Celebrity Century, 12/2008, my experience

[AlexCruise]

I sailed with Celebity Century 12/15/2008. It was a five-day cruise. I had several major issues on the ship.

 

1) I purchased a pass to Persian Garden in the spa. The sauna there did not work three days out five, despite my informing the spa staff about the problem right from the beginning.

 

2) My stateroom had a water leak from the ceiling. As a result, the stateroom was not usable for more than 5 hours on the day when it happened, due to the plumbers making repairs. The following day, again, I couldn't use my room for another three hours, as the housekeeping staff was drying the carpet.

 

3) When I informed the guest service agents about the problems (first I talked over the phone with Nancy, and then, in person, with Alicia), they both promised to relate my concerns to their supervisor. Nobody ever got back to me, even with apologies for the inconveniences!

 

After return, I again formally complained to the company, and that's what I received almost 2 weeks after my complaint was e-mailed:

 

Dear Mr. ******:Thank you for your e-mail concerning your experience with Celebrity Cruises. We appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns. Our primary goal is for each guest to enjoy the best possible cruise vacation, and we regret that you feel our efforts fell short of your expectations in the specific areas mentioned. Your feedback is truly appreciated. The concerns mentioned in your e-mail, such as, your stateroom plumbing, and your experiencein the Persian Garden, will be forwarded to the appropriate management personnel. This process is of great importance to us, for we continually strive to improve our performance in order to assure our guests the most rewarding cruising experience. We certainly intended to provide you with a thoroughly enjoyable vacation onthis sailing and regret any disappointments you may have experienced. Please accept our most sincere apologies. We continually strive to provide cruisevacations that are totally satisfying; however, sometimes situations occur whichdisrupt the voyage despite all our best efforts. Celebrity Cruises will continue to focus on the level of service provided before, during, and after each sailing. Mr. *****, we remain optimistic that in spite of this experience, you may grant Celebrity Cruises another opportunity to welcome you back onboard one of our ships in the near future.

 

Sincerely,

***** ********

Corporate Guest Relations

 

As I understand, the company didn't even offer me a symbolic compensation for the inconveniences, and, again, they did not even apologize promptly for the inconveniences and for the services that I paid for, but did not receive, during my cruise.

 

This was my 12th cruise overall, and the first cruise with Celebrity. I never had such issues in any of my cruises before, and never before I had such disrespect on the part of the guest service.

[tortugas]

Did they at least refund a portion of your day pass costs to the spa?? That would seem fair, in that you couldn't use as intended. I do agree a gesture of some sort is in order. It's very true that "stuff happens" and it is often completely out of control of the merchant. However, how a company responds to address these unexpected circumstances is 100% in their control. It's not about "getting something for nothing" it's about a company turning a bad situation into an opportunity to earn a customer for life. Sadly, I think it's the wave of the future :-( Service is lacking across the boards.

 

Sorry about your experience :-(

[AlexCruise]

Yes, I also feel that service is getting worse overall. However, I was lucky to have much more positive experience with the other cruiselines which I cruised with in the past. And they usually addressed such problems promptly. For example, once I found the sauna closed two hours earlier than scheduled, and after I reported the problem, I received a free pass to the spa for one day.

 

Needless to say, Celebrity did not refund a portion of the spa pass, even though, in fact, I paid for the service which was not received. After my calls/ correspondence with them, I got a feeling that one has to beg even to receive an apology from them!

 

That's why the words in their response "...we remain optimistic that in spite of this experience, you may grant Celebrity Cruises another opportunity to welcome you back onboard one of our ships in the near future" sound really weird to me.

[BurgerBits]

That's why the words in their response "...we remain optimistic that in spite of this experience, you may grant Celebrity Cruises another opportunity to welcome you back onboard one of our ships in the near future" sound really weird to me.

 

Sounds odd (and smarmy) to me as well.

 

When our 7/2007 Millennium cruise was cancelled (just prior to our heading to Venice to get aboard), they refunded all of our expenditures (save air/land arrangements, as we had made our own) and gave us a free cruise. The pax who were aboard when the ship was damaged, and had their cruise changed significantly, were also all given a refund/free cruise.

 

Our 'free cruise' was on Century in the Baltic in 2008, and it was outstanding - so much so that we've booked another, larger family group sailing on Solstice later this month.

 

The oddest thing to me about your situation is the lack of compensation for room damage...

 

Please keep us posted!!!

[AlexCruise]

 

...The oddest thing to me about your situation is the lack of compensation for room damage...

 

Please keep us posted!!!

 

Well, as far as I understand, this was their final response. I just read about similar experiences with Celebrity Century, shared by other passengers. I dare to say now that this is the style of communication and customer service that distinguishes Celebrity.

[geoherb]

I would always try to take care of problems on the ship instead of after. I know that can throw a damper on your vacation. We had to wait in line at Guest Relations on our first Century cruise to clear up being double-charged for a drink. I would have requested a refund for the entire amount of my Persian Garden pass.

 

As for the water leaking, we had that happen to us once at a hotel. They management comped us for one night of our stay and moved us to another room. If there was another cabin available in my same category, I would have wanted to switch to it. And some sort of gesture--like a bottle of wine or dinner in Murano's--would be appreciated.

[cvaty]

I sailed with Celebity Century 12/15/2008. It was a five-day cruise. I had several major issues on the ship.

 

1) I purchased a pass to Persian Garden in the spa. The sauna there did not work three days out five, despite my informing the spa staff about the problem right from the beginning.

 

2) My stateroom had a water leak from the ceiling. As a result, the stateroom was not usable for more than 5 hours on the day when it happened, due to the plumbers making repairs. The following day, again, I couldn't use my room for another three hours, as the housekeeping staff was drying the carpet.

 

3) When I informed the guest service agents about the problems (first I talked over the phone with Nancy, and then, in person, with Alicia), they both promised to relate my concerns to their supervisor. Nobody ever got back to me, even with apologies for the inconveniences!

 

After return, I again formally complained to the company, and that's what I received almost 2 weeks after my complaint was e-mailed:

 

Dear Mr. ******:Thank you for your e-mail concerning your experience with Celebrity Cruises. We appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns. Our primary goal is for each guest to enjoy the best possible cruise vacation, and we regret that you feel our efforts fell short of your expectations in the specific areas mentioned. Your feedback is truly appreciated. The concerns mentioned in your e-mail, such as, your stateroom plumbing, and your experiencein the Persian Garden, will be forwarded to the appropriate management personnel. This process is of great importance to us, for we continually strive to improve our performance in order to assure our guests the most rewarding cruising experience. We certainly intended to provide you with a thoroughly enjoyable vacation onthis sailing and regret any disappointments you may have experienced. Please accept our most sincere apologies. We continually strive to provide cruisevacations that are totally satisfying; however, sometimes situations occur whichdisrupt the voyage despite all our best efforts. Celebrity Cruises will continue to focus on the level of service provided before, during, and after each sailing. Mr. *****, we remain optimistic that in spite of this experience, you may grant Celebrity Cruises another opportunity to welcome you back onboard one of our ships in the near future.

 

Sincerely,

***** ********

Corporate Guest Relations

 

 

As I understand, the company didn't even offer me a symbolic compensation for the inconveniences, and, again, they did not even apologize promptly for the inconveniences and for the services that I paid for, but did not receive, during my cruise.

 

This was my 12th cruise overall, and the first cruise with Celebrity. I never had such issues in any of my cruises before, and never before I had such disrespect on the part of the guest service.

 

 

As I understand, the company didn't even offer me a symbolic compensation for the inconveniences, and, again, they did not even apologize promptly for the inconveniences and for the services that I paid for, but did not receive, during my cruise.

They lost 3 presents for their stuff and I didn’t receive even an apology letter!

We have not been offered compensation, too, but we didn’t want it.

After return, I again formally complained to the company, and that's what I received almost 2 weeks after my complaint was e-mailed:

Well you have received one!

This is a rarity, I would keep it!

Celebrity I am impressed!

Celebrity is improving!

 

 

 

3) When I informed the guest service agents about the problems (first I talked over the phone with Nancy, and then, in person, with Alicia), they both promised to relate my concerns to their supervisor. Nobody ever got back to me, even with apologies for the inconveniences!

You should have recieved onboard an excuse.

[thxmom]

Your experience sounds so similar to our cruise on January 22 on the Century. Your rooms weren't around 4080 and 4088, were they? Our rooms were out of commission as well due to the blow dryers going, ceiling tiles down, insulation pieces on the beds, etc. We had the same experience with guest relations. I've not heard any response from our letter (which included photos of the rooms) or multiple e-mails but it has only been a little over a week since our return. We did contact Guest Relations numerous times during our cruise with little satisfaction.:mad: We felt the disrespect from Guest Relations too...we felt like beggars asking for different rooms. We asked them to at least come to our cabins and look at the rooms and then tell us if they would stay there. They never showed.

[AlexCruise]

Your experience sounds so similar to our cruise on January 22 on the Century. Your rooms weren't around 4080 and 4088, were they? Our rooms were out of commission as well due to the blow dryers going, ceiling tiles down, insulation pieces on the beds, etc. We had the same experience with guest relations. I've not heard any response from our letter (which included photos of the rooms) or multiple e-mails but it has only been a little over a week since our return. We did contact Guest Relations numerous times during our cruise with little satisfaction.:mad: We felt the disrespect from Guest Relations too...we felt like beggars asking for different rooms. We asked them to at least come to our cabins and look at the rooms and then tell us if they would stay there. They never showed.

 

Yes, around that area!

I read your thread, and posted my comment there as well.

The experience is very similar.

What makes things worse, is the very fact that after my complaints on-board and the e-mail to the corporate office, the problems persists!

Specifically, I e-mailed to the corporate office in the very beginning of January. Your cruise was 01/22/2009, and, as we can see, nothing was done to fix the problem. Even now, before posting my response, I checked their on-line reservation system. They continue to sell cabins in that very area:

 

4096*919.00

per person*919.00

4090*399.00

per person*798.00

4084*449.00

per person*898.00

4092*499.00

per person*998.00

[Cruise4me2]

I'm kind of worried, we are on the Century on 2/23 and our cabin is 4011. This is our first Celebrity cruise. hopefully they will have fixed something by now:eek:

[Callandre]

Sounds like pretty poor service to me as well. No one wants the basics of their vacation, like the comfort of their cabin, to be compromised and then have to further ruin the fun by having to complain. Shame on Celebrity. I'll be watching carefully for that sort of thing...thanks for the heads-up. I too am sorry for your experience. It's a further shame if fellow CCers are the only ones feeling your pain.

[Veronica13]

Guys, take it from me. You will NEVER - repeat NEVER - get a written statement from management they were "in error". The attorneys don't allow it. You could take their "admission of guilt" to an attorney and sue them.

 

I had an extreme situation once. Rather than address it while on board, I waited until I returned. While I got exactly what was proper, it was only under the condition it be kept 100% confidential - and the only reason I got what I wanted was their fear of my attorney.

 

It's all about liability...and they'll never put that in writing either.

:cool:

[AlexCruise]

Sounds like pretty poor service to me as well. No one wants the basics of their vacation, like the comfort of their cabin, to be compromised and then have to further ruin the fun by having to complain. Shame on Celebrity. I'll be watching carefully for that sort of thing...thanks for the heads-up. I too am sorry for your experience. It's a further shame if fellow CCers are the only ones feeling your pain.

 

Well, I took my next logical step and wrote to their customer service again.

In a couple of days I received their response:

 

Dear Mr. *****:

 

Thank you for your follow-up response regarding your Celebrity Cruises vacation onboard the Celebrity Century. We appreciate this opportunity to further respond to your concerns.

 

Please accept our most sincere apologies for the inconveniences you encountered regarding the transportation from the airport to the pier. We take all comments and observations, such as yours, into consideration with respect to selecting or retaining our contractual relationships with the various transport companies, as ground transportation is a service solely made for the guests' convenience. The providers of such services are independent contractors and are not acting as agents or representatives of Celebrity Cruises. Additionally, please be assured that our Guest Port Services Departments have been made aware of your observations in order to prevent such a recurrence. As previously conveyed, we are always looking for ways to ensure a smooth journey for our guests, from the beginning to the completion of their cruise vacation. Again, we remain sincerely apologetic towards the situation, and hope that this final response will put your concerns to rest. Celebrity Cruises will continue to focus on the level of service provided to all our valued guests before, during, and after each sailing.

 

Mr. *****, once again, we look forward to welcoming you back onboard one of our ships in the near future.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

***** *****

Corporate Guest Relations

 

As you remember, I did not even have any problem with transportation. I checked the mesage again, and it was addressed to me! This response only further supports my original thought that Celebrity simply doesn't care about the customers. Not only that they don't apologize for inconveniences or don't fix the problem for future passengers, as evidenced by other guest's complaints on this forum. They probably don't even read the complaints themselves.:mad:

[Veronica13]

Well, I took my next logical step and wrote to their customer service again.

In a couple of days I received their response:

 

Dear Mr. *****:

 

Thank you for your follow-up response regarding your Celebrity Cruises vacation onboard the Celebrity Century. We appreciate this opportunity to further respond to your concerns.

 

Please accept our most sincere apologies for the inconveniences you encountered regarding the transportation from the airport to the pier. We take all comments and observations, such as yours, into consideration with respect to selecting or retaining our contractual relationships with the various transport companies, as ground transportation is a service solely made for the guests' convenience. The providers of such services are independent contractors and are not acting as agents or representatives of Celebrity Cruises. Additionally, please be assured that our Guest Port Services Departments have been made aware of your observations in order to prevent such a recurrence. As previously conveyed, we are always looking for ways to ensure a smooth journey for our guests, from the beginning to the completion of their cruise vacation. Again, we remain sincerely apologetic towards the situation, and hope that this final response will put your concerns to rest. Celebrity Cruises will continue to focus on the level of service provided to all our valued guests before, during, and after each sailing.

 

Mr. *****, once again, we look forward to welcoming you back onboard one of our ships in the near future.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

***** *****

Corporate Guest Relations

 

As you remember, I did not even have any problem with transportation. I checked the mesage again, and it was addressed to me! This response only further supports my original thought that Celebrity simply doesn't care about the customers. Not only that they don't apologize for inconveniences or don't fix the problem for future passengers, as evidenced by other guest's complaints on this forum. They probably don't even read the complaints themselves.:mad:

 

Alex - did you not read my posts?

And even if they would admit error, you will get nowhere with letters. Of that I'm certain

[AlexCruise]

Alex - did you not read my posts?

And even if they would admit error, you will get nowhere with letters. Of that I'm certain

 

Yes, I apprreciate your last post and would rather agree with it.

 

It's the first situation in my cruise experience when I am being treated this way. In fact, they indirectly admitted that my concerns were serious enough, in their original e-mail. And like you said, an attorney may be needed, eventually, if they don't address the problem. At this point I prefer to take step-by-step approach. I believe, it is time now to get the problem to a higher level.

[cadcruiser]

Corporate Guest Relations

 

As you remember, I did not even have any problem with transportation. I checked the mesage again, and it was addressed to me! This response only further supports my original thought that Celebrity simply doesn't care about the customers. Not only that they don't apologize for inconveniences or don't fix the problem for future passengers, as evidenced by other guest's complaints on this forum. They probably don't even read the complaints themselves.:mad:

 

Good luck in getting a resolution. I've had many problems with pre-cruise customer service issues and I have also received replies from Corporate Guest Relations that had nothing to do with my issues. My last letter basically apologized that I was disappointed with their excellent customer service.

 

In my experience, Corporate Guest Relations at RCCL, Celebrity and Azamara does not care about their customers.