What's with the new overnights?

[e11wa]

I think its important to remember that its quite straight forward to release a press release to media agencies/TA's who jump straight on it.

 

Contacting 42 cruises with ~2500 guests... takes a little longer to contact give or take 50000 guests already booked.

[SantaFeFan]

What a great idea! Overnight port visits are one of the main reasons I have switched so many bookings over to Azamara. I personally don't think the Caribbean islands are that exciting, but I can imagine Celebrity will offer some interesting evening excursions. I did notice that a lot of the Asia and Europe itineraries with overnights have been selling well, so it's nice to see Celebrity has taken note of this.

 

Michael

 

We've done overnights in Venice and St. Petersburg in Europe, and Singapore, Bangkok, Hanoi and Hong Kong in Asia - all on Celebrity. We certainly appreciate the opportunities to enjoy areas for more than one day, and particularly enjoy spending evenings ashore where the ambiance is completely different than during the day. We occasionally even stay in a local hotel for the night to further enhance the immersion into the local culture.

 

More overnight stays can only be a good thing!

Edited May 21, 2015 by SantaFeFan

[CHEZMARYLOU]

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!

 

Thank you but it looks like this is for the cruise right before ours. We finish up in Curacao and start with St. Marten as our 1st port.

[TravlGrl]

I think its important to remember that its quite straight forward to release a press release to media agencies/TA's who jump straight on it.

 

Contacting 42 cruises with ~2500 guests... takes a little longer to contact give or take 50000 guests already booked.

I respectfully disagree. The amount of time it takes to write a press release and gain internal approvals vs the time it takes to write an email and filter your booked customer database isn't much different. It's literally a matter of X going into their CRM and sending the message to those impacted. It's not difficult at all. I would like to think that's all it is, and that I'll get an email tomorrow, but...we'll see.

 

We've done overnights in Venice and St. Petersburg in Europe, and Singapore, Bangkok, Hanoi and Hong Kong in Asia - all on Celebrity. We certainly appreciate the opportunities to enjoy areas for more than one day, and particularly enjoy spending evenings ashore where the ambiance is completely different than during the day. We occasionally even stay in a local hotel for the night to further enhance the immersion into the local culture.

 

More overnight stays can only be a good thing!

 

Agree with liking overnights. We really enjoy the multi-night overnights in Bermuda. It's all subjective though, and for me, I don't like our canceled port because it's the reason we booked the cruise. I suck at change, but I've got a long time to get over it...and find something else. ;)

Edited May 21, 2015 by TravlGrl

[CHEZMARYLOU]

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.

 

We are on this cruise also but have not gotten any information on an itinerary change. What port is missed due to the over night in Barbados?

 

Just checked our on line reservation again and now see that Barbados is over night and no Grenada. We will be disappointed to miss Grenada but are glad it is not St. Lucia that is being skipped.

Edited May 21, 2015 by CHEZMARYLOU
Found more inforation.

[Kelane]

Here's a link I got in the email with a list of the affected itineraries (which have not been updated). I think they're just replacing a sea day. Maybe they'll get to the port in mid-day so you'll have one and a half days there if they can't get there early enough for a full day.

 

Link

 

The email I received lists these:

 

14-Night Exotic Southern Caribbean Cruise

Celebrity Eclipse on 1/24/2016

Overnight in Curacao

 

10-Night Ultimate Caribbean Cruise

Celebrity Equinox on 1/22/2016

Overnight in St. Maarten

 

11-Night Ultimate Caribbean Cruise

Celebrity Equinox on 2/1/2016

Overnight in Cartagena, Colombia

 

Also Equinox 11 day Jan 11,16. They dropped Belize and are overnighting in Cartagena, Columbia instead. Reversed the itinerary. Got my notification this morning.

 

A bit of scrambling today to change tours I already had booked...

 

Don't mind losing Belize...just curious if Cartagena has 2 days of things I want to do!

[MisterBill99]

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

I didn't think I'd enjoy it (and I certainly had no interest in going on the evening excursion to see a show), but the Russian folklore group they had in St. Petersburg on Constellation was excellent.

[shipshape sam]

No info here but finally one cruise line is coming up with a good idea.

 

I too would like to try an overnight.

 

We got to do one on our 2009 Panama Canal cruise. H1N1 cancel all our Mexican ports and we got into San Francisco a day early. Toured SF and slept on ship and disembarked next morning.

 

Would like to try it again.

[MisterBill99]

Contacting 42 cruises with ~2500 guests... takes a little longer to contact give or take 50000 guests already booked.

Well, they managed to send me an email and I'm not even booked on one of the cruises. They certainly should have had updated itineraries on the page of cruises that they linked to. That just sounds like a mistake.

 

What stinks is how they're trying to hide that they are taking away a port in lieu of the extra night somewhere else.

[WEGL81]

 

 

 

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.

 

 

St Maarten, Cozumel, Aruba, etc does not equal Quebec and Venice. You might have missed my point about European cities (and that includes cities like Quebec City in terms of history). I would be giddy staying overnight in Venice as well, but then there's a 1000 years of history to explore from there.

[CTBob]

I'd like to try an overnight but I would like it to be my choice! Looks like our cruise is skipping Grenada in favor of two days in Curacao. If that's what I wanted then that is what I would have booked. I'd be glad to skip a port I have been to many times but not one I've never been to. I am not happy!:mad:

[Maligator]

St Maarten, Cozumel, Aruba, etc does not equal Quebec and Venice. You might have missed my point about European cities (and that includes cities like Quebec City in terms of history). I would be giddy staying overnight in Venice as well, but then there's a 1000 years of history to explore from there.

 

Nope. Didn't miss the point, at all. My point is there is likely more to do in any any port after most ships have departed than you may realize. Further, if there isn't anything regular already, then the promise of 3000 passengers and crew staying overnight would certainly inspire them to get some nightlife activities going. Places like Aruba, Curacao, Barbados, etc, aren't just cruise ports. They have their own non-cruise tourists to entertain.

 

And not having historical significance doesn't mean they can't have significance at all. I'd say Cozumel has enough bars to satisfy a shipful of thirsty cruisers.

[aubreyc1988]

definitely something I would be interested in! Never sailed with Celebrity before but it entices me to!

[aquidneck1]

Very disappointed to be missing Dominica in January - had a snorkeling trip planned there. No interest whatsoever in spending the evening in St. Martin and another 1/2 day at sea when there are already 2 full days at sea.

 

Sad that Celebrity did not plan this further in advance so we could make choices. I hate to have to start planning all over again.

[richsea]

For years & years, every time Celebrity releases their new Caribbean schedules, I have read so many posts of " same old, same old, can't they ever do something new?" Now they try something new & we get "boy, they screwed up my cruise!" They absolutely cannot win.

[Snit13]

We overnighted in Key West on the Infinity a few years ago.....the ships computer system went haywire and we had to wait until parts and repair persons could be flown in. Hard to take overnight in Key West.

 

We also did overnight in St. Petersburg on Baltic cruise. Thoroughly enjoyed.

 

We have March 2017 on Equinox which I booked specifically for Dominica as we have never been there. Bet my bottom dollar it is on the cut list. Bet we get to overnight in St. Maarten. Would not make me a happy cruiser as we have been there so often we no longer get off ship.

[Cindy]

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.

 

 

 

My Equinox sailing, on March 14, 2016 has eliminated Costa Maya and added an overnight in Cartagena.

[WEGL81]

Nope. Didn't miss the point, at all. My point is there is likely more to do in any any port after most ships have departed than you may realize. Further, if there isn't anything regular already, then the promise of 3000 passengers and crew staying overnight would certainly inspire them to get some nightlife activities going. Places like Aruba, Curacao, Barbados, etc, aren't just cruise ports. They have their own non-cruise tourists to entertain.

 

 

 

And not having historical significance doesn't mean they can't have significance at all. I'd say Cozumel has enough bars to satisfy a shipful of thirsty cruisers.

 

 

I don't go to cruise ports to drink. I can do that on the ship. Have you ever been to St Maarten? The last time we were there we took a 4 hr tour around the island, and that included an hour stop in Marigot and a half hour stop in Maho Beach. How much more is there to do? I believe you when you suggest that businesses (and the cruise line) will try to have nightlife and longer excursions. But I can't think of anything they might do that would interest me. What would have interested me was the stop in Dominica, where I have never been.

[Snit13]

After reading all of the posts on this thread, I went to Celebrity web and checked our March 2017 and sure enough Dominica has been dropped and replaced with the overnight in St. Maarten. Where they dock in St. Maarten always gives us a lovely view of the container ships and run down docks. Lovely. The main reason I booked this cruise was because we had never been to Dominica. We have been to all of the other ports. Final pay is a long time away so will have to decide what to do. Not a happy cruiser.

[Can'tstopcruising]

I didn't think I'd enjoy it (and I certainly had no interest in going on the evening excursion to see a show), but the Russian folklore group they had in St. Petersburg on Constellation was excellent.

 

And when we were in Oahu until 11pm, they brought on local hula dancers.

 

I always enjoy folkloric.

[Oville]

After reading all of the posts on this thread, I went to Celebrity web and checked our March 2017 and sure enough Dominica has been dropped and replaced with the overnight in St. Maarten. Where they dock in St. Maarten always gives us a lovely view of the container ships and run down docks. Lovely. The main reason I booked this cruise was because we had never been to Dominica. We have been to all of the other ports. Final pay is a long time away so will have to decide what to do. Not a happy cruiser.

 

Oops, double post

Edited May 22, 2015 by Oville

[Oville]

After reading all of the posts on this thread, I went to Celebrity web and checked our March 2017 and sure enough Dominica has been dropped and replaced with the overnight in St. Maarten. Where they dock in St. Maarten always gives us a lovely view of the container ships and run down docks. Lovely. The main reason I booked this cruise was because we had never been to Dominica. We have been to all of the other ports. Final pay is a long time away so will have to decide what to do. Not a happy cruiser.

 

Really? I guess it's the luck of the draw but in the dozens of times we've been to St Maarten we have never looked out at container ships, perhaps you've had bad luck.

 

We just learned that that in January '16 we'll be overnighting in Curaçao and missing Grenada. Some are upset but I want to know what's wrong with Curaçao?

[Can'tstopcruising]

I am not one to have dinner off the ship, but if you have never tried Rijsttafel, this may be an opportunity.

[CTBob]

For years & years, every time Celebrity releases their new Caribbean schedules, I have read so many posts of " same old, same old, can't they ever do something new?" Now they try something new & we get "boy, they screwed up my cruise!" They absolutely cannot win.

They can win. Offer something new and then sell it! Don't sell one product and then change it after it's been bought.

[jagoffee]

Consumer and trade research indicates this is something they desire,” Ritzenthaler said.

 

I believe this statement is very true. I have said for years that I wished ships either stayed in port later or overnight.

In my case I do not necessarily like the particulars (removing Bonaire), but I loved the overall idea.