Celebrity Cruise Ripoff

[Rainypoo]

Celebrity told us that we could take a credit so that's what we did because they had us over a barrel.  It wasn't safe to travel and the State Department had told US citizens not to go on cruises because people were getting stuck on cruise ships with the Coronavirus spreading like crazy and people getting stuck on ships unable to disembark.  Celebrity has had our money for over a year and who knows how long it will be until it's safe to go on a cruise.  Essentially, this cruise was cancelled because they floated around at sea unable to go to any of the Caribbean countries or excursions.  If I'd booked a cruise a week later, I would have gotten a refund but Celebrity refuses to give me a refund because I took the credit or I would have gotten nothing.  It was very poor decision on Celebrity's part to embark on this cruise, and even worse treatment of their passengers.

[Rainypoo]

22 hours ago, Rainypoo said:

We were scheduled to go on a 10 day Celebrity Cruise leaving from Miami on March 13, 2020. On March 8, the U.S. State Department issued a travel advisory telling U.S. citizens not to go on cruises because people were getting sick and spreading the Coronavirus. Some ships were already not being allowed to disembark at ports and people were getting stuck at sea. Celebrity Reflection set sail only to return 4 days later due to the unsafe situation so the cruise was essentially cancelled. Celebrity refuses to issue a refund because we didn't go on this dangerous 4 day excursion. Celebrity should have cancelled this cruise but they are adding insult to injury by refusing to issue a refund. We have called, emailed, and called again only to be told that this is Celebrity's policy. They've issued refunds to others who had their trips cancelled but Celebrity's treatment of us is absolutely infuriating!
 

 

6 hours ago, sandancer said:

I was also surprised to hear about the dangerous situation on Reflection as we were on the previous cruise and heard of no Illness or infection. We were encouraged to wash hands and use sanitizer and I would say there was a heightened level of cleaning. We were not turned away from any port and had a great cruise. We would have happily stayed on if we had booked b2b. 

Celebrity told us that we could take a credit so that's what we did because they had us over a barrel.  It wasn't safe to travel and the State Department had told US citizens not to go on cruises because people were getting stuck on cruise ships with the Coronavirus spreading like crazy and people getting stuck on ships unable to disembark.  Celebrity has had our money for over a year and who knows how long it will be until it's safe to go on a cruise.  Essentially, this cruise was cancelled because they floated around at sea unable to go to any of the Caribbean countries or excursions.  If we'd booked the cruise a week later, we would have gotten a refund but Celebrity refuses to give us a refund because we took the credit or we would have gotten nothing.  It was very poor decision on Celebrity's part to embark on this cruise, and even worse treatment of their passengers.

[Blackduck59]

12 minutes ago, Rainypoo said:

Celebrity told us that we could take a credit so that's what we did because they had us over a barrel.  It wasn't safe to travel and the State Department had told US citizens not to go on cruises because people were getting stuck on cruise ships with the Coronavirus spreading like crazy and people getting stuck on ships unable to disembark.  Celebrity has had our money for over a year and who knows how long it will be until it's safe to go on a cruise.  Essentially, this cruise was cancelled because they floated around at sea unable to go to any of the Caribbean countries or excursions.  If I'd booked a cruise a week later, I would have gotten a refund but Celebrity refuses to give me a refund because I took the credit or I would have gotten nothing.  It was very poor decision on Celebrity's part to embark on this cruise, and even worse treatment of their passengers.

 

As you may have noticed many people are having a hard time figuring out if you actually cancelled the cruise more than 48 hours in advance, or just failed to show up. I also looked at the itinerary and it starts with 2 sea days so that sort of works out. You said the ship went out and came back in 4 days without visiting any ports. The cruise started and was recalled 2 days out 2 days back. It's unfortunate that you were caught out in this pandemic like thousands of others (some of whom fared far worse than receiving a FCC). Best of luck on your future cruises wherever they may be. Be safe and Healthy.

[Bo1953]

35 minutes ago, Rainypoo said:

Celebrity told us that we could take a credit so that's what we did because they had us over a barrel.  It wasn't safe to travel and the State Department had told US citizens not to go on cruises because people were getting stuck on cruise ships with the Coronavirus spreading like crazy and people getting stuck on ships unable to disembark.  Celebrity has had our money for over a year and who knows how long it will be until it's safe to go on a cruise.  Essentially, this cruise was cancelled because they floated around at sea unable to go to any of the Caribbean countries or excursions.  If I'd booked a cruise a week later, I would have gotten a refund but Celebrity refuses to give me a refund because I took the credit or I would have gotten nothing.  It was very poor decision on Celebrity's part to embark on this cruise, and even worse treatment of their passengers.

r - I Am going to take your side in a 'limited' way here...

 

You did receive the credit, correct?

 

Did you, perchance, purchase travel insurance which might have defrayed the cost of not taking the sailing?

 

Now, were you to purchase an auto in the same time frame as your sailing and saw a sale, a very good sale at that, for the same vehicle the following week, you would not qualify for the sale at all...

 

What makes X treatment any different?

 

I Am sure there were/are many individuals across all cruise lines with the same scenario as yours, yet many realize that the cruise line is following their policy in such instances.

 

BTW the policies have been evolving as this situation continues on. None of them are retro-active, as far as I know...

 

Now that you have vented a bit, I trust you understand better the situation everyone is in across the board, who have purchased cruises before, during and after the emergence of C-19 and what we are faced with given the situation.

 

You are not alone, yet others of us are making the best decisions we can (some kicking and screaming of course) given it all.

 

Please remember that you had two (2) options and you chose the one best suited for you at the time.

 

In health and bon voyage

 

 

Edited July 25, 2020 by Bo1953

[cruisestitch]

Wait, so you were offered an FCC and you took it?  Where did it say that in your original post?  And how is that a rip off?

[Luvcrusn]

I and my DH did board the X Reflection on March 13 (that's Friday the 13th BTW) in Ft. Lauderdale along with 1100 other crazy souls. The other 1900+ cancelled.  On Sunday morning we received a letter at our door stating that we would not be visiting any of the scheduled port stops. Instead we would visit Nassau, Bahamas (not on the original itinerary) on Monday and return to Ft. Lauderdale on Tuesday, March 17th. We were to receive 100% refund and a 50% FCC. There were also provisions made on board to allow for all privately scheduled arrangements to be cancelled and to allow return flights not scheduled through X to be organized. Packages purchased on board would be pro-rated and refunded. We received the FCC emails within a few weeks of our return. After multiple contacts with X we finally received our refund in early June. We used our OBC-N while still on board and received our OBC-R in cash. While it was frustrating to wait so long for our actual dollars to come back, and it did require action on my part to accomplish the refund, all in all I'd have to say that X treated us fairly.

I couldn't tell whether you actually cancelled before or whether you were a no show, but am sorry for your experience. If you did book through a TA, I know that it was particularly difficult (if not impossible) to get through to them during the time frame in question (we tried to contact ours only to find that their phone system melted down due to the unprecedented call volume). In fact, they are still working partly from home even now and my last call to them (last week) took a week and a day to get a return call. Perhaps it would be helpful to write a letter to higher ups at X that calmly states your case and asks for a fair resolution. The volume of cancellations, re-scheduled cruises, Lift and Shifts is unprecedented and many cruisers fall into categories that are unique unto themselves and need to be handled individually. It is easy to fall through the cracks. While it is cleansing to rant about frustrations on CC, it can't solve the problem. Good luck.

[wrk2cruise]

From the additional information provided it appears OP did cancel using the Cruise With Confidence program which allows for cancellation and receive 100% FCC.    Way better than 100% penalty that could have been the case if that program was not introduced.  I guess they are now upset that they can't get 100% refund.   I can understand that but the ship did sail and OP accepted the T&C of the program available at the time.

 

Remember people who chose to cancel with CwC and then Celebrity subsequently cancelled also are not eligible for a refund and got 100% FCC.

[jelayne]

We cancelled a few days before our sailing using CWC and got our FCC, just like it seems the OP did,  no rip-off.   We made a choice that was the best option for us at the time.  One day, hopefully soon,  we will be able to use the FCC.

[Bo1953]

43 minutes ago, Luvcrusn said:

I and my DH did board the X Reflection on March 13 (that's Friday the 13th BTW) in Ft. Lauderdale along with 1100 other crazy souls. The other 1900+ cancelled.  On Sunday morning we received a letter at our door stating that we would not be visiting any of the scheduled port stops. Instead we would visit Nassau, Bahamas (not on the original itinerary) on Monday and return to Ft. Lauderdale on Tuesday, March 17th. We were to receive 100% refund and a 50% FCC. There were also provisions made on board to allow for all privately scheduled arrangements to be cancelled and to allow return flights not scheduled through X to be organized. Packages purchased on board would be pro-rated and refunded. We received the FCC emails within a few weeks of our return. After multiple contacts with X we finally received our refund in early June. We used our OBC-N while still on board and received our OBC-R in cash. While it was frustrating to wait so long for our actual dollars to come back, and it did require action on my part to accomplish the refund, all in all I'd have to say that X treated us fairly.

I couldn't tell whether you actually cancelled before or whether you were a no show, but am sorry for your experience. If you did book through a TA, I know that it was particularly difficult (if not impossible) to get through to them during the time frame in question (we tried to contact ours only to find that their phone system melted down due to the unprecedented call volume). In fact, they are still working partly from home even now and my last call to them (last week) took a week and a day to get a return call. Perhaps it would be helpful to write a letter to higher ups at X that calmly states your case and asks for a fair resolution. The volume of cancellations, re-scheduled cruises, Lift and Shifts is unprecedented and many cruisers fall into categories that are unique unto themselves and need to be handled individually. It is easy to fall through the cracks. While it is cleansing to rant about frustrations on CC, it can't solve the problem. Good luck.

l - the OP did receive a 'fair resolution' through the options offered.

 

Now they want to change the resolution, which of course I completely understand, yet X is well within its' right to not budge on this, then that opens further the lid to Pandora's Box.

 

Yet, maybe they need to consider writing to see if they can get their choice changed.

 

bon voyage

[Rainypoo]

I appreciate your suggestion and will try that but every single contact I've had with Celebrity assures me that they will not budge on their unreasonable policy.  We did receive 100% credit but they've raised the rates of their future cruises and I'm not sure I ever want to cruise with Celebrity again after this experience with them.

[jelayne]

47 minutes ago, Luvcrusn said:

Perhaps it would be helpful to write a letter to higher ups at X that calmly states your case and asks for a fair resolution. 

There are hundreds, if not thousands, including the 1900 from your sailing who like the OP cancelled under CWC and received a FCC.  Our sailing also had a large portion of those on the Roll Call who cancelled their cruise before it was cancelled by Celebrity and received FCCs not refunds.  Writing to the higher ups may make the OP feel better but unless there is something truly unique  and compelling about their situation It is unlikely it will get more than a generic response.  

[Rainypoo]

31 minutes ago, wrk2cruise said:

From the additional information provided it appears OP did cancel using the Cruise With Confidence program which allows for cancellation and receive 100% FCC.    Way better than 100% penalty that could have been the case if that program was not introduced.  I guess they are now upset that they can't get 100% refund.   I can understand that but the ship did sail and OP accepted the T&C of the program available at the time.

 

Remember people who chose to cancel with CwC and then Celebrity subsequently cancelled also are not eligible for a refund and got 100% FCC.

This is what the cruise line says but what choice did we have? This is unreasonable because I had no choice but to cancel based on the reports but they have had my money for a long period of time and will have it for much longer based on how long it will be until it's safe to cruise again.  I get the impression that others have large discretionary funds.  We do not.

[Rainypoo]

1 hour ago, Luvcrusn said:

I and my DH did board the X Reflection on March 13 (that's Friday the 13th BTW) in Ft. Lauderdale along with 1100 other crazy souls. The other 1900+ cancelled.  On Sunday morning we received a letter at our door stating that we would not be visiting any of the scheduled port stops. Instead we would visit Nassau, Bahamas (not on the original itinerary) on Monday and return to Ft. Lauderdale on Tuesday, March 17th. We were to receive 100% refund and a 50% FCC. There were also provisions made on board to allow for all privately scheduled arrangements to be cancelled and to allow return flights not scheduled through X to be organized. Packages purchased on board would be pro-rated and refunded. We received the FCC emails within a few weeks of our return. After multiple contacts with X we finally received our refund in early June. We used our OBC-N while still on board and received our OBC-R in cash. While it was frustrating to wait so long for our actual dollars to come back, and it did require action on my part to accomplish the refund, all in all I'd have to say that X treated us fairly.

I couldn't tell whether you actually cancelled before or whether you were a no show, but am sorry for your experience. If you did book through a TA, I know that it was particularly difficult (if not impossible) to get through to them during the time frame in question (we tried to contact ours only to find that their phone system melted down due to the unprecedented call volume). In fact, they are still working partly from home even now and my last call to them (last week) took a week and a day to get a return call. Perhaps it would be helpful to write a letter to higher ups at X that calmly states your case and asks for a fair resolution. The volume of cancellations, re-scheduled cruises, Lift and Shifts is unprecedented and many cruisers fall into categories that are unique unto themselves and need to be handled individually. It is easy to fall through the cracks. While it is cleansing to rant about frustrations on CC, it can't solve the problem. Good luck.

Thanks, our travel agent retired and she did try to get Celebrity to change their tune to no avail.  She was also frustrated but not as frustrated as we are because we're the ones who can't get our money back.  Based on all of the hassles, they really should have given people at least 125% credit but at this point, I'm not going to take on that battle!  The other problem is that they may say that it's safe to cruise at some point but will it really be?  We have a credit for an air flight that only gave us 6 months to redeem but I'm not interested in going on a flight that are sometimes packed with no one wearing masks because I'm over 65. 

[Rainypoo]

1 hour ago, cruisestitch said:

Wait, so you were offered an FCC and you took it?  Where did it say that in your original post?  And how is that a rip off?

It's a ripoff when you have no choice but to take their credit because it was deadly to travel.  They've had our money for over a year and there's no end in sight to this.  They made a huge mistake to go on this dangerous 4 day excursion (instead of the 10 day cruise we were supposed to go on) instead of cancelling after the State Department told US citizens not to go on cruises due to the serious risks so essentially this cruise was cancelled.  We deserve a refund just like all of the other cruises that were cancelled.

 

[Bo1953]

13 minutes ago, Rainypoo said:

Thanks, our travel agent retired and she did try to get Celebrity to change their tune to no avail.  She was also frustrated but not as frustrated as we are because we're the ones who can't get our money back.  Based on all of the hassles, they really should have given people at least 125% credit but at this point, I'm not going to take on that battle!  The other problem is that they may say that it's safe to cruise at some point but will it really be?  We have a credit for an air flight that only gave us 6 months to redeem but I'm not interested in going on a flight that are sometimes packed with no one wearing masks because I'm over 65. 

You are in a real predicament, are you not?

 

bon voyage

Edited July 25, 2020 by Bo1953

[sfaaa]

3 hours ago, Rainypoo said:

Celebrity told us that we could take a credit so that's what we did because they had us over a barrel.  It wasn't safe to travel and the State Department had told US citizens not to go on cruises because people were getting stuck on cruise ships with the Coronavirus spreading like crazy and people getting stuck on ships unable to disembark.  Celebrity has had our money for over a year and who knows how long it will be until it's safe to go on a cruise.  Essentially, this cruise was cancelled because they floated around at sea unable to go to any of the Caribbean countries or excursions.  If I'd booked a cruise a week later, I would have gotten a refund but Celebrity refuses to give me a refund because I took the credit or I would have gotten nothing.  It was very poor decision on Celebrity's part to embark on this cruise, and even worse treatment of their passengers.

So you got full credit from X. Case dismissed.

[Rainypoo]

3 hours ago, Bo1953 said:

r - I Am going to take your side in a 'limited' way here...

 

You did receive the credit, correct?

 

Did you, perchance, purchase travel insurance which might have defrayed the cost of not taking the sailing?

 

Now, were you to purchase an auto in the same time frame as your sailing and saw a sale, a very good sale at that, for the same vehicle the following week, you would not qualify for the sale at all...

 

What makes X treatment any different?

 

I Am sure there were/are many individuals across all cruise lines with the same scenario as yours, yet many realize that the cruise line is following their policy in such instances.

 

BTW the policies have been evolving as this situation continues on. None of them are retro-active, as far as I know...

 

Now that you have vented a bit, I trust you understand better the situation everyone is in across the board, who have purchased cruises before, during and after the emergence of C-19 and what we are faced with given the situation.

 

You are not alone, yet others of us are making the best decisions we can (some kicking and screaming of course) given it all.

 

Please remember that you had two (2) options and you chose the one best suited for you at the time.

 

In health and bon voyage

 

 

Yes, the policies have evolved but Celebrity should have understood how dangerous it was to set sail knowing that the Coronavirus was spreading like wildfire on ships and ships were unable to disembark with all of the sick and dying people on board.  I expect businesses to admit when they make a mistake and correct them.  This is one of those times.  Celebrity was  more interested in making money than in people's health and safety.  I'm not satisfied in the slightest with Celebrity's handling of our situation.

[gerelmx]

16 minutes ago, Rainypoo said:

I appreciate your suggestion and will try that but every single contact I've had with Celebrity assures me that they will not budge on their unreasonable policy.  We did receive 100% credit but they've raised the rates of their future cruises and I'm not sure I ever want to cruise with Celebrity again after this experience with them.

 

From the beginning you must tell us the whole story. You agree to the terms and conditions at the time you don't want to be onboard. Prices always vary according to supply and demand, the better you calm down and look for another cruise for 2022.

[Bo1953]

4 minutes ago, Rainypoo said:

Yes, the policies have evolved but Celebrity should have understood how dangerous it was to set sail knowing that the Coronavirus was spreading like wildfire on ships and ships were unable to disembark with all of the sick and dying people on board.  I expect businesses to admit when they make a mistake and correct them.  This is one of those times.  Celebrity was  more interested in making money than in people's health and safety.  I'm not satisfied in the slightest with Celebrity's handling of our situation.

Thus your upset...

 

In health and bon voyage

[Rainypoo]

6 minutes ago, gerelmx said:

 

From the beginning you must tell us the whole story. You agree to the terms and conditions at the time you don't want to be onboard. Prices always vary according to supply and demand, the better you calm down and look for another cruise for 2022.

Do you work for the Cruise industry? There are nuances to this unprecedented situation and we're paying the price for Celebrity's negligence and their insistence on sticking to policy.  This isn't how you treat people if you want them to continue using your business.

[thinfool]

If you  want good advice for dealing with your situation you should read up on http://elliott.org.  No guarantees but he has an enviable success rate. 

One thing that is vital is written records, which includes email.

If all you have done is make phone call rants to Celebrity you might as well pound sand.

[gerelmx]

1 minute ago, Rainypoo said:

Do you work for the Cruise industry? There are nuances to this unprecedented situation and we're paying the price for Celebrity's negligence and their insistence on sticking to policy.  This isn't how you treat people if you want them to continue using your business.

 

No I'm a passenger. You are angry and now you want to change the terms and conditions that you accepted when receiving 100% credit for what you paid.

[B113]

Still trying to get our 4K refund from Celebrity on our Alaska cruise they canceled. Have talked with the TA and Celebrity and just getting the run around. They refunded my deposit but that’s all. Celebrity sent me a list of 6 card numbers they refunded but only one number was mine. They claim they gave me back 3k but I have no idea who was refunded.

[bEwAbG]

Sorry, OP, but you're not going to find much sympathy on Cruise Critic.  Tens of thousands of people across all cruise lines are in the exact same situation, and the cruise companies are not going to agree to refund everyone's money.  Just the way it is, and it's not unique to Celebrity.  Your FCC still has some value, and you will likely be able to find acceptable deals to use it once things become operational.  Celebrity keeps extending the deadline for using the FCC with each extension of the no-sail date.

[phoenix_dream]

4 hours ago, Rainypoo said:

Celebrity told us that we could take a credit so that's what we did because they had us over a barrel.  It wasn't safe to travel and the State Department had told US citizens not to go on cruises because people were getting stuck on cruise ships with the Coronavirus spreading like crazy and people getting stuck on ships unable to disembark.  Celebrity has had our money for over a year and who knows how long it will be until it's safe to go on a cruise.  Essentially, this cruise was cancelled because they floated around at sea unable to go to any of the Caribbean countries or excursions.  If I'd booked a cruise a week later, I would have gotten a refund but Celebrity refuses to give me a refund because I took the credit or I would have gotten nothing.  It was very poor decision on Celebrity's part to embark on this cruise, and even worse treatment of their passengers.

So you cancelled a cruise because you personally felt unsafe, and you are complaining because Celebrity did not refund your money.  Technically, according to the terms of the contract you agreed to when you booked, Celebrity did not need to do anything, other than perhaps offer a refund or some type of credit for the shortened length of the cruise.  IMHO you were lucky to get the full payment credit at all.  And to be fair, it is not Celebrity which had you over a barrel, it was the coronavirus that had the world over a barrel.   It was a bad situation for sure, but not one caused by Celebrity so why should they be held accountable for your decision to cancel ahead of time??  I don't see it.  Frustrating?  Sure, but not their fault.