pete_coach

I'm able to almost sort of read the ad posted by Pete, and indeed it does read "inclusive of all taxes fees and port charges". It's fuzzy but it can be read.

 

But then as Curt has suggested there is also a blurb on the last line fuzzy though it is, and it appears to read".........errors, inaccuracies or omissions, and to change or update fares, fees..........."

 

So, I'd suggest that while the ad does in part read, "inclusive of taxes, fees, port charges", it also goes on to say that they are not responsible for errors inaccuracies.

 

Pete, sad to say I don't think you have a case given the disclaimer also in the ad, but that's just my opinion. If you sit down and read the whole ad, and focus on the very last line, what do you think ?

Yes, I realize the rider in the fine print (as there always is) but, as this rider was in the original and was pointed out to them and, the advertisement never changed.

Companies I have dealt with will honor errors their ads until they are changed, this does not seem the case as they ad is not yet changed.

You may be correct that I will get nowhere but it has become more than just accepting their adamant no. They have admitted that I am correct and that I should get a correction in my booking confirmation but also that no one there has the authority to do anything about it. Hence, I asked for a higher level to bring this to.

I did email Concerns@Celebrity as was suggested so hopefully resolution favorable to all will come about.

I am just being stubborn now.

Anyway, I hope you are wrong and I get resolution :)

Thanks. Can't read these, but doing a lookup on the phone number, it is a real Celebrity ad.

 

Theres a LOT of fine print there not just "inclusive of taxes, fees and port charges"....When I find it on the X website (I was able to locate the 2016 sailings now) the fine print has this as part of the language, I have to assume it's in the newspaper somehow too:

 

 

 

The X site also has "cruise taxes and fees", not "all taxes and fees".

 

Let us know how the Celebrity Rep comes back to you on this.

Yeah, sorry about the size. when I email it it is good but for some reason when I attached it the photo seems to have shrunk?

You are correct, there is a lot of fine print (as always LOL) but, you will have to take my word for it, it does not address anything pertinent to my issue. he remaining fine print speaks of 3rd and 4th person, sailings, drink packages cost etc.

As I said abut the Celebrity website. It was changed after I started to speak to the agents and managers. The website that is up now is quite different than it was pre 26 or 27 July.

Here are the 08 August Newspaper advertisement from Celebrity. The full page and a close up of the fine print that states "inclusive of taxes, fees and port charges"

Hi there,

 

As someone else suggested, can you please email us at concerns@celebrity.com. Additionally, if you could attach a scan of the advertisement, that will also be helpful. Thanks!

Thank you very much for your reply. I am certainly impressed someone from Celebrity is monitoring these forums, Thanks again.

I have sent a photo of the advertisement to the service agent already, twice. A 25 July version and the 08 August version.

If I send an email to the address you give, will I not just be talking to the same person that I have been pushed up to by the lower level agents I have spoken to? The last person I spoke to said she was the top of the ladder at the number I have been calling.

If someone can guide me how to add the photos here, I will gladly post them.

My first thought was those Canadian package's but those were only for sailings Feb to April of this year, I haven't been able to find them yet publicized for 2016 or 2017, they may exist, I just couldn't find them.

 

I also note the link to the 2015 sailings has wording "Onboard gratuities and taxes" as covered, says nothing about hotel and other taxes, just the onboard taxes.

 

Would be helpful if OP could post a link to the current site he's getting info from, or the newspaper ad in its entirety.

I cannot help that you cannot find the advertisements and WpgCruise is correct it is the "All Inclusive packages Celebrity is offering from selected Canadian cities".

The advertisements are Celebrity advertisement in my local newspaper travel section for sailing in 2016. I have 3 copies of the advertisements (20 June, 25 July and 8 August 2015, all with the identical offering). I have even emailed photos of them to the Celebrity agent I was dealing with and they still said they will not honor the statement. I don't know how to post photos here or I would post them.

I have told you exactly what the fine print states, "inclusive of taxes, fees and port charges". I am not staying in a hotel and there is no mention of hotels in the ad.

I have no idea what is offered for 2015 as I am not interested in that. The advertisement I am referring to states "Offer valid for departures between Jan 30 to April 2 2016"

Also, as I mentioned, Celebrity took down their website of those offerings a few days after I called and started asking for a refund and when the site came back up, it was different. It now only states inclusive of taxes and fees bit no longer mentions port charges. The newspaper advertisements still mention port fees.

The actual amount is $641.50 and now Celebrity tells me that taxes and fees are included but port charges are $320.75 per passenger.

Lastly, we have been on Celebrity before (3 cruises) and love the cruise lines and ships so I am not just bashing them.

Hi, and sorry if this is not the proper venue.

I have an issue with Celebrity billing. I booked an all inclusive vacation package that, on the newspaper advertisement (in the fine print on the bottom of the page) stated "inclusive of taxes, fees and port charges". When I received my booking confirmation I was charged $630 for taxes, fees and port charges. I called the agents and they were apologetic and agreed that it should not be there but could not do anything about it but they would give me a $100 on board credit. At the time, even their website stated "inclusive of taxes fees and port charges".

Surprisingly, the website went down for that package the following week and the statement was removed. The newspaper ad that made us book was on 20 June 2015. The advertisement was still the same on 25 July as well as just this past weekend.

I have been sent up the ladder at the office and no one will do anything about it.

The issue I have is that I am at a dead end. The last person I spoke with said they will not bring it up higher and will not provide me with a contact higher up in the organization to plead my case.

Do any of you faithful Celebrity cruisers know of whom I can contact?

Well, I'm not as negative about it as Pete Coach. ... We had to walk about one mile from the bus parking to the ruins on level ground. ......... Also, I got about halfway up the pyramid (or less) and started thinking about all the injuries I could sustain on the way back down. ....

 

........ When we were loading back up on the bus after lunch, they said that we had to hurry because they were holding the ferry for us, and it was the last ferry that would get you back to the ship in time.

Sorry you felt I was negative. I just explained what it was like on our tour, in our bus and my opinion of the lunch in the cavern restaurant.

we had 3 bus loads of people at the ruins.

I agree that the walk is abut a mile or so but it is somewhat uphill and the ground is not really even. There are lots of rocks and roots on the path. On a hot, humid day, it is a chore. I am fairly active but I saw many that had problems (and did not want to pay for the bike ride) and that delayed our departure.

One thing also is that you leave the ship early and lunch does not happen till about 2 PM (+ or -). There was some grumbling from some folks that they were quite hungry.

We were also rushed back to the dock because the ferry was waiting for us. Gotta rush through Playa del Carmen shopping district to the ferry. If you do want a few minutes to pick up a souvenir in Cozumel or Playa del Carmen, this is not the tour to take.

Anyway, this was intended to inform and many folks really thought it was just an easy day and stroll in the woods.

We took the Celebrity tour to Coba in February.

It is a very long day. It is a 45 minute boat ride to and from Cozumel, the water was a bit rough and many people were...well,.... not well LOL.

The bus was not what I would call a highway cruiser, a bit worn out. Our guide was much more interested in talking about the corn tortilla we were going to get later that day than a bit of Mayan history. Our bad luck I guess.

The very long bus ride takes you to a parking lot. There is a significant hike on uneven path to the Pyramid. The Pyramid is at the very end. The "walk" up the Pyramid is more of a mountain climb than a walk. It is very steep up somewhat uneven stone blocks. People going up and down everywhere and many trying to hold on to the rope in the center. Many coming down on their bums. You don't have much time there either as it took so long to get there. (there are bikes you can rent and there are guys with little bike rides you can take to and from the Pyramid, 5 US $ each way)

The lunch is, in my opinion, not vet good at all and the performance is not what I expected of Mayan dancers, it could have been in Hawaii or Fiji or anywhere. There was no or very little explanation of the meaning of the dance, just drumming and screaming and a few pyrotechnics.

Tulum is closer and not such a long day.

I was interested to see it but unimpressed with the tour.

Oh yeah, there are mosquitoes.

Kudos WonderMan3. Great review.

Pretty well sums up our experiences even though we did different tours. I must say we did an airboat ride in Belize and it was really a good time.

In the Caymans, I think the fact that there were 6 or 7 other ships in port contributed to an overcrowded little island LOL.

The one thing that will bug me for a long time is the stripping of the cabins. I think they started their "changeover" 4 days too soon and stripped the cabins of pillows and bedskirts and such, even the pen and paper pad. It was really not what I expected. I mentioned in another post that I felt like I checked into a superior Hilton hotel and checked out of a Motel 6 while staying in the same room. I really felt like they thought I was going to steal anything that was not bolted down.

I think that if you get there on a cruise, the ship has your passport and won't give it to you.

Appreciate, Peter, the comments, suggestions and ideas/potentials. I didn't know that we could re-size things through the Photobucket website. I will check it out.

 

My/our challenge/question is multilevel. ...... Cruise Critic Editor In Chief Carolyn Spencer Brown has been very supportive and even asked and borrowed a few of my pictures to use to illustrate a trip she was doing along the Norway coast.......

 

THANKS for the interest and ideas! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

.....QUOTE]

Never said your pictures are not nice. Many people take nice pictures too and then put a link to those pictures in their post. That is really good.

I am glad for you that some official at Cruse Critic person wants to use you photo, I am sure others have contributed as well.

More to the point, I am active on a number of forums and they also have people that post photos. Those forums have asked that the photos be of a specific size, (400X600 or 600X800) and limited them as such because the storage room on their servers was being filled up with huge photoo data. They have also asked posters that quote posts witrh photos to delete the photos of the text they are quoting, again because the servers are filling up fast with extrraneous data. You can imagine how a site like this accumulates data. Cruise Critc would be well served by saving space and money if they restricted the size of the posted images.

All that to say, for a post, a smaller photo still fits well, is still crisp and, takes up considerably less screen size, not to mention server space. A 600X800 pixel image will print an 8 X 10 inch photo very nice and sharp. It does not need to be any higher unless you intend to make wall sized posters.....and if that is wanted, they can always ask you to e-mail a higher resolution photo to them.

Yes, great info and super good graphics by mathgeek1978 to show how to do this helpful sharing process. ....... can look at this 1000 width of the picture.

.......

.......

Terry in Ohio

........

....

No disrespect Terry but all your posts contain a large photo.

The 1000 pixel wide is why I suggested 800 by 600 pixel photo being max. A large photo makes the textbox wider to accommodate the photo and is larger than many/most laptop/tablet screens and then you have to scroll. It can also affect the entire page.

There are many free programs out there to re-size your photos to upload to Photobucket or Shutterfly. Just Google"free photo resizer".

Nice photos by the way, we took the same cruise and have almost the same photos LOL.

Great info.

I cannot emphasize the importance of re-sizing the photo to 800 X 600 or less. You all know how annoying it is when a posted photo is so large it has stretched the text box beyond the page and you need to scroll to see it and the text.

Thanks for all the info folks.

I guess I am in a bit of a dilemma. We have never been on a Caribbean cruise nor have we been to the Caribbean before so for us, it is mostly a sightseeing cruise.

If Colon is not worth it, what about Panama City? Is it worth taking a tour to Panama City and do a walkabout there? I am surmising that the bus ride to Panama city will take a route similar to the train and we will see the same thing along the way?

Has anyone done the Panama Canal Railroad Journey by Dome Car & Bus (CO23)? We are taking the 11 day Equinox cruise and thought this would be a nice way of seeing the Canal. it seems to be a train ride to Panama City (Balboa) and a bus ride back to Colon.

My question is, do you get any time in Panama City at all. It is not clear in the description. I would like to see both Colon and Panama City.

Thanks

A typical lunch can cost as little as 5 euros or...it can really be an Italian lunch lasting over an hour and a half or two and costing 50 euros per person.

The real key to your lunch, especially with RomeinLimo is to email them and ask them about lunch, where they could take you and about how much you wish to spend (say, 20 euros per person including drinks).

Our driver/guide took us to his neighborhood restaurant and had the owner prepare a "tasting" lunch for 20 euros each and it was wonderful. We had a little bite of many things, family style. Oh, there were 6 of us and it took 1 1/2 hrs.

Communicating your wishes and desires with RomeinLimo is the key. They always respond to you emails and will gladly make suggestions. They are great folks and will do whatever you want to make your day a memorable one.

I am a proponents of the Ho Ho buses. I have found in my travels that the Ho Ho buses are a very good introduction to the cities we visit. In a few hours, we get an overview of the city and its geography. We get a sense of distances between sights and can even make decisions if there are some sights not worth going to. We took it in Rome and it was nice to see everything in a short period. It made our planning for the time we were there easier.

That will really rub some people on this forum the wrong way but I do think it is worth the few hours time and few Euros money.

Anyway here is a site that may help pick one of the HoHo services for you.

http://www.rometoolkit.com/whattodo/rome_hop_on_tour_bus.htm

I also found Ron in Rome a great sight with tons of info and insight.

***************************/ or roninrome dot com if the website gets starred out.

I am not sure how I missed this one. Thanks for posting.

 

What do you mean by you took the premium? The "build your own"?

 

Is it unlimited? It looks like you can use at all the bars as well?

 

Thanks.

We took the premium drink package which includes wine. It worked out to about $50 per day. Seems like a lot but at $12 per drink for some wines and cognacs, it adds up quick. It also includes all beers and soft drinks etc. For us, it was right.

The wine packages prices are posted http://www.celebritycruises.com/onboard/tabLanding.do?pagename=onboard_beverage_packages#onboard_beverage_packages_wine_tab/onboard/asrPanel.do%3Fpagename=onboard_beverage_packages_wine&ComponentTypeId=13&categoryId=&currencyCode=USD

What is a decent price is up to you and what you choose. The prices are fixed by the choice you make.

We took the premium package and were very happy with the drinks and wine selection. We were able to choose several different types of wines by the glass during dinners instead of ordering a bottle.

Deck - Resort Deck

Cabin # -2146

Class – S1 Corner Suite

Starboard or Port Side - Starboard

Bed near?(balcony or bath) – middle

Quiet Cabin (With comments on problems. Note if connecting. ) – Cabin is under Oceanview Cafe and only when the next day was a sea day there would be slight table and chair noise later in the evening but nothing to keep you awake.

Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. – Fabulous aft and side view. A huge balcony that wraps around the side. Also. there is a big round porthole window in the cabin.

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? - Very big, biggest on the ship i think.

Was wind a problem? no

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? Not at all.

Any specific problems with this cabin? None

Any other comments? Great cabin, especially if offered as an upgrade and you did not have to pay the rate LOL.

I can agree with the recommendations for Chez Fonfon. The food was spectacular and the service impeccable. Their signature dish is the bouillabaisse and they serve it as if it was the "only" thing on their menu. All the fish brought to your table and then assembled in your plate. A great meal and a fabulous memory. It is a small place and if you can get a window table it will be that more special.

No questions just kudos.

I thank you very much for the day by day descriptions and photos. We are on the same cruise in September and you took a lot of unknowns away and it now allows me to solidify our plans.

Again, well done and, a very large thank you.

Are you coming straight from the airport to the port and on the ship or, are you arriving the day before? If you need a hotel, I suggest the San Georgio, a few meters from the port entrance and it has a wonderful wine cellar from which you can buy a few bottles.

If going directly to the ship, how are you getting there? Private cab? He can stop at an enoteca or even a grocery store and you can pick up a bottle or two. Civitavecchia is a large town and has lots of places to buy wine.

Pete- Do you remember how much they charged for the Cellar Masters tasting?

 

Wine-O- I know exactly what you are saying. Having taught many wine classes over the years I tell people never to judge wines by price. Wine is one of the few commodities that has a price based simply on "what will the market pay" rather the cost of production, or proven quality.:rolleyes:I prided myself on finding wines for my customers that were of high quality in relation to their price whether it be $10/bottle, or $30/bottle. I can find plenty of $100 winners (and losers), there's no excitement in that.:rolleyes:

 

I've asked about the Celebrity tastings to determine if they are worth it, even if you already have a premium liquor/wine package. The interaction of a good tasting is worth it. I actually was embarassed at a wine tasting on a Carnival cruise as I heard the "trainer" giving misinformation to 50 people.:(

 

Thanks to everyone who has already responded on this thread.:)

I believe that it cost something like $42 or $47 per person. (we are very certain we got our moneys worth LOL).

In retrospect, it was more a "do it yourself" guzzle as opposed to a guided tasting by a sommelier. There were full descriptions and vinyard history if you chose to stand and listen. It was an afternoon interlude and we enjoyed ourselves. :)

We did one at Cellar Masters on Solstice during a Mediterranean cruise last year. We were 3 couples and we had a great time.

There were about 6 or 7 Countries represented and about a dozen wines. Each Country had a sommelier (or server) which described the wines and gave information. They gave us a "score" sheet to mark your impressions of the wines your were tasting. It was interesting to note that the score sheets had all sorts of numbers and profound statements for the first 5 or 6 wines and then the comments resorted to just happy faces LOL.

It was a fun afternoon (we made it last that long LOL).