takemewithyou

My experience with cruise air with Viking, Oceania and not sure of others, is that they ticket about 60 days prior to flight.  sometimes, you have to pay extra to get your air ticketed……I have only cruised once with each of those, but I remember the 60 day mark.  I think I always paid extra to get air ticketed sooner! 
 

I have used Choice Air, but it’s been too long.  Those two are fresh in my memory.  I no longer will use cruise line air, however.

10 hours ago, MetravelUtoo? said:

I just thought I was stressed when I booked this dream vacay back in January for May 6.  After two flight cancellations due to non payment in the last TWO weeks, I now have ticketed flight confirmation to Barcelona on May 4.  Too bad I’m now completely gray haired with the exception of the bald spots! 🤣  Fortunately, I now only need to worry about the $999,999.00 cost of a couple of my excursions leaving a huge balance owing with the threat of “automatic cancellation if not paid”!! (Paid in full 01/30/23).  Oh, and my prepaid transfer from BCN to cruise ship is gone now too.  I don’t have the time or inclination to address these issues at this time.  I will just take my receipts and hope for the best.  

I hope you let us know how things went for you.  My thoughts are with you…..what a stressful nightmare! 

1 hour ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

I have a cruise booked with Silversea, and originally took advantage of their free Coach air and very reasonable Business class upgrade offer – but after reading all the horror stories on that forum I have rebooked without air.  The stories seem very similar to here, and they don't have the excuse of a divorce.

My experience with Viking Air a year ago was a nightmare, also.  
Oceania air experience was a bit better, but expensive.

Now I just book my own.  Not sure any cruise air is great.

I have only sailed once on O back in 2015…..if I buy a bottle or two of wine from onboard gifts and they are delivered to the cabin, can I have those at dinner, if I want?  Do I still have to pay corkage if they are onboard gifts?  I might keep a bottle in cabin but I might want to take a bottle to dinner.

Oh yum!  I am hungry for breakfast now!

50 minutes ago, JAT0303 said:

Just a thought for those posters who say everything is great on the ships so not to worry.  I fully expect that will be the case for my first Azamara cruise. 

 

However, I will first have to get to the ship to discover whether that is true.  A number of posters, including myself, have air reservations with Azamara for cruises in the next month or so.  In my case, Azamara has had full payment for my cruise and airline tickets for over 3 months.  Azamara is not paying for them and they are being cancelled by the airlines.  This is not a simple fix by calling Azamara because of the long wait time, turning off the phones, not returning calls to those who chose to "keep their place in line" and get a call back, and the fact that you're not allowed to talk to any staff in the "air department."  My TA is not having any better luck.

 

I have been working to get my flights ticketed for over 2 weeks with more than 6 phone calls and other communication attempts.  It's still only half done!

 

I do support the idea of asking those who have website problems that are not critical to refrain from calling Azamara right now.  This would allow them more time to fix the more time-sensitive issues.

 

So while I am happy to wait to check-in at the pier and sort out my excursions when I'm on the ship, I'm struggling to make sure I can actually fly to Europe and get on the ship 😔.

And I am so sorry for you!  This is totally unacceptable!  I wasn’t aware of this until I read some of this this week on this board!    My next sailing is mid June and I also became aware of others on our sailing in the same situation.  I am booked independently for my air to Europe.   I have used Choice Air,  (now called Azamara Air or something like that) before and I would just be in panic mode with your air situation.  I certainly hope that this gets worked out for you but it is unacceptable and not good for future business at all and I don’t blame you for being upset.

Book with a travel agent.  They are invaluable with all that’s going on with the current website problems.

31 minutes ago, JM0115 said:

It is amazing to me, as someone that has run several companies, that there are no proactive communcations from AZ. I would be sending out weekly emails explaining what is going on and what they are doing about it. I would also be sending all those with bookngs some kind of perk such as a small amount of OBC. I am not trying to get them to do that, not trying to get something for nothing, but I think it would be in their best interest to do something. I also understand that many executives do not understand what customers are going through or think they know better.

Communication is lacking and that’s the problem that I see.  Agree with your comments.  Most of this could be tamped down with frequent updates from Azamara.  

@Jancruz and others who may be “ in the know”, does anyone have any insight on when Marina refit is being done?  We sail on Marina TA 11/20/23 and had once heard the refit would be done prior.

20 minutes ago, mauibabes said:

Nothing official yet that I have seen from Oceania. Lots of folks are guessing and trying to make educated guesses. Try your TA or other contacts but I am sure when it is officially released, the CC crowd will be “in the know”. There are plenty of connected posters on this Board. 
 

Mauibabes

We sail on Marina TA 11/20/23 which is why I was wondering.  One of the dates I had seen for refit was mid NOV, prior to the TA.  Then I saw 4/24.  I will keep checking on O board for updates.  Thx.

11 hours ago, mauibabes said:

Every ship has been refit, with the exception of Marina. I would expect Marina to look like Riviera after she completed her retrofit.

Mauibabes

Can you confirm when Marina gets new refit?  
 

10 minutes ago, JM0115 said:

Can ANYONE do anything with their booking? I can’t.

Yes.  I sail in mid June. (Less than 60 days). Mine has remained constant. I can see my loyalty points.  I can see the invoice.  I can see booked excursions.  I could book others if I wanted to.  There are choices, prices, and descriptions on the available excursions.  I could order extras for my booking such as onboard gifts, if I wanted.  
 

Others on my roll call are not so lucky.  Some can not see their booked cruise.  Some can see their booking but can not book shore excursions.  The only thing I can no longer see is my OBC balance.  I do not understand why some of us can manage our booking and others can not, but it is getting very frustrating for some and is long past time for this to still be going on.

When is the refit scheduled for Marina?

I had read 11/23.  Above says 4/24 but is that in reference to Marina or Sirena?

My next cruise is mid June but today I received my final docs and boarding passes via e-mail.  I would say something is working right!  

Have they come out with the new itineraries to replace those Alaska cruises that were cancelled ?

Just incredible pictures!!  Thank you so much for taking the time to provide  your comments and your review.  I think you have been bit by the Azamara bug!! We prefer it to any other cruise line, including Viking.  That was a big miss for us.

We have never met such wonderful fellow passengers on any other line and the onboard atmosphere is special and has never been the same for us anywhere else!   That is a big part of what keeps drawing us back,

3 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

New article on Seatrade Cruise News:

Azamara opens new global contact center, tripling sales support team

 

Sounds like good news, especially the commitment to keeping the support center in the US (easier access to the main office for training, clarification, etc.)

This sounds like very good news.

23 minutes ago, JM0115 said:

We like the buffet on Viking because we could eat outside. This is my first AZ cruise coming up in May. From what I have seen you can take your food from the buffet and eat outside - is this correct? Also, do they come to serve you wine out there as well or do you have to come in to fetch it?

Yes, you can eat on the deck right outside Windows Cafe and yes, there are servers our there who attend to you and will provide you wine and other drinks as needed.

20 minutes ago, laurieb said:

I think it's always been there...

I agree.  What I saw that was different on @Riocca’s post was no mention of $300 OBC if future cruise is booked during first 1/2 of your cruise.

One thing I noticed……under Booked Guests, there used to be a link to register for CruiseCritic meet and mingle.  It’s gone and I wonder if it’s coming back?

I thought Eric was going to be coming back in March.  Are they giving any idea when he may return to Onward?

@Riocca and I were answering at the same time!

Hope this helps! 

16 minutes ago, Bluebury said:

I hope that someone can help me, I have tried looking to find the answers but getting confused.

We have travelled with Azamara only once and that was several years ago. Travelled with Celebrity and have over 500 club points, making us Elite class. When we went on Azamara they were the same company and the points were added together. How does it work now? Do our 500 points have any value with Azamara and if so, what benefits are we likely to get, as we are looking to book Azamara for the end of the year. How do we access those benefits?

If those points do count, will any future Celebrity points be added, also will the any future Azamara points be added to our Celebrity account?

 

Thanks for your help and sorry if I have managed to confuse you as much as I am confused. 

 

Also, where on the itinerary of the cruise that we are interested in taking can I find the info for the Azamazing Trips - or have they been stopped?

 

Thanks again

Hi @Bluebury

Since you have travelled once with Azamara in the past, all your points between Celebrity and Azamara are combined until Feb of this year. If you are Elite on Celebrity, you're Discoverer on Azamara.  do you have an account set in the Azamara web site?  You should be able to log in or create one and see your points.

For the future, any points you accumulate with Azamara will not be added to your Celebrity account and Vice versa.

Azamazing Evenings are back on and usually can be found under shore excursions.  You can view shore excursions for any cruises you may be interested in before you book.

15 minutes ago, brazilgirl said:

Sea Day:

 

What gorgeous blue skies and sea we have had today.

We ended up leaving Salvador at around 6:20 am this morning instead of 6 pm last night, the longest delay we have had in our cruising history. There was some kind of fueling mix up, which was mysterious. But, we are on the way ( seems the Captain is putting his foot to the pedal).

 

There was a delicious brunch with live music this morning. I loved the waffles with blueberries and whipped cream. Yum.

 

Progressive trivia is very fun and I am really enjoying it. We also used the onboard laundry, which was convenient. The show in the Cabaret Lounge was two women with powerhouse voices, which we enjoyed.

 

This is our first cruise on Azamara. We have sailed Celebrity, HAL, Crystal before ( as well as a few other cruise-lines). Here are some general comments and thoughts 

 

Things I love so far;

 

Fellow passengers are by far the friendliest I have met on any cruise-line. Approachable and well traveled and eager to interact would be my description. It makes the atmosphere rather like a big house party, which is great

 

Service is attentive and professional and friendly all over the ship. It is very quick as well which is appreciated.

 

The food in the Discoveries Restaurant is lovely. The fish dishes are outstanding. 

 

I really loved the Middle Eastern dinner on the pool deck. Delicious and vibrant. A really great atmosphere.

 

Ship is extremely well maintained overall with soothing decor and nice artwork

 

Things I don’t love as much :

 

Surprisingly, the Windows Café has not been as yummy as I expected. I feel underwhelmed by the food there. However, the service is excellent. I think my biggest issue is the green salad offerings. Could be better.

 

Our ship is sailing at full capacity and it has been hard to find a place to sit at certain hours. That is understandable and it is only at certain peak times.

 

The outdoor furniture on the deck and our balcony could be touched up, lots of wear and tear apparent ( but this does not detract from the cruise at all)

 

Husband thinks the gym could be bigger

 

Overall, things have been extremely enjoyable and we are having a grand time.

 

Enjoying your reviews and comments so much!  Keep them coming!

8 minutes ago, Mackdogmolly said:

I gave up and booked the ultimate package 😂

What happened?  Whispering Angel was calling you? 😀