Celebrity to Offer Year-Round Caribbean in Summer 2017

[MandB]

We will be on that cruise also. I would be delighted to help you spend your $600 OBC. No problem.

 

How thoughtful, thanks :). Last cruise we actually ended up buying shirts on board to use up the OBC.

[MandB]

We were on a QM2 TA (because I won't fly) in 2014 and somehow ended up with so much OBC we bought jewelry to use as Christmas presents.

[upwarduk]

We will be on that cruise also. I would be delighted to help you spend your $600 OBC. No problem.

 

I bought an iPad mini last year, a really great deal for UK customers then, but won't be as good an exchange this year.

[richsea]

Glad to see the year round Caribbean sailings, but feel bad for those on the TA & subsequent sailings. I love the 10 nighter to the ABC islands. We love Curacao & Bonaire. We just put a hold on the October 27 sailing, the most reasonably priced, which when coupled wth the 4 perks & TA OBC, is hard to beat!

[excitedofharpenden]

Glad to see the year round Caribbean sailings, but feel bad for those on the TA & subsequent sailings. I love the 10 nighter to the ABC islands. We love Curacao & Bonaire. We just put a hold on the October 27 sailing, the most reasonably priced, which when coupled wth the 4 perks & TA OBC, is hard to beat!

Love the ABCs. Bonaire had the best snorkelling I've ever done, Great Barrier Reef included.

 

Phil

[TourDeCruise]

Glad to see the year round Caribbean sailings, but feel bad for those on the TA & subsequent sailings. I love the 10 nighter to the ABC islands. We love Curacao & Bonaire. We just put a hold on the October 27 sailing, the most reasonably priced, which when coupled wth the 4 perks & TA OBC, is hard to beat!

 

Rich, great! Maybe I'll meet you this time (I don't think we met except on Cruise Critic); we have a lot of the same cruise friends. So far they are not interested in this cruise though. I will post you have a hold on this cruise and maybe that will change their minds. It would be nice to have a reunion cruise if we could talk them into it.

 

Love the ABCs. Bonaire had the best snorkelling I've ever done, Great Barrier Reef included.

 

Phil

 

Phil, the Oct. 27, 2017 cruise has ABCs as does the November 6, 2017 cruise. It would be great to see you too. I need to email someone (actually a couple you know well) to let them know we booked with hopes they might be interested too. They were on our B2B Equinox TA and Med cruises this past April and May. We had a wonderful time talking with them on the two cruises.

 

Kathy

[debshomespun]

Great to see Celebrity in the Caribbean all summer, spring and fall too. Just booked the October 6, 2017 -10- night sailing. We also got a $100. pp loyalty credit. With all 4 amenities, and I used a cruise passage and received another $100. OBC. This is a great deal. We love the ABC islands. As mentioned, Bonaire has fantastic snorkeling. We went with Woodwind and had a wonderful time and experience. Also, we love to stop in Key West.

[omarchs]

Has anyone tried booking the April or May trips on Celebrity's website? You can select the rate option including the 4 perks, but the summary of offers on the payment page just mentions the $300 onboard and nothing else.

 

Prefer to just book with Celebrity since easy to cancel with them since we are not 100% sure we will be able to do the trip yet. Weren't expecting to make a decision on next year's vacation yet.

[Arzeena]

Has anyone tried booking the April or May trips on Celebrity's website? You can select the rate option including the 4 perks, but the summary of offers on the payment page just mentions the $300 onboard and nothing else.

 

Prefer to just book with Celebrity since easy to cancel with them since we are not 100% sure we will be able to do the trip yet. Weren't expecting to make a decision on next year's vacation yet.

 

Yes I saw that. I called. They told me it will only show the $300 for now. They (revenue) will have to adjust it to all 4 perks and it will take 7 to 10 business days and an updated invoice will be emailed. I booked over the phone and mine shows the same.

[omarchs]

Thanks Arzeena! Guess we could just cancel if they don't follow through and add our perks after the 10 Days

[NordicPrince]

I have empathy for the people who had their TA's canceled BUT there was no way corporate was going to leave a ship which had 85% off listed prices for Med sailings esp those stopping in the eastern Mediterranean. And also not going to leave a billion dollar investment in harm's way. Can;t make money that way. Shouldn;t let emotions blind you to the obvious.

 

For our British friends who will no longer come to the US because of all the reports of shootings your TV has shown, I would say you do not meet the profile of a minority person driving in a marginal area, you do not plan to drive in an inner city area where drugs and gang violence are the norm and you are not an officer of the law therefor you will be no more of a target than any other American person (which is not likely to be bothered). I seem to recall a period when the UK was victimized by a series of bombing attacks by the IRA. After things calmed down we had no problems with coming back and forth to see our friends in Sussex. The Lockerbie bombing was a bit of shock; my company did lose a young man coming back to home to be with his family at Christmas. But things calmed down eventually.

 

As for those talking about Celebrity using Equinox to go to Cuba, Havana does not have the port facilities to handle an S class ship. And besides it appears that Royal Caribbean corporate will use the Empress of the Seas for its first Cuban cruises, an older ship which is more moderate in size. Don;t want to risk a big asset going in to untested waters.

 

Try to stay calm and enjoy the cruising. Lots more important things going on the world than getting a TA cancelled (which i am sure you do not wish to hear).

[dkjretired]

Hi Don,

 

Yay. Sept 15th also. So glad that we'll be sailing together. As it gets closer, let's make plans to have lunch or dinner (or a drink) onboard. Looking forward to seeing you and your DW !

 

Hi Andy:

 

I'm in, I just upgraded us to a sky suite, haven't done a suite in years but it's a big anniversary so what the heck. Wife knows about the cruise so I'm going to try and keep the suite thing secret.

[ISABELLA]

I wonder if by the time these cruises come, will Celebrity revise their Premium drink package menu??;) They can't take it away, but they revise what we allowed to drink...

[NordicPrince]

Poor bookings this year in the Med has probably dictated the change, as many Americans prefer to dodge the bullets at home than venture overseas. Agree that summer in the Caribbean is for the broiler birds and avoiding the hurricanes will be interesting. We spend a holiday in July/August in Barbados many years ago, never again the humidity saps all the energy and turned the holiday into a nightmare.

I think it would be wise not to comment on situations on which you have no detailed knowledge concerning "dodging bullets in the US".

 

Unfortunately, perception is reality, and your perception is not a realistic one for an individual person. You would be in no more danger than the normal U.S. citizen being here (not much).

 

As far as I can tell most Americans know what type of situations not to get involved in. I am sure there are no incidents in the UK that cause alarm, except maybe riots in Brixton, soldiers getting stabbed and an occasional bombing or two over the years. Unrest and trouble holds no national boundaries.

 

We are not happy or proud of the many incidents involving shootings by demented individuals. Rather it would be best for us to take care of this, having a better understanding of the various factors involved.

 

On the other hand, perceptions about airport bombings, attempted coups in Turkey, 6000 arrests ( announced today 3 months state of emergency),

thousands of refugees attempting to flee from Syria, many drowning in the same waters as a cruiser would be passing through, not so great.

 

I go on vacation to relax and get away from it all, not to submerse myself in the midst of unfortunate happenings.

 

I live in the NY area so maybe I am more sensitive to these type of situations having seen the results of 9/11, having family members and friends just barely getting out of buildings, having 20 graduates of my school killed, including 5 from on my own graduating class and seeing a building I worked in totally demolished.

 

Maybe it might shed some light on the situation to google "Achille Lauro" and "Leon Klinghoffer' (R.I.P) to see why people might have misgivings about going to the eastern Mediterranean at the present moment.

[kevink]

We've done lots of RCCL cruises and I've looked on and off at Celebrity for a while now looking for an opportunity to give them a try. My wife vetoed the idea of going back to Europe soon. Their Caribbean cruises were always in months that I didn't want to cruise, we like to go in May or September when the USA schools are in session but it's still nice and warm in Florida and the Caribbean.

 

When I saw the 7/19 announcement, I jumped on it and booked. I think the 7-day cruises in the summer were overpriced but the 10 or 11-day cruises in September/October were pretty good deals once the perks are factored in. I'm looking forward to finally trying Celebrity!

 

- Kevin

[Gran2five]

We just found out about this, all our excursions were cancelled yesterday !

Wondered what was going on, so this is bad news... Looking at the Reflection as the best alternative. It departs from Rome. Oh, and we received a $200 credit for our inconvenience. Still not impressed...

 

I have a question for you - did you book directly with Celebrity or through a TA? Our TA did not even know of the change until we told her on the 21st and now informs us that the $200 OBC that we received when on board will be honored but not the free gratuities. We are nearing Elite Plus with Celebrity and are not happy. We were on the '16 April TA on Equinox and by far our best cruise but are re-thinking our cruise brand going forward.

[TourDeCruise]

I have a question for you - did you book directly with Celebrity or through a TA? Our TA did not even know of the change until we told her on the 21st and now informs us that the $200 OBC that we received when on board will be honored but not the free gratuities. We are nearing Elite Plus with Celebrity and are not happy. We were on the '16 April TA on Equinox and by far our best cruise but are re-thinking our cruise brand going forward.

 

You might want to question that or call Captain's Club to have them look at Celebrity rules, if the gratuities were coming from Celebrity and not the travel agent. That does not seem right that they are not transferring your gratuities. Were the gratuities for an Equinox Transatlantic cruise (now canceled) and you got gratuities for booking that Equinox Transatlantic while onboard another Transatlantic cruise and now you are transferring to a cruise that is not a Transatlantic?

[sharonbear]

Was ready to book the Reunion Cruise in October, 2017 - round trip Barcelona, - doing the Greek Islands and hadn't been able to find it for the last couple of weeks. Finally called Celebrity today to find out about the cancellation. Really bummed. There are already enough ships in the Caribbean - sure didn't need another one.

[WL246]

I booked the TA on board doing a TA with gratitudes as a perk. Celebrity would not honor the perk when I rebooked a TA on the Reflection. Disappointed in Celebrity.

[TourDeCruise]

I booked the TA on board doing a TA with gratitudes as a perk. Celebrity would not honor the perk when I rebooked a TA on the Reflection. Disappointed in Celebrity.

 

Was this TA a 2017 Equinox cruise canceled this week by Celebrity? If so, I would think they would honor the transfer of gratuities along with the OBC to another booked TA this week, and you might want to double-check it. A good place to start is with Captain's Club if you are in the Captain's Club and the TA is a result of the Equinox 2017 cruise cancelations. Otherwise, if not one of the canceled 2017 TAs, my understanding, based on a prior conversation w/ Celebrity, is Celebrity will not transfer to another TA those gratuities received as a perk when booking a future TA while currently on a TA. Sometimes exceptions are made depending on circumstances, but not always.

[iSailor]

Thy should have honored WL246 as they did to me.

I rebooked a transpacific I did get my OBC together with my Gratuity.

In another word I got all my OBC and gratuity that I booked on board transferred to the new sailing.

Edited July 23, 2016 by iSailor

[alexspepa]

Great to see Celebrity in the Caribbean all summer, spring and fall too. Just booked the October 6, 2017 -10- night sailing. We also got a $100. pp loyalty credit. With all 4 amenities, and I used a cruise passage and received another $100. OBC. This is a great deal. We love the ABC islands. As mentioned, Bonaire has fantastic snorkeling. We went with Woodwind and had a wonderful time and experience. Also, we love to stop in Key West.

 

Hey Deb - I just booked the same cruise so I hope to see you on board! got all 4 perks and my TA matched the $300 OBC for a total of $600, plus I got another pp discount of $125 for the loyalty credit ( i think that is the past passenger thing, correct?).

 

I am sorry for all the folks who booked the European circuit, and I do hope Celebrity works hard to accommodate them on another cruise.

[cruisin lady ca]

Yes I saw that. I called. They told me it will only show the $300 for now. They (revenue) will have to adjust it to all 4 perks and it will take 7 to 10 business days and an updated invoice will be emailed. I booked over the phone and mine shows the same.

 

I called Celebrity and booked this cruise via phone. The rep set up the reservation to show the "Go Best" and Loyalty Discount ($125 pp) on the confirmation that was emailed to me. Didn't realize we would get the one category upgrade AND a loyalty discount. Those perks, in addition to the "Go Best" goodies made me pretty happy.

 

The fare for this Equinox cruise is a little higher than what I am paying for a February 2018 Caribbean cruise on Reflection in same category cabin with only "Go Big" single perk. I hoped that the fares for 2018 drop as we get close to final payment. Have lots of time to watch that pricing.

 

This should be a nice cruise, assuming we can purchase tickets for the Jazz Fest at face value. Some of the ticket broker sites are advertising tickets for more than twice the face value. Since tickets are not being sold on the regular website at this time, I am hoping this works out.

[alexspepa]

I called Celebrity and booked this cruise via phone. The rep set up the reservation to show the "Go Best" and Loyalty Discount ($125 pp) on the confirmation that was emailed to me. Didn't realize we would get the one category upgrade AND a loyalty discount. Those perks' date=' in addition to the "Go Best" goodies made me pretty happy.

 

The fare for this Equinox cruise is a little higher than what I am paying for a February 2018 Caribbean cruise on Reflection in same category cabin with only "Go Big" single perk. I hoped that the fares for 2018 drop as we get close to final payment. Have lots of time to watch that pricing.

 

This should be a nice cruise, assuming we can purchase tickets for the Jazz Fest at face value. Some of the ticket broker sites are advertising tickets for more than twice the face value. Since tickets are not being sold on the regular website at this time, I am hoping this works out.[/quote']

 

Hey Cruisin'...little confused about the Jazz Fest mention; that is a differnet cruise, correct? (not that I don't like jazz!)

[ISABELLA]

I booked the TA on board doing a TA with gratitudes as a perk. Celebrity would not honor the perk when I rebooked a TA on the Reflection. Disappointed in Celebrity.

 

Prepaid gratuity and OBC were offered for 2017 TA only, when booked on board. We also booked 2017 TA , while being on board. But if you rebook 2016 TA, prepaid gratuity would not be transferred.

We end up booking 10/27 17 sailing and got all 4 perks plus $200 for " redeployment" and $100 from future cruise booking and $150 from the agency.