Mark_UK

Just been back and forth on the phone with the travel agent and Celebrity and we got them re-booked for the 16th!! They had their fast track passport appointment today and have been told the replacements should arrive by Monday at the latest.

No the police didn't really care from what I've heard. They took a statement and just gave them a slip of paper.

I tried that but they said it's too close to sailing. Payment needs to be in full.

Most definitely! I had been hoping to get lots of tips from their trip so haven't done much planning for it. Best get on it! No update from today so far, still waiting to hear from Celebrity. Only 2 inside cabins left 😬🫣

Good to know, thanks. My parents had a policy with StaySure (pretty poor coverage in hindsight). I am with Nationwide so very useful to know, I must admit I assumed it would be covered.

No seems not, as part of the online application for a new one they just automatically cancel your old one. Assume there must be a central database.

I hope so too! I am actually also on the 16th sailing so would be great to have them sail with us. We wanted to sail together but my partner couldn't get the leave during September so we booked separately. Having them sail with us feels like it would make up for it all, even if they have to downgrade and pay a bit more.

Thanks, the travel agent tried their hardest but was getting nowhere really. It was only when I contacted the executive office that we actually had some sort of positive interaction. I may point this post out to them and highlight this would be a good PR win!

Thanks for your thoughts. My parents got home on Wednesday and still feel quite down. We had to uninstall the Celebrity app as it was sending them notifications about where they would otherwise be on each day. They are going for an appointment to get a fast-track replacement passport tomorrow. Their insurance have sadly stated in writing that they won't cover the cost of cruise, so we're hoping that Celebrity will issue a credit as a goodwill gesture that they can use for the identical 16th sailing. Celebrity are saying they need confirmation from the ship that they didn't board which seems to be taking a while. Annoyingly prices have also gone way up and not that many cabins left so it's all a bit nail biting. They were originally booked into a Veranda which are now close to £5000 ($6000) and the credit will probably be worth about £3300 if all goes well.

Not sure how it works in the US, but for Brits emergency docs are issued via an online form now. No need for previous passport details, copies, etc. https://www.gov.uk/travel-urgently-from-abroad-without-uk-passport/how-to-apply

Yeah I had the same thought and we hoped a simple transfer would be possible but seems not. They paid about £2500 I believe, under the old 'all included' package so a fair bit of OBC too. Then £500 on a MoveUp. An equivalent cabin now is close to £4700, with no OBC. But given it wasn't Celebrity's fault certainly can't blame them and this would be better than nothing.

My parents had both a photo and scanned copy of their passports on them - no one would accept it.

Latest is that Celebrity are considering issuing a Future Cruise Credit, I assume to the value of what they paid, should the insurance not payout. They are checking whether this can include the successful MoveUp bid also. Whilst it means they won't make the 16th, if X do go ahead with that then I think it's a very reasonable and much appreciated gesture on their part.

This is their policy re trip disruption. No mention of passports or theft.

They're hoping to hear back from the insurance company today so will find out what the score is.

Nationwide is a bank here in the UK and they have a paid for account which includes travel insurance.

Can confirm it was at a hotel - P&T Athens Manor Houses. Apparently staff called the police when they saw suspicious activity but didn't arrive in time.

Hi there, thanks for the tip - I actually live very near to Woking! We are currently speaking to someone from the execs office who wants confirmation that insurance won't cover it in full. Reading over their policy it's just £500 (with £100 excess deductable) for a disrupted trip even if the insurance do agree. Though sadly stolen passports is not listed as a valid reason for trip disruption. Theft coverage also says it needs to be taken from you, not whilst unattended. Their credit card only covers medical emergency or travel delays. The reason for not being able to use the temporary document is that neither Israel or Egypt accept emergency passports for entry or transit, only exit.

I asked them the same last night. The hotel suspect someone is able to clone the electronic keycards as this has happened a number of times. The CCTV also shows 4 masked men going into the property. This particular hotel has 3 buildings located near eachother, only 1 of which has a reception. Parents were placed in one of the annex buildings.

Thank you. We are waiting to hear still. Having looked at their insurance coverage it seems like the cruise won't be covered, certainly not anywhere near close to the original cost 😕

Hi all, I hadn't meant to spark a big debate - no suggestion here that Celebrity have done anything wrong, apart from being pretty unhelpful when we first contacted the call centres with what felt like an emergency. The cruise they were due on is not full, as of earlier this week there were quite a few empty cabins, including in the category they were sailing in. My parents also paid quite a substantial amount for a non-refundable successful MoveUp bid which they will now no longer use - free money for Celebrity. So they have not used an otherwise probably empty room, will have had no food or use of their all inclusive drinks package or promotional onboard credit worth $800. I therefore don't think it's unreasonable to hope, that as a gesture of goodwill in the unique circumstances, Celebrity would be willing to transfer their booking to an identical sailing in three weeks time, also with empty rooms available, at a reduced cost. Other companies have shown compassion, such as British Airways in getting them home without charging what they could have done. My parents now have their emergency passports and fly home tomorrow. They are expecting to hear a decision from Celebrity once it's confirmed they didn't in fact board, hopefully later this week.

I will do, thank you! Having the ideas and support from you all was a great help as I was feeling rather useless. The Celebrity Execs office reached out to them by email overnight and my dad has sent a heartfelt reply so here's hoping they can work something out for them 🤞

I should also add they have copies of their passports on them which have proven to be of no use at all.

Hi everyone, sorry for not updating. It's been a hectic and tiring day. So they have abandoned the cruise and are collecting an emergency passport in the morning from the British Embassy and then flying home on Wednesday. They will therefore miss Apex when she sails tomorrow and have been advised they can ask for a "no show'" letter once the sailing is over. We are speaking to Celebrity about getting their booking transferred onto the same cruise in 2 weeks in the same category of cabin (ocean view) and identical itinerary, but Celebrity are trying to charge £4000 (~$5000) for that (the original fare was £2500), along with losing their promotional onboard credit. I've emailed the CEOs office to ask if they can help. The passports were in a pouch that they had been wearing all day whilst travelling with cash inside also, which is now missing so quite certain that they have been stolen and not misplaced. The hotel was the well reviewed P&T Athens Manor Houses, which is "outstanding" on Hotels.com but recent reviews on trustpilot mention stolen valuables and passports. The room next door to them had the same thing happen that evening. Seems like an inside job as there was no sign of forced entry. Sigh.

Thank you for this