Cruise Canceled on the Celebrity Infinity

Hi everyone, Here’s a little story about what happened to me—I was supposed to go on a cruise on the CELEBRITY INFINITY on February 16th, but nothing went as planned 😕 We left for Athens on February 14th, had a good flight, and stayed at the same hotel as last year, the PHIDIAS PIRAEUS HOTEL, which we really liked. But this year, it was disappointing—no upgrade from BOOKING, so a smaller room and, above all, noisy because of a compressor sound.... Anyway, we arrived in the late afternoon, took a walk, and found a really nice restaurant in the pedestrian streets of Piraeus. The next day, the 15th, we maybe thought about going to the island of Aegina, but we got up a little too late, so we just went for a walk. We came back to the hotel for a break, then got ready for a massage I had booked online. I absentmindedly checked my phone… an email from CELEBRITY announcing the cancellation of the cruise!!! That’s a first for us—we were a little shocked by the news 😕 TO BE CONTINUED....

Hi Isa,

That’s a weird turn of events—I’ve never seen that either. I hope they have a good reason and that they’ll compensate you for the disappointment, not to mention the inconvenience. Here for updates.

Hey Isa!

I didn’t think you were on that ship because I’d seen a post on Facebook or Cruise Critic. I did see that Celebrity had canceled the cruise on the Infinity, but I didn’t think you were on it.

Oh wow, what a mess! Anyway, tell us all about it.

Alfred

Hi Isabelle,

This is quite surprising news. I had actually looked into this cruise myself, considering joining. I can only imagine the challenges of returning, extra costs, and other refund difficulties... Fortunately, forewarned is forearmed. The forum helps us share both great tips and tough experiences!

Hi,

A major breakdown...

cruisemapper.com/news/15871-power-loss-forces-early-end-celebrity-infinity-mediterranean-voyage

Hi Isa, Well, this is a first for me. I’ve had flights canceled a couple of hours before departure before, and luckily we always arrive the day before… but a cruise!

I’m sure the company has a good reason—engine trouble, maybe—but I really hope the compensation will match the inconvenience.

Hello everyone, thanks for following my adventures... TO BE CONTINUED We’re off to get our already-booked massage, heavy-hearted—we’re so disappointed! We’ve got a million questions, both of us, with two weeks of vacation time, and at this point, there’s one thing I’m sure of: NO WAY we’re spending those two weeks in the north (where we live). But no time to browse the internet; we’ve got to get that massage. It’s pleasant, but we’re not enjoying it like we should, as you can imagine!

Massage over, we head to the restaurant in the pedestrian streets—the same one as yesterday, which was really good. Alright, I’m surfing the net: is there another cruise nearby? Is it worth staying and visiting some islands? Or are there any interesting last-minute deals... A million questions running through our minds... We return to the hotel, which was supposed to take us to the ship for free the next day—one of the hotel’s major perks. Well, they’re already informed by other guests, mostly Americans, for whom this is a bit more complicated than for us. Not to mention that to make the trip worthwhile, they often do a back-to-back cruise, but here’s the thing: will the next cruise even go ahead?

Back in the room, I keep looking at different options, but nothing’s simple. We see an MSC cruise—a classic Mediterranean tour from Marseille—only Aurea suites left. It only departs the following Sunday and isn’t cheap. We pass on it because that would mean spending almost a week in the north for a fairly expensive MSC week, with the risk of ending up with lots of Italians and kids... 😕 So we decide to take the plane back the next day. It costs us 20 € in modification fees for both of us. The goal: return to the north and escape to Corsica, where we’re lucky to have an apartment. TO BE CONTINUED: compensation and conclusion 😉

Hello, It looks like the damage was limited for the flight. I don’t know much about it, but it seems that change fees can be pretty steep, and on top of that, you still have to find available seats on a flight. Which airline are you using?

Either way, you still made a round-trip to Athens "for nothing"—not to mention the significant travel expenses! I can only imagine your disappointment.

Hi neighbor! 😉 Actually, change fees can be really high. In this case, we had booked an exchangeable flight, which minimizes modification fees. The airline is AEGEAN—I think they’re great. They have two flights a day between PARIS and ATHENS / ATHENS and PARIS. So it was easy for Cekla to leave quickly. We didn’t get to enjoy this round trip much—just 2 nights there, even though Piraeus is always really nice. 😉

hi everyone, here’s the rest—and the end—of the story of my misadventure. We take the ATHENS–PARIS CDG flight with AEGEAN, smooth and on time, then the train from PARIS CDG to LILLE. Home by 10:30 p.m., just long enough to: - shower - unpack the dressy outfits from the suitcases - grab the last two seats on the next day’s LILLE–MARSEILLE train - book the ferry - add the Corsica apartment keys and car - try to get a little sleep

The next morning we’re off again; the train leaves late because of an abandoned bag, and we barely make it to the ferry boarding. Phew—finally, the vacation can really start!















Our stay in Corsica was wonderful, as always! Corsica never disappoints. I encourage anyone who hasn’t been to this little paradise to go—you won’t regret it! Okay, I’ll close this parenthesis to talk about the CELEBRITY compensation.

- refund of the cruise and, if applicable, any pre-booked options and excursions Since I bought through a travel agency, what I didn’t realize is that CELEBRITY refunds the agency, which then has to refund us... it complicates things, but I should receive the money soon.

- "FCC" voucher to use on a future cruise, equal to the value of the purchased cruise minus port taxes, valid for 2 years The voucher was sent to me; it’s about 77 % of the cruise price, roughly 1700 €. I’ve already applied it to a cruise in November ;)

- 2 nights reimbursed at a hotel in Piraeus or Athens on February 16 and 17 for those who wanted or needed them before catching a flight, worth $300 per night + $100 per person for incidental and dining expenses We decided to head home and skip this offer—no regrets, we were so happy in Corsica 😉

- compensation for additional expenses due to return-flight changes (up to $200 per person for medium-haul / $400 per person for long-haul) Celebrity called to refund the extra 20 € in change fees directly to our credit card.

The compensation works for me and seems very fair, even though I obviously would’ve preferred to take that cruise. Wishing you all a great weekend 😉

Hi Isa,

I’m happy for you that you managed to find a backup plan for your vacation. Finding a last-minute replacement cruise is mission impossible.

Did you find out if it was really an engine failure that caused this last-minute cancellation? If that’s the case, it’s very fair of them to cancel the cruise and compensate passengers at a fair value.

They handled this much better than Oceania did a few years ago when we took a cruise with a broken engine that ruined the whole trip and prevented most of the stops. In your case, even if it’s frustrating at the moment, at least it was handled well and won’t leave passengers with a bad memory.

Hi Catherine, thanks for your message. Yes, it was a pretty major electrical failure. Passengers from the previous cruise had to disembark a day early as a result—no water, no electricity on board... some in inside cabins even had to repack their bags by flashlight.

I do think they handled it fairly well, though. Compared to what’s happening on MSC right now, they’re not doing nearly as badly, poor things. 😕

Thanks Isabelle for sharing this misadventure, which fortunately is extremely rare. Your compensation seems fair to me. You were lucky to be able to reach Corsica right away—your photos are gorgeous. Corsica is truly beautiful, I totally agree. It’s too bad some locals... but they’re a tiny minority, so let’s not let them spoil our fun! 😎

thanks Cathy Personally, I love Corsica and the Corsicans—they’re mostly super kind! 😉

Yeah, I think they’re doing okay... but when I see what’s happening with MSC right now, they’re not handling it nearly as well, poor things :/

It’s not the same situation. No one insures against the risks of war.

Hi Isa,

I’m really happy for you that you found a solution, a Plan B for your vacation.

As for compensation, I think they were very fair with you.

Anyway, American companies are always very good about that.

I had the same thing happen a few years ago on the Anthem of the Seas. After three days in the Caribbean, the ship had to return to port in New York.

They refunded us: the cruise, the hotel nights... On top of that, I think there was an FCC (I don’t remember the amount), but we definitely came out ahead.

Yeah, I saw you rebooked the cruise for November on the Equinox. For my part, I booked an 18-day cruise on the Equinox in March 2027, departing from Buenos Aires and heading to Barcelona. Plus, I know this ship well—I really like it.

Anyway, they made the right call canceling. From what I understand, there was no engine, so no risk, and they compensated you well—that’s what matters.

Have a great weekend

Hi Joseph, Thanks for your message. I also know the EQUINOX—we really like that series! 😊 I agree with you; we get better compensation with American companies. Have a great weekend! 😊

Indeed, the two cancellation reasons are quite different. But I find MSC pretty ungenerous with its customers. Those on-site have to pay for their hotel themselves, and those who see their cruise canceled in a few weeks only get a simple refund... that’s a bit weak, don’t you think?