Infinity Sept 19 & 26 Pier change ????

[northerncruszr]

I am very confused......All summer the Infinity has been berthing at Canada Place in Vancouver and now the website for Port of Vancouver is showing the berth will be at Ballantyne Pier (approx 2 miles away) for the Sept 19th and Sept 26th sailings. We are on the 19th sailing and our tickets show absolutely no pier information (previous tickets have always shown some pier info). We have friends on the Sept 26th sailing and their tickets show Ballantyne Pier so I called our TA who in turn phoned Celebrity ...they advised pier was Canada Place as usual - the person I talked to told me they berth wherever the port tells them.. I can be a doubting Thomas when it comes to Celebrity information so I called direct to the Vancouver Port Authority. They advise that they also show Ballantyne but they do not make the decision (?????) but they are told by "Gateway Guest Services" who are the guest service agent used by RCCL and Celebrity. Are you confused yet? lol I have called this company only to get voice mail....have left message but they have not returned my call as yet. I will keep trying but would like to know what other passengers on these sailings are being told. The port web site shows the Norwegian Sun, Statendam, Veendam and Norwegian Star in Canada Place for the 19th, same ships except Oosterdam instead of the Star for the 26th - this would be an absolute full house for Canada Place - no room for Infinity!

Mary Lou

[newtocc]

I'm sorry, I'm confused, I got lost at the Ballantyne Pier thing, I thought, Ballantyne, was a beer!

 

Hope this helps!

[Happy ks]

I found this on another thread, you are right about the pier change, per this calendar.

 

http://www.portvancouver.com/vanAlaCruise/content/schedule/schedule.html

[Colleen51]

We are on Sept 19th Infinity - it would never have occurred to me that their boarding place would have changed - when would Celebrity advise us of this - thanks to Northern Cruiser we know about it - but what about all the people who don't access these boards???

[tbelian]

Sorry, I find this funny.

 

When you go to the airport, how do you find out what gate your plane is at?

 

Our tickets say Ballantyne pier. There is no change. That's what they say.

 

We are headed for Ballantyne pier.

[northerncruszr]

.........first you need to know which airport to go to.........

[tbelian]

.........first you need to know which airport to go to.........

 

Even with that taken into consideration, there are rarely two airports within 2 miles of each other. I just think it's no big deal. And, in addition to that, the tickets (at least ours) do say which pier. Ballantyne. It doesn't look like a change . Now, if I show up at ballantyne, THEN they move it to canada place that day, or within a day, I would say THAT is a change.

[tbelian]

I just realized (from reading another post), that the OP in fact LIVES in Vancouver. This (if it was a real issue) would affect them even less... they wouldnt even be coming in from 'out of town'.

[BSeaBob]

My calendar doesn't show the Infinity at all for the 26th. It shows the Oosterdam as a TBA for pier. HAL usually get their choice arond the harbour here but there will be two HAL ships there at Canada Place already that sunday.

It's no big deal unless you were planning on walking!!!!!!

 

I'll be on the Oosterdam just in case you really want to know what happens!!!

[Colleen51]

It is a big deal for us. Our cruise documentation only says Vancouver - and all we have been told is Canada Place by our TA. I just rechecked and the cruise docs only say departure from Vancouver port. If we arrived with all our luggage at the pier only to find the cruise ship leaves from somewhere else it will be a problem. Could the port of vancouver have it wrong? I have emailed celebrity and re emailed the TA who has phoned celebrity. As northern cruiser says - you have to know which airport or in our case which port to turn up at. Being from Australia and our first trip we are not at all familiar with finding our way around.

[Jeano222]

I agree, we are a group of 60 expecting to go to Canada Place, if they have changed it, they sure haven't told anybody I've asked at Celebrity. Yes, Ballentyne is only 2 miles away but most of us are staying at Pan Pacific and Fairmont Waterfront, so we would be right there. Sheesh

[northerncruszr]

now, I am really confused. I just received a phone call from my TA who said as follows: "I have just talked with a Celebrity Guest Service agent here in Vancouver who says the cruise will depart from Canada Place but will return to Ballantyne" It was this same "agent" who yesterday told me the ship will definitely leave from Ballantyne. The Vancouver port website is still showing Ballantyne. My TA has told us to go to Canada Place and if the ship is not there take a taxi to Ballantyne. What fun!!! I am intending to follow up again and call the Celebrity "agent" early next week.

[Jeano222]

I just hung up from group dept at Celebrity. They put me on hold twice but when they came back they said Infinity 9/19 is sailing out of Canada Place. Port of Vancouver site shows they are sailing from Ballentyne. Sure would be a problem if 2000+ people showed up at the wrong pier, don't you think?? The complication we have is 30 people are scheduled to do Quick Shuttle back to Seattle airport and the pick up is at Canada Place. I can understand gate changes at an airport, but changing the pier without notifying folks is an invitation to bedlam. I am not happy.

[tbelian]

You are absolutely positively making a mountain out of a mole hill.

 

Get real. Go on your cruise, and enjoy yourself. I can't understand how people stress out over every single detail. Which port, drydock, what if this what about that, OMG! i need valium.!

 

You just need to step away from your daily life of cell phones, day planners, palm pilots, text messaging, the internet, and soccer, and go on a cruise.

 

Whew! I'm sorry, yes i'm venting. If some of this stuff happened to me, well, no I wouldnt be happy about it, but I would absolutely positively KILL the anticipation of going on a VACATION cruise if I fretted over all the details and played with what if scenarios that kept me up at night.

 

I've been told to lighten up, now I'm going to suggest the same thing. Lighten UP! Change is inevitable. You need to learn to accept and embrace change. Look at it as an adventure.

 

I'm done.

 

Regards

[roomgypsy]

Tbelian, I do believe we are on same cruise of September 26, Hawaii. I say this in all sincerity, I can't wait to meet you! :D I laughed right out loud when I read your posts here. Counting the days, as I am sure most of us are.

 

Regards ~phyllis~

[tbelian]

Tbelian, I do believe we are on same cruise of September 26, Hawaii.

 

Phyllis,

 

Yes, we are. My DW, and mother in law are all travelling to the beautiful Hawaiin islands, and anxiously looking forward to it.

 

I dont lie awake at night worrying about mass chaos at the pier(s), but rather, sleep quietly dreaming of warm breezes, beachfronts, creme bruele, and the veranda :) ..

[Happy ks]

While I agree with you in some ways, I have to say this would concern me if it were my cruise. Many do not know how close together the two ports are, if you arrive at Canada Place and have to go to Ballentyne, it is only 2 miles away. There are people at each port to assist you to go in the right direction. There are signs out in front of the drop off area at the port entrance designating where to go for each different ship.

 

Bottom line, don't worry so much, you will get to your ship.

[tbelian]

Bottom line, don't worry so much, you will get to your ship.

 

Exactly!

[Jeano222]

If it was just me and hubby going or even 3 couples this would not be a big deal at all, but if you have a group of 60 [some of which are handicapped]this is a big deal, especially with transportation having been reserved in advance, how are we to notify Quick Coach on our return date if we berth at Ballantyne and not Canada Place?

[tbelian]

how are we to notify Quick Coach on our return date if we berth at Ballantyne and not Canada Place?

 

I would leave that up to quick coach, just like we are leaving it to the company that is picking us up from the airport and taking us to the pier. You are paying them to handle those details.

[palermo22]

Here we again: I ask you all (and I realize we on the delayed 9/17/04 [now 9/20/04] Summit are in a slightly - well actually more than slightly different situation) -if you would be fretting if: (a) ten days prior to your cruise you get word that it is being delayed three days; (b) Celebrity (with many passengers on the phone with them day-after-day) does not relent on the compensation and gives back just about 50% of what they should be giving back (and when you call up customer service all you hear is "take it or leave it"); © then you find out you need to spend four or five days in Vancouver (because you had already committed one day prior to the cruise and it now becomes four) - which is not a hardship but you're not sure if insurance will cover it and you sure don't need an additional $1000 already added to an expensive vacation (which has already gone from a great vacation to "the vacation from hell"); (d) then with a few days prior to leaving for Vancouver Celebrity says "we're 99% sure the ship will make it to Vancouver after the repairs" - and when you ask what happens if it doesn't - they answer "we don't deal with hypotheticals"; (e) and also prior to leaving the ports have all been rearranged - times are still up in the air and then finally (f) they don't even know (or have told us) which pier they are leaving from!

 

DO you think all of you - especially tbelian - would enjoy leaving on that type of a trip?

[Jeano222]

Palermo22, I feel like 3 cents, with a complaint that pales in comparison to your situation. You poor folks do have a problem. I am so sorry.

[BSeaBob]

I guess Palermo doesn't feel like he won the lottery!!!!! Ouch. But when things go wrong we expect those minimum wage workers to have all the answers. I know I do. But the answers are just not known by anyone. Those mermaid pods and the lawsuit are getting to be a bigger and bigger problem all the time for everyone. An outright cancelled cruise gets you your money back (...minus you own flight costs to rebook later) and a free cruise. Those on each side of the cancelled cruise and it's obvious Palermo is one of those are now the ones that get it in the ear. Maybe he should stay home and just gamble. Would be a lot more comfortable and certainly less frustrating

[palermo22]

BSeaBob:

 

Gamble: I can do that any hour of the day - I live in Las Vegas!

[BSeaBob]

I knew that :)