No Bermuda!! Celebrity Silhouette 20/10/22 Southampton to Miami

[philsuarez]

I have several friends that were on this trip which featured overnight in Bermuda on route to Miami. No ones had any formal notification but the itinerary has now changed and no Bermuda! They get routes change but port call replaced with Lisbon not even another island. They are lived that not even been told officially. Does anyone know anything about the reason for change and if `Celebrity should offer some compensation as Bermuda will be the main reason most have booked this trip!

[philsuarez]

Discovered this:-

https://www.cruisehive.com/norwegian-and-celebrity-cancel-bermuda-calls-over-testing-requirements/81556

[pieter&sharon]

22 minutes ago, philsuarez said:

 Bermuda will be the main reason most have booked this trip!

Not true. We were notified.

[philsuarez]

Not in UK

[cruisestitch]

IItineraries change and there is no compensation 98% of the time. Don’t look for any here.

[pieter&sharon]

FYI.

 

[philsuarez]

Thanks for that. Bermuda was a big deal I suspect for many Brits on the cruise. Most cruises from Southampton tend to visit Lisbon heading south hence not a very exciting replacement if you are from the UK. In my opinion they should at least offer a full cancellation and refund for situations like this. Personally never that bothered about where I go but this was a special trip for friends 60th so they are very disappointed 

[cruisestitch]

It was announced on September 7

 

[Charles4515]

56 minutes ago, philsuarez said:

I have several friends that were on this trip which featured overnight in Bermuda on route to Miami. No ones had any formal notification but the itinerary has now changed and no Bermuda! They get routes change but port call replaced with Lisbon not even another island. They are lived that not even been told officially. Does anyone know anything about the reason for change and if `Celebrity should offer some compensation as Bermuda will be the main reason most have booked this trip!

It has been known for a couple of weeks and discused on several threads on Cruise Critic. Celebrity did send out notification. It was because of the Bermuda testing requirements. Celebrity would have had to test passengers onboard enroute. Most Americans posting wanted Bermuda cancelled and are happy about the stop being cancelled. I did mention that there were going to be passengers who would be unhappy. I think though that cancelling Bermuda on the transatlantics made sense because of the testing logistics.

 

Booking any cruise for one stop, particularly Bermuda on a transatlantic in September/October is not wise. Because it is hurricane season there is a whole past history of TA sailings missing Bermuda.

[Charles4515]

23 minutes ago, philsuarez said:

Thanks for that. Bermuda was a big deal I suspect for many Brits on the cruise. Most cruises from Southampton tend to visit Lisbon heading south hence not a very exciting replacement if you are from the UK. In my opinion they should at least offer a full cancellation and refund for situations like this. Personally never that bothered about where I go but this was a special trip for friends 60th so they are very disappointed 

 

If they had their heart set on Bermuda they should have flown in or booked a Bermuda cruise out of the US that does 3 days overnight. The stops on a transatlantic are short and Bermuda is often skipped on those sailings for weather related reasons. 

[gold1953]

If you booked with a travel agent then it is their job to inform you of the change.  Most people have known for a while.

[gold1953]

1 hour ago, philsuarez said:

 Bermuda will be the main reason most have booked this trip!

As a person who booked this trip  it was not on our list of reasons. Most I know on the roll call were wanting it changed out

[Arizona Wildcat]

36 minutes ago, philsuarez said:

Thanks for that. Bermuda was a big deal I suspect for many Brits on the cruise. Most cruises from Southampton tend to visit Lisbon heading south hence not a very exciting replacement if you are from the UK. In my opinion they should at least offer a full cancellation and refund for situations like this. Personally never that bothered about where I go but this was a special trip for friends 60th so they are very disappointed 

The rules for covid make stopping toward the end of your cruise very very difficult to impossible .  Really no difference from Brits that cruise Buenos Aires to Antarctica because of the Falklands with about half the cruises unable to tender in.

[TeaBag]

Yes, most of us have known for a while.  We did get notification but even if we hadn't, like you, we would have found out by participating in the roll call.

[Rustyman]

We’re in the UK and were notified 2 weeks ago, we are also very happy that Bermuda was dropped as the $40 a head for nothing goes against the grain. When we booked the cruise the ports were a secondary consideration, been to them before and just want a great holiday.

[philsuarez]

Like I said winners and losers. The cancellation notification seems to have been very sporadic. My actual own TA is on the cruise and she didn't know. We obviously view Lisbon like many view Bermuda. 

[LGW59]

59 minutes ago, gold1953 said:

If you booked with a travel agent then it is their job to inform you of the change.  Most people have known for a while.

My Bermuda port cancellation I was informed via email from both my TA and Celebrity.

[jelayne]

4 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

My Bermuda port cancellation I was informed via email from both my TA and Celebrity.

Me too, plus the Roll Call and Celebrity Board.

[canderson]

https://www.celebritycruises.com/healthy-at-sea/transatlantic-travel-requirements

[jwlane]

If I booked this cruise it would be to hear my friend's Beyond The Podium presentation about music!  Mark your Daily Planners!!!

[Charles4515]

48 minutes ago, philsuarez said:

Like I said winners and losers. The cancellation notification seems to have been very sporadic. My actual own TA is on the cruise and she didn't know. We obviously view Lisbon like many view Bermuda. 

There were articles in the travel industry press about the cancelations. I am not a TA but I follow travel industry and cruise industry news on Twitter. If your TA is not following the industry they are not doing their job and are not serving their customers well. 

Edited September 20, 2022 by Charles4515

[philsuarez]

I think you need to appreciate that we don't always get the same news here in the UK. Many people on the Facebook group for this cruise also had no notification. 

[Charles4515]

6 minutes ago, philsuarez said:

I think you need to appreciate that we don't always get the same news here in the UK. Many people on the Facebook group for this cruise also had no notification. 

Anyone can get industry news on Twitter. Twitter is available in the UK. 

[mom says]

1 hour ago, philsuarez said:

Like I said winners and losers. The cancellation notification seems to have been very sporadic. My actual own TA is on the cruise and she didn't know. We obviously view Lisbon like many view Bermuda. 

Then the full blame for your lack of notification lies with your TA. It is her business to know these things, and obviously is not doing the job she is being paid to do.

 

Cruising primarily for a specific port carries high risk, since there is never a guarantee that the ship will be able to port. If the port is that important, then a flight and land vacation is in order.

[jwlane]

3 hours ago, philsuarez said:

 Many people on the Facebook group for this cruise also had no notification. 

Granted, they're not the same, but it's hard to believe none of the FB group members are participating in the Roll Call (over 3,100 posts) for that sailing---which mentioned the Bermuda cancelation the instant it was announced.