cavydad

We had to get celebrity’s permission to board at the next port on our Australia cruise. Our travel agent handled the request.

Celebrity will not permit people over 70 years old on the Queen Elizabeth II garden tour. Can anyone think why 70 +’s are not permitted to tour. Celebrity blames it on the tour company. Can anyone recommend other ways to tour the gardens?

We were on the Summit in August for a b2b cruise, 26 nights, and ate at Blu for breakfast and dinner. Service and food in Blu was a step above the main dining room. If we saw anything on the main dining room menu it was available to us in Blu. My wife is on a special diet and the Blu staff did their best to accommodate her.

We always book an aft cabin. That way we can watch both sides of the ship. Though off topic, the aft cabin was terrific on our Panama Canal cruise. We spent the day on our balcony watching the locks open and close.

Back on topic, the aft cabin was a terrific place to watch for whales and orcas without the crowd. We ordered room service for breakfast and lunch.

Just to add to the discussion our travel agent called at 7:30 am on Friday to tell us our cruise had been cancelled. We left for Peru on Saturday at 5:30 am. In spite of Celebrity we are having a wonderful time in Peru.

Has anyone heard back from Celebrity on the future cruise credit? Does it have to used on one trip or can it be used for separate trips? I contacted Celebrity a week ago with this question and have not heard anything.

2 hours ago, travelgoddess1 said:

 

Six hours?  IMO, that is unacceptable. For the inconvenience this causes, and price paid, I would expect better communication and customer service.

53 minutes ago, SoCalTraveler said:

Let me review the chronology better.  And keep in mind our conclusion that while we are disappointed our cruise was cancelled, we appreciate that Celebrity gave us a fairly large credit to use.

 

First, background.  We need to plan our vacations a year in advance or more.  There are certain times of the year we simply can't go.  Thus, it's not a possibility that if the Nov. 9 cruise we were on was cancelled that we can go Nov. 16 on the Flora.   Second, we followed Celebrity's tribulations with the lobster issue (in January, I think)  and the licensing issue (over the summer), so while our vacation time was fixed and cleared, we had a year of concern that the cruise would be cancelled.  Once our payment went final, we were committed.  

 

The Xpedition ran aground on Nov. 5.  I learned about it that evening (via Cruise Critic, of course) at about 8:00 p.m. PST.  We called our TA, who called Celebrity, and she was told that our Nov. 9 sailing was still going forward.  Absolutely.  Positively.  (I was surprised she could find someone at that hour.)  However, our TA's report was that Celebrity knew of the grounding and that it wasn't a problem, our cruise was going forward.  

 

Thus, on Nov. 6 I loaded the car with the luggage and drove to work in Los Angeles.  On my way in, at 10:00 a.m. PST, I received a call from our TA's office with Celebrity on the line, reporting that the Xpedition cruise was cancelled, but that Celebrity was trying to see if it could get a smaller ship to take us.  I agreed to that.  At 3:00 p.m., I called Celebrity, and was told that the smaller ship was no longer an option, and that everything was cancelled.  Note that I had to call.  My DW was going to leave for LAX at 3:45 p.m.  (Folks who were on the roll call with us had parked their car at the Heathrow car park and were on the shuttle to the terminal when they got their cancellation call.  I think there were others who posted here that they were already in South America.)

 

We reserved another Celebrity cruise that night, because we were told, in no uncertain terms, in two recorded calls, that the credit that Celebrity was giving us was usable over multiple cruises.  We got the only available cabin on the new ship.  We found airline seats (coach to Miami, first class back) at the last minute.  These were the last two seats available on any airline with non-stop service to any airport in South Florida from any airport in the LA area.  They were not inexpensive.  Well, they cost more than the cruise.  (We turned down an RCC cruise that we had a slight preference for because the credit could not be used on a sister brand, and we knew that.  And we explored simply flying to Hawaii for a week.  We spent hours, and our TA spent hours, trying to find a last-minute alternative.)

 

Thus, on November 7, having slightly re-packed, we went to LAX to fly to Florida.  On the way, our TA called to say that Celebrity had determined that the credit (not the refund) could only be used once, and since our new cruise was relatively inexpensive, Celebrity was unilaterally taking the charge out of our refund.  Attempts to speak to Celebrity were unsuccessful as the Galapagos desk was overwhelmed with getting the folks in Ecuador home and cancelling arrangements for those of us going on the Nov. 9 cruise.  

 

We arrived in Miami late on Nov. 7, and stayed at MIA in a fairly unsatisfactory hotel.  How unsatisfactory?  Well, in the end they did not charge us and they gave us enough points for three future nights stay in the chain.  And we were the lucky ones.  More than 20 guests showed up with confirmed reservations to find there was no room at the hotel, and everything at MIA was booked.  The lobby was a nightmare.  (Had the hotel inquired of us, we would have gladly switched to one of their FLL locations nearer to Post Everglades.)

 

On Nov. 8, we took an Uber to Port Everglades.  We dropped our luggage.  At security, we were told in no uncertain terms that we were not on the list, despite having, on our phones, a confirmation.  Their conclusion?  We were at the wrong terminal despite the confirmation on our phones.  It was suggested that we leave, which we refused.  Security finally got a supervisor (it took multiple requests and our refusal to get out of the security line).  The supervisor took our passports, and 15 minutes later confirmed we were on the cruise.  Security abandoned her position, leaving us at the front of a line (the family behind us had a fellow in a wheelchair).  I was able to look over the entire list, which was both alphabetical and by cabin.  We were not on the list, and there was no addendum.  Our cabin number was not even on the list.  So much for Celebrity needing to clear us with the government.  Whether Celebrity ever told TSA that we were on the cruise is unknown to us.  Our TA was on the phone the whole time with us and Celebrity in Miami; our TA reported that Celebrity was sending person to walk us through boarding.  No one ever appeared.  (Lest someone be concerned, I received my first government security clearance in 1964.  We have Global Entry.  It's just that everyone ought to be on the list.)

 

At check-in, the clerk could not find us.  She refused to get a supervisor.  Just refused.  Multiple times.  Again we were told we were at the wrong terminal.  And that's after she looked at our phone confirmation that we were on the ship.  When we refused to leave, the next clerk over had heard our argument, and he proceeded to look, at he found that our reservation was attached to another reservation (and not alphabetized or searchable by name; he found it by searching the cabin number), with 4 of us in a standard balcony cabin.  He assured us that the others had cancelled.  (Which is probably why we were able to reserve that cabin at the last minute.)  

 

We boarded the ship and went to the buffet.  When cabins were ready, we went to our cabin, where one of our suitcases had already arrived.  Our cabin steward appeared and welcomed us, by name.  Only it was the names of the folks who had (we hoped) cancelled.  When we corrected him he wanted to know what we were doing in the wrong cabin.  We ordered him out, and he went to report to his boss, and, we assumed, security.  We called the front desk.  (The chief steward removed him from our cabin service; he reported that they receive a list of guests a week in advance, and that he had no updates for this cruise.  No updates at all.  Apparently this steward breached some protocol for guests with the wrong names.)

 

I went to the naughty room to get our other suitcase, where I had been busted for having a non-surge protected extension cord.  The Xpedition, as well as the new ship, have wholly inadequate electrical outlets.  This is a design defect.

 

We went to the front desk to deal with the confusion and the credit issue.  They could not find us listed at first.  They did, however, call the maitre'd, who, remarkably, had our names but not our table preference.  (Keep that in mind.  The maitre'd had our names.)  The front desk got in touch with Celebrity, and after three days, and apparently after listening to the recorded calls (and our TA had a recording that their agency head had listened to), Celebrity agreed we could use our credit on two cruises.  (Had Celebrity told us initially that the credit was good for only one cruise, we would never have booked this replacement cruise.)

 

We went to the tour desk to book tours.  After some searching, the tour lady found us, attached to the couple who had apparently cancelled.  She, however, was intent on selling us tours, and we booked three.  (All very good.)  We swam with sting rays in Grand Cayman (highly recommended) and visited the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza near Cozumel.  (Also highly recommended, but it's a long ride.)  We arrived back late to the ship after the sting ray tour, and because it was a Celebrity excursion, that was absolutely no issue.  

 

We are in the Captain's Club.  We never received any communication from the Captain's Club about events (such as events where there are free drinks!)  A few days in I found the Captain's Club lady.  We were not on her list.  She searched her e-mail and confirmed that she had received no e-mail that we were going to be on board.  She gets her list a week beforehand, and sometimes updates.  She had no update for us.  (Our status is known to Celebrity, and was appropriately marked on our ship cards.)

 

Now don't get me wrong.  First, the folks who were actually on the cruise that went aground undoubtedly have more disruption than us.  And Celebrity was overwhelmed with details given the cancellation, although I will note that the Celebrity folks I talked to reported that they were in Overland Park, Kansas, which is exactly what you think of when you think of Galapagos cruises.  Thus, shifting Miami-based people to assist may be tough.  Second, in the end, we got a cruise in the week we had off from work, and we have a credit we have used to book another Celebrity Cruise.  Celebrity, in giving the credit, recognized the impact a cancellation has on people, and we appreciate it.  However, it would not have hurt Celebrity to e-mail the new cruise and say,  "Mr. & Mrs. Socal will be aboard.  Please make sure they have a good experience."  We know Celebrity e-mailed the maitre'd.  Why no one else was notified, and why the reaction we got ranged from telling us we were in the wrong terminal or that security was going to be called is beyond me.

 

And a PS.  We're shareholders.  There is no shareholder credit on a Galapagos cruise.  On Nov. 7, before we left for the airport, I e-mailed the appropriate department with our cruise information (pulled up old letter in Word, and modified it) and attached a copy of a page from my brokerage statement.  On Nov. 8, when we first went to the front desk, and they finally found our account, the shareholder credit was on our account.  

 

 

 

 

Check your travel insurance. We tried to have the travel insurance for our cancelled Xpedition cruise applied to the Galápagos cruise that we booked in Peru. Same dates, just a different tour. The insurance company will not transfer the insurance because we have already begun our vacation. We had a separate policy for the Peru tour and the Galápagos cruise.

The insurance company will give a credit on the cancelled Celebrity xpedition insurance to use on a future cruise.

Had we booked our new Galápagos trip at home they would have issued a new policy

We were contacted by Celebrity last Friday. The xpedition cruise scheduled for January 25 has been cancelled. Barely even a sorry guys for the inconvenience. Yes they will refund our money and provide a travel incentive. Doesn’t mean much as we spent a great deal of time planning our vacation.

We are in Peru and had to scramble to find another option for the Galápagos. Airline tickets were in place for our pre cruise visit to Machu Picchu and the Andes and the flight home from Ecuador. 
 

How long ago did Celebrity know the xpedition would not be available for the 25 January cruise?

Dining staff knows us well and we have given up on getting the golden ticket.

The blame is on the room stewards who blame the dining staff.

Never seen such a mess in our 26 years of cruising.

Without the ticket, even with a reservation, you stand in line.

Some people have tickets and others do not.

My wife told me to give it up. Stand in line and realize no one cares.

Where is corporate Royal Caribbean as the Radiance of the Seas is unable to implement My Time Dining?

Every night I watch many upset guests who do not receive dining tickets while others with the dining tickets immediately are seated.

Today I had a lengthy discussion with the maitre'd about why we were not receiving our dining tickets. They blamed the room steward. I had checked with him before the meeting. He had not received them.

Frustration is breeding angry guests.

We have cruised with Royal and Celebrity more than 20 times.

This is a poor way to treat the quests.

still waiting on my time dining to be fixed. Staff told us our room Stewart had our slips. He does not have them.

Had a run in with the dining staff. This has gone on too long.

The slips must be new. The crew cannot "guess" how to distribute the slips or who should have the task of distributing them. On the first day the restaurant staff did not even mention the slips.

We are going onto Sydney and in the next three weeks the crew my learn how to implement my time dining.

Last night we said "screw this" and went to Chops.

The slip means you can by pass the line and go immediately to the podium. Today, day 4 a slip was delivered to my room. Even though we have met with them many times and have been adamant that we do not want anything larger than a 8 person table we have been assigned to one of the largest tables in the dining room.

We shall meet with them, for the fourth time, at lunch and explain that we want a small table. We stood for 8 minutes in the middle of the dining room last night and discussed why we would not sit at that table. Finally they located a smaller table.

On the third night of the cruise people with reservations are still waiting 15 minutes to get in the Radiance of the Seas My Time Ding room. Best description is chaos and poorly trained staff.

I made my time dining reservations for 6 p.m. before I left home. I confirmed the reservations when I boarded the ship with the maitred.

We waited in line on the first night and watched people walk by as we waited in line. When we finally reached the front of the line we were told that confirmation slips were in our room. The room steward should have ours. After dinner we checked with Albert. He told us there were not any slips for us.

The next day we got a slip at the dining room at lunch time. It was still a challenge to get a table. When we boarde the ship we requested a table of six or fewer.

The last two nights they attempted to put us with a table of twelve. We reminded them of our request.

Usually by the third night staff is in a routine. Still chaotic.

When we left the dining room after dinner, around 7:30, the waiting line exitended out to the elevator.

What gives?

We did it a couple of years ago, no big deal. Taxis available dockside cost us about $10 each way. Hotel will call a cab or take one from the rank.

Enjoy,

Thanks.

It helps in planning our visit.

Randy

I am arriving on the Radiance of the Seas and need a taxi to the Intercontinental Hotel. I have a day pass for the beach.

What should I expect to pay for a taxi to the hotel?

I can't answer your question. We are going in May of 2017 and I wondered which company you used for your outrigger tour of Bora Bora?

 

Thanks!

We are on a tour with Patrick's. It is very popular. A person on our cruise booked all of his outriggers a month before the cruise went on the market.

We are traveling on the Radiance of the Seas in September and will have a day on Moorea. We already booked a day tour of Papate and a outrigger tour of Bora Bora.

I am looking for a more restful day on Moorea. Do any of the hotels permit the use of their facilities and private beach? In the Caribbean I could rent a lounge chair or be given the use of the facilities if I bought lunch.

Do any hotels on Moorea offer similar services?

I am traveling on the Celebrity Solstice in October.

Unlimited internet is available aboard the Solstice. On Royal unlimited internet is for two devices. How many devices does Celebrity permit? I have searched their site and not a great amount of information is given beside the duration and price.

I considered renting a car. Lat time we rented a car and drove to Hana. Everyone had a great time. I want to gawk rather than drive this time.

We prefer to do it during the daytime. The sunrise sounded interesting as our ship arrives at mid night. But we really want to see the up country as well as the mountain top during the day time.

My cruise ship tenders into Lahaina and I am looking for a tour to the up country and Haleakala. On Hawaii I have booked Ricky's Tours. Is there a similar tour company on Maui?

Thanks for the information. I booked a 1:00 flight on Virgin Australia.

We arrive in Sydney on the Radiance of the Seas in the morning. How long does it take to the Sydney airport? We are flying to Brisbane. If I book a noon flight will there be enough time to make the flight?

Why do some ships treat Diamonds as special cruisers and others do not?

We depart from the Jewel of the Seas tomorrow and we're told that only Diamond Plus and Platinum receive priority departure.

I asked at the desk and was told to keep cruising and someday I would be Diamond Plus.

Have the Diamond benefits been changed?

We were assigned group 25.