Canceled cruise, what compensation have you received?

[MSUSigmaK]

Our TA just notifed me that our 11/27/04 Constellation has been canceled since the entire ship has been chartered. They are offering to protect our rate and give us a $100 pp shipboard credit on the following 2 cruises, 12/4 or 12/11. Unfortunately my daughter has college finals during this time and neither cruise will work. According to our TA "Because the cruise is so far out and just under deposit this is all they are offering!"

Has anyone had this happen to them? And, if so what compensation have you received?

I also have 3 round trip tickets to San Juan that I have paid for. Maybe booking early is not always a good thing!

Looking forward to your suggestions and experiences. Thanks!

[buffett010]

MSU - Soory to hear about your cruise [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif[/img] While I haven't had that happen to me, I think their policy is awful. You should be able to rebook your cruise for any date within a year of your original sail date. Lots of people (myself included) plan their vacations far in advance and that is the week they are locked into. Not to mention everyone that buys airfare on their own!

Let us know what you decide to do, and what Celebrity does for you.

-----------------
"When you see the Southern Cross for the first time, you'll understand just why you came this way."

[mtsod]

GO BLUE!

[trcori]

When our Western Caribbean booking on Mercury for March 2003 was canceled with a few months to go, because Celebrity decided to move Mercury to the West Coast instead, we were offered $100 per person shipboard credit ($50 for our child) plus price protection on one of several comparable Caribbean cruises in the same time frame -- a couple were X, one was Royal Caribbean. We decided to book the comparable week on Century even though we had sailed the same ship just a few months earlier. Sounds like what you're getting is a fairly standard offer ... TR

[denisey]

When our cruise was cancelled, we got our booking transfered to a newer, bigger more expensive ship. We got 50% of our money back. We got upgraded from an inside room to a balcony room. We got a coupon for 50% off a future cruise.

But that was on Carnival....

I'm sorry to hear about your cancelation though! Did you get the airline tickets through a TA or through the airline. Most will let you pay a fee and transfer the dates on the tickets (it's at least worth checking on, don't be afraid to use the sob story!)

I hope everything works out and you will soon be cruising!

Denise

Celebrity Zenith March, 2005
Carnival Glory March, 2004
Carnival Pride September, 2003
Carnival Legend Februrary, 2003
Carnival Pride, March 2002
Paradise Back-To-Back May, 2001
Carnival Destiny, March 2000

[MSUSigmaK]

Denise and trcori, I appreciate your info. And, to mtsod what a profound thought for your first posting.

Celebrity is now stating a maximum credit of $200 for the cabin, our 19 year old is also with us but they are no longer giving us a credit for each of us.

We just put the Horizon 11/29 cruise on hold. We were on Horizon last November and it is a nice ship. Another couple we met on that cruise will be on her again at that time, so there are positives to the change.

We'll contact Celebrity again to see what their current offer is. If an airline bumped us off a flight we would receive a voucher for a free flight, not so with cruises.

I contacted the airline and they charged us a $25 per person fee to change our flights. And we each have credits to use within the next year.

So maybe booking early is not a good thing.

Thanks again for your feedback. If anyone else has info on what we should do or who we should contact please let me know!

[GBones]

Well it sounds like Celebrity has its hands full again.. My wonderful bride a I have had this experince twice..both times our really greeeat TA got us very nice deals... first time we were offered another cruise and upgraded if we wanted and given credit for both cruises on captains club sailing, and two hundred dollars ship board credit. The second time, yes we are lucky..ha, we were offered another cruise and upgraded to a suite and a four hundred dollar ship board credit..if your TA has some gumption you too can do OK.. the key is letting Celebrity know how they have impacted your plans, they will work with you..you just have too keeeep squeeeeking.. good luck let us know how it works out...May you always have fair winds and following seas.. GBones sends

[gardencat]

Just to let you know how the 'other side' lives.
My daughter and I were recently booked on the May 2 Norwegian Star repositioning cruise ( Honolulu to Vancouver) Exactly one month before departure I found out ( from postings on cc boards) that that cruise was being cancelled due to some mechanical problems. When I called NCL they confirmed that the cruise was cancelled. When I called my TA, he called NCL and they told him it wasn't cancelled, I called back they told me it was. Eventually they got their story straight and everyone agreed it was cancelled.
NCL gave me a number to call to find out what they were going to do to help us with this dilemma. ( Remember we have tickets to Honolulu but home from Vancouver, kind of a long swim.)
The number they kindly gave me Friday evening was of course not answering till Monday morning. When they were open I called and waited 20 minutes on hold without getting a response.
Finally my TA got hold of someone at NCL. ( My TA was on hold for a long time too, they kept coming back to me and apologizing for the long wait)
Since we had arranged both my and my daughter's schedules to fit around this cruise there was no way, just a month out that we could switch to another vacation time. NCL did not even offer to switch us to another cruise in that time frame, but I looked on my own and found there was nothing else suitable available on NCL. At that point I requested my travel agent to check with NCL and find out whether, if we could book the missing Honolulu to Vancouver section of the trip on air mile points would they reimburse us those points, if so we would try to get accomodations and just stay in Hawaii for our vacation.
My TA talked to NCL 2 times (on successive days) and NCL agreed both times, to do this, as long as we could send documentation showing that we had used points to book that segment of the flight. Then, one day later when I called to tell them I had done so and inquire to whom I should send the documentation they informed me that "we are not going to do that". They were sorry that they had 'mis-informed' me but they had had a meeting that morning and had decided that all they would do for anyone was:
a) refund the cost of the cruise
b) offer 25% of the fare on the cancelled cruise as a coupon to be applied on a future cruise
c) refund 'change' fees for cancelling or changing tickets.
In the meantime, of course, I had booked the required airfare on points and committed to a weeks accomodation in Hawaii.
I explained this to NCL but may as well have been talking to a (stupid) brick wall.
Needless to say I am totally disgusted with NCL at this point. If they had told me upfront tht they would not re-imburse air miles I would have been annoyed but would have tried to find some other solution but to tell me they would then, after I had made new plans based on that agreement go back on their word was to me unforgivable.
I am leaving in a few days for a Hawaian vacation with my daughter. Due to the cancelled cruise,this vacation will cost us much more than it would have if it had been booked originally as a land vacation.
I have still received no official notification from NCL that my cruise has been cancelled. I guess they figure since I called them I must know but wouldn't you expect something by mail or e-mail? I also have received no information about any 25% credit although it appears the master card account has been credited with the price paid for the cruise. I will never cruise with NCL again. Too bad since they have some nice ships but how can you deal with a company that says to you outright " yes we lied to you but that is just your problem."
I am now booked on Celebrity Century in October. Unfortunately my daughter won't be able to go at that time but I hope to have a pleasant cruise with my sister and forget all about NCL.

[C 2 C]

We were on the Infinity B2B to Hawaii a year ago. One week prior to sailing the Infinity broke down and had to go to dry dock... Passengers were put ashore in Mexico and flown home... We received our money back and A FREE B2B ... 21 days aboard the Summit practically the same week... We did lose out on our flight to San Diego that we had booked independently... Even had insurance on the flight.. We were very happy with the way Celebrity handeled this but others were not so fortunate.. Good luck

<hr><font color=red>[b][email="cruisenut@hotmail.com"]email C 2 C[/email]</big>
</font><font color=red>[b][url="http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTJ0000001"]A Mari Usque Ad Mare[/url][/b]</font>

[Guest]

Please read this post and you will notice the cruise was cancelled 6 months out and not one week or one month away. Comparing these situations as far as compensation is apples and oranges.

Also, cancellation for a charter is not uncommon on all cruise lines.

Don

[marco]

In the past, but not on "X", a refund and any cruise on that line within a year at 50% off.

[Guest]

MSU, be aware that you've booked a Horizon cruise that is the first one scheduled after Horizon gets out of drydock. If there are any delays in drydock, this cruise might be canceled too. If the drydock schedule works out the way it's supposed to, you're going to be one of the lucky ones that gets to sail the refurbished Horizon!! :-)

Hilary

[Guest]

The Nov. 29th. Horizon cruise is the third cruise after the dry dock. The Horizon is doing a 7 n. W. Caribbean on the 12th. and a 10 night W. Caribbean on the 19th. I would doubt you will have a problem with the drydock. Everyone thinks there are major changes being made to the ship but Celebrity has made no announcements and the ship is due for only a normal drydock period of time. At least you will have a clean ship with a well rested crew. As for the rest, there is no confirmation.

Don

[DocJohnB]

Ya know, this is a problem that seems to becoming more prevalent in the cruise industry. I personally feel that the lines handle it rather poorly as in MSU's case.

The lines encourage early booking (with price breaks, etc.), then a corporation comes along and books the whole ship. Cruise line says, great, the ship is booked, to hell with the poor slobs who booked early, we will give them the minimum possible and be done with it.

Meanwhile cruisers are rebooking flights, trying to reschedule vacations, school schedules, etc.

I don't have the answer to how this can be fixed, but I think the cruise line's had better start thinking this thing out a little better (and I mean all cruise lines, not just Celebrity).

MSUSigmaK, I am sorry this happened to you (and to anyone else also).

MSU, I have more than one post, but I have to agree - Go Blue [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_razz.gif[/img]

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=9400d3&cdt=2004;11;5;16;30;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]
Until we sail on SUMMIT for 10 nights


[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=9400d3&cdt=2005;01;9;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]


Until MOAGC's on Explorer of the Seas


[img]http://goatlocker.org/cposalute.gif[/img]

Seven Cruises last Century, then:

Norwegian Sky 2000 GGC2000
Volendam 2001 GGC2001
Paradise 2001
Sensation 2002 GGC2002
Millenium 2003 (Nov 16)
Mariner OTS 2004 (Feb 29)
Summit 2004 (Nov 05)
Explorer OTS 2005 (Jan 09)

[nealberk]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by DocJohnB:
Ya know, this is a problem that seems to becoming more prevalent in the cruise industry. I personally feel that the lines handle it rather poorly as in MSU's case.

The lines encourage early booking (with price breaks, etc.), then a corporation comes along and books the whole ship. Cruise line says, great, the ship is booked, to hell with the poor slobs who booked early, we will give them the minimum possible and be done with it.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

On the other hand, do you really want to be the only people on the cruise ship who are not part of the Brittney Spears fan club cruise?

[DocJohnB]

Your point is well taken. I would also not like to be the only person on a cruise ship with computer nerds, NASCAR fans, rocket scientists, whatever.

And, I do not fault the cruise industry for offering these types of cruises. They just need to deal better with those who booked the ship, before the ship was booked (so to speak).

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by nealberk:
On the other hand, do you really want to be the only people on the cruise ship who are not part of the Brittney Spears fan club cruise?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=9400d3&cdt=2004;11;5;16;30;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]
Until we sail on SUMMIT for 10 nights


[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=9400d3&cdt=2005;01;9;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]


Until MOAGC's on Explorer of the Seas


[img]http://goatlocker.org/cposalute.gif[/img]

Seven Cruises last Century, then:

Norwegian Sky 2000 GGC2000
Volendam 2001 GGC2001
Paradise 2001
Sensation 2002 GGC2002
Millenium 2003 (Nov 16)
Mariner OTS 2004 (Feb 29)
Summit 2004 (Nov 05)
Explorer OTS 2005 (Jan 09)

[gene624]

A couple of years ago, I had a booking on Seawind Crown (now out of service.) I was advised without fanfare by my TA that the trip had been canceled due to a full ship charter. That was it.
Tough luck.
Gene in Birmingham

[janrj7]

My family (six people) booked two penthouse suites on a Carnival cruise out of New Orleans, fall of 2002. We were all packed and ready to leave the hotel for the dock when my brother-in-law noticed there was no ship there! Found out it had grounded on a sand bar near Cozumel, and was still there. Carnival really treated us right on this. In addition to a refund, we got 50% off a future cruise (to be used within 13 months) AND they paid for our hotel AND meals in New Orleans during the nights we would have been cruising. Being stranded in New Orleans ain't so bad, y'know? We still had our little family reunion. Anyway, we used the 50% off the next year for a similar cruise.

[raudacruise]

Maybe we are just stupid Buckeyes, but we thought the team color for Michigan State was green. That other team up north wears blue.

George & MaryBeth

[MSUSigmaK]

George and MaryBeth...thank you! Our two favorite teams, Michigan State and the school playing Michigan...so we do cheer for the Buckeyes when they play that school down the road from here!

[MSUSigmaK]

Thanks to all of you who posted with your experiences and suggestions. It's unfortunate that so many have had their plans also changed by the cruise lines. I also loved the humor of being on a cruise with the Brittney Spears fan club, can you imagine!