Second ShoreEX Cancellation from Celebrity-Summit Repo Oct. 19

[MMTCruisers]

BUMMER!!! Today, we get our second email in as many weeks to tell us that Celebrity has cancelled of our shore excursions for the Summit on October 19. This week it's the St. Thomas cancellation-St. John island tour, last week it was the St. Martin-Made in Paradise tour cancellation. Luckily, we found an alternative in St. Martin, and now we begin the search for St. Thomas. Maybe we're just bad pickers???

Luckily, we've been to the islands before and have cruised several times, but this is our first with Celebrity. I guess I should be glad that this is the first "problem" we've encountered. The money will be refunded, but I'd already started dreaming about the trips!

I wonder if the cancellations are the result of people reading about the illness that is happening on the Summit right now, and Celebrity is seeing lots of cancellations on their own??

We plan to pay a visit to the Summit when she docks in Portland, Maine on Monday, the 7th. We are close by, so a quick drive will get us to the harbor and to the Summit! Nothing like a preview to get the cruise vibes going!!

[CPT Trips]

Knock wood

 

I'm on same cruise . . . No email . . .

 

Is it a government closure issue? A lot of St. John is a National park.

 

ETA - join our roll call http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1631634 . We're a friendly bunch.

[d4m]

BUMMER!!! Today, we get our second email in as many weeks to tell us that Celebrity has cancelled of our shore excursions for the Summit on October 19. This week it's the St. Thomas cancellation-St. John island tour, last week it was the St. Martin-Made in Paradise tour cancellation. Luckily, we found an alternative in St. Martin, and now we begin the search for St. Thomas. Maybe we're just bad pickers???

Luckily, we've been to the islands before and have cruised several times, but this is our first with Celebrity. I guess I should be glad that this is the first "problem" we've encountered. The money will be refunded, but I'd already started dreaming about the trips!

I wonder if the cancellations are the result of people reading about the illness that is happening on the Summit right now, and Celebrity is seeing lots of cancellations on their own??

We plan to pay a visit to the Summit when she docks in Portland, Maine on Monday, the 7th. We are close by, so a quick drive will get us to the harbor and to the Summit! Nothing like a preview to get the cruise vibes going!!

 

Although it is rather close to your sailing date, check on your roll call to see if there are any excursion openings there. Frankly we prefer non-Celebrity excursions (organized by those on roll call) for the price difference and haven't experienced cancellations.

[cherylroslyn]

BUMMER!!! Today, we get our second email in as many weeks to tell us that Celebrity has cancelled of our shore excursions for the Summit on October 19. This week it's the St. Thomas cancellation-St. John island tour, last week it was the St. Martin-Made in Paradise tour cancellation. Luckily, we found an alternative in St. Martin, and now we begin the search for St. Thomas. Maybe we're just bad pickers???

Luckily, we've been to the islands before and have cruised several times, but this is our first with Celebrity. I guess I should be glad that this is the first "problem" we've encountered. The money will be refunded, but I'd already started dreaming about the trips!

I wonder if the cancellations are the result of people reading about the illness that is happening on the Summit right now, and Celebrity is seeing lots of cancellations on their own??

We plan to pay a visit to the Summit when she docks in Portland, Maine on Monday, the 7th. We are close by, so a quick drive will get us to the harbor and to the Summit! Nothing like a preview to get the cruise vibes going!!

St. John is cancelled because the National Park is closed due to the government shut down. They are probably cancelling early so that you are not left high and dry once the ship sails, and they are giving you time to make alternative arrangements:)

 

 

My group is going to Sapphire, there are many nice beaches on ST. Thomas including Magen's Bay and Coki......

 

Sorry you will be missing out on St. John, but trust me, it would be a terrible injustice to go to St. John and not be allowed to enter the public beaches.......it would be like taking kids to a candy store and not allowing them to order any candy:)

[Jborosara]

BUMMER!!! Today, we get our second email in as many weeks to tell us that Celebrity has cancelled of our shore excursions for the Summit on October 19. This week it's the St. Thomas cancellation-St. John island tour, last week it was the St. Martin-Made in Paradise tour cancellation. Luckily, we found an alternative in St. Martin, and now we begin the search for St. Thomas. Maybe we're just bad pickers???

Luckily, we've been to the islands before and have cruised several times, but this is our first with Celebrity. I guess I should be glad that this is the first "problem" we've encountered. The money will be refunded, but I'd already started dreaming about the trips!

I wonder if the cancellations are the result of people reading about the illness that is happening on the Summit right now, and Celebrity is seeing lots of cancellations on their own??

We plan to pay a visit to the Summit when she docks in Portland, Maine on Monday, the 7th. We are close by, so a quick drive will get us to the harbor and to the Summit! Nothing like a preview to get the cruise vibes going!!

 

Most of St John is shut down....it's a national park

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[Cindy]

I'm getting a little concerned reading about shore ex cancellations...there's quite a long thread about it on the RCI board too.

I'm planning a Baltic cruise for May, and we're intending to use both private vendors and some Celebrity excursions. I ended up turning to Celebrity in three of the ports because I wasn't finding anything independent AND affordable that wasn't a city bus tour.:rolleyes: Now I'm growing hesitant and wondering if I should keep looking before I settle on the Celebrity excursions.

The three places I'm looking at using cruise line excursions are Helsinki, Stockholm, and Copenhagen. Does anybody have any recent Celebrity experiences in those ports?

[Cliftoncruz]

I was notified on 2 October that our Gatun Lake Safari for 3 December 2013 was cancelled for our upcoming Panama Canal cruise. When I called to see why and if there were any similar tours, I was told by the agent it was due to the government shutdown. I advised him that Panama is a different country. He then checked and told me the tour operator was no longer doing the tour. I think that are getting use to blaming every on the government. I just thought that was pretty funny.

[OCruisers]

I was notified on 2 October that our Gatun Lake Safari for 3 December 2013 was cancelled for our upcoming Panama Canal cruise. When I called to see why and if there were any similar tours, I was told by the agent it was due to the government shutdown. I advised him that Panama is a different country. He then checked and told me the tour operator was no longer doing the tour. I think that are getting use to blaming every on the government. I just thought that was pretty funny.

 

We have also had times when the tour operator was no longer doing the tour and also when passengers were having lots of complaints about the tour so they were cancelled.

 

Hope all who have had tours cancelled will be able to find others you will like.

 

LuLu

~~~~

[cherylroslyn]

Apparently this has nothing to do with the government shut down because people are getting calls and emails for as far out as April 2014 that the tour is no longer offered......this is terrible. I use that ferry twice a year.....

[Snowball]

There are other tours that go to St. John. I wonder if they are still available and its just this one that they are doing away with.

[MaryZ]

We are going to Sapphire Beach too. St John is beautiful but with the gov't shutdown, they are closed.

So, if all that works out and they reopen, you can just hop on the ferry and go over yourselves.

You don't need a ship excursion to go to St Johns.

[alcpa1]

Cindy,

Are you taking advantage of your Roll Call?

All three cities have HOHO busses. Stockholm has a bus/boat pass, but unless things have changed in the last two years you must go to the city center to redeem the voucher and it takes far too much time.

You can easily wander through Copenhagen from the Little Mermaid to Tivoli Gardens. Take the canal tour if you have time.

Helsinki's sites are not as concentrated and it is hilly, particularly from the train station (a central location) to several of the major churches.

I wouldn't even consider a ship's tour in these ports. I'd imagine you will find tours available in small groups, on your Roll Call.

[Host Jazzbeau]

I'm getting a little concerned reading about shore ex cancellations...The three places I'm looking at using cruise line excursions are Helsinki, Stockholm, and Copenhagen.

 

Rick Steves has a new guidebook called "Northern European Cruise Ports," which covers all three of those cities. I haven't seen it yet, but if it's like all his others it will give you a good listing of the top attractions, a walking tour of the most scenic part of town, and detailed tours for any major museums.

 

As long as I can get to the center of town with a Rick Steves book in my hand, I don't need no stinkin' ship tour badges. ;););)

[purduemom1]

I was notified on 2 October that our Gatun Lake Safari for 3 December 2013 was cancelled for our upcoming Panama Canal cruise. When I called to see why and if there were any similar tours, I was told by the agent it was due to the government shutdown. I advised him that Panama is a different country. He then checked and told me the tour operator was no longer doing the tour. I think that are getting use to blaming every on the government. I just thought that was pretty funny.

 

We were also notified that the Panama City excursion we had booked was cancelled. This is the second time Celebrity has cancelled an excursion to Panama City. Rep told me the tour operator cancelled the tour but who knows. We like to book independent tours but not for this particular port. Have booked another tour and wonder how long it will be before Celebrity cancels this one!

[camarodrivenrs]

We got a similar email about this tour on our New Year Reflection cruise, they did list another ferry to St. John tour number ST03--Explore St John on your own

[Cindy]

Cindy,

Are you taking advantage of your Roll Call?

All three cities have HOHO busses. Stockholm has a bus/boat pass, but unless things have changed in the last two years you must go to the city center to redeem the voucher and it takes far too much time.

You can easily wander through Copenhagen from the Little Mermaid to Tivoli Gardens. Take the canal tour if you have time.

Helsinki's sites are not as concentrated and it is hilly, particularly from the train station (a central location) to several of the major churches.

I wouldn't even consider a ship's tour in these ports. I'd imagine you will find tours available in small groups, on your Roll Call.

 

Yes, I'm active on our roll call. I've actually organized a group for St. Petersburg, and I also booked for Tallinn with our same provider. We're using Friends of Dave in Warnemunde. My problem is that my mom is travelling with us, so I'm looking for some different things than I would if it was just me and DH. That also means we won't be winging it or using the HOHO buses.

 

 

Rick Steves has a new guidebook called "Northern European Cruise Ports," which covers all three of those cities. I haven't seen it yet, but if it's like all his others it will give you a good listing of the top attractions, a walking tour of the most scenic part of town, and detailed tours for any major museums.

 

As long as I can get to the center of town with a Rick Steves book in my hand, I don't need no stinkin' ship tour badges. ;););)

 

I've got a couple of his books and I'm using them for ideas. Like I said above, I need to plan things a little differently than I would if my husband and I were doing this trip alone.

[cherylroslyn]

We got a similar email about this tour on our New Year Reflection cruise, they did list another ferry to St. John tour number ST03--Explore St John on your own

That is the exact same ferry. Apparently Celebrity took five dollars off of the other three tours and has just made it a ferry to St.John since that was what everyone was using it for anyway. They will probably not have to pay guides for the short tours....it has always been used by everyone as a form of transportation....everyone skips the tours. And the tours have probably been disappointing to those who actually stayed for them, because the tour for shopping was 15 or twenty minutes of a guide pointing your toward stores..... Historic was just a few minutes as well....... but most people just got in cabs after the staff offered you the option of skipping the tour......

[CPT Trips]

That is the exact same ferry. Apparently Celebrity took five dollars off of the other three tours and has just made it a ferry to St.John since that was what everyone was using it for anyway. They will probably not have to pay guides for the short tours....it has always been used by everyone as a form of transportation....everyone skips the tours. And the tours have probably been disappointing to those who actually stayed for them, because the tour for shopping was 15 or twenty minutes of a guide pointing your toward stores..... Historic was just a few minutes as well....... but most people just got in cabs after the staff offered you the option of skipping the tour......

 

Guess I'll have to double check what I paid for my uncancelled tour and then shop again. Only doing the one we picked because the price was the same. All we really want is an easy way to get to St. John.

[cherylroslyn]

BUMMER!!! Today, we get our second email in as many weeks to tell us that Celebrity has cancelled of our shore excursions for the Summit on October 19. This week it's the St. Thomas cancellation-St. John island tour, last week it was the St. Martin-Made in Paradise tour cancellation. Luckily, we found an alternative in St. Martin, and now we begin the search for St. Thomas. Maybe we're just bad pickers???

Luckily, we've been to the islands before and have cruised several times, but this is our first with Celebrity. I guess I should be glad that this is the first "problem" we've encountered. The money will be refunded, but I'd already started dreaming about the trips!

I wonder if the cancellations are the result of people reading about the illness that is happening on the Summit right now, and Celebrity is seeing lots of cancellations on their own??

We plan to pay a visit to the Summit when she docks in Portland, Maine on Monday, the 7th. We are close by, so a quick drive will get us to the harbor and to the Summit! Nothing like a preview to get the cruise vibes going!!

I am on your cruise. The tour is still offered.

 

 

This is it...I copied it from the excursions choices for our cruise.

 

 

Self Explore St John STO3

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

 

Scenic narrated roundtrip ferry ride from ship pierside to Cruz Bay. Once there guests will enjoy a minimum of 4.5 hours of personal leisure time to explore this beautiful emerald isle. St. John is 2/3rds National Park with mnay glistening white sandy beaches to choose from along with historical sites. The famous Trunk Bay where you can hire snorkel equipment and enjoy the snorkel trail. Cinnamon Bay beach is a more private location with its historical "Arawak" site.Hawksnest Beach was a flim location. Taxis readily available for island tours- visit Annaberg Ruins - you'll still have time to swim, relax &visit Cruz Bay for shopping before joining the ferry for your return trip. Less Details

Activity Type:

Sightseeing

Activity Level:

Mild

Duration:

6 hours 30 minutes

 

 

 

It is now only $35. Cheaper than before.

 

There was never really much of a tour to begin with and most people used it for transportation to St. John. You can take a safari cab around the island and your driver will stop for pictures......or you can take a cab to one of the beaches and your driver will stop for photos if you tell him you want that.

 

The is the same trip though...

[cherylroslyn]

Guess I'll have to double check what I paid for my uncancelled tour and then shop again. Only doing the one we picked because the price was the same. All we really want is an easy way to get to St. John.

its now cheaper...so that isa plus...

 

 

I think it was formerly $40.75......

 

Plus they give you rum punch on the way back.....my friends got pretty silly on the ride home.......I just watched....and photographed......compiling evidence for future use:)

[CPT Trips]

its now cheaper...so that isa plus...

 

 

I think it was formerly $40.75......

 

Plus they give you rum punch on the way back.....my friends got pretty silly on the ride home.......I just watched....and photographed......compiling evidence for future use:)

 

I don't see that it has changed price.

 

STL2 shows at the booked price . . . I am looking at it in "manage my res..." And it shows it as "purchased." I think that they won't show me the new price because of that.

 

STO3 does show at a lower price.

 

I'm feeling like Vinnie Barberino . . .