Our trip was booked through Senator Travel, and they poorly recommended a company that has failed to reimburse us for what they falsely advertise as a "modern luxury experience". We hoped Senator Travel, who consider themselves "travel experts" would have done a better job of vetting the company they stand behind. I hope this review allows others to be forewarned of this falsely advertised "luxury" cruise experience. The following is a description of the appalling events that took place aboard the Celebrity Constellation Cruise, and the poor customer service that followed. It has been a year since our trip and we still have not been reimbursed for our time trying to reach a representative during & after our trip, expenses that arose to accommodate ourselves during this trip, nor the exuberant amount spent on what we thought was a "luxury" cruise. One star is generous.
Description of the ship:
Paint chips and droppings (food particles, gum wrappers, used napkin on our room deck; Rusty railings; Stains in old dingy carpet; Stains (food and probably biological) and wear and tear in our apartment grade sofa beds; Dirty bathroom with remnants of food particles in the sink that were too large to drain under running water, soiled/stained grout, rusted shower curtain rings, soiled toilet seat cover (appears as some was in a hurry and missed the seat when urinating); Masking tape securing the closet panel doors closed; They couldn't even keep the safe in good shape, the felt lining is peeling back. Shortly following the safety drill where we were packed in a non-airconditioned room packed like sardines. People were sweating profusely, trying to fan themselves asking for ventilation. One person in our group was enjoying a salad until towards the end he saw something on his plate he didn't recognize; it was a moldy piece of something.
Cancellation of destinations due to software malfunction without proper recourse + discrimination:
May 26, 2017, 3:28 am., notified by Celebrity Constellation that they were undergoing software issues and as a result, we would depart two days later than scheduled, which meant we would not be visiting Monaco or Nice; two destinations we were most interested in seeing. The email went on to say that a local Celebrity Cruise Team Member would be in contact to provide us with details as well as assisting us further. I had to spend my day trying to reach a representative when I finally did, they said they were still assessing the situation and would be back in contact with me; I never heard from anyone after waiting by the phone for the majority of the day. May 26, 2017, 10:24 pm., I received an email from Celebrity Cruises informing me that their shore excursions team member is working to provide us with a range of tour options to make the most of our time in Barcelona. No one reached out to us by phone or email. May 27, 2017, 7:36 am, I called the number set forth in the email to schedule a tour only to learn that the phone number provided in the email, as well as the phone number on BC Tours website, was inoperative; 8:47 a.m. Since I was unsuccessful reaching anyone by phone, I went to the hotel lobby and met Mark of BC Tours to schedule a tour. Mark informed me that the tour departed, despite not having been informed of any scheduled tours. However, I was promptly presented with a list of private tours as well as pricing. 3:00 pm, Per email from Celebrity Cruises. "For our added convenience transportation to the port will be provided." A specific time would be arranged for a coach bus to pick us up at our hotel; a specific time will be communicated to us via hotel reception later that day, but the staff was not aware. 7:56 p.m., Celebrity Cruises sends out an email that treats those bearing tickets to the Grand Prix with high priority and exclusivity. Visiting friends and family in Monaco and Nice were disregarded. I know that everyone scheduled on the cruise was inconvenienced in some capacity due to the ships software issues. However, those possessing Grand Prix tickets were afforded the opportunity to go to Monaco and Nice, while others were not; that's discriminatory! They had flights, hotel accommodations and transportation all pre-arranged for them, while the rest of us "non- Grand Prix" ticket holders were left to spend the day awaiting news from Celebrity Cruises by way of inter-cruise personnel, who were uninformed, ineffective and uncommunicative. We all worked hard to save for this trip. It took lots of planning, preparation and other costs for the care of our pets, extra staffing during our absence at our business, etc.
Senator Travel:
had a vision of bringing together a capable international staff to service the needs of a valued clientele by offering their knowledge and travel experience. Success has been achieved! read more