No priest--canceled cruise--full refund

[sailsalot]

I know, many of you are thinking, oh no, not another thread on this topic! But I thought it was important to let those for whom this issue was important to know that it is possible to get a full refund from Celebrity.

 

After learning of the change in the policy of having priests on board for every sailing, my family canceled their upcoming Feb. cruise and received a full refund, no problems. They spoke to the people in the Resolutions Department, who were very understanding of my family's position that they booked the cruise on Celebrity expecting (based on all the literature put out by Celebrity) that they would be able to have daily and Sunday Mass. When that expectation could no longer be met, after final full payment had already been made, it seemed only reasonable that Celebrity would honor a full refund, and they did.

 

I know many people on this board have their opinions about priests being on board, the need for them during vacation, and the cruise line providing such a service. For our part, it is of utmost importance to continue the observation of our faith's holy sacraments, even while on vacation. As my mother puts it, she hasn't missed Mass in 65 years, and there's no reason to start now. Since we have a choice as to which cruise line to book our cruises, we will choose those that provide the opportunity to observe our faith, which for us means HAL and Cunard (there might be others that I'm not aware of!).

 

I wanted to make sure that others in this predicament were aware of their options, that it IS possible to get a full refund, and that if having Mass is important to you, I truly hope you will consider doing the same. It's the least we can do for our faith. And we do thank Celebrity for being respectful of our position.

 

Happy sailing to all!

[cosaraquis1]

Happy to here everything worked out to your satisfaction. Bless you & your mother for keeping the faith, we need more people like the two of you in the world.

[sbn cruisers]

It would be better to hear that Celebrity makes an effort to have a priest on board, if not for the passengers, then for their crew. We usually cruise HAL for that reason. We also always plan ahead and find local parishes in the ports we'll be visiting in case there is no priest on board. One of the joys about the Catholic church is that it is universal - what a blessing to celebrate with people around the world with one voice and one faith.

[Johnthed0g]

I did wonder that but didn't like to say, don't understand religion.

[History addict]

donaldsc - from my limited knowledge I think you have just outlined one of the major theological differences between Catholics and Protestants ie, the protestant ideology allows for direct communication whereas the Catholic theology requires intercession. However I will plead little expertise here and will not be offended if someone points out my errors.

 

Whilst I am not religious myself and have no position on whether or not there is a priest on board, it is nice to hear a story of a cruise line doing the honourable thing and allowing a full refund when the product offerring changes.

[jrkfrk]

Sailsalot:

While I am not of your faith, I must comment on your post: It is one of the most level, rational, adult postings I have read on this controversial topic. We all have bottom line beliefs that we must hold true to and take responsibility for our choices - I'm very glad that you were able to make that decision without penalities. And here's to Celebrity for making a good corporate choice to refund your money.

Fran

[FinelyCruising]

I am glad for the OP too, but am wary of those who will cite their religion in an attempt to gain a full refund in penalty time. That is why I thought a note from one's church was an appropriate method to obtain this refund. But, that is the cruise line's issue and not mine.:o

[May B]

Count me as somebody who doesn't ever require a priest but who was very disappointed that Celebrity would change its plan to have one on board, after advertising that a priest is on every sailing. I don't mind if Celebrity changes its mind, but I do mind that customers had paid for cruises under one set of circumstances but then were going to be cruising, under a different set.

 

I therefore also applaud Celebrity's refunding your money, and I thank you very much for telling us.

 

Those of us who were not brought up Catholic obviously do not necessarily understand it, despite many posters trying to explain. Also, I personally did not mind the miniscule amount of money Celebrity was spending to allow a priest to occupy one small Deck Two cabin on each sailing and to feed him. I did not think I was "subsidizing" anything.

[markstudy]

My church now has wi-fi, broadcast to the web, and comes with me on my lap-top, if I need to travel.

 

Funny to see the church leave behind the technology of candles and stained glass, and fully embrace the web in the last few years. ;) If you get sick, stay at home and watch church on the web. No more excuses LOL Pretty cool!

[LuAnn]

Sailsalot:

 

While I am not of your faith, I must comment on your post: It is one of the most level, rational, adult postings I have read on this controversial topic. We all have bottom line beliefs that we must hold true to and take responsibility for our choices - I'm very glad that you were able to make that decision without penalities. And here's to Celebrity for making a good corporate choice to refund your money.

 

Fran

 

As Fran said...I am not of your faith, but do find a church in every port we visit to light a candle for my dear parents, who gave me the interest and ability to travel the world. While I take part in religious services when on board during the "holidays" an every day mass, not being a Catholic, is a wonderful addition but not a "must have" ...but for you and your family it is. So it is important that Celebrity honored your decision to change your plans. LuAnn

[nps001]

Markstudy-

 

The one difference in the Catholic faith is that they believe that sacraments must be received at all holy days (this includes Sundays). As part of this, the priest must consecrate bread and wine. Receiving the sacraments can't be done through television or internet.

 

FYI--I am Catholic though not practicing regularly. While I don't have an issue with not having a priest on board, I fully understand those that attend Mass regularly and have not missed it for years.

[usha]

Sailsalot, congratulations on getting Celebrity to refund your cruise fare!

Luckily for us, Lent begins on the first Wednesday of our cruise, so we'll (supposedly:o) have a priest for our sailing, and won't need to cancel.

In the meantime, I do really hope that Celebrity sees the blunder they made in their decision to stop having a priest on each & every cruise, (what a lousy way to save a buck!) and rethinks that dumb move.

[npsh]

Gotta comment on Celebrity’s good corporate understanding as well. We booked a Holy land Cruise with them aboard the new Equinox and upon closer examination felt visits/overnights in Israel and Egypt wasn’t a particular interest of ours so we opted out and selected another cruise line that better meet our desired itinerary of a more European flavor and a trip across the Atlantic. Celebrity gave us a refund.

[zoncom]

Recently cruised by myself on Connie. We had a singles table with Father Pat from rural Penn. What a delightful person. He was bunked on 2 deck with one of staff as cabinmate. He told us he paid his own airfare. So, celebritys cost was minimal. Wonder why they dropped Catholic services?

[fleckle]

In the meantime, I do really hope that Celebrity sees the blunder they made in their decision to stop having a priest on each & every cruise, (what a lousy way to save a buck!) and rethinks that dumb move.

I don't think it is a matter of saving a buck as much as an attempt to eliminate the appearance of favoritism towards one religion.

 

There is no plan (as far as I know) to eliminate the children's programs, which cost far more than having a priest on board. They require space and equipment plus salaries, accommodations and meals for the counselors. All Celebrity passengers pay for them even though the majority do not use them,

[megr1125]

Sailsalot:

 

>snip<It is one of the most level, rational, adult postings I have read on this controversial topic. .... And here's to Celebrity for making a good corporate choice to refund your money.

 

Fran

 

I agree.....thanks for sharing...thanks for your well-put post...

I too was looking at X to be able to attend mass on board..it's hard to even do at home as i am caring for a sick mom and can barely leave the house long enough for mass and to get there...

 

And kudos to X for doing the right thing!

[megr1125]

My church now has wi-fi, broadcast to the web, and comes with me on my lap-top, if I need to travel.

 

Funny to see the church leave behind the technology of candles and stained glass, and fully embrace the web in the last few years. ;) If you get sick, stay at home and watch church on the web. No more excuses LOL Pretty cool!

 

Really??? Interesting! We will put on the Catholic channel that's on our cable...so at least mom feels like she's praying. But I hadn't heard of church on the web til now.

[kitty9]

To the OP, Crystal has a priest, with daily mass, on every one of their cruises.

[davestic]

"In the meantime, I do really hope that Celebrity sees the blunder they made in their decision to stop having a priest on each & every cruise, (what a lousy way to save a buck!) and rethinks that dumb move."

I think it had to do more with fairness than saving a buck.

[Denny01]

To the OP, Crystal has a priest, with daily mass, on every one of their cruises.

 

Wow, at that price, you could pay for your own Priest to cruise with you on Celebrity!

 

Just an idea.

 

Denny

[May B]

You're absolutely right! I remember when I looked into the cost of a Crystal cruise vs. the cost of a Celebrity. Big diff.

[fleckle]

Wow, at that price, you could pay for your own Priest to cruise with you on Celebrity!

 

Just an idea.

 

Denny

Actually a very good idea Denny, whether or not you were serious about it.

 

On the form where we sign up for a cruise, a section can be added where you have the option to request a cleric of your choice aboard (priest, minister, rabbi, mullah, swami, shaman, fill in the blank) for a charge of X dollars per person with the stipulation that one will be provided if a given number of people sign up by a certain date.

 

It would need to be a non-refundable pay-in-advance amount, for obvious reasons, (only refundable if the minimum is not reached or the cruise line is unable to obtain the appropriate cleric). Everyone who signs up will receive a ticket of admission to the services or meetings of that belief.

 

It would then become like any other special interest group aboard ship that funds its own activities and leaders, except for being organized by the cruise line. I am guessing that there would be enough Catholics signing up to fund a priest for just about every cruise. Nobody else would legitimately object since the Catholics would be the only ones paying for him to be there.

 

There would be no claim of favoritism towards any particular faith because the same benefit would be available to any and all. To level the playing field for faiths with smaller followings, there could be an option to fund your religious leader with fewer people if each person agrees to pay more.

 

For example, let's say the lowest price per person for an inside cabin on a particular cruise is $500. The Catholics may have 100 people who pay $5 each to have a priest on board, and another group may have 10 people who pay $50 each to bring their leader, but each group would fund its own leader without subsidies from other passengers.

 

If Celebrity's special needs department does not want to handle it, a travel agency that does group bookings may be interested in administering such a setup in collaboration with the cruise line.

[Dickster1]

I don't think it is a matter of saving a buck as much as an attempt to eliminate the appearance of favoritism towards one religion.

 

There is no plan (as far as I know) to eliminate the children's programs, which cost far more than having a priest on board. They require space and equipment plus salaries, accommodations and meals for the counselors. All Celebrity passengers pay for them even though the majority do not use them,

 

What a ridiculous comparison to make.

 

You do actually pay to have kids on board the ships, and not a great deal less than for an adult despite them invariably being the third person in a cabin.

 

They eat a lot less than the adults, they don't generally watch the shows or take part in any of the demonstartions etc, they can't use the casinos or the bars so, actually, their payments are probably subsidising the adults.

[The_Big_M]

There is no plan (as far as I know) to eliminate the children's programs, which cost far more than having a priest on board. They require space and equipment plus salaries, accommodations and meals for the counselors. All Celebrity passengers pay for them even though the majority do not use them,

 

I don't find the two comparable.

 

Celebrity still gets a decent amount of children on board - having 500+ children in the kids clubs is not uncommon. Were Celebrity to abolish them, they would manage to discourage almost the entirety of their family market from sailing, which would be a massive hit to the coffers. While they're obviously(!) getting some cancellations from this, there really is no comparison.

[kitty9]

Wow, at that price, you could pay for your own Priest to cruise with you on Celebrity!

 

Just an idea.

 

Denny

 

 

LOL, you're right on that. But the OP did make a comment that he/she only knew of a couple of lines that provide priests, and I was just informing that there was certainly another choice.