Booted Off The EDGE

[CruisingUS]

I suspect the ship would have sold out, most ships of all lines sail full. The question is at what price ? Celebrity by booking the charter now, has a guarantee that all of the rooms will sell out, at the charter price. I'm sure you would agree that if Celebrity wouldn't make more money by chartering the whole ship vs selling the cruise stateroom by stateroom they wouldn't be interested in chartering the ship.

 

Does that make sense ?

 

It isn't personal, it's business.

 

Investment of emotion into this has made it more difficult for some to understand, Celebrity has no Loyalty to any of us, none.

 

The expectation that Celebrity (or any cruise line for that matter) will pass up a profitable Charter if it inconveniences some customers is setting ourselves up for disappointment. Any cruise line from Carnival to Crystal will cancel bookings for a charter if the price is right.

 

Business is Business. What Celebrity owes us is spelled out in the contract. To expect anymore is to set ourselves up for disappointment.

 

This is the standard in the business, as I mentioned all cruise lines take charters, all cruise lines cancel sailings for charters, all cruise lines will follow their contracts with us, but no more than that.

IDK if chartering the ship would bring in more revenue, as buying in "bulk" usually saves you more money than buying individually. CL give discounts when you book in larger groups and it wouldn't surprise me if that same principle applies here to chartered ships. But doing a chartered ship ensures sales and less employee resources spent selling that those rooms one by one. So it could be more profitable doing charters despite the lower revenue.

 

 

And please don't assume that we are incapable of understanding the situation b/c of emotion. I can do 2 things at once. Process my emotions and think logically. I can completely understand the situation divorced from my emotions. But it doesn't make the potential loss in money and fees any less real for me. And it doesn't change the fact that it would put a damper on my celebration. I shouldn't have to be concerned about issues like that on my special occasion.

 

 

 

 

Mean people suck. What's your point? Scolding OP for being disappointed makes you feel what? Superior? Smack down satisfied? Defend your cruise line to the death? It's a board about cruising for goodness sakes... Why the negativity? Someone sells me something, I actually expect they will make good and deliver what I bought...

 

 

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Exactly. TY

[WpgCruise]

That's why my next four cruises are on other lines that have better food.

 

We too have moved on to Oceania. However we are under no illusion that they too won't throw us under the bus for a cookie.

 

For example Oceania has a less than great reputation for stepping up to the plate when things go wrong (check out their Noro cruise reviews) but by knowing what we are owed under the contract, and keeping expectations in line with reality our risk for disappointment is mitigated as much as possible.

[ChucktownSteve]

(y)

 

My next cruise is for a VERY special occasion w/ some people I rarely see...It would really upset me if they were to cancel on me, since I would have to pay fees moving flights and etc....

 

And I am coordinating w/ people who have very tight schedules...

 

Correct me if I'm wrong please. Your cruise has not been cancelled or chartered yet. So what you're really doing is worrying about something that could possibly not become reality because someone else's cruise was chartered?

[MizDemeanor]

Correct me if I'm wrong please. Your cruise has not been cancelled or chartered yet. So what you're really doing is worrying about something that could possibly not become reality because someone else's cruise was chartered?

 

Reality Check. Plain and Simple.

 

Plus interjection on his thread. No need to question the obvious.

[srdancer]

Just curious - are the charters always on the smaller ships? Do they ever charter S class?

[Hawkstar33]

Yeah..Can you believe it Chucktown? This cruise is very important to these people. So important and special, that now they have to worry, wait, and wonder, everyday. Because IT CAN HAPPEN. That's disgusting. I hope it all works out for you folks.

[ChucktownSteve]

I can do 2 things at once.

 

Sorry, I tried to resist but gave in to temptation. Are they Fret & Worry?

[caribill]

USDA?

 

Presuming you mean USA?

 

You are 100% correct.

 

My keyboard added the extra letter at no additional cost.

[caribill]

I suspect the ship would have sold out, most ships of all lines sail full. The question is at what price ? Celebrity by booking the charter now, has a guarantee that all of the rooms will sell out, at the charter price. I'm sure you would agree that if Celebrity wouldn't make more money by chartering the whole ship vs selling the cruise stateroom by stateroom they wouldn't be interested in chartering the ship.

 

 

They have no guarantee that the ship will sell out during the charter, What they do have is the full charter payment whether the ship is fully occupied or not.

[hubofhockey]

Yeah..Can you believe it Chucktown? This cruise is very important to these people. So important and special, that now they have to worry, wait, and wonder, everyday. Because IT CAN HAPPEN. That's disgusting. I hope it all works out for you folks.

 

Your cruise was two years away. You posted that they shouldn't have done this to you because you were elite and owed you something more than anyone else who booked the ship two years in advance. Most people who travel have had flight cancelled. I had a cruise get cancelled and others have too. I'm not elite on any line. You think because you have what amounts to frequent flyer miles that Delta/Celebrity can't cancel two years in advance? You don't have third world problems here. However, I hope you find an alternative where you and your friends can take a cruise together on those dates or another and enjoy a great time.

 

Oh, I am not defending Celebrity either. Stuff (for lack of a better word that would get bleeped out here) happens with charters, bad embarkation ports (many of us had itineraries canceled that included Istanbul), or even early ship repositioning. We all hate it, but it's nice when they let you know early enough to mitigate your problems.

Edited July 14, 2017 by hubofhockey

[Hawkstar33]

One more time. I posted I was Elite. I also posted that our traveling friends are getting close to that tier level also. It was to show that we have cruised quite a few times and are what the definition says, Loyal to Celebrity. To be honest; there are some perks related to being Elite. Not one of these perks include being owed something more then anyone else. So lets, after 3 days of posting, put that to rest. The fact of the matter is, getting to Elite level took a lot of money and a dozen cruises to get there. The 2 brown shopping bags of laundry, best of all one level in category upgrade, or the group meetings with other Elite members, is truly not enough to make me think we are special. It's nice, but a real joke. Cause it's really not that big a deal. Being nothing had happened like this on our previous cruises, this blindsided me. Partly my fault for not reading the fine print. As posted before. I was caught up in the excitement of booking another trip. I am thankful that they pulled this stunt well in advance. Although not what I wanted, I was able to switch. Others are not so fortunate. In the scope of it all, it is not a third world problem. there are way more terrible things in the world. So that is a silly statement. It is though, a lousy practice that many excited travelers are unaware of. Until of course they get the dreaded email out of the blue like we did, or they come across it while reading the contract.

[CruisingUS]

Yeah..Can you believe it Chucktown? This cruise is very important to these people. So important and special, that now they have to worry, wait, and wonder, everyday. Because IT CAN HAPPEN. That's disgusting. I hope it all works out for you folks.

I am glad I blocked Chucktown.

 

 

Yes I am concerned as I am cruising to celebrate a special occasion. IDK why that is so hard for everyone except hawkstar to understand. It may ultimately end with me booking w/ another CL on a larger ship that probably wouldn't get chartered b/c the hassle is not worth it for such a momentous milestone. Don't want to chance it.

 

 

I don't feel that I am highjacking Hawkstar's thread. Rather, I am posting an organic reaction due to Hawkstar's poor experience on being kicked off. X's (arguably anti-consumer) actions toward Hawkstar is now impacting other customer's decisions (me), which is causing me to second guess my decisions. There are downstream effects of X's its-strictly-business attitude toward vacationers. This isn't a business transaction for me...this is my vacation...it's a celebration of a great accomplishment that I literally have worked my entire life for...as such there are different expectations naturally. There could be an argument made that I am too risk adverse, but this is such an important event that I cannot have it cancelled on me. This was really enlightening thread b/c IDK that the summit was chartered so often and or that it was up for sale, allegedly. Learned a lot. I will talk with my party to see what to do. Having such a milestone potentially tainted by this is not something that I want to risk.

 

There are chartered cruises with X that I can attend, which I fully intend to do in the future. But I have other concerns that my party would not enjoy them and they are not appropriate in this situation.

[Ma Bell]

I am glad I blocked Chucktown.

 

 

Yes I am concerned as I am cruising to celebrate a special occasion. IDK why that is so hard for everyone except hawkstar to understand. It may ultimately end with me booking w/ another CL on a larger ship that probably wouldn't get chartered b/c the hassle is not worth it for such a momentous milestone. Don't want to chance it.

 

 

I don't feel that I am highjacking Hawkstar's thread. Rather, I am posting an organic reaction due to Hawkstar's poor experience on being kicked off. X's (arguably anti-consumer) actions toward Hawkstar is now impacting other customer's decisions (me), which is causing me to second guess my decisions. There are downstream effects of X's its-strictly-business attitude toward vacationers. This isn't a business transaction for me...this is my vacation...it's a celebration of a great accomplishment that I literally have worked my entire life for...as such there are different expectations naturally. There could be an argument made that I am too risk adverse, but this is such an important event that I cannot have it cancelled on me. This was really enlightening thread b/c IDK that the summit was chartered so often and or that it was up for sale, allegedly. Learned a lot. I will talk with my party to see what to do. Having such a milestone potentially tainted by this is not something that I want to risk.

 

There are chartered cruises with X that I can attend, which I fully intend to do in the future. But I have other concerns that my party would not enjoy them and they are not appropriate in this situation.

 

If you are really that concerned, I would agree that it might be a good idea to book an S-class ship instead. It doesn't completely guarantee that you wouldn't encounter a charter but it's a lot less likely.

 

Please try not to worry too much. Although it's a possibility that this can happen on most cruise lines, it's not likely. There are all kinds of things that can happen to put a kink in our best laid plans but worrying doesn't ever change things.

 

Part of the joy of cruising is the planning and anticipation. Try to enjoy the whole experience.

[ChucktownSteve]

I am glad I blocked Chucktown. .

 

Me too whiner. :D I'm glad to see you found your safe place. If your cruise doesn't get cancelled, I hear Celebrity might give you a certificate of participation.

 

There is a big difference between someone who has to deal with an actual cancellation, (which I can commiserate with), and someone who plays Chicken Little having no indication that their cruise IS being cancelled.

Edited July 14, 2017 by ChucktownSteve

[CruisingUS]

If you are really that concerned, I would agree that it might be a good idea to book an S-class ship instead. It doesn't completely guarantee that you wouldn't encounter a charter but it's a lot less likely.

 

Please try not to worry too much. Although it's a possibility that this can happen on most cruise lines, it's not likely. There are all kinds of things that can happen to put a kink in our best laid plans but worrying doesn't ever change things.

 

Part of the joy of cruising is the planning and anticipation. Try to enjoy the whole experience.

My working solution is to have 2 cruises booked concurrently (with the other booking being on a larger cruise ship). I would pull out at the last minute for the other CL when payments are due. That way if X charters, then I have a back up. X still could charter the boat at the last second after payments are due, but it'd be less likely. I can get flex airplane tickets too. I think this is a working solution for managing the risk for vacationers in which a date is locked in for w/e reason.

 

 

This is all turning out to be a bigger and more costly headache for me....it's annoying that I have to plan and think so much for a vacation...it's very annoying that X does this with is smaller ships so frequently compared to other CL....We might just end up going with the other CL since it is a larger ship and less likely to be chartered, but I want to try X. Again, I might pop my X cherry when I go on another chartered cruise w/ X since there are so many for me to pick when not celebrating this momentous occasion.

[ChucktownSteve]

Some have said on other posts that the ship is for sale. Add that to your despair of trying to plan. Dear Celebrity Cruiser. Sorry your cruise is cancelled, but we sold the ship. .

 

We were booked on the Celebrity Mercury out of Charleston in 2014 with the longest drive across town. We had the reservation for about a year ahead. However they sold the ship and cancelled all cruises out of Charleston. We either had to move our reservation to a month earlier and drive to Baltimore with a $100 OBC for the inconvenience or get a refund. Azamara cancelled our July 2017 14 night out of Istanbul and turned it into two 7 night sailings out of Rome to Spain and then back. We changed to a 12 night Baltics cruise leaving in two weeks but got 500 OBC.

 

As much as it is a disappointment, these things happen. Life is how you handle Plan B. You're either cruising or you're not. Me? I'd rather be cruising.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

We were booked on the Celebrity Mercury out of Charleston in 2014 with the longest drive across town. We had the reservation for about a year ahead. However they sold the ship and cancelled all cruises out of Charleston. .

 

In 2011, the Mercury was transferred to the fleet of TUI Cruises,

So how could you have a booking on it in 2014 ?

[ChucktownSteve]

In 2011, the Mercury was transferred to the fleet of TUI Cruises,

 

So how could you have a booking on it in 2014 ?

 

 

 

 

 

It was a typo or a mental slip. Either way we sailed Mercury on her final Celebrity voyage 2/14/11.

 

 

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[Fish Lover]

My working solution is to have 2 cruises booked concurrently (with the other booking being on a larger cruise ship). I would pull out at the last minute for the other CL when payments are due. That way if X charters, then I have a back up. X still could charter the boat at the last second after payments are due, but it'd be less likely. I can get flex airplane tickets too. I think this is a working solution for managing the risk for vacationers in which a date is locked in for w/e reason.

 

 

This is all turning out to be a bigger and more costly headache for me....it's annoying that I have to plan and think so much for a vacation...it's very annoying that X does this with is smaller ships so frequently compared to other CL....We might just end up going with the other CL since it is a larger ship and less likely to be chartered, but I want to try X. Again, I might pop my X cherry when I go on another chartered cruise w/ X since there are so many for me to pick when not celebrating this momentous occasion.

 

Ok. I see how you may think this solves a problem. However, keep in mind that by doing this you are actually contributing to a problem. That problem is that people book cruise all the time, knowing that they may well cancel. Thus us precisely one of the reasons that a cruise line will cancel in favor of a charter. You can't reserves multiple trips, knowing that you will be canceling, and then claim foul and disloyalty when a trip is canceled.

[MizDemeanor]

We should check the fact finder on that one.:confused:

[CruisingUS]

Ok. I see how you may think this solves a problem. However, keep in mind that by doing this you are actually contributing to a problem. That problem is that people book cruise all the time, knowing that they may well cancel. Thus us precisely one of the reasons that a cruise line will cancel in favor of a charter. You can't reserves multiple trips, knowing that you will be canceling, and then claim foul and disloyalty when a trip is canceled.

Hmmmm....didn't know. Then what do you suggest I do?

[Fish Lover]

Hmmmm....didn't know. Then what do you suggest I do?

 

Personally, I think you should just relax. Anticipating your trip is almost as much fun as going on it! Chances are that you will be fine. If the need arises to reschedule, Celebrity will usually try very hard to accommodate you if at all possible. Also, you alternative options are likely to still have opportunities.I generally don't fly to go on a cruise, but if I do..I make sure my flights are at least transferable.

 

That's just me though, and what I am comfortable with. You have to do what will give you peace of mind. I just wanted to point out that the practice of booking "just in case" reservations has some unintended repercussions.

[Hawkstar33]

So is it the cruisers that cause this to happen , or the cruise line??? Answer is; It's the fault of the cruise line. WHY? Because these big companies have very legal smart people working for them. They anticipated this happening a long time ago and covered their butts in a contract that basically gives us no leg to stand on. Don't like what we are doing to you?? Too bad, but we are truly sorry. And by the way, you can't do nothing to us either. So who is committing the foul here ?? This is it. Plain and simple. This is what then causes the consumer to scam and scheme a way to cover their own butts. For example; booking 2 cruises at same time.

[Ma Bell]

So is it the cruisers that cause this to happen , or the cruise line??? Answer is; It's the fault of the cruise line. WHY? Because these big companies have very legal smart people working for them. They anticipated this happening a long time ago and covered their butts in a contract that basically gives us no leg to stand on. Don't like what we are doing to you?? Too bad, but we are truly sorry. And by the way, you can't do nothing to us either. So who is committing the foul here ?? This is it. Plain and simple. This is what then causes the consumer to scam and scheme a way to cover their own butts. For example; booking 2 cruises at same time.

e

 

No one wants to be the one to have a cruise canceled for any reason, whether it be a charter, equipment failure or sale.

 

I've been cruising for many years and on these boards for a long time as well. Considering the many total sailing days available, there really have been very few cancelations and when there have been, the great majority of people have been satisfied with the accommodation and compensation they have received.

 

You have made your feelings abundantly clear but I think you are a little overboard in your assumptions and your attitude is probably causing more anxiousness for others than necessary. Yes, they are certainly protecting themselves but that doesn't mean they are leaving their customers completely high and dry. I do think the newest CEO is not as thoughtful as some others have been, but I do believe most people think they have been treated fairly.

 

I think most reasonable people understand that there are going to be times a ship is chartered and also understand that a cancelation this far in the future would not be entitled to a large amount of compensation. Celebrity has usually tailored any compensation to the parties affected and according to the inconvenience or potential loss.

[Flamencacha]

Ok. I see how you may think this solves a problem. However, keep in mind that by doing this you are actually contributing to a problem. That problem is that people book cruise all the time, knowing that they may well cancel. Thus us precisely one of the reasons that a cruise line will cancel in favor of a charter. You can't reserves multiple trips, knowing that you will be canceling, and then claim foul and disloyalty when a trip is canceled.

 

 

 

Didn't realize when booking a cruise I was playing a game. When I was working I was told to hAve plan A, Plan B , if needed Plan C

 

All I can think is how many cruises will be booked well in advance without the option of cancelling. Probably none.

 

 

So what now? Don't book far in advance ? Wait til the last minute? Do a land tour if things don't workout?

 

 

It's a muddled mess

 

 

 

 

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