uktog

At least Explora have agents or ambassadors as they are called who are taking over once you are at a certain point and are helping their customers and communicating. Their emails are well written and not irrelevant cut and pastes. My current issues go beyond OBC in relation to what existing bookings are showing. Most of us do not use onboard sales and whilst I am glad some US travel agents are seeing improvement, that is not the message some UK agents continue to give so I do not quite know who to believe. Obviously my view is clouded by the fact that changing a booking was not allowed when it should have been and I ended up losing money and our free nights. Emails on that topic remain unanswered but I have given up. All I want is accurate information on my reservations, a better onboard experience than my last one and we can then see where we go from there. We certainly hope there might be more reservations to come but like many others, we could do with a far better all round performance!

You will always get someone saying "mine is prefect" What I am waiting for now (in the absence of having to go into one of our reservations because I absolutely need to do something) is for an official communication from the cruise line saying "its fixed as far as it will be, here is what you can do here is what you no longer can do"

I have stayed away from the website, despite posts saying it’s now being fixed or everything is fine. However, today I did need to look at something for a cruise early next year and I go into a reservation and it just makes no sense at all. There is only one word to describe this migration, and more importantly, the lack of communication to guests affected Darling, it’s a disaaaaaster. Whilst maybe you can defend the issues relating to migration data, you cannot defend the vacuum in communication. If new software does not do things that the old software did why not put on the website clear guidance or send out emails to Circle members. It may or may not be wonderful onboard but many potential guests are influenced by the whole end to end experience. When other lines can give you that it’s really hard for Azamara to sell based on the on-board service, which, to be honest, some do find problems with. I hoped several months ago, the company would communicate more, instead they took a Trappist monk vow of silence. Maybe we should start a campaign to ask that to be the New Year resolution because it’s been almost a year of this malaise

We will certainly be testing with more passengers later in November but your posts have really excited us and we now eagerly anticipate a cruise we so nearly walked away from last month. Thanks for the mood reset They do need to sort out the back office experiences- the software is giving issues for lots of lines but Explora needs to up their level of response to guests.

The back office team have finally taken ownership of my issue with an appropriate work around which hopefully means we have our paperwork in the next few days. I think the reports from the current cruise are very valid and, given I know who one of them is having done several cruises with them, I am 100% sure their reports are accurate and they are not getting any recompense. However the next cruise from 3 November has a high number of travel agents and some influencers are already flagging up they will be onboard so the feedback from that cruise may be suspect. Mind, it is going to be hard for them to recognise improvements given how perfect it was for them first time around 🙂

Yes it Mars your holiday experience

As I understand it food hygiene regulations do not allow the use of dymo labels. I agree with Phil they need jugs that are exclusively for either hot water or coffee and as some lines offer dedicated decaf jugs which is even better. The Azamara jugs are so old and got years of “ingrained flavour”. I also much preferred in the cafe on Viking they bring and leave a vacuum flask (and I mean proper vacuum) to your table at breakfast and leave it with you. That way I got the amount of coffee I wanted pipping hot at the time I chose not when the server stopped by. Tea drinkers had similar service with hot water Whatever they do, they need to replace their jugs then they need to train the staff because staff are not good for example with the difference between Stillwater and sparkling water so it shows some are so “automaton” they struggle. Maybe these days as they’re less demanding on language skills given recruitment challenges more needs to be clearly colour-coded rather than named to help. (Although I accept the water is and it’s still an issue!)

Perhaps the word is accepted- now the UK ASA are onto this “naming” issue all the cruise lines will need to look very carefully at what the advertise - Rome, Glasgow and Inverness come to mind. There are probably more. I agree Chioggia sounds a great place to stay and cruise from. I’m so over Venus crowds.

Agreed but the ASAs radar is twitching

Interesting Royal Caribbean have just been fined by the UK Advertising Standard Agency for advertising cruises as departing from Venice when it was leaving from Ravenna

I will need to speak again with ours but she’s rather busy these days. Seems silly to have to have three way conversations to do something as basic as dinner reservations

Companies in the UK do not retain card records on file - a basic security protection!!

I am glad some folks can check in for December. I have had another email exchange with an Ambassador today who reconfirms the issue has been referred to the IT department but suggests I transfer all my information to the travel agent so they can do the check in - em - given the check in info required - card numbers etc not an option, there is no secure way to do this - and in any event they can't get the system to work I asked for information on the excursions as we cannot access information on them. We have received a beautiful brochure - but no prices despite asking for them. I get the sense with Explora you aren't supposed to worry about prices! And they were unable to give me any information on how to make reservations for the speciality restaurants

You need to go through your travel agent. Azamara will not discuss anything to do with pricing with you I’m afraid

As you say a funny roundabout way for what used to be a simple process but at least the discount is still there - thanks for telling us

Isn't is funny - our preferences are European so by the time we arrive it looks like the American switch has been flicked. We might as the Sommelier to find some "old stock" if the selection is too heavy for us

Do you realise tomorrow night is the 7th anniversary of Car 2 my FB memories remind me Apologies to others this will mean nothing! Will be interested to learn about your table experience

I would be in a similar situation though it’s on a single voyage most if not all would be credit card not obc. Are you saying the refund is as obc? That’s not so good the price used to be reduced and you paid a lower amount

I get it, at least we have not lost our reservation but we are now 25 days since first highlighting the issue.... The app will not let any photos be uploaded so cannot complete anything on line that way though we are able to enter the check in process (I have scanned in my passport no problem) so that is getting further than the website The Customer Service agent I think got quite sharp when I emailed querying what was happening last week (that was after my gobbledegook name email) saying they were personally in charge of the issue and would update me when there was news - in other words dont ask us we will tell you..... (if we remember). Maybe its me, I prefer regular touch base updates even if its we are still working on this

And Lisbon authorities have had issues and worked to rule and itineraries had to be changed due to port strikes in recent years. We saw it the reverse way relating to embarkation. They refused to come on shift last year until 1400 to process guests even though guests had 1300 boarding slots and some had arrived even earlier. The terminal was full to capacity and beyond and the port agent and hotel director tried to get them to start. Eventually they came out of the room they were sitting in and I’d say deliberately took ages to set up their systems and it was nearer 1430 before the first guests embarked. People need to realise it’s not what the ship wants their hands are tied, even if you’ve been in a country for several days you need both immigration (border) agents AND customs- two separate agencies in many countries to be involved at the port before guests can disembark. It’s tough if it’s your turn to be in the location with the less good flight times, we all get them somewhere in the world and just have to make arrangements for an extra day etc.

I think very many Azamara cruisers do not fly home on disembarkation day unless it is a close to hand flight (eg UK guests might go back from Lisbon but if it was from say Miami they might not). Azamara's hands are tied by the customs (not immigration agents) as to when they are available to check items and no one can disembark without their say so

Except our ta cannot get a fix either. There have been IT tickets raised, the usual rubbish response of “clear your cache” which was irrelevant another ticket raised suggested try a different machine TA involved as the different machine - no joy! Everyone alleges IT is looking at it. It’s heartening to see others are getting the same message and back office response. Remember I was very badly treated over the late cancellation of the inaugural we already had this second cruise booked and paid for otherwise given how we were treated we’d have walked away from Explora. However seeing objectively written reports from cruisers we know and trust is telling us hang on if you ever get onboard it’s going to be worth it.

Yes that’s one thing I will be looking at as we are over a possible holiday period

Thanks, very helpful (the well travelled Ikea long handled boot horn - all 3 ft of it at a cost of £1 will add to its many avois) 🙂

Random (yes very random) question for those onboard In these lovely well equipped suites is there a long handled shoehorn? And is so approx how long is the handle? Hope everyone is staying safe and not having to overdose on the ginger 😀