Zebra731 Posted February 21, 2014 #1 Share Posted February 21, 2014 I have cruised several times all over the world. Our next cruise is this spring and on Celebrity. This is my first time on Celebrity. Everything was fine until one person in our group had to cancel. This necessitated changes which meant a few telephone calls to them. There time that they have you on "hold" is no less than 20 or 30 minutes. :mad:They say that you are "important to them and they appreciate your business" but that is not so when you cannot get in contact with them. I WILL NOT CRUISE WITH THEM AGAIN FOR THIS REASON. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jomf Posted February 21, 2014 #2 Share Posted February 21, 2014 Give the cruise a chance, then decide. The head office staff of Celebrity are not typical of the cruise staff! Luckily! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoelover536 Posted February 21, 2014 #3 Share Posted February 21, 2014 There have been call center issues with all sorts of companies with all the recent terrible weather. I was on hold for Delta for thirty minutes the other day. I hope the issue was finally resolved and that you enjoy your cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miched Posted February 21, 2014 #4 Share Posted February 21, 2014 If you haven't made your final payment it may be better that you cancel the cruise as it appears as if you have already made your opinion about Celebrity and it probably won't change. No need to give your money to a cruise line that you don't like and will not enjoy. 🌅🚢🍸🍻 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zebra731 Posted February 21, 2014 Author #5 Share Posted February 21, 2014 We have paid our final amount and are due to go soon. I will definitely go and will have a good time. All the changing I have done is bad enough without the telephone time. I do love to cruise and I have heard that the ships and cruises are among some of the best. Can someone tell me more about the "select dinning?" My niece made that choice and it is okay but I kind of like meeting and greeting the same people each evening. I have made friends with other table-mates and have stayed in touch. I figure it is similar to other ships at breakfast, seating people as they come into the dining room and being seated at the next open table. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigeagle12 Posted February 21, 2014 #6 Share Posted February 21, 2014 (edited) This is why I use a travel agent. Do not have to deal with cruise line's customer service. Just did out first Celebrity cruise and LOVED it. Also, did Select Dining and it worked great. Our group was 3 couples and most nights we had reservations and were seated immediately. A couple nights we did not and never waited more than 5 minutes. Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app Edited February 21, 2014 by bigeagle12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bplazo Posted February 21, 2014 #7 Share Posted February 21, 2014 It that is all it takes for you to cancel them I am sure you will not be missed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zebra731 Posted February 21, 2014 Author #8 Share Posted February 21, 2014 Thanks "bigeagle" for the info. Maybe the select will be good. Just didn't know how it works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zebra731 Posted February 21, 2014 Author #9 Share Posted February 21, 2014 To: bplazo It has been a headache changing everything from air, cruise, excursions, etc. I can understand some wait but I think the long hold is very inconsiderate of guests. I will judge the cruise after I have experienced it but since I have always had a terrific time, I am sure I will like it a bunch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zebra731 Posted February 21, 2014 Author #10 Share Posted February 21, 2014 You are right about the drinks. My friends got bottled water and had to leave more than half of them on the ship. Now, if they had Dr. Pepper, I could do the entire package and more...haha. My kids say that they will have to put some with me when I am buried... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrierjohn Posted February 21, 2014 #11 Share Posted February 21, 2014 I have cruised several times all over the world. Our next cruise is this spring and on Celebrity. This is my first time on Celebrity. Everything was fine until one person in our group had to cancel. This necessitated changes which meant a few telephone calls to them. There time that they have you on "hold" is no less than 20 or 30 minutes. :mad:They say that you are "important to them and they appreciate your business" but that is not so when you cannot get in contact with them. I WILL NOT CRUISE WITH THEM AGAIN FOR THIS REASON. I would recommend that next time you use a TA, then they will sort out any such arrangements for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallie5446 Posted February 21, 2014 #12 Share Posted February 21, 2014 We were probably one of thoes on hold ahead of you!:D Sorry we talked too long:rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bplazo Posted February 22, 2014 #13 Share Posted February 22, 2014 Well, you have a fabulous time because celebrity is a great cruise line. Service and ship was a 10 plus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix_dream Posted February 22, 2014 #14 Share Posted February 22, 2014 As has been said, severe weather has adversely impacted customer service all over the travel industry. In fact, it has impacted other things as well. For example, I was selling things on Ebay this past couple of months, and I had Priority Mail items take over a week to arrive to my buyers due to weather, rather than the 2-3 days promised. I understand the frustration, but I just wish people would be a bit more aware of what is going on in the world before they make all or nothing judgments. A little understanding and patience goes a long way. Waits this long are certainly not the norm and this winter weather has been horrible! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidYYC Posted February 22, 2014 #15 Share Posted February 22, 2014 Oh for Pete's sake. Such a silly thing to lose your mind over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
memory-minus Posted February 22, 2014 #16 Share Posted February 22, 2014 I recall waiting up to 2 hours to speak to Apple technical support back in the 90's. I would pop a movie in the VCR and it'd be over before I'd be connected. Still buy Apple products. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiGal1962 Posted February 22, 2014 #17 Share Posted February 22, 2014 My experience with Celebrity's call center hasn't been great, either. But the cruises I've been on have been fantastic. And fortunately, I have had very few reasons to deal with the call center, so I try to let that go. I've done both select and traditional with Celebrity. I prefer traditional, especially when I travel alone. I, too, like to get to know fellow passengers better through the trip. When I did traditional, I was seated with a group that I never thought would click, but within a few days, we looked forward to regrouping and rehashing our days together. I also love having the same waiter and sommelier each night - they get to know you and your preferences and it just becomes more fun. When I did select (not by choice, but late seating was filled when I booked), I was a bit surprised at the approach. On other cruise lines, I've asked to be seated at a table for 6-8 and various groups filled in. Most times it was quite pleasant. On this trip, they looked surprised at that request, and told me that didn't think they would have any tables to fill. So they seated me by myself at a table for 2. Fortunately, they filled the other 2-tops right by me within a few minutes, so I sort of had people to talk to. Lucky for me that for the rest of the trip, I had met people that invited me to dine with them. But they never offered to seat our group of 3 with any other folks. Enjoy your cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgreenwo17 Posted February 22, 2014 #18 Share Posted February 22, 2014 I feel your pain. I like being in control and have mostly booked direct with the cruiselines. I have had to wait on hold longer with X than the Carnival corp lines. Like you, my first X cruise is coming up. It does make you raise an eyebrow having to wait so long. I have learned that these boards will give you quick answers and a few good laughs along the way. I hope the long hold times are not the new normal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallie5446 Posted February 22, 2014 #19 Share Posted February 22, 2014 Yes it is a pain, but there is only one way that office/phone help get paid, from what we pay to cruise. Longest wait times are when we are off work, so we try and use our morning break or lunch hour if it is really important. There is no way to build and staff a big enough building to handle thousands of calls in a few hours in the evening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redtravel Posted February 22, 2014 #20 Share Posted February 22, 2014 I understand your frustration. Last week, I called twice and got wait times of 40 and 90 minutes. Use the call back feature. During certain times of the day and during promotions, there may be a long wait to speak to an agent. I have experienced long waits. They do return calls. Be patient. It would be nice if the off the ship experience and on the ship experience were both pleasant. The management at Celebrity ought to pay attention to all details. Many phone agents need to attend charm school. Some are very nice. Many give bad information. Use a TA that you trust. They can make your experience nice. Dealing direct with Celebrity may be a challenge. Be patient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drarill Posted February 22, 2014 #21 Share Posted February 22, 2014 I have cruised several times all over the world. Our next cruise is this spring and on Celebrity. This is my first time on Celebrity. Everything was fine until one person in our group had to cancel. This necessitated changes which meant a few telephone calls to them. There time that they have you on "hold" is no less than 20 or 30 minutes. :mad:They say that you are "important to them and they appreciate your business" but that is not so when you cannot get in contact with them. I WILL NOT CRUISE WITH THEM AGAIN FOR THIS REASON. Hope your experience on the ship is as good as ours. Please come back to us to let us know how your cruise was. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjrpar Posted February 22, 2014 #22 Share Posted February 22, 2014 I have cruised several times all over the world. Our next cruise is this spring and on Celebrity. This is my first time on Celebrity. Everything was fine until one person in our group had to cancel. This necessitated changes which meant a few telephone calls to them. There time that they have you on "hold" is no less than 20 or 30 minutes. :mad:They say that you are "important to them and they appreciate your business" but that is not so when you cannot get in contact with them. I WILL NOT CRUISE WITH THEM AGAIN FOR THIS REASON. Long waits are becoming common. Customer service is being cut by many companies today; the economy is not recovering and costs are being scrutinized very carefully. It sucks but it's real. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix_dream Posted February 22, 2014 #23 Share Posted February 22, 2014 And once again, WEATHER people! The US has been hit with severe weather in multiple areas over and over and over again this winter. Very unusual. This results in thousands of people having difficulty in making their cruises, which results in those thousands of people trying to work with Celebrity over the phone to salvage their vacations. This has been the case for not several weeks but several months. I say give Celebrity the benefit of the doubt. If this bad service continues into spring and summer when the weather issues clear up, then complain. Until then just be happy you are lucky enough to be able to afford to go on a cruise, as many people around the world would be ecstatic to have your problems if it meant they could take your place:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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