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Celebrity changed departure and arrival port . Remedies?


cassandra44
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At the very last moment before final payment was due Celebrity notified our travel agent that our Caribbean cruise on Celebrity Silhouette leaving Dec 1 had a change of port. Instead of going from Ft Lauderdale and returning there we were now going out and in Miami!  Many of us have already booked air travel, hotels etc.   Our agent was told that Celebrity would organize transfers to and from FLL.    A few days later she told us they would not be offering us a transfer  because we were flying in the day before the cruise ( does anyone understand why it's not possible for us to join a shuttle at FLL organized by Celebrity?)  Instead they would give us $100 cabin credit... no transfers - to Miami or back to FLL.

 

   I have just checked and the cost of the transfers will be well over $180.... because our flight back to Toronto on the 13th is at 11:05 we have to get a cab or uber... unless we can organize a shared ride!

 

     There have been a lot of negative comments on the roll call  for this cruise about Celebrity's attitude towards the problem. 

(a) $100 does not cover the costs - some people have non refundable hotel payments - fortunately we didn't book yet.

(b) it's a cabin credit ... not cash.. and cant be used to pay for the transportation -  unless it's a refundable cabin credit??

(c)  very very inconvenient for everyone and I would have expected Celebrity to do more.   Yes the cruise is a long way off but we are just about to travel to Europe for another Celebritycruise and will be away for some time.

   We are close to Elite status on Celebrity but we also regularly sail on other lines - Oceania,  Viking, Princess and HAL.  Really surprised that we have been treated this way by Celebrity,

 

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Don’t panic.  A transfer won’t cost you anywhere near that much.

 

Yes there’s a lot of hand-wringing on your Roll Call.  But while there you will also learn a lot about how others on your cruise Have been making adjustments. You may be able to find that a  rideshare is more easy than you expect. Otherwise there will be good advice from your fellow passengers about how to make this go as easily as possible for you.

 

have your travel agent continue to advocate for you as well.  You may find that Celebrity will help with your transport more than they said they would originally.

Edited by cruisestitch
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Here is a link to a long thread talking about the change.

 

 

 

Some good thoughts in here from others on your and other impacted sailings.

 

We are on the last sailing to come back to FLL so the title caught my eye in case we were impacted as well.

Edited by akcruz
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Since you are arriving a day before you can easily get a shared transfer from your hotel in Ft Lauderdale for $15pp, try SAS, or Jiffy Jeff. Or since you haven’t booked a hotel yet book a hotel in Miami and used a shared service to get to Miami on the day you arrive.  

 

Returning I would suggest Uber or Lyft which we have used for the same trip recently.  Cost was $38.  

 

Its is always upsetting when plans are changed but that is a part of traveling.  Airlines change their flights times frequently, hotels overbook and there isn’t a room when  you arrive, ports get  cancelled or changed, resorts remodel the pool during your stay.   These happened to us more than once and we have learned to adjust our plans and enjoy the vacation.

Personally I think $100 credit is more than fair.  

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Check the other threads and call Cekeb again...I belueve they have rekented and will give the airport to cruiseport  transfer even if you fly in early.

 

Best solution fir less stress...pvt transfers from your hotel, etc

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1 hour ago, hcat said:

Check the other threads and call Cekeb again...I belueve they have rekented and will give the airport to cruiseport  transfer even if you fly in early.

 

Best solution fir less stress...pvt transfers from your hotel, etc

OK That's one glass too many.... you're slurring your words... 😉

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5 minutes ago, Arno. said:

OK That's one glass too many.... you're slurring your words... 😉

 Sorry

I just reread my post..fat fingers on small  cell phone screen...each  ooops is next to the correct letter.

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18 hours ago, cassandra44 said:

 

     There have been a lot of negative comments on the roll call  for this cruise about Celebrity's attitude towards the problem. 

(a) $100 does not cover the costs - some people have non refundable hotel payments - fortunately we didn't book yet.

 

 

 

You can go between FLL and MIA for a hell of a lot less than $180.  What are you looking at that is quoting that?  Uber or Lyft is likely less than $50 each way.

Secondly, why does anyone need to change their hotel?  If they have a hotel booked near FLL they can still stay there, and just go down to MIA the morning of the cruise.  Why is that a problem?!

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19 hours ago, cassandra44 said:

At the very last moment before final payment was due Celebrity notified our travel agent that our Caribbean cruise on Celebrity Silhouette leaving Dec 1 had a change of port. Instead of going from Ft Lauderdale and returning there we were now going out and in Miami!  Many of us have already booked air travel, hotels etc.   Our agent was told that Celebrity would organize transfers to and from FLL.    A few days later she told us they would not be offering us a transfer  because we were flying in the day before the cruise ( does anyone understand why it's not possible for us to join a shuttle at FLL organized by Celebrity?)  Instead they would give us $100 cabin credit... no transfers - to Miami or back to FLL.

 

   I have just checked and the cost of the transfers will be well over $180.... because our flight back to Toronto on the 13th is at 11:05 we have to get a cab or uber... unless we can organize a shared ride!

 

     There have been a lot of negative comments on the roll call  for this cruise about Celebrity's attitude towards the problem. 

(a) $100 does not cover the costs - some people have non refundable hotel payments - fortunately we didn't book yet.

(b) it's a cabin credit ... not cash.. and cant be used to pay for the transportation -  unless it's a refundable cabin credit??

(c)  very very inconvenient for everyone and I would have expected Celebrity to do more.   Yes the cruise is a long way off but we are just about to travel to Europe for another Celebritycruise and will be away for some time.

   We are close to Elite status on Celebrity but we also regularly sail on other lines - Oceania,  Viking, Princess and HAL.  Really surprised that we have been treated this way by Celebrity,

 

 

Celebrity does run buses to the FLL and MIA airports so your on board credit could be used for that.   

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16 minutes ago, Alakegirl said:

There are people with much higher status than Elite who are alao being inconvenienced

Sorry to be so precise (must be the German or the beer in me) the op stated:

 

" We are close to Elite status"

 

🍻🥨🍻

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1 hour ago, waterbug123 said:

 

You can go between FLL and MIA for a hell of a lot less than $180.  What are you looking at that is quoting that?  Uber or Lyft is likely less than $50 each way.

Secondly, why does anyone need to change their hotel?  If they have a hotel booked near FLL they can still stay there, and just go down to MIA the morning of the cruise.  Why is that a problem?!

Exactly!

We took a taxi from Miami airport to Ft Lauderdale last December for $80.

This October we plan to stay in Miami for two nights then taxi to Fort Lauderdale for embarkation.

You have been inconvenienced and $100 is very fair IMHO

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This happened to us (last year?) when the pier in Port Everglades was being modified for Edge

 

I don't remember having all this angst; we just arranged to go to the other port. I prefer Port Everglades over PortMiami, but whatever.

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IMHO the $100 would be fair if it was not OBC.  Many of us book through TA's and already have more than enough OBC to handle whatever we need/want (I know, a good problem to have!).  If they gave $100 cash, or refundable credit, that would be another story.

 

That said, it is really not all that big of a deal.  Uber works fine in that area and won't cost you all that much.  I would, however, try to talk to Celebrity again and see if you couldn't be added to the shuttle from the airport to the cruise line, as that Uber ride would be less than that to Miami.   If not, you are really only out the cost of the trip down, which will be less than $50 (or slightly more if you cab instead of Uber)

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I know these issues can be stressful and a pain. You have been given some good advice, pick the best one for you and then try to deal with your frustration before your trip so it doesn't take away from your experience.

 

As a side note, when we cruise out of FLL or MIA I always check air for both places because transportation is so easy between the two.

Have a great trip!

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This is, at worst, a minor inconvenience.  Due to the lower fares and included bags we typically fly South West, which does not go to Miami, so even if sailing from Miami we fly to FLL.  As you are there the day before, you can rent a car from Avis for less than $100.00.  Pick it up at the FLL airport, return it to the South 2nd Street Location in Miami (about 2 miles from the Port) and take their shuttle to the ship.

 

For the trip back to FLL after the cruise take an Uber.

 

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy.

Edited by K&RCurt
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As there are better flight options from Ottawa to Fort Lauderdale than to Miami, we have usually flown into FLL. Sometimes we've booked a hotel in Fort Lauderdale, sometimes in Miami, but even those in Fort Lauderdale have offered a shuttle service to  the port in Miami. When staying in a Miami hotel, we've used QLS Transportation and paid $20 pp each way to and from FLL.

 

Given Celebrity's free shuttle from FLL on the day of embarkation, I think that the suggestion from an earlier poster to stay in Fort Lauderdale and return to the airport for your ride to Miami to be the best (cheapest) option, but there are others well within your $100 OBC. Whatever option you choose outbound, you still get the free Celebrity ride back to FLL at the end of your cruise.

Edited by Fouremco
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OP it sounds like you have many cruises under your belt. This change, while inconvenient is not a big deal. For many of us FLL and MIA airports are both viable options regardless of which port you depart from. The 11 am flight should be the most stressful part, an 11am International flight even from FLL would probably have “gone against” guidelines for flights.

Try Larrys limos for transportation, certainly less than the $180.

Also, you booked with a TA, ask for their assistance.

Once you get on board, have a great cruise.

 

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Agree with the others; this is not a big deal in the least. Last cruise I had was out of Port Everglades but I purposely chose to fly into MIA because I prefer spending a night there than FLL. Was an easy Uber ride the next morning to the port and cost under $40. Probably only cost about $25 more than a cab or Uber from a FLL hotel to the port would have cost. I'd be stoked for the $100 credit for this tiny hiccup.

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We have cruised out of both Miami and Ft Lauderdale on numerous occasions.  The reality is that moving between those ports/cities is not a big deal and quite inexpensive.  In fact, the last time we had a cruise from POM we purposely booked a hotel in Ft Lauderdale (because of a nearby restaurant) and simply used Uber to get to the ship from our hotel (about $35).   If you use Uber or Lyft the additional cost is actually about $20 if having to move between the ports.  

 

We have never been big fans of hotel and cruise line transfers.  We find they often involve waiting around (for the transfer and/or to fill the van/bus) and are crowded.  Even when we would stay at a hotel with free port transfers we usually used Uber/Lyft.  While folks were waiting to board their van, trying the maneuver to make sure they get a comfy seat, waiting for luggage to be loaded, etc.  we would simply hope in our Uber ride and be on our way.  I guess my message is to not make a big deal out of a relatively small problem.

 

Hank

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Although the distances are not great, folks must take into acount the day of week and time of planned travel.  Rush  hour along the FLL Miami  route can be among the worst and the roads tricky.  

 

 Plan ahead with a professional, knowledgeable driver, limo or ride share company.  We once had a super shuttle driver get  totally lost along the way...,he was ultimately fired!  Of course  we have had many good experiences with cabs, shared rides and limos

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