Infinity's Sep 13 voyage cancelled and Sept. 23 delayed a day

[Sascol]

Useful information to impart to Celebrity Cruises? OK. Here it is:

 

I think it would be really be good for business and would enhance customer service if you fixed the pods. You know, the ones that have been broken for 5 years?

The fact that they haven't has something to do with a suit they have ongoing with the manufacturer.

[cruiser2004]

In my opinion, whether or not Celebrity's decision to continue sailing M-Class ships, with a known defect, was a bottom line decision is not as important as Celebrity NOT informing passengers, before they sail, of the ongoing pod problems with their M-Class ships.

[usha]

I ask, realistically, what could Celebrity have done to make it "ok" with every one of the passengers? I'd truly like to hear what those of you, who aren't happy, would find acceptable from Celebrity.

I'd truly like to hear that, too.

[many cruises]

As passengers on the ill fated July 16, 2006 Infinity to Alaska cruise, here's what would have made our trip "OK". Celebrity should have cancelled the July 16 disaster, especially when they knew about the mechanical problems on Wednesday before our cruise. Celebrity will only admit to them beginning on Friday, but we were told they started on Wednesday by an officer on the ship. They should have refunded our money, paid for flight change fees if needed, and given us the cruise that we paid for at a later date on a ship that didn't have continuous mechanical problems. This would have given Celebrity an opportunity to "make things right." I know this would have inconvenienced many passengers, but ultimately, it would have been the "right thing to do." The product that we received was NOT in any way shape or form what we paid for. We spent the week fixing problems caused by Celebrity, and hearing passengers yelling/ complaining about the horrible embarkation, the day late departure, missing Sitka and the Inside Passage, day and time changes in the only two ports, etc, etc, etc. I am waiting patiently to hear Celebrity's response to my letter which details one problem after another and my dissatisfaction with their product.

[DaneViking]

Celebrity should have cancelled the July 16 disaster, especially when they knew about the mechanical problems on Wednesday before our cruise. Celebrity will only admit to them beginning on Friday, but we were told they started on Wednesday by an officer on the ship.

 

I am not going to debate whether you got a proper compensation from Celebrity and I am sorry you had a bad cruise experience. From what I have seen at these boards, I believe that X wasn't doing their best at that occation.

 

But to say that they should cancel the cruise because the problems began on wednesday is way out of proportion. First of all, dependent of which officer you spoke with, he may be completely ignorant about technicalities of the ships machinery. Secondly it may take hours, days and in rare cases even months to assess the nature and severity of a problem.

[krewzin]

As passengers on the ill fated July 16, 2006 Infinity to Alaska cruise, here's what would have made our trip "OK". Celebrity should have cancelled the July 16 disaster, especially when they knew about the mechanical problems on Wednesday before our cruise.

 

Er...in the other thread a couple days ago, you said that Celebrity knew about the problems on *Friday* before the cruise :rolleyes: which, IMO would be waaay to late to cancel a Sunday departure and could possibly strand 1,000+ people:

 

Thanks for your comments. Celebrity's letter to us stated the "pod problems" started on Friday before our cruise. Our ill fated cruise didn't start until Sunday, July 16, 2006. We should have been given some other options...cancelling...future cruise credit, etc. We weren't told anything until after our bags were checked in at Canada Place and we were entering the chaos at the exhibit hall in the convention center. Hopefully, Celebrity's response will be more to our liking.

 

Many people leave early for their cruises...I would've been well on my way to Vancouver at that time...and to arrive and find out my cruise was cancelled would've been a very difficult situation (hotels rooms, flights home, etc.).

 

I understand completely your being unhappy with what happened, and I don't think you were compensated fairly ....but to cancel that cruise that late in the game would've been a logistical nightmare.

[many cruises]

Er...in the other thread a couple days ago, you said that Celebrity knew about the problems on *Friday* before the cruise :rolleyes: which, IMO would be waaay to late to cancel a Sunday departure and could possibly strand 1,000+ people:

 

 

 

Many people leave early for their cruises...I would've been well on my way to Vancouver at that time...and to arrive and find out my cruise was cancelled would've been a very difficult situation (hotels rooms, flights home, etc.).

 

I understand completely your being unhappy with what happened, and I don't think you were compensated fairly ....but to cancel that cruise that late in the game would've been a logistical nightmare.

 

We were told by a ship's officer that Celebrity knew about the mechanical problems on Wednesday. When we arrived at the convention hall in Vancouver, we were handed a letter by Celebrity personnel stating that the problems began on Friday. Obviously, the problems didn't begin on Friday because the previous cruise never went to Sitka either and that was Friday's scheduled port. They were scheduled to arrive in Sitka at 8 AM, so something had to occur before that date. Yes, it would have been difficult to find out that our cruise had been cancelled. Unfortunately, it was even more difficult for us to spend thousands of dollars and not receive anything close to what we paid for. This was going to be our only trip to Alaska and cruising to Alaska is all about the itinerary. We didn't see the inside passage, we didn't go to Sitka, and our only two port days were shortened so that much of the time was unusable. Passengers were angry and complaining throughout the ship.

 

The bottom line is that Celebrity needs to stop taking advantage of their customers by sailing ships that continue to break down. This problem has affected many cruises & until you're on one of these ill fated cruises it is difficult to imagine what it us like. They need to take these ships out of the water and fix them once and for all. Hopefully, the upcoming drydock for the Infinity will do just that and I will continue to wait for my response from Celebrity.

 

 

[Jimsgirl]

Checked with my credit card yesterday Aug 25, the refund from Celebrity for the cancelled Alaska cruise has been made.

 

That was good news, hope others find the same thing.

[fud2468]

Hi, I'm new here and will keep this short for now due to the difficulty of registering to the site and then not being able to get to this thread again;

so before elaborating I want to see if this will post properly.

For now I will say that I have some observations about this. My wife and I are quite elderly, have never taken a cruise before, wanted to go to Alaska and this Sept 13 cancellation is quite distressing.

More Later,

Ray Mac.

[fud2468]

OK.

Since we are retired, arranging vacation time was not a problem, nor were aircraft or hotel bookings an issue. We were to be taken from Vacaville, Ca by bus to San Francisco to board Infinity on Sept 13.

My developmentally disabled son was to be cared for in our absence by my two daughters, One was to fly down from Portland for the first part of the time, then the other one from Kansas City was to come to stay with my son the last few days. Both were between jobs to be able to do this

We were called from our senior center on the 21st of August and told the trip was off because of an electical problem, which sounded fishy then and still sounds very fishy to me now (yes I have read all the posts in this thread).

Fairly early on we were told we would get a refund plus another cruise. I also was able to talk on phone to Ceebrity and was told the problem was in the "azipod".

Prior to this I had tried to prepare us for this first trip but it was not until yesterday that I learned of the chronic problems with Celebrity

Putting a few things together here:

First, Woosermom is right. In the great scheme of things this is nothing--but so is genocide, wars over oil, etc., so it's all relative.

(2)Since Infinity is making the Sept. 3 trip, and will be able to go back north on the 13th for repairs, the repairs appear to be elective (meaning non-emergency). The Sept. 13 trip DID NOT have to be cancelled. We would have been happy with a slower speed if that was necessary.

(3) Celebrity is willing to make us Sept. 13 folks expendable in order to be prepared for more lucrative future trips

In our case, what has happened is:

We have no further chance this year to go to Alaska in the manner we wanted. At our age there may not be another chance to go.

My girls will probably be able to get credit from their airlines for future trips, but that won't put money back in their pockets. And later they won't be available anyway.

Finally, this site has been a revelation, not only about Celebrity but about problems with other lines as well. A cruise of any sort, to anywhere, now looks to be more trouble than it's worth.

Many thanks to all here for saving us future trouble.

Ray Mac.

[GATOR MOM]

I am sorry you seem to have such a negative feeling re cruising due to this canceled cruise. You seem to think that a cruise anywhere is not worth the trouble...please try to be more positive. Cruising is a wonderful experience...& I hope you will try it. You kept mentioning your age...well...think young...& maybe try a cruise to Mexico from your area. I was on this canceled cruise...flying in from Florida...& now plan to still fly out...see family in San Francisco & then tour your beautiful state. Plan to see Yosemite & Lake Tahoe...make the best of the situation. And then take a free cruise in February. I may never see Alaska ..but will try again & hope for the best. I hope you will too & best wishes to you:)

[Welshlady]

Fortunately I've had 2 perfect cruises previously to my Infinity cruise and the subsequent dealings with X customer 'services'. Don't let it put you off cruising altogether. We were hooked after our first one and have found Princess and P & O to be excellent with excellent customer service, answering any queries promptly and efficiently. We had no complaints with them so I can't answer for that side but we were able to ring and ask questions easily and speak to a customer service agent easily. There are other good cruise lines out there so don't judge them all by the experience with X. Cruising is a good way to holiday particularly for anyone infirm/disabled as they look after people so well and pamper to your every need. It is disappointing to have your holiday cancelled and it does inconvenience other people too as you have said. We travelled all the way from UK to Vancouver which is costly and a long way and it's not easy to rearrange holidays when we're working etc. so for us it was a once in a lifetime experience to sail to Alaska. I can understand how you feel and it's not easy to rearrange holidays but don't give up!

[fud2468]

Thanks for the replies.

I am happy for those who have had the means and the flexibility to go on other cruises that went well and are therefore able to balance this experience against the good ones. In our case, as seniors on a fixed income, this was to have been a one-shot thing, so we don't have that advantage.

We and other locals who were to go on this cruise by bus from here to San Francisco are to meet this morning in the Vacaville, CA Senior Center with a representative from Celebrity. I just went to Celebrity's site and I see there's still not a word there about the cancellation! Were it not for this site the truth would not come out.

We are now armed with the information you have provided here and will wait to hear what the rep. has to say. If he/she doesn't level with us I will lower the boom on him/her.

Ray Mac

[LeftcoastBC]

fud

I found this on their site.

does it help?

http://www.celebritycruises.com/aboutceleb/pressDetails.do;jsessionid=0000jYkjNvR4TeHt-IFId6j8fGf:1051tg5ge?pagename=press_room_details&event_date=2006-08-11&event_type=press_release&sequence_code=A

[Ma Bell]

Thanks for the replies.

I am happy for those who have had the means and the flexibility to go on other cruises that went well and are therefore able to balance this experience against the good ones. In our case, as seniors on a fixed income, this was to have been a one-shot thing, so we don't have that advantage.

We and other locals who were to go on this cruise by bus from here to San Francisco are to meet this morning in the Vacaville, CA Senior Center with a representative from Celebrity. I just went to Celebrity's site and I see there's still not a word there about the cancellation! Were it not for this site the truth would not come out.

We are now armed with the information you have provided here and will wait to hear what the rep. has to say. If he/she doesn't level with us I will lower the boom on him/her.

Ray Mac

 

You need to lower the boom on your travel agent. This information has been on the website since the decision was made to cancel the cruise.

 

I'm really sorry that your cruise was cancelled, but the problem needs to be fixed. As you can see, there are some people who are unhappy that previous cruises proceeded and they feel they didn't receive what they paid for even though they also received compensation from Celebrity.

 

Unfortunately everyone's circumstances are different and although they do the best they can for the majority, there will always be someone who is not satisfied.

[florisdekort]

I just went to Celebrity's site and I see there's still not a word there about the cancellation!

 

It has been on the site for almost 4 weeks:

http://www.celebritycruises.com/aboutceleb/pressDetails.do;jsessionid=0000dg29zmM4Q9fXPMfdeiMYX0P:1051tg0lk?pagename=press_room_details&event_date=2006-08-11&event_type=press_release&sequence_code=A

 

If your travel agent didn't inform you of the cancellation at least 2 or 3 weeks ago, he/she did a lousy job and you need to find yourself a better travel agent. If you booked at Celebrity, without a travel agent, they should have informed you, as they informed all but a few on our roll call early August.

 

As to the rest of this thread, I am not sure what to say. I guess whatever happens, some people are always going to find things to complain about. Of course the people who sailed on Infinity in July are not going to be happy with a delayed arrival (first cruise), a delayed departure (second cruise) and a missed port (Sitka, both cruises). But Celebrity paid $700 in compensation, which is quite generous. And by now it is the end of August... time to move on. There are much more serious problems in this world.

 

I was on the September 13 cruise that got cancelled. Am I happy about that? No. But I did get a full refund and a future cruise voucher. Again, quite a generous offer. I'll make the best of it, spend September working in the office instread of cruising Alaska, and start planning for a future cruise. Of all bumps on the road of life, this was a very, very minor one.

 

Floris

[fud2468]

The presentation today was by Premier and not by a Celebrity representative. It seemed that no one else in attendance had any complaints about the cancellation..

We are being offered all of our money back for the Sept. 13 cruise and credit for the full amount on an Alaska trip next May. The hitch is that one leg of the may trip will be by air.

Que sera sera. It's time to stop griping and move on.

Drat!! I forgot to ask if it would be on Infinity!

Ray Mac

[krewzin]

I wonder....if there is a situation where someone cannot take the 'free cruise,' might one be able to book it under someone else's name? Could it be booked, and then subsequently the names changed a few months down the road?

 

Might a family member take the cruise in your stead, or are the rules such that it must be in the names of the original cruisers ...no eXceptions?

[fud2468]

I think you're pulling my chain, krewzin! In effect, saying that if I'm not perfectly satisfied I should give the opportunity to someone else.

And here I thought I had adapted quite well to the reality of the situation compared to how I was feeling just a day or two ago.

I don't need to have a cruise to feel better about myself; my wife is the one who has worked hard in life, wanted an Alaska cruise now, and needed relief from the heat, now.

She and I are at relative peace with the situation at this time.

Ray Mac.

[Welshlady]

I dont think there was any hint of pulling you leg. It's a genuine enquiry as to what could happen. I've wondered that too - could the cruise or credits be used by someone else? Can a booked cruise be changed into someone else's name???

[DAllenTCY]

The compensation of a "free cruise" is only usable by the original "bookee". There are a handful of cruises to various destinations available, and no holidays are included. Besides being non-transferrable, there is a deadline by which it must be used. No upgrading is allowed (bad for me, because now instead of Alaska in Sept. I'll be going to Hawaii in April...and would have appreciated the chance to upgrade to a balcony).

David

[krewzin]

I think you're pulling my chain, krewzin! In effect, saying that if I'm not perfectly satisfied I should give the opportunity to someone else.

And here I thought I had adapted quite well to the reality of the situation compared to how I was feeling just a day or two ago.

I don't need to have a cruise to feel better about myself; my wife is the one who has worked hard in life, wanted an Alaska cruise now, and needed relief from the heat, now.

She and I are at relative peace with the situation at this time.

Ray Mac.

 

Er...huh? :confused: I dunno what the heck you're talking about...my question had nothing to do with you.

 

I was curious if the folks that had their cruise cancelled could give their (free) cruise to someone else, whether it be a family member or otherwise.

 

DAllen...thanks for clearing that up.

 

You cannot even upgrade if you offer to pay the difference?

[DAllenTCY]

That's right, you can't upgrade it.

David

[DAllenTCY]

That's right, you can't upgrade it.

David

[GATOR MOM]

Floris...sorry we will not meet on Infinity...it seems you have a positive outlook on life. happy cruising to you...& I will still see your San Fran in sept...cruise or no cruise!!!