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Which line for my roundtrip cruise??


CBowling

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If I'm not mistaken, Celebrity does a decent job of compensating passengers who have a cruise cancelled or when the itinerary goes completely haywire? :)

 

sym1966: You are correct that the compensation is fair on the cruise that gets cancelled because of these ongoing mechanical problems on Celebrity m-class ships but are wrong on the ones that have cruises that are shortened by cancelled ports or late arrivals which may cause missed flights home. The compensation game with Celebrity in these instances is a crap shoot.

I remember one cruise last year on Celebrity to Alaska that wound up missing half of the planned itinerary including the only glacier. The cash compensation was $100 for each passenger for a cruise that probably cost on average several thousands of dollars. So I guess if you would call this decent compensation that is certainly your right but I would not. I am one to believe that until you have been in one of those unfortunate situations you really can't tell how you would react. For me, the bottom line to this situation is that this is not an act of God or a one-time thing, but a recurring problem that is known to Celebrity, that Celebrity tries to hide from prospective customers.

I think for the two or three percent of those who know about this problem and still want to take the chance that is absolutely fine but for the other 97% of cruisers who do not know anything about these on-going problems that may impact their cruise, this is a very unfair way of treating passengers.

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We really enjoyed Princess northbound because of the scenic cruising out of Vancouver (most passengers are asleep while the ships are sailing into that area on southbound cruises), Glacier Bay, and Prince William Sound. And of course the opportunity to visit Denali after the Kenai Fjords cruise and overnight in Anchorage. But since we've just cruised the area once, I always enjoy reading the opinions of those who have sailed several itineraries and can add information for consideration.

 

Happy travels,

Donna

 

Hi Donna:

 

We have sailed in both directions and would give the nod to sailing northbound to Alaska. What you said is exactly right and the scenery gets even more beautiful everyday as you travel northbound.

Did you rent a car and drive to Denali or go as part of a tour? We have done a couple of b2b's to Alaska and enjoy that also. Of all the cruise lines that we have sailed to Alaska, Princess is by far our personal favorite.

Dawn

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Well, first I want to tell all of you I’m not upset or mad at anyone. I just got a little frustrated that I went to a lot time researching and checking (and double checking) about the different cruise lines itineraries and felt like I had what sounded perfect (and I still may have it).

So, I guess my plan of action will be to just leave it alone now (the great debate of the Infinity northbound route). I will just not have any great expectations on that part of the cruise and just enjoy the journey, regardless which way the wind blows us.

Thanks for everyone’s help and I will report on which real route we took in about 8 months.

Thanks,

John:)

John,

 

Take a look at: *****/reise.php?reise=4765. It shows an itinerary map for your cruise. Unfortunately, the map shows the Infinity cruising west of Vancouver Island both northbound and southbound. I think the map on the Celebrity web site is mistakenly based upon this year's route for Infinity on sailings out of Vancouver. Sorry

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sym1966: but are wrong on the ones that have cruises that are shortened.

 

I am one to believe that until you have been in one of those unfortunate situations you really can't tell how you would react.

 

Thanks for sharing. I obviously didn't catch the thread on the cruise you mention. Celebrity must take cues from Carnival.:rolleyes: Carnival gives no compensation for skipping/shortening ports and skipping the glacier, though they do return the port fees when they skip a port. Nice, huh? Been there, done that... Yes, I have been in one of those unfortunate situations on an Alaska cruise... our first cruise ever. To the tune of $4000+ for the cruise alone, with over half the itinerary haywire, a rocking ship (little stabilization), not much fun fighting sea-sickness.

 

 

Celebrity certainly knows about their pod problems, and you're correct, it isn't great customer service to continue bookings without addressing the issue. Carnival knew our ship had iceberg damage, and loaded unsuspecting passengers as well.

 

Guess it ALL is a crap shoot...:eek:

 

AZjohn: here is my 'review' from ~back when~. No huge drama in it, just some disappointment with Carnival. My remark about the coast guard was due to the fact that even though we had props damaged by icebergs, we didn't need coast guard assistance, unlike one of the Empress sailings which hit rocks (?) last year! So, with that in mind, any cruise is a good cruise if you have no major drama.:)

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=11440

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Hi Donna:

 

We have sailed in both directions and would give the nod to sailing northbound to Alaska. What you said is exactly right and the scenery gets even more beautiful everyday as you travel northbound.

Did you rent a car and drive to Denali or go as part of a tour? We have done a couple of b2b's to Alaska and enjoy that also. Of all the cruise lines that we have sailed to Alaska, Princess is by far our personal favorite.

Dawn

Thanks for posting your experience. We didn't rent a car but used the train for three segments: Seward to Anchorage, Anchorage to Denali, and Denali to Fairbanks (we had FF seats into Vancouver and out of Fairbanks so that worked well for us). We rode one segment in the Princess car, one segment in the Alaska Railroad car, and one segment in the Holland rail cars. I thought all the rail cars were very nice, and we enjoyed riding the train (although I'm sure the rental car is a great option too and adds a lot of flexibility). The Alaskan Railroad cars had the added bonus of an open-air platform that we liked a lot. We had high expectations for Glacier Bay (and it didn't disappoint!) but were blown away by Prince William Sound and thought that was really special too.

 

Happy travels,

Donna

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We just take the most probable route between two ports; which means for the inside passage: if the cruise line doesn't have it in their textual description that the ship will go through the inside passage, we aren't showing it, so that noone will be disappointed if they booked their cruise for that reason. Also, it is just the most probable way to go from Seattle to Alaska west of Vancouver Island.

 

Best regards

*****.com

 

I just now checked out your site and got to say you have the best maps of any website I have seen. I appreciate you communicating how/why you drew the map that way.

Thanks,

John

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We have decided on Princess for Alaska. Now we must pick our ship. Coral or Diamond? North or Southbound? I am 1 step closer to booking! Thanks everyone.

 

 

I haven't been on the Diamond, but I loved the Coral Princess. Monday departures and arrivals are less busy in Vancouver than weekend ones, with only one ship in port. Our northbound ship was also the only big ship in port in Skagway. See my post above about my preference for a northbound cruise.

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As I said, you tell me it's not true and I will cancel my cruise. As far as the pod, yes big issue in the past. It was also a big issue last year when we were on HAL's Oosterdam. It hasn't made me scared of sailing a ship with pods. All I can do is purcahse insurance and make the best out of any cruise. If you don't like Infinity so be it, but back up your stements with facts please.

John

 

I am afraid that the Celebrity POD problems are not as you said "a big issue in the past". They remain a very big problem with Celebrity, in the present. While your experience last year on HAL's Osterdam was very unfortunate, after that cruise HAL made a permanent fix to the problem, while Celebrity has not made any permanent fix to their problems. BTW, HAL ships that have PODS are manufactured by a different manufacturer and have proven to be very reliable over the years.

Weather, accidents, mechanical problems and such can affect any cruise on any cruise line but at the end of the day the big difference is that there is a much great risk incurred when sailing the Infinity, Summit and Millennium.

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We are going on the Coral! I appreciate the wealth of info on this board. I was not that excited about the Mercury on our last cruise, but Celebrity does a lot of convincing advertising! I didn't need a nice brochure - I needed sound advice from experienced cruisers. Thanks so much. I will keep asking questions until July. I will plan each step from these boards. Airfare is next.....till later.

 

Charl

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We are going on the Coral! I appreciate the wealth of info on this board. I was not that excited about the Mercury on our last cruise, but Celebrity does a lot of convincing advertising! I didn't need a nice brochure - I needed sound advice from experienced cruisers. Thanks so much. I will keep asking questions until July. I will plan each step from these boards. Airfare is next.....till later.

 

Charl

 

Congrats! Now - which direction are you sailing?

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I am afraid that the Celebrity POD problems are not as you said "a big issue in the past". They remain a very big problem with Celebrity, in the present..

WOW, I didn’t know any of Celebrity’s ships had POD problems presently… Can you please tell me which ship you are talking about because I haven’t heard anything about one heading for dry dock or currently working to repair (many people of the Celebrity board would like to know this info)?

While your experience last year on HAL's Osterdam was very unfortunate, after that cruise HAL made a permanent fix to the problem,.

Again, WOW. You have stated a fact that I was not aware of (nor have I seen anyone else state this). Can you please tell me what the POD problem was on the Oosterdam and how they made a permanent fix to the POD?

there is a much great risk incurred when sailing the Infinity, Summit and Millennium.

I don’t know if I would agree with “great” risk, but certainly agree there is a risk. Do you know why the POD in the 4th M-Class ship you didn’t mention doesn't have any POD problems (exact same POD’s of the 3 ships you mentioned)? All info is greatly appreciated.;)

 

To the OP, congratulations on your decision and hope you have a wonderful cruise.:D

John

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We are sailing Southbound out of Whittier mid-July. Any suggestions on what to do for 1 day pre-cruise in Anchorage?

 

On the day that you sail, perhaps consider adding a PWS glacier excursion? Easily fit in between transfers and boarding the ship. Nevermind that you see it from your ship, it is worth seeing twice, and certainly from different points of view.:)

 

What are you interested in for your day pre-cruise? Staying in Anchorage and seeing museums, etc, or possible car rental and seeing some sights? I'm not up-to-date on what is in town, but can share ideas for a day trip.

 

We sailed Sapphire, loved her! But she certainly was a huge ship. Good for our group since there was always 'something' going on for the young folks in our group. I think Coral gets much more rave reviews than Sapphire here, so I'm sure you'll be thrilled with her.

 

Personally, I liked the Mercury in Alaska... even though she is an older ship, I really liked her size, which makes me think Coral would be more to my liking than even the Sapphire. She did undergo dry dock renovations recently I think, so maybe she was 'cleaned up' between your experience and ours?!

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunshine Gal viewpost.gif

I am afraid that the Celebrity POD problems are not as you said "a big issue in the past". They remain a very big problem with Celebrity, in the present..

 

(1) WOW, I didn’t know any of Celebrity’s ships had POD problems presently… Can you please tell me which ship you are talking about because I haven’t heard anything about one heading for dry dock or currently working to repair (many people of the Celebrity board would like to know this info)?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunshine Gal viewpost.gif

While your experience last year on HAL's Osterdam was very unfortunate, after that cruise HAL made a permanent fix to the problem,.

 

(2) Again, WOW. You have stated a fact that I was not aware of (nor have I seen anyone else state this). Can you please tell me what the POD problem was on the Oosterdam and how they made a permanent fix to the POD?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunshine Gal viewpost.gif

there is a much great risk incurred when sailing the Infinity, Summit and Millennium.

 

(3) I don’t know if I would agree with “great” risk, but certainly agree there is a risk. Do you know why the POD in the 4th M-Class ship you didn’t mention doesn't have any POD problems (exact same POD’s of the 3 ships you mentioned)? All info is greatly appreciated.;)

 

To the OP, congratulations on your decision and hope you have a wonderful cruise.:D

John

 

John

 

On the first point you are 100% right and I used a poor choice of words. I most definitely should have said in the "future" and not used the word "present". My bad, on that one! I am sure you are not one of those who try to say that the Celebrity POD problems are a thing of the past. What I was trying to say was that these Celebrity POD problems will continue to happen in the future on the Infinity, Summit & Millennium m-class ships.

 

As to your point number 2, I guess I would have to say double WOW if you are not aware of POD problems on HAL's Osterdam; I got the information from your previous post #45, on this thread, when you said Oh, I know all about the previous pod problems. As I explained in a previous post, I got stuck on the Oosterdam last year when one of their pods broke down.). I was not there and don't have any information other than what you provided but my point was there have been a few isolated propulsion on a few other cruise lines but Celebrity is the only one not to make a permanent fix. This is proven by the fact that Celebrity has had seventeen of these same POD failures that each required dry dock to fix.

 

As to your point three you are partly correct that there is not a "great risk" but there is a definite increased risk over sailing any other ship in sailing the Infinity, Summit or Millennium because of these problems. I agree to your point about "great risk" but looking at the chances of having POD problems affecting your cruise on the Infinity from November 19, 2006 through May 20, 2007 the chances were 100%. As I have said before the chances are still good that you will not encounter these problems on a specific cruise.

 

A very good question that you asked why the 4th m-class Celebrity does not suffer from this same problem when it uses the exact same system. That is something that I don't have the answer to. Some theories are that the Connie runs a lighter schedule than the other three or that maybe the Captain and engineers on the Connie to a better job of maintenance on the PODS. The bottom line is that no one that I have ever heard from has any real idea as to why the Connie has escaped this problem. Celebrity is tight lipped about these problems and so it is very difficult for anyone from the outside to gain an understanding of exactly what is going on. John, If I get any more info about this I will be glad to pass it on.

 

To the OP, I think you made a wise decision and wish you a great and care free cruise.

 

Dawn

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We would prefer to see sights, not museums. I want to see Alaska. I am not sure what time we have to be on board. I suppose that is pertinent information! I am going to try and fly in on Saturday for a Monday sailing. If that works I will have all day Sunday and hopefully part of Monday. Now what do I do? Thanks so much.

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Hi Dawn,

OK, understand now about your reference to present pod problems.;) I personally have no knowledge if the Marina POD Company (I think that is the company’s name) has done any modifications to the pods they have replaced on the 3 M-class ships. I hear a lot of speculation that there has been nothing done to fix the pods, but I or most anyone on this board doesn’t have any real first hand knowledge from this company if that is true. I will agree that if there truly hasn’t been any modifications done to the pods chances are good they will break again (excluding the Connie, which I still don’t have a clue what is “correct” with her pods).

I can tell you (and everyone else here) that I had a one-on-one conversation with the Hotel Manager on the Oosterdam, James Deering, about the Oosterdam’s pod problem. It developed a problem shortly after dry dock after the Alaska season and right at the start of the Mexico season last year. The winding around the motor got fried somehow, but they didn’t have a clue how that happened. The next week (while sailing on only one pod) they had a crew from the Azi Pod company re-wire the pod from the inside of the hall (they did not need to dry dock for this). Tested it out and worked fine for a couple hours and then all the wires in the motor again got toasted. Again, they had no understanding why this was happening. On our cruise (I think 3 weeks after the original problem) they were able to get about 40% power out of the pod, but nothing more. So our cruise and the rest of the Mexico season had reduced time at ports to make up for the poor pod performance (I think very similar to what Celebrity has done in the past). After the Mexico season and before this years Alaska season the Oosterdam went to dry dock to totally replace the pod (they didn’t have any spares laying around like I think Celebrity does now). So, I was asking you if you knew how they permanently fix the pod on the Oosterdam, because I never heard if they ever found the real reason for the burnt wires in the motor (again, similar to the Celebrity pod problems, but I stress similar but not exactly).

Sorry for the real long post but I just wanted to share my first hand knowledge with the Oosterdam.

As a side note, James Deering is now working for Princess (I don’t know what ship) and he is a great guy and loves people from here at Cruise Critic. I hope those of you cruising with Princess have the opportunity to meet him.:)

Thanks,

John

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Hi Dawn,

OK, understand now about your reference to present pod problems.;) I personally have no knowledge if the Marina POD Company (I think that is the company’s name) has done any modifications to the pods they have replaced on the 3 M-class ships. I hear a lot of speculation that there has been nothing done to fix the pods, but I or most anyone on this board doesn’t have any real first hand knowledge from this company if that is true. I will agree that if there truly hasn’t been any modifications done to the pods chances are good they will break again (excluding the Connie, which I still don’t have a clue what is “correct” with her pods).

I can tell you (and everyone else here) that I had a one-on-one conversation with the Hotel Manager on the Oosterdam, James Deering, about the Oosterdam’s pod problem. It developed a problem shortly after dry dock after the Alaska season and right at the start of the Mexico season last year. The winding around the motor got fried somehow, but they didn’t have a clue how that happened. The next week (while sailing on only one pod) they had a crew from the Azi Pod company re-wire the pod from the inside of the hall (they did not need to dry dock for this). Tested it out and worked fine for a couple hours and then all the wires in the motor again got toasted. Again, they had no understanding why this was happening. On our cruise (I think 3 weeks after the original problem) they were able to get about 40% power out of the pod, but nothing more. So our cruise and the rest of the Mexico season had reduced time at ports to make up for the poor pod performance (I think very similar to what Celebrity has done in the past). After the Mexico season and before this years Alaska season the Oosterdam went to dry dock to totally replace the pod (they didn’t have any spares laying around like I think Celebrity does now). So, I was asking you if you knew how they permanently fix the pod on the Oosterdam, because I never heard if they ever found the real reason for the burnt wires in the motor (again, similar to the Celebrity pod problems, but I stress similar but not exactly).

Sorry for the real long post but I just wanted to share my first hand knowledge with the Oosterdam.

As a side note, James Deering is now working for Princess (I don’t know what ship) and he is a great guy and loves people from here at Cruise Critic. I hope those of you cruising with Princess have the opportunity to meet him.:)

Thanks,

John

 

Hi John:

 

I have never heard of the Marina POD company, so I can't comment anything at all about that. If they worked on the HAL problem then they probably did not work on Celebrity's many POD problems because the PODS are made by a different manufacturer. The PODS used by Celebrity are called Mermaid PODS and are the only POD system that has failed consistently over the years. In fact Celebrity has a lawsuit for fraud against the manufacturer (Rolls Royce) in court right now. The problem that you described is not even close to the engineering defect that the Celebrity PODS have. The problem with the PODS on Celebrity is that the bearings at any given time will show signs of extreme wear and then the ship must slow down until it can be put into drydock for a temporary repair to keep the ship going.

 

I feel sorry for what happened on your HAL cruise and I know something like that can really ruin a cruise. One thing that you have to understand is that there is a huge difference from the "one-time" failure that happened to you and the fact that the exact same thing has failed on Celebrity ships on eighteen different occasions. The way I would look at this difference is to imagine sailing at reduced speeds as you did on your HAL cruise for about 35 weeks of cruises on the Infinity and Millennium just this year alone. It is for this reason that I recommend to anyone who asks to avoid these ships if you can.

 

I like to try different cruise lines and will look for James Deering on my next Princess cruise. What is his position with Princess?

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I like to try different cruise lines and will look for James Deering on my next Princess cruise. What is his position with Princess?

 

Hi,

I'm not sure what Princess call the position. He would be manager of everyone on the ship excluding the Captian and his crew. HAL called it the Hotel Manager.

Thanks,

John

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We would prefer to see sights, not museums. I want to see Alaska. I am not sure what time we have to be on board. I suppose that is pertinent information! I am going to try and fly in on Saturday for a Monday sailing. If that works I will have all day Sunday and hopefully part of Monday. Now what do I do? Thanks so much.

 

There are many wonderful places to visit if you have a car for your 1+ day!

 

North of Anchorage, you can easily make it to Talkeetna as a day trip... consider a flightseeing of Denali (Mt. McKinley) from Talkeetna? Great way to see the majestic mountain without all that drive time!

http://www.talkeetnaair.com/ give you an idea. Google or search/ask here for more companies that experienced Alaska cruisers have used.

 

Hatcher Pass drive would also be a consideration. We have never made it over the entire pass as our visits have always been too early (snowcovered) in the season. The little bit we have traveled... awesome!

http://www.hatcherspass.org/ gets you info on that. Added bonus is Independence State Mine... a wonderful historical area, beautiful setting. http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/parks/units/indmine.htm

 

Matanuska Glacier trekking is mentioned on occasion here... and gets rave reviews. It is on our list for our next visit!

http://www.matanuskaglacier.com/

 

I also believe a day trip to Seward is possible... perhaps not the 'best' way to see it, but certainly possible, and the Kenai Fjords National Park tour is fabulous. We went with Renown... the glacier viewing was simply spectacular with much calving, and we saw sea otters feasting on octopus, many birds, orcas, and a black bear ambling up the mountainside.

http://www.renowntours.com/kenai-fjords-park-cruise.htm Should you choose this option, perhaps look into either a one-way car drop at Whittier. Or consider the train to Seward, then a transfer to Whittier. Either way will be expensive. But the scenery from Anchorage to Seward is unbelievable, and there is also Girdwood with the Alyeska tram (personally, I prefer the Mt.Roberts tram in Juneau of the two, but this one is still worthwhile), the Wildlife Conservation Center (not a huge highlight but still nice, my opinion), and Portage Glacier (a slight detour toward Whittier, and requires a 1 hour boat trip to the acutal glacier) to see on the way to Seward, nevermind Exit Glacier and the Sealife Center, both in Seward.

 

Hope these give you a few ideas for starters. There are many other things to do and see, smaller, but still interesting. The Anchorage Earthquake Park, Eklutna Spirit Houses... that sort of thing.

 

I'm sure other's will have plenty to add! When BQ comes back, perhaps ask in a new thread regarding attractions in a day trip.

 

You may just end up doing what we did. Our first trip, we added only a couple of days to our cruise for interior. Our second trip?... we added 9 days!:)

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Thank you! You have given me lots of food for thought. I will have to see what works with my DH. Looks like we just don't have enough time to do it all. Hopefully this will be the 1st of many trips to Alaska.

 

You're welcome! There really is so much to see and do that I don't think I could ever get 'enough' of Alaska, even if I lived there...

 

I hope you find the perfect 'day trip' for your travel style... there's something of interest for anyone, I'd think. Maybe other's will have ideas to add?

:)

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