What's with the new overnights?

[UniPac]

I am booked on an affected cruise, too.

 

I do not know what to do during night in Colombia - I do not feel safe enough there to be out at night.

I also don't like that they are dropping Costa Maya.

 

We already have booked some time ago so cancellation is not an option (we have booked hotels, flights and another cruise before this one - plus we have a 20% fee for cancellation here in the EU/Germany).

 

Of course there might be reasons to change itinerary (such as security, health, engine problems etc.) but this change is just because they want to add overnights to their carribean cruises - why don't they do that before open the cruises up for booking?

 

Not happy with this change nor how it was communicated to customers.

 

In case it has not been posted, here is also a link to the news:

http://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Celebrity-to-add-overnight-port-stays-on-long-Caribbean-cruises

 

When I see what Celebrity says WHY they did that I get somehow really annoyed:

 

"This gives us the ability to say we have more overnights in the Caribbean than any cruise line in the industry".

 

And: Now booked guests will get the bonus of an overnight stay. “This will be a really wonderful gift for these folks,” she said. “This will be something that will be a really nice opportunity for them. We think it will be a differentiator."

 

What about the loss of another place to visit? I don't feel gifted to sleep during night in Cartagena instead of traveling to another different place I haven't been before. They save money instead.

Edited May 21, 2015 by UniPac

[hcat]

So far no e mails from X but after enduring the website.(...do they know that Alaskan Ports are not in the Caribbean)....we are 1 for 3

 

Our ABC Island cruise on Infinity for Oct 2016, is still no longer listed for sale...so maybe a charter will be announced when convenient for X......the only optional itin overnights in Aruba instead of Curacao...not as interesting.and certainly not for two days,,,,,,so this one may bite the dust!

 

Our Jan 2017 Equinox Cruise drops Belize in favor of an overnight in Cozumel....one of our least fav ports, usually rains whenever we are there....last Jan it didn't rain but was too cold to swim and too windy for snorkel boats., went to a hotel that had a wretched lunch buffet!

Hope we can replace this one and keep our perks,,,,if not, I suspect we'll cancel and look elsewhere!

 

Lucked out on our booking for Jan 2016 on Equinox...no changes and the fare we pd forAQ has gone up alot...so at least we have one cruise to look forward to...

 

thanks to OP cruisecritic for this thread!

 

so 1 for 3....

[CHEZMARYLOU]

The link posted by Mr. Bill shows our 14 night March 20, 2016 cruise on Eclipse but there is no change in the itinerary. No change showing on my cruise summary either and have not gotten any emails.

[Cindy]

These cruises are a year away...give them some time to get the communications out.

 

These things always hit the news first then the mechanics of it follow.

 

I disagree...I think if something is ready to hit the news, then Celebrity needs to be ready to notify booked customers. I hate getting information that impacts my cruise from Facebook or CC, then having to call Celebrity to verify. Even worse, Celebrity sent out emails telling people to click for the new itineraries -- but the links take you to the old itineraries.:rolleyes:

 

I just think if Celebrity contacts people they're controlling the message. By leaking it to TAs and cruise publications, there's rampant speculation before passengers have even been notified they're affected. The same thing happened with my cancelled Millennium cruise...I heard it was cancelled on Cruise Critic long before Celebrity made contact.

 

 

The link posted by Mr. Bill shows our 14 night March 20, 2016 cruise on Eclipse but there is no change in the itinerary. No change showing on my cruise summary either and have not gotten any emails.

 

The website doesn't show the new itineraries yet, and there's no change to my on-line summary either. However, when I called and asked for a new copy of my booking confirmation, the new itinerary was on it.

[81Zoomie]

Am I the only one that thinks this is a terrible idea? My March 2016 Equinox 10 day southern Caribbean dropped Dominica in favor of an overnight in St Maarten. Dominica is one of the reasons I booked that cruise. I've been to St Maarten 3 times and can't fathom what I'm going to do sitting there for another day (other than sit on the ship, I guess). Plus, their reasoning is that they got such great feedback from the overnights on European cruises, Well, duh, who wouldn't want to stay an extra day in a European port? They've had hundreds of years to build up cultural and archeological history that you just can't see in an 8 hour stop. Plus, stopping at one port in Europe for more than a day gives you access to points in Europe farther than the port, so you can plan a long excursion to a place not normally accessible during a normal port stop. On a Caribbean island, none of those apply. You're still on an island and they are geared towards beach activities and short excursions. So what, now I'm going to tour twice around St Maarten and hang out for 4 hours on the same beach I would've spent an hour and a half on before? And now I should spend 3 hours in Diamonds International instead of 5 minutes? Ok, that last one was a joke. You get my point, though. European cities have much more to do at night than Caribbean islands. Think about what this does to each area as well in terms of having to upgrade the infrastructure to account for hundreds or thousands of tourists now wandering around at night when normally the ports close down after the ships leave. And is anyone really going to want to be walking around a Caribbean island at 1 AM? Heck, I hardly feel safe walking around some of them in the middle of the day. I hope I read more about the positive side of this change, but right now I am not a happy cruiser.

 

I tend to agree. Large cities, especially in Europe are exceptions where overnights are welcome. Most of the Caribbean islands don't offer the same depth of activities. I wonder if staying overnight saves Celebrity fuel costs, increases excursion revenue, and results in less food and beverage package drinks being consumed on board?

[nealstuber]

...what do you really need to do on an island at night that you can't do on a ship.....

 

 

We like sitting with our toes in the sand as the sun goes down.

[UniPac]

The link posted by Mr. Bill shows our 14 night March 20, 2016 cruise on Eclipse but there is no change in the itinerary. No change showing on my cruise summary either and have not gotten any emails.

 

Please find your new itinerary attached - sorry it is in german but should work. Overnight in Curacao, Grenada skipped - I would never trade a night in Curacao for Grenada!

 

I also had a quick look at the 2016 and 2017 Carib sailings for the Equinox and Eclipse - seems like all of the cruise dates now suffer from this overnight idea. Reflection is untouched cause she is on 7 days sailings. Bummer!

March_20_2016_ECLIPSE.pdf

Edited May 21, 2015 by UniPac

[UniPac]

We like sitting with our toes in the sand as the sun goes down.

 

I like having dinner and travelling to another, exciting place during night :)

[Maligator]

With at least one ship bringing ~3000 passengers, you can bet if a port doesn't already have something cooked up, they will by the time you get there. Remember that cruise ships aren't the only tourist game in town on the islands. It might not be Ibiza-wild, but I'm sure a nice dinner and some local culture would be easy to find.

 

Personally, after our first overnight stop (Quebec City), I've become a big fan of them. The necessity of getting back to the ship is at least delayed a bit, so you don't feel the pressure to see everything in a few hours. Plus, for the photographically-inclined, night photos of the ship and town can be stunners.

 

In Quebec, we wandered around town on our own on Day 1. We were within a short walk of the ship, where we'd pop back in to have lunch, drop off shopping bags and get cleaned up (and nap). After dinner in the MDR, it was back off the ship, where we went across the river for night shots of the city and ship. We had a significantly senior passenger demographic, so I don't think there was much in the way of raucous barhopping, but it was there if anyone felt like bobbing their hair and putting on their dancing support hose. The following day, we took a ship excursion and still had time afterward to wander a little more.

 

In short, you shouldn't knock overnights until you've experienced one. I'm as giddy as a little kid on Christmas morning about spending the night in Venice with Connie.*

 

* In case my wife is reading this, "Connie" is a nickname for "Constellation." Not the new blonde from the office.

[texkan]

Infinity Oct 7, Oct 17, 2016 were overnights but have disappeared from Celebrity Website. Infinity Oct 27, 2016, is an overnight in Aruba that is still on the Celebrity Website.

 

Celebrity has not advised were Oct 7, 2016 and Oct 17, 2016, have gone :confused:

[WpgCruise]

Best advice for anyone who isn't happy with a change to their itinerary is to vote with their dollars and cancel the cruise if the change is that big of a deal.

 

In short, you shouldn't knock overnights until you've experienced one .

 

Our T.A. advised today that Costa Maya has been cancelled and instead we get an overnight at Cartagena.

 

Not my "First Choice" but the two quotes above really hit the mark for me.

 

If it bothers me that much I'm well within the cancellation period (and the perks will be left on the table too), however HickoryShampoo makes an excellent point, having not done an overnight, until I try, how can I complain ?

Edited May 21, 2015 by WpgCruise

[hcat]

I called Celebrity this morning and had them send me a copy of my booking summary showing the new itinerary. It appears that all longer (10+ days) Caribbean itineraries starting in January will now have the overnight. On the Equinox 11-Night, they dropped Belize/Costa Maya, and added an overnight in Cartagena.

 

Can someone tell us which ones on Equinox will REALLY stay overnight in Cartagena...?

 

tried to switch to one staying overnight in Cartagena for 2017...in lieu of overnight in Coz on our Jan 9 2017 cruise. Found same cabin, same price and perks ...BUT despite the online listings, when I went to book, I was told that the only one that is still staying overnight in Cartagena is in March 2017, despite whatever it says on the website. So for now, we are holding the original booking but looking to switch if a better itin develops.,..Overnight in Coz amounts to 2 more sea days for us.,..

 

Maybe Royal has something to offer...or Azamara????

[hcat]

Our T.A. advised today that Costa Maya has been cancelled and instead we get an overnight at Cartagena.

 

Not my "First Choice" but the two quotes above really hit the mark for me.

 

If it bothers me that much I'm well within the cancellation period (and the perks will be left on the table too), however HickoryShampoo makes an excellent point, having not done an overnight, until I try, how can I complain ?

 

What date and ship is this pls? We'd like to check it out...would enjoy overnight in Cartagena in lieu of Costa Maya.

 

we enjoyed an overnight in Quebec on Connie years ago....concept is fine but we would prefer to make the choice when we book.....here they changed the itins and in many cases folks might have chosen differently...for us triple perks offer still viable for AQ if we find something to change to....

 

would appreciate info on Cartagena overnights.thnks

[ondeckatsea]

In my opinion that is the one island I'd be happy to omit and now we are getting to stay there two days. Wow. No decent beaches there unless I'm missing something. If it were Barbados that would be nice.

[WpgCruise]

What date and ship is this pls? We'd like to check it out...would enjoy overnight in Cartagena in lieu of Costa Maya.

 

we enjoyed an overnight in Quebec on Connie years ago....concept is fine but we would prefer to make the choice when we book.....here they changed the itins and in many cases folks might have chosen differently...for us triple perks offer still viable for AQ if we find something to change to....

 

would appreciate info on Cartagena overnights.thnks

 

Equinox 11 night Feb 1 2016.

 

I too would have preferred the choice when we booked, rather than now but my DW is using the term "Curmudgeon" when describing me rather than handsome devil, so best to "Suck It Up Buttercup" and enjoy the overnight in Cartagena.

[chemmo]

I love the idea of overnighting in special places. Places where if you do not stay longer than a day you miss the real country you are visiting.

 

My big concern comes from container ports..... More and more they are where cruise ships dock. Leave me overnight in Venice, I have a sort of view from the ship, I can cope with that and it is near enough to go out for an evening. Naples, yes, I could spend a night looking at the looming mount Vesuvius. The new Hong Kong harbour? I am not so sure....mixed feedback on how easy it is to enjoy extra time there. Muscat where I overnighted only to see the same cranes moving similar containers the second day, no thank you (RCCLexperience).

 

If celebrity really do open up the 'overnight' philosophy I really do want them to moor places where I can just walk off the ship and enjoy myself for an hour or two in the evening. If I have paid for a veranda or above I feel I should be able to look out and not see the containers being moved.......I should not feel I am in in an industrial port.....

 

Moan and worry over. Celebrity have never put me in this position although their sister company has. I just really want celebrity to go for overnights with a whole hearted approach.

 

For those who will remain on the boat, please give them a view.

For those who in the evenings want a stroll, let facilities be nearby.

For those who want to make the most of the destination, give them real overnight experiences, not just extended tours.

 

Sorry if I have moved from the initial overnight in the Caribbean brief but I do feel that overnighting is becoming a new trend. I am not against it in the least but I do want it to suit everyone that cruises.

[e11wa]

Our Nov. 16 Eclipse has changed.

Antigua traded for an additional night in Aruba.

 

A colleague of mine used to work for Carnival, and says in all his years sailing for caribbean, his favourite stop was Aruba, so that puts my mind at ease.

 

Would love to tick an additional beautiful island off the list, but booking 18 months out, we're aware of the possibilities of change, and not going to lose any sleep over it!

[MVPinBoynton]

We love being in a port overnight. You get a whole different view of the port and the people living there. That is one of the reasons we enjoy Oceania so much. I am glad that Celebrity is doing this; but an overnight in Curacao isn't as desirable as Aruba would be. I see that some of our Exotic Southern Caribbean itineraries are doing the night in Aruba rather than Curacao.

[hcat]

Equinox 11 night Feb 1 2016.

 

I too would have preferred the choice when we booked, rather than now but my DW is using the term "Curmudgeon" when describing me rather than handsome devil, so best to "Suck It Up Buttercup" and enjoy the overnight in Cartagena.

 

Thanks for the date,,..unfortunately we aready have an Equinox cruise for Jan 2016...too close in time to do both and too much aggravation much to keep switching them. We'll hold onto the cruise with Cozumel overnight til we can switch to something better...maybe when the dust settles.

 

...my dh does not get as involved as I do in ship and itin selection....he does the air, car rentals, hotels etc.,,,but even he has had it with the new Celebrity way of operating....putting booked cruises on hold and then cancel when they firm up charter contracts, poor customer service, woeful website.,,..still OK on board the ship in AQm but not what it used to be!

 

Hope you enjoy Cartagena...looks exciting...history, art, architecture,,,2 days would be great!

Edited May 21, 2015 by hcat

[ondeckatsea]

I checked our reservation and our overnight is actually in Barbados rather than Curacao. This is a whole lot better. For the people with overnights in Europe, I don't blame you at all for not wanting the container port locations. Livorno stinks, Civiteveccia (sp?) isn't much better, and Naples is the pits.

[hcat]

Civitavecchia has a few lovely restaurants in town near the dock area.,,..we felt safe there at night near our ore cruise hotel....from the dock area you can take a cab

 

Wonder what will be open on the ships while they are at ports over night...usually shops and the casino are closed...except Bermuda..

 

We.would never go out on our own in Cozumel or many other ports after dark...,,,Aruba maybe if in a taxi. So hope they have good shows to keep us busy!

 

they should actually lower our fares b/c they are saving fuel by eliminating ports...

Edited May 21, 2015 by hcat

[midwestchick]

Civitavecchia has a few lovely restaurants in town near the dock area.,,..we felt safe there at night near our ore cruise hotel....from the dock area you can take a cab

 

Wonder what will be open on the ships while they are at ports over night...usually shops and the casino are closed...except Bermuda..

 

We.would never go out on our own in Cozumel or many other ports after dark...,,,Aruba maybe if in a taxi. So hope they have good shows to keep us busy!

 

they should actually lower our fares b/c they are saving fuel by eliminating ports...

 

 

All the casinos in Aruba will be open until the wee hours. I think the shops stay open until 8:00 or 9:00 if it's not a Sunday. They also have a Bon Bini festival one night per week which is fun for local entertainment and food. There won't be a a lack of things to do and a taxi probably isn't necessary. You could also check the bus schedule...very reasonable.

[Can'tstopcruising]

All the casinos in Aruba will be open until the wee hours. I think the shops stay open until 8:00 or 9:00 if it's not a Sunday. They also have a Bon Bini festival one night per week which is fun for local entertainment and food. There won't be a a lack of things to do and a taxi probably isn't necessary. You could also check the bus schedule...very reasonable.

 

I am hoping they will bring the dancers onto the ship. The costumes and music are lots of fun.

[e11wa]

they should actually lower our fares b/c they are saving fuel by eliminating ports...

 

fuel saving definately, but they port fees are unlikely to change as they're paying 2 days worth in 1 port, instead of 2 days worth in seperate ports.

[TravlGrl]

Dangit. Stop with the common sense. I want to know NOW :)

 

Actually, the worst thing to me is that if I do cancel or move the reservation to another cruise that goes where I want to go instead of where they want to send me, I will lose the onboard booking perks I received.

 

I completely agree and just found out about this by reading it on my roll call! For crying out loud, why hasn't Celebrity or my TA emailed me???? My husband is my TA yet we've gotten no emails about this!

 

Anyway, we too booked our 10-nighter in February 2017 because of Dominica and Barbados. We're still going to Barbados though. Good thing is this -- we still have nearly 2 years to transfer the booking to something else. I've also got a lot of perks tied to this booking, so I'll simply wait for another sale and transfer the booking when I can keep most (if not all) of my perks. Being that we're so far out, there's going to be another sale to jump onto. Or, maybe I'll change my mind and not make a change. I don't know, but I'm also not happy about it...but we do have time to find something else.