Celebrity troubles. How do you handle disappointment?

[5326jan]

Celebrity cancels remainder of 7 day cruise half way through trip. Sad news for those on board. http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/cruise-ship-remains-alaska-port-20016716

 

It seems like the line is doing as much as they can under the circumstances, but how disappointing for those on board! How do you handle big disappointments like these people are experiencing?

 

I hope that I would see it as a gift of another cruise and try to enjoy what I had done. Easy for me to say when I'm not in their situation. How about you?

[paul929207]

Nothing you can do but make the best of it.

[jsmeeker]

I'd try to make it to Vancouver and turn it into a land based vacation.

[Langley Cruisers]

Very generous compensation. Not sure what else one could do but make the best of it.

[5326jan]

I like Jeff's idea of making it a Vancouver land vacation. We stayed a few days after our Alaska cruise and had a ball!

 

Langley Cruisers, I agree, very generous!

 

Maybe y'all know, is there an airport for a charter plane out of Ketchikan or do they have to charter a bunch of sea planes?

 

Nevermind...... I looked it up and everything seems to go to Seattle.

[NoobCruise]

I'd flip it into a land vacation and look forward to a future cruise.

[Aquahound]

As third persons, people here will easily say its fair compensation, etc, and in truth, it is. But put in that position, after dreaming for years, finally booking, and planning for months for an Alaskan cruise, I would go through a period of extreme disappointment before coming to grips with it. It just sucks, no matter how you look at it.

[5326jan]

So, if you had travel insurance, could you collect? Does compensation by the cruise line negate your claim? Could you stay on it Ketchikan (or wherever the ship broke), have your land vacation and collect the insurance plus whatever the cruise line was offering? This sounds like it would be double dipping, but would it be legit?

[dorisis]

Look on the bright side and book another cruise. Then start the planning.

[raftingalong]

We were on the Millennium on this exact same itinerary last summer. Ketchikan is only the first port of call, so I know I would have been very disappointed had this happened to us!

[Karysa]

I have a plan B at most ports and it seems now a days having a plan B as to what to do in case the cruise is cancelled is the next thing to do.

[PennyAgain]

If the ship pays you off, your travel insurance will pay you nothing.

 

Adapting is part of travel. Sometimes you just have to adapt to change, but these passengers are being well compensated for their troubles.

[Keith1010]

You do make the best of it.

 

Keith

[Krazy Kruizers]

You just have to make the best of the situation.

This cruise was to end in Seward as some of the people are doing land vacations. And then some people already on land tours who will be waiting for the ship to arrive in Seward on Friday.

On another site I belong to, they had already booked an excursion for Seward before they were to fly home on Saturday from Anchorage. They are not certain what is going to happen.

I do feel sorry for people who planned their Alaskan cruise for a long time and may not get the opportunity to do it again.

[5326jan]

Thanks Penny, it makes sense.

 

Krazy Kruisers, the article said that Celebrity was going to charter a plane, did they say on the website that they would accommodate those that had land tours after the cruise? On Princess, they're part of the package offer by the line. I assume that Celebrity has a similar set up.

[ducklite]

As third persons, people here will easily say its fair compensation, etc, and in truth, it is. But put in that position, after dreaming for years, finally booking, and planning for months for an Alaskan cruise, I would go through a period of extreme disappointment before coming to grips with it. It just sucks, no matter how you look at it.

 

I have to agree. For many, the airfare to try again will require saving for a couple of years. Many only get one or two weeks of vacation a year. If the free cruise comes with strings like it has to be taken within a year, that might be impossible for many in board.

 

I guess my problem with this issue is that they've known for quite some time of the propulsion problems, and instead of just canceling a few cruises and giving full refunds including all air fares and insurance to fix it once and for all. They just kept trying to limp along, which is not good service or judgement.

[cherylandtk]

I think the key to overcoming disappointment is to travel more.

 

Yes, there are certainly going to be people on board for whom this trip was intended to be the 'trip of a lifetime' culmination of several years worth of saving and limited vacation time off from work. They will likely be the most disappointed, as they will made whole financially, but may not be able to use the cruise credit and will not have the trip they intended. That big of a disappointment will take much longer to get over, especially without having an expectation of being able to substitute or replace the cancelled trip.

 

Having another trip planned as a replacement helps a lot. So does going with the flow when travel plans fall apart; but those who travel frequently already know that things happen in travel just like every other industry. One cannot take numerous trips and think that everything will always work out as intended. Perhaps this is the biggest pitfall of planning a "Once In A Lifetime" trip. One is simply naive to expect that everything will go exactly according to plan.

 

I am sure there are a lot of very disappointed passengers on the Millie for whom being told they are naive is not going to help one whit. And I, for one, would not dream of telling them that at this point. But for anyone ELSE thinking about travel and cruising and dreaming of a fabulous trip....be realistic. Read the insurance, be flexible, read the contract (you don't get paid for being disappointed), and most of all plan to travel more in the future. It both makes you seasoned and gives you something to look forward to.

[reedl]

Celebrity is doing quite nicely in what they are giving you. They are not only refunding your money paid for the cruise, but giving you that same amount as a future cruise credit.

 

In fact they are doing this for the cancelled cruises also. So in effect you get going to get a free cruise out of this whole thing.

[ducklite]

Celebrity is doing quite nicely in what they are giving you. They are not only refunding your money paid for the cruise, but giving you that same amount as a future cruise credit.

 

In fact they are doing this for the cancelled cruises also. So in effect you get going to get a free cruise out of this whole thing.

 

For those who are able to use the future cruise credit. Not all will be able to due to the costs associated with getting there and paying gratuities, taking time from work, family obligations, etc.

[dsrdsrdsr]

I guess my problem with this issue is that they've known for quite some time of the propulsion problems, and instead of just canceling a few cruises and giving full refunds including all air fares and insurance to fix it once and for all. They just kept trying to limp along, which is not good service or judgement.

When exactly did they first have the problem, and when did they learn it needed several weeks' work?

 

It's all very well to say they should have cancelled the cruise as soon as the problem happened, but there's the other side to it as well - if there's an engine problem on a ship so they cancel the next couple of cruises, and then it turns out that one man with a screwdriver can cure it in 5 minutes, the passengers who've had their holidays cancelled would be equally miffed. In this case, what date should they have made the decision?

[ducklite]

When exactly did they first have the problem, and when did they learn it needed several weeks' work?

 

It's all very well to say they should have cancelled the cruise as soon as the problem happened, but there's the other side to it as well - if there's an engine problem on a ship so they cancel the next couple of cruises, and then it turns out that one man with a screwdriver can cure it in 5 minutes, the passengers who've had their holidays cancelled would be equally miffed. In this case, what date should they have made the decision?

 

It's well documented that the propulsion system has been problematic for a few weeks. If a man with a screwdriver could have fixed it in five minutes time, then don't you think that would have been done long ago? In my opinion it's better to take the ship out of service and fix the problem before the passengers show up. Make immediate arrangements for them to take a different cruise on a different ship as much as possible, and pay for the airfare changes, etc.

 

Being proactive does a lot more to soothe guests than being reactive after there is a problem. Transparency is tantamount, and with the reports I've read, there wasn't much of that until they realized that the ship wasn't going anywhere fast and cancelled the cruise.

 

I would rather get a call in advance telling me that there is a problem with the ship and they are cancelling the cruise and giving me the options of A., B. C., or a full refund, including my airfare and any non-refundable costs such as prepaid hotels and private tours then get there and waste a week of vacation on a half-assed sailing. Giving me even a couple of days notice and the aforementioned refund would allow me to quickly plan a different trip from which I'd get full enjoyment.

[dsrdsrdsr]

I would rather get a call in advance telling me that there is a problem with the ship and they are cancelling the cruise and giving me the options of A., B. C., or a full refund, including my airfare and any non-refundable costs such as prepaid hotels and private tours then get there and waste a week of vacation on a half-assed sailing. Giving me even a couple of days notice and the aforementioned refund would allow me to quickly plan a different trip from which I'd get full enjoyment.

I'm sure most people would. But that implies that the line knew or strongly suspected the ship would break down irretrievably this week, and decided to go ahead anyway. I was suggesting (no more) that perhaps the line believed the ship would be OK for this week, and cancelling the cruise for all concerned on a "maybe" wouldn't please anybody.

 

They won't cancel several weeks' cruises as soon as the fault first appears. They have now cancelled several weeks' cruises. The question is, what is the correct date to cancel, and the answer is, just before the ship can't sail. The problem is to know in advance what date that is.

[dread_pirate]

I have to agree. For many, the airfare to try again will require saving for a couple of years. Many only get one or two weeks of vacation a year. If the free cruise comes with strings like it has to be taken within a year, that might be impossible for many in board.

 

I guess my problem with this issue is that they've known for quite some time of the propulsion problems, and instead of just canceling a few cruises and giving full refunds including all air fares and insurance to fix it once and for all. They just kept trying to limp along, which is not good service or judgement.

For those who only get one or two weeks vacation a year, it wouldn't matter when they cancelled the trip. The vacation is requested and probably can't be rescheduled. Is it really be better to see none of Alaska, or of Vancouver, as it is for those on next week's cruise? What are they going to do? Maybe they could find another place to go, where they wanted to go, in a pinch, maybe not.

 

We went to Alaska last year, and loved it. Yes, I would have been incredibly disappointed. But I'd also realize that I'm not stuck on a ship with no toilets for five days in the Gulf of Mexico, and maybe I'd try to arrange a few day trips around Ketchikan, or other transportation to Juneau, or somehow enjoy what time I had as a land-based vacation.

 

Sometimes cars with known problems break down on the side of the road because we don't think it's that bad. Sometimes airplanes return to the gates because of a strange noise. Sometimes ships do, too. Better to be let off at a port than be left adrift.

[rvsullivan]

Unlike what is posted here, I found this online today from someone on the ship. ""Finally got through after more than an hour. 100% refund to be posted in 3 weeks, 25% FCC [future cruise credit] of cost we paid for cruise, which will be issued in six to eight weeks and valid for one year. Apparently they will pay $200 for airline change fees, but don't have any details at this time. I was asked to call back in a day or two when volumes die down. No information on hotel change/cancellation fees. I'm still in shock and not sure what we're going to do."

 

 

This says refund of this cruise and 25% towards another cruise. If this is true, not quite so good? And only good for 12 months.

[Azulann]

I think the key to overcoming disappointment is to travel more.

 

Yes, there are certainly going to be people on board for whom this trip was intended to be the 'trip of a lifetime' culmination of several years worth of saving and limited vacation time off from work. They will likely be the most disappointed, as they will made whole financially, but may not be able to use the cruise credit and will not have the trip they intended. That big of a disappointment will take much longer to get over, especially without having an expectation of being able to substitute or replace the cancelled trip.

 

Having another trip planned as a replacement helps a lot. So does going with the flow when travel plans fall apart; but those who travel frequently already know that things happen in travel just like every other industry. One cannot take numerous trips and think that everything will always work out as intended. Perhaps this is the biggest pitfall of planning a "Once In A Lifetime" trip. One is simply naive to expect that everything will go exactly according to plan.

 

I am sure there are a lot of very disappointed passengers on the Millie for whom being told they are naive is not going to help one whit. And I, for one, would not dream of telling them that at this point. But for anyone ELSE thinking about travel and cruising and dreaming of a fabulous trip....be realistic. Read the insurance, be flexible, read the contract (you don't get paid for being disappointed), and most of all plan to travel more in the future. It both makes you seasoned and gives you something to look forward to.

 

this is one of the best post I have ever read on any travel site.

thank you.