Just got a call from Celebrity about an itinerary change on my NYE cruise.

[DCPIV]

4 minutes ago, Stockjock said:

I never said that the cruise was scheduled to go to Grand Cayman.  That was a Carnival cruise sailing around the same time.  The Celebrity cruise was scheduled to go to Cozumel and Key West.  I get ditching Key West.  I don't get ditching Cozumel and making the cruise a day shorter.  Especially considering it's just a bit over 60 days from sailing.

 

Honestly, I don't get ditching Cozumel, either. No telling what's going on with that. I was just there a few weeks ago, and it's open for business. I do know that we all have to be ready for last minute changes. As much as we want 2019 back, the truth is that all hell still is breaking loose out there. Thinking or acting otherwise is setting one's self up for disappointment or disaster. That's just a fact. 

 

I apologize for my confusion about Grand Cayman. 

[LGW59]

time to take your pail and shovel and make NYE plans in SD.  Lived there for 10 years, some really great places to celebrate, especially on the bay.

[DCPIV]

Allow me to add a few more notes. 

 

It sounds like you booked and were priced for a 4 night cruise. That's what you're getting and why you're getting a prorated refund.

 

I agree that the ports are not what you hoped for, but such is life. It's pretty rare that anyone gets compensation for a change in ports prior to sailing (and ain't much coming off it happens after you sail). You can cancel, or you can go. 

 

Summit is a magnificent ship with a lovely crew. If you go on the cruise and can let go of these issues, you'll have a wonderful time. If you can't wash that bitter taste from your tongue with a Martini or Champagne and a few minutes on your balcony while underway at night, then go ahead and cancel. Honestly, though, I feel that would be a shame. 

[Ken the cruiser]

I have to admit this has been a fascinating thread. I was quietly pontificating that the reason Celebrity also dumped Cozumel was because the preceding Dec 26 4 day cruise was from Miami to Cozumel and back and they wanted to offer something different for folks that wanted to do a B2B rather than just go back to Cozumel. But then I just checked and the original 5 day Dec 30 cruise with Key West and Cozumel is back on the Celebrity website enticing folks to book the cruise. So what’s up with that?

Edited October 24, 2021 by Ken the cruiser

[Guppy99]

33 minutes ago, Stockjock said:

I never said that the cruise was scheduled to go to Grand Cayman.  That was a Carnival cruise sailing around the same time.  The Celebrity cruise was scheduled to go to Cozumel and Key West.  I get ditching Key West.  I don't get ditching Cozumel and making the cruise a day shorter.  Especially considering it's just a bit over 60 days from sailing.

No sympathy here. Everyone knows that all cruises are subject to change, especially now amidst Covid. Don't like it, cancel.  Based on all the facts finally coming to light, you have no reason to gripe.

[brownc424]

29 minutes ago, Guppy99 said:

No sympathy here. Everyone knows that all cruises are subject to change, especially now amidst Covid. Don't like it, cancel.  Based on all the facts finally coming to light, you have no reason to gripe.

Even if his initial booking was for a four day, Celebrity changed it to a five day cruise. That's the cruise he accepted and based his plans on. OP deserves to be treated the same as anyone who paid for the five day cruise. 

[Guppy99]

2 hours ago, brownc424 said:

Even if his initial booking was for a four day, Celebrity changed it to a five day cruise. That's the cruise he accepted and based his plans on. OP deserves to be treated the same as anyone who paid for the five day cruise. 

He didn't pay for a 5 day cruise. he booked a 4 day cruise.  Changing back to  days should not entitle him to much in the way of compensation. Not this far out.

[Stockjock]

10 minutes ago, Guppy99 said:

He didn't pay for a 5 day cruise. he booked a 4 day cruise.  Changing back to  days should not entitle him to much in the way of compensation. Not this far out.

I did pay for a five day cruise because when they changed it to five days the pricing was roughly the same as what I had originally paid. It didn’t change until weeks or months later.
 

And by the way, everybody deserves to be treated with respect and courtesy and when they make major changes to itineraries there needs to be a rational reason for it.  People take days off from work based upon the cruise schedule. People book flights based upon the cruise schedule. People book hotels based upon the cruise schedule. If they pull the rug out from under someone, they need to make sure they take care of them, and ideally, they should offer a good reason as to why they’re doing what they’re doing.
 

I think everyone understands that if a port is having problems due to Covid, that could change the equation, but when they’re chopping off days only two months out, and killing ports that are still open, and reducing the number of days for no apparent reason, I think they need to figure out a way to make things right.

 

I think it’s ludicrous to say that somebody paid for a four day cruise two years ago therefore they’re not entitled to anything further when their trip and schedule is completely disrupted on short notice. That doesn’t make a bit of sense to me.  

 

In my view, when they make these changes, the customer should never be put in a worse situation than they were in before, if it can be avoided. If they can improve upon the situation, that is ideal.

[brownc424]

17 minutes ago, Guppy99 said:

He didn't pay for a 5 day cruise. he booked a 4 day cruise.  Changing back to  days should not entitle him to much in the way of compensation. Not this far out.

I didn't say he paid for a five day cruise. I said celebrity changed his cruise to five days. He made plans based on that. Being compensated for the changes made, especially voluntarily, by the cruise line is perfectly reasonable. 

[Stockjock]

5 hours ago, hcat said:

I say ....let  this thread go!

There are other threads that you can pay attention to.  Feel free to do so.

[Stockjock]

3 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

I have to admit this has been a fascinating thread. I was quietly pontificating that the reason Celebrity also dumped Cozumel was because the preceding Dec 26 4 day cruise was from Miami to Cozumel and back and they wanted to offer something different for folks that wanted to do a B2B rather than just go back to Cozumel. But then I just checked and the original 5 day Dec 30 cruise with Key West and Cozumel is back on the Celebrity website enticing folks to book the cruise. So what’s up with that?

Your comment is interesting.  They pulled all bookings for several weeks.  And you are correct in that they are once again offering this cruise as a 5 night to Key West and Cozumel, which if incorrect, is obviously misleading.

So I clicked on my upcoming cruises.  It shows a 4 night to Nassau and Bimini.  But when I click through to view the cruise, it once again shows the 5 night to Key West and Cozumel.  Maybe my griping to the executive offices did some good?  Probably not, but it is interesting that new bookings and the cruise planner have once again switched back to a 5 night sailing.  Confusing.  Hopefully they will clarify the situation soon.

Edited October 24, 2021 by Stockjock

[hcat]

2 minutes ago, Stockjock said:

There are other threads that you can pay attention to.  Feel free to do so.

I plan to.. hope it works out for you...

 

"told my GF that God took a dump in the ocean and they called it Bimini.  Then, they decided to make use of that by putting a couple of palm trees on it and building a pier."     

[LGW59]

19 minutes ago, Stockjock said:

I did pay for a five day cruise because when they changed it to five days the pricing was roughly the same as what I had originally paid. It didn’t change until weeks or months later.
 

And by the way, everybody deserves to be treated with respect and courtesy and when they make major changes to itineraries there needs to be a rational reason for it.  People take days off from work based upon the cruise schedule. People book flights based upon the cruise schedule. People book hotels based upon the cruise schedule. If they pull the rug out from under someone, they need to make sure they take care of them, and ideally, they should offer a good reason as to why they’re doing what they’re doing.
 

I think everyone understands that if a port is having problems due to Covid, that could change the equation, but when they’re chopping off days only two months out, and killing ports that are still open, and reducing the number of days for no apparent reason, I think they need to figure out a way to make things right.

 

I think it’s ludicrous to say that somebody paid for a four day cruise two years ago therefore they’re not entitled to anything further when their trip and schedule is completely disrupted on short notice. That doesn’t make a bit of sense to me.  

 

In my view, when they make these changes, the customer should never be put in a worse situation than they were in before, if it can be avoided. If they can improve upon the situation, that is ideal.

And everyone should read the T&C’s entirely and make sure they understand what they are signing off on, even the teeny tiny print.

[hcat]

9 minutes ago, hcat said:

I plan to.. hope it works out for you...

 

"told my GF that God took a dump in the ocean and they called it Bimini.  Then, they decided to make use of that by putting a couple of palm trees on it and building a pier."     

 

[Stockjock]

44 minutes ago, hcat said:

 

Just calling it like I see it, although obviously being a bit facetious.

Did you know that the main public beach has no public restroom facilities?  That strikes me as being unsanitary and disgusting.  A YouTube video about Bimini references this and recommends doing one's business in the ocean.

[Oville]

58 minutes ago, Stockjock said:

Your comment is interesting.  They pulled all bookings for several weeks.  And you are correct in that they are once again offering this cruise as a 5 night to Key West and Cozumel, which if incorrect, is obviously misleading.

So I clicked on my upcoming cruises.  It shows a 4 night to Nassau and Bimini.  But when I click through to view the cruise, it once again shows the 5 night to Key West and Cozumel.  Maybe my griping to the executive offices did some good?  Probably not, but it is interesting that new bookings and the cruise planner have once again switched back to a 5 night sailing.  Confusing.  Hopefully they will clarify the situation soon.

Curious, how much will you be out of pocket (NRD) if you cancel?

[Stockjock]

10 minutes ago, Oville said:

Curious, how much will you be out of pocket (NRD) if you cancel?

Cancelling, best guess, $300-$400.

If I did the cruise and moved the flights up, maybe $200-$250.  Air costs are actually decent at the moment.  This could change.

Same approximate cost to keeping the original outbound flights but instead adding a post-cruise, 1 night hotel stay in Miami.

Still not thrilled with the reduction in days and change of itinerary, but if we're only talking money, that's the breakdown.

Edited October 25, 2021 by Stockjock

[Oville]

6 minutes ago, Stockjock said:

Cancelling, best guess, $300-$400.

If I did the cruise and moved the flights up, maybe $200-$250.  Air costs are actually decent at the moment.  This could change.

Same approximate cost to keeping the original flight but instead adding a post-cruise hotel in Miami.

Still not thrilled with the reduction in days and change of itinerary, but if we're only talking money, that the breakdown.

I suggested this before, just spend the time on a land trip in Fl.  You can easily drive to the Keys or your GF’s dresses would definitely work on 5th Ave and other places in Naples.  It’s just a 2 hour drive across Alligator Alley.

[Stockjock]

24 minutes ago, Stockjock said:

Cancelling, best guess, $300-$400.

If I did the cruise and moved the flights up, maybe $200-$250.  Air costs are actually decent at the moment.  This could change.

Same approximate cost to keeping the original outbound flights but instead adding a post-cruise, 1 night hotel stay in Miami.

Still not thrilled with the reduction in days and change of itinerary, but if we're only talking money, that's the breakdown.

Correction: Return flight cost about $700 moving up one day.  I had plugged in Dec 3 rather than Jan 3 and there's a pretty big cost difference.

[kwokpot]

1 hour ago, Stockjock said:

Correction: Return flight cost about $700 moving up one day.  I had plugged in Dec 3 rather than Jan 3 and there's a pretty big cost difference.

That would make no sense to do since you had already planned for a longer trip. Just stay one more night in a hotel. 

[Cruise a holic]

On 10/21/2021 at 3:27 PM, Stockjock said:

The sailing was a 5 night New Year's Eve cruise out of Miami, sailing to Key West and Cozumel.  Made arrangements for/a resort day pass in Cozumel, flight arrangements, hotel, bought the GF new dresses, bought myself a new tuxedo jacket, etc.  Pretty sure there are penalties for cancelling the flights and the hotel is non-refundable.

Now, with roughly 2 months to go, they're changing it to a 4 night going to Nassau, Bahamas and Bimini, Bahamas.  As an accommodation, they are offering $50 per person OBC.  They'll give me until Nov. 4th to cancel without penalty.  If the price drops, I'll get that lower price.  If not, pricing will remain the same.

I like Cozumel and had not been to Key West.  So even though this was a short sailing, I was looking forward to those ports of call.  Truth be known, I've never been impressed with the Bahamas.

Can't say I'm happy about the change, the relatively short timing, or what I consider to be a pretty stingy offer of $50 per person OBC.  Do I have a right to be annoyed?  Strongly leaning towards cancellation, which would be a total bummer.  

They are cutting your cruise by one day and "giving" you a $50 credit?  I would cancel and look into another cruise line.  

[Stockjock]

4 hours ago, Cruise a holic said:

They are cutting your cruise by one day and "giving" you a $50 credit?  I would cancel and look into another cruise line.  

Just to make things even more confusing...

When I click on "Upcoming Cruises", I see a 4 night to Bimini and Nassau.  If I click on "Manage my Reservation", I am seeing the original 5 night to Key West and Cozumel.  If I then click on "Plan my Cruise", it shows a 5 night, only this time going to Nassau and Cozumel.  

Very confusing.

[uCruiser]

29 minutes ago, Stockjock said:

Just to make things even more confusing...

When I click on "Upcoming Cruises", I see a 4 night to Bimini and Nassau.  If I click on "Manage my Reservation", I am seeing the original 5 night to Key West and Cozumel.  If I then click on "Plan my Cruise", it shows a 5 night, only this time going to Nassau and Cozumel.  

Very confusing.

 

nm

Edited October 25, 2021 by uCruiser

[CPTENEYCK]

You'll likely get an update or call later today, but the redeployment has been canceled and it's back to 5-night, but with Key West being replaced with Nassau (as expected) still going to Cozumel.

 

[Stockjock]

27 minutes ago, CPTENEYCK said:

You'll likely get an update or call later today, but the redeployment has been canceled and it's back to 5-night, but with Key West being replaced with Nassau (as expected) still going to Cozumel.

 

That would be great news.  As mentioned, I had no problem with replacing Key West with somewhere else (anywhere, really) due to covid-related issues, but it didn't make a lot of sense to me to cancel scheduled ports that were open and reduce the duration of the cruise.

I wonder if my (griping) to the executive offices made a difference?

Edited October 25, 2021 by Stockjock