When were cots considered premium service?
Written: Jul 27 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Food in the formal dinning room was excellent, but the buffet was only average.
Cons: Sleeping accommodations were extremely poor, customer service was non-existent and activities were poorly organized.
The Bottom Line: Do not waste your money on Celebrity. Customer needs are ignored. I had to sleep on a cot for my entire trip.
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| belew's Full Review: Celebrity Mercury |
The following is a letter I mailed to the President of Celebrity Cruise Line, Rick Sasso. To date no satisfactory response has issued by Celebrity. What you can't see are the photographs I sent. They show a room with two standard beds and a cot in between the two making my room wall to wall beds. They also show the plywood that was placed under my cot after I complained.
On June 8 of this year I set sail from Vancouver, BC for what I fully expected to be a wonderful cruise experience. As the party responsible for having fifteen extended family members on an Alaskan cruise booked through AAA Travel on Celebrity’s premium cruise ship Mercury, I was disappointed to find my sleeping arrangements to be less than premium - a cot. All airfare, transportation, hotel, and cruise accommodations were booked through AAA, but arranged by Celebrity at a cost of nearly $35,000 for our group. Certainly $35K is enough money that any reasonable person would expect to be provided a bed on a premium cruise ship.
A bed, at least for me, was not to be. Celebrity had put three people into a suite containing only two beds and a rollaway cot. Not only this, but our room was on opposite ends of the ship from my children. My wife and I immediately contacted Maritza Ibinarriaga at the Guest Relations desk and were informed “…sorry, the ship is full and nothing can be done”. This was a phrase I became very familiar with over the course of my trip. She recommended that I should return later to see if any rooms became available from cancellations. The next morning I spoke to her again and she told me “…sorry, no rooms available. Didn’t your Travel Agent explain your cabin accommodations?” I returned at least three more times over the next few days and asked for someone with authority. When she said no one was available, I asked her to leave a message on my room voice mail as to when I could speak to a manager. No message was ever left. Basically I was ignored. This made for a very unpleasant experience making it difficult to enjoy other aspects of my voyage. I returned to the Guest Relations desk and summarized my efforts to another representative, John Young. Again, I never received a response back.
Nearing the middle of my cruise and after several sleepless nights, I arose at 3:30 a.m. and went to the Guest Relations desk. I spoke to Mary Ellen Kyte and pleaded for some action. She was very apologetic and assured me that I would be contacted. Indeed, later that morning I finally was allowed to meet with the Guest Relations Manager, Evy Nikolaidou. She explain that there had been a communication problem and was very sorry. She offered one option. A room was available, but she cautioned me that the room had vibration problems. Another room without vibration would have been reasonable, especially if it had been offered early on my cruise before I unpacked, but to swap one problem for another was not my idea of a solution. I asked if they could offer a “no cost” excursion for my travel companions as compensation for my troubles instead of offering another problematic room. She said she could not authorize this and escorted me into the Hotel Manager’s office, Andreas Dermatis. He was less than accommodating and denied I even had a problem, again blaming my Travel Agent. He also denied the second room had any vibration problems, exactly the opposite I had been told by Evy. I left his office totally frustrated and again was unable to enjoy my evening. Upon returning to my room, I found my cabin attendant and the Assistant Chief Housekeeper, Christos Kontogiannis placing a piece of plywood under the mattress on my cot. This apparently was Andreas Dermatis solution to my problem. I have attached pictures for you perusal.
I spoke with Evy and Andreas again the next day to let him know his offer was unsatisfactory and the plywood was not a solution. He then offered both rooms as compensation, which meant someone still had to sleep in a room with vibration. With only two days remaining and having already spent my first five nights on a cot, I wasn’t very pleased at the thought of moving all my personal items to another substandard cabin. When I told him this was unacceptable, he said he would discuss his options and get back with me. The next day he offered me five tickets to the most uninteresting least expensive excursion he could find. It was for an oil pipeline tour in Valdez. The other ten people in my party would have to pay or not be allowed to go. I do not believe $140 worth of boring excursions is adequate compensation for a $35,000 cruise in which the crew likely had better accommodations than I.
On my return plane trip to Atlanta, I found a possible source of my problem. I met a passenger from the Mercury that had been scheduled to sail on the Infinity. Infinity had mechanical problems and many people were put on the Mercury at the last minute. I have also discovered another couple in my group had a room with four beds. We booked all fifteen guests at the same time. Why Celebrity put three guests in a room with two beds and two guests in a room with four beds still baffles me.
Not everything on my cruise was bad. The food and scenery were excellent. My waiter, Marcello was one of the best.
This was my third cruise in two years and I have never had any problems with my agent at AAA Travel or my accommodations on Royal Caribbean or Disney. I enjoy cruising and will likely do so as an annual event. If Celebrity wants my business in the future, some type of compensation such as a partial refund or complimentary cruise for my wife and I should be granted. If no reasonable compensation is received, I feel it to be my duty to tell others about my experience. Many web sites i.e. epinion.com or cruiseopinion.com offer consumers a way to let other travelers know their experiences, good or bad. If Celebrity fails to make good on the unsatisfactory service and accommodations, I will make sure my voice is heard by posting my experiences along with these photos on the web. As for now, it is up to Celebrity whether we go away as happy customers willing to give Celebrity another try or just unhappy customers that were taken advantage of by your company.
I am still unhappy!
Recommended:
No
Best Suited For: Seniors
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Epinions.com ID:
belew
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Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 0 members
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