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Issue with Curacao

bap335i

By bap335i,
in Celebrity Cruises

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bap335i

bap335i

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I am on the January 29, 2021 Equinox cruise to the ABC islands.  Celebrity sent an email today letting me know they were dropping Curacao, adding Key West and changing the arrival time for Aruba and Bonaire.  As far as I can tell there is only one other ship currently scheduled for Curacao on the original scheduled date.  Curious if this is due to proximity to Venezuela, dissatisfaction with Curacao, or an attempt to cheapen my ABC cruise to just AB?

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mahdnc "Live from...." Rare

mahdnc

Posted
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37 minutes ago, bap335i said:

I am on the January 29, 2021 Equinox cruise to the ABC islands.  Celebrity sent an email today letting me know they were dropping Curacao, adding Key West and changing the arrival time for Aruba and Bonaire.  As far as I can tell there is only one other ship currently scheduled for Curacao on the original scheduled date.  Curious if this is due to proximity to Venezuela, dissatisfaction with Curacao, or an attempt to cheapen my ABC cruise to just AB?

 

That's too bad. Celebrity did not cite any reason for the change?

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bap335i

bap335i

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The note said due to potential berthing issues and port congestion.  I interpreted that as too many ships for the port to handle.  I couldn't find the site I have used in the past that listed the ships and number of passengers in port, but what I could find just had one other ship on 2/4/21, the original date.  Mostly just curious, Curacao wasn't a deal breaker.  The new itinerary gets us into Bonaire at 2:00PM, leaving at 10:00PM, so hard to plan with a late start.

 

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jshli

jshli

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Still showing Curacao on their website, therefore anyone booking this cruise now will not see the correct itinerary. Celebrity should do a better job of updating changes in a more timely manner so people will know exactly what they are getting before they book, giving them the opportunity to choose a different cruise.
 

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terrydtx Great Review Rare

terrydtx

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1 hour ago, Moby Jones said:

I'd be disappointed too. Key West is best for its nightlife but as far as I know no ship overnights there, I don't believe they're allowed too. 

I would too, the ABC islands are our favorite stops in the Caribbean, along with St Martin and the BVI. Key West has no interest and is nowhere near the fun of Curacao. I wonder why X didn't just schedule an extra day or overnight at the A & B Islands. Going to Key West is a little out of the way and must be costing a lot more in fuel.

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Moby Jones

Moby Jones

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5 minutes ago, Perky1 said:

If I remember correctly, didn’t the officials in Curacao early last year make comments that the cruise industry was ruining their Island.  I think at that time some lines announced they were going to remove the stop from their  as of certain date.  If my memory serves me correctly I checked and our cruise this April was before the date... maybe I am dreaming this...😜

 

This article would suggest not...

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/20531-curacao-looking-for-1-million-cruise-guests.html

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BridgeMates

BridgeMates

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44 minutes ago, son3cruisers said:

JUST re-read your post.

You are sailing next year, 2021.

So maybe next years sailings will be effected. 

 

 

 

Hope you're right ....we are on Silhouette to the ABC islands this coming March.

Hopefully they aren't dropping Curacao from current itinerary!! 

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4774Papa

4774Papa

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7 hours ago, mahdnc said:

 

That's too bad. Celebrity did not cite any reason for the change?

Too bad, we like Curacao better than Aruba.

Our favorite Caribbean islands were St. Lucia and Grenada.  They seemed the most authentic.

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Bo1953

Bo1953

Posted
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2 hours ago, jshli said:

Still showing Curacao on their website, therefore anyone booking this cruise now will not see the correct itinerary. Celebrity should do a better job of updating changes in a more timely manner so people will know exactly what they are getting before they book, giving them the opportunity to choose a different cruise.
 

It is/will be a disappointment to a few passengers, I know.

 

I Am sure 'potential' bookers will be notified of the change, in some manner, prior to final payment.

 

If not, I Am sure with some arm twisting that X would allow refunds or changes without penalty if brought to their attention in a timely manner, especially if not going to Curacao is a deal breaker....

 

There is, at least one (1),  travel insurance policy which may cover such port changes.

 

bon voyage

Edited by Bo1953
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jshli

jshli

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I agree with you Bo 1953 that Celebrity would allow changes or cancellations in many cases and it won’t be a deal breaker to many. My only thought is to those who would want to book a different cruise, by the time they discover the modification, there may not be the cruise availability or cabin choice they would have had if the modified itinerary was posted on their website in conjunction with the itinerary change.

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hcat "Live from...." Rare

hcat

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We would prefer KW and just about  any port to Curacao unless we wanted a long ride to a beach day or a visit to a local hotel... This port is not what it used to be!,

 

We had  Curacao on our recent EDGE cruise. We signed up for what was billed as a "culinary tour".  It was awful.  The nice  market boats from Venezuela are no longer  berthed there, the real  food market was closed and we were taken through a filthy flea market where we were careful not to touch anything.  The port town itself was filthy with a noticeable stench. We saw a few historic buidings..including the outside of the Synagogue..time to say a quick prayer!

 

 The stop at the Distillery was no more than  a very short bathroom break..,,,just as well..it was an  unimpressive..tourist trap.  We did have a nice lunch at the Green House at the beach..but only after we begged our way inside to the air conditioned bar. 

 

On our last ABC cruise before EDGE,  we did enjoy a day at a beach club..but that's a one and done.  So sad for me.  I have been going  there  before the big bridge was built,  before lots of traffic  and   before the place became a dump!

 

Others will disgree but  we would prefer KW any day!

Edited by hcat
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bap335i

bap335i

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I talked to a Celebrity Vacation Planner today and it sounds like it is just the January 21, 2021 cruise that is affected.  Plenty of time to change.  I was looking forward to a day in a golf cart in Bonaire, but may have to rethink that with a 2:00PM arrival.  

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Alsmez Great Review Rare

Alsmez

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Thanks for the info. We are booked on that cruise as well and didn't get a notification about the change. I'll report back if/when we do. I was definitely looking forward to the ABC islands but we have never been to key West so perhaps that will be an okay substitution. Luckily there is plenty of time to change if we want!

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