The cruise I booked NEVER made it to the Tracy Arm, UNCALLED for decision.

To Karen,

I really hope you cruise again, an unsatisfied trip can leave a bad taste for future cruises. I would very strongly suggest that you meet with an experienced Travel Agent to plan the next vacation. There is a great deal in information available on the web, but that is nothing like the first hand experience that a top notch agent will offer you. My wife and I enjoy cruises with few children on board and our agent knows this. A spring break cruise out of Florida would not be my first choice or my agents. Please give cruising another try, but plan carefully.

2 hours in Alaska can be the difference of 10 feet of tide.  The cruise I was on was almost stuck because we had to make it through a pass at high tide as the ship would not have cleared the pass at low tide.  So 2 hours can be a make it or break it in some areas.  We were late departing a port due to an officer being late getting back to the ship. If it would have been anyone but an officer the ship would have left on time and left the person behind.  

To make the pass before low tide the ship was moving at full speed,  they banked it into a turn and dinner plates were sliding off of dining room tables crashing onto the floor.  Our poor waiter was spread eagle arms outstretched trying to keep all the plates on the side board from falling to the floor.  The guest had to grab our plates and drinks to keep them from sliding away.  The performers (Chinese Acrobats) on stage for the early show lost footing, dropped items they were balancing on their heads and fell over.

It was only a one hour delay that could have held the ship overnight and missed the next days port.

So yes 1 or 2 hours can make a big difference depending on where the ship is going.

I have never scene Disney for 1/2 the price of Celebrity.   Disney is always more expensive. 

LOL...must have been tough for you when that house fell on your sister.....

I do not like my verbiage sanitized on the post.

I love all the "YUPPIE" criticism of  persons who at advanced ages have NOT been so well heeled as to be "seasoned" cruise people who can blow off a cruise that although paid for, did NOT happen. A mere two hr, delay that was so critical it managed to keep passengers in a port for about 12 hrs to save the day so the passengers had more time to get fleeced by the cruise industry kiosks that line the easily accessed streets of all ports, God forbid I am so "narcissistic as to work until 80 for a first cruise, read the brochure hype and actually think the cruise might actually give a person what they say it will give them for the money paid" ,  If I wanted kids screaming about I'd have taken a Disney Cruise at half the price, if I had wanted 3/4 of the ship taken over by special interest GROUPS on a Convention Cruise I 'd have booked a CARNAVAL cruise....

OH sorry maybe you all are the parents and Convention folks ,who are given last min. "ALL BUT FREE"  cruises to fill up empty rooms...Yah ! Go bark at the moon.....you smart mouthed people. Your day will come also...I am NOT the only person that was impacted in a negative way.  I know there are many others who also have shared a neg. experience on this cruise. YOU ALL enjoy all your next jet set mentality cruises.....    

Wow... This is the second review I read this morning from someone who seemed uninformed of the passenger contract but this one adds the perspective from someone so completely self-absorbed that any event or person having the audacity to impact their vacation should be taken out and keel-hauled.

I wonder how you would react if (heaven forbid) in the future you or a loved one becomes critically ill on board. What if you required medical evacuation?  How would you feel if a haughty passenger who you "inconvenienced" through your thoughtlessness for getting ill stopped to tell you how you ruined their vacation? I'm sure it wasn't part of that poor person's vacation plan to become so ill that s/he had to be evacuated.  

I have been on ships where another passenger became ill and required evac. I've been on ships where departure was delayed because a passenger on the previous voyage required evac. In those situations, the overwhelming number of comments were thoughts and prayers for the unfortunate person who fell ill and for their speedy recovery. Anyone who thought otherwise must have kept their opinion to themselves.As previously mentioned, ship schedules are tightly managed, ports of call arrangements are contractually bound, pilots have a schedule of ships they must board and navigate in and out of ports. So, if one ship has an unexpected change in schedule, it isn't all that straightforward to simply accommodate the change.  

Celebrity is a fantastic cruise line. The Captain's priority is ship and passenger safety.

I was so sorry to read that your first time cruising was a disappointment to you.  Believe me, the Captain did not want to have you miss Tracy Arm.  But he had a very sick patient who needed medical attention.  Suppose for a moment that it was you, your husband or your child who was seriously ill.  Would you have told the captain not to go back to port for you or them to get treatment  because you wanted to see Tracy Arm first? I doubt it.  Although I have a very high regard for Celebrity Cruise Line, perhaps this is not the cruise line for you.  I hope that you enjoy your future cruises and that they meet your high expectations.  However, all cruise ships will interrupt a cruise if they need to evacuate a very sick person.  This, though, instead of bothering you and ruining your vacation should make you feel secure that if it were you or a family member, the ship would do the same to ensure you safety and health. 

Thanks for your review,  it was funny to read,  made me smile.  I guess you did not read your cruise contract and cruise line web site about alcohol .  No ship can guarantee who fellow passengers can be.  I agree with you,  children should just be outlawed,  why didn't you ask the Captain to  store the children in the cargo hole?  Oh that is rite you said you did not see the Captain wandering the decks.  I guess he was on the bridge doing his job.

Your review clearly states you do not know anything about cruising.  The ship is first concerned with safety or guest and crew.  The medical emergency is more important then a port stop.  I'm sure you would agree it you were the one needing to be taken off the ship to a hospital.  Your cruise contract states that ports and itinerary can change if needed and it is up to the Captain.  

Research is a grate thing,  it would have told you about alcohol in your cabin, children on board (amazing how kids were on board during summer vacation) that a ship may miss a port and what ports have gang ways and what ports use tenders (I have scene lots of elderly and disabled get off the ship in Juno) 

I hope your next vacation is on land and to your liking,  a bottle of spirits, a senior only hotel where people go to bed early.  At least your had a new experience :-) 

How long have you been a cruise ship Captain in order for you to make the decision that "He had plenty of time to meet his emergency AND ALSO GO TO TRACY ARM."? That is like saying a surgeon took too long for his procedure. You DO NOT know what was involved in the EVAC!! This was your first cruise and seems as though you feel you mastered Cruising already!! And by the way, what was the med emergency? Was it an at sea EVAC? Sure your really upset that the passenger had the audacity to get sick on YOUR ship! "Arbitrarily decided"? There IS a time window for docking and pilot acquisition. How long did the EVAC take?  We had one (at sea) on a trans-Atlantic this past April that took about 3 hours in total and our itinerary was affected. We received an OBC for the missed port. Call your cruise agent (or whoever you booked the cruise through) because I can almost guarantee that if you didn't receive the port taxes (for the missed port) as an OBC (oh, sorry...On Board Credit) on board as we did, it will be refunded to the credit card you booked the cruise on. The Captains MAIN responsibility was to the injured passenger and NOT to your self-centered, "it's all about ME" attitude. As for the children and alcohol issue, you should have read reviews and researched better PRIOR to booking your cruise. Groups do have a right to book cruises AND bring their families to INCLUDE kids...sorry!!! NO cruise lines allow you to bring alcohol onboard with the exception of Princess that allows you to buy from them prior to the cruise and you can keep it in your cabin for the entire cruise. Better luck next time....ON LAND!!!!