Cancelled cruise :(

Our 2017 cruise to the Canary Islands has recently been cancelled and we are disappointed to say the least. My issue is: we are very loyal Azamara customers and this would have been our 5th cruise with them. We were rung last week by our TA to say it was cancelled and we had only til the end of January to book another similar cruise and for our "trouble" we would get $200 obc. When I booked the cruise (onboard our last cruise) we were lucky enough to get the deal of pay for one ticket and receive the other half price. I have asked my TA to ask Azamara if they would honour this deal seeing as it will cost us a lot more than what we had originally budged for! Apparently Azamara said no..... we have to find a similar cruise which is very difficult as this was to the Canary Islands and so practically a one off!

I am now looking at Crystal cruises as they appear more sensible budgetwise. Has anyone cruised with Crystal and if so, how do they compare with Azamara? We really don't want to "jump ship" but feel like we have been left in the lurch so to speak.

Don't jump ship just yet! Let me see if I can get a 'second opinion' for you!

Thanks Bonnie, hopefully you can work some magic!

I am sure Bonnie will get it sorted for you. However, it is sometimes better to go direct to Azamara rather than through a travel agent.

We had a future cruise credit and some other credit ( compensation for an issue on a previous cruise) totalling £650. We applied these to a cruise which we had to cancel at the last minute as I had to have an operation.

I thought that I had lost those credits but, without much expectation, I contacted Azamara and asked if it was possible to reinstate the credits and apply them to one of the cruises I have booked for this year. I was delighted to be told that this would be done. That is great customer service.

I am sure Bonnie will get it sorted for you. However, it is sometimes better to go direct to Azamara rather than through a travel agent.

We had a future cruise credit and some other credit ( compensation for an issue on a previous cruise) totalling £650. We applied these to a cruise which we had to cancel at the last minute as I had to have an operation.

I thought that I had lost those credits but, without much expectation, I contacted Azamara and asked if it was possible to reinstate the credits and apply them to one of the cruises I have booked for this year. I was delighted to be told that this would be done. That is great customer service.

We too booked a cruise a while ago for this coming April and then last May (some 6 months after we had booked and paid our deposit) Azamara cancelled it (the Quest is going into dry dock for its refit). Azamara very kindly gave us onboard credit towards another cruise and awarded us another cruise (or our choosing) in like for like accommodation at the same price.

I am sure Azamara will "compensate" you for the cancelled cruise or at least would hope they do.

We are new to Azamara and I have to say (apart from some negative reviews about people's cruises) I am very impressed with them. They do listen to their customer.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

We too booked a cruise a while ago for this coming April and then last May (some 6 months after we had booked and paid our deposit) Azamara cancelled it (the Quest is going into dry dock for its refit). Azamara very kindly gave us onboard credit towards another cruise and awarded us another cruise (or our choosing) in like for like accommodation at the same price.

 

I am sure Azamara will "compensate" you for the cancelled cruise or at least would hope they do.

 

We are new to Azamara and I have to say (apart from some negative reviews about people's cruises) I am very impressed with them. They do listen to their customer.

 

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

We couldn't agree more. We were meant to have been on the same cruise with you. We will now be on a very similar cruise in January 2017. We really can't fault Azamara , they have gone out of their way to try and correct everything that we have asked for and something's that we haven't . This will be our first cruise with them and can't wait to be on the Journey. Gold star to them. I'm sure that you will have a fantastic time on your future cruise and as said before, let us know how things turn out.

Our 2017 cruise to the Canary Islands has recently been cancelled and we are disappointed to say the least. My issue is: we are very loyal Azamara customers and this would have been our 5th cruise with them. We were rung last week by our TA to say it was cancelled and we had only til the end of January to book another similar cruise and for our "trouble" we would get $200 obc. When I booked the cruise (onboard our last cruise) we were lucky enough to get the deal of pay for one ticket and receive the other half price. I have asked my TA to ask Azamara if they would honour this deal seeing as it will cost us a lot more than what we had originally budged for! Apparently Azamara said no..... we have to find a similar cruise which is very difficult as this was to the Canary Islands and so practically a one off!

Hi Cocktail Queenie,

I've found out a couple things that should help you.

1) the timeframe for you to make a change expires on February 4th, not Jan 31.

2) we will honor your BOGOHO (Buy One Get One Half Off) as long as you select a similar voyage (geographically) and lengthwise (same length or shorter.)

I've reached out to a couple people to see what other geographic regions would qualify as similar for you since as you say we have few Canary Island voyages.

Whatever you do, don't cancel your existing booking yet. A cancellation will trigger a loss of your existing discounts and promotions.

Wait until you're sure there's not another future cruise that excites you, or until 2/4/16, whichever comes first.

Lastly, we now have an Azamara manager located in Australia named Steve Garside. I'm going to email him a copy of this thread, but just to be safe, I'd suggest you email him as well. Perhaps he can help you & your agent? His email is: xeroxsupport.au

Hi Coctail Queenie,

Here's an itinerary suggestion on which I'm told your benefits will be honored:

Board the Quest in Barcelona on October 21, 2017 and sail back-to-back on the October 28, 2017 voyage, disembarking in Barcelona on November 4, 2017.

The B2B comes to 14 nights so it qualifies lengthwise as well.

I've put hyperlinks to the voyages on the dates above. I hope it, or something, works out for you!

wow! Just checked with our travel agent It is cancelled! No offers for us and we are not interested in a Med cruise

This in our opinion is a big fail whale for Azamara on so many levels

Hi Coctail Queenie,

Here's an itinerary suggestion on which I'm told your benefits will be honored:

Board the Quest in Barcelona on October 21, 2017 and sail back-to-back on the October 28, 2017 voyage, disembarking in Barcelona on November 4, 2017.

The B2B comes to 14 nights so it qualifies lengthwise as well.

I've put hyperlinks to the voyages on the dates above. I hope it, or something, works out for you!

Bonnie,

What a great example of customer service. Going above and beyond your job description to help a disappointed customer. And a novel approach to keeping the benefit. I don't think I would have thought of combining two 7-day cruises to match the original 14-day. I like to think I am well-versed in the many booking nuances, but would never have thought of this.

I hope the OP likes this itinerary enough to book it and enjoy it as much as the original one she booked.

Bonnie,

 

What a great example of customer service. Going above and beyond your job description to help a disappointed customer. And a novel approach to keeping the benefit. I don't think I would have thought of combining two 7-day cruises to match the original 14-day. I like to think I am well-versed in the many booking nuances, but would never have thought of this.

 

I hope the OP likes this itinerary enough to book it and enjoy it as much as the original one she booked.

Thanks Bob! I'm lucky to have great support from the real good people in Miami.

Crystal is a wonderful cruise line and all inclusive. You never feel like you are on a somewhat larger ship. The opening price staterooms are spacious, lots of storage and 2 sinks in the bathroom. The verandah deck goes all the way around for great walking. The food is outstanding.

We have not sailed Azamara, but Oceania and Renaissance many times. I suspect you would be quite pleased!

Hi Bonnie, thanks so much for your very prompt reply and resolution to my problem. However...........my TA has just spoken to Azamara and they have said "they cannot honour anything that you say as you are in California which is a different market with different promotions at different times" I am appalled that there is such division within Azamara and what can and can't be done for me!

As far as I am concerned it's not about which promotions are in which country but it's actually honouring what I originally booked (on the ship) and now it has been cancelled.

I am so confused! Are you able to shed anymore light? I really do appreciate your help. I have sent a copy of your conversation with me to my TA so it says in writing that Azamara WILL honour the BOGOHO and even suggested an itinerary that you said WILL be applicable.

Thanks so much for your answer regarding Crystal. I am hoping I can still salvage my booking with Azamara but it's nice to know what my other options are.

p.S. Bonnie, the email address you gave me for Steve Garside is invalid. Could you check that for me again please?

p.S. Bonnie, the email address you gave me for Steve Garside is invalid. Could you check that for me again please?

Sorry!

the correct (complete) email address is xeroxsupport.au@rcclapac.com

p.S. Bonnie, the email address you gave me for Steve Garside is invalid. Could you check that for me again please?

I've just learned that Steven Garside is in NZ, soon to board the Quest. He is aware of this issue and is hoping to hear from you so he can assist.

As you know on CC everyone's identity is an alias, so you need to reach out to him and I'd suggest also our LCV ambassador. If its not too much to ask, would you resend your email, containing your name and phone number, to both he and our LCV desk?

lcvambassador@leclubvoyage.com

Unbelievable!!!

Thanks Bonnie, I've now emailed both so now I'll sit back and wait and see what happens 😊

We got a refund on 2/25 of our deposit less $100 We will call and ask AZ why we lost $100 when AZ cancelled the cruise

Sad waste of time [emoji53]

We got a refund on 2/25 of our deposit less $100 We will call and ask AZ why we lost $100 when AZ cancelled the cruise

 

Sad waste of time [emoji53]

You should not have lost a "cent" and $100 is worth a message or two! Did you book with a TA? If they insist on charging this contact the Forums at Elliott.org

We got a refund on 2/25 of our deposit less $100 We will call and ask AZ why we lost $100 when AZ cancelled the cruise

 

Sad waste of time [emoji53]

Hi Ginabab, you should get your full deposit back! I don't know what went wrong but please contact AzamaraCustomerService@AzamaraClubCruises.com and ask for assistance on this.

I'm wondering why the Travel Agent is not taking care of this! That's what they get paid for.

Just a thought, did your TA charge this fee? Is so you need a new TA :(

Hi Everyone, We are working on this Hopefully all will be resolved by next week

Our TA is in touch with AZ folks at this point

I really appreciate your great suggestions and contacts

Hi All, our TA and AZ sales rep are working on this

I expect a refund on the next CC statement or the one after