Shareholder Benefit - Feedback to Bonnie and warning to shareholders for the future

Bonnie

I am sorry to raise this vexed issue again but I have had another five applications denied I quote "because there are other discounts and onboard credit offers already applied for an amount greater than your Shareholder Benefit". - direct quotation from the email of decline from the shareholder benefit team representative.

To clarify

All five bookings are direct with Azamara, there is no travel agency involved

Three of the applications relate to onboard bookings where the OBC relates to the fact I booked onboard ($200 obc is given for that) and the discount relates to the loyalty discount. Even though one of the three cruises is for more than 14 nights where the OBC for shareholder is $250 because of the discount we are not even offered the top up to $250.

More worrying two of the applications were not booked on board, but were booked with future cruise certificates purchased on board. This certificate secures the discount referred to. The OBC referred to is the Land Discoveries Credit bookers are given in exchange for the early booking of their cruises and giving up the right to price drops within 10 months of sailing.

The point in summary is

1. No one who books on board is now going to get Shareholder Benefit
   
2. No one who books using a future cruise certificate and has a loyalty discount is going to get Shareholder benefit
   
3. No one who books using the Early Booking scheme is going to get Shareholder Benefit.
   

Therefore perhaps you should feedback to the powers that be is IF this is correct they should just scrap the whole Shareholder Benefit scheme now as it is running counter to everything else Azamara is encouraging (book onboard, be loyal and have a greater benefit, book early and forgo last minute price drops). I have also recontacted the team for clarification and will post any updates I get in case the team member has given an incorrect answer - in which case feedback is that you have a training issue!!

I quite accept that I hold shares for different reasons and there is dividend performance and capital growth to consider whether I cruise or not. However, it has been virtually impossible to get Shareholder Benefit on Azamara for the last two years, lets just scrap it now and stop waisting Guests time and goodwill or alternatively come up with a scheme where shareholders are given some other onboard benefit (a bottle of something) on production of valid evidence of share ownership to Guest Relations. (They can then save some manpower hours in Miami whilst they are at it)

I agree. We haven't been able to use this "benefit" in years.

I haven't been able to use it for RC, Celebrity, nor Azamara for a good three years now. I don't even bother thinking about it anymore, unfortunately.

Hi Everyone,

Sorry to say it, but I second everything Uktog said, other than the suggestion to potentially scrap the benefit. I say they should go the other way, and relax the benefit to be combinable with other offers. With all due respect to RCCL, Carnival generally allows combining and RCCL should do the same.

As the benefit stands right now, it's like dangling a carrot, that you cannot reach. We are shareholders, and have been denied on every Celebrity request over the past 3 years or so. It's to the point, that I do not bother sending in a request, as I know what the answer will be.

I sincerely hope that Bonnie will bring this matter to the powers that be, and have RCCL take another look at relaxing the benefit. With the turmoil in the world financial markets, it would be a nice gesture for RCCL to say "We appreciate you being a shareholder".

And to add insult to injury, all the Carnival group lines allow combining Shareholder credit with other credits. We have done so on Cunard, Princess, HAL, Carnival, and Seabourn, all accepted. Pretty bad when Carnival does a better job at ANYTHING than Azamara does.:eek:

And to add insult to injury, all the Carnival group lines allow combining Shareholder credit with other credits. We have done so on Cunard, Princess, HAL, Carnival, and Seabourn, all accepted. Pretty bad when Carnival does a better job at ANYTHING than Azamara does.:eek:

Fair point Jim Avery.... but please keep in mind, this is absolutely not an Azamara decision. The only way this changes for the better, is if the executives at Azamara, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean push for relaxation to happen. I doubt any one brand by itself (other than RCCL maybe) can make this happen. It's going to need a group decision.

I can verify that at least in our experience with HAL/Princess we have never been denied our OBC's. We have received more then we paid for the stock. I hope no Carnival bean counter is checking out this thread.....

I have received a response. It is Chapter and Verse the circumstances that do not apply for benefit and this included General Loyalty Offers Future Cruise Certificates and any Onboard Credit. So basically most Azamara customers - forget it!

I looked back last years threads and saw posts that confirmed the Azamara offers WERE combinable in some cases.

I have replied to Shareholder Benefit and await their response of clarification. The main reason I decided to pursue this again was I was advised the correct decision had been taken in connection to by Celebrity Cruises bookings.

So Bonnie, whatever the final outcome, it's as if Azamara does not even exist!!

We had the problem last year, sailing on Serenade a TA from Europe to US.

I had a Future Cruise Credit for all 3 lines, and used it for RCCL.

Later I´ve sent my confirmation, about the stocks to RCCL in Frankfurt and they told me, that I will not receive the $ 250 for the cruise.

They wrote me, that not the FCC is the reason, but I have booked for a special price. That was not true, I booked the cruise one year in advance for the normal price.

Two days later a german passenger wrote on a german cruise board, that they booked the same cruise as an offer for 999 euro, cruise and flights and transfers included and that he got the confirmation for the OBC.

Our TA called Frankfurt, I wrote emails to Miami and after several weeks I´ve got the confirmation for the $ 250 OBC.

But we were told in Germany, that it is not possible to combine any other offers with the shareholder benefit. Thats the reason all my cruisefriends who are booking balkony cabins sold their stocks, because they are getting the special price for balconies as loyal members, eather RCCL or Celebrity.

We haven't even tried to use the Shareholder benefit on our last cruises. It seemed to be a waste of time and energy

If I have a SBC from my TA for a group booking that the agency provides? Is that "combinable" with the stock holders credit? LuAnn

Bonnie

 

I am sorry to raise this vexed issue again but I have had another five applications denied I quote "because there are other discounts and onboard credit offers already applied for an amount greater than your Shareholder Benefit". - direct quotation from the email of decline from the shareholder benefit team representative.

 

To clarify

 

All five bookings are direct with Azamara, there is no travel agency involved

 

Three of the applications relate to onboard bookings where the OBC relates to the fact I booked onboard ($200 obc is given for that) and the discount relates to the loyalty discount. Even though one of the three cruises is for more than 14 nights where the OBC for shareholder is $250 because of the discount we are not even offered the top up to $250.

 

More worrying two of the applications were not booked on board, but were booked with future cruise certificates purchased on board. This certificate secures the discount referred to. The OBC referred to is the Land Discoveries Credit bookers are given in exchange for the early booking of their cruises and giving up the right to price drops within 10 months of sailing.

 

The point in summary is

 

1. No one who books on board is now going to get Shareholder Benefit
   
2. No one who books using a future cruise certificate and has a loyalty discount is going to get Shareholder benefit
   
3. No one who books using the Early Booking scheme is going to get Shareholder Benefit.
   

 

Therefore perhaps you should feedback to the powers that be is IF this is correct they should just scrap the whole Shareholder Benefit scheme now as it is running counter to everything else Azamara is encouraging (book onboard, be loyal and have a greater benefit, book early and forgo last minute price drops). I have also recontacted the team for clarification and will post any updates I get in case the team member has given an incorrect answer - in which case feedback is that you have a training issue!!

 

I quite accept that I hold shares for different reasons and there is dividend performance and capital growth to consider whether I cruise or not. However, it has been virtually impossible to get Shareholder Benefit on Azamara for the last two years, lets just scrap it now and stop waisting Guests time and goodwill or alternatively come up with a scheme where shareholders are given some other onboard benefit (a bottle of something) on production of valid evidence of share ownership to Guest Relations. (They can then save some manpower hours in Miami whilst they are at it)

I am passing this thread up the COC (chain of command) so they can once again read the frustration this causes. I apologize again for the irritation.

It was a lot easier to stomach when my RCL stock had tripled :D -- but now it's given back most of the gains :( so I would like to receive the shareholder benefit that was the initial reason for buying it.

Combinability or lack thereof is why I own Carnival stock but not Royal or NCL. I generally prefer index funds, but will buy individual stocks for a compelling reason. The Carnival OBC is compelling. The Royal OBC is not.

If they were to make it combinable a'la Carnival, I'd likely buy some Royal stock. However, I suspect the folks who set the policy are not going to find my buying 100 shares of Royal stock a compelling reason to change that policy.

It was a lot easier to stomach when my RCL stock had tripled :D -- but now it's given back most of the gains :( so I would like to receive the shareholder benefit that was the initial reason for buying it.

After getting a little teed off with not receiving any OBC for 3 (of 4) cruises in 2015 we decided to get rid of our RCL stock. We sold in September 2015. The stock is down 31% since we sold. Thank you RCL!

We have 3 cruises coming up within the next few months, but it is unlikely that we'll reinvest in RCL.

I am passing this thread up the COC (chain of command) so they can once again read the frustration this causes. I apologize again for the irritation.

Thankx for your reply Bonnie. I have tried recently to receive shareholder credit on two Celebrity cruises but I suspected I would be declined. I have another one coming up along with an Azamara cruise. I'll still request SHB even though I have a snow ball's chance in you know where.

Now I just send it in to waste an employee's time having to read and respond. At least I'm helping keep someone employed at RCL. :rolleyes:

I am passing this thread up the COC (chain of command) so they can once again read the frustration this causes. I apologize again for the irritation.

Thanks Bonnie. No need to apologise but I agree with others a longer term fix is needed sooner rather than later.

Just adding my voice to the frustrated, but it occurs to me that perhaps we should attack the issue at the top and voice our irritation at the annual RCL Board Mtg.

Bonnie,

A true telling number how RCL really feels about their shareholder/customer is to look at the total number of Shareholder Benefit requests vs. what percentage actually result in an OBC issued to the shareholder.

The reality is that for probably most, the term shareholder benefit is an oxymoron.

Just adding my voice to the frustrated, but it occurs to me that perhaps we should attack the issue at the top and voice our irritation at the annual RCL Board Mtg.

I hear you. I wish I could help but the Shareholder Benefit is decided at a level far above me, far above our brand in fact. If you do bring it up at the Board level please let me know. I'll be interested in hearing.

P.s. I've never met the board but I understand they are extremely capable, and reasonable. Perhaps they've not thought about this issue?

I booked thru a travel agent. Does that make me ineligible for the shareholder benefit? Diane

I booked thru a travel agent. Does that make me ineligible for the shareholder benefit? Diane

Not at all. But it is still almost impossible to qualify.

Not at all. But it is still almost impossible to qualify.

I wouldn't go so far as to say "almost impossible." That may well be true for many of the posters here, who are frequent cruisers and are able to take advantage of other promotions. But I don't know how much of the cruising universe that actually represents, and whether there are, in fact, significant numbers of other cruisers who do benefit.

FWIW, I received the shareholder benefit for my upcoming cruise. But this is the first cruise I've taken in several years, and I simply booked through a travel agent, with no Azamara promotions available for the cruise I wanted when I wanted it.

I wouldn't go so far as to say "almost impossible." That may well be true for many of the posters here, who are frequent cruisers and are able to take advantage of other promotions. But I don't know how much of the cruising universe that actually represents, and whether there are, in fact, significant numbers of other cruisers who do benefit.

 

FWIW, I received the shareholder benefit for my upcoming cruise. But this is the first cruise I've taken in several years, and I simply booked through a travel agent, with no Azamara promotions available for the cruise I wanted when I wanted it.

Thank you DougK <3

We look forward to making you a frequent cruiser!

Doug is right,

some Azamara cruiser get shareholder OBC.

It´s our third cruise on the Journey in march and we will get $ 200 OBC.

I already got the confirmation after one day and printed it out, because last time on the British Isles cruise, it took the nice people at the front desk several hours and days to get the o.k. from Miami. So this time I will be smarter and take the confirmation with me.

We always book through a TA, but I mail the confirmation about the stocks by myself to RCCL.

Here in Germany it´s almost impossible to get OBC and when I read that some people board with an OBC from $ 1.500 I only can think: WHAT???

We are very lucky when we get some offers for AZ cruises, like this time for the Caribbean.

Marita