maggie777

2 hours ago, tupperny said:

I have heard a lot of concern about difficulty communication with Azamara via phone and systems issues.

 

Has this been resolved?

My wife and I are experienced cruisers and have not cruised Azamara yet.  However, some of the itineraries look interesting (especially interested in Kiel Canal and Guernsey).  I understand that the ships are older and can deal with that.

 

Recent cruisers-- have the communications improved?  Can you reach a Customer Service Rep easily?  Is resolution of issues easy and efficient?

Thanks

Bill

Phone calls are now quickly answered

On 1/18/2024 at 3:21 PM, nucdrf said:

I’m over 70 and my husband is immunocompromised, so no Yellow Fever vaccination for us.  We carry letters to that effect.

Is your medical waiver age related or other?

3 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Yes

Trip is booked...Montreal to Miami and RT Miami ( Caribbean ). Found an interesting hotel in Montreal and used credits to rebook flights. New flights were cheaper. A good day for sure.

12 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

I think this would be OK, but I'm not a real expert.  Since you start in Canada and end in Miami (one way or the other), it looks legal.

Thanks for the input. Will call Azamara since I booked direct. Will also look at agency pricing.

Now I am thinking  about cancelling Boston to Montreal, keeping Montreal to Miami and adding RT Miami ( Caribbean ). Could this also be a violation of PVSA ?

11 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

I have read in the past that cruise lines allow customers to book illegal b2b's like this, but later catch them and cancel one or both.  I would advise calling your booking agent and asking point blank about PVSA problems with this b2b.

 

Note:  the law is called the Passenger Vessel Services Act [I have to look it up every time to remember the right order and names!].  It's often confused with the Jones Act, which only applies to cargo vessels – but if the cruise line rep doesn't recognize PVSA try out 'Jones Act' and see if that rings a bell...

Thank you for your advice. I will follow up and report results.

44 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

The combined cruise starts in Boston and ends in Miami – two different US ports, without a distant foreign port on the itinerary.  Either leg is fine, because they each start in one country and end in another.  The third leg might fix it – but I doubt that a Miami rt is going far enough away to hit a 'distant' foreign port under the law's definition.

What do you recommend? I booked directly. If this is not an acceptable cruise I would like confirmation and would not want to pay a cancellation fee.

Just booked Boston to Montreal, Montreal to Miami. Tempted to add RT Miami to Caribbean.  fares are good!

2 hours ago, MauiWowie57 said:

Yikes!
We're on a Viking in mid April; we're staying pre cruise at a hotel near city center in Venice; picked it was it's near the "original" cruise terminal, and I'm already completely baffled about how to get to Chiogga. Thanks!

We sailed from Chioggia recently. We flew to Venice, pre-arranged transfer to Chioggia and stayed one night at Hotel Grand Italia which was excellent. Hotel arranged transport to ship.

I am struggling to use this but it appears to be non-functional. Am I the only one?

2 hours ago, fruitmachine said:

I'm very surprised at a two hour transfer time on a direct private coach run by Azamara.  Is this really correct?
 

The public bus (that has frequent stops enroute) takes less than an hour from the stop nearest to the cruise terminal to Piazzale Roma in Venice. Google suggests driving it would take 1 hour +/- 10 minutes.

The transfer is by boat

19 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

I have done several Azamara cruises before they the new owners came on board and we liked them very much.  It now seems as if the new back office is incapable or running the cruise line.  My question to those who have sailed on Azamara recently is how is the cruising experience once you get on board.

 

DON

We had a very enjoyable 16 day cruise on Onward from Lima to Miami Feb 2023.

Because we want to visit Venice if only for a day I inquired about the planned transportation for the 8 hour excursion. I was informed that the motor launch has 1 unisex toilet which is reassuring given the possible 2 hour ride each way. 4 hours on land should be an enjoyable combination of guided walk and free time before returning to ship.

9 minutes ago, hamrag said:

 

There are no words.....

 

board2 ●●○ verb 1 [intransitive, transitive] formal to get on a bus, plane, train etc in order to travel somewhere 

Thank you

6 hours ago, hamrag said:

From the discussion I heard moving in the lift from deck 9 to deck 5 the travel time seems to have taken a ridiculous amount of time and it just wasn't worth the time invested. Part of the time it rained heavily! That said, I have no idea the profile of those folks e.g. had they been to Venice on a previous occasion, first time, do they easily complain etc. etc. 😉

Thanks for the follow up. I had read that the transfer could be as long as two hours one way. We had previously booked a shorter excursion which was cancelled and Azamara placed us on this one at no extra charge.

12 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Lift is British for Elevator, y'all.  😉

I am familiar with the British term lift ( elevator ). The use of the term "boarding the lift" confused me.

4 hours ago, hamrag said:

To answer the topic question....we boarded the lift as a handful of folks returned from said tour....the answer from them, to a man and woman, was a resounding no, never again. We spent the afternoon exploring Chioggia, thoroughly enjoyable.

We are booked on this excursion. Can you give any details of the "resounding no"? What is the lift that you referred to?

We are booked on the 8 hour shore excursion from ship ( Quest ) to Venice but have no info on details.

7 hours ago, pickypicky said:

We have an "opportunity" to go on the new Sun Princess next summer with our children and grandchildren. By "opportunity", I mean that they are all paying their own fares and we are invited to tag along!!! The itinerary will actually take us to a couple of places we have never visited and the grands are all young adults in their 20s  with whom we rarely spend quality time, so it is a tempting offer. We primarily sail on Azamara and have never cruised on Princess. How are we going to like it?

We have sailed many times on Princess and continue to do so. We also love Azamara and will do a b2b in Oct. The two are not comparable but both have good features. A family cruise is a wonderful experience and the newer ship should be a pleasure. However you will have to be very patient with the larger number of passengers.

1 minute ago, Huntermedal said:

Hello, we’ve cruised often primarily with Royal Caribbean and most recently with Celebrity. Our last cruise was with Celebrity in June, Western Med., it was wonderful. Food was mediocre and I understand that’s a subjective view.

Looking at Azamara Onward, October 2024 as a surprise 70th birthday present to my wife. Recent reviews have not been to complimentary, excluding the booking issues, which I’ll leave to my TA, anything I should be concerned about? I have read a fair number of posts on the Azamara boards.
thanks in advance 

Kevin

We sailed the Onward many times when it was the Pacific Princess and most recently sailed on it as Onward in Feb 2023. We enjoyed the changes and recommend it as a very different experience from the larger ships. We have always booked cabins on deck 7. We will sail on Quest this Oct .

4 hours ago, gymfreak said:

We are also on that sailing and hoping for some kind weather.

Also we have sailed with DrH before! We think it was a round trip about 10 years ago from Singapore.

Have done about20 plus Azamara cruises but this will be the 1st on Onward

See you all soon

Hope you enjoy the ship. We loved it as the Pacific Princess and sailed in Feb 2023 as the Onward.

11 hours ago, moonglum said:

Regarding post 143 I am still banging my head against a wall trying to get a reply to this matter.  The female on the telephone was less than helpful and indeed showed a very poor attitude which you knew she was not going to progress the matter.

 

I have since emailed Customer Services to ascertain what is happening but again have been blanked so far. 

 

If it were not for the uncertainty of how I could reclaim the money I would have no hesitation in cancelling the cruise and booking with someone else.

 

My last throw of the dice was to email Carol Cabezas directly in the hope that one of her team will resolve the matter. However as things stand I am not holding my breath.

 

If anyone has any suggestions I will be happy to look at them.

I recently phoned ( USA ) to cancel a booking and was advised that a fee would be charged which I was already aware of ( $75 pp ). My cc # was verified and the credit was posted within a few days.

8 hours ago, scottmcelmeel said:

Well, I have yet to step foot on an Azamara ship but I am so frustrated with their dismal website and slow customer service that I can confidently say that I will not be going on another cruise with this cruise line. There are too many cruise lines with excellent onboard experiences AND an excellent website. What is a consumer to do if their website doesn't allow you to book an excursion and customer service simply ignores your emails?  I have sent a 5th request to purchase an excursion with zero response. There are too many good options out there...I would skip Azamara if you are thinking of booking a cruise with them.

Recently phoned and booked excursion that I wanted. Disputed the orc amount quoted and within several days a credit appeared on my cc. I guess it was my lucky day!

On 8/15/2023 at 5:37 PM, MamaFej said:

My next cruise is 28 days. I have the "opportunity" to "upgrade" my current ($40)) Plus package and get the same number of casual meals as someone on a 5 day cruise. I can also get what look to be children's birthday party desserts 56 times and have a total of 2 fitness classes in which to burn them off. I think I'll pass. 

 

 

Yes, I know I can work out on my own, and I will. that's not the point. 

We have 2 sailings of 26 days each in 2024. The plus package was purchased at $40 for each sailing. We will not upgrade and hope that we are able to have a glass of wine at the current price of up to $15.

1 hour ago, SleeStack1 said:

Glad you had a good time.

 

We prefer HAL food over NCL and RC but the entertainment is lacking in comparison.

 

We are trying Princess in a few months.

We will try Hal for the first time this Nov on a TA. Princess and Azamara are the usual choices.