Xport

at this point i rather call Azamara daily than deal with a TA who does not answer questions... i called Azamra yesterday asking about Visa's as cruise critic was not helping me for China. Looks like i need one.

A bit off-topic here but, having visited China with Azamara earlier this year, I can assure you that you will need to secure a visa for mainland entry...

Back in June, I shared my experience in securing that visa in response to a similar question that was initially posed on the Celebrity forum but that was subsequently moved to the Asia forum... You'll find that thread here...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2058593

Assuming that Azamara still has a relationship with the same visa service they suggested last November, the telephone number for Azamara guests is 1-800-579-2261 and Azamara's account number is 44990...

They are not inexpensive but they were accurate/effective/efficient... There is no charge to access their website or to call them for an overview of China's requirements/processes even if you choose not to use them...

-----

By the way... Sincerest thanks for offering to share your experiences at other South American ports--the same cruise visits Buenos Aires for an overnight as well as Montevideo and Punta Del Este--but, having visited all before [and like you, loving Buenos Aires], I'm covered in terms of knowing exactly what I want to do/see during my return visits...

I truly appreciate your insights about visiting Devil's Island...

I'm aware of the significant crime problem in Rio but I am eager to experience it all--particularly at Carnival--with full understanding that I'll likely never return... In fact, the crime and social issues contribute heavily to my desire to tour with the relative safety I perceive to be associated with doing so in the company of cruise mates under the auspices of Azamara-sponsored groups... If it had been otherwise, I'd have scheduled my arrival into Rio earlier and made private tour plans pre-cruise and during each of my subsequent two stops there [two overnights after initial embarkation]--for far less expense and, or so I thought, far less work on my part... This process has been time consuming and arduous in that Azamara Land Discoveries--particularly in Rio--as offered to-date have little basis in reality from a logistical or common sense perspective; it is not the finest performance I've seen out of Shore Ex [and I've had some real challenges with them recently in the context of my trip to Asia earlier this year and in the context of my upcoming trip to Canada/New England] but this one--by far--takes the cake in terms of "Sense & Sensibility"!

Despite their impeccable onboard experience and creative itineraries, I'm quickly questioning if the quality/consistency of several of their pre-cruise landside operations/pre-cruise planning tools and ever-changing policies with inconsistent messages are worth the hassle... On paper, I think--perhaps I'm wrong--that I'm Azamara's desired demographic; highly traveled [264 nights at sea in just over five years with 70 more days planned through next July; all within the Royal Caribbean family of brands] with an intense interest to see/do exciting new things--but I don't see the start-to-end guest focus that will necessarily continue to keep me loyal... When planning fun becomes too much like work, it may be time to move on; that saddens me...

We are wondering which side of the ship we should get a cabin on that would be best to see the following ports.....Sicily, Mykonos, Ephesus, Rhodes, Santorini, Athens and Naples.

Most ports have more than one dock; assignment is by the Harbor Master based upon a combination of considerations including things like other traffic, arrival and departure times of all ships, stores replenishment and refueling operations, tender operations, port/terminal maintenance considerations, and--no doubt on occasion--whim...

And then, the Captain may request--but is not necessarily assured--a certain orientation to accommodate things like crew life boat/safety drills and routine ship maintenance performed by staff...

As there are no assurances, select a cabin that appeals to you and hope that it will work out to your preference... Odds are that--half the time; perhaps more/perhaps less--you'll be right!

Not that it matters but know that you will be ported at Kusadasi when calling at Ephesus; the archeological/historical site is some miles away...

I have sent a note to our Land Discovery team to advise of the issues you are having with south america tours. If you can provide us with any further details it will be greatly appreciated as it will allow us to target the exact solutions needed.

While I believe that you located my extended chronicle of issues related to the Land Discovery offerings for Journey's South America sailings of 7 February and 19 February, I attempted to summarize them--yet again--on the following thread this morning...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2065760

If Shore Ex reads through that thread carefully/with discernment--my multiple comments are not mere reiterations of previously reported concerns--and looks carefully at what has been posted to the website [it's only gotten worse over the past month (ie; a tour offering airport drop-off on 7 February embarkation day; another night tour--appropriate to the 19 February embarkation day but listed as an offering for disembarkation day--12+ hours after all but consecutive cruisers leave the ship in Rio--improperly associated with the 7 February cruise)], they'll quickly learn that the numerous errors are often illogical/logistically impossible if the tours are intended to be offered at all...

With all due respect... I was initially disappointed by some of what I saw that was either incorrect, that failed to recognize how/when people tour [the Carnival festivities run all night!], and that was not particularly guest-focused [particularly for consecutive cruisers]... It's safe to say I'm now exasperated; I've expended significant time and effort to report my findings--ultimately, the primary advantage to getting these things corrected accrues to Azamara--but sometimes feel like I've been fruitlessly "yelling down a hole"...

Thanks for your intervention...

We are going to assume this post has the detail you are referring to on another thread. Let us keep working on this and get back to you.

Just to be absolutely certain that we are on the same page, there are multiple issues--all described on this thread in several posts but covering different observations--that require prompt attention...

• On 4 July--and as clarified for Bonnie on 6 July--I [a] asked about the feasibility that the Best Of Rio tour on 19 February associated with the 7 February sailing--with airport drop-off--be expanded to include a secondary drop-off at the pier for those of us who are consecutive cruisers, and , noted that the Nights In Cool Places/Scenarium tour on 19 February--originally also associated with the 7 February sailing--seemed to be more appropriately associated as a post-dinner/embarkation day option on the 19 February sailing...
  
• On 7 July, Bonnie reported here that my observation relative to the Nights In Cool Places/Scenarium tour on 19 February was indeed correct--the tour had been associated with the wrong sailing/she thanked me for having reported the error--and reported that the website had already been corrected. In addition, Bonnie reported that my suggestion--which she characterized as a good one--of a secondary pier drop-off for the Best Of Rio tour on 19 February was still pending...
  
• On 28 July, Bonnie kindly posted here to say that my request for addition of a secondary pier drop-off for the 19 February Best Of Rio tour was still under consideration and that she would continue to follow-up... I've always trusted that she would and, after learning that she would be taking some well-earned vacation, did not particularly expect to hear from her until her return if I did not see a change to the website sooner [it hasn't changed]...
  
• When I posted on 5 August--again, before realizing that Bonnie would be away--I reported a whole raft of new/illogical Land Discovery scheduling issues that weren't on the website when I originally posted on 4 and 6 July... These are not repetitive to the ones identified in my earlier posts and I've had no indication--here, or via updates to the website--that they've either been reported to Miami Shore Ex or have otherwise been detected/are in the process of being corrected by Miami Shore Ex in Bonnie's absence...
  

All one need do is look at the Land Discovery offerings on embarkation [7 and 19 February in my case] and disembarkation days [19 February (which is my turnaround day); 9 March looks fine but I'm home--and could conduct the tours--when we arrive in Miami] to realize that most of the offerings make no logistical sense or have been associated with the wrong sailing... It's obvious that no one has proofread that which has been posted to the website in the context of itineraries/what makes sense from a traveler perspective... I report these issues--and it should not be a guest responsibility to do so; I have far better ways to spend my time and find the apparent indifference to guest "ease of motion"/satisfaction shameful--to maximize my personal experiences in cogent manner during both cruises... But truth is, Azamara has far more at stake--with tour viability and related revenue in play--to get this stuff right than I do; pride ought not get in the way of good judgment when valid concerns are raised via the voice of a customer...

As noted yesterday--I merely wanted to catch Bonnie's attention upon her impending return--there is much to be accomplished to set things right before final payment is due in October...

Thanks for your attention/intervention relative to these matters... Those identified in my 5 August post require timely escalation--and priority resolution--if not already reported to and being worked by Miami Shore Ex... I expect that Bonnie will follow-up relative to the secondary drop-off at the pier for the Best Of Rio tour on 19 February; frankly--at this juncture--I don't think that such accommodation is too much to ask given the amount of time/effort I've expended for what is ultimately Azamara's primary benefit...

I completed my online check-in yesterday. It does not have my CC level indicated in the Xpress Pass I printed, even though my membership number was there during the check-in process. :confused: Should I be worried?

It is my experience that the only use of one's Captain's Club membership level on the Xpress Pass is for those who "direct traffic" during the check-in process at the cruise terminal... That information, coupled with your cabin class, is used to direct guests eligible for [alleged] priority check-in, to an appropriate line... I say "alleged" in that sometimes the "non-priority" lines are shorter/quicker!

Once you reach your stateroom, you should have a Welcome Letter from the Captain's Club Host/Hostess describing the benefits available to you [and it will cite your membership level] during your sailing... If that's incorrect, it could matter; I'd be inclined to visit the onboard Host/Hostess to have it corrected promptly...

Just looked at the Xpress Pass I printed for an upcoming cruise and note that my Captain's Club membership level is now printed in a "box" to the right of my name... Used to be--and the practice may endure for some--that one's Captain's Club membership appeared on the Xpress Pass in a small red square with an abbreviated code [ie; "C" for Classic, "S" for Select, "E" for Elite] for use by the agents in the terminal...

No worries!

Considering that Canadians are pretty laissez faire about this Holiday... Anything goes not just Turkey & Stuffing as we have such a multi-cultural country (Lasagna, Curry, Beef Wellington anyone?)

 

But it is a Holiday we all don't even celebrate on the same day !!

Summit will port at Saguenay on 13 October and I was amazed--knowing that we would be there on Canadian Thanksgiving--at the amenability of local tour operators to work that day... I'd merely concluded that it was a decision to take advantage of the business opportunity as cruise traffic to that part of Canada winds down for the season...

It will be particularly interesting to see--though I'm not sure I'll be able to tell given the apparent menu possibilities--if we celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving aboard ship that day!

Or more likely, they are actually waiting to ticket some pax. Flights can change within a month of flight time so I don't really know what good it would do to "sweep reservations" a month out. Things could still change.

But the need to ticket "some" passengers--when ChoiceAir doesn't issue physical tickets to them--is, to my mind, no more plausible than their desire to provide guests with the most current information relative to their flights within the context of their need to communicate with full recognition that some flights [but fewer of them] might still change up until a day or so prior to departure...

Doesn't much matter... Delayed access to E-Docs and luggage tag ordering seems to be a fact of life when ChoiceAir is involved... And--at least so far for me--it's always worked...

Good morning:) I agree with Xport.....(HELLO MIKE:D)

So good to "see" and "hear from" you... We're overdue in catching up!

Original Poster... So sorry for having gone off topic here for a moment; thanks for indulging long-time friends!

--Mike

Our experience has been that when we use Choice Air we do not get our eDocs until about 28-30 days before sailing. Don't know why but that has been the case every time we use Choice Air. Not a problem as we have always been able to order & get luggage tags before we leave & don't have a need for the eDocs.

Is the same as yours in each of the four instances that I've used ChoiceAir... When I questioned the delay in receiving my E-Docs and in having the ability to order luggage tags prior to my first sailing that included ChoiceAir flight reservations, I was told--don't know if it's true--that ChoiceAir sweeps reservations for flight changes one last time about a month before first flight date to provide the most accurate information possible...

To date, it's always worked out...

Celebrity does not reference one's Beverage Package eligibility on the Xpress Pass [it is instead coded to the Sea Pass (room key/onboard charge card) issued during the physical check-in process just prior to boarding] but does cite one's Captain's Club membership level on the document...

To my mind, the notation that you see--or do not see--may relate to systems limitations or error... I'd call Celebrity or your Travel Agent [if you booked through one] to confirm that both your Captain's Club membership and your beverage package entitlement are properly associated to your reservations by guest name...

But here's what confounds me... I check the Azamara "Savings For Singles" list on the website frequently as Bonnie suggested [on advice from Miami], some months ago in a related thread to which I and interested others contributed, that the list for 2015 would be augmented... As recently as a few minutes ago [and I'd looked last week], there are six cruises on Quest during 2015 [perhaps including back-to-back opportunities; I didn't look at the itineraries and they may indeed be in Asia] that you cite above [01/05, 01/20, 02/03, 02/17, 03/05, and 03/21] that do not appear as featuring a reduced single supplement on the website!

Thought you would want to know that--with three weeks having now passed since we exchanged posts relative to the incomplete "Savings For Singles" list on the Azamara website--the roster of eligible sailings has still not been updated as a result of your follow-up...

As the open issue relative to a secondary dropoff for the Best Of Rio tour on 19 February [my turn around day between the 7 February and 19 February sailings]--dating back to early July--is still unresolved... And as you will note from my post here of 5 August [which roughly coincided with your departure for the British Isles], the mess--sorry, but there's no better word to describe it--relative to other Land Discoveries for both cruises has only gotten worse since my initial post on this topic in early July... I just looked at the website and can confirm that neither the initial issue that we discussed nor any of the additional issues I identified--most of which are nonsensical/illogical in the context of logistics--have been acknowledged or addressed in your absence...

I regret my need to raise these issues with you again as you return from well-earned vacation [thoroughly enjoyed your blog; I'm doing a British Isles trip--with some of the same port calls--next July with Celebrity] but time is of the essence... Final payment is due for Journey's 7 February cruise on 10 October and final payment is due on her 19 February cruise on 22 October; I'll be aboard Celebrity Summit from 5 through 19 October and would like to have a very exacting sense of my tour opportunities in South America before fully committing to both [won't do one without the other] before leaving just over five weeks from now...

Thanks and best regards,

--Mike

It's good to know that you found the haul to Hanoi worthwhile. We will likely do it too, since I don't know when we would return. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

That you found my prior posts helpful... I approached my touring in Asia with the thought that I may never have opportunity to return and am glad that I did; it was a wonderful experience...

Enjoy your trip! And if it's any consolation, there are still gaps and errors associated with Land Discovery offerings during my South America sailings on Azamara Journey next February/March too...

I know there is a separate area in the port in fort Lauderdale\

Availability of a separate waiting area for Elite guests varies by cruise terminal/pier assignment at Port Everglades...

Hi

I've scoured the Land Discoveries online brochure and except for the Azamazing event, there are no shore excursions posted for Jan 12 and Jan 13 in Ho Chi Minh City. When will those be available?

There were two other threads--now merged into one--that discussed the same issue last month... You may find the information there--including my own experiences relative to touring in Vietnam while aboard Azamara Journey earlier this year--to be helpful...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2071563

What's the proper amount/percentage for tipping when you have private excursions? I can't remember what we did last year but I know we tipped well. I'm trying to calculate the amount of Euros I'll have to order tomorrow.

Tipping practices vary significantly from country to country... Google (ie; "Gratuities In (the country you are visiting)") is your friend...

In my experience, restaurant menus will usually tell you if pricing includes service or if a service charge will be added as a separate line item... And if you are still unsure either before or after looking at the menu or your bill, there is no harm in asking about the restaurant's practice... Those same internet searches will also provide you with guidance as to tipping in restaurants (and at other food establishments) under multiple possible scenarios...

Ultimately, anything above or below the norms is at your sole discretion based upon your personal assessment of the service and/or experience... There is never one right or "fits all" answer...

Azamara is azamiserable at communication & I hope that someone will do something to compensate those who booked cruises in good faith & found that the cruise line cancelled them in favor of charters.

While Azamara is not effective at communication (your characterization is terrific!), I would not expect them to do much--if anything--to compensate disappointment relative to a cruise that has been cancelled more than 25 months prior to sailing date... As related airline and hotel reservations can't be made more than 11 or 12 months in advance, there can't be much to talk about--other than return of your deposit if that's your preference--in terms of economic disadvantage... I will add--and perhaps your experience will vary--that when Celebrity cancelled Silhouette's second sailing ever in favor of a charter (I'd booked it back to back with the inaugural repositioning from Hamburg to Rome) with far less lead time (but still more than a year), I got--and expected nothing more than--an apology and transfer of my deposit to an alternate cruise...

My guess is that this episode may well cause Azamara to reconsider the wisdom associated with having published their full 2016 deployment schedule so far in advance; very few cruise lines do... Celebrity--and I mention them only in that they are a sister line by way of comparison--will not introduce their deployment schedule for the period from (approximately) April/May 2016 through April/May 2017 until March/April 2015...

Hope that you find something--as good or better--to ease your disappointment... For what it's worth, that's exactly what happened to me--I got a far better itinerary at a substantally better price for equal cruise time--when Silhouette cancelled and I, in turn, cancelled the inaugural too...

We are happy to post that Azamara has agreed to give us the new lower BOGOHO price and honour our FCC. Still not sure where things went off the rails for us but senior management at Azamara has made it right. Thank you to them and thanks to everyone on CC for sharing your experience. I am sure it helped.

Shouldn't have taken so long--it was a no-brainer--but am so glad that it's resolved...

Best to you and the good Doctor!

Don't they already? Top suites and zeniths?

Top cruisers are not necessarily Zenith members--sometimes, there are none aboard--and are not necessarilly traveling in suites...

The recognition merely goes to the persons aboard a specific sailing who have accumulated the most Cruise Points...

December 2013 we booked through Celebrity and they (Celebrity) did call with an upgrade from Aqua for a very good price...

Sail Celebrity with some frequency--never happened [though Celebrity's booking engine does encourage upsell at initial reservation]--and follow this forum closely; don't recall reading about it before... Good to know that the prospect is out there...

Upsell and upgrade threads are a constant topic on the Princess forum and, with lesser frequency, I've read of them on the HAL and Carnival forums... Once in a great while, it's discussed on the Royal Caribbean board...

May your good fortune continue!

But think about it, when they created Elite+, there were posters who didn't feel that the perks were good enough and wanted more.

But when you think about it, those of us who sail solo and who are now Elite+ are essentially getting the same benefits--laundry and internet are most tangible to me--that Elite couples were enjoying all along for equivalent spend, time, and level of accommodation as previously measured... The disparity still exists but at least I'm now at a place that works for me in the context of the long consecutive sailings I tend to do... If I make Zenith, great! If not--and I won't upsize to suites for space and amenities that I don't need/care about to get there--that's fine too!

Now if only Azamara were to adopt the "double up" for solos too...

Now that we are being given double points for solo traveling, there is now a chance. Yeah!

Had that been the practice all along, I'd have been Zenith--by a hair--at conversion...

While I wish that Celebrity would create a level between Elite + and Zenith too, I now have reasonable expectation--if my health and travel budget hold--of making Zenith over the next few years when I thought, until the "double up" for solos was implemented last month, that it was unlikely to occur or--if/when it did--that I'd be too damned old to care...

Is that they don't call you direct, but through a favoured TA. We got the call on Tuesday from our TA who had been give five upgrades that morning to distribute. We have gone from an inside to a deluxe verandah for £100 per person for a fortnight. We are chuffed to bits!

While that may be the practice in the UK [different "Terms & Conditions" are in play], it is my understanding that Celebrity does not initiate upsell calls [apparently quite common within the Carnival family of cruise brands] in the United States... If one wants to upgrade here, the practice is to watch pricing and initiate a call to Celebrity or one's Travel Agent [depending upon how the existing reservation was initially booked]; complimentary upgrades are extremely rare...