5/22 Eclipse Cancelation - Share your learning

[DevilinaBluDress]

Let's use this thread to share facts learned to help each other get "redeployed" onto a new sailing

Just got off the phone with the Celebrity redeployment line and the agent was VERY helpful answering my questions (no particular order):

1. 25% discount is only for 2022 Alaska sailings on either the Eclipse, Solstice, or Millennium ships
2. if your FCC used to pay for the 5/22 sailing is from a March 2020 cancelation (like mine), it expires December 31, 2022 to use on any sailing
3. to get the 25% discount, you need to redeploy (rebook) onto a different sailing by May 17th
4. the redeployment process can be done very quickly. Basically, they are using the same reservation number and moving it to another sailing.
5. If you booked through a travel agent, you need to work through the travel agent to get this all straightened out. My TA is on vacation which complicates things for me. You can ask your TA to call Celebrity and authorize you to work directly with Celebrity if that's what you want to do.
6. If you'd rather cancel, any refunds and/or FCCs may take up to 30 days to show up on your account.
7. If you do not redeploy to another 2022 Alaskan sailing by May 17th, your cruise is canceled and refunds/FCC may take up to 30 days to show up on your account to be used again (in my case by the end of 2022).
8. If the new sailing is less expensive than your 5/22 sailing, the rest will be refunded or put into a FCC within 30 days, etc.
9. If you need to cancel and get the FCC quicker than 30 days (perhaps to use on a non-Alaskan sailing?), it can be expedited in 2-3 days.

 

I hope this helps you!

[monibugg]

Wow, you had a very different experience than I did! I called Celebrity last night after learning my cruise had been cancelled. We booked another cruise, but after keeping us on the phone for 3 hours, they charged MORE than we had paid for the previous cruise without honouring the 25% discount. We called again this morning and this time they kept us on the phone for an hour. We were told that we would get a onboard cruise credit! We said that’s not what we want and that’s not what was offered, we were told by email that the next cruise (if booked by May 17) would be 25% off. So, now we wait and see if accounting will give us a refund. Really terrible experience.

[TeachAloha]

1 hour ago, monibugg said:

Wow, you had a very different experience than I did! I called Celebrity last night after learning my cruise had been cancelled. We booked another cruise, but after keeping us on the phone for 3 hours, they charged MORE than we had paid for the previous cruise without honouring the 25% discount. We called again this morning and this time they kept us on the phone for an hour. We were told that we would get a onboard cruise credit! We said that’s not what we want and that’s not what was offered, we were told by email that the next cruise (if booked by May 17) would be 25% off. So, now we wait and see if accounting will give us a refund. Really terrible experience.

My experience was very similar. I decided to cancel and get a refund since the only other sailing around the same dates would mean hauling our cookies to Seward.  We would pay more $$ for more travel and less of a room (we had done a move up to a Royal Suite). They promised me the refund would be on my credit card in 15 days (after I got a little teary when they said it would be up to 30 days). I have it on the calendar to dispute the charges in 15 days if no refund appears 😞 This whole thing has been hours and hours of phone calls & stress. I just called the travel insurance company to see about a refund and she said "that's a new one, I literally have never heard that reason for a cancellation of a cruise!"

[SFCAcruiser]

Small addition to this useful topic -

I had booked Flights by Celebrity. I have to cancel those first before I can refund the cruise, but the whole itinerary will be refunded - flights and cruise. We are not able to cruise another week this summer. 

 

I had hoped to be able to keep the flights and turn my journey into a land trip, but no luck with that. The flight prices were better than what I could book on my own.  No cruise = no flights. All or none. 

 

Like the rest of us, I believe the compensation. is inadequate. A refund returns our money, but how do we recoup our planned time off? Some of us are still working and have a hard time getting time off from work on short notice 😞 

[Mac7881]

We were told that our FCC would be reinstated and extended to May 22, 2023.

[SFCAcruiser]

9 minutes ago, TMFTL said:

Can I ask why this sailing was canceled?   We are on the May 29th sailing.

several threads have discussed this topic. Here is one of them  

 

 

[DevilinaBluDress]

I just confirmed this with Celebrity Redeployment desk agent:

 

1. Celebrity just added a new option today that is similar to a "lift and shift": if you find an exact match cabin (i.e. Sky Suite S1 or Celebrity Suite, etc) on a 2022 Alaska sailing on Eclipse, Solstice, or Millenium, they will transfer your booking with no extra change from your May 22 sailing

[TeachAloha]

Does anyone have some good info on who I could send a letter to that would actually get read? The poilices changing every day (yesterday we were told we would have to pay extra $ for a downgraded Retreat room on another Alaskan sailing) My husband is a 1st responder nurse & has to request time off 3-4 months in advance so we could not rebook for another month and therefore lost the %25 discount since a refund was the only option. 

I was hoping that maybe we could someone to approve the 25% discount applied to a 2023 Alaska sailing. I feel like that would be fair compensation for the stress & non-cruise $ we lost, but I may be out of line?  

 

I am staring at the pile of winter gear we bought (we live in a state with warm weather) and just kicking myself.......

[travlr21]

21 minutes ago, TeachAloha said:

Does anyone have some good info on who I could send a letter to that would actually get read?

Check out this site.

 

https://www.elliott.org/company-contacts/celebrity-cruises/

[debkaysmith]

Here's our Story:

We originally booked with FCC & Cash. 

 

Upon cancellation, we waited 45 minutes on telephone hold, only to be told to call back the next day.

 

The next morning we waited 60 minutes on hold, went through 30 minutes of trying to get the 'lift and shift' or the 25% future cruise price, only to be dropped by a rep who was extremely frustrated. 

 

Called again, waited on hold another 45 minutes, and were rebooked by a very helpful rep with the 25% discounted future cruise price for a trip this July. We were told that 'lift and shift' would not apply to our situation. We ended up paying almost the same for an AQ cabin as we had paid for our Suite cabin. A bit disappointed at losing the suite, but happy with AQ. Thankful for the final outcome, but a very frustrating 36 hours. 

[TeachAloha]

15 hours ago, travlr21 said:

Check out this site.

 

https://www.elliott.org/company-contacts/celebrity-cruises/

Thank you! I sent an e-amil today outlining the bad communications, customer service, and hours and hours on hold. I asked(at the least) if we can have the 25% discount extended to a 2023 sailing and that they expedite the refund. I will let you know what (if if) I hear back! 

[DevilinaBluDress]

Happy update from a 5/22 cruiser:

Looks like I will be going to Alaska two times in as many months - once in May and once in June!

We were able to redeploy essentially a lift and shift to the June 19th Eclipse sailing - no extra charges. And then we were able to swap out my husband for my son on the 6/19 sailing.

The May trip is for our original travel dates, this time on Holland America with my son to celebrate his graduation.

 

-Molly

[TeachAloha]

On 5/7/2022 at 10:56 AM, TeachAloha said:

Thank you! I sent an e-amil today outlining the bad communications, customer service, and hours and hours on hold. I asked(at the least) if we can have the 25% discount extended to a 2023 sailing and that they expedite the refund. I will let you know what (if if) I hear back! 

Those contacts worked! Within  hours of e-mailing I got a call and by the next day, got the approval to apply the discount to a 2023 sailing. The Eclipse is getting the Retreat cabins renamed (adding Aqua Retreat/Sunset Sky Suite etc.) so that was a little confusing. Still 8-10 hours spend on hold that I won't get back but got the resolution I wanted. 

[TeachAloha]

If you requested a refund, can you please update us here on when you receive it back on your card? I was told 15 days on one call, 30 days on another 😞 I am worried I will have to keep a balance on the CC and pay interest for a couple cycles (so they have something to refund when it hits the card). 

[twodjs]

7 hours ago, TeachAloha said:

If you requested a refund, can you please update us here on when you receive it back on your card? I was told 15 days on one call, 30 days on another 😞 I am worried I will have to keep a balance on the CC and pay interest for a couple cycles (so they have something to refund when it hits the card). 

No way! Don't keep a balance! It can just be refunded to your card and it remains as a credit until you use your card and use up the credit.

[travlr21]

An update. We rebooked for the June 5 sailing in the same cabin type we had on the May 22 sailing. (The price of the June 5 sailing was more than we paid for the May 22 one.)

 

We had a credit from Celebrity posted to our credit card on May 13 and it is for 25% of the price we paid for the May 22 sailing, less taxes and port fees. First off, very quick credit on the part of Celebrity. But, is that what we should have expected? The email about the cancellation mentions rebooking 'with a 25% discount'. A discount off what? As long as Celebrity does not come back for more money, we have done well for a bit of inconvenience.

 

Has anyone else received a credit following a rebooking? Just wondering what your experience has been. Thanks