For Sale: Solstice Pre-Inaugural. What's your take?

[micmacmissy]

Where can this 2-day be booked? Just wondering...

[Host Anne]

Sorry folks, Cruise Critic board guidelines do not permit the discussion of specific agencies by name on the boards so please don't ask for people to post the agency here.

[Orator]

"Ah, What's in a name?"

 

The 2 night preview on the 21st just sails around and back to home port. Thoseon the "inaugural" can take consolation in knowing that they will be the first to actually witness the Solstice arriving at a port of call.

Whenever you are going,have a wonderful cruise experience.

[RMS Olympic]

If I am paying extra.

If the second cruise (Nov 30th) is less than the Nov 23.....then the additional cost should be because the 23rd is the first sailing for paying customers. If not then the 23rd should now be reduced.

If this is all about money, then don't do what in my opinion is a bait and switch.

I am on the 23rd (having switched from the 14th) at additional cost to me for air.....I will not have my cruise wrecked by this but so help me, if the ship gets done even earlier and there is another week added and the 23rd is no longer the first full week of sailing I will cancel. I am a ship person first, a cruiser second. I understand the cruise lines need to make money in these tough times...but how I spend my money in these tough times is my choice. I paid for an inaugural at extra cost and do not feel the contract is being kept by Celebrity.

In the long run Celebrity does not care what customers think..because there are plenty of people who could care less. I for one do......and am dissapointed.

[EngerMark]

If a company pays to charter the boat they should have the say in who sells the cruise. It is 2 days not the regular 7 day cruise. :o

[Host Anne]

RMS ~ I think there is little to no chance that the November 23 would not be the first full sailing. Celebrity has already planned their pre-inaugurals and chartered the 21st sailing. I'm sure stranger things have happened, but I'd be stunned if the 23rd isn't the first seven-day sailing with maiden voyage festivities.

[cruiserbryce]

we have done an inagural before and plan on doing another soon...we would be disapointed if this occured ahead of our trip...while many voted they dont care thats fine for them...but for the most part those who did book the inag do care

[nbv]

Why is this even an issue? The ship will be finished early, in addition to the usual pre inaugurals, someone chartered it for a two day weekend cruise exclusively sold by them. I don't understand what the controversy is all about. Seems like Celebrity will make money on this charter and the risk lies with the company that chartered it so close in to the sailing date.

[CAC104]

In my opinion, if the cruise line charged more for a cruise that was supposed to be the "first" one for passengers, then once they let a TA charge for others to sail as passengers, they violated the product they sold as "special," and should refund the difference in price for being on a first cruise compared to just a regular one.

[TEXASMUNK]

it's the bragging rights folks worry about losing...

 

There are bigger loses in life.

[Longboysfan]

I feel it's their ship and they can do with it as they like.

I also feel that this is great with a short cruise and turn around just before we go - booked for November 30th.

I get's the ship to try out their turn around quickly.

Getting luggage on and off. Although the voulme would not be there for the 7 day cruise but it get's them to practice it very quickly in a few days and a short time.

So they get to work out the bugs on them and hopefully not me.

[SCCAcruiser]

HELLO??? Have any of you complainers looked at a calendar? November 23-30 is a THANKSGIVING WEEK cruise and so would be premium priced even if it weren't the Inaugural full-week cruise. And for those of you thinking such "terrible things" about Celebrity, I highly doubt that there is any cruise line in business today, and desiring to STAY in business given the economy and costs, that would handle a situation like this any differently. As others have posted, restaurants and hotels almost always have "soft openings" as well. So you won't be the FIRST person to have slept in that bed! The Nov. 23-30 will be the official Inaugural, and Celebrity did THE RIGHT THING by offering those pax booked on the Dec. 14th "Inaugural", when the new weeks were added, the ability to book a HOLIDAY WEEK + INAUGURAL cruise at the same mid-December rate that they had booked. I don't read forums for Princess, HAL or the other lines, but I wonder if they have as many whiny customers as X does???

[mchell810]

Inaugural means nothing to me personally but if Celebrity promotes a cruise as an Inaugural and the rate is more because of it, those who booked have reason to complain. So I voted it stinks because even though it means nothing to me that does not mean it shouldn't mean something to others.

 

Now, if I am wrong, and it wasn't marketed specifically as an Inaugural, with an accompanying fare raise, I might not vote the same. But Celebrity knows what an Inaugural means. It means it is the first sailing. Obviously there has to be a dress rehearsal or two but if I booked an Inaugural, I would expect it to be one.

 

Exactly!

[Dan Askin]

Wow the answers are over a 100%...that shows it stinks too. By an extra 23% ....mmmmmmmmmm the poll math needs correction. :(

 

Hello,

 

Percentages add up to over 100 because you can vote for more than one choice.

 

Apologies for the confusion!

[jt1120]

Anyone who voted "who cares" is probably not on the inaugural sailing, didn't pay more for the chance to sail an inaugural cruise, AND are not in my shoes when I feel like I've been mislead! Yes, it may seem like a trivial matter in the grand scope of world politics, the price of oil, the situation in Iraq, and my sister who is the biggest psycho that..., well, nevermind about that last one. But it matters to US! We are loyal =X= cruisers, we've tried other lines, only to return to =X= and continue to claim them as the best line we've sailed. I've sent them an email voicing my displeasure, and my wife has called their customer service to voice her opinion as well, and we haven't heard back from them yet.

 

Was it an inconvenience to switch from 12/14 to 11/23? Not for us, we were actually happy to do so. As two working adults, T-giving week means only three days off instead of five.

 

In all of this, regardless of how you feel, ask yourself two questions and then make your judgements:

 

1. Does it make sense to you that this cruiseline would charter out their brand new ship even before their own loyal customers have had the chance to sail her?

 

2. Would it have made more sense to FIRST offer to the inaugural customers the chance to add two more days to their cruise (at the customers expense) to increase their Solstice experience? Offer it for a limited time, then the rest could be chartered out.

 

I'll go one step further: look at the marketing campaign that they have conducted with this ship. I dare say that it is the most expansive in all of Celebrity's history. I'm sure it has cost them lots of money, but it has been an incredible campaign, from announcement of the ship to the tidbits of info doled out, to the eventual sailing of the ship. How about getting a little FREE PR by offering this two-day as a charity sailing? Example: the St. Judes Childrens Hospital, which treats children with cancer, and all of the revenue (aside from alcohol and the other extras) would go to the charity. Can you imagine the positive news coverage they would get from such a move? I own a maketing and PR firm, so belioeve me when I say that this type of promotion is one that I would have recommended to them had they been my client.

 

I'll wait to hear from them, but this has really tarnished our opinion of Celebrity Cruises, and we may be looking for a new line very soon. Again, I know that it sounds trivial to some, but to us it feels like we've been stabbed in the back by a good friend. We are VERY disappointed.

[phoenix_dream]

I'll be it is not at all uncommon for the dates to be pushed back rather than forward, which maybe makes this a bit unique.

 

:rolleyes: Make that.....'Albeit, it is not at all uncommon.....' If only I could spell and type at the same time