Deb0702

What makes you think I'm not calm? Of course the cruise line has an interest in getting the luggage off quickly. They have another cruise beginning and they have a lot of passengers who would like to get on an airplane. They would also have a lot of really angry passengers if they didn't unload their baggage.

 

I don't know what you mean by they say as much in the contract. They say they have no liability except in the case of negligence.

 

The truth is...things happen when we travel, even thought they are few and far between. For the most part, they do a good job of getting people and their things to where they are supposed to be. The reason they sell travel insurance is that occasionally things go wrong. They make it known that travel insurance is available any time you book a cruise, whether directly with Celebrity or from a travel agent. You are the one that has to decide if you want to take the risk of traveling without it.

 

I thought you sounded a little amped up when you accused me of quoting your post but not reading it.

 

Here is the wording in the contract that I was referring to:

b. Liability for Loss of or Damage to Baggage. Unless negligent, Carrier is neither responsible nor liable for any loss of or damage to Passenger's

property, whether contained in luggage or otherwise. [snip]

 

If they are negligent, they are responsible and liable. Once responsibility is established, the contract then limits (unfairly I think) their liability to $300 per passenger.

You quoted my post but apparently didn't read it. I didn't say Celebrity has no responsibility, I said it's not clear that it was theirs. In this case it could be something they did, but it's just as likely that someone took their bags after they left the ship. A good example is the way airports handle bags. Once the airline gets to the airport the bags are unloaded by airport workers. We have had a rash of baggage thefts from the carousels lately at our airport. Is is the airline's fault or the security at the baggage claim?

 

Most of the time it's fairly easy to see who's responsibility it is when something goes wrong but in the case of baggage handling it's not. That's why it's wise to insure your baggage for more if you are concerned about it.

 

They also request that you put the baggage out the night before because you might not be too happy trying to juggle your large suitcases into an elevator or down the stairs with 2800 people all leaving at approximately the same time. What fun it would be trying to make a reservation to get home when you couldn't get off the ship in a timely manner. a

 

Ma please try to calm down. I did read your post. You said it wasn't clear that it was their responsibility and I'm saying to me it is crystal clear. They say as much in the ticket contract.

 

Whatever.

 

Also, the cruise line has at least as much interest, if not more, in getting passengers off the ship as quickly as possible. They have deadlines to meet too.

I've been sailing on Celebrity ships since the early 90s and, when something goes wrong that is clearly their fault, I have found them to be very fair. In fact there have been times when they have been concerned that there was a problem and it was something that didn't even bother us. I think the problem with this situation is that it's really not clear that the responsibility lies with them. It really seems that someone else just took your suitcases.

 

I disagree with the idea that the lost baggage is not Celebrity's responsibility. They make it their responsibility when they request passengers to tag their bags and place them in the hallway by 10 pm for the room stewards to collect. They make this request for their own convenience and efficiency, as they need for disembarkation to go as smoothly and quickly as possible. From that point on, it is Celebrity's obligation and responsibility to safeguard the passenger's possessions. It doesn't matter if a fellow passenger stole the luggage from the hallway, or a room steward, or dockworker. It is Celebrity's responsibility to safeguard the luggage until it is delivered back to the passenger.

 

The ticket contract does say they have NO liability at all unless there has been negligence on their part. So I think they have admitted responsibility for the loss.

 

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Our family had an **awesome** time on this same cruise with Melissa & Ken (we first met Mel&Ken here on CC). In fact, everything was so perfect for us that we came home and booked another Celebrity Med cruise within a week. One week! But I've been very disappointed (and at times angered) with the customer service Melissa has reported after the cruise. I didn't understand it. She was told to itemize and submit all receipts with the assurance that she could dispute the settlement when offered. But then after weeks of waiting and hoping, she's told there will be no dispute. In fact she cannot even speak with a supervisor. That really made me mad.

 

I'm heartened that someone higher up in the organization is showing some interest in this situation. I'm sure that means a lot to Melissa, and it means something to me too. I hope there will be an opportunity for that promised dispute and the case will be closed and we can all go back to loving Celebrity. The sooner, the better! :)

Melissa I'm so happy to read this news! I am very very pleased. At this point it feels great to know that just maybe someone cares.

 

I would be so happy if they made a compromise with policy. From the beginning the customer service has been so poor it's been a scandal. All they needed to do was treat you with concern, call and follow up with you promptly, and why on earth did they lead you on and make you jump through hoops for a measly $300 pp. It just seemed like the shady tactics you might see on 20/20. And then a problem sending you the money? Seriously? That's just the icing on the cake!

 

I am another one who was not aware of the limit on luggage liability in the ticket contract. I'm certainly glad I know about it now. We are warned repeatedly about cancellation penalties and I think everyone who books a cruise knows about that from the get go. Even people who have been burned by cancellation penalties readily admit they knew, but opted to take the risk. But by the time you see the ticket contract, you've paid for the cruise and it's just a final formality. I've been on 2 cruises and I didn't know about it. Since this happened, I've questioned friends and family who occasionally cruise, and like me, none of them were warned about it or had picked that clause out of the several pages of ticket contract.

 

Based on the posts I read here of people trying to squeeze every last nickel out of the cruises lines, smuggling booze onboard, or pitching hysterical fits over minor complaints in an effort to get freebies or credits, maybe none of this should be surprising. Maybe severe and unreasonable limits on liability and/or poor customer service are their only defense against the greedy hordes. But when good, honest customers get burned or are treated poorly it does leave a very sour taste.

 

I hope that there will be a turnaround in this story! :)

Melissa, I know it is not your intention to turn people away from Celebrity. Those kinds of people are easy to spot. But your intentions are good and your complaints about their customer service are legit. But your tone has always been measured, fair and reasonable. Celebrity lost a wonderful customer when they lost you.

 

Customer service may be good before and during the cruise, but once that cruise is over and the bill has been paid it's a whole new story. Expect them to play hardball after the bill has been paid. It's a shame because when you find a cruise line that you like, you want to stick with it. But how can you after something like this.

 

And I don't get it. Why is it like this? I never would have expected this from Celebrity. I try to image a similar scenario of going to an all inclusive "modern luxury" resort in Hawaii and having the bellhop lose my luggage and my possessions. How would I be treated then? I don't think I would be treated this way. Not at all. :(

Mel&Ken, I don't know it will make you feel any better, but there are some aspects of this debacle that aren't entirely Celebrity's fault. There are a number of international conventions that limit liability. For example, the Warsaw Convention places a limit on liability with respect to baggage loss or damage on international flights. As a result, Delta Airlines (picked at random) will pay up to $3400 per passenger for lost or damaged baggage on domestic flights, they are limited to paying $9.07 per lb. up to $640 per bag (USD) for flights governed by the Warsaw Convention.

 

For cruise lines, the Athens Convention applies similar limitations.

 

In addition to imposing limits to the dollar (or SDR) amounts for which a carrier is liable, the conventions also govern the claim process. In the case of the Athens Convention, "The burden of proving that the incident which caused the loss or damage occurred in the course of the carriage, and the extent of the loss or damage, shall lie with the claimant."

 

So it isn't just a question of random liability limits being imposed by Celebrity, nor are they dictating the claim process on a unilateral basis. As is so often the case, there's far more to this issue than first meets the eye.

 

Out of curiosity I googled "Athens Convention luggage liability" and it looks like liability for lost or damaged luggage is capped at 1800 SDRs or close to $2800 per passenger. Totally not sure I'm reading that right or if I'm looking at the most current version of the document. But at first glance, it certainly does look like Celebrity is imposing random and unfair liability limits.

I thought you had to call Celebrity to change your cabin but I'm not sure. I never saw anywhere how to change it online. The whole thing is ridiculous. Our experience with our Celebrity cruise was great and I came home and within weeks I booked another Eastern Med cruise. I booked a hump and now I'm worried about it. Do I have to double check it every day? It sounds like people get their cabin switched and lied to about it on a regular basis! :(

This same exact thing happened to a couple on our Eastern med cruise in September. This couple booked a hump cabin directly thru the Celebrity website and several months later when they went back online they found their cabin had been changed? Celebrity's rep told them the only possible explanation was that they had changed it themselves and it was their tough luck as their cabin had since been booked by someone else.

Did they send you a check??

You are killing me with the food pictures! I only took one food picture during the cruise, a picture of a beautiful Greek salad I had in Athens. This was a mistake and I will do better next time. Food pictures are yummy!

Me too. I miss the OP

Everyone must decide for themselves, of course, but I personally would never use Dream Tours again (although I have used them many times in the past). Getting stood up one time is one time too many, and coupled with the extremely rude response from Alain on the phone when I called him - well, it's never going to happen to THIS chick again!!

 

Will you share with us what his response was? Why wasn't he there to meet you and what did he say that was so rude? It is very concerning but need to know more details. Thanks!

I cannot believe you were not permitted to speak to a manager. Unbelievable.

 

If this is modern luxury, modern luxury sucks. :(

I love trip reports and this one is going to be extra fun. I think we have that very same Civitavecchia tug boat picture LOL.

 

Looking at your pictures makes me want a Tuscan Grille do-over. Yum! Over the course of the cruise we ate at Tuscan Grille, Qsine, and the Lawn Club Grill. I agree with you, the Tuscan Grille was my fav.

 

I can't wait to read what you have to say about Santorini! ;)

I was on this cruise and first met Melissa here on our CC roll call. Melissa & Ken are a great, fun loving couple and totally do not deserve any of this. But then of course, nobody does.

 

On the last night of the cruise I remember reading the instructions left in our cabin for tagging our luggage. I'd only been on one cruise before so I was looking for instructions for carrying off our luggage like we did on our first cruise. But I didn't see any mention of that being an option. I vaguely guessed that you're not allowed to carry off luggage in a foreign port, but I didn't ask. We tagged our luggage and placed it outside our door per the instructions. But I did feel a little uneasy about it.

 

Later when I heard what happened to Melissa & Ken it was so very disappointing. What a horrible terrible no good very bad end to a wonderful cruise.

 

People need to be warned about this. You might expect that Celebrity will safeguard your luggage while it's in their care at embarkation or debarkation, but you really shouldn't. Be aware that if you give your luggage to Celebrity and you never see it again, Celebrity will compensate you just $300 per person (not per piece). Provided you have receipts. It's in the fine print. :(

[quote name='Mel&Ken']SusieV.....I certainly hope that is not the case - my blood pressure just spiked reading that. That would be an insult to us and not even come close to replacing what we have lost.

I feel like I have a fight on my hands......sigh.[/quote]

Is there any new information? I'm keeping hope alive that Celebrity will resolve this to your satisfaction. I loved my Celebrity cruise and booked another. I don't want to be mad at them about this!! We all understand accidents and mistakes happen, but I do hope they make everything right again, and hurry up about it so you can get busy planning your next cruise. :)

I don't recall a warning to leave our luggage in the hallway at our own risk. Maybe there should be? I'm really bummed for you Melissa. I told our Rome Cabs driver this morning about what happened to you. He asked the name of your driver but of course I didn't know. It's just a shame that your cab company is more helpful and concerned than Celebrity!

 

By the way I have some extra wine and olive oil stoppers from Sorrento you can have if your luggage doesn't show up. But I hope hope hope it does!!

I'd read about the Dom's Romaine for a couple of years now. I'd even had reservations on a previous Rome visit that were cancelled due to flooding of the areas visited. So I was very excited to be able to see them on this trip.

 

Unfortunately, I found them to be disappointing. The ruins are pretty scant, compared to what is available at other sites in Rome. And they make such a big production out of the displays, with the lasers, holograms, clear floors, dark rooms, etc. Very gimmicky -- in my own humble opinion, of course. Our guide (I use the term advisedly since she contributed nothing to the taped remarks) spent the whole time telling our group to "Move here, no, stand there, no circle around me here!" "Now line up over there!" "Now sit down here!"

 

Among places already mentioned here on this thread, I'd rate this one fairly low compared with, for example, the Capitoline Museum or San Clemente or the Roman houses under the church of Saints Giovanni and Paolo or Trajan's market.

 

The best part of it, to me, was the well-done film on Trajan's Column and the chance to peek at the column itself from ground level at the Palazzo.

 

I don't mean to take anything away from other reviewers of the Dom's Romaine who enjoyed it. But I've been curious about it as on Tripadvisor it has often been rated above some of the major attractions of Rome -- that I definitely cannot agree with, having been there.

 

I really enjoyed this tour, for basically the same reasons you didn't enjoy it, LOL. It was my first visit to Rome and I am by no means a student of Roman history or architecture, so for me it was enlightening and enjoyable.

 

It was so interesting to hear how these ruins were discovered and to actually see the layers of Rome built one on top of the other. There is much to see in Rome at street level but I didn't truly understand how much is below ground buried, used as the foundation for structures built by later generations. At the Domus Romane, you go down into the layers under a fine Renaissance building, it's dark and that's what makes the holograms possible. I thought it was cool. :) It's not possible to walk through these underground excavations so you walk above them on a plexi-glass type floor and look down into the rooms of two fabulous Roman homes. The rooms are illuminated as you walk over them. The guide is only there to keep the group moving & looking in the right direction in the darkness.

 

The homes under our feet were not ordinary homes and certainly belonged to very important families. Mosaics and pools and a fine marble staircase, which was noted to be an exceptional find. If I remember right, there has never been another staircase like it discovered in Rome and it shows this was certainly the home of an extremely important family. The hologram made it easy to imagine the family moving between the rooms and up and down the staircase.

 

Interesting too, is the fact that this beautiful Roman residence is not the bottom layer. There are deeper layers still.

 

The tour is just 1 hour. It's quick and well suited for first time visitors to Rome. The teenagers we had with us definitely enjoyed it, much more than a museum and I think it will stick with them. Now that I've seen it and understand about the layers I would not make the effort to go back and see it again. I will however be going back to some of the bigger more extensive sites when we return this summer. :)

Thank you so much for sharing your fabulous pictures. If our day is half as pretty as yours we will be smiling from ear to ear.

 

Thank you too for the extremely helpful map. I'm going to use that map for sure, so please let it up, lol.

 

PS. The donkey looks well fed. :)

Great review with lots of good tips. Thank you for posting!

Looking forward to hearing all about your trip and seeing your pictures. :)

Okay, I'm convinced, you really are a Drama Queen!

 

Seriously, what a great write up, full of drama and humor, and keeps me coming back. I'm looking forward to the next installment! :D

 

PS. That's a great picture of your family in Athens.

What a fun read, I love it! We were in Florence on the 24th too. We saw the parade and went to the medieval soccer match that afternoon, it was a complete riot!!

 

Looking forward to reading more about your fab cruise. :)

Wow, thanks for sharing the great info and great pics! Looks like you had a beautiful day. Do you have more to share about Livorno? :)