Celebrity Xpedition June 16th Sailing Cancelled

For the third week in a row Celebrity Cruises has been forced to cancel a Celebrity Xpedition sailing, this one scheduled to depart on June 16.

As we reported last week, the previous two cruises were also cancelled when the line ran afoul of the Galapagos National Park, which cited Celebrity Xpedition for the transportation and storage of 12 kilograms of frozen lobster tails in the Galapagos while the crustaceans were out of season. Because of this, Celebrity Xpedition’s license—mandatory for entry into the Galapagos National Park—has been temporarily suspended by the local authority. Celebrity Cruises hopes to work with the Galapagos National Park authorities to lift the ban and restore its license before it is necessary to cancel more voyages.

Celebrity Cruises has issued the following statement:

The Galapagos National Park has cited Celebrity Xpedition for transportation and storage of 26 pounds of frozen lobster tails in the Galapagos while out of season. Because of this, Celebrity Xpedition’s license that is necessary to enter the Galapagos National Park has been temporarily suspended by the local authority. Unfortunately, this has made it necessary to cancel the June 16 sailing of Celebrity Xpedition. 

We will provide all guests with a full refund of the monies paid for their June 16 sailing. We will also provide them with a 25% future cruise credit for another Celebrity Xpedition cruise. The credit is based on the amount they paid for their June 16 cruise and may be used for a future cruise on Celebrity Xpedition within the next two years. Future cruise certificates will be mailed to guests' home addresses or to their travel agent within two to three weeks. 

Additionally, if a guest purchased air transportation through Celebrity Cruises, we will provide them with a full refund. For guests who did not purchase air transportation through Celebrity Cruises, we will reimburse them for their airline change fee. 

Celebrity Cruises is truly sorry for this disruption of our guests’ vacation. We understand their excitement and anticipation for exploring the Galapagos onboard Celebrity Xpedition. Celebrity Cruises is committed to complying with the rules and regulations of the Galapagos, which are designed to protect and safeguard this unique and pristine environment. 

While we will proactively contact guests booked on the Sunday, June 16, sailing of Celebrity Xpedition, they also are welcome to call us at 1-888-829-4050 in the U.S. and 1-408-916-9001 internationally. 

We continue to engage in dialogue with the Galapagos National Park on our guests' behalf, and will provide any new information as it becomes available.

Image Courtesy of Celebrity Cruises