michaeljc70

7 hours ago, Guppy99 said:

The policy clearly says it may take up to 90 days. You agreed when you booked your cruise....so don't complain.  You are not returning a tshirt here. The process is far more complicated.

Actually...it doesn't!!!

"The future cruise certificate will be issued to you within 30 days. By requesting a Cruise with Confidence FCC"

https://www.celebritycruises.com/travel-alert/frequently-asked-questions

33 minutes ago, mfs2k said:

Have you seen in the news how other cruise lines are going bankrupt?

Celebrity needs to hold your cash (and everyone else’s cash in your “boat”) to operate. Cash flow is critical for sure for all cruise lines. They need deposits and final payments to pay for ships, operating costs and payroll and if they can stretch refunds for 60-90 days they will. 

Royal Caribbean is a publicly traded company with a market cap of over $18 billion dollars! 

4 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

You have the option to cancel up until 48 hours before departure under the Sail With Confidence Program.   If the changes are enough to ruin your vacation I would take that option and change your cruise to one that suites you expectations better.    The program was put in place to help mitigate ports changing due to situations not under Celebrity's Control.  

You probably missed most of the 40+ posts. I cancelled using the guidelines. I have until the end of the year to use my credit I haven't gotten yet even though I cancelled 2 months ago.  That doesn't leave much of a window for people that have jobs and lives to make plans.  

Sorry, but people that took a chance during the pandemic and have sailed with Celebrity for 25+ years shouldn't have to jump through so many hoops.  I have been a very happy Celebrity customer for 25+  years until now.   This shouldn't be that complicated. When I paid them...it didn't take 75 days for them to charge me.....  This is 2022.  When I make a return to Walmart,  a less than luxury company, I get a credit in few days.....

I am surprised at the excuses being made.  Must be Stockholm Syndrome or Celebrity employees....I just want some fairness.  I don't think I am being very demanding expecting to use my own money in a timely manner....

My pessimistic guess is...they are hoping for cruise bookings to surge after the pandemic and your credit to be worth much less....

As an update....it has been 6 weeks and I still haven't received my cruise credit.  I frankly cannot imagine why it takes this long.  It is 2022....computers????  Do they use a teletype and filing cabinet?

FYI...I just found that you can cancel directly with Celebrity rather than your TA:

https://cancellation.celebritycruises.com/?brand=C

I thought it had to be done through the travel agent. 

39 minutes ago, moeson said:

I canceled on 1/4 and am still waiting for air fare and port fee refunds. I've confirmed the cancelation, but the cruise still shows in my Celebrity account too.

I uninstalled the Celebrity app the other day as I was getting a ton of notifications like I was on the ship for safety things, embarkation, etc.  

From Celebrity's website:

• FCCs must be used by April 30, 2022, on sailings departing on or before December 31, 2022, or one year from the original sailing date, whichever is later.

So, assuming it takes a month or two to get my credit, that doesn't leave much time if I am reading this correctly.  It must be booked by 4/30/22.  I cancelled in January and might not get the credit until March.....

Does anyone know how this credit works?  If I booked with person X, do I need to use it with person X?  I paid for the whole thing myself.

Celebrity just cancelled 29 cruises on the Infinity moving them from Europe to the Caribbean. I'm surprised they didn't just say instead of Barcelona, you'll be going to the Bahamas...instead of Portugal you'll be going to Port Au Prince....instead of Rome you'll be going to Roatan......

My travel agent said it could take 75 days for the credit to show up.....so I guess I won't be booking anything soon.  Unless this is just worst case scenario.   Anyone know how long it typically takes?

My cruise is still showing on my Celebrity account even though the travel agent said she canceled 4 days ago.  Should I be alarmed?  I would think this is all electronic and fast.....

7 minutes ago, SbbquilterUT said:

Sorry you have had to make this choice.  We are sailing next week on the Constellation - always knew we would not go to Grand Cayman so that was not an issue for us.  I am disappointed that we will not see Cartagena but understand their government has made a decision that protects their citizens.  While Belize was never on our radar, reading about the Mayan ruins has given us options to consider.  I am still so looking forward to being back on the water.  Less excited about our travel days to/from Tampa.  

That is the cruise we were on.   We were really interested in the overnight in Cartagena.  Though Grand Cayman is not terribly exciting, their port in Honduras is less than desirable to me.  That combined with the thought of being quarantined if you get Covid pushed us over the line.  There are also being changes made to entertainment, food, activities, etc. on ships that get outbreaks (and probably ships that don't).    

We cruised in November on the Edge without issue.  We look forward to cruising again when things are less volatile which I think will not be that far off. 

7 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

Sorry for the issue..very understandable these days..the ship is my nirvana. Really nothing new to see here…if your cruising for a specific port, don’t, fly there instead, land vacay. 

Having to switch ports is understandable.  I won't argue that.  But how much can you change  a cruise to where it isn't what you bought?   I am not arguing they shouldn't have changed the ports they probably had no choice in.  I am arguing they should give a refund and not a credit.  

2 hours ago, jwlane said:

Sorry you're disappointed, but the vast majority reading these posts are not surprised at all.  It is what it is, these days.

I've been on a lot of cruises over the last 25 years.  Of course there have been small changes due to weather, unrest, strikes or whatever.  I do feel if 1/2 of the itinerary changes that is something different.  I'll deal with it, but I think when loyal customers take a chance in the middle of a pandemic and you cannot offer close to what they bought, you should get a refund.  

We cancelled our cruise leaving next Monday.  They changed 2 ports to 2 different ports (and added a sea day since one port was an overnight port) that we have no interest in.  As I understand it, we only get a future cruise credit.  Is that correct?   Essentially, half the ports were changed so I'm not real happy if that is true.  Not that we won't use the credit ever....but it was booked with a friend that has a hard time taking time off work.  

Sorry about your issue. I met someone on the Apex last month that booked an Aqua Class room because they use the AquaSpa  a lot. They were upgraded to Retreat....which meant they had to pay for the AquaSpa that was included with their booked room.  

Thanks for the responses. It is annoying you have to call to get the discount.  It is also annoying it seems you cannot use an OBC unless you wait to upgrade on board.   I'll probably just upgrade online.

In the past I've seen a discount (I believe 20%) for purchasing the drink package in advance.  Does anyone know if they still do that and if it also includes upgrading your drink package?  My cruise is at the end of January and online it shows $12/day + 20% gratuity to upgrade.  

On 10/17/2021 at 5:06 PM, BoozinCroozin said:

Yes, but you are cutting it close if something is wrong. Some tests come without fluid in the dropper, you could get an invalid result, you could disconnect on the test. I would be sure to have 1 extra per person of you are depending on it. I would not travel without negative tests first regardless.

I agree.  I plan on taking the test 2 days before in case I need a retest.  

Since we will be in Flroida for 3 days before getting on our Celebrity cruise, getting tested where we live isn't an option.  The Abbott Binax NOW COVID 19 Antigen card home test is $70 for 2 and done by yourself and monitored via a laptop/phone camera.  We will be staying in the Las Olas area of FLL and won't have a car.  It seems the home test is the most convenient and cost effective option, but if anyone knows of a better option......

I know this thread is old, but I was googling this exact thing as I was just on a Caribbean cruise.  The places we went,  rentals were $40-$50 a day for 2 chairs and an umbrella. I thought it was on the expensive side. I hate laying on a beach towel for more than an hour.   If you have 4+ ports, this can add up.  I really don't want to carry anything bulky, but I did see someone with a chair that disassembled into a bag in FL.  It was not a lounger though.  

I was able to upgrade for my last two Celebrity Cruises online.  I waited until there was a sale and got 20% off. I was notified of the sale via email.  My next Celebrity cruise is in November and I will try and wait for a sale.  If not, I will do it a few days before the cruise (I think they lock you out of changes 3 days or so before the cruise).  

32 minutes ago, jkgourmet said:

 

Again, I don't agree with what you are saying. I agree inside cabins get no perks.  OV cabins get the choice of one or two perks, depending on the promotion.   Our big online travel agency throws in the gratuities on Celebrity, which means we get classic alcohol, grantuties and $300+ OBC when we sail Celebrity.   This has been the case with the last three X cruises we've booked with them.

 

The rules of this forum do not allow me to tell you the name of the online agency.  You might want to review some of my other posts.  Maybe some of them on the various roll calls include an email address. . .

 

(No we are not Elite - our fifth X cruise in April will get us to Elite.  Because we book inside and OV cabins, the points come very slowly.  45+ days so far and all we get is a free gelato.)

 

PS - I've always found that cruises that include Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Eve are MORE expensive than the surrounding dates.

I am not sure what you don't agree with as what you said in a prior post lines up with what I said. I was speaking generically and not specifically about Celebrity. 

I don't know that the Thanksgiving thing applies as much to cruises originating in Europe since it is a US holiday.

I am Select, but for some cruises I saw I only got one point in the past. I am not sure why.  I have 196 points. These all show 1 or 2 points: 

10 minutes ago, jkgourmet said:

 

It's possible that you are subscribed to different emails/companies than I am.  Except for the "trips I'm not interested in" part, I don't have those issues with what I receive.  Yes, I do have to read the small print, but after the first few times, the "free" deals are pretty much the same, over and over, when offered. 

 

BTW, I've yet to find a mass market cruise line where you can get a alcohol drink package AND gratuities included  except on Celebrity, regardless of the promotion.   That some OBC is thrown in is just icing on the cake. 

I think getting multiple perks (besides OBC) is pretty rare on Oceanview or Inside cabins. Usually when I see multiple perks (pick your perks) you have to buy a more expensive balcony or suite.  I am sure it is all vacancy driven.  I believe (though I am guessing) my cruise had less demand because it came back the day after Thanksgiving.  Since most of the guests weren't American,  maybe demand from Americans was low on this cruise compared to other European cruises I've taken.

Do you have any companies email lists that you would recommend? 

4 minutes ago, Barwick Cruiser said:

Thank you Michael...that's $3 over the Classic limit so two glasses and the upgrade will pay for itself.  I don't have to stick with VM, any NZ Sauvignon will do lol!  My husband likes the craft and more upgraded beers as well as Crown Royal so I think it'll def pay for him to upgrade as well.  Hope you had a good cruise, what ship and itinerary was it?

Cathy

It was a 13 day Mediterranean/Adriatic itinerary.  I went mostly to see Dubrovnik. It was a great trip.  

If you like Red Bull, martinis, certain cordials/after dinner drinks and better wines the premium pkg is worth it IMO.  The one Pinot Noir I drank at dinner mostly was $14 a glass (Cherry Pie).  If you are you very light drinker, then it is probably cheaper to just pay the difference.  Personally, it was nice never having to sign for any drinks and deal with that knowing it was all prepaid.   In the dining room and bars once they know you and what you drink, with the premium pkg they will just keep filling your glass of wine and not even ask for your card. 

Though the trip was great and there were many positives, a few negatives did stick out (I've been on about 15 cruises, mostly Celebrity):  more nickel and diming (pay to stay on boat on last day, shuttles that used to be free, etc.) ,   small food portions in main dining room (not a big thing since you can order as many as you want, but still- and I'll add I am not expecting chain restaurant type portions) and  dining room service was fairly poor.  The other thing was Red bull is included in the premium pkg and at many bars they didn't have it or had to go get it and it took forever. Instead of bringing 6 cans or whatever they would bring 1 and next time it was the same story. 

What ship/itinerary are you going on?

4 hours ago, jkgourmet said:

Get on the mailing list for email from a couple of big online Travel Agents.  You'll find out about the sales and perks offered easily.  We've decided our last 3 cruises this way.  ALWAYS have to have the alcohol package.

I do get a bunch of those emails. Most are for trips I'm not interested in, are too far out or the promotions are vague ("Free X for certain categories").

20 hours ago, rose6 said:

If you want to benefit from finding a good deal you have to do your own research.  Continue to search for itineraries  that interest you. The perks often fluctuate from promotion to promotion.  There are also seasonal deals that you can find in the cruise critic news listings.  The deal you got on your last cruise seems more generous that what I have recently  seen on offer.  How long ago did you actually book that one?

 

I booked it an January, so around 10 months in advance.