century 10/13 cruise cancelled in Nice

[cruiseacecat]

I think what saddens me the most are the reports of the mistreatment of the crew. How can anyone possibly hold the crew responsible for this incident. Shame on those who are being abusive.

 

Could I just make a suggestion to the passengers? You are in a situation you were not expecting and I am certain it is extremely distressing. But, most of you are adults and have probably experienced things that did not go as you planned in the past. Please, you are in a beautiful part of the world, most of you have a return flight already booked, go and explore and try to enjoy what is left of your trip. The south of France is a joy, and Barcelona is just a fantastic city. Find a base, rent a car, and have fun.

 

This will be sorted out eventually, and hopefully, fairly, by Celebrity. In the meantime, please do your best to salvage something of your vacation.

 

Good wishes to all of you.

 

Anne :)

[C 2 C]

Find a base, rent a car, and have fun.

 

This will be sorted out eventually, and hopefully, fairly, by Celebrity. In the meantime, please do your best to salvage something of your vacation.

 

Good wishes to all of you.

 

Anne :)

 

You got it. I wonder how many left for Barcelona right away and booked a one week cruise on Constellation which would get back in time for the flight home?... Connie even cruises to Villefranche....

Barcelona, Spain, Nice (Villefranche), France, Genoa, Italy, Florence, Italy, Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy, Naples/Capri, Italy, Barcelona, Spain

[steamboats]

Gunther and Uta,

 

Sorry, but when you read the fine print the cruise line can change the itinerary (prior to the cruise). We had changes even without notice. And you´re not allowed to cancel (at least when it´s only one port).

 

As in Germany (and I assume in all other EU countries for it´s European law) all fees (especially port fees) are included in your cruise fare you don´t get any refunds for a missed port. I´ve had this twice this year and heard the announcements about refunding port fees to the onboard account. Nothing for us (who booked directly with the Frankfurt office). All US passengers did get the port fees back as they have to pay them separately.

 

In the current case Celebrity might be responsible to get you back to the final destination. But if you have booked your own flight (which you had used and will use for returning back home) they might only be responsible for rebooking charges and hotel nights until the first chance to get a flight back home. But that´s it.

 

BTW with the volcanic ash I had two flights which were cancelled last minute by LH (I had checked in online and a print out boarding pass). LH did reimburse the ticket price. I´ve never received any information about changing my boarding pass for a train voucher and I never got back the extra money I had to pay for the last minute train ticket (which was more expensive than the flight). And it was a flight within Germany. Couple of days later I got the information that I could have exchanged my boarding pass for a train voucher - at the airport!! Hey folks, I´m living 25 min from the airport and 25 min from the train station. Both locations are in opposite directions. So obviously LH expected their passengers to go out to the airport, get the train voucher, travel back to the train station, stand in line to exchange the voucher for a train ticket and then - app. 3 hours later - finally start the train ride. That would have made me miss my ship! Of course by 2:30 am (that´s when I received the text message regarding the cancellation of my 8 am flight) the LH phone lines were so busy that we gave up after 45 min.

 

I´m not into European travel law but I´ve studied law and practice it.

 

steamboats

[atlgators]

Just thinking aloud, but if you had all that time off for vacation, why not grab a hotel in Nice and enjoy being in France for a week? Then look at changing your ticket for your original departure day, which would give you a few days so you wouldn't be booking as last minute.

 

I don't understand why an interrupted cruise means you have to take a bus back to Barcelona and fly home immediately? Make lemonade out of lemons and all that jazz...

 

Just to add...don't get me wrong, I'd be upset, but I would refuse to have it totally ruin my vacation. Think in a few years the funny story you'd have.

 

Amen!!!!!! Just what we were saying.

[Scotsnomad]

Hello, My response was regarding insurance in the US. This would be considered an interruption as far as how much $$$ was available from the insurance policy to get one back to the US, pay for hotels, etc. I think Celebrity is responsible to pick up what was not covered by insurance. Of course they are already giving a full refund so legally (in the US) may not be responsible for anything else. If someone paid 10K for the cruise, they are getting 10K back. There is an issue in my opinion regarding the flights especially if one can not change them for $250.00 or used FFmiles. They have to make passengers whole (But part of that they will say that the passengers had a couple of days of the cruise).

 

Btw, I would be interested in your law regarding interruption and missed ports (most of the ports) on a cruise because of a hurricane warning (natural act which never occurred).

 

We were on a Canada/New England cruise from Montreal last month with a lot of Brits and after the first two ports it was announced we were skipping the rest of the ports and heading directly to Boston where we arrived 2 days early. While we left when we got there, passengers were allowed to stay aboard and the cruise seemed more like a hotel. All the pools were closed (and they decided to do maintenance and re-tile) and of course everything else was closed since we were in port. Would your law guarantee a moving ship? Btw, everyone is getting 25% of what they paid to be used for a future cruise. While the cruise line will not guarantee the ports we did not have any substitutes which is what is happening on a number of cruises this season and they are getting the exact same compensation (Western Caribbean cruise on Ryndam turned into Southern itinerary - one port the same and 3 others different, and Veendam Bermuda skipping Bermuda and going to the Bahamas), on our cruise we had no substitute ports as the cruise ended early (so sitting in port) but passengers not booted off until the day the cruise was supposed to end.

 

You cannot use 'force of nature' against the likes of a mechanical. There is no interpretation. In this case its due to mechanical failure what you are throwing in is an 'act of god'

 

The fact that Celebrity acted in good faith in terms of the safety of the passengers during a hurricane warning, its not their fault it didnt arrive.

 

Yes the cruise company have in the small print certain options to change ports, however in this case it didnt have any choice the rudders cause the problems.

[CruisinGerman]

Dear friend:

 

The EU travel laws specifically state that the travel company (in this case the cruise line) cannot write anything into their contracts that would overturn what is stated in the law. I can paste the Spanish version of this, but it probably won't help you.

 

What you are describing is the typical case of the company pretending not to be familiar with the law, ignoring it, etc. However, if you stick to your guns, you will be entitled to get the law enforced.

 

The volcanic ash incident was very confusing as it was unfolding. However, almost all EU airlines have since posted instructions on their websites about what procedures to follow in order to have the airline reimburse your permitted out-of-pocket expenses.

 

In any case, we all know that one thing is what the law says, and another thing is how a company may try to avoid the law. But stick up for your rights -- that is all I am trying to say.

 

Kind regards,

 

Gunther and Uta

[Ontario Cruiser]

If we go to Australia I want to book a cruise that returns to North America such as HAL. We are totally rethinking our Century bookings around Australia in 2012. One-way planning when Celebrity (other cruiselines are similar) seems to have a pattern of abandoning passengers without Celebrity flights is disturbing.

 

I'm hoping to read a post from someone who experienced Millennium's breakdown and cruise cancellations in Australia.

 

This is the second time Celebrity has had bad luck in Villefranche

http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/news.cfm?ID=2123

We as mentioned on page 2 we were one of the couples who were affected by the Millie March 2009 Australia/New Zealand cruise. We were to embark in Auckland and were booked to leave on Air Pacific on the Wed before the Sun departure. We found out about the cancellation on Cruise Critic, as it was Friday March 7th early evening and out TA doesn`t work on weekends. I phoned Celebrity right away and they had set up a special desk to take care of us. I mentioned before full refund, free cruise and $250USD towards Air cancellation. I scrambled for two days cancelling hotels, private excursions and booked the Infinity for the same date March 15th South America repositioning cruise. (There were quite a few who took that option) It was a nightmare but all worked out. We were able to change our air ($500pp fee) to December and we went on the Volendam as Celebrity wasn`t returning to Australia in 2010. The only passengers on board who were affected were the B2B (I don`t think too many) as the ship did arrive in Auckland as scheduled. Our net loss was only $400CDN

I hope that Celebrity changes their minds and give everybody a free cruise option instead of 25% off. We had to complete the free cruise within a year.

Saling on the Summit B2B Feb 26th from San Juan. Lets hope she behaves. Ontario Cruiser

[Scotsnomad]

Gunther and Uta,

 

Sorry, but when you read the fine print the cruise line can change the itinerary (prior to the cruise). We had changes even without notice. And you´re not allowed to cancel (at least when it´s only one port).

 

As in Germany (and I assume in all other EU countries for it´s European law) all fees (especially port fees) are included in your cruise fare you don´t get any refunds for a missed port. I´ve had this twice this year and heard the announcements about refunding port fees to the onboard account. Nothing for us (who booked directly with the Frankfurt office). All US passengers did get the port fees back as they have to pay them separately.

 

In the current case Celebrity might be responsible to get you back to the final destination. But if you have booked your own flight (which you had used and will use for returning back home) they might only be responsible for rebooking charges and hotel nights until the first chance to get a flight back home. But that´s it.

 

BTW with the volcanic ash I had two flights which were cancelled last minute by LH (I had checked in online and a print out boarding pass). LH did reimburse the ticket price. I´ve never received any information about changing my boarding pass for a train voucher and I never got back the extra money I had to pay for the last minute train ticket (which was more expensive than the flight). And it was a flight within Germany. Couple of days later I got the information that I could have exchanged my boarding pass for a train voucher - at the airport!! Hey folks, I´m living 25 min from the airport and 25 min from the train station. Both locations are in opposite directions. So obviously LH expected their passengers to go out to the airport, get the train voucher, travel back to the train station, stand in line to exchange the voucher for a train ticket and then - app. 3 hours later - finally start the train ride. That would have made me miss my ship! Of course by 2:30 am (that´s when I received the text message regarding the cancellation of my 8 am flight) the LH phone lines were so busy that we gave up after 45 min.

 

I´m not into European travel law but I´ve studied law and practice it.

 

steamboats

 

It seems strange that you say you practice law and make rash statements regarding European law. Im sure that you are aware the fact that Spanish, German, English and Scottish law are all different. I agree with the basics to Cruisengermans advice, Celebrity are at the bottom line responsible for all costs, yes hopefully passengers will have insurance to cover any initial outlays however the passenger can claim any additional expenses caused by this problem, i.e. Additional costs not likely to have been expected on the cruise, also any excesses etc. I have to deal with Maritime law all the time.

 

The bottom line is, celebrity caused cancellation of a cruise due to mechanical failure, not through an act of god etc. Any claims should therefore be directed fully towards Celebrity, Celebrity have offered a full refund plus 25 pct which shows they are admitting full liablity. Its now a case of crossing the 't's and dotting the 'i's

 

Rgds:)

[C 2 C]

We found out about the cancellation on Cruise Critic, as it was Friday March 7th early evening and out TA doesn`t work on weekends. I phoned Celebrity right away and they had set up a special desk to take care of us.

 

When our Infinity cruise was cancelled, we also found out about it through Cruise Critic. When Millennium had the mishap here in Villefrance, Cruise critic also knew about it right away due to a poster on board. There is not a more important source of up-to-date information than Cruise Critic thanks to all those who communicate when on board. I think Celebrity Captain's Club is the last to know. :(

[Kokomo91165]

Appalling Behavior

We have disembarked the Century after our ill-fated cruise. As most of you know, the Captain announced that there were problems with the rudders (both) on our ship, and that the cruise has been cancelled.

 

Now, there are two types of people in the world. The first person tries to begin a riot, claiming Celebrity will be hearing from their attorney and that they will never cruise with “this” cruise line again. To make matters worse, they then commence to take out their frustrations on the dining room team, the stateroom attendants, the bar servers, and the front desk. Some of the behavior I have seen – by people from all areas of the world- has been egregious – and frankly, disgusting. These people do not understand that the crew has now been affected by this too. While all of us are spending thousands of dollars to cruise the Mediterranean, these fine folks will go without tips – and on a long cruise such as this one, this is a huge chunk of their pay check.

 

There is another group of people who seem to take the situation head on in a civil manner. Are they upset? Of course. Do they publically debase someone because they are frustrated? No. I am happy to say that the world still has a FEW good people left in it that have not let money change the values that their parents have instilled in them. These people are making lemonade out of lemons. Some have gone to Monaco for the week, others on to Italy, while others have opted to head back to Barcelona to take another cruise. Has it been a pain? Yes – there is nothing like being stuck in a tendering port, that by the way is on strike, and trying to get all the information you need while being 6 hours ahead of everyone you know.

 

It has been a trying situation, but I must say that I am more upset over the treatment of the crew then I am over the broken rudders. Celebrity will remedy this issue with the best intentions, but at the end of the day, they have a ship to fix before this same situation happens to another 1800 people booked on a transatlantic cruise.

 

I don’t wish this situation on anyone, but let me tell you – the people that are acting like obnoxious, rude, “I’m better than you” people, should be barred from sailing Celebrity again. One cannot go to the restaurant, the pool, or walk the halls without hearing someone just moaning and complaining and just ripping apart the crew. At the end of the day, it is these people that have ruined my cruise.

[pspercy]

Having an international cell phone is important and having a smart phone or laptop is invaluable.

 

Netbooks are pretty cheap (I bought an Acer refurb for $199), and a GSM phone can be had for $49 see http://www.mobal.com/, I wouldn't go overseas without them nowadays.

[Texed]

Julie,

Thanks for being one of the "good folks". :)

[stereo]

My wife and I were booked as passengers on the Millie for a NZ -OZ sail It was cancelled ( for mechanical reasons)about 5 days before embarkation.--We were provided with a full refund and a cruise credit in the amount that we had paid for the cruise plus $500 for airline charges(after submitting proof)---It took me a year to get all charges refunded---I was and still am upset about Celebrity s hsandling of the matter---You may not know but Celebrity has or is in litigation with the makers of the propulsion pods used on M class ships for millions of $-due to the frequent breakdown--Under the US- legal system---those who are wronged are to be made whole by those who wronged them (Maritime law could change this)----The free cruise provided me was a paltry amount consisering the pain and suffering and aggrivation caused by Celebrity---a %25 credit is a joke---I do not care what the law is --Celebrity has a PR problem and should compensate --compensate the passenger

[cruiseacecat]

Julie,

 

I can only hope that there were many more with your attitude. Good for you. :)

 

Anne

[wvufan]

I am a fan of Julie :). Great post.

 

Some people act like these things are done on purpose.

 

We have been involved with cancelled cruises, norovirus, etc etc and Celebrity had always done right by us.

 

I agree with others who have noticed that CC is a great resource when trouble happens.

 

A good TA such as Ocngypz is also a great asset and this is an example of the value of TAs.

 

Anyway, for those of you who think your life has been ruined because a cruise is cancelled-QUIT WHINING. For gosh sakes, your life is one of great abundance and riches if you are even able to think about taking a cruise. So what if you have to bum around Spain or France for a while.

 

Rule one-if you are not flexible, then cruising (and travel) may not be for you.

 

OOOEEE :D:D Bob and Phyl

[TenerifeSharon]

Appalling Behavior

We have disembarked the Century after our ill-fated cruise. As most of you know, the Captain announced that there were problems with the rudders (both) on our ship, and that the cruise has been cancelled.

 

Now, there are two types of people in the world. The first person tries to begin a riot, claiming Celebrity will be hearing from their attorney and that they will never cruise with “this” cruise line again. To make matters worse, they then commence to take out their frustrations on the dining room team, the stateroom attendants, the bar servers, and the front desk. Some of the behavior I have seen – by people from all areas of the world- has been egregious – and frankly, disgusting. These people do not understand that the crew has now been affected by this too. While all of us are spending thousands of dollars to cruise the Mediterranean, these fine folks will go without tips – and on a long cruise such as this one, this is a huge chunk of their pay check.

 

There is another group of people who seem to take the situation head on in a civil manner. Are they upset? Of course. Do they publically debase someone because they are frustrated? No. I am happy to say that the world still has a FEW good people left in it that have not let money change the values that their parents have instilled in them. These people are making lemonade out of lemons. Some have gone to Monaco for the week, others on to Italy, while others have opted to head back to Barcelona to take another cruise. Has it been a pain? Yes – there is nothing like being stuck in a tendering port, that by the way is on strike, and trying to get all the information you need while being 6 hours ahead of everyone you know.

 

It has been a trying situation, but I must say that I am more upset over the treatment of the crew then I am over the broken rudders. Celebrity will remedy this issue with the best intentions, but at the end of the day, they have a ship to fix before this same situation happens to another 1800 people booked on a transatlantic cruise.

 

I don’t wish this situation on anyone, but let me tell you – the people that are acting like obnoxious, rude, “I’m better than you” people, should be barred from sailing Celebrity again. One cannot go to the restaurant, the pool, or walk the halls without hearing someone just moaning and complaining and just ripping apart the crew. At the end of the day, it is these people that have ruined my cruise.

Congratulations, Julie -- for an excellent posting and a wonderful attitude. You are one of those people with whom I would very much enjoy cruising!

 

Thank you!:)

[pspercy]

deleted

 

(silence is sometimes golden but the compensation culture is irritating in the extreme).

[Kokomo91165]

Julie,

 

I can only hope that there were many more with your attitude. Good for you. :)

 

Anne

 

Congratulations, Julie -- for an excellent posting and a wonderful attitude. You are one of those people with whom I would very much enjoy cruising!

 

Thank you!:)

 

I am a fan of Julie :). Great post.

 

Some people act like these things are done on purpose.

 

We have been involved with cancelled cruises, norovirus, etc etc and Celebrity had always done right by us.

 

I agree with others who have noticed that CC is a great resource when trouble happens.

 

A good TA such as Ocngypz is also a great asset and this is an example of the value of TAs.

 

Anyway, for those of you who think your life has been ruined because a cruise is cancelled-QUIT WHINING. For gosh sakes, your life is one of great abundance and riches if you are even able to think about taking a cruise. So what if you have to bum around Spain or France for a while.

 

Rule one-if you are not flexible, then cruising (and travel) may not be for you.

 

OOOEEE :D:D Bob and Phyl

 

Thank you all (and CC member TEXED - couldn't fit you in the quotes above) - I am still a bit rattled by the behavior. BUT- that is behind me now and we are thinking of catching one of Celebrity's or RCCL's ships to continue on with our cruise. I'll keep you updated.

[steamboats]

However, almost all EU airlines have since posted instructions on their websites about what procedures to follow in order to have the airline reimburse your permitted out-of-pocket expenses.

 

Believe, we´ve sent several letters to LH and made our claims. Not even an answer. The cost of the flights were charged back to my credit card. DH called them and "sorry, only the cost of the flight".

 

Im sure that you are aware the fact that Spanish, German, English and Scottish law are all different.

 

Sure, I am aware of this.

 

CruisinGerman,

 

here you´ll find the fine print of Celebrity. Check No. 6. If they just change a port prior to the cruise they can do it (f.e. Hubbard Glacier is replaced by Sawyer Glacier or Costa Maya instead of Falmouth). If there´s a major change of the route the passenger is allowed to cancel (f.e. instead of Western Caribbean the route will be Eastern Caribbean). And I´m pretty sure that this is according to European (and German) law.

 

steamboats

[bob278]

I am following this thread with interest, amusement and great disappointment.

 

The interesting part is that I can see some of the reasons the terms and conditions for folks in Europe are more restrictive (deposits not refunded, change fees, etc.). There are some real and tangible benefits that US passengers don't have that make travel insurance unnecessary (but we all still need to consider the medical side). I also find it interesting to see the definite benefits of having a good travel agent on your side. How much easier is it for a TA to deal with 2 (or 10 or even 40) people than it is for Celebrity to deal with 1,000?

 

The amusing part is how different some people react to the same situation. There are those who cannot handle disappointment and those who find a way to overcome obstacles and move on. And there are some really good observations here. I particularly like Bob's "if you are not flexible, then cruising (and travel) may not be for you" comment.

 

The disappointing part is how many people will find any excuse to be unkind (or even abusive) to others who, in this instance are neither responsible for what happened nor can they dictate what resolution may be offered. A smile or a kind word would at the least make the moment-by-moment situation a little better.

 

I understand the disappointment and even the potential anger if the situation is not handled well by Celebrity. But direct it to those who are in the position to do something about it, not the crew who are as affected as any passenger (and potentially even more so).

[excitedofharpenden]

Century is now away under her own steam at about 10 knots heading for Marseille.

 

Julie, nice post and I hope it all works out for you:)

 

Phil

[TenerifeSharon]

Century is now away under her own steam at about 10 knots heading for Marseille.

 

Julie, nice post and I hope it all works out for you:)

 

Phil

Thanks for that information, Phil.

[prinret]

I heard about the situation on last night's news. It only goes to prove that travel is not an exact science. Stuff happens but, with a positive attitude, in most cases it can become an adventure. This is not to minimize the stress all passengers must be feeling, however.

 

I am sorry your cruise has been cancelled and I wish you all a safe journey home.

[CruznTom]

Here's a link to her position -

 

http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/default.aspx?zoom=10&mmsi=249054000&centerx=7.2675&centery=43.57768

[excitedofharpenden]

Thanks for that information, Phil.

She's being shadowed by a tug to Marseille too.

 

Phil