Feb 27/18 Celebrity Curacao shorex not as advertised

We recently booked a sunset tour on our overnight in Curacao through the Celebrity Eclipse. We picked it over a private excursion because most of the private ones appeared to be ‘booze cruises’. Celebrity’s description made no mention of food or drink and noted we would enjoy an ocean sunset after touring the inner harbour.....not so!! After an hour touring outside the harbour (with many enjoying the open bar, so it was a booze cruise after all), we did go through the floating bridge at 6pm to the inner harbour.....and ended up in the industrial part of the harbour. We saw oil storage tanks, a metal scrapyard, freighters and cranes. We did not make it out of there for sunset so our sunset pics are not at all what we had hoped and paid for. The tour operator employee on our upper level deck even apologized to us when the captain announced we would not be getting out in time. She noted it was wrong, had even gone below to tell him he needed to turn around in order to make the 6:44pm sunset.

We complained to the shorex desk and showed them our sunset pics when we returned and were given a 15% refund!

Not acceptable. :mad:

Sorry to hear about that. I'd be writing to Celebrity upon my return to push the issue. As you say, definitely not acceptable.

Yes I would followup with Celebrity. I think if it bothered me and I was offered the 15% refund that I would have tried speaking with the Hotel Director about this. Maybe you did but I often find it easier to push to get something addressed on the ship.

Sorry that the excursion was not what was promised.

Keith

The ABCs are on our schedule down the road so it's always good to get info on them. Other than this issue, how did you like them?

I would write a letter to Celebrity HQ....I am very surprised that shore X did not refund your full payment right then and there. We had a problem with a shore X on one of our cruises and they refunded our payment on the ship.

Thank you. If no sunset in the ocean they should return the full money. I was looking for this one, in our roll call several want to do it. You confirmed what my DW say, she prefers to see the sunset at our Veranda or at deck 15

You can try to work on getting a refund further with a phone call. BUT, accepting the 15% refund on the day of was your mistake. There is nothing more now that they owe you. You can of course come on here to critique the excursion. That's your best recourse.

I think you could easily have received 50% back that same night with a few words to the right person. And what REALLY would have helped is if you had more people to join in.

Having liquor available does NOT describe this a "typical" booze cruise. :rolleyes: That argument would fall in the "meh" category.

The ABCs are on our schedule down the road so it's always good to get info on them. Other than this issue, how did you like them?

The ABC islands are great. Just do your research, as there are some great private tours to do on all three. Choices for everyone.

Thanks to everyone for your feedback. Live and learn for me and I will take your comments to heart.

To address some of them.....I wrote yesterday to Celebrity CEO....other than this issue, loved ABCs! We did day pass at Hilton Curacao which was great.....and eandj, you are right - having liquor does not make it a typical booze cruise, but the loud music and dancing from the open bar deck didn’t help matters....also, there were 5 of us who went to shore excursion desk to complain immediately after the tour.

Next time, I will push while on board ship.

Thanks again all!!

Yikes! We've been very happy with almost all the ship excursions we've taken across many different lines. There were a couple that were a complete bust, one on RCCL and one on Princess and we've complained while still onboard and had the charges removed. On our ship's tour in Curacao late last year, the tour was good just not as explained. I still feel we had gotten our money's worth so cut the tour short and headed back to the ship without any further complaints. It was not described as a walking tour for the last half and it was stifling hot out ... just couldn't do it. The bus driver was kind enough to take a group of us back to the ship after the bus portion of the tour was supposed to be complete. Like I mentioned, the tour was good and we did end up getting our money's worth ... just hadn't realized we were going to be dropped off in town for a walking tour and then making our own way back to the ship. Half of us ended up taking the bus back to the pier and tipped the driver accordingly as she was off duty!

Yikes! We've been very happy with almost all the ship excursions we've taken across many different lines. There were a couple that were a complete bust, one on RCCL and one on Princess and we've complained while still onboard and had the charges removed. On our ship's tour in Curacao late last year, the tour was good just not as explained. I still feel we had gotten our money's worth so cut the tour short and headed back to the ship without any further complaints. It was not described as a walking tour for the last half and it was stifling hot out ... just couldn't do it. The bus driver was kind enough to take a group of us back to the ship after the bus portion of the tour was supposed to be complete. Like I mentioned, the tour was good and we did end up getting our money's worth ... just hadn't realized we were going to be dropped off in town for a walking tour and then making our own way back to the ship. Half of us ended up taking the bus back to the pier and tipped the driver accordingly as she was off duty!

Well done.....it was good of the driver to bring you back and it was very good of you to appreciate it since none of this was really anybody's fault. I have found some of the shore x descriptions to be occasionally misleading and I have spoken to them about this on our last cruise. There are tours we have taken that were labeled strenuous and were moderate at best and there were others labeled moderate that were very strenuous. This results in minimally handicapped people (like me) choosing excursions that they shouldn't have and conversely missing excursions that could have enjoyed.

Well done.....it was good of the driver to bring you back and it was very good of you to appreciate it since none of this was really anybody's fault. I have found some of the shore x descriptions to be occasionally misleading and I have spoken to them about this on our last cruise. There are tours we have taken that were labeled strenuous and were moderate at best and there were others labeled moderate that were very strenuous. This results in minimally handicapped people (like me) choosing excursions that they shouldn't have and conversely missing excursions that could have enjoyed.

It was just a late night with too much wine beforehand ... followed by an early morning excursion. It wasn't listed as even moderately strenuous and wouldn't think of it as such if it were not so darned hot out but it was deathly hot. The first part of the tour included a couple hours of standing in the hot sun, too ... so for those not used to it, it was a tad bit harsh. Plus, we visited the Hato Caves, which was so interesting but many took seats without being able climb up to or into the Caves.

I checked back on the description and nothing was listed about half of it being a walking tour ... but most of it was. I wasn't disappointed at all as I've done a tour of the town on a previous trip. And yes, that bus driver was a life saver!!

accepting the 15% refund on the day of was your mistake. There is nothing more now that they owe you. You can of course come on here to critique the excursion. That's your best recourse.

 

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I don’t know why you think that. This is not some settlement in a court of law.

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We had basically the same thing happen in Curacao with a trolley tour. It took us through the same thing, factories, schools, etc. People were very nice but we didn't really see anything as expected.

I don’t know why you think that. This is not some settlement in a court of law.

 

 

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Agree this isn't a legal issue. Negotiating with someone face to face until you get an acceptable offer would give the best results. Coming back for more afterwards is rarely successful.

I have been told that the shore excursions onboard can settle up to a certain amount....perhaps 15%. We have had problems on several excursions on both RCCL and Celebrity.

On one in Egypt it was a serious safety issue. We were told that time (on RCCL) that it was the responsibility of the local provider, not the cruise line, to insure safety. We were given 15% and told to take it up with corporate.

On the one in Egypt DH remarked on his computer survery about the safety issue and was called by RCCL corporate within an hour. No compensation...but he hadn't asked for it.

A month after we returned 30 tourists were killed on the road where we'd been.....and reported the safety issue.

On our first X cruise in New Zealand our overnight excursion which cost us over a thousand was falsely advertised and no compensation was given even after taking it all the way to corporate.

In other words, beware of the excursions and don't count on corporate providing any compensation. What you get onboard is likely what you will get period.

We had a problem with a shore excursion in Barbados a number of years ago on Celebrity. The bars they took us to were dives at best, and we were cordoned off to the side at a couple of them and not allowed to enjoy the full bar area. Ridiculous! We complained to the shore excursion desk and we got a 50% refund.

Packard, a year ago we did that very sunset cruise you describe, but fortunately for us the order of sailing was the reverse. We did the industrial harbor part first and then went through the bridge and sailed around along the coast last. We have beautiful photos of the sun setting right behind Equinox.

I can't imagine why on Earth the captain of your sunset cruise chose to do the sailing in reverse.I don't blame you for being disappointed. Also, truth to tell, I could have done without the commercial shipping part of the cruise and would have been glad to have spent the entire excursion sailing along the coastline.

We will be in Curacao on Eclipse in April. We had planned to do this excursion again, but after what happened to you, I think we will rethink our plans.

Packard, a year ago we did that very sunset cruise you describe, but fortunately for us the order of sailing was the reverse. We did the industrial harbor part first and then went through the bridge and sailed around along the coast last. We have beautiful photos of the sun setting right behind Equinox.

 

I can't imagine why on Earth the captain of your sunset cruise chose to do the sailing in reverse.I don't blame you for being disappointed. Also, truth to tell, I could have done without the commercial shipping part of the cruise and would have been glad to have spent the entire excursion sailing along the coastline.

Perhaps it was the tides?

....... I have found some of the shore x descriptions to be occasionally misleading and I have spoken to them about this on our last cruise. There are tours we have taken that were labeled strenuous and were moderate at best and there were others labeled moderate that were very strenuous. This results in minimally handicapped people (like me) choosing excursions that they shouldn't have and conversely missing excursions that could have enjoyed.

Several years ago we took a sightseeing excursion from St. Thomas that listed an age restriction of 80.

A member of our party who wanted to come along was over 80, and there was nothing in the description to indicate that the tour would be at all strenuous or challenging in any way.

So I went down to Shore Excursions and told them that he would be willing to sign a liability waiver if they would let him take the excursion. They said they needed to contact the vendor and would let us know.

They called us a few hours later to say it would be fine for him to go, and he never needed to sign any waiver.

It turned out to be a very easy, scenic excursion (boat ride + land tour) where age made no difference at all.

The most "challenging" thing about it was that people needed to be able to climb up 3 steps to get into the sightseeing vehicle for the land tour.

Granted it would have been unsuitable for anyone using a wheelchair or walker, but simply because there was no place on the vehicle to store it.

When we returned to the ship, I went back to Shore Excursions to let them know that the age limit on that tour was unnecessary and misleading because it was a very easy tour; in fact one of the most appropriate for elderly people.

Furthermore, they were losing sales because many older passengers who would really enjoy that tour were not purchasing it due to the age restriction.

The agent politely thanked me for letting them know, and tried to pacify me by assuring me that they would remove the age limit from their tour description.

A few years later, we were on another cruise that stopped in St. Thomas, so I looked through the tour brochure.

The same tour was still being offered, and yes, it still had the 80 age limit on the description! :(

We were on a Celebrity excursion in Naples that, in my opinion, wasn't as advertised (it was supposed to be a small group tour and was actually 24 people on a full size bus, seeing exactly what the full buses saw except for a higher cost. It was the last day of the cruise, so I waited until I got home to email Celebrity about it. I got a very prompt phone call and apology, but no compensation.

I don’t always think that the shore excursions desk take on board how annoying and upsetting it is when you experience a poor tour or inappropriately described tour.

If you are visiting somewhere literally the other side of the world that one tour may be your only chance ever....Seeing that sunset or that waterfall may have been central to you choosing that cruise....Don’t get me wrong, I know nature can be unforgiving and all of us cruise knowing that sometimes a port or tour may be cancelled for good reason. However, when it isn’t the weather at fault but poor communication that is not acceptable.

Thankfully only one really poor tour after many cruises. Unfortunately for us it was in Tahiti....not exactly easy to visit. Our anger was more that the desk had known at least the evening before the destinations promised were being changed and had not told us...if we had known we would quite simply have arranged a private tour. We were half way through the X tour before the guide mentioned the ‘scenic’ part of the tour had been replaced with a longer stop at a photo point and a visit to some local shops!

When we complained on returning to the ship the girl on the desk ‘shrugged her shoulders’....we immediately asked to see the manager. She then offered us a small discount but still no apology was forthcoming so we insisted on seeing the manager.

He immediately gave us a full refund (not asked for) but did not I think take on board our real grievance. If we had received a phone message, a note or had even been told as we waited in the theatre that our tour had changed then we could have made a choice. We could have gone ahead with the revised tour or we could have cancelled and arranged something privately, which is what we would have done.

Giving us our money back did not give us the opportunity to relive our one chance to see Tahiti. We honestly were not complaining to get a refund we were simply trying to get the manager to take on board how upsetting is is not to receive what has been promised and to encourage Shore Excursions to be ‘up front’ when changes are made.

I don’t always think that the shore excursions desk take on board how annoying and upsetting it is when you experience a poor tour or inappropriately described tour.

 

If you are visiting somewhere literally the other side of the world that one tour may be your only chance ever....Seeing that sunset or that waterfall may have been central to you choosing that cruise....Don’t get me wrong, I know nature can be unforgiving and all of us cruise knowing that sometimes a port or tour may be cancelled for good reason. However, when it isn’t the weather at fault but poor communication that is not acceptable.

 

Thankfully only one really poor tour after many cruises. Unfortunately for us it was in Tahiti....not exactly easy to visit. Our anger was more that the desk had known at least the evening before the destinations promised were being changed and had not told us...if we had known we would quite simply have arranged a private tour. We were half way through the X tour before the guide mentioned the ‘scenic’ part of the tour had been replaced with a longer stop at a photo point and a visit to some local shops!

 

When we complained on returning to the ship the girl on the desk ‘shrugged her shoulders’....we immediately asked to see the manager. She then offered us a small discount but still no apology was forthcoming so we insisted on seeing the manager.

 

He immediately gave us a full refund (not asked for) but did not I think take on board our real grievance. If we had received a phone message, a note or had even been told as we waited in the theatre that our tour had changed then we could have made a choice. We could have gone ahead with the revised tour or we could have cancelled and arranged something privately, which is what we would have done.

 

Giving us our money back did not give us the opportunity to relive our one chance to see Tahiti. We honestly were not complaining to get a refund we were simply trying to get the manager to take on board how upsetting is is not to receive what has been promised and to encourage Shore Excursions to be ‘up front’ when changes are made.

You are right. It is not about the money but the experience which is in many cases a once in a lifetime opportunity.

So true, and it is really a shame.

Several years ago we took a sightseeing excursion from St. Thomas that listed an age restriction of 80.

A member of our party who wanted to come along was over 80, and there was nothing in the description to indicate that the tour would be at all strenuous or challenging in any way.

So I went down to Shore Excursions and told them that he would be willing to sign a liability waiver if they would let him take the excursion. They said they needed to contact the vendor and would let us know.

 

They called us a few hours later to say it would be fine for him to go, and he never needed to sign any waiver.

It turned out to be a very easy, scenic excursion (boat ride + land tour) where age made no difference at all.

The most "challenging" thing about it was that people needed to be able to climb up 3 steps to get into the sightseeing vehicle for the land tour.

 

Granted it would have been unsuitable for anyone using a wheelchair or walker, but simply because there was no place on the vehicle to store it.

 

 

When we returned to the ship, I went back to Shore Excursions to let them know that the age limit on that tour was unnecessary and misleading because it was a very easy tour; in fact one of the most appropriate for elderly people.

Furthermore, they were losing sales because many older passengers who would really enjoy that tour were not purchasing it due to the age restriction.

 

The agent politely thanked me for letting them know, and tried to pacify me by assuring me that they would remove the age limit from their tour description.

 

A few years later, we were on another cruise that stopped in St. Thomas, so I looked through the tour brochure.

The same tour was still being offered, and yes, it still had the 80 age limit on the description! :(

This sounds exactly how my "complaint/suggestion" was handled. It's too bad that they don't take guests with constructive criticism more seriously

We were on a Celebrity excursion in Naples that, in my opinion, wasn't as advertised (it was supposed to be a small group tour and was actually 24 people on a full size bus, seeing exactly what the full buses saw except for a higher cost. It was the last day of the cruise, so I waited until I got home to email Celebrity about it. I got a very prompt phone call and apology, but no compensation.

24 IS a small group on a lot of the ship tours. ;) If you paid more, there definitely tho, should have had a different itinerary, interior tours of stops, lunch etc.