How Responsive Is Celebrity To Verified Compensation Claims?

[Bo1953]

On 5/29/2022 at 10:42 AM, canderson said:

And I think that's understandable, given that the change in protocols pre/post-COVID has increased the risk of financial loss.  I think a lot of folks are now saying, "Hey, look... your prices are way up again.  Your protocols put a great deal of our cash at risk.  If you want us to spend even more than we were paying pre-COVID, you need to help us mitigate the financial risk".

 

Whether that's reasonable can be argued, but it's certainly understandable.  As an example, in the 'old days', the primary risks to missing the start of a cruise were flight delays.  Now everyone has to deal with the possibility of being in a foreign country, preparing to board, being asymptomatic, and discovering that they're COVID positive the night before.  At least the lines are still compensating passengers for that eventuality.  Beyond that issue, however, the lines are making it less and less their problem and more the problem of the passenger. 

 

The real issue, of course, are the protocols in place specifically for COVID and whether those protocols continue to serve the objective -- or rather, whether the objective still makes as much sense as it once did.  By now, I think it's clear that since the omicron variant came into play, taking a zero-COVID approach is a fool's errand.  We've seen many threads here outlining the consequences to passengers.  If the lines insist on both high prices and high risk of a bad experience (due to protocols) together, people will object.  Given the current threat of omicron, should onboard experience for those testing positive be greatly improved if they're willing to take the risk of cruising knowing that protocols won't be quite so draconian?

 

Which begs me to ask the question, given what a few of us know about the draconian protocols surrounding C-19, what is the reason one would take the risk if they are 'adverse' to any degree to the protocols?

 

Hopefully, more people will cancel and pricing and/or protocols will adjust accordingly....

 

Good for me, I must admit.. LOL

 

bon voyage

[canderson]

7 hours ago, Bo1953 said:

Which begs me to ask the question, given what a few of us know about the draconian protocols surrounding C-19, what is the reason one would take the risk if they are 'adverse' to any degree to protocols?

We here at CC are a tiny minority of cruisers.  If X prominently published the details of how their policies are actually being executed, rather than generalities, far more might reconsider their plans.  The Devil really is, especially in the case of quarantine policy, in the details.

 

To answer your question specifically, it's not an either/or proposition.  For most, it's a risk/reward question.  It's necessary to understand both clearly for any individual to evaluate their own risk tolerance, and I'd argue that few cruisers have the information to do that, or for that matter, realize what the issues are.  

 

For those who do become informed, and X should be making that easier, there is much that X could do to alter the 'risk' side of the equation.  The current application of policy has proved for some to be downright punative when it needn't have been.  About all that has improved has been the practice of performing periodic wellness checks that were nil early on.  On some X ships, they still haven't seemed to have figured out that those still quarantined on turn day need to eat, and that shutting down room service for lunch service presents a real problem when that's the only way that these folks can be fed.

 

X could and should do better at dealing with COVID positive pax if they want their business, especially at top dollar rates.

That was the point of my post.

 

 

[Bo1953]

30 minutes ago, canderson said:

We here at CC are a tiny minority of cruisers.  If X prominently published the details of how their policies are actually being executed, rather than generalities, far more might reconsider their plans.  The Devil really is, especially in the case of quarantine policy, in the details.

 

To answer your question specifically, it's not an either/or proposition.  For most, it's a risk/reward question.  It's necessary to understand both clearly for any individual to evaluate their own risk tolerance, and I'd argue that few cruisers have the information to do that, or for that matter, realize what the issues are.  

 

For those who do become informed, and X should be making that easier, there is much that X could do to alter the 'risk' side of the equation.  The current application of policy has proved for some to be downright punative when it needn't have been.  About all that has improved has been the practice of performing periodic wellness checks that were nil early on.  On some X ships, they still haven't seemed to have figured out that those still quarantined on turn day need to eat, and that shutting down room service for lunch service presents a real problem when that's the only way that these folks can be fed.

 

X could and should do better at dealing with COVID positive pax if they want their business, especially at top dollar rates.

That was the point of my post.

 

 

Thank you for the clarification,  yet I do understand the point,  yet still IMO,  those of us who choose to continue to cruise despite the ongoing struggles and ever moving policy targets are sailing at our own risk regardless, again IMO. 

 

On the sailing I just finished,  the Captain announced that masks were mandatory in the casino and theater. It appeared, to me, that at least 40% of Americans ignored the request. Quite a few took masks to enter the theater and promptly discarded them once seated.

 

Does anyone really believe that I need to really care about those individuals,  apparently, whose rights were being abridged for the greatest benefit of all passengers health and chose to not care about others?

 

Does anyone really believe that I need to care if those individuals chose to get on the elevator unmasked with coughing running rampant and the Captain's request being ignored? 

 

It is "My" position that the flaunted need to take care of themselves and not expect X to do so, just because they want to be made whole for getting C-19.

 

I wore my mask, and sometimes double, in all public spaces aboard and never used the convenience of a beverage in my hand while walking of me as an excuse. 

 

Yet, if this type of behavior provides a "pass" for not protecting yourself, others, the crew and staff as well,  then so be it. 

 

In health and bon voyage 

[Megabear2]

I'm intrigued ar all the talk of the OP claiming on his insurance.  As a UK resident currently looking into a new insurance policy I can say with almost certainty that no UK policy of insurance would cover the original scenario posted.  There are quite clear exclusions on failure to have the correct and required documentation which the "fitness to fly" certificate most certainly was at the time the event occurred..

 

Unless North American insurance policies are substantially different in this regard the OP would appear to have little choice but to seek compensation for his loss from the cruise line or test provider.  If the former has no liability they should surely by now have told the OP to enable him to put the test company on notice that Celebrity are saying they are responsible.

 

Reading back to the first post the OP states that he had 8 calls with the testing company whilst at FLL after disembarking and it was they who gave him the email address he has used for correspondence.  

 

The OP asked those here for confirmation that the email address he had been provided with was correct, in my humble opinion not an unreasonable question as it had come from a third party.  This has triggered an awful lot of debate here about his motives in seeking this redress and also assumptions that he is not sending chasing emails or letters and sailed uninsured.  

 

As a casual observer might it not now be a good time to actually answer his question about the email address being correct or not and how long Celebrity are taking to deal with "normal" day to day issues that are not relating to cancellations and refunds?

 

My only experience with Celebrity is regarding my fast approaching 18 June sailing.  It has been a mess from start to finish - booked in February - with daily contradictory emails direct to me and my travel agent.  The nearer I get to sailing the worse the situation gets.  To date my travel agent has had 5 "personal" contacts dealing with the vaccination and testing emails (all arriving daily with totally different instructions and information) and even these contradict each other.  I have two personal lines of communication open on email addresses of individuals rather than the company, again no definitive answers received.

 

Inept springs to mind about Celebrity shore side operations.  

[AlphaGeek]

On 5/29/2022 at 8:12 AM, -Lew- said:

 

As a self-described long time business leader, why have you not thought to follow-up with Celebrity?  If I had not received a response to my email after a couple of weeks I would be sending an email to every Celebrity email address I could find to inquire of the status of my claim.  Phone calls might be an even better method.

 

If you had travel insurance, a claim would have been settled by now.  It appears you travel without insurance.

 

Threats to cancel future bookings or contact nationally published reporters likely will have no effect.  A cancellation will give Celebrity an opportunity to resell your booking at a higher fare and cause you a lot of work rescheduling all that goes along with cruise travel.

 

If you have no inclination to follow-up with Celebrity, use this as a learning experience and move on with your life.

We have been in contact with Celebrity on a regular basis. This item has been escalated by us, and by our travel agent, who is a VP within his company. You appear to be assuming that this is the only approach that  we are taking to trouble shooting and moving this problem. That assumption would be very wrong.

[Luvcrusn]

28 minutes ago, AlphaGeek said:

We have been in contact with Celebrity on a regular basis. This item has been escalated by us, and by our travel agent, who is a VP within his company. You appear to be assuming that this is the only approach that  we are taking to trouble shooting and moving this problem. That assumption would be very wrong.

Did you try the contacts through Elliott Advocacy? Here's a link. https://www.elliott.org/company-contacts/celebrity-cruises/ I've found their info very helpful in the past with expediting refunds when I kept getting the runaround from X.

[-Lew-]

1 hour ago, AlphaGeek said:

We have been in contact with Celebrity on a regular basis. This item has been escalated by us, and by our travel agent, who is a VP within his company. You appear to be assuming that this is the only approach that  we are taking to trouble shooting and moving this problem. That assumption would be very wrong.

 

This is the fist of your posts regarding this issue where you have indicated contact with Celebrity beyond the initial email you submitted.  As late as your May 28 post you stated Celebrity has been absolutely silent on this matter.

 

We're not mind readers here...I assumed nothing.  I based my post on information provided by you...nothing more, nothing less.