Celebrity Canceled our cruise

[HokiePoq]

We've received no word from Celebrity, but alert posters on our roll call discovered reservations missing from the site. Someone posted about the website being redone, so I'd hoped that was the case. Our agent called X and found out our cruise has been chartered. It's the Millie 11-26-17. I'd noticed last week it was missing from the sales portion of the site when I went to check for price decreases. Unfortunately this itinerary is not being offered on other dates. Really disappointed not to get to Bali and Komodo Island. RCCL goes to Bali but not Komodo Island which is high on the bucket list.

Extra complications include the deposits and shore excursion payments that need to be refunded were put on the now discontinued Costco AMEX card and that we had a land tour booked to coincide with this trip.

NOT HAPPY with Celebrity, just as those who've had this experience in the past and posted threads. It seems to happen more with X cruises in Asia.

It is well ahead of time but there is no alternate date to replace this. I won't be booking Asia with them again.

[easyboy]

That is really disappointing. And the TA has to call Celebrity upon your inquiry, instead of being informed in advance. I hope Celebrity is still deciding how those affected will be compensated.

 

 

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[Platoon Leader]

Excuse me if this has been addressed before, but what is the cruise lines responsibility to the booked passenger if the cruise is cancelled due to a charter? I ask because I'm considering booking air travel independently of the cruise line. I don't want to get stuck if the same thing happens to us.

 

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[Duanerice1]

That stinks. And yea, it's almost a year out but still..... They don't offer much of anything when they cancel, do they?

 

At least flights weren't booked.

[Bo1953]

I Am so sorry for the cancellation of your sailing... very disappointing to be sure..

 

If I Am not mistaken, X would have notified your TA who in turn is to notify you.

 

If this is the chain of communication, is it possible that your TA dropped the ball also? It is quite possible that they were never notified as well.

 

Good luck with finding an alternative sailing or cruise line of choice.

 

bon voyage

[Hlitner]

Welcome to the world of profits and Celebrity's CEO (Princess Lisa). But Celebrity is not alone as most mass market cruise lines will quickly throw long term bookers under the bus (which is another reason why we do not like to book long term). The good news is that at least Celebrity is doing this more then 330 days prior to the cruise.....which protects folks that would book their own air far in advance.

 

So here is our issue. It is a one way street. Cruise lines encourage folks to book far in advance..but then give them no protection from charters or large group bookings (this can be much worse then a charter). There needs to be a "Cruise Passenger Bill of Rights" to cover such issues (and more). The industry, largely unregulated, has become very large in North America but consumers have few rights. In cases of Charters, we think those who have already booked should be given major compensation. We also think that those who have booked on cruises that have large groups (we would suggest 20% + of the ship) should be given notice and the opportunity to cancel with no penalty and some enhancements for another booking.

 

Did Celebrity notify your TA? Maybe...or maybe not! There have been numerous cases (posted on CC) where folks first discovered Charters (and canceled cruises) here on CC. Eventually you will be notified...but the question is when. And if its within 330 days of the cruise (airline reservations can only be made up to 330 days in advance) then the cruise line should reimburse any lots money do to the purchase of airline tickets.

 

Hank

Edited December 28, 2016 by Hlitner

[ChucktownSteve]

I Am so sorry for the cancellation of your sailing... very disappointing to be sure..

 

If I Am not mistaken, X would have notified your TA who in turn is to notify you.

 

If this is the chain of communication, is it possible that your TA dropped the ball also? It is quite possible that they were never notified as well.

 

Good luck with finding an alternative sailing or cruise line of choice.

 

bon voyage

 

Their TA did not drop the ball. The OP stated they heard on the roll call then called their TA who had to call Celebrity to get the confirmation.

 

I had a cruise cancelled earlier this year on Az and my TA was not notified. I found out on our roll call too. I called her then she called the cruise line, the rep answering didn't know that the cruise was cancelled or why it wasn't showing on their web site any longer. We had to wait a few days to get confirmation that we initiated.

 

As much as you follow the boards, I'm sure you've seen lots of posts where the same thing has happened to a lot of people who were neither notified nor were their TAs.

 

OP, using the AMX card and getting a refund shouldn't be a problem. I had something similar happen and I gave them the Citi Costco card number for the refund. I suspect that if they tried to issue a credit to the old card, AMX may pass it along to Citi. But I'm not positive of that. Perhaps you could call your big box TA or the Costco credit card company for clarification.

[hcat]

Excuse me if this has been addressed before, but what is the cruise lines responsibility to the booked passenger if the cruise is cancelled due to a charter? I ask because I'm considering booking air travel independently of the cruise line. I don't want to get stuck if the same thing happens to us.

 

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If you book air independently you MUST get refundable tickets...like SW Airlines, or buy cancellation trvl ins that covers it or "cancel any reason " ins that covers air.. or get last minute air if you can..

 

We always try to get SW Air but the routes are limited..our next cruise will force us to use Jet Blue so we will get insurance or be nervous..

Edited December 28, 2016 by hcat

[cheeseheads4ever]

Very sorry to hear this happened to you..

Chucktownsteve

What is the Costco card, amx card and so on? What the advantage of booking a cruise with one?

[SPacificbound]

Celebrity is certainly not alone in this. I had a RC cruise that mysteriously disappeared on the roll call for the cruise. We had figured out long before we were ever notified of the cancellation. I had not booked flights yet, but a number of others had.

 

I agree, there should be a much better situation than there is when cruise lines dump the early bookers for the big group. The cruise lines make major money from the charters, the loyal passengers should not be the ones to lose.

[sanger727]

If you book air independently you MUST get refundable tickets...like SW Airlines, or buy cancellation trvl ins that covers it or "cancel any reason " ins that covers air.. or get last minute air if you can..

 

We always try to get SW Air but the routes are limited..our next cruise will force us to use Jet Blue so we will get insurance or be nervous..

 

 

I'm not purchasing expensive cancel for any reason insurance or refundable air tickets to make this easier if my booked cruise gets cancelled on me. If that happens the cruise line will be making it right.

 

 

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[Host Jazzbeau]

So here is our issue. It is a one way street. Cruise lines encourage folks to book far in advance..but then give them no protection from charters or large group bookings (this can be much worse then a charter). There needs to be a "Cruise Passenger Bill of Rights" to cover such issues (and more). The industry, largely unregulated, has become very large in North America but consumers have few rights. In cases of Charters, we think those who have already booked should be given major compensation. We also think that those who have booked on cruises that have large groups (we would suggest 20% + of the ship) should be given notice and the opportunity to cancel with no penalty and some enhancements for another booking.

 

How is it a one-way street? OP had the right this far in advance to cancel the reservation with no penalty. To me, that is very much a two-way street: either party can cancel without penalty up until a certain point. Now if Celebrity had cancelled close enough that the deposit (or more) was non-refundable, then I agree that they should be bound to offer compensation at a similar level. But your approach would put us on the British system where deposits are non-refundable from the get-go.

[Ember56]

Sounds like grounds for a class action lawsuit... IMHO...

 

 

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[absolutboy20]

We've received no word from Celebrity, but alert posters on our roll call discovered reservations missing from the site. Someone posted about the website being redone, so I'd hoped that was the case. Our agent called X and found out our cruise has been chartered. It's the Millie 11-26-17. I'd noticed last week it was missing from the sales portion of the site when I went to check for price decreases. Unfortunately this itinerary is not being offered on other dates. Really disappointed not to get to Bali and Komodo Island. RCCL goes to Bali but not Komodo Island which is high on the bucket list.

 

Extra complications include the deposits and shore excursion payments that need to be refunded were put on the now discontinued Costco AMEX card and that we had a land tour booked to coincide with this trip.

 

NOT HAPPY with Celebrity, just as those who've had this experience in the past and posted threads. It seems to happen more with X cruises in Asia.

 

It is well ahead of time but there is no alternate date to replace this. I won't be booking Asia with them again.

 

 

 

I'm sorry to hear that your cruise was cancelled but the timeframe is in line with other charters that have happened in the past. The cruise lines seems to set the 11-12 month mark as the threshold to book charters.

 

Anyone booked on the original cruise would be disappointed, but the majority of them would not have been able to book airfare/hotels that far in advance. Avoiding Asia with Celebrity is not necessarily going to protect you from future charters. It happens on other cruise lines with the same timeframe.

 

As far as the credit back on the Amex card, they will send a check back for the now defunct card.

[Bo1953]

How is it a one-way street? OP had the right this far in advance to cancel the reservation with no penalty. To me, that is very much a two-way street: either party can cancel without penalty up until a certain point. Now if Celebrity had cancelled close enough that the deposit (or more) was non-refundable, then I agree that they should be bound to offer compensation at a similar level. But your approach would put us on the British system where deposits are non-refundable from the get-go.

 

So very very true.... Good retort.

 

Is it possible for the OP to find out which group is actually chartering the ship and find out if they can join the charter if it is semi-public? All may not be lost... if this is possible.

 

FWIW - bon voyage

[riclop]

We've received no word from Celebrity, but alert posters on our roll call discovered reservations missing from the site. Someone posted about the website being redone, so I'd hoped that was the case. Our agent called X and found out our cruise has been chartered. It's the Millie 11-26-17. I'd noticed last week it was missing from the sales portion of the site when I went to check for price decreases. Unfortunately this itinerary is not being offered on other dates. Really disappointed not to get to Bali and Komodo Island. RCCL goes to Bali but not Komodo Island which is high on the bucket list.

Extra complications include the deposits and shore excursion payments that need to be refunded were put on the now discontinued Costco AMEX card and that we had a land tour booked to coincide with this trip.

NOT HAPPY with Celebrity, just as those who've had this experience in the past and posted threads. It seems to happen more with X cruises in Asia.

It is well ahead of time but there is no alternate date to replace this. I won't be booking Asia with them again.

 

Bottom line THEY DON"T CARE!!!!

[attilamom1217]

Very sorry to hear this happened to you..

 

Chucktownsteve

 

What is the Costco card, amx card and so on? What the advantage of booking a cruise with one?

 

 

Costco members may apply for and receive a credit card. Was American Express until this past June. Now is a Citi Visa. It is generally the only credit card Costco accepts. Although with the new Citi contract I believe you can use any Visa card.

 

Advantages

 

4% back on gasoline purchase

3% back on travel

2% back on restaurants and Costco purchases

1% back on all other purchases

 

We use our Costco card for some of our travel because of the 3%.

 

The catch is that the cash back us in Costco dollars.

 

 

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[Oville]

Welcome to the world of profits and Celebrity's CEO (Princess Lisa).

Hank

 

Nonsense, we've had cruises cancelled on Celebrity long before "Princess Lisa". I group decides to charter a ship so be it. It happens on all lines.

 

Man, are you coming off as really negative towards X lately. Maybe it's time to try another line, Oceania maybe? I've always liked your input and respect your opinions, but the last couple of weeks you have been a bit of a downer regarding Celebrity.

 

We sailed on Eclipse right after you and had a totally different experience.

 

Sorry

Edited December 28, 2016 by Oville

[Cruise Junky]

Why couldn't they have done this a month ago before air was available? I get that charters happen but most international airlines open up before US airlines do. Cathay Pacific is open through the third week of December. People could easily have booked their air.

[caribill]

If you book air independently you MUST get refundable tickets...like SW Airlines, or buy cancellation trvl ins that covers it or "cancel any reason " ins that covers air.. or get last minute air if you can..

 

We always try to get SW Air but the routes are limited..our next cruise will force us to use Jet Blue so we will get insurance or be nervous..

 

OP's cruise was in Asia. Neither SW or Jet Blue fly there.

 

Cruise line will usually pay any change/rebooking fee that the airline has. However if the airline does not fly to anywhere you want for a different vacation within a year of the original booking of flights, that is no help at all.

[ChucktownSteve]

Very sorry to hear this happened to you..

Chucktownsteve

What is the Costco card, amx card and so on? What the advantage of booking a cruise with one?

 

Costco, if you are a member, used to have an exclusive deal with American Express so they would accept AMEX cards as the only credit card. They ended that relationship earlier this year and transferred the relationship to Citi Visa cards. However now they accept all Visa cards. The benefit is 3% cash back for eligible travel related purchases such as hotels/cruise lines plus restaurants and 4% for gas purchases. (AMEX used to be 2% on restaurants)

Edited December 28, 2016 by ChucktownSteve

[ChucktownSteve]

As far as the credit back on the Amex card, they will send a check back for the now defunct card.

 

Actually the cash back amounts were transferred from AMEX to Citi and payable on your cash back anniversary.

[ChucktownSteve]

The catch is that the cash back us in Costco dollars.

 

Actually that's not totally true. While the cash back check is only redeemable at Costco, you can cash it at the check out for real moola. I receive two checks; one for a business card and one for a personal card.

 

I use my credit card for the purchase I'm making to get 2% more cash back on that and then ask the cashier to give me cash for both checks. They must process each transaction individually. Have never had any push back for all the years I've done this.

Edited December 28, 2016 by ChucktownSteve

[The_Big_M]

How is it a one-way street? OP had the right this far in advance to cancel the reservation with no penalty. To me, that is very much a two-way street: either party can cancel without penalty up until a certain point. Now if Celebrity had cancelled close enough that the deposit (or more) was non-refundable, then I agree that they should be bound to offer compensation at a similar level. But your approach would put us on the British system where deposits are non-refundable from the get-go.

 

Because the reservation only applies to (typically) one component of the trip, that being the cruise element. While a cruise is a closed end activity typically requiring transport and potentially other associated costs as part of that holiday experience. As such the remaining elements of the trip need to be considered as well.

 

Celebrity is only responsible for the cruise element, but changes by them impact on necessary associated elements so need to be considered in toto. Hence they are looking one way, but there are considerations the other way that need to be accounted for by their actions.

[HokiePoq]

I Am so sorry for the cancellation of your sailing... very disappointing to be sure..

 

If I Am not mistaken, X would have notified your TA who in turn is to notify you.

 

If this is the chain of communication, is it possible that your TA dropped the ball also? It is quite possible that they were never notified as well.

 

Good luck with finding an alternative sailing or cruise line of choice.

 

bon voyage

 

Thanks.

The TA had not been notified as of yesterday. The online agency has that land tour attached to the cruise as a package and this is a loss to them as well. I don't know if any compensation will be offered. I guess we'll find out in time. An agent in the UK also called and was not able to find out anything (this from roll call). Our agent did confirm the charter which is going to cause a lot of problems for them.

I like sailing with Celebrity (we took an extra cruise in 2016 just to make elite for this one!), but it seems the Asian itineraries (other than repositioning) seem to be prone to have this problem.