Celebrity changing port

[thegoodwitch]

:mad: Anyone else stressed with Celebrity changing there port? We had already book flights for this trip for 4 people coming from three different areas and hotel. This has really upset our plans. Celebrity doesn't seem to be very customer service friendly in helping to fix our plans.

[wrp96]

On what cruise?

[thegoodwitch]

That would be the Mercury for June 2007.

[Host Kat]

Howdy thegoodwitch!

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic and the Need Help Forum!

 

I fully understand your frustration with port changes. However, you have posted on the Need Help Forum where members find information about using Cruise Critic's software. This is not the place for your type of post and the information you seek is off topic.

 

Per our Guidelines and to help you out, I have moved your thread to the Celebrity Cruises Forum where it will be on topic. I hope you will be able to find it in the new location! Your fellow Cruise Critic members should be able to help you with more information there.

 

I suggest you read FAQ and Guidelines on the blue bar above. Especially the "Getting Started" section in FAQ. That's where you will see how a new topic should be consistent with the specific forum you choose. Click here for the list of forums: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/index.php and be sure to read all Announcement and Sticky posts at the top of the various forums for additional information too.

 

I sincerely hope this will be satisfactory and glad to have you aboard Cruise Critic!

 

Happy trails to you...

 

Kat

[cusyl]

Is there another ship leaving from that port on the same day? Perhaps you could just change cruise lines and save your air and hotel that you paid. :D

[Cruise Junky]

Guests currently holding reservations with deposits made for Celebrity's Mercury cruises from Seattle between May 4, 2007, and September 14, 2007, will receive a $100 per stateroom onboard credit. Celebrity's Air/Sea department will make the necessary changes for any Air/Sea guests whose air travel is impacted by the shift to Vancouver.

 

Cruise-only guests who incur a fee due to changing their air reservations will be reimbursed up to $100 per person, providing proof of the air change fee is provided.

 

 

 

So you get $100 and get reimbursed for your change fee? And your problem? Change your flights, cancel your hotel, keep your receipts get your money back.

[wolfganghowell]

Vancouver is a fabulous beautiful city. All due respect to Seattle, you are so lucky to leave from Vancouver. I was there Labor Day weekend and would live there in a heartbeat. Sounds like they will help with some of your changing issues but know that you are leaving from a great city.

[Cruise Junky]

Vancouver is a fabulous beautiful city. All due respect to Seattle, you are so lucky to leave from Vancouver. I was there Labor Day weekend and would live there in a heartbeat. Sounds like they will help with some of your changing issues but know that you are leaving from a great city.

 

Thank you! We think so too.

[Cachecara]

Actually, now that Mercury has changed ports from Seattle to Vancouver we are considering this cruise!

I feel sorry for the people this has inconvenienced, but I wonder if this change had anything to do with giving people a choice between the m class ship(infinity) that has broken down most of this season and the c class ship that is more reliable. JMHO.

Anyway, Mercury will be a consideration for us now.

[newmexicoNita]

More than any onther line Celebrity changes ports, either embarkation (not often) of ports they visit. both times we have sailed them ports have been changed as well as for most of my cliants. The good news: they always give plenty of warning, it isn't like they decide 6 weeks before sailing to do this. For those who have been inconvenieced and will have extra costs, as someone mentioned, you can change ships and cruise lines: a couple others sail out of Seattle. This is a problem when we choose to book air and hotel on our own. The cruise line isn't responsible for our extra charges.NMNita

[bububr]

Leaving from the Vancouver port is actually a good thing.

 

We just returned from the Seattle RT on the Mercury, and although Seattle is a wonderful city, what you are getting in return is even better.

 

You are gaing extra hours in your ports of call, Something I wish I did have.

 

While the ports are charming, the limited time at each of them did not allow us to do more than one excursion, and if we did there was little time to fully explore the towns.

 

With this newly found time you will be able to do more excursions, see more things and have multiple experiences that we were not able to have. Its really a blessing in disquise.

 

X has offered to help with the rebooking of flights and hotels for those who have documentaion that they are booked.

 

Guests currently holding reservations with deposits made for Celebrity's Mercury cruises from Seattle between May 4, 2007, and September 14, 2007, will receive a $100 per stateroom onboard credit. Celebrity's Air/Sea department will make the necessary changes for any Air/Sea guests whose air travel is impacted by the shift to Vancouver.

 

Cruise-only guests who incur a fee due to changing their air reservations will be reimbursed up to $100 per person, providing proof of the air change fee is provided.

 

The itinerary from Vancouver will feature the same ports of call: Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan, Alaska, and including cruises through the Inside Passage and several hours beside Hubbard Glacier.

 

Celebrity is proactively contacting all travel agents with clients holding reservations affected by this change; however, agents as well as guests with individual or group bookings are welcome to call Celebrity's re-accommodation desk, at 1-888-281-9343.

 

It has also been our experience if you speak to the airlines nad explain the situation, sometimes its not a problem to make a small change for no fee, some times a small change fee, usually 100.00 or so applies, and if you are stuck with those flights, its only a very beautiful 2 1/2 hour drive to Vancouver from Seattle and the car rental is less than $100.00, or there is a train, or bus.

 

You still have 9 nonths to figure this out, and I really wouldn't stress over it. Things tend to work out if you think them through clearly.

 

Best of luck with what ever changes you make in your plans. And ENJOY the cruise. We sure did!!

 

Dave:eek:

[wolfganghowell]

Junky - I had to be dragged kicking and screaming out of your awesome city. What a great place to live. Mr Wolf was there for 2 weeks so I was extremely jealous. We went down to one of the waterfront bars and watched Infinity leave port. I think if he'd had one beer he might have jumped in the water and swam to the ship!

[HurricaneSally]

Wow, how do you book flights so far out? I have never been able to book flights anywhere more than six months out. Most airlines don't even have their flights planned 10 months in advance.

[greatam]

X reimbursing a $100.00 change fee is probably NOT a lot of help if you need to fly to Vancouver. You most likely will not only pay the change fee, but the exorbitant difference in fare to Vancouver vs Seattle.

 

Just a suggestion to work around this: take the train, rent a car, or take one of the many shuttle services out of Seattle to Vancouver. The train only leaves once a day (like 8:00AM or something) but you can get shuttle service to Vancouver or even rent a car. Look for threads on the Alaska board. Lots of people fly to Seattle due to the much cheaper airfare and make their way to Vancouver.

[greatam]

Wow, how do you book flights so far out? I have never been able to book flights anywhere more than six months out. Most airlines don't even have their flights planned 10 months in advance.

 

Most airlines (except Southwest and a couple other LCC's) allow booking 330 days in advance.

[bububr]

And all they would have to do is pay the difference between destinations and a $100.00 change fee which X has already posted it would pay per person. The hotel is a different sory, but my experience is you leave a CC# and you have up to 48 hours to cancel with no penalties at most hotels. If they booked through an online site, if there is a same hotel location in another location they can transfer the reservation or deposit, but would be responsible for any difference in prices.

 

Like I mentioned, they have 9 months to straighten it out, and at the worse Seattle is only 2 1/2 hours from Vancouver. THey might even be able to take a ferry if they had to?

 

Dave:eek:

[greatam]

And all they would have to do is pay the difference between destinations and a $100.00 change fee which X has already posted it would pay per person. The hotel is a different sory, but my experience is you leave a CC# and you have up to 48 hours to cancel with no penalties at most hotels. If they booked through an online site, if there is a same hotel location in another location they can transfer the reservation or deposit, but would be responsible for any difference in prices.

 

Like I mentioned, they have 9 months to straighten it out, and at the worse Seattle is only 2 1/2 hours from Vancouver. THey might even be able to take a ferry if they had to?

 

Dave:eek:

 

If I'm reading correctly, they already have a hotel in Seattle. So the logical assumption is they are flying the day before the cruise. NO need to do anything. Just find transport to Vancouver, which is pretty easy. Like you stated, beautiful drive and lots of ways to get there.

 

I would almost bet since X is offering the $100.00 change fee, if they kept receipts for rental, shuttle or train, they would get reimbursed. AND get an extra benefit of the beautiful drive. I think they lucked out, both getting the Vancouver embark AND the extra trip up the coast.

[c-legs]

:) Hi,

Indeed, if in Seattle already a day ealry, no sweat whatsoever !!! Just take Amtrak, leaves 7.40am,arrives Vancouver 11.35am, absolutely great ride and scenery; Vancouver train station is 10 minutes from pier, approx 12.00 for a cab.

Alternatively, Quick Coach lines has a Seattle-Vancouver cruise pier shuttle every friday (Mercury's day),saturday & Sunday....and in both directions !!, a wee bit more expensive than Amtrak but you do have to shuttle your way to their terminal in Seattle....which is NOT at the Greyhound depot, itself further away than KingSt station.

 

The more you look at this embarkation port change, the more you'll perhaps realize this is a GOOD thing.

 

Happy sailings

Cheers

Claude g.

;)

[phillipahain]

You will only love Vancouver as a departure city if you are from the USA or Canada

 

ALL OTHER passengers are treated in the most disgusting way by Homeland Security and herded into a back room and kept in near concentration camp conditions without any food or water for up to 4 hours

 

Before Homeland security would deign to shift themselves to process them

 

The treatment of well over 1000 passengers departing Vancouver on 9th Sept was nothing short of a total disgrace

 

All USA and Canadians went through immigration/homeland security in a matter of minutes

 

ALL NON USA passengers who would already have cleared the self same immigration proceedures at their original landing point in the USA just hours before were treated like 2nd class citizens

 

The result of it all will be a huge drop in tourism to the USA

[Cruise Junky]

You will only love Vancouver as a departure city if you are from the USA or Canada

 

ALL OTHER passengers are treated in the most disgusting way by Homeland Security and herded into a back room and kept in near concentration camp conditions without any food or water for up to 4 hours

 

Before Homeland security would deign to shift themselves to process them

 

The treatment of well over 1000 passengers departing Vancouver on 9th Sept was nothing short of a total disgrace

 

All USA and Canadians went through immigration/homeland security in a matter of minutes

 

ALL NON USA passengers who would already have cleared the self same immigration proceedures at their original landing point in the USA just hours before were treated like 2nd class citizens

 

The result of it all will be a huge drop in tourism to the USA

 

I would hope that visitors to our wonderful city would realize that homeland security is not a Canadian invention and that is not where the blame belongs.

[kruisecat]

You will only love Vancouver as a departure city if you are from the USA or Canada

 

ALL OTHER passengers are treated in the most disgusting way by Homeland Security and herded into a back room and kept in near concentration camp conditions without any food or water for up to 4 hours

 

Before Homeland security would deign to shift themselves to process them

 

The treatment of well over 1000 passengers departing Vancouver on 9th Sept was nothing short of a total disgrace

 

All USA and Canadians went through immigration/homeland security in a matter of minutes

 

ALL NON USA passengers who would already have cleared the self same immigration proceedures at their original landing point in the USA just hours before were treated like 2nd class citizens

 

The result of it all will be a huge drop in tourism to the USA

 

I am truly sorry for your inconvenience. But I have to say as an American Citizen I would rather see foreign tourism drop than terrorism increase. It is an unfortunate state of events when average world citizens have to be treated like common criminals (ie, no liquids on planes) but until the world decides to come together and put an end to bombings of busses, and railways and airplanes we must all pay the price.

 

Sorry to "hijack" the thread I just feel strongly that our personal desires and comforts cannot be held higher than a nation's security as a whole. :o

[Sky Sweet]

I am truly sorry for your inconvenience. But I have to say as an American Citizen I would rather see foreign tourism drop than terrorism increase. It is an unfortunate state of events when average world citizens have to be treated like common criminals (ie, no liquids on planes) but until the world decides to come together and put an end to bombings of busses, and railways and airplanes we must all pay the price.

 

Sorry to "hijack" the thread I just feel strongly that our personal desires and comforts cannot be held higher than a nation's security as a whole. :o

 

I agree with you, and feel the same way about a cruise line's right to check lugggage for the same reason.

[greatam]

increase. It is an unfortunate state of events when average world citizens have to be treated like common criminals (ie, no liquids on planes) o

 

Take a look at this page to find out why liquids are not allowed on planes. Even states in the literature that product can be carried on a COMMERCIAL PASSENGER AIRCRAFT (I'm sure this was written before the liquids ban). This stuff is readily available and can be purchased over the internet.

 

http://www.fixor.com/Advantages.html

[flagger]

Cruise-only guests who incur a fee due to changing their air reservations will be reimbursed up to $100 per person, providing proof of the air change fee is provided.

 

So you get $100 and get reimbursed for your change fee? And your problem? Change your flights, cancel your hotel, keep your receipts get your money back.

Ok but it just not that simple. When you change the arrival city, you are not just paying a change fee BUT also the difference in airfare between your original city and your new arrival city.<BR><BR>

 

As of today, for travel 9JUN returning 17JUN07 prices out cheapest on Frontier/Alaskan/American $335 a person (NONSTOP)<BR><BR>

 

Changing the arrival to YVR comes up with the cheapest ticket as of today on American (which includes one stop LAX) for $452. The cheapest NONSTOP is $724 on United. Frontier does not provide service to YVR.<BR><BR>

 

To suggest that it is just easy to change airfare is not true. As shown the cost difference more than exceeds the $100 PER STATEROOM OBC and $100 PER PERSON for change fees. Talk about a disgraceful offer of compensation for someone who does not book (at a higher fare) through Celebrity.<BR><BR>

 

Yet another reason why Celebrity's perceived value continues to fall. More examples of customer "no" service.

[rebeccalouise]

I am surprized that you purchased your tickets this far out. Having said that, there are buses from Seattle to Vancouver. The ride is about 3 hours I believe and the $ 100 onboard credit that you received will cover the cost to the bus fare roundtrip from Seattle. I don't know if you were planning to fly in the day of the cruise- if so, that might not leave you enough time.

I feel for you but I imagine the cruise line thought that they were giving plenty of advance notice.

Write Celebrity a letter regarding this and remember you get more with honey than you do vinegar. I would be surprised if they don't offer you more than the $ 100 onboard credit.

 

P.S Next time fly Southwest if possible. There are ZERO change fees and many tickets are 100% refundable.