More changes ( email from Celebrity)

[patty1955]

Dear Guest,

Thank you for booking your shore excursion with us. You’re in for an authentic and unforgettable experience on shore, and you can relax knowing the ship will wait for you if your excursion runs long.

Beginning January 1, you’ll have up to 48 hours prior to arriving in port to cancel your shore excursion. This update applies to all new and existing bookings.

Excursions with flights, trains, special events, overnight stays, hotel stays, or Private Journeys, are excluded from this policy and individual restrictions apply.

To learn more, review the official terms and conditions.

Thank you again for planning your vacation with us. We look forward to welcoming you aboard.

Sincerely,

Celebrity Cruises

[Tyler414]

Just got the same email…. Is it currently 24 hours??

[patty1955]

1 minute ago, Tyler414 said:

Just got the same email…. Is it currently 24 hours??

It was when we sailed in May

[bikerunner]

Makes sense.  I figure if i book it ill keep it.  Very hard to fill things on a just 24hr cxl policy.  Im gurssing the shore venders where also pushing for this    

[hcat]

I understand them not wanting  to lose revenue for the vendors   and X,  but a hard rule is unfair .

 

If it's pouring rain with lightening and stiff winds,  you do they really mean  can't cancel an out  island beach trip???

 

We had that situation once on Cozumel with X.  Everyone was under a flimsy  tent in the port  area, while X and vendor rep were taking a long time to decide what to do.

 

  I called the X rep over to the side...we had a little talk.  Instead of having a full revolt..he quietly and graciously  wrote up a cancellation slip.. We were back on the ship  while others  were  kept waiting much longer before it was cancelled!

[jshli]

I thought the current policy was cancellation allowed 48 hours before shore excursion takes place and new policy is cancellation is allowed 48 hours before arrival at port. I think this only affects cruises that stay overnight in a port.

[Cruise till you drop]

We received a very odd letter by email from Celebrity about a seemingly new 48 hour rule prior to port arrival to cancel shore excursions 

 

Did anyone else get this?  Does anyone know if this is new or important?

 

 

[prmssk]

I always thought the policy was 48 hours for cancellation although this could be a difference between 48 before port arrival vs. shore excursion time.

[mahdnc]

The current policy is 24 hours.   This is the fine print language found at the bottom of a shorex sales flyer (2021):

 

"Shore Excursion can be cancelled or modified up to 24 hours prior to scheduled tour departure for a full refund.  Excludes tours involving flights, trains, special events, overnight stays, hotel stays, Signature Events, Multi-day Adventures and Private Journeys"

[hasentreelake]

16 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

The current policy is 24 hours.   This is the fine print language found at the bottom of a shorex sales flyer (2021):

 

"Shore Excursion can be cancelled or modified up to 24 hours prior to scheduled tour departure for a full refund.  Excludes tours involving flights, trains, special events, overnight stays, hotel stays, Signature Events, Multi-day Adventures and Private Journeys"

The 'current policy' as of Jan 1, is now as stated by OP.
You are stating the previous (now outdated) policy that will end 12/31

 

Edited December 8, 2023 by hasentreelake

[mahdnc]

2 minutes ago, hasentreelake said:

The 'current policy' as of Jan 1, is now as stated by OP.
You are stating the previous (now outdated) policy that will end 12/31

 

 

Yes, I am answering what the "old" policy was.  Some thought 24 hrs, some thought that it was already 48.  

[hasentreelake]

1 minute ago, mahdnc said:

 

Yes, I am answering what the "old" policy was.  Some thought 24 hrs, some thought that it was already 48.  

👌

 

[Baynanno1]

24 hours is still the current policy - until 31 December.2023.

 

48 hours will be the new policy - from 1 January 2024 - it is not yet current.

 

It is nice to see at last that celebrity has provided notice of a change - even though it is short notice.

Edited December 8, 2023 by Baynanno1

[alyssamma]

3 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

 

Yes, I am answering what the "old" policy was.  Some thought 24 hrs, some thought that it was already 48.  

LOL, yeah, I thought that was pretty obvious...but I guess to some it wasn't 🙂

 

[RichYak]

9 minutes ago, hasentreelake said:

The 'current policy' as of Jan 1, is now as stated by OP.
You are stating the previous (now outdated) policy that will end 12/31

 

A policy that ends on 12/31 is neither previous nor outdated. It is current. The new policy is not current until January 1. 

[mahdnc]

I have a Celebrity shorex purchased for Dec 24 (Ko Samui) and Dec 31 (Ha Long Bay) for our Solstice cruise later this month so it is covered under the current policy.  Although we didn't buy any, our same cruise has shorex's scheduled for Jan 1.  I wonder if the new policy would be in effect for those Jan 1 shorex's.  You would think it should be consistent for the entire sailing.

Edited December 8, 2023 by mahdnc

[luv4cruises]

Do they mean 48 hours before arriving in the port of the excursion or (8 hours before embarkation?????

[Bullswood]

If this is an adverse change, can Celebrity unilaterally amend the terms & conditions (at a couple of weeks notice) for excusions already contracted by customers? 

[foodsvcmgr]

I don’t see this as being unreasonable or a big deal to get agitated over personally.

When conditions are legitimately unsafe either the vendor or cruise line will cancel a tour.

Arbitrary cancellations by the passenger should be far enough ahead that Celebrity can resell their spot.

JMO

[someguyfl]

1 hour ago, mahdnc said:

The current policy is 24 hours.   This is the fine print language found at the bottom of a shorex sales flyer (2021):

 

"Shore Excursion can be cancelled or modified up to 24 hours prior to scheduled tour departure for a full refund.  Excludes tours involving flights, trains, special events, overnight stays, hotel stays, Signature Events, Multi-day Adventures and Private Journeys"

You know, I had never looked at this too closely before...

 

For places like Alaska, this can exclude many excursions since many involve helicopters (flights) or tourist trains... And they don't provide specific language on cancellation for those excursions?

[critic2023]

I don't like Celebrity making a policy more restrictive rather than less, but truthfully, this doesn't make much of a difference to me in practice. The only things that would make me want to cancel a previously scheduled shore excursion that close to show time would be weather or political unrest... and more often than not, I think I would be making that call inside of 24 hours anyway.

 

Points off for Celebrity in theory, but in practice, I doubt it will make much of a difference.

[mahdnc]

5 minutes ago, someguyfl said:

You know, I had never looked at this too closely before...

 

For places like Alaska, this can exclude many excursions since many involve helicopters (flights) or tourist trains... And they don't provide specific language on cancellation for those excursions?

 

"30 days prior to sailing" according to the post-Jan 1 T&Cs from the link in the letter.

Edited December 9, 2023 by mahdnc

[someguyfl]

1 minute ago, mahdnc said:

 

"30 days prior to sailing" according to the post-Jan 1 T&Cs from the link in the letter.

Wow, brutal ... I dont think they actually enforce that rule that way currently, many people will be very upset if they actually start to.

[mahdnc]

1 minute ago, someguyfl said:

Wow, brutal ... I dont think they actually enforce that rule that way currently, many people will be very upset if they actually start to.

 

It is somewhat understandable since Celebrity may be financially committed for something that can be pretty expensive--again for things like special trips set up through Private Journeys, etc. 

[mahdnc]

11 minutes ago, critic2023 said:

I don't like Celebrity making a policy more restrictive rather than less, but truthfully, this doesn't make much of a difference to me in practice. The only things that would make me want to cancel a previously scheduled shore excursion that close to show time would be weather or political unrest... and more often than not, I think I would be making that call inside of 24 hours anyway.

 

Points off for Celebrity in theory, but in practice, I doubt it will make much of a difference.

 

Although this isn't your point, there is a good chance that Celebrity would cancel anyway because of bad weather and political unrest.  I realize that you would prefer to make that decision for yourself.