relatively expensive cruise a rather mundane end of season Greek Island trip that you can pick up last minute with Costa or the likes, for a lot cheaper than anyone on this trip paid

I didn't know that about the Aussies. Great that they were accommodated, but awful that they, like us, were unable to enjoy the raison detre of their booking

So sorry your holiday was not everything you expected, all credit to you for making the best of it.

No idea what so ever on the legalities, so no comment to make.

For those who had booked private tours, did Celebrity offer any help with cancelling and scheduling alternatives for the new ports (for example some free internet time...)?

How quickly did Celebrity provide details on tour options on the new itinerary? Did these options offer any tours which may appeal to cruisers who have possibly already done the obvious trips from each destination?

Enough has probably already been said about should they have cancelled/not cancelled. What I think many people reading would like reassurance on is about letting people know asap about changes and then helping cruisers to make the most of the vacation they are left with.

Best Wishes for your next cruise!

I probably shouldn't respond, but here goes.

I think your review is relatively balanced and fair, but think you miss some contradiction you make yourself. I also think you bring in a number of straw man arguments comparing safety in the U.S. to that of Israel, but those I will not comment on. I will however illustrate a few contradictions in your thinking.

So, the question is - was it for passenger safety?

This is the key issue here and facts are often confused with opinion, but one thing is without debate: If a Celebrity Cruise passenger was hurt during a trip to shore, anywhere; it would be major news. If it was during a major news event, which the Israeli troubles can be described as, it could cause them irreparable damage.

It would be nice to imagine that it was an incredible act of altruism on the part of Celebrity, but they are not a Mom and Pop store on the corner that know which brand of cereal you like, they are a corporate behemoth that work with balance sheets and realism.

I know this will come as a great disappointment to the reading cheerleaders (they will be the ones that will add negative comments below this report), but I see Celebrity as nothing more than a vacation provider, not an entity that I owe loyalty to because I ordinarily enjoy those vacations.

Forget the passenger safety question for a moment. If this is how you see Celebrity ("corporate behemoth that work with balance sheets and realism"), and presumably, with all your experience you saw them like this in advance, wouldn't why would you rely on them to get you to a specific itinerary? Did you just come to the realization about Celebrity or was this an opinion you previously held? Furthermore if they work in "realism" why wasn't this decision a realistic one with regards to safety?

It also leads to the subject of the alternative ports.

But not before an issue that was not considered at any time. As a UK resident, I am not scheduled to see or feel heat and sunshine for the next half a year – we booked this trip for two reasons:

1. It went to Israel

2. It would be 30 degrees hot for at least half the trip

 

I would have preferred it stayed fifty miles of the coast of Israel for five days bobbing around in the sunshine than visit Greek Islands that I have visited many, many times.

But hey, I said I would deal with facts rather than opinion, so the only guaranteed sunny alternative on the regular Cruise schedule in this region was Egypt.

Again, a place I have been to, but surely a more worthy replacement on a cruise of this type.

Indeed, even though guaranteed sunshine may not have been an issue for many on the cruise, most, if not all that I spoke to said they would have preferred Montenegro, Croatia, Venice etc. than the Greek additions.

When you rely on weather, you're definitely going to be disappointed. The driest desert on earth is blooming with flowers from all the rain.

My pragmatism does not however stretch as far as perhaps the most important aspect of all of this.

Returning to Celebrity’s honourable intentions (sic), we have the timing of the revelation that our cruise was changed to a different one.

1. Celebrity knew of their decision well in advance of their notification to passengers.

2. The logistics and planning for the replacement ports was done well in advance of the notification passengers were received.

3. Indeed, a senior member of the Guest Relations team told me that they knew of the decision but had to adjust to itinerary before informing passengers.

4. I will address that as a separate point to underline my view and the view of every passenger that went on this cruise that, NO –YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD THE PASSENGERS AS SOON AS YOU MADE THE DECISION. Thus allowing them to make the decision of whether to travel or not, book last minute hotel stays or not, pre-pay for taxis or not etc.,etc.

 

In conclusion, and this is just my view, I would say that I believe Celebrity panicked and acted purely in the interests of maximising profits in a poor situation, with full awareness of their legal obligations.

So even if they knew about cancelling Israel, or even were fairly sure, not making an announcement until they had a full replacement itinerary in place seems reasonable, if only a little bit reasonable. and of course, "well in advance" is relative and not a measure of time. Of course, if we take your previous view of Celebrity "they are a corporate behemoth that work with balance sheets and realism" OF COURSE their goal is to maximize profit, reduce risk (financial, PR, etc). NONE of this should be of any surprise to you and you should be prepared to deal with this on all of your upcoming cruises to new places.

Happy sailing,

Jenna

We were also on this particular cruise and I would like to add our observations to those comments made by the OP.

Rather than a detailed review I will comment on some aspects of the very detailed review published already.

We were informed of the change by E mail on Friday evening at 17.05 UK time so it was too late to review any alternatives so after an initial sense of anger and frustration we decided we had to make the best of it. We would never have booked the revised itinerary as like almost all on board the 3 days in Israel had been a major factor in our original decision.

In the last few years other cruise lines have cancelled port stops in Tunisia, Israel and Turkey because of terrorist incidents and no doubt others will argue that the recent cancellation was due to civil unrest and not terrorism but either way it was still potentially dangerous. The comparison with US crime statistics is not relevant to these discussions.

Once on board we tried and succeeded in staying positive about the overall experience and my thoughts on the overall cruise are as follows:

Entertainment:

Excellent live music all round the ship, guest entertainers were all first rate but the production shows seem a little tired and dated but they will be changed in the coming months.

Weather:

Generally very good, yes Mykonos was cool and windy but it often is, and as to waves crashing over tourists on one small part of the harbour area there was a small amount of sea water breaking over the harbour wall.

Food:

We dined in blue the food was generally very good but with one or two spectacular misses, the chilled asparagus and lemon soup was the worst thing I have ever eaten on a cruise, one spoon was one to many but it was soon replaced. Food in Ocean view was of a high standard and a vast range, truly something for everyone.

Up selling:

Yes they did promote the speciality restaurants and yes Ritchie was everywhere selling Q Sine but always with a smile on his face and a polite smile and no thanks from ourselves and he was on his way. As ever the photographers were intrusive but we just ignore them.

Other Points:

Lots of space and places to sit/lie even on sea days. No chair hogging anywhere that we noticed. Coffee in Al Bacio was the best ever, fantastic staff in all venues.

One final observation I was looking a trip options a few days into the cruise and the original itinerary was showing on the TV channel, not clever.

Conclusion:

We enjoyed a cruise we would not have chosen at a price that we would not have paid and that is the issue I would like to see Celebrity resolve.

I wholeheartedly agree with the OPs comments. We were also on this cruise and were given a product we did not buy and pay for. Some advance notice would have been very much appreciated along with some options. A little OBC to help us buy internet time to research the new ports would have been a lovely gesture. There were many things they COULD have done to ease the frustration of the majority of the passengers, but they chose to do nothing. Not one thing. Hard to magine they wouldn't have wanted to generate at least a little good will.

On the bright side, I did discover that Rhodes is a lovely place, since I am still here! My husband suffered a heart attack and we were taken off the ship and he spent the next eight days in the hospital. At the hotel with me now, relaxing and recuperating. An interesting hiccup to add to our travel journals.

....sincere best wishes to you and your husband CathyCruises.

I hope you're husband is doing well.

I've been taking more about this change in itinerary as we have a similar one booked next year.

Our trip or cruise wouldn't be ruined but we would be disappointed, like it seems the posters on the trip have done we'd make the best of it.

I do agree a little OBC is warranted and frankly we're surprised you got none from Celebrity based on our past experience with changed itineraries last year.

Happy sailing,

Jenna

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

to Cathy Cruiser - so sorry that your husband suffered a heart attack, hope he and you will be home soon, safe and healthy

Cathycruises, I hope you husband is doing well now.

Karyn

Cathycruises

I trust that your husband is well on the way with his recovery and that you are planning your return home

Fingers crossed for you both

There are always lessons to be learned from any situation. The take away from all of this IMHO is that you should NEVER book a bucket list destination on a cruise ship -- to much can and does happen -- bad weather, ship problems, etc. Booking a trip into an area known for it's volatility only adds to it being a gamble.

My visit to Israel was a once in a lifetime trip - I recommend booking a land based trip - there are many tour companies that do an excellent job and provide wonderful security - although there are always risks.

One thing regarding the discussion of X and the decisions that lead to all of this. The OP talks about passenger safety and signing waivers but I'd ask what about the safety of the crew - and their being potentially put at risk? What about the ship itself?

I think that there are many complicated issues that lead to X's decision making that will never come to light. I applaud the OP for trying to make the best of a very disappointing situation.

I appreciated the clear and well written review by Compman9 and comments by Haworth.

Unlike many posting on CC we came to cruising in retirement after decades of independent land travels. I must admit I agree with Jane 2357 that when possible, 'bucket list' destinations are best covered independently or at least with land based group travel. For the most part we look at ship excursions whether independent or cruise ship organized as opportunities to dabble or taste for more in depth explorations in the future. It's just that we're now pretty well limited to this 'light' route.

Ruth

Hi Compman9.

I totally agree with your comments.

If I were to come all the way from Australia for this cruise of a lifetime and Celebrity changed the itinerary at the last minute without telling their guests I would be horrified.

A great deal of organizing, planning and saving money to eventually have the cruise you have been so looking forward to crumble beneath your feet would be hard to swallow and I completely understand how you guys feel.

Celebrity need to get the news out earlier to passengers so they can cancel if need be and organize something else they really want to pay for.

All the best for your future journeys.

Yes, I do love Celebrity, however they need to lift their game.

Cheers Bob.

The take away from all of this IMHO is that you should NEVER book a bucket list destination on a cruise ship -- to much can and does happen -- bad weather, ship problems, etc.

While I understand what you say we booked a Black Sea Cruise last year way before any problems. Who would have thought that would have been cancelled.

Celebrity completly changed the cruise was almost a med cruise but did do a few Black sea ports the only bonus was we got an Aqua cabin cheaper that a regular inside for a 12 day cruise. I do feel for the op not good when you book a cruise for 1-3 ports and they get cancelled, I can imagine it sticks in the gut when you book a cruise for certain ports that is more than a regular cruise and they change it for a regular cruise and feel like you have over paid.

Truly a disappointing situation. Whereas, I completely support X's decision to cancel the Israel stops, I believe the issue lies in what passengers paid for the cruise. This was wasn't a Caribbean cruise where for some reason the ship couldn't call on St. Maarten and instead went to St. Kitts. This cruise was supposed to go to Israel and instead went to the Greek Isles at the end of October. A Greek Isles cruise at this time of year should have been discounted cruise, where a cruise to Israel, a premium rate is paid. I think X would be wise to give some type of compensation due to this. I know they're under no obligation legally to do so. I just think it would make for good customer relations. Actually, they should have issued onboard credits due to the last minute changes and most passengers would have been mostly satisfied. Just my opinion.

There are always lessons to be learned from any situation. The take away from all of this IMHO is that you should NEVER book a bucket list destination on a cruise ship -- to much can and does happen -- bad weather, ship problems, etc. Booking a trip into an area known for it's volatility only adds to it being a gamble.

 

My visit to Israel was a once in a lifetime trip - I recommend booking a land based trip - there are many tour companies that do an excellent job and provide wonderful security - although there are always risks.

 

One thing regarding the discussion of X and the decisions that lead to all of this. The OP talks about passenger safety and signing waivers but I'd ask what about the safety of the crew - and their being potentially put at risk? What about the ship itself?

 

I think that there are many complicated issues that lead to X's decision making that will never come to light. I applaud the OP for trying to make the best of a very disappointing situation.

 

 

I agree with you, and was wondering how to say, what you put so well. I understand OP frustration and disappointment, but this harping on how THEY were willing to sign waivers. Unless every single other passenger & crew member was willing to sign a waiver, that was never going to be an option. On the HAL board right now there is an active thread of a passenger that just won a 21 MILLION dollar lawsuit for an incident aboard a HAL ship. I'm sure the HAL lawyers argued that the contract protected HAL to no avail. You can't really expect a corporation to risk having even one person get hurt.

The OP herself is stating that they are going to see what legal recourse they have. Can anyone be surprised in today's litigations society that a corporation will take the least risky route?

I was told Seabourn were there, but I don't know if anyone else has been there in the past couple of weeks - does anyone know if there is a way of finding out?

compman9

I believe Azamara (Journey?) still visited Israel, but it may have been a few days before your visit was cancelled.

Just curious if OP is angry/disappointed enough to cancel the upcoming X cruises listed on the OPs post page...

depriving them of future business might make a point and shifting to a line that might be more disclosing might also be a good move, but I bet they are all the same!

Israel and Istanbul not guarantee ports...as previously debated at length on other threads!

So sorry your holiday was not everything you expected, all credit to you for making the best of it.

 

No idea what so ever on the legalities, so no comment to make.

 

For those who had booked private tours, did Celebrity offer any help with cancelling and scheduling alternatives for the new ports (for example some free internet time...)?

 

How quickly did Celebrity provide details on tour options on the new itinerary? Did these options offer any tours which may appeal to cruisers who have possibly already done the obvious trips from each destination?

 

Enough has probably already been said about should they have cancelled/not cancelled. What I think many people reading would like reassurance on is about letting people know asap about changes and then helping cruisers to make the most of the vacation they are left with.

 

Best Wishes for your next cruise!

No, I am afraid Celebrity did absolutely nothing and have offered no sort of compensatory apology

I fuly understand why they didn't as well. Any sign of an admission of guilt would put them in a precarious financial position