Celebrity just ruined my cruise leaving tomorrow

[Desertbelle]

Some people should not travel. :(

[josumello]

Jerusalem and the West Bank(where the Terrorists are rioting) are not near where the cruise ships dock ! I do not understand why the cruise to Israel was cancelled :mad:

 

 

Wow!!

[dabear]

I fully understand Celebrity's right to change ports under the contract given to pax. This is not a contract that was negotiated between two parties but one prepared by X & take it or leave it. This also is not to say that contracts can be overturned if unfair (again I'm not saying that X's contract is unfair), but good facts and a lot of $ for legal fees would be necessary to find out. I also understand that changing an itinerary for safety reasons is reasonable. Saying all of this still doe not change my disappointment of taking a Med cruise with 4 out of 12 port days changed from the original itinerary.

Edited October 17, 2015 by dabear

[Host Jazzbeau]

Whenever there's a discussion about travel insurance, some veteran cruisers always make me feel like a wuss because we always take out "any reason" insurance. This thread reminds me why we do so.

[hobie33]

Jerusalem and the West Bank(where the Terrorists are rioting) are not near where the cruise ships dock ! I do not understand why the cruise to Israel was cancelled :mad:

 

Ashdod and Haifa are not were the riots taking place, Israel is the most interesting place to visit if you forgo the Arab section of Jerusalem, the passengers should have given at least a choice were to go once the ship docked in Israel. Next we wont dock in NY because there are riots in Baltimore.

[Charles4515]

A lot (most?) of us choose a cruise based on its itinerary and are disappointed when changes are made to port stops. You should check the threads resulting from Celebrity's decision to drop ports to accommodate overnight stops in others if you doubt how important port selection is to passengers. IMO, suggesting that the OP or others switch to land vacations displays a lack of understanding of why we cruise.

 

I agree but when I book cruise itineraries I choose ones where a cruise seems like a good way to do those ports. Like Greek Islands or Baltics. Israel seems like it would be much better as land vacation. I wanted to do Ireland and I did Ireland, as a land vacation. UK and Scotland as a land vacation. Norwegian Fjords as a cruise. I want to do Israel and will but never even considered doing it by cruise. I love cruises but some places are better by land.

[Charles4515]

Jerusalem and the West Bank(where the Terrorists are rioting) are not near where the cruise ships dock ! I do not understand why the cruise to Israel was cancelled :mad:

 

Because a cruise line has a gigantic ship and 3000 passengers and 1000 crew they are responsible for. Sorry folks, I love to cruise, but a cruise is not an adventure vacation. It is a lazy way to see places. Neither the cruise lines or their passengers are risk takers.

[richstowe]

Ashdod and Haifa are not were the riots taking place, Israel is the most interesting place to visit if you forgo the Arab section of Jerusalem, the passengers should have given at least a choice were to go once the ship docked in Israel. Next we wont dock in NY because there are riots in Baltimore.

Our 2011 RC Mariner cruise was a 11 day eastern Med cruise with 2 days in Israel . It was an incredible deal , mid-summer balcony for less then $100 PP a day . Why ? I believe it was because it originally had 2 stops in Egypt . Cruisers are , with exceptions very very cautious . They must have abandoned this cruise forcing RC to eliminate the Egyptian ports and drop prices . Thank goodness things were quite in Israel at the time .

 

So yes this is a safety issue but mostly it is a financial issue . You can blame the cruise-lines for being overly cautious but they are just reacting to the bulk of their customers fears . I know people who will not take a cruise with stops in Jamaica because of its reputation for being dangerous .:confused:

Edited October 17, 2015 by richstowe

[Charles4515]

Our 2011 RC Mariner cruise was a 11 day eastern Med cruise with 2 days in Israel . It was an incredible deal , mid-summer balcony for less then $100 PP a day . Why ? I believe it was because it originally had 2 stops in Egypt . Cruisers are , with exceptions very very cautious . They must have abandoned this cruise forcing RC to eliminate the Egyptian ports and drop prices . Thank goodness things were quite in Israel at the time .

 

So yes this is a safety issue but mostly it is a financial issue . You can blame the cruise-lines for being overly cautious but they are just reacting to the bulk of their customers fears . I know people who will not take a cruise with stops in Jamaica because of its reputation for being dangerous .:confused:

 

 

I paid $899 dollars for a sailing on Mariner in that time frame that was supposed to do Egypt but with Istanbul instead of Egypt.

Edited October 17, 2015 by Charles4515

[need2bespoiled]

Whenever there's a discussion about travel insurance, some veteran cruisers always make me feel like a wuss because we always take out "any reason" insurance. This thread reminds me why we do so.

 

Everyone else self insures.

 

How many people buy Y class (fully refundable/changeable) coach airfares? You can often buy 4 tickets at non-refundable rates for what one Y Class fare costs. Maybe only some businesses and the U.S. government?

 

Same reason why people don't insure. It's "too expensive" and chanches of something happening are small, so they risk it.

 

I'm ok to "self insure" in some situation, especially for the cost of my travel, but medical and evacuation is another story to me. but I'm adventurous and have a "plan" to get us home no matter what.

 

They self (under) insured on their big trip and unfortunately their insurance (or lack there of) looks like it didn't quite cover what they needed it to.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

[wallie5446]

I booked months ago because my trip spent three days in Israel

 

I have just been informed 12 hours before I leave that it is going to some boring stops in Greece instead

 

Nothing I can do of course, but I would never have booked this trip if I had known

 

Ok, so the big bad corporate bosses let the ship dock. You get off and roam around and your spouse gets hurt. Then who's ruined your cruise?

 

They don't go because the government of Israel will not take responsibility for the passengers. I could go on but it looks as if it would fall on deaf ears.

 

Please, put the blame where it truly belongs, on the thugs that want their way no matter what.

Edited October 17, 2015 by wallie5446

[wallie5446]

Jerusalem and the West Bank(where the Terrorists are rioting) are not near where the cruise ships dock ! I do not understand why the cruise to Israel was cancelled :mad:

 

Because it is not a ride on 'It a small world after all' or 'Space Mountain'

[wen_c82]

I booked months ago because my trip spent three days in Israel

 

I have just been informed 12 hours before I leave that it is going to some boring stops in Greece instead

 

Nothing I can do of course, but I would never have booked this trip if I had known

 

sorry for your disappointment. It seems at a minimum Celebrity could have send out the decision a few days earlier to allow cruisers to make any adjustments, be it research new ports or choose to cancel given that RCI Explorer OTS cancelled Ashdod a few days ago on its way through Suez Canal to Dubai. Assuming it's a corporate wide decision.

[need2bespoiled]

Because it is not a ride on 'It a small world after all' or 'Space Mountain'

 

You won Cruise Critic today.

 

:D

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

[wallie5446]

You won Cruise Critic today.

 

:D

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

 

Cool!;)

Same to your next sailing to Jenna!

5 weeks from now we are having after dinner drinks at the World or Martini Bar with about 100 from our wonderful Roll Call.

EW

[NoWhiners]

Cathy, I think you have my email. If you are in need of a driver in Athens, I may be able to help.

 

This is a little off topic but I wanted to thank cruisemom42 for offering a solution, not more discussion. cruisemom posted a lot of helpful info when we did a Black Sea cruise 2 years ago, starting and ending in Athens. While her tastes are more historical/museum-y (sorry I made up a word there :)), she provided many helpful suggestions for our trip.

 

We loved Athens and could have spent more than the 1 day pre- and post-cruise we had there. Not saying that works for everyone but it isn't a terrible alternative to cancelled port stops.

 

Of course, that is from someone who didn't book this cruise and find out that some (highly anticipated) ports would be skipped. I can appreciate the disappointment. I don't know what I would do in the same circumstances. I can say that on our Black Sea cruise, there were terrible swells in the Black Sea after a big storm and we missed several ports. We still had a great time but we were in the minority :).

 

happy sailing

ML

[Langley Cruisers]

... a cruise is... a lazy way to see places...

 

"Lazy"? Really? Cruises are many things but I have never taken a lazy cruise. A cruise is a convenient, wonderful, interesting way to sample some of the ports that a land vacation may not afford you. It's a way to know where you might want to go back on a land vacation in future. It's unpack once and know your "home" is there waiting for you.

 

Lazy way to see places - no. I hardly think so.

[jagoffee]

Ok, so the big bad corporate bosses let the ship dock. You get off and roam around and your spouse gets hurt. Then who's ruined your cruise?

 

 

And who gets sued with someone claiming the big bad corporate bosses should have cancelled the port?

 

But I do feel very sorry for those affected by the changes. I can understand why they would be very disappointed.

 

I wonder if other cruise ships are continuing to call at the same ports.

[Big_G]

I just contacted a land tour company regarding their trips to Israel. Company rep reports multiple tour groups on the ground in Isrsel and not skipping any sites. All is good to go.

 

 

I'd say the same thing if I was a tour company operating out of Israel. Do you have a more credible source?

 

 

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[need2bespoiled]

Cool!;)

Same to your next sailing to Jenna!

5 weeks from now we are having after dinner drinks at the World or Martini Bar with about 100 from our wonderful Roll Call.

EW

 

Thanks EW, I'll be on the new Terrace on Infinity :D in 7 weeks! Wahoo!

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

[Big_G]

I subscribe to the UK.gov travel advisories. I don't trust U.S. Advisories as much. UK.gov has issued travel advisories pertaining to travel to Isreal.

 

 

Can't say that I blame you.

 

 

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[Big_G]

Ashdod and Haifa are not were the riots taking place, Israel is the most interesting place to visit if you forgo the Arab section of Jerusalem, the passengers should have given at least a choice were to go once the ship docked in Israel. Next we wont dock in NY because there are riots in Baltimore.

 

 

Have you ever compared the distance between NY and Baltimore to Ashdod or Haifa and Jerusalem? I get the disappointment but it's always a risk when cruising. I wonder how many passengers are glad they rerouted?

 

 

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[need2bespoiled]

Have you ever compared the distance between NY and Baltimore to Ashdod or Haifa and Jerusalem? I get the disappointment but it's always a risk when cruising. I wonder how many passengers are glad they rerouted?

 

 

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Probably very few. This is emotions, not reason at work here.

 

At least they know why they're not going to Israel. We were never really told why we missed Bali and Komodo.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

[Demonyte]

And for some people to say you shouldn't plan a cruise around an itinerary is a ridiculous statement. Very few people plan a trip as such without taking the itinerary into consideration.

 

 

Taking the itinerary into consideration and booking the itinerary only because of one destination are two very different approaches.

 

Of course one can and will plan the cruise around the marketed itinerary, but one must be aware what one is actually purchasing when booking a cruise - the itinerary can change anytime for any number of reasons.

 

Just like cle-guy, all I'm saying is that people need to be informed and understand their commitments.

 

There have been several people advising OP that they'd be entitled to a significant refund of the cruise fare because of the missing ports etc, which is absolutely not true - just because one pays more for a cruise does not mean that they'd be entitled to anything more than people on cheaper cruises in the same accommodations.

 

I can totally understand the disappointment coming from a change like this, but facts are still facts and the contract states what the passengers are entitled to.

 

All major cruise lines I've researched have the same kind of contracts, so this is definitely not a Celebrity specific situation so changing cruise lines does not help either - and voicing the facts from the contract in a thread like this is not insensitive, it's only realistic.

[Haworth]

We are in the lounge at Heathrow waiting to fly to Rome, the UK Gov advice is clear and states tension remains high and you should consider the risk of further incidents.

Had the original itinerary gone ahead we would not have gone to Jerusalem at this time.

Have Celebrity made the right decision? No one knows.

Everyone would know if it was wrong!