Shore excursion booking - any contacts at RCCL?

[nycessex]

I've booked my family on the Equinox to Caribbean / Central America and am having problems with the oline booking:

1) the system won't let me book two excursions in one port - one ends at 1:30 and the other starts at 2:00 but the system requires 45 minues between excursions due to delays - I'm willing to accept responsibility of getting to the second, but the RCCL excursion desk (email only!!!) keeps giving me a stock reply about the need for 45 minutes between, etc. etc. Anyone found any way around this other than finding a private tour?

2) Likewise, the system won't let me book a different excursion as the minimum age is 8 and one of my kids will be 7-1/2 - Princess lets the obligation fall on the consumer and operator whether the cutoff is appropriate given the maturity, skill etc. of the participant, but Celebrity seems to be 100% "by the letter" for excursions.

Any help or advise is appreciated!

[cruisestitch]

It appears that the system is working as it is designed. In the first case, I would discuss this with the Excursions desk once you are on board, as they can override some restrictions which the web-based booking system has in place. In the second case, the restriction is probably made by the tour operator and can't be overridden. It is up to each operator to set their own rules, as they determine based on their equipment, their insurance coverage and so on. I think that your observation about age requirements is correct -- Celebrity probably does go "by the book" when it comes to their contracted tour companies and each company's requirements.

[nycessex]

If anyone has a contact in the RCCL excursions office, please PM me - thanks cruisestich, but what I'm trying to avoid is starting the requests with the excursions desk once I'm on the ship - I want to avoid spending my vacation time negotiating with one or multiple people at the excursion desk, or getting an unhelpful person, or learing that they can make the exception but the tour is sold out, etc. etc.

Thanks again

[cruisestitch]

OH -- I forgot to welcome you to Cruise Critic - and here's a question -- does your screen name refer to the Essex House in NYC?

 

Have you ever cruised Celebrity before? If so, you might try calling the Captain's Club phone number.

 

I doubt that you will be able to override the 45 minute rule -- even if you say that you are willing to eat the cost of the second excursion if the first one is running late, I don't think that they will let you do that on line, or even by phone. Once on board, the Excursion Desk personnel often have up-to-date information about which excursions have been running late, and which might be able to get you back to the ship in time for the second excursion. it may be the only way to get both in one day.

[Xport]

In the context of trying to book two tours [ie; there is an aberration in Celebrity's systems that prohibit booking an evening event if you've booked a two day, daytime excursion at a port like St. Petersburg with an overnight stay; I wanted to attend a Folkloric Show the first evening] on a single day... And despite my persistence, I didn't get very far...

 

For what it's worth, the e-mail address for Celebrity's shore excursions planning department is...

 

shorex@rccl.com

 

They are responsive if not always helpful... And though I tend to doubt that they'll actually do the bookings for you [they are not equipped to process payments in that group], you may [as I did] be able to get assurance that space will be available for your onboard purchase--if all in your group qualify to participate--on embarkation day.

 

The reply that you got from cruisestitch is accurate on both counts; X will not override restrictions imposed by their contracted tour operators...

[nycessex]

Thanks to you both - I did try the email and received a stock answer, and when I replied asking for a supervisor or a phone number I was ignored - very frustrating given that I've booked 3 cabins for an 11-night cruise. We have only cruised for multi-genererational trips, and I've done Princess twice before but this is my first time with Celebrity.

I will book the afternoon excursion and look to a private operator for the morning excursion (as well as a private operator for the age-restricted excursion) - rather than burn time on the cruise itself trying to talk the excursion desk into letting me book through the ship....

Thanks again

 

PS - good deduction, cruisestich - I was married at the Essex House in 2000!

[cruisestitch]

I was "born" there in 1951 -- sort of. I was adopted and my adoptive parents were staying there when they got the news that I had arrived -- spent every birthday there for the next 21 years, and many on and off since then.

 

I think you are wise going with a private tour for your group -- you will probably save money and get exactly the experience you want.....