Carlene Posted September 15, 2004 #76 Share Posted September 15, 2004 Welcome, have you signed up for the CC party on board the Summit? Last check there were 70 of us signed up but some have canceled. I'm wondering if Celebrity will even have the nerve to have the party. We are all scheduled to meet in Michaels at 3pm on Monday, please do join us. Someone had previously posted to this thread that you can go to the casino and get cash from you ship board account, in a way cashing out your on board credit. I just wouldn't wait until the last day, it will be like a run on the bank. And time will tell with Celebrity, I'm hoping they come to their senses, and do the right thing. Also when it comes to port charges, are those missed citys going to receive the money collected on their behalf?? If not, I believe that to be fraud. Either give the charges to the ports, or refund those charges to the paying passenger. Hope to see you Monday, travel safely. Happy Packing, (still!!) Carlene Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbelian Posted September 15, 2004 #77 Share Posted September 15, 2004 Maybe we should all get together on the ship to put something in motion. please feel free to email.Ginger m westminster,md. ARRGH!, and Avast! mateys.... a mutiny is afoot perhaps... ARRGH! ... http://www.talklikeapirate.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palermo22 Posted September 15, 2004 Author #78 Share Posted September 15, 2004 No mutiny is necessary! I just got off the phone with Celebrity - they are now offering 25% off of this cruise with a $250 cabin credit - sounds fair to me! So in the end - Celebrity did come through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbelian Posted September 15, 2004 #79 Share Posted September 15, 2004 No mutiny is necessary! I just got off the phone with Celebrity - they are now offering 25% off of this cruise with a $250 cabin credit - sounds fair to me! So in the end - Celebrity did come through. And this is what was stated way back on 9/7 by KiwDa "I have been reading this board with enjoyment.. My TA has just advised that a 25% refund will also be paid.. the Cheque is in the mail" And yet, without anything concrete, we continued to drag this company through the mud. Would you like to now say 'sorry for jumping the gun' ? .. Probably not. In fact, will you now even admit that they went BEYOND the call, after all, you were only impacted 21.4% not 25%? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmtraveler Posted September 15, 2004 #80 Share Posted September 15, 2004 And this is what was stated way back on 9/7 by KiwDa "I have been reading this board with enjoyment.. My TA has just advised that a 25% refund will also be paid.. the Cheque is in the mail" And yet, without anything concrete, we continued to drag this company through the mud. Would you like to now say 'sorry for jumping the gun' ? .. Probably not. In fact, will you now even admit that they went BEYOND the call, after all, you were only impacted 21.4% not 25%? Sorry tbelian, but I think Celebrity would have stuck by their guns hadn't there been an outcry. "The squeeky wheel gets the grease". BUT, you could be right. At any rate, the Summit is a beautiful ship and if we can just get on it we are going to have a great cruise. I just hope that no one takes any of this on the crew. We have sailed the Summit twice before and the crew has always exceeded our expectations. BTW, did Celebrity say whether this would be credited to our onboard account, credit card or ?? and when?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palermo22 Posted September 15, 2004 Author #81 Share Posted September 15, 2004 Here's the story (and you obviously don't have all the facts): they were offering a 25% discount on this cruise (back on 9/7/04); however, this was only to British passengers (traveling from the UK) and Australians. We (from here in the States) have been on the phone with Celebrity virtually every day asking them to give us the same deal - they kept saying no (saying it nasty and actually saying "take it or leave it"). It was only this morning that their senses returned to them and decided to give all passengers that same offer. So, I will not say I am sorry (for what Celebrity has put us through this past week); however, I am delighted to say that in the end they acted like a responsible company! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbelian Posted September 15, 2004 #82 Share Posted September 15, 2004 Funny, nobody mentioned the extra 4%... just that I am wrong... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palermo22 Posted September 15, 2004 Author #83 Share Posted September 15, 2004 Funny, nobody mentioned the extra 4%... just that I am wrong... You know - from the get go you have been on our case about this cruise and you're not even on it! Do you know how many hours we have spent on the phone with Celebrity trying to make this right? Do you know how many people have cancelled this cruise because of what they were previously told? Do you know how many people have never been contacted by Celebrity (still) to be informed the ship is being delayed three days? Do you know how many people have had to alter their plans (at the last moment) because of this fiasco? And you want to know why no one has mentioned the extra 4%? You obviously see things differently than all of us (go to our thread on roll call and read all of the messages since this happened - read how people have been totally frustrated by this - have gotten sick - have had vacations planned for a year or more disrupted - and all you can say is nobody has mentioned the 4%!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BB5953 Posted September 15, 2004 #84 Share Posted September 15, 2004 First I am happy to hear the X has done the right thing for its customers. Doing the right thing is what X will have to do to keep its customer base with these price increases they have implemented. BTW, Don't let Tbelian ruffle your feathers - he likes to stir the pot.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palermo22 Posted September 15, 2004 Author #85 Share Posted September 15, 2004 BTW, Don't let Tbelian ruffle your feathers - he likes to stir the pot.... Oh he's not getting to me - I just want to ensure he has a reality check on what this is all about: being fair to Celebrity's customer base. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbelian Posted September 15, 2004 #86 Share Posted September 15, 2004 You know - from the get go you have been on our case about this cruise and you're not even on it! Do you know how many hours we have spent on the phone with Celebrity trying to make this right? Do you know how many people have cancelled this cruise because of what they were previously told? Do you know how many people have never been contacted by Celebrity (still) to be informed the ship is being delayed three days? Do you know how many people have had to alter their plans (at the last moment) because of this fiasco? And you want to know why no one has mentioned the extra 4%? You obviously see things differently than all of us (go to our thread on roll call and read all of the messages since this happened - read how people have been totally frustrated by this - have gotten sick - have had vacations planned for a year or more disrupted - and all you can say is nobody has mentioned the 4%!!! You are right, I have been on the case, because from the get go, everyone was so 'boo celebrity' ... and OMG how horrible is this? You are all going on a CRUISE, albeit a shortened one, and this has RUINED your life?? 3 DAYS has ruined your life? You have an unusual perspective on what is important in life. In my mind, the shortened cruise is not a disaster, or fiasco. My impression from ALL the negative postings is that it was a disaster. I'm never going on vacation again if it means pending disaster. Yes I see things differently , so be it. All I have seen from the people (hundreds, thousands, the horror of it all! .. <drama> ) has been how tough it has been on them, and that they have had to 'change ' things. Well, get this. Lilfe is about change. If this is how you react to change (getting sick?) .. then I think more needs to be done for you. That is MY reality check. You will be looking for worn carpets, cigarrette smell, improperly cooked food and whatever else you can unearth to still make this cruise a 'disaster' because, now, you have been adequately compensated, but my money says, you will still want to have a 'tragedy' to be dramatic about. Oh, and before you reply, remember those famous 'cruise critic' last words: "If you don't like it, dont read it" .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcallcut Posted September 15, 2004 #87 Share Posted September 15, 2004 Just a point of interest with the change in compensation. I just spoke with Celebrity, and it is not necessarily a change in compensation, but rather a second option. Unless they are notified in the next day or so, you will be given the first offer of compensation ($500 shipboard credit and 25% discount on future cruise). If you would rather take the $250 shipboard credit and the 25% off of the current cruise, you or your travel agent must notify them in the next day or so. I was also told the 25% discount in either case is off of the base cruise price exclusive of taxes, air, port charges, and pre or post cruise arrangements, so figure your discount accordingly. From my perspective, I was happy with the initial compensation since we planned on taking a cruise next year anyway. The compensation offered was fair given our cruise cost. I understand everyone's situation is different, and many of those in higher category cabins probably did not see the compensation as fair. I figure that everyone must decide for themselves if the compensation works for them, and either continue on, or cancel and book a different cruise. I have decided to take option B. I was happy with option A, but Option B is, for me, a better solution, and I appreciate the flexability. While it provides less shipboard credit, it takes away the requirement to take a cruise next year so that if we change our minds, we still have the compensation. I will just use this as my deposit, and it will all even out (except that the deposit is refundable if we don't cruise). I hope this information is of some help. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaltwaterTwo Posted September 15, 2004 #88 Share Posted September 15, 2004 Probably not. In fact, will you now even admit that they went BEYOND the call, after all, you were only impacted 21.4% not 25%? Because of the change my air fare went from $154 to over four hundred for each of us. I had to pick up the difference. That extra 4.6 % will certainly help a little little bit. Unless you have been involved you don't have the big picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginger M Posted September 16, 2004 #89 Share Posted September 16, 2004 Tried signing up for the cc party,celebrity said it was to late. Had some really good news today, celebrity has already posted the 25% discount off this sailing, to our credit card. So they really did come through with a good offer. Hope to meet everyone on the ship. Paul & I are leaving for Vancouver on saturday morning. Best wishes to everyone & may you have safe journey. Welcome, have you signed up for the CC party on board the Summit? Last check there were 70 of us signed up but some have canceled. I'm wondering if Celebrity will even have the nerve to have the party. We are all scheduled to meet in Michaels at 3pm on Monday, please do join us. Someone had previously posted to this thread that you can go to the casino and get cash from you ship board account, in a way cashing out your on board credit. I just wouldn't wait until the last day, it will be like a run on the bank. And time will tell with Celebrity, I'm hoping they come to their senses, and do the right thing. Also when it comes to port charges, are those missed citys going to receive the money collected on their behalf?? If not, I believe that to be fraud. Either give the charges to the ports, or refund those charges to the paying passenger. Hope to see you Monday, travel safely. Happy Packing, (still!!) Carlene Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daisyp Posted October 8, 2004 #90 Share Posted October 8, 2004 We also were scheduled to cruise on Summit on September 17 and received word from our TA about the elimination of three days and three ports. The offer of a $500 shipboard credit (i.e., $500 to spend in "Celebrity's store"), plus a 25% discount on a future cruise with so many strings attached, was entirely inadequate. In essence, Celebrity reduced the value of our trip by about $1000, not to mention the cost of rebooking airline and hotel reservations, and the fact that Celebrity had use of our money for several months . We were never contacted directly by Celebrity, but we were able to access the customer service number dedicated to the Summit cancellation for September 10 (I think). We called that number and spoke to a very curt agent. Our TA told us that as an option, Celebrity would refund the cost of the trip. When we asked the customer service agent about the offer of a refund, her response was, and I quote, "that isn't going to happen." Not even an apology. When we asked to speak to someone with more authority, she refused our request. There was no way that we would travel with Celebrity under the circumstances, so we asked our TA for the refund. I also wrote a letter explaining the situation to Jack Williams, CEO of Celebrity. As of now, we have not received the credit that they promised us. Instead of the Summit cruise, we booked 11 days on Silversea Silver Shadow and just disembarked this morning in Costa Rica. The cruise was sublime!! It was our third cruise on Silversea and each one just gets better (although it's hard to imagine how they can improve). The cost was comparable to our concierge class reservation on Summit, and when you figure in the all-inclusive feature on Silversea (all drinks and gratuities included), the cost was probably less. We arrive home tomorrow and if the credit from Celebrity is not in our account, I will be writing to the travel magazines about our experience. I would encourage others to do the same, as that may get their attention, if our letters do not. In a highly competitive industry, Celebrity's shabby treatment of their customers is entirely unacceptable. I'm sure you agree. By the way, does anybody know exactly when the Summit left Vancouver for the September 17 cruise?? We also feared that the delay may have been even longer than three days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jschutz Posted October 8, 2004 #91 Share Posted October 8, 2004 The Summit left Vancouver on Sept. 20th, as they said it would. We took the 25% discount for the cruise, and a $250.00 on-board credit. Almost everybody I spoke to on the cruise agreed that this was a fair deal - the only gripes involved the length of time it took Celebrity to come up with their "final" offer. It turned out to be a great trip. We spent the extra 3 days in Vancouver and the trip insurance should cover most of the extra expenses (hotel + meals) incurred in Vancouver. If your cruise was booked through a TA, he or she should have gotten this same "deal" at least 2-3 days before the 20th. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssgemini Posted October 8, 2004 #92 Share Posted October 8, 2004 The cruise was fantastic - we received adequate compensation - and would not hesitate to cruise Celebrity again, and again, and again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginger M Posted October 8, 2004 #93 Share Posted October 8, 2004 :mad: Hello Daisyp Well Celebrity did it to us again,Paul & I took the $250 0n board credit with the 25% off the Summit cruise. Just before our departure our t/a faxed us a confirmation from celbrity, showing that we would receive $1,022.70 credit to be applied to our credit card card. We got a credit but it was only for $682.50,($340.20) less than what was promised. Maybe it was a good thing that we went to the casino and got the $250 in cash, instead of spending the credit in the shops. We also send a registered letter to Mr. Williams on 9/8 & never received a reply. And we know the letter was recieved by someone at Celebrity, the signature on our receipt was signed by R. Royal. Celebrity said they can not discuss the matter with us since we booked with an t/a. Our t/a has been on the phone for days now, plus he has faxed a letter to Celebrith customers service. As of today he has still not received a reply from celebrity. We also were scheduled to cruise on Summit on September 17 and received word from our TA about the elimination of three days and three ports. The offer of a $500 shipboard credit (i.e., $500 to spend in "Celebrity's store"), plus a 25% discount on a future cruise with so many strings attached, was entirely inadequate. In essence, Celebrity reduced the value of our trip by about $1000, not to mention the cost of rebooking airline and hotel reservations, and the fact that Celebrity had use of our money for several months . We were never contacted directly by Celebrity, but we were able to access the customer service number dedicated to the Summit cancellation for September 10 (I think). We called that number and spoke to a very curt agent. Our TA told us that as an option, Celebrity would refund the cost of the trip. When we asked the customer service agent about the offer of a refund, her response was, and I quote, "that isn't going to happen." Not even an apology. When we asked to speak to someone with more authority, she refused our request. There was no way that we would travel with Celebrity under the circumstances, so we asked our TA for the refund. I also wrote a letter explaining the situation to Jack Williams, CEO of Celebrity. As of now, we have not received the credit that they promised us. Instead of the Summit cruise, we booked 11 days on Silversea Silver Shadow and just disembarked this morning in Costa Rica. The cruise was sublime!! It was our third cruise on Silversea and each one just gets better (although it's hard to imagine how they can improve). The cost was comparable to our concierge class reservation on Summit, and when you figure in the all-inclusive feature on Silversea (all drinks and gratuities included), the cost was probably less. We arrive home tomorrow and if the credit from Celebrity is not in our account, I will be writing to the travel magazines about our experience. I would encourage others to do the same, as that may get their attention, if our letters do not. In a highly competitive industry, Celebrity's shabby treatment of their customers is entirely unacceptable. I'm sure you agree. By the way, does anybody know exactly when the Summit left Vancouver for the September 17 cruise?? We also feared that the delay may have been even longer than three days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpal1993 Posted October 8, 2004 #94 Share Posted October 8, 2004 My heart goes out to all of you! My DH and I saved for 2 years to go to Alaska.We did cruise tour 12 5 day land tour and 7 day cruise on the Summit from June 20-July 2.The trip was awsome and worth every penny we spent.I can only imagine your disappointment.All I can say is just try to make the best of it and enjoy the awsome scenery and beautiful ship.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daisyp Posted October 8, 2004 #95 Share Posted October 8, 2004 Thanks for all your replies. We never got the offer of a 25% discount on the cost of our cruise. Had we received that offer, we probably would have been satisfied with the adjustment. Nonethess, I'm glad that we all enjoyed our vacations!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palermo22 Posted October 8, 2004 Author #96 Share Posted October 8, 2004 Ginger M - the same happened to us - the credit received was a few hundred dollars short - after a series of phone calls Celebrity stated they made a mistake (not the first in this fiasco) and mailed our refund check to our travel agent (along with their commission). A few E-mails to them straightened the matter out and we are good to go with our 25% rebate. By the way, while I don't give high marks to Celebrity management - I do give then high marks for the cruise - and a definite high mark to our travel agency CruiseQuick.com - they were a pleasure to deal with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marinebc Posted October 9, 2004 #97 Share Posted October 9, 2004 My husband and I were never advised by either Celebrity or our TA that the Summit was not sailing on September 17,04! I booked this trip in April '04 through a TA and RT air from Newark to Vancouver 9/16/04 to return from San Deigo on Fri 10/1/'04 myself. Our hotel the Hyatt Vancouver I booked through "Hello BC" for the night of 9/16/04 expecting to sail at 5PM on the Celebrity Summit Sept.17,'04. As the Bell Hop put our luggage in our room he asked if were were on a vacation in Vancouver.I stated that were were taking a cruise tomorrow (Fri 9/17).He then asked what ship.I said the Summit.He then told me that that ship was not sailing until Monday (9/20/'04).At first I thought he was joking,but quickly realised that he was not! I called my TA in NJ and asked what was wrong.She said something about being told on Sept.3,04 that a trip on Sept.10th was canceled,but they (Celebrity ) didn't tell her the Summit was delayed from 9/17 to 9/20. TOO BAD FOR ME! I phoned Celebrity and was only told that all TA were advised of the delay. Asked why they (Celebrity ) didn't write me or phone me as the Cruise was paid infull in April;I was told it was "CONFIDENTIALITY".I told them it was not medical and therfore was really not confidential.They could care less!One Celebrity agent asked me why I didn't call to see if the Ship was at the Pier.My reply was that "who would ever dream the ship would not be at the pier "! Hyatt was unable to give us our room for three extra days as they were full! They also were not helpful in trying to find us another Hotel room. I searched the Vancouver phone book and we were able to get 3 nights at the Sheraton Wall Center about 4 blocks away . The hotel rooms and meals were expensive and Celerity Cruise will not reimburse us for them.Celebrity offered either $500.00 shipboard credit per room and 25% off another cruise;or $250.00 room credit and 25% credit back to my credit card.I took the latter hoping that my Travel Insurance (AccessAmerica) will reimburse me for our 3 day unwanted vacation in Vancouver. I called AccessAmerica on 10/4/04 and they seemed to think it is covered under a trip delay.They requested a letter from Celebrity Cruises that there was a delay.When I called Customer Service at Celebrity I was told they did not send letters.She then offered to fax me,but I don't have a fax and advised her to mail me a statement that the Summit was delayed the 3 days!I have not received it yet (10/8/04) but hope that it will arrive next week.I requested Monday that the TA have her supervisor call me ;so far no call! This was our 4th cruise on the Summit since 9/02.We are members of the Captians Club (Founder).I have raved about this Ship and Celebrity Cruise Line to all our friend and relatives.Being treated this way by Celebrity Cruise is very dishearting. I will choose another Cruise Line for any future cruies! But I must also add that the 10 days we sailed on the Summit to Alaska and down to San Deigo was very nice.As usual the crew, room attendents, and dining staff and entertainment were excelent.But Celebrity will not receive my business if this is the way they treat their customers ! marinebc@verizon.net NJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MortgageChick Posted October 9, 2004 #98 Share Posted October 9, 2004 I read this entire thread with interest as I will be on the same sailing Sept 16 2005. This thread shows the value of these boards in keeping people advised of info, especially when they have an incompetent TA (see above, that is the only word for it) Perhaps A a of cruise boards addresses should be included with docs LOL I can't imagine that anyones trip cancellation and interruption insurance would not cover there hotel and meals. This is the exact kind of situation that you buy this for. Vancouver is a beautiful city and there are a lot worse places to spend 3 days. I too would have been dissapointed to have my cruise cut short, and praise those that made the best of it. I agree that Celebrity should make the exact same compensation offer to all passengers, why would British and Australians be compensated more?? Long way to come? Heck I live in Canada and it is a 7 hour flight to get to Vancouver( not counting connection time) for me. I consider that a long way too! I am keeping my fingers crossed for smooth sailing in 2005, although our embarkation port has already been changed from SAN to LA . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mancuso Posted October 9, 2004 #99 Share Posted October 9, 2004 marinebc, Please keep us posted about Access America. I'm about to buy insurance for an upcoming cruise and they're in the running. Thanks, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palermo22 Posted November 1, 2004 Author #100 Share Posted November 1, 2004 Hi - I thought I would just make a quick posting: Anyone contemplating putting in a claim to their trip insurance company - or if you have recently made a claim and the company is giving you a hassle over our three day delay, CSA, the company that we went through recently honored our claim for the full amount that we claimed. Just wanted you to know there is now a precedent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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