After interviewing several of my fellow passengers, I met with Judy who, in spite of a heavy one-on-one schedule with other passengers, agreed to answer my (your) questions, and lend some light to the issues which arose during this adventure.

Judy Leighton is a long-time employee for CruCon; the company is 14 years old -- she has been with them for the past 12 years.  So, she is no novice.

She is now the "On Board Cruise Ambassador" for CruCon.  She is the friendly ear for passengers when things aren't going well.

She seems uniquely equipped to do this job which demands long hours (especially when tracking down passengers' lost luggage) and an infinite amount of patience...and grace (try to have lunch with her in a public area).  But Judy advised me that she loves her job, and the people she meets.

It is with great respect for both CruCon, Judy, and the passengers that I post this article.

Cheers and blessings to all my fellow passengers, and any of my readers who may be passengers-in-waiting!

Do try the New Zealand/Australia cruise.  It really could be your "trip of a lifetime."

~~Sheree Zielke~~

Some issues with Celebrity, CruCon, and the airlines

1. The NEW Mercury "Down Under" itinerary.
   
   The New Zealand/Australia program with Celebrity is still in its infancy, so it does have growth issues.
    
2. CruCon's poor response to phone calls and emails.
   
   CruCon went through a massive growth period this past fall which lead to an inability to deal with all the calls and emails, and provide consistency in client follow-up.
   CruCon recently joined the massively effective Travel Zoo leading to an influx of new clients.  In particular, Canadian clients.
    
3. Airline ticket information and seat assignments were poorly handled.
   
   Celebrity was in charge of booking airline tickets, assigning seats, etc.  CruCon could not get ticket information to its clients sooner than it did.  Weird connections were on the part of Celebrity and its airline partners.
    
4. Lost and delayed luggage.
   
   Many Americans pack heavy overweight suitcases, and then pay for the overweight bags at the check-in counter.  The problem is that the airline accepts these bags, with no guarantee they will make the plane okay, even though the extra fees have been charged, and paid.
   
   Airline luggage wranglers, in an effort to get an overweight plane off the ground, will arbitrarily remove bags from a plane.  They have neither the time, nor the inclinations to be selective.  Bags are taken off until the plane's correct weight is achieved.  The pulled bags are then put onto a future flight.
    
5. My luggage arrived soaking wet.
   
   Luggage wranglers don't really consider the bigger picture when baggage is sitting on the tarmac, in the pouring rain (in Los Angeles).  Unfortunately, this means wet contents at the bag's final destination.
    
6. I couldn't get an extended package (pre or post trip) from CruCon although I was originally told that I could.
   
   One of the biggest complaints heard on board the Mercury, was this one.
    
7. Pre-paid gratuities. 
   
   Some confusion among passengers occurred as to what was expected on their part.
    
8. Wine consumption on board Celebrity. 
   
   How much can you bring at embarkation?  Can you drink wines purchased, while in port, in your stateroom?  Corkage fees?  Why was my wine confiscated when I re-boarded the ship in Napier?
    
9. Celebrity didn't do enough to make up for our inconvenience.
   
   Celebrity provided free T-shirt, laundering, and a ship board credit to all those passengers whose luggage didn't arrive.
    
10. Tickets took a long time to get to me, or didn't get to me at all (Canadian passengers).
    
    This unfortunate incidence had something to do with the Canadian Postal system and Canada Customs.
     
11. CruCon seems like a fly-by-night operation.  I won't be booking with them again.
    
    Many negative comments like the ones above surfaced during the cruise.
     
12. I want my complaints heard.
    
    CruCon wants to hear your complaints, and do what it can to resolve any issues.
     

1. Judy says CruCon cares deeply about having satisfied passengers.  She points out it is in the company's best interest to take care of its clients -- that's why she has been put on board to deal with general complaints, and lost luggage, when there are 100 or more CruCon clients on board.
   
   CruCon is looking forward to seeing the wrinkles in Celebrity's NZ/Australia itinerary, ironed out.  For instance, on the strength of recommendations from CruCon, Celebrity management may decide to sail a day later out of Auckland, to allow for late passengers to board the ship, BEFORE it has sailed.
    
2. Growth happens.  CruCon is dedicated to reviewing client feedback through its "Guest Relations" division, and improve the consistency of its client care. 
   
   Any information Judy can retrieve from passengers while cruising is fed back to management for review.  And resolution.
   
   guestrelations@crucon.com
    
3. Judy reminds clients that great deals are a give-and-take affair.  Be prepared to "sacrifice flexibility for the fare." 
   
   For those of us who enjoy the luxury of hand-picking our own airline seats, Judy says to persevere; once you get your flight number, call the airlines directly -- you will get results.
   
   In addition, Judy says while "CruCon has nothing to do with the flights," they have hopes of booking enough passengers so that Celebrity can charter a plane to avoid all the weird connections that many passengers experienced.
   
   The weird connections, and missed connections are the result of the airlines' definition of the time necessary for connecting in between flights: A half hour for domestic, a full hour for international flights.
    
4. Unfortunately, lost or delayed luggage is a fact of life among airline travelers.  Stop packing overweight bags.  Increase the number of your packed bags, and spread the weight around; keep each bag under 35 pounds allowing you leeway for heavier luggage upon your return. 
   
   In addition, split up your clothing; pack some of your belongings in a companion's suitcase. And vice versa. In addition, be certain to pack a few pieces of necessary clothing in your carry-on bag.
   
   Airline baggage handlers have bosses - many of them, in the guise of the hundreds of passengers sitting on a stuffy plane, on the hot tarmac, getting grumpier by the minute, because their take-off has been delayed.
   
   It is in the best interests of the majority for baggage handlers to just get excess luggage off the plane, and the plane up into the air. Unfortunately, for those who lived without their luggage for many days on board the Mercury, this action has its downsides.
    
5. (This tip is from Sheree: Glad "Snaplock" and "Ziplock" bags are cheap and come in all sizes.  Purchase several boxes of these bags in varying sizes, and seal your clothing, especially expensive evening gowns, sweaters, jackets, etc. into the bags. That way a soggy suitcase will not mean soggy clothing, too. It works really well -- I promise.)
    
6. Celebrity "controls all deviations" to a trip itinerary, says Judy.  At first CruCon was under the impression that passengers could add days to the front or back of their cruise, only to be told later that Celebrity had restricted the package, and was not going to allow any deviations.
   
   Judy says CruCon tried to honour those requests made by all passengers before the word came down from Celebrity.  But all other passengers were out of luck.
    
7. Pre paid gratuities are a gift from CRUCON on certain sailings; Celebrity simply puts them directly on their shipboard account.  So, "Do nothing," says Judy.  "Pre-paid gratuities are all handled between CruCon and Celebrity."  Your Celebrity service staff will be advised you will be tipping them via this pre-paid method, too.  So, as the Aussies say, "No worries."
    
8. You can bring 2 bottles of wine when you first board the Mercury, for consumption in your stateroom.  If you bring your wine to dinner, expect a $25 corkage fee.
   
   As to wine purchased in port, expect to have your bottles seized at the X-ray inspection area; they will be returned to you on the last night of your cruise.
   
   *  However, if you were part of a winery-visiting shore excursion sold by the ship, you may keep your purchased wine with you.  According to Judy, the wine will be collected on the bus, and put directly into your stateroom.
   
   She says something had to be done in the wine regions; wineries had opened their doors and their wine bottles to shore excursion passengers for tasting; surely it was reasonable the wineries should expect to sell a bottle, or two.
   
   *  Remember, only those on shore excursions will be allowed to keep their purchased wine in their stateroom.  If you go off on your own to the wineries, you should expect your wine to be confiscated till the end of the cruise.
    
9. Celebrity, although not responsible for lost luggage, went the extra mile to assist unhappy passengers.  From advising the public to be understanding during formal evenings to providing new Celebrity T-shirts, Celebrity management did try to ease the situation.
   
   Celebrity also cleaned any clothing that became wet due to luggage being abandoned on the L.A. tarmac.
   
   In addition, Judy was quick to commend the actions of Mercury's concierge, Uma Samithyotin.  "Uma worked 20 hours one day looking for lost luggage."  Everyone involved did all they could to get the wayward luggage to the bereft passengers using private couriers, buses, etc. even though it was not Celebrity's nor CruCon's fault.
    
10. "Canadian Customs held up tickets in the case of 1 of 3  brothers," says Judy.  Unfortunately, she has no explanation for the delay.  In other instances, some passengers were receiving tickets a mere 2-3 days before sailing.
    
    The problems with tickets has to do with the electronic issue of some tickets, and the printing of others.  It would be great if all tickets could be issued electronically, she says, but some folks prefer a printed ticket in their hand.
     
11. Judy hopes unhappy passengers will give CruCon another chance.  She says the operation is solid, it is NOT "fly-by-night" and the company is dedicated to servicing its clients. She believes customer service will improve dramatically over the next few months.  There will be more training of junior staffers, and all passenger concerns will be given serious attention and consideration.
    
    She expects the growth issues will be overcome soon (the company took 50 bookings in 4 hours right after Travel Zoo advertised the NZ Mercury cruise).
     
    "CruCon is an award-winning agency, and it is very proactive." says Judy.
     
12. Mel Burton is the CruCon employee in charge of guest relations AFTER a cruise.  You can reach Mel at this email address:
    
    guestrelations@crucon.com
    
    Michelle Nai is the CruCon employee in charge of guest relations BEFORE a cruise.  She is the person who has the inside track on all documentation.  Address your concerns to her PRIOR to cruising to the same above email address.