Key Aspects:
- Celebrity Cruises has cancelled Celebrity Equinox’s August 12, 2027, sailing to host a private charter.
- Impacted passengers were given the option to switch to a different sailing or to receive a full refund.
- The cruise lines don’t favor charters because they are mean, but because they are a lucrative business opportunity.
Just like passengers, the cruise lines are always excited about good deals. When a full-ship charter comes knocking, this is a situation that is hard to turn down.
Unfortunately for some future guests of Celebrity Equinox, one 2027 sailing has been cancelled due to a private charter. With a capacity of up to 2,850 passengers, it’s likely that hundreds (if not thousands) are affected by this news.
The 9-night voyage in question was scheduled to embark in Barcelona, Spain, on August 12, 2027. The port-heavy itinerary featured calls throughout Portugal, Morocco, and Spain.
“We are reaching out to let you know that, regrettably, we must cancel our August 12, 2027, Celebrity Equinox sailing, as it has been chartered,” Celebrity Cruises wrote in a letter to impacted passengers, which is making waves on social media.
“We understand that this is not an ideal situation, and we truly apologize for the impact this has on your vacation plans,” the cruise line continued.
Details about who chartered the sailing, if bookings will reopen to the public through the organization, and if the itinerary will be adjusted, are currently unavailable.
Booted Passengers Encouraged to Rebook
Celebrity Cruises is giving guests multiple compensation options, the first of which is to get back on the 121,878-gross ton Celebrity Equinox. This means rebooking the same Solstice-class ship for a different date.
Celebrity Cruises recommended the 9-night sailings to Spain, Portugal, and Morocco that embark in Barcelona on June 17, 2027, and September 9, 2027.
These sailings offer the same port calls as the cancelled sailing, but in a slightly different order. The ports in question include Tangier, Morocco; Lisbon, Portugal; Porto-Leixoes, Portugal; and Cadiz, Spain.
If guests are willing to change up their itinerary a bit more, Celebrity Cruises also suggested Celebrity Equinox’s 9-night, one-way sailing from Rome, Italy, to Barcelona, Spain, that embarks on August 3, 2027.
This voyage features visits to Naples, La Spezia, and Portofino in Italy, Villefranche-sur-Mer in France, and Palma De Mallorca in Spain.
If guests choose to pivot to one of these sailings, their original stateroom category price will be protected, even if the new voyage would have been more expensive.
Additionally, if the cruise fare decreases and passengers have already paid in full, they will be refunded the difference.
Cruise Hive also learned that guests would be provided with onboard credits as a gesture of goodwill. Suite guests will receive $400 per stateroom, and Aqua Class guests and below will be given $200 per stateroom.
Additional Compensation Options
If guests can’t make one of these alternate sailings work onboard Celebrity Equinox, they do have the option to rebook another Celebrity Cruises sailing of their choosing. Any non-refundable deposit and/or change fees would be waived.
Cruisers who pursue this option will also be given the same stateroom credits as those who rebook on Celebrity Equinox ($400 OBO for suite guests and $200 for Aqua Class guests and below).
However, guests who book outside of the three recommended voyages would be responsible for any differences in pricing for their cruise fare, taxes, fees, and gratuities.
And of course, passengers who can’t make any of these options work can always opt to receive a full refund.
Why Do Cruise Lines Favor Charters?
Celebrity Cruises, and its sister brand, Royal Caribbean, have been known to work with major event organizers like Sixthman, Atlantis Events, and Bliss Cruises, as well as more niche companies or travel agencies to arrange charters.
Most recently, Cruise Hive reported in May that Royal Caribbean bumped guests from Allure of the Seas’ March 7, 2027, sailing due to a full-ship charter.
At the end of last year, Celebrity Cruises also announced that Celebrity Silhouette’s February 13, 2027, Valentine’s Day cruise was cancelled in favor of a private charter.
As frustrating as these cancellations are, the cruise lines don’t welcome these charters to be mean. They are simply the smart financial choice.
In order to completely charter the ship, organizers must buy out every single cabin at a double occupancy rate, whether the staterooms are sold or not. On a standard itinerary, the cruise line would simply not be paid for empty cabins.
