Celebrity Cruises cancels Indonesia calls over dispute

Celebrity Cruises said it will skip scheduled ports of call in Indonesia on Celebrity Millennium’s Nov. 23 departure because of a dispute that it characterized as ethical in nature.

It said that stops in Bali and Komodo were scrapped in favor of overnight calls to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and Bangkok, Thailand. Celebrity Millennium will also spend some additional time in Phuket, Thailand.

In a statement, Celebrity said a dispute has arisen with local Indonesian authorities of a nature that it believes puts its legal and ethical standards at serious risk. “Because of this dispute, we have been advised that local officials may either prevent guests sailing on Celebrity Millennium from disembarking the ship in Bali, or prevent the ship from departing,” the statement said.

Celebrity said it escalated the dispute to the national level but could not get a timely resolution.

The cruise line said it will provide guests with an onboard credit as well as a future cruise certificate for 30% of the cruise fare paid, “in recognition of the impact this issue has had on our guests’ vacation.”