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Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity • Denied boarding - visa problems • Mechanical problems • Bungled reservations --- News • Cruise Lines Agree To Refund $21 Million In Fuel Surcharges

Celebrity is a sister line to Royal Caribbean and caters to a more upscale, somewhat older crowd at prices somewhere between mass-market and luxury. While things may not go wrong as often as on the mass-market cruises, what problems do occur can be quite vexing and the line is not always quick to respond.

A few of the more recent complaints ...

mr of cumbria, United Kingdom June 14, 2009

We were on a cruise to the panama canal on 13th april on celebrity mercury.On the day of disembarkation we were asked to assemble in the theatre after immigration cleared us which was 8 30 am.Our flight was 11 30 am so we had plenty of time to disembark in san diego as we knew the airport was not far from the harbour.We waited and waited and told the representative in the theatre about our flight and she told us not to worry as we would not miss our flight.We started to get anxious at 11 o, clock and they still told us we would not miss our flight.

We were not allowed off the ship untill after 1 pm.We told them we had missed the flight and they said make your way to the airport and they will sort out a flight.We hadn,t a clue were we were and when we got to the airport we could,nt get a flight for another 2 days as there were other passengers in the same situation as us.We got a hotel number from the airport helpdesk and we went there and we had to pay for 2 nights accomodation.My husband had to phone work as he was due to start back the next day.We phoned home as my 89 year old mother was ill with worry.My son was worried as the swine flu had just broke out and we had been to acapulco on the cruise.My husband was stressed out with the whole affair.To cut a long story short when we arrived home we contacted jetlinecruise who we booked through and they forwarded our complaint to royal carribean cruiseline.

From which we waited 28 days for them to tell us it was nothing to do with them it was out of their control.The immigration was slow and that is why hundreds of people missed their flights.Surely they knew how many people had to go through immigration and should have started ealier this is not the first cruise they had ever done they have done hundreds.They took our money and got us off the ship after everybody missing flights and nowhere to stay that night and couldn,t care less.We had some 80 year old passengers following us they hadn,t a clue what to do.Shame on you celebrity which way you treated us and fellow passengers.You told us other people had claimed off their own travel insurance ours is MBNA travel insurance and we are not covered for missing our flight due to slow immigratiom control.You told us we cruise only passengers our complaint is with the cruisline not the flights.

We were booked with u s airlines and they were brilliant with us but we knew other passengers were on another airline and they had to pay a lot of money to get a flight home.You said sorry but that doesn,t help one bit as we were stressed out and have had to pay a lot of money through no fault of our own.Celebrity behaved disgracefully towards all the passengers at the end of the cruise i am sure none of us will ever forget the way we have been treated badly by them.Shame on you celebrity.

Peter of Bobcaygeon, ON April 6, 2009

My wife and I were on the Mercury recently for a cruise to Hawaii. There was an outbreak of norovirus, and one of the santizing procedures was to spray bleach around. Many people had their clothes ruined when the spray driffed over them. We all filled in Personal Property Report forms, and left them with the personel department.

Three weeks later I have just discovered that those forms have not even got as far as the claims department! There were many features of the trip which I found unsatisfactory; the quality of the entertainment, the attitude of the entertainment director, the cracked wash basin, and the tap that came off in my hand. Disembarkation was a debacle - with a complete breakdown in the transfers to the airport. The ship's tenders were gungy.

Nicholas of Damascus, MD March 16, 2009

On March 8, 2009 I set sail as part of the 7 day southern Caribbean Atlantis charter cruise from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. At the end of the cruise I was offered by Celebrity cruise line to participate in the luggage valet program to have my luggage transported from the ship to my flight home. The cruise director and staff of Celebrity recommended this program to the passengers. The fee for the program was 20.00 plus 15.00 a bag since I was flying Airtran Airways. My feeling was I would use this program to save me the aggravation and hassle of having to check luggage in at the airport. Later I found out I was extremely wrong.

When I arrived to BWI airport in Baltimore, Maryland my luggage was not there. I waited at the baggage claim for an hour waiting to see where my luggage was. I filed a claim with Airtran Airways (006511) and also contacted Celebrity cruise line. I contacted Celebrity at approximately 4:00PM on 3/15/09 and was told I would hear something from Celebrity in a couple hours. I called Celebrity back at 9:00PM and heard a message that the offices were closed. When I woke up the next morning I still had not received a phone call from Celebrity cruise line or Airtran airway in reference to my luggage. I got up early and went to the store to pick up healthcare supplies which were packed in my luggage and I needed for work.

After spending another 20 on supplies which were in my luggage I had still not heard anything from anyone. Around 9AM I initiated contacted Celebrity cruise line since I had not heard anything. I spoke to the luggage claim department and was told that my luggage was at the port and was never shipped to my flight. The lady stated I would be contacted in a couple hours with a tracking number. I received a call at 1PM that day and received a tracking number for my luggage. I asked the gentlemen how long it would take to ship my luggage and he stated 3-5 days by UPS. I was in total shock. The gentlemen then said he could overnight it if I really needed my luggage.

Does Celebrity cruise not see a concern or an inconvenience for their customers when they loose the luggage they were responsible for? The gentlemen then stated that he would not be able to ship the bottle of alcohol that was in my luggage. This was totally mind boggling to me considering if Celebrity cruise actually shipped my luggage like they were suppose to my that it would be on my flight. The gentleman stated that they will hold it for me at the port for a couple months. I reminded the gentlemen that I reside in Maryland and can not afford a trip to Florida just to pick up a bottle of alcohol.

I called the customer service line and spoke to R. Mattu in luggage claim. R. showed little concern for my problem and said she would just file a claim for the 35. In addition she stated she would not be able to provide me with any additional compensation for the alcohol being taken from me and would just cut me off while I was talking. This post-cruise experience has been disaster and it even hurts more for the little concern that Celebrity Cruise lines shows for their passengers once they receive their money. I enjoyed my time on the cruise but the headache and now property that I am out reminds me that I will never cruise or recommend on Royal Caribbean or Celebrity.

Besides ruining my cruise experience, I am out the alcohol I purchased as well as items I needed to purchase back home while I was without my luggage.

Maria Perez-Rodriguez of Juana Díaz Puerto Rico, OTHER March 4, 2009

I sailed with this cruise line from Puerto Rico on January 3-10, 2009. When I received my account statement, this cruise line charged me more that I spent. When I contact the Guest Relations of the company requesting my final account statement, I notice that they charged 42.00 on January 10, 2009 at 8:50 am in the Guest Relations Desk. At that time in that day I was on the theater of the ship waiting to be call for my turn to go out of the ship.

I send a e-mail to Mr. Willis requesting my signed received for that service or purchase and I haven't received any answer form him. The ship was de Summit, depart from Puerto Rico, January 3-10, 2009. The consequences are that they charged already to my credit card an amount that I didn't spent.

Hughretta of Jersey City, NJ February 24, 2009

August 2006 we went to alaska on the Infinity. celebrity agent did the cruise and the airfare. when we arrived back from our cruise in Vancouver the ground transportation person was not familiar with rules of getting into the airport to drop passengers off and caused us to miss our plane. I called celebrity when they booked the air and asked would it be ample enough time to get our flight they assured me it would be(it was not). We called celebrity from the airport they did not help us at all we were transferred to several people they has the worst customer service. We had to book our flight on continental and they were nice enough to accept our ticket which celebrity had booked on Alaska airway.

My daughter booked a cruise for December 19,2008 to Hawaii due to bad weather the flight was cancelled so we could not get to california we called celebrity and informed them thay stated we cancell our cruise . We still tried to get a flight out that day but could not get a flight until Tuesday 24th which was too late.We were told we would lose all of our money 12,000 because my daughter did not take out the insurance. We called several times . They did not return our call. We sent a letter to the President of the cruise line finally we received a certificate for 1,876.00 for the 1st and 2nd person and 1,000. for the 3rd and 4th. and a expiration date on when it can be used.

I have contacted the Better Business and they had tried to help. I have called several times left messages and they are never available. They sent me certificate in faith that what the letter stated. Before they sent the certificates the agent said I could booked another cruise and pay for it. It is bad times no one has that kind of money. My daughter saved a long time for this It was her daughter graduation gift from High School. The agents are not very helpful and sometime rude in a nice way.I am sure the gave someone a upgrade on the I am very annoyed with them.

It is a lot of stress in the household. My daughter had to take a partial loan to pay for part of the trip that she will have pay back.emotional stress of my grandaughter because she could not go.

Joy of Bridgman, MI February 17, 2009

My recent cruise on Celebritys Mercury was frustrating and disappointing, principally because of what I consider to be misleading advertising and apparently grossly deferred maintenance undertaken DURING what was supposedly a luxury cruise from January 31-February 14, 2009.

The primary amenity I use on a cruise ship is the jogging track. I received no prior notice that the jogging track would not be available on this cruise, but arrived to find it roped off and its use forbidden. The ships recreation deck was festooned with ugly plastic sheeting and duct tape.

While the decks unquestionably needed resurfacing, my objection is that this was done DURING the cruise with no prior notice to the passengers, no chance to reschedule onto another cruise or cruise line that wasnt under construction, and no reasonable remedy for the passengers. After I filed an Attention to Detail? form about the problem, notices began appearing in the daily bulletins advising people to use the indoor treadmills instead. That is not a satisfactory remedy for passengers who purchased a cruise in a warm climate in order to be outdoors. If I had wanted to exercise on a treadmill, I could have done so much more cheaply by staying in my basement in Michigan!

The result of the remodeling was an unsightly mess that looked more like an unmended effect of Hurricane Katrina--certainly not like a luxury? cruise. Staff were profusely apologetic about the mess, but either unwilling or unable to discuss compensation for the deception about the condition of the ship or the deprivation of advertised amenities.

When people attempted to use the deck on aft 14 for exercise, the cruise line posted security guards up there to stop us and we were told that the noise of our footsteps was disturbing the high-paying suite passengers immediately below! That aft deck was also blockaded with large numbers of jumbled deck chairs on the stern side making passage almost impossible and also by a garden hose frequently stretched across the deck and apparently used to wash the glass roof of the indoor pool area.

Much of the ship seemed similarly either under construction or in great need of work. The interior stairwells (which many of us were using to try to increase our exercise levels) were frequently being blocked off and recarpeted in unpredictable patterns.

Many doorways and exterior stairwells in public areas were blocked during the cruise.

The interior of my stateroom? also did not befit anything claimed to be a luxury cruise. I found it difficult to photograph the vile brown stains on the toilet seat, the vacuum flush system that occasionally wouldnt work, and the sink that drained impossibly slowly--but the rust and peeling paint are most obvious.

Peter of Park Ridge, IL December 16, 2008

Celebrity Cruises ('CC' - a royal carribean company i think) has the slogan Starring You. But they unlike other US companies TOTALLY IGNORE that many of their custumers DE FACTO use wheelchairs.

HOW LONG will CC be allowed to DISREGARD the great american ADA-law (Americans with Disabilities Act, that George HW Bush the older introduced year 1990 with the words Let the shameful wall of exclusion finally come tumbling down!)?

I am a captains club member at CC (nbr: 721058827 ) and have cruised with them MAY 2007 on CC-ship 'Infinity' in Alaska (=also part of USA so ADA de facto applies there), and will cruise with them dec 7,2008 from Sydney Australia with several stops in Australia (which has a law similar to ADA*), before going to New Zealand.

2 main things with going on a cruise is a)using the onboard jacuzzis and swimming pools b) shore excursions

HERES MY PROBLEMS WITH CC AND WHY ALL PEOPLE WHO USE WHEELCHAIRS SHOULD GET A MINIMUM OF USD 600 BACK PER CC TRIP:

* the ship Infintiy's jacuzzis and swimmingpools where totally inaccessible (that violates ADA law, and either way should entitle people who use wheelchairs to get monay back)- I don't know if Milennium is any better BUT i hope it's better!

*CC shore excursion broschure / pdf on neither aforementioned cruises has ANY info on wheelchair accesible tours, seems like NO (ZERO) excursions can be done if you use a wheelchair. NOT BEING ABLE TO PREBUY EXCURSIONS ONLINE LIKE 'ABLE-BODIED' PERSONS AND NOT ARRANGING SHORE EXCURSIONS FOR PEOPLE W DISABILITIES IS DISCRIMINATION AND ILLEGAL - SEE ADA-LAW AND AUSTRALIAS EQIVALENT LAW**! (Look at ANY six-flags, Disney or other theme park in USA - their broschures and themeparkmaps have CLEAR HANDICAP INDICATORS OF WHAT YOU CAN DO REMAINING SEATED IN YOUR WHEELIE, AND WHAT YOU CAN DO MORE IF YOU CAN TRANSFER)

* CC shore excursions doesnt answer emails/faxes - didnt before Alaska cruise last year, dont this year before Australia- SO PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES CANT PLAN AHEAD AND REMAIN IN THE HANDS OF THE ONBOARD 'GOOD-WILL' OF EXCURSION DESK PERSONELS ABILITIES TO ONCE THE CRUISE STARTED MAYBE ARRANGE A FEW SPECIAL NEEDS EXCURSIONS..

The way it should be: Due to ADA and Australias equivalent the entire ship should be accessible (incl jaccuzzies n swim pools). Shore Excursion brochures/pdf-files should have indicators for special needs JUST LIKE DISNEY & CO. AND THERE SHOULD BE SPECIAL NEEDS EXCURSIONS PLANNED & COMMUNICATED WAY BEFORE THE CRUISE STARTS, so people w disabilites hav equal chance to plan their own excursions beforehand.

NO, the argument that all countries don't have ADA-type laws isn't valid. Alaska obeys under ADA! Australia has ADA-type law! The shore excursion broschure come from US company CC thus obeying under ADA law! US CC ships have to obey ADA law wherever they are worldwide (ruled by US courts).

** its illegal for australian tour companies to discriminate against for example people who use wheelchairs (even Lonely Planet Australia 2009 says so! pg 1004 and yes that would be UNs textbook definition of discrimination!)

i can, helped by my helper, get in and out of front passenger seat of a low car or SUV, and with a little help also from someone else, easily get in the helo (HELICOPTER), like last year when i - heloed over grand canyon and mendenhall glaciers in USA ( who have the same type of antidiscrimination-law as Australia, there it's called ADA- Americans w Disabilities Act)I wrote my thesis in University abt this, title inaccessibilty is discrimination.

David M. Adelberg of Falls Church, VA October 11, 2008

Passengers were not allowed to get off the Celebrity Summit in Liverno, Italy without paying for either a taxi to get you taken out of the port OR a shuttle bus pass to get you out of the port. You were stopped from simply walking off the ship in this particular Italian port even though you paid port charges for the right to be at this port.

In my professional opinion, this action is completely illegal and Celebrity should be subject to a class action suit since passengers should not be denied the right to get off of a ship when it is in port.

Celebrity used a container port in Liverno, .... presumably to save money. Therefore, either they should refund any excess port charges paid or they should be totally responsible for letting you get off the ship and out of the port. This problem did not occur anywhere else in the 14 day European trip including at other ports in Italy.

Deb of Everett, WA August 23, 2008

I went on my first Celebrity cruise September 2007.For the most part, I had a GREAT cruise. I've booked two more since then with them on the Mercury. (Same ship I traveled with before) The only complaint I could possible give would be the lack of service in a few of the bars only to be corrected by an employee who truly valued her job and wanted to be the best she could. Outside of that things were so perfect.

I can tell you that Celebrity went so far above and beyond on my first cruise that I booked two more with them and anticipate booking even more in the future. I was treated good and spoiled rotten with everyone that waited on me. I would also like to say that I give my travel agent a huge amount of credit for this. It's personal to her and she goes above and beyond.

I'm sure you feel your complaints are worth being taken care of and I honor you all for that. I'm just having a hard time with them. May your future cruises be incredible with no complaints.

Judith of Batavia, IL August 14, 2008

On April 10, 2008 my husband and I debarked from a cruise on the Summit in Southampton, England. One of our bags was missing. We asked about it and no one quite knew what had happened to it. When the terminal was empty of all luggage finally one of the workers pointed out a bag sitting in the corner in a black garbage bag with water leaking out of it. The suitcase had been dropped into the harbor. Obviously, returning home with a suitcase that had in water was very difficult.

Immediately upon our return home we opened the bag and took photos of the contents that were ruined. A conservative estimate of the items ruined 1,230. My husbands good shoes, some items of clothing, binoculars, etc were in the bag as were all my upscale cosmetics. I began contacting Celebrity, spoke with several people at Celebrity as received several different stories as to what to do about my claim. The suggestions ranged from contact the stevedores union in Southampton, to nothing can be done because I didn't have cruise insurance, the excuses just went on and on.

I mailed the list of items and photos to Celebrity and they, after much discussion, sent a check for 512. I contacted the executive offices to no avail. They feel they have acted in good faith. So, it's over as far as Celebrity is concerned.

I spent many hours trying to save some of the items in to keep the list of losses to a minimum. The issue with Celebrity is that they refused to reimburse for the cosmetics that I had to discard. They content the containers were closed and no damage to the contents. I have two points about that. 1) I would not put any cosmetic on my face that had been soaked in sea water for 14 hours and 2) cosmetic companies are stating that one should not even keep their cosmetics in the bathroom. They should be kept in a spot where they are not exposed to moisture. Consequently I am out several hundred dollars for cosmetics that had to be discarded and I truly believe that Celebrity should have reimbursed me for those items. In the most recent letter from them they wrote Despite this unfortunate occurrence, we truly hope you will choose to sail with us again in the future.

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