How confident are you in booking Summit to Alaska with regard to pod propulsion prob?

[bestvacation]

We are considering booking a small family group (4-6 cabins) on the Summit for an Alaska cruisetour for July "07. Can we feel reasonably confident in this ship, in light of the history of the pod propulsion problems with the "M" class of ships?

[Druke I]

Cynic that I am, I would look for another ship, without the pod system.

 

The engineers seem to be unable to "lick" the thrust bearing issues to date.

[adamtennis]

Well, we recently booked the Summit for July 07 and we are attempting to get our entire family on this special cruise - there are currently 28 family members/friends booked! While the pod problems are a reality, the ship spends many more weeks at sea than not. I think it is impossible to book any kind of trip with a 100% guarantee that things will go smoothly - so I suggest using your own comfort level as a guide :)

[dkjretired]

but would make sure my air and hotel reservations were refundable or transferable. If they cancel it the chances are you are going to get your money back and a free cruise besides. The only other problem is if the problem arises while on board...

[mafig]

I worry too much!

 

Part of the fun of a cruise is anticipation, researching ports, booking shore excursions, figuring out what to wear. I don't want to have the worry in the back of my head about pods. But that's just me.

[florisdekort]

Please don't cruise Celebrity so there are more aft cabins, more delicious Martini's, more orange sherbets, more champagne and more of all the other good stuff left for all of us to grab :D

[Karynanne]

Please don't cruise Celebrity so there are more aft cabins, more delicious Martini's, more orange sherbets, more champagne and more of all the other good stuff left for all of us to grab :D

 

LOL....

 

I would book it...but I'm an eternal optomist...we're leaving on Infinity this Sunday for Hawaii. I'm betting that the recent dry dock, and service on the pods, will eliminate any future problems.

 

Karyn

[lucky white heather]

but would make sure my air and hotel reservations were refundable or transferable. If they cancel it the chances are you are going to get your money back and a free cruise besides. The only other problem is if the problem arises while on board...

 

 

Just wondered if "pod" problems causing cancelled cruise would make X offer a free cruise?

 

We were cancelled on our Connie B2B April 07 and the offers we got did not include any free cruise.. I would have remembered that.

In fact the cruise we might have taken to replace the original first cruise of the B2B booking would have been acceptable but X wasn't willing to offer any air package to join it so we were forced into cancellation and a refund of deposit only.

Would difficulty with a "pod" problem have resulted in the offer a free cruise for anyone else eg. U.S. / PAX????

[rubrrick]

The M class ships and RCCL's Radiance class ships are very similar, and the pod problems........although not totally resolved.....have come a long way to understanding the situation. I think, from talking to chief engineers about the pods.......that the situation will get better, not worse.

 

Rick

[Ma Bell]

Just wondered if "pod" problems causing cancelled cruise would make X offer a free cruise?

 

We were cancelled on our Connie B2B April 07 and the offers we got did not include any free cruise.. I would have remembered that.

In fact the cruise we might have taken to replace the original first cruise of the B2B booking would have been acceptable but X wasn't willing to offer any air package to join it so we were forced into cancellation and a refund of deposit only.

Would difficulty with a "pod" problem have resulted in the offer a free cruise for anyone else eg. U.S. / PAX????

 

If your cruise was cancelled before you made final payment there would be no offer of a free cruise. It usually depends on how far ahead the cruise is cancelled. Sometimes a small cabin credit is received.

[disneygirl1]

We just completed Summit's repo cruise from Vancouver through Alaska & to LA. There were no pod problems at all; the ship was wonderful.

 

We were originally booked on the ill-fated September 13 Alaska cruise on Infinity. Due to pod and other problems, the cruise was cancelled about a month before the date. We received a full refund from Celebrity AND a free cruise. As was stated before, I think the compensation depends on how close to the cruise date the cancellation occurs. Even though we got cancelled, I was able to find and book the Summit cruise within 24 hours of cancellation, so I wouldn't worry too much. They are gaining on the pod problems...slowly but surely.

[SEPyle]

If your cruise was cancelled before you made final payment there would be no offer of a free cruise. It usually depends on how far ahead the cruise is cancelled. Sometimes a small cabin credit is received.

 

We were actually booked on the 5/20 Summit that was cancelled because of Pod problems, and the answer is yes, we did receive a free cruise plus up to $200 for air change fees.

 

I wouldn't worry about just getting a small cabin credit in the case of pod problems because when a pod problem happens, the repair must be made right away so you would be close to the sailing date...therefore a full refund plus a free cruise.

 

In our case we ended up booking again for a cruise in early August. You get the same category or if that's not avail, you recieve an upgrade. Yes, re-booking everything was a pain, but we were able to go in high season (May is less expensive) and had a wonderful cruise.

 

With that said: YES, I reccomend booking on the Summit! We had a fantastic time!

[SEPyle]

If your cruise was cancelled before you made final payment there would be no offer of a free cruise. It usually depends on how far ahead the cruise is cancelled. Sometimes a small cabin credit is received.

 

We were actually booked on the 5/20 Summit that was cancelled because of Pod problems, and the answer is yes, we did receive a free cruise plus up to $200 for air change fees.

 

I wouldn't worry about just getting a small cabin credit in the case of pod problems because when a pod problem happens, the repair must be made right away so you would be close to the sailing date...therefore a full refund plus a free cruise.

 

In our case we ended up booking again for a cruise in early August. You get the same category or if that's not avail, you recieve an upgrade. Yes, re-booking everything was a pain, but we were able to go in high season (May is less expensive) and had a wonderful cruise.

 

With that said: YES, I reccomend booking on the Summit! We had a fantastic time!

[SEPyle]

If your cruise was cancelled before you made final payment there would be no offer of a free cruise. It usually depends on how far ahead the cruise is cancelled. Sometimes a small cabin credit is received.

 

We were actually booked on the 5/20 Summit that was cancelled because of Pod problems, and the answer is yes, we did receive a free cruise plus up to $200 for air change fees.

 

I wouldn't worry about just getting a small cabin credit in the case of pod problems because when a pod problem happens, the repair must be made right away so you would be close to the sailing date...therefore a full refund plus a free cruise.

 

In our case we ended up booking again for a cruise in early August. You get the same category or if that's not avail, you recieve an upgrade. Yes, re-booking everything was a pain, but we were able to go in high season (May is less expensive) and had a wonderful cruise.

 

With that said: YES, I give a heads-up for booking on the Summit! We had a fantastic time!

[Drew B]

And I was on the 5/7 Summit cruise that had the pod problems and missed ports. We did NOT get a free cruise, but we did (eventually) get a 30% off voucher. The way the voucher works is that they don't take 30% off of the price of the next cruise -- they calculate what 30% was of the price you paid for the affected cruise and discount THAT DOLLAR AMOUNT from whatever price you can get for the next cruise. I had a great time despite the pod problems and don't regret taking the cruise at all.

[bestvacation]

Thanks to everyone who has replied so far. It has been very helpful.

 

rubrrick, it was especially encouraging to hear that you have spoken to engineers about the problem, and they feel things are improving.

 

Someone from Celebrity made a good point, that the Summit is now sailing from LAX to Hawaii, with 4 consecutive sea days each way, and has not had a problem. They seem to feel confident that the repair/drydock that occurred in May took care of the problem.

 

I think we'll at least put the deposit down for now.

 

Any other input from CC members would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again!

[wlewis5038]

We just got back last Saturday from 14 days on the Summit. No propulsion problems whatsoever. A Grand cruise. Have a good one, don't worry.

[Superman of Inaction]

And I was on the 5/7 Summit cruise that had the pod problems and missed ports. We did NOT get a free cruise, but we did (eventually) get a 30% off voucher. The way the voucher works is that they don't take 30% off of the price of the next cruise -- they calculate what 30% was of the price you paid for the affected cruise and discount THAT DOLLAR AMOUNT from whatever price you can get for the next cruise. I had a great time despite the pod problems and don't regret taking the cruise at all.

Hi Drew,

 

The statement "30% was off whatever price you get for the next cruise" is FALSE. The coupon, if you read it, has many restricticions including not valid on sale prices, such as "happy hour" and many others. Unless you pay full price, such a coupon would be of little or no value on the final cost of your cruise. As someone mentioned above if you are on the cruise when the pod problems happens you are going to loose a lot of what you paid for. If you always pay full price then the coupon would be a savings or if you cruise several times per year then missing ports would not matter. I believe the last pod problem for the Summit was last May and they happen about once every year. If they remain on schedule you would be OK, but if the failure extends a couple of months, it might be cause for worry.

[dkjretired]

Hi Drew,

 

The statement "30% was off whatever price you get for the next cruise" is FALSE. The coupon, if you read it, has many restricticions including not valid on sale prices, such as "happy hour" and many others. Unless you pay full price, such a coupon would be of little or no value on the final cost of your cruise. As someone mentioned above if you are on the cruise when the pod problems happens you are going to loose a lot of what you paid for. If you always pay full price then the coupon would be a savings or if you cruise several times per year then missing ports would not matter. I believe the last pod problem for the Summit was last May and they happen about once every year. If they remain on schedule you would be OK, but if the failure extends a couple of months, it might be cause for worry.

 

All of the per cent offers that Celebrity has given in the past for these various propulsion problems have been a per cent off the best price you can get. That is what everyone except one person has reported and that is a fact.

[Superman of Inaction]

All of the per cent offers that Celebrity has given in the past for these various propulsion problems have been a per cent off the best price you can get. That is what everyone except one person has reported and that is a fact.

 

Don,

I have been doing much research, after finding out about the pod problems, by calling and asking that question of Celebrity. I have called three times and received the same answer each time. NO that 30% off coupon is not good for happy hour specials. I do not know if you are getting your information from PR folks, but I got mine directly from Celebrity. I can only suggest if your are really interested in the truth that you call Celebrity and find out for yourself.

[Drew B]

Don,

I have been doing much research, after finding out about the pod problems, by calling and asking that question of Celebrity. I have called three times and received the same answer each time. NO that 30% off coupon is not good for happy hour specials. I do not know if you are getting your information from PR folks, but I got mine directly from Celebrity. I can only suggest if your are really interested in the truth that you call Celebrity and find out for yourself.

 

Well, there's a difference between saying that they're not good for HAPPY HOUR SPECIALS and saying that they're only good for full-price fares. I'm sure you're right about the happy hour specials. But if you've already booked ANY cruise, you can't get your fare reduced to happy hour prices when the prices drop (which is always or nearly always AFTER final payment is due and the fares are non-refundable). The only way to get those deals is to take your chances and wait for them when they come up. They are an exception to ALL of the other rules.

 

The coupons are good against any other regular fare you can get, and sometimes those fares can be substantially lower (50% + lower) than published brochure rates. That's what we're talking about.

[dkjretired]

Well, there's a difference between saying that they're not good for HAPPY HOUR SPECIALS and saying that they're only good for full-price fares. I'm sure you're right about the happy hour specials. But if you've already booked ANY cruise, you can't get your fare reduced to happy hour prices when the prices drop (which is always or nearly always AFTER final payment is due and the fares are non-refundable). The only way to get those deals is to take your chances and wait for them when they come up. They are an exception to ALL of the other rules.

 

The coupons are good against any other regular fare you can get, and sometimes those fares can be substantially lower (50% + lower) than published brochure rates. That's what we're talking about.

 

If you are talking about the happy hour specials you probably couldn't use it but Drew is right and I am getting this information from a number of people who have posted on these boards over the past couple of years. I guess in this case we both are right.

[Superman of Inaction]

Thanks to everyone who has replied so far. It has been very helpful.

 

rubrrick, it was especially encouraging to hear that you have spoken to engineers about the problem, and they feel things are improving.

 

Someone from Celebrity made a good point, that the Summit is now sailing from LAX to Hawaii, with 4 consecutive sea days each way, and has not had a problem. They seem to feel confident that the repair/drydock that occurred in May took care of the problem.

 

I think we'll at least put the deposit down for now.

 

Any other input from CC members would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again!

 

Bestvacation, Contrary to what anyone may have been told, the pod problems have not been corrected and the frequency of pod problems has not improved. The repairs are only a patch designed to last about 1 year.

The last pod temporary fix for the Summit was, I believe last May, so if the Summit follows the usual pattern it probably won't happen again until sometime next spring. The Infinity probably will not fail, again, until next fall. If you decide to go, have a great cruise.

[Allis154]

I have booked the Summit to Alaska next September, and then on to Hawaii. If there are pod problems, I'll deal with it then. I was on the Infinity this fall, right after the drydock to fix her pods. To me, it is not worth the worry. If you are not comfortable with the thought that there may be an issue, then book another ship. Even then, there are no guarantees.

[bbro]

Bestvacation, Contrary to what anyone may have been told, the pod problems have not been corrected and the frequency of pod problems has not improved. The repairs are only a patch designed to last about 1 year.

The last pod temporary fix for the Summit was, I believe last May, so if the Summit follows the usual pattern it probably won't happen again until sometime next spring. The Infinity probably will not fail, again, until next fall. If you decide to go, have a great cruise.

Infinity was in dry dock in March of 2006 and then again in September of 2006. I don't know if they worked on her pods in March or it was just a "spruce up".