WpgCruise

Hypothetically.....

 

Seeing HAL has trained and drilled over and over and over for decades for life boat drills to be conducted on deck at the life boat stations, Hypothetically, were they to switch to indoor muster stations how long would it take until crew is retrained to the point their actions and reactions in an emergency would become automatic they way they now have been trained.

 

I would foresee a long transition period when safety would be compromised.

 

 

Are you suggesting that because Princess and Celebrity (only 2 examples among many) were able to adjust that H.A.L. crew is any less able to move into the 21st century ?

Smoking on balconies isn't a factor one way or the other for us, so put us in the camp of "will continue to sail on HAL if smoking is permitted on balconies"

 

FWIW and slightly off topic. Some time back I was following a thread on the Azamara board. It had to do with the elimination of the string quartets and both sides were quite firm in their opinions. To some it was important, to some not so much. The thread ran into many pages, with the same people restating their arguments.....much like the smoking threads on the HAL board.

 

In any event Azamara has a person who address concerns raised on their Cruise Critic board and he was asked if Azamara followed the threads on Cruise Critic, and recorded peoples opinions on issues like the scaling back on the string quartets.

 

His reply was that yes indeed they did. He then explained that when they tracked an issue on Cruise Critic each members opinion was counted once and only once. It didn't matter if they posted their opinion 15 times on 8 threads, their opinion only was counted once.

 

I wonder if HAL follows the same protocol on this board. Each members opinion is counted once, regardless of how many posts they might have on the subject. So one person, one vote.

 

Isn't it great we can all have an opinion, and hopefully repeating oneself 40 (my exaggeration because no one here would be that boring) :) times has no more value than the person who stated their opinion once.

Latest reports are it is now in 23 States.

 

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2014/06/us-chikungunya-cases-jump-74-23-states

Our experience is that Select does fill up quickly.

 

On a recent back to back after the first leg we asked to move to Select and we're declined as it was already full.

 

Y.M.M.V.

For those who don't see the service carts in the hallways as an issue, I suggest you use a wheelchair, scooter or other mobility aid for a day on a cruise ship. Perhaps that would change perspective.

 

To the people who have full mobility and can dodge the obstacles, good for you but to make light of an issue for those who don't have that ability .....................well maybe think before saying it isn't an issue.

I am wondering if anyone has ever heard of a situation where a passenger undergoing cancer treatment, specifically chemo, has been able to get a chemo infusion on board a ship? If so, does anyone have a personal experience that they could share?

 

We have a cruise scheduled in Nov and the chemo schedule does not quite fit in. This cruise was booked before the diagnosis and we do have the insurance, but it would be a great change to be able to get away since our lives have turned upside down since the diagnosis.

 

thanks for any info!

 

I don't have an answer, or even an opinion, but want to wish you and your husband the best of luck.

 

After reading so many negative threads lately on this Board, by people who have so little to fuss about, you and your husbands courage to make the best of what has life has thrown at you is wonderful to read.

 

You and your husbands determination to not give in, should be a lesson for all of us.

I sympathize, it wouldn't be a pleasant situation.

 

In addition to what the other posters have suggested before going any further, I would determine what's fair. As mentioned was this for the whole cruise, or the last evening? What were the actual "damages" ? If the ship was full (fairly common) what were the options available to mitigate the situation on board? What could they have done they didn't do?

 

At the end of the day we agree to the Cruise Contract when we board, and this limits options we the customer think we might have.

 

Good luck, I hope you can reach a satisfactory settlement.

and for a G&T I may let you see mine :) :) ;)

 

Mother warned me about girls like you.

OK thanks.

 

I write as a company stockholder for almost 20 years continuously as well as a veteran cruiser of over 30 years. The decision to not properly inform/update passengers (until prompted by a message board and reaching only those few who know the site exists) or extend final payment/allow a refund later is wrong and short-sighted.

 

If Celebrity would have acknowledged that under the circumstances, final payment was extended or that passengers could cancel later ( celebrity could select a date) with full refund we would have been satisfied.

 

Too late for us, we are already cancelled and are looking for an alternate vacation.

 

Best wishes for safe travels to all .

M

 

As a shareholder I would not condone Celebrity extending the Final payment date. Why should the Company assume the financial risk? As purchasers of the cruise we have the option to buy "Cancel for Any Reason" insurance from private insurance companies but to expect Celebrity to assume the risk is in my opinion a poor business decision

 

Celebrity has provided as much itenary information as they can, once again in my opinion. They have no ability to see into the future, and to expect them to do so is not realistic.

Despite being non-smokers, we had to take a table on the smoking side many times on our Summit cruise because all the non-smoking tables were taken.

 

As long as the ship was moving, the little bit of smoke wafting about didn't bother us. When we were in port it was another story. There was one group that was really bad as they seemed to 'live' at their smoking table for the whole cruise. They didn't butt out their cigs well and the ashtray was always smoldering. Now that is gross!

 

Just so I understand your position.

 

Easily 95% of the public areas of the ship are non smoking

You want to utilize one of the few smoking areas and then complain because people are smoking ?

 

Am I correct in my understanding of your post?

 

If this is the case about all I can suggest is that perhaps an option may be to utilize a non smoking area, where there will not be any people who are smoking. Otherwise it sort of makes sense to me that in the area as designated for smokers, there will be people smoking.

D.W. and I have never ever had a problem entertaining ourselves and we really don't need any cruise line to provide a list of "FUN !!!" things for us to do. We make so little use of the activities that we really don't care if they have any or not. A warm ocean breeze, a lounger in the shade, a good book, a cold drink, great company, what more do we need?

 

Now, from a cost cutting point of view, I would much rather they eliminate a bunch of activities and keep my fare low. If others want a bunch of "FUN !!!" activities.......... well they still offer some, BUT as mentioned at a cost. I think that's great. Those that want them can pay for them, those that don't aren't paying for something we don't use. Why should I be paying for an entertainment resource I don't use?

 

And as far as a Grand Buffet or Grand Lunch goes................what a waste of food, people to manage the event, and all for what? Isn't there already more than enough to eat. Good Grief.

Before condemning either Celebrity or the C.D., I'd prefer to know the rest of the story.

 

While I don't doubt the comments were made as has been described, was this a "Message" from Celebrity and the C.D. the one who delivered it?

 

Was this "Message" the result of previous Celebrity sponsored Meet & Greets where open solicitation for privately organized tours happened? Has Celebrity had enough of people using their facilities, generosity in setting aside the resources for our Meet & Greets to compete with them for tours?

 

There is a lot about this we don't know and to jump to hasty condemnation of anyone may well at best be a knee jerk reaction.

 

I recall a thread on the Princess board from a while back where a similar situation occurred. Here's a link. It makes for interesting reading.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1790564

I think the O.P. being from Toronto would indicate being on an international flight, which if memory serves has different than Domestic flight check in times. Something to be aware of in the planning process.

 

Also, it helps to know how many other ships are in port the same day, as the more ships, the thinner the Customs/Immigration officers are spread.

 

It might well be worth while checking with the airline to see what other options they can offer. As mentioned above they changed the flight, usually they will be flexible in providing options

 

An 11:00 AM flight should work, until of course that one in a million times when it won't

I doubt anyone wants to be a "Debbie Downer" and that isn't my intention, rather as dadroy has suggested research the information available and then make an informed decision.

 

The reason ChoiceAir can offer less expensive tickets is for a reason, and it is our responsibility as consumers to understand what it is we are buying. Are the tickets "restricted" and if so what are the restrictions and how will these restrictions impact me ,would be a question I would ask. As mentioned are the tickets transferrable to another airline if the booked airline has a flight disruption would be another

 

If everything goes right, ChoiceAir can be a great value. But if there is a glip, it may be prudent to have a Plan "B".

 

Many many many people have used ChoiceAir with no problems at all, and I hope the same for everyone, however my advice would be know what you're buying and what will be your options if something goes wrong.

In addition to the above comments, I'll add something else for what it may be worth.

 

We've done a 17 day spring re-positioning from Fort Lauderdale to Vancouver, that was actually sold as two segments, a 14 day Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco, and a 3 day San Francisco to Vancouver. Less than 500 people stayed on for the second segment, and the new passengers were sold the 3 day segment as a costal cruise.

 

This changes the ambiance of the cruise significantly. I won't say the change was good or bad, but the expectations of the new passengers on the 3 day costal cruise were different than the remaining people on the 17 day cruise.

It was a party cruise, for the 3 day people who were wanting to get as much as they could into 3 days, and who can criticise, that's what they were sold.

 

The "Lesson Learned" if we were to buy this cruise again, was to understand the last few days on this split cruise would be different than the first 14.

Nothing new, but I think that the difference is that I'm take a direct flight from Ottawa to my US destinations, whereas you are taking a connecting flight through a Canadian city. Nevertheless, assuming you go through the US pre-clearance process, when you do get to your final destination, you will go to domestic arrivals and pick up your luggage without going through customs.

 

Our experience on connecting flights is we pre-clear U.S. Customs and Immigration at the last airport before leaving Canada. For example if we connect in Toronto, for a flight to Fort Lauderdale, we pre-clear in Toronto, if we have a direct flight from Winnipeg, we pre-clear in Winnipeg.

 

And this has been the procedure when using WestJet, Air Canada, United, American and a whole bunch of carriers no longer around, such as Wardair and Canada 3000. (Yep, I'm old):)

Will be booking our first Celebrity cruise today and it qualifies for one of the three 123 offers. We will be drinking alcohol and would otherwise have a bar tab to pay at the end of the cruise. Selecting the 123 drink package would seemingly put us ahead of the OBC or prepaid gratuities options. Am I missing something here?

 

Thank you.

 

I look at this from another perspective, that of what is Celebrity really "giving"

 

In my opinion, keeping in mind the huge margins Celebrity makes on their alcohol, their actual cost to offer the alcohol benefit is a very low $$ amount. They want us to choose this option.

 

The pre paid Grats on the other hand equals actual real dollars they pay out to the service staff. They would probably prefer we not take this option.

 

The O.B.C. is in between the other two in so far as actual $$ paid out, the O.B.C. represent money the customer spends on board, but assuming it is spent on say excursions, then their actual cost is perhaps in the 50% range. This is the middle of the road option from Celebrities perspective.

 

If Celebrity is able to offer the 123 Program, and increase basic cruise pricing, given the margins, their net bottom line improves. If it gets the staterooms full at the old pricing, same thing, a win for the Company as the on board spend increases. An empty cabin generates no on board spend.

 

The 123 Promo is a win for the Company, the perception of a win from the customer and everyone is happy.

 

The "truth" is the customer is paying for the 123 Promo from higher base pricing, but because we see a value in the 123 Promo we're happy.

 

All of this is just my opinion of course. I form it based on how much we paid for cruising with Celebrity before the introduction of the 123 Promo, and how much we are paying for cruises with the 123 Promo. YMMV.

I understand your concern but I tried to raise my children to be accountable to themselves. By college, I was ready to cut the strings and have them steer their own ships. One was already grounded and mature and the other learned quick, and big time. By the time he was a sophomore, a major light bulb moment hit and he figured it all out all on his own. Now both are hugely successful and very gainfully employed. I was always available for advice though. It can be a big hold your breath decision to let go.

 

I'd just like to congratulate you on your polite and dignified response.

 

And as was already said BRAVO !!

Some years ago on a Princess cruise DW and I together with maybe another 10 people were enjoying the sun the wake of the ship at sea from a deck on the aft. A woman came along with a guitar and began to play. It completely destroyed the ambiance

 

I thought it was somewhat arrogant that she would just assume we would all enjoy her playing for us and interjecting her wants into our space.

 

As my frustration mounted to the point where I was about to get up and speak with her, a crew member came along, opened a crew door, and the most magnificent flood imaginable burst onto the deck. Apparently a pipe from the pool one deck up had burst

 

Problem solved, we all left.

Fares for winter 14 night Celebrity cruises in 2015 are high.

 

We booked while on board January 2014 for January 2015. We got $250 OBC the classic drink package and upon transfer to our T.A. the gratuities paid.

 

Since then prices have increased for our 1A stateroom by $700 per person

 

I think it is a matter of supply and demand, obviously these cruises are selling well and Celebrity can and is demanding top price for their product.

 

They don't need to discount their pricing so looking for a bargain may be futile.

Curt, while I don't agree with every opinion you post, I do appreciate your sincere attempts to bring facts and objectivity into the discussions.

 

I look forward to your future posts.

 

 

Also likewise are the posts towards those who really don't see much wrong that we are "cheerleaders" "have blinders on" "opinions don't count since you haven't been sailing with X long enough to know how much it's changed" or "clearly they work for Celebrity".

 

Sometimes when I post clarifications people jump all over me, but it doesn't bother me in the least. Often times a poster may in fact actually be wrong, or misinformed or it may be a variance due to timing of service or ship to ship or itinerary to itinerary variances.

 

I had one poster in another thread post that there was nothing at all but DJ music at the pool on a Summit sailing, and they had done away with all the live music, so I posted the complete pool music schedule, that was half and half DJ and live music, they just happened to be onshore during live music, or at a show when the live music was playing the one night late. So although their perception based on their experiences was correct that they saw no live music at the pool, the reality was there was in fact live music at the pool, just apparently not when they were there.

 

I've read threads that "the harpists have all been removed" yet on my TA there was a harpist a some nights I saw passing thru Ensemble lounge. I read that they have cut activities in half, yet when I compare my Celebrity Today from April 2013 to April 2014 on the Eclipse TA, I find them to be fairly much exactly the same, certainly not cut in half by a long shot - though I did notice the guest talent show was missing, they still did the guest choir.

 

Another poster said there was no salad dressing for the salad bar at the new buffet..does that really make any sense? I know I saw 4 salad dressing dispensers immediately adjacent to the salad bar fix ins, and just can not fathom for one moment that a buffet would but out a whole salad bar spread, and then not put out any dressings....I could fathom that they had set the salad bar up and were still setting it up and it was simply due to the moment in time when the dressing cart had not yet come out and the salad bar was still being opened or was just being broken own at the end of a service, but that there would be no salad dressing at the salad bar, come on....

 

So I find it best to present BOTH sides to discussions, so those new to celebrity researching can get more details in order to make their educated assessment of what the reality is. If that labels me a "cheerleader" then

• Give me a C
  
• give me an E
  
• give me an L
  
• give me another E
  
• give me a B
  
• give me an R
  
• give me an I
  
• give me a T
  
• give me a Y!
  

:D

We share your pain also being from the "Peg"

 

In addition to the options suggested have you looked at Sun Wing or Air Transit?

 

Have you looked at the cruise air option offered by the cruise company which might be an alternative?

 

Good luck, airfare from Canada has always been robbery with violence and it is only getting worse.

I have no problem at all reading negative reports, and get value from people telling of what happened and suggestions from themselves or others on what they did or could have done to fix the problem.

Where I loose interest in Cruise Critic, and why I no longer recommend Cruise Critic to people, is often CC becomes a forum for debate. We too often see the same people post on the same thread time and time again with their opinion, arguing their position is correct....marginalizing those who don't share their opinion ......why do this? Take a look at some of the recent Threads on hot button topics, and you'll see the same poster often posts 10-15-20% of the posts on the thread.

I give credibility to people who post their opinion once, and move on. Posting multiple times on the same subject won't make your opinion any more valid, won't make anyone else's less valid, and in fact only makes the multiple poster look desperate, and often a little silly.

The arguing, the bickering, the belittling comments, only serve to hurt the Cruise Critic Community, and turn away people who come here to learn and share with others how to make their cruise experience better.

I suggest if anyone is thinking a cruise ship medical centre can provide Level 1 Trauma Support they are mistaken.

 

I equate the medical care on a ship to that available in most small isolated communities with a population of 3,000 people. Basic support pending removal is the best I would expect.

 

FWIW, and just my opinion but anyone with a serious chronic condition embarking on a T.A or T.P cruise knowing advanced support is days away is not only risking their own life but the lives of the rescue people who would try and help in an evacuation situation.

What could possibly go wrong?

 

A 15 year old girl...........alone on a ship with "friends" only known for a few days, in a foreign country................

 

I suppose if one understands the risks and accepts the consequences then the choice is theirs.