Silhouette Trip Report (Yes, that Israel one!) October 2015 (Very Long)

[gwilli]

This is why we purchase insurance with the "cancel for any reason" clause especially if I'm going to a place that is a bit unsettled. You may have been able to cancel and rebook a cruise that interested you.

[sylmack]

This is why we purchase insurance with the "cancel for any reason" clause especially if I'm going to a place that is a bit unsettled. You may have been able to cancel and rebook a cruise that interested you.

 

We had this insurance but weren't able to utilize it because we were informed after travel had started. Especially difficult for us because we had cancelled a Nov 30th cruise with friends in order to take this Israel and Eastern Caribbean cruise.

[sylmack]

I recently had an issue that was being ignored so I listed my complaint on the Celebrity Facebook page and had it resolved within 3 days. They sent me private messages and I replied in open forum. When it was finally resolved I was happy with the final outcome

 

 

Thanks for the advice, however, this event has been at the top of the Celebrity Silhouette Facebook page for quite a while.

 

They have not responded to any posts nor have they answered ANY emails to their 'concerns' email account, other than the 'we will get back to you within 3 business days'.

 

I even replied to the 'within the next 3 business days' email after several weeks, and received a ' your concerns have been escalated and you will have a reply soon ' email. That also didn't happen.

 

Uncaring or incompetent ? Right now I don't care as this just turns me off of Celebrity as MY cruise line.

 

 

A simple phone call.....

[upwarduk]

I recently had an issue that was being ignored so I listed my complaint on the Celebrity Facebook page and had it resolved within 3 days. They sent me private messages and I replied in open forum. When it was finally resolved I was happy with the final outcome

 

Me too, there was a message 30 minutes after I posted, asking me to Private message them. All was resolved in a couple of days, when I had been waiting for replies to 3 emails, over a period of 3 months.

[compman9]

Hi everyone,OP here...

 

I have finally received a reply from Celebrity, and thought I would share it with you.

 

Dear Mr. *******:

 

Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today regarding your recent sailing on the Celebrity Silhouette.

 

The safety of our passengers is always our foremost concern. Thus, Celebrity Cruises is constantly monitoring the political climates of our ports of call. Due to the security concerns in Israel, we decided to err on the side of caution and cancel the Celebrity Silhouette’s port stop in Haifa, and the overnight stay in Jerusalem.

 

I understand that you booked this cruise specifically for the extended time in Israel. I certainly empathize with your disappointment with the itinerary change. However, as our Cruise Ticket Contract states that we may modify the itinerary for any reason, I cannot provide you with the compensation you have requested. In this case, the itinerary had been altered out of an abundance of caution for our guests’ safety, as we believed it was in the best interest of all passengers and crew members to do so. You have my genuine sympathy for the displeasure this decision had clearly caused.

 

Mr. *******, I truly hope that, despite this unexpected schedule alteration, you enjoyed a wonderful cruise vacation with us on the Celebrity Silhouette.

 

Sincerely,

Morgan Robinson

Celebrity Cruises

 

May I ask if anyone else has received a reply from Celebrity yet, and if so, how it differs from my standard reply

[Jimbo59]

It is interesting that Celebrity's weekly (sometimes daily) e-mails offer all sorts of specials. Just this week I received an offer of $300-500 on board credit for a new booking.

 

It would have been good customer relations to have offered the Silhouette passengers similar consideration for the missed ports and the late notice.

[RocketMan275]

It is interesting that Celebrity's weekly (sometimes daily) e-mails offer all sorts of specials. Just this week I received an offer of $300-500 on board credit for a new booking.

 

It would have been good customer relations to have offered the Silhouette passengers similar consideration for the missed ports and the late notice.

 

It may have been "good customer relations" but it would have set an unfortunate precedent, ie, should the cruise line offer compensation for rough waters preventing tendering or a diversion due to a hurricane? Such compensation is not free. It must be paid by other passengers in the form of increased fares.

[clojacks]

My wife and I are scheduled to visit Israel in Oct of '17 on the Silhouette, and now that situations are happening in Israel again (actually, they probably never stop), there is concern on our part that we may also face cancelled Israeli ports. Without reading through your whole thread, and also recognizing that some people may have just decided not to post here after all the dust had settled, I'm curious if any "good will" or "inconvenience" compensation was ever offered after the fact by Celebrity. I fully realize they are not legally bound to offer anything, but as a strong PR move, I am curious to know if anything was done that hasn't been posted on here? For our part, once we arrive in Italy a couple of days before we sail, it is full steam ahead and cancelling and rebooking is not going to be a possibility, so we will be on board regardless of what Celebrity does in the event of unsafe conditions in Israel, so this is all to just satisfy my curiosity mainly.