Our 9th of March cruise on Azamara Journey [Auckland to Sydney] was going wonderfully well until Dunedin, when the announcement came through that the rest of the cruise [Milford Sound, Hobart, Melbourne] to Sydney was being curtailed, and we were sailing back to Auckland, meaning that our 15 day cruise was being shortened to 10 days.
From that point, Azamara was exceptional in their helpfulness: giving free internet to all passengers, setting up internet stations and phones with staff to assist in travel bookings and arrangements, and providing free bus services to the airport all day on the final day. They also offered a very generous compensation rebate, and future cruise discount.
We had no difficulty getting a flight back home, and apart from having to fill in several forms upon our arrival, the process was fairly quick and simple.
Back home, and starting our 14 day quarantine. We have already done our Local Body voting via telephone, and our fridge and pantry is fairly well stocked. A friend has already offered to get any essentials for us should we require them.
Fellow cruisers, keep well and alert to possible dangers when you are out and about.
We were on this cruise and I can echo the positive comments about how Azamara handled the cancellation. Australia denied any additional cruise ship entry as did New Zealand, however we were already in NZ at Dunedin so we turned around for Auckland which had the most international flights. Azamara went well beyond expectations with staff available 24 hours, free Internet, free phone calls and additional computers set up for passengers to use for airline bookings and travel arrangements. Plus they are going to refund 75% of the cruise, offered a 50% current cruise credit towards a future cruise, and up to $600 for flight change fees. We were very impressed by the all staff available and resources provided and how they handled the cancellation so we booked back to back cruises in 2021.
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