Live from Millie 6/30-7/12- Damage

[hcat]

Goodness gracious....I am so sorry for all of you on board for your ruined vacations & also those planning to board on friday the 13th... It is not the ship we are due on in Sept. (Century) but it certainly has diminished my enthusiasm. Although our trip was booked far in advance (ship, air & hotels) & the aniticpation was building--just like all of you, now I just can't let myself get too excited lest somehting like this happens to us..I am not going to plan ahead as much & will prepare to be more flexible!

How far is the port from Venice by train or busses or air flight? If the ship stays stuck in Rome (heaven forbid) how are they going to get everyone to Venice to fly home? Can you rent cars & get out & see some parts of Italy?

They should give everyone a free spa pass!

[Fblack]

Martodd, Cdncruiser1979 and Berryhappy24:

 

A lot of people disagreed with me for suggesting you should get a refund on the airfare portion of your trip. What do you think? Have you asked about it?

[florisdekort]

I feel so sorry for the guests on Millennium's current sailing. Regardless of the compensation, it sucks to see your carefully prepared vacation plans go up in smoke. I do applaud Celebrity for issuing full refunds as well as on board credit - that was the right thing to do. I am sure they did not slam Millennium onto the rocks deliberately.

 

Hang in there - you'll have your money back, and you'll have spend 12 nights on a floating hotel... that still beats cleaning, cooking and doing the laundry at home :D

 

For guests on the July 12 sailing, I would not worry too much. Even if Millennium doesn't sail until late afteroon on July 10, she will still arrive in Venice at approx. 10 am on July 12. That gives Celebrity another 48 hours from now to finish the repairs.

 

Best Regards,

Floris

[Zoli47]

Up to now I have empathized with the passengers stranded on the ship for five days in port. I too would be frustrated, angry, and hugely disappointed as I assume the vast majority are. Now I am beginning to worry about the July 12 cruise. We leave on Tuesday and have one night booked in Venice. If the ship delays its arrival or cancels the voyage, it may not be easy to obtain last minute hotel rooms at the height of the season. The itinerary would need to be changed to arrive to Barcelona for the next sailing or as this drama unfolds perhaps drydock is needed to resolve the problem. I think the ship can not sail with an unbolted partial propeller. If it were to disengage during sailing it can severely damage the housing. Does this make sense? It appears the only thing left if for the mechanics to figure out how to remove the damaged blade while still submerged. In the meantime I am recharging the camera batteries today and optimistic we will have a wonderful cruise next week. For those on-board - keep up your spirits!!

[lilreckster]

florisdecort....you are forgetting that more repairs are scheduled in Venice. It was reported earlier that 2 of the other props were loaded and sent on to Venice where repairs are to be completed. Those of us due to board on the 12th don't feel confident about repairs being completed in 1 day...

[mahdnc]

 

And just how long does it take to sail from Rome to Venice? This certainly takes the fun out of packing...

 

Dave

 

Assuming she makes no stops and sails thru the Straits of Messina, I plotted out an approx 1060 mile sailing distance between Rome and Venice. The big question, of course, is what her sustainable top speed will be after the Rome repairs. No doubt now that she will not be able to do her top speed rating of 24 knots (27.6 mph). But at that top speed, it would take her 38 hrs to go straight to Venice. At half that speed, it rises up to over 72 hrs (3+ days). I would agree that Dubrovnik doesn't look good--even if the scheduled repairs are finished quickly now in Rome, Celebrity may want to sail directly to Venice to give the repair crews as much time as they can in Venice.

[tcocktail]

florisdecort....you are forgetting that more repairs are scheduled in Venice. It was reported earlier that 2 of the other props were loaded and sent on to Venice where repairs are to be completed. Those of us due to board on the 12th don't feel confident about repairs being completed in 1 day...

 

 

I read this every day and can't believe the saga going on here. Have you contacted Celebrity to see if there is room on the Galaxy. I certainly would be thinking about that and see what they have to say. Even if they get the ship fixed would you want to be on the first sailing after the repairs. Are there any guarantees that they will not have issues back to Barcelona? Certainly the galaxy does not stop at the same ports and true Barcelona is 11 hours by auto to Rome for your return flight but I would be very concerned at this point. Certainly Celebrity is doing everything they can to get the ship repaired but they are not the ones on holiday. If Celebrity will not refund your money or pay for a change in flights or pay for you to get to Barcelona I would check with your insurance ( should you have any). See what they have to say. This should teach us all a lesson to have travel insurance , we never know what will happen.

[pgh]

Thank you Cruise Gypsy for the occupancy clarification!

 

I have had two email updates from Jerry this morning and basically the other pax have said it all - the lone propeller is still waiting on the pier.

 

Another new development (hopefully completely unrelated) is the laundry facility equipment has malfunctioned and there are currently no clean towels, linens, etc. coming out of the laundry room, however the technicians are working on that as well.

 

The first email looked extremely promising for the 12th sailing....the second email had an overtone of hesitation for the current cruise. I think he is getting concerned now about sailing on to Venice and there are more passengers that are leaving the cruise to continue on their own.

 

CDNCRUISER1979: You get one honeymoon in your lifetime,

 

I hope you have a lifetime of honeymoons! Congratulations on your marriage!

 

Late last night I was trying to get the Millie's bridge cam and found that Celebrity has stopped utilizing "Celebrity at Sea" - also no web cam at the port!!!

[jordie]

boy, the good news keeps coming today...ugh! I guess that 7pm departure is a big one here, but if the prop is still on the pier and it is 545 their time, it's not looking promising...

[tcocktail]

at what point does the cruise line cancel the cruise. now with the laundry malfunction. i would seriously look into leaving. eurostar stars 4 hours to get to venice from rome and two hours to florence. Contact your travel agent and see if they find a hotel in Venice for you. Or try on line if the network is not overloaded. try itwg.com

 

The ship may sail but you are missing the sites now. When is the next time you will be traveling to europe? with the prices raising in europe and the us dollar falling i would think hard, about leaving the ship.

 

my heart goes out to you all on board and for the passengers on the ship next week good luck in your decision.

 

let's hope the ship moves today!

[Host Anne]

I'm very sorry to see that there are repair challenges for Millie. I'm hoping that things work out for those on the next sailing. But I wanted to post a couple of things to consider as you are getting ready to leave.

 

RCI has two other ships sailing the Med around the time of your scheduled departure on July 12. They are:

 

Departing July 13 - Roundtrip Venice on Splendor of the Seas (7 night) Greek Isles

 

Departing July 13 - Roundtrip Rome Galaxy (10 night) - does not go to Venice but since I'm guessing you are all arriving in Venice this might not be an issue.

 

While Galaxy sails from Rome, you would have time to get from Venice to Rome if needed. I realize that your current disembarkation is sheduled for Barcelona and neither of these cruises end there, but at least there are other options. You may want to discuss options with your travel agent before you head to Europe so you can be prepared.

 

Do you have an international cell phone so you can contact your travel agent if needed?

 

Do you have cancellation/trip interruption insurance? Be sure to read and take your policy with you?

 

Check Venice hotels now before you travel so you know who has availability.

 

Print out the Eurorail train schedule and take it with you so you know transportation options.

 

If you think Galaxy would be an option for you, check the flight schedule from Venice to Rome so you have an idea of flights.

 

Hope this helps (and I hope you don't need ANY of it)....we are wishing all of you a safe and enjoyable trip.

[lilreckster]

Following this whole saga (along with my dear wife "lilreckster"), I sincerely doubt our cruise which begins on the 12th will leave Venice as scheduled let alone make it to all the ports on our itinerary. The prudent thing for Celebrity to do is cancel the upcoming cruise and refund our money so that they have adequate time to do the repairs correctly and also let people who leave for Venice a chance to alter plans. Yes, we do have travel insurance but that won't pay anything unless we actually travel to Venice and board (if the cruise is still scheduled to sail, you do have to travel to board the ship!) with the prospect of being stuck there for an interminable stay...Venice is beautiful but that's not why we booked this cruise! C'mon Celebrity..."cut bait" and take the time to fix the ship correctly and completely!!! After all of this aggravation and speculation (nothing compared to what is being endured by those presently on board!), it's going to be hard to enjoy ourselves even if we do get to sail...sometime, somewhere! Bigreckster

[Guest psuflita]

I inquired with http://www.travelinsured.com during a live chat . . . here's the verbatim discussion:

 

Please wait for a Customer Care representative to respond.

You are now chatting with 'Christine'

you: hello,

Christine: Thank you for contacting Travel Insured's Customer Care Department how can I help you?

you: I want to better understand your travel insurance

you: if a trip is cancelled for what reasons would we receive a refund?

Christine: a)Sickness, Accidental Injury, or death of You or Your Traveling Companion,or a Family Member or Business Partner of You or Your Traveling Companion, which results in medically imposed restrictions as certified by a Physician at the time of loss preventing Your continued participation in the Trip. A Physician must advise cancellation of the Trip on or before the Scheduled Departure Date.b) Strike that causes complete cessation of services for at least 24 consecutive hours. c) Weather which causes complete cessation of services of the Common Carrier for at least 24 consecutive hours. d) You or a person(s)sharing the same room with you during your trip are terminated or laid off from employment subject to three years of continuous employment at the place of employment where terminated. e) You or Your Traveling Companion are hijacked,quarantined,required to serve on a jury, required to appear as a witness in a legal action, provided You or a Traveling Companion is not a party to the legal action or appearing as a law enforcement officer, subpoenaed, the victim of felonious assault within 10 days of departure; or having Your Your Traveling Companions principal place of residence made uninhabitable by fire, flood, or other Natural Disaster; or burglary of Your or Your Traveling Companions principal place of residence within 10 days of departure. f) Bankruptcy or Default of Your Travel Supplier which occurs more than 14 days following Your Effective Date. Coverage is not provided for the Bankruptcy or Default of the agency from whom You purchased Your Land/Sea Arrangements. Benefits will be paid due to Bankruptcy or Default of an airline only if no alternate transportation is available. If alternate transportation is available, benefits will be limited to the change fee charged to allow the Insured to transfer to another airline in order to get to the Insureds intended destination. g) If within 30 days of Your departure, a politically motivated Terrorist Attack occurs within the territorial limits of the City listed on Your itinerary. The Terrorist Attack must occur after the Effective Date of Your Trip Cancellation coverage. h)You or Your Traveling Companion who are military personnel, and are called to emergency duty for a disaster other than war. i) You or Your Traveling Companion being directly involved in a traffic Accident substantiated by a police report, while enroute to departure j) The death or hospitalization of Your Host at Destination. k) Natural disaster at the site of the Your destination which renders Your destination accommodations uninhabitable.

you: and the same resons for trip interruption?

Christine: Yes.

you: so, if my airline flight is cancelled, and I miss my cruise . . . what would be covered?

Christine: You would be covered under the Trip Delay benefit.

you: gotcha, and if the cruise was cancelled or delayed by the cruise line?

Christine: You would receive up to $150 per day, to a maximum of $750 for unexpected lodging and food expenses or to purchase another airline ticket to catch up with your trip.

Christine: If the cruise line cancelled the cruise, they would be responsible for reimbursing the cost of the cruise and you could file the claim with us for the airline tickets.

you: ok - one more!

you: if during the cruise, the ship is damaged and the ports of call are missed, is there anything insurance might cover if we want to leave our cruise and go to ports on our own?

Christine: Unfortunately not.

you: thank you very much

To all on the cruise, I would depart the ship as well. Best wishes to you - I would opt for a few days in Tuscany (rent a car there - you can easily do Florence from there). Maybe stop off in Verona, then head to Venice. I have used this service several times and find it to be the best in Italy for hotel, train links, etc.

Hope it helps

http://initaly.com/

 

 

[url=http://www.travelinsured.com/QuickQuoteResults.aspx?protection=1][/url]

[Kelownabccan]

My wife and I sit here really amazed at what is happening...I know it was an accident but I always thought Celebrity was a close "5 star line" and would really look after you....now the laundry....what will happen next....no "vodka or gin"....there should be free drinks around to keep everyone happy....just kidding....as the British would say....."keep a stiff upper lip"....my thoughts go out to all on the ship...we were really looking forward to are first trip on a Celebrity ship...now I wonder??? Ken

[bella1979]

Hi, the pax on the ship said they are having trouble with "the last prop." Is that the very last prop or the just the last prop they are going to fix in that port? I am very nervous...this is a trip of a lifetime for us and if we aren't getting what we planned for I want to know so that I can make other plans. I would rather go by Eurorail than be stuck on a ship. It's not fair that they are going to have us all fly to Venice, get stuck, and waste our time. Let us know now, so we can book hotels and plan out our eurorail trips.

If we get there and see that the ship is not in "ship shape" can we use our insurance to get a refund?

[hajekfam]

Up to now I have empathized with the passengers stranded on the ship for five days in port. I too would be frustrated, angry, and hugely disappointed as I assume the vast majority are. Now I am beginning to worry about the July 12 cruise. We leave on Tuesday and have one night booked in Venice. If the ship delays its arrival or cancels the voyage, it may not be easy to obtain last minute hotel rooms at the height of the season. The itinerary would need to be changed to arrive to Barcelona for the next sailing or as this drama unfolds perhaps drydock is needed to resolve the problem. I think the ship can not sail with an unbolted partial propeller. If it were to disengage during sailing it can severely damage the housing. Does this make sense? It appears the only thing left if for the mechanics to figure out how to remove the damaged blade while still submerged. In the meantime I am recharging the camera batteries today and optimistic we will have a wonderful cruise next week. For those on-board - keep up your spirits!!

 

If the ship is delayed for the next cruise, Celebrity should either put those passengers up in hotels from your cruise date until actual sailing date or give you a payment to help cover the cost of change of air. At least that is what they did when the 2005 transatlantic was delayed 2 days at the last minute because they decided not to drydock in Marseille due to the fires and ended up having the drydock in northern Spain (2 day sail each way)

[jordie]

Consider me crazy, but isn't the ship a "hotel" right now? I am TRYING to pack and keep my best foot forward...I am thinking that with any luck, the ship will get to venice and the repairs will be competed there...if the sailing is delayed, I guess the situation would be much the same as it is right now, waiting to see when the departure would be in venice for all of us...no need for hotels. i am leaving tomorrow no matter what...too much went into planning this to back out now...i think about the diet i have been on for 6 months and i am eating that gelato and pasta damn it! So unless the ship is going into drydock..i am there!

[bella1979]

Right on Jordie! :D

[spider33]

Consider me crazy, but isn't the ship a "hotel" right now? I am TRYING to pack and keep my best foot forward...I am thinking that with any luck, the ship will get to venice and the repairs will be competed there...if the sailing is delayed, I guess the situation would be much the same as it is right now, waiting to see when the departure would be in venice for all of us...no need for hotels. i am leaving tomorrow no matter what...too much went into planning this to back out now...i think about the diet i have been on for 6 months and i am eating that gelato and pasta damn it! So unless the ship is going into drydock..i am there!

 

Hi Jordie: I must say,with all the saga that is going on with the ship- I really enjoy reading you emails. You are a riot. We are leaving on Tuesday so we will see you in Venice - hopefully on the ship and not on the Dock. Safe flight.

[Lsimon]

OK, since Celebrity currently doesn't have webcams, I figured I'd check and see if there was one at Civitavecchia - but couldn't find one. But you can see what ships are supposed to be there on Cruisecal.com, and look at their web cams.

 

I think this is a picture of the Millennium still at Rome in the Sea Princesses webcam:

 

I guess you can look at the Princess website today to updates on this untill the Sea Princess moves, or it gets dark - or the Millennium moves.

[Host Anne]

I've been looking at several different types of travel insurance policies today (I've used several different companies over the years depending upon the type of coverage I was looking for) and there are varying policies that provide different types of compensation. I don't think you'll find any that will reimburse you if you decide to get off a ship and do ports on your own.

[florisdekort]

Wow, post #1,000 for me on Cruise Critic...

 

Anyway, for what it is worth: Celebrity itself is apparently not yet worried, because they are still selling the July 12 sailing via their website. In the past, with POD problems, the website was always the first hint of an upcoming delay or cancellation, as cruises in 'code red' are not open for new reservations. That is NOT the case now!

 

I did notice the cruise stops in Monte Carlo (as opposed to Villefranche) - has that always been the case?

 

Best Regards,

Floris

[bella1979]

Thanks Lsimon, now I can obsessively (sp?) check their website too!!! :p

[jordie]

I can always count on you Florisdekort, to try and keep the positives on this...i did check that this am, not sure really what is means, but it is sure better than the opposite! Does anyone think there is damage to the "housing" if the prop is stuck in it? I have no idea what the heck that means, but if they pull it out, is there going to be more problems? I take it the ship can't go at all until it is removed?

[mahdnc]

 

I did notice the cruise stops in Monte Carlo (as opposed to Villefranche) - has that always been the case?

 

Not likely. Our Venice to Barcelona 6/18 cruise was listed on Celebrity's website as Villefranche. Perhaps Celebrity has decided to anchor elsewhere until they sort things out? It appears that the 7/12 cruise is the only one that is listed that way.