What do you think about compensation?

I promised to reply when I heard back from Celebrity.

 

I received a phone call this evening from Tyson in the USA, who deals with issues post-cruise. We had a lovely chat and he was very understanding.

He had read my letter to Customer Relations and had gone through all the incident reports from the cruise. He said that there were about 8 people whose emergency lighting did not work. (I know of course that there were others whose emergency lighting did work, as some of those complained that they could not sleep as it was too bright!) He agreed that a bottle of wine was unsuitable (as he himself does not drink) and said it’s the standard way of saying ‘Thank you for putting up with the problem.’ He also said that a few people had been given the offer of meals in a specialty restaurant but he does not know why some got that but others did not. He has given each of us £100 in future cruise credits (valid for the next year) that we could perhaps use for 2 meals in a specialty restaurant on a future cruise. (Actually, we have no plans to sail on Celebrity again but I appreciate the gesture.)

 

I came away from the phone call feeling that he cared and that he felt the situation had not been dealt with as well as it should have been at the time. I could also tell that he felt some frustration that he could not ensure that such problems would not occur in future. His job is to deal with incidents and people afterwards. I guess he troubleshoots the people issues but cannot deal with policies.

 

I worked hard to steer the conversation to the safety issues and what could be done if this happens in future. I asked why we were not offered flashlights for use in the bathroom (a suggestion from someone earlier in this thread) and he admitted that he did not know if there would even be spares on board. He said that he would pass on one of my suggestions, that room stewards should regularly close the bathroom door without the light on to see if the nightlight came on. Ours was not on for the first night and only came on after the incident, when all the lights were fixed. It made me wonder if this was tied in to the emergency line and could be advance indication of that not working. I hope that the relevant person follows through on that, as it seems a very simple check that room stewards could make.

 

Diane

I hope you feel that you have been fairly treated. I know it wasn't about the compensation, but I hope it eases things and that you now feel that you have been listened to by Celebrity. What was more important was the fact that they listened to you and recognised your concerns.

It was probably easier for us as the Michael's club concierge sorted it on both occasions.

I do not understand the snarky to nasty comments on this thread :

If I stay in a hotel and have no electricity or water for most of the day, I expect a reduction in price or some sort of compensation (e.g. free dinner) if they can not give me a different room. Why should this not be the case when I pay for a nice room on a ship ?

Thank you to the three of you for your comments.

It was with great trepidation that I posted about the phone call. I really did not want to unbury this thread but I had made a commitment to let everyone know the results.

Thank you for reporting back OP . It sounds like Tyson was skilled at being empathetic and therefore good for Celebrity . I'm sorry you didn't receive a £100 rebate instead of this amount in future cruise credits . If you would , what cruise line(s) would you look at for future cruises ?

If you would , what cruise line(s) would you look at for future cruises ?

In the past I have cruised quite a lot with Cunard. I think their style suits me better.

I like dancing and the Entertainments Director on Celebrity told us that Celebrity is trying to phase it out, thinking it does not suit their style. I loved the ambience of going to a dance every evening on Cunard, even when I did not dance much myself. We did not know what to do in the evenings on our last Celebrity cruise. Most of the shows did not interest us. We sat in the Martini bar. We tried listening to the band but our dinner time varied and we generally seemed to miss it and got stuck with DJ music. We even attended a couple of games but they were not for us. Add to that, our TV failed to connect for the last few nights. I was happy with my book, and could have spent even more time reading, but my friend is not a reader and got a bit bored. In addition we struggled to find food that actually suited us. That's personal taste, of course.

There are things I will miss from Celebrity, like some of the modern decor and the sense of light. I will miss the drinks package and Cafe al Bacio.

I often cruise solo and have always found friends on Cunard, but I think it would be more difficult to do so on Celebrity.

In the past I have cruised quite a lot with Cunard. I think their style suits me better.

 

 

 

I like dancing and the Entertainments Director on Celebrity told us that Celebrity is trying to phase it out, thinking it does not suit their style. I loved the ambience of going to a dance every evening on Cunard, even when I did not dance much myself. We did not know what to do in the evenings on our last Celebrity cruise. Most of the shows did not interest us. We sat in the Martini bar. We tried listening to the band but our dinner time varied and we generally seemed to miss it and got stuck with DJ music. We even attended a couple of games but they were not for us. Add to that, our TV failed to connect for the last few nights. I was happy with my book, and could have spent even more time reading, but my friend is not a reader and got a bit bored. In addition we struggled to find food that actually suited us. That's personal taste, of course.

 

 

 

There are things I will miss from Celebrity, like some of the modern decor and the sense of light. I will miss the drinks package and Cafe al Bacio.

 

 

 

I often cruise solo and have always found friends on Cunard, but I think it would be more difficult to do so on Celebrity.

We have not tried Cunard, but a couple we met on board Celebrity who usually travelled in a queens grill suite felt that Luminae didn't tick all the boxes for them.

They liked white table clothes that Luminae does not have. They did book a future cruise with Celebrity on board so we look forward to seeing them in the future.

.....

I like dancing and the Entertainments Director on Celebrity told us that Celebrity is trying to phase it out, thinking it does not suit their style. ......

This was evident on the cruise we came back on today - the Dancing with the Officers competition was dropped