So Called Double Upgrade is Back

Is the game afoot? Now the interior price has been raised to yesterday’s Veranda price (a whopping $14k+ for an interior???) instead of the Veranda price being lowered to yesterday’s interior price — $10,600!) Big sigh.

AllisonJames . . . Same here for our cruise next year. The lowest interior price is now more than what we paid for our V2 when the cruise was announced and we booked!

Ouch the cruise I was tracking was c£3800 each until this morning and it is now £5700 each...... its a later 2019 booking with plenty cabins available........ I think I will be waiting a little longer........I just cannot get the hang of the pricing at the moment.

Our next sailing was already on the 2 class upgrade. I have been watching pricing on a March 2019 cruise that we booked in February for VX class cabin. Here are the prices for two. Prices do not include perks like the essentials in the last offer.

4/16 $6086

5/4 $6721

6/30 $7721

7/1 $8329

8/12 $9728

9/1 $5378

Surprised that there are still VX available and the number of cabins still open.

We will be doing B2B with 4 day Cuba after this, and it is almost sold out, at double the prices we paid. Guess it pays to book early and watch pricing.

Ouch the cruise I was tracking was c£3800 each until this morning and it is now £5700 each...... its a later 2019 booking with plenty cabins available........ I think I will be waiting a little longer........I just cannot get the hang of the pricing at the moment.

I got a written quote for a cruise whilst on board on Wednesday and the 05 ocean view is now £1,500 more expensive pp. Fortunately we booked a balcony for £500 pp cheaper than today’s prices.

Guess it pays to book early and watch pricing.

Yes, if 'early' was last year. We're trying to book 'early' now, for a 2019 cruise. Can't make sense of these prices - that's Canadian for *** :) After 3 consecutive Azamara sailing years, actually considering different cruise lines.

We were onboard Azamara Pursuit a few weeks ago, couldn't get a clear answer as to whether accumulated LCV 'free days' would apply to the booking we wanted. Initially, told maybe they'd apply but couldn't tell us since we were going between categories. Last day, told 'no, can't be combined with the current offer'. Seemed odd to book, then call in 2 weeks after sailing ended & points 'posted' by head office to know our final price.

Today, found out that onboard discounts (4 to 8 percent for LCV plus $200/300 onboard credit) would have applied moving forward. Wish we knew, it would have swayed us. And there's this nagging doubt that it would work in that fashion - I guess the only way to find out is do it (onboard).

Sharing with others, who may be wondering about the process. Learning a lot from this, and other forums.

We enjoy the Azamara itineraries and the onboard team is incredible. But the actual purchase process (including online) is difficult to navigate, no pun intended.

Yes, if 'early' was last year. We're trying to book 'early' now, for a 2019 cruise. Can't make sense of these prices - that's Canadian for *** [emoji4] After 3 consecutive Azamara sailing years, actually considering different cruise lines.

 

 

 

We were onboard Azamara Pursuit a few weeks ago, couldn't get a clear answer as to whether accumulated LCV 'free days' would apply to the booking we wanted. Initially, told maybe they'd apply but couldn't tell us since we were going between categories. Last day, told 'no, can't be combined with the current offer'. Seemed odd to book, then call in 2 weeks after sailing ended & points 'posted' by head office to know our final price.

 

 

 

Today, found out that onboard discounts (4 to 8 percent for LCV plus $200/300 onboard credit) would have applied moving forward. Wish we knew, it would have swayed us. And there's this nagging doubt that it would work in that fashion - I guess the only way to find out is do it (onboard).

 

 

 

Sharing with others, who may be wondering about the process. Learning a lot from this, and other forums.

 

 

 

We enjoy the Azamara itineraries and the onboard team is incredible. But the actual purchase process (including online) is difficult to navigate, no pun intended.

The onboard discount percentages and credit definitely are combinable with current promos as I just did that on a Celebrity cruise to book our next Azamara. What bugs me is the 50% rule for sailings on Azamara for the free nights. If they keep a reciprocal loyalty program going I don’t think they should have that rule in my opinion. Those of us who have been sailing Celebrity long before Azamara was even around are penalized from ever taking advantage of that offer it seems.

The onboard discount percentages and credit definitely are combinable with current promos as I just did that on a Celebrity cruise to book our next Azamara. What bugs me is the 50% rule for sailings on Azamara for the free nights. If they keep a reciprocal loyalty program going I don’t think they should have that rule in my opinion. Those of us who have been sailing Celebrity long before Azamara was even around are penalized from ever taking advantage of that offer it seems.

My understanding is to 50% rule apply only to the past two years of sailings. I’ll be happy to stand corrected if I’m wrong. I think it’s a fair ruling.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

My understanding is to 50% rule apply only to the past two years of sailings. I’ll be happy to stand corrected if I’m wrong. I think it’s a fair ruling.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

If that’s the case I agree!

Not sure where the last two years came from but, you do have to have cruised Azamara in the past three years to get the free nites. See below a copy and paste from the Le Club page.

TO RECEIVE COMPLIMENTARY NIGHTS, LOYALTY MEMBERS FIRST MUST:

1. Move up in tier on or after

1 January 2015.

 

2. Have sailed with Azamara for

at least 50% of past voyages.

(Note: Only Azamara and Celebrity voyages apply.)

 

3. Have sailed with Azamara in

the past three years.

 

 

Not sure where the last two years came from but, you do have to have cruised Azamara in the past three years to get the free nites. See below a copy and paste from the Le Club page.

 

TO RECEIVE COMPLIMENTARY NIGHTS, LOYALTY MEMBERS FIRST MUST:

 

1. Move up in tier on or after

1 January 2015.

 

2. Have sailed with Azamara for

at least 50% of past voyages.

(Note: Only Azamara and Celebrity voyages apply.)

 

3. Have sailed with Azamara in

the past three years.

 

 

Yes I interpret that as 50 percent of all past voyages....

2 years now seems to be 3 on the website- maybe it’s a date thing not sure - either way 3 years 50% with Azamara is fair I think.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Yes, my issue was not with Azamara, but with my TA.

Original price for two was $11,155 and AZ provided $800 OBC and TA $900 OBC

New price is $10,370 with no AZ OBC, but a VX. TA cut his OBC down from $900 to $500.

Another TA would cancel and rebook me at $10,370 with $1,100 in OBC/other benefits.

I think it would cost me $200 cancellation fee, so I would only benefit $400 and I am trying to honor my deal with the original TA even though he could have or should have done more. My honor got the best of me here and I'll swallow hard on the $400. Lesson learned for me is to understand that travel agents can control a lot after your initial booking, no matter what Azamara does.

Thanks, Toronto Guy et al

(we're also from Toronto).

I now understand that the current percentage discounts and onboard credits are combinable with current promos. And that both carry over to the next promo (i.e last month seemed to be $2,000 of extras included in price, this month it's double upgrade - in any event, your 4 percent discount and onboard credit for purchasing onboard carries over even if you switch promos, we're now told).

Also note that Celebrity synergy to Azamara has '50 percent' and other restrictions noted above.

And that free nights (we have 2, after sailings in each of '16, '17 and '18) aren't combinable with most promos. Take the nights or take the 'double upgrade', but not both. How folks utilize the free nights is beyond me. Overpay for 7 nights, then get 2 free? Might as well go out and pay full price for a mattress (are they even sold at full price?)

Anyhow, as I said, we enjoy the experience onboard and this knowledge, from the group, will assist moving forward.

We used our four free nights on a North Cape cruise. We chose that one because it’s a cruise that is rarely discounted and it’s expensive, so 4 free nights out of 16 worked as a 25% discount, with little chance of ever getting it any cheaper.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Ouch the cruise I was tracking was c£3800 each until this morning and it is now £5700 each...... its a later 2019 booking with plenty cabins available........ I think I will be waiting a little longer........I just cannot get the hang of the pricing at the moment.

Hi uktog,

Our UK office would like to research this. Would you mind emailing rtwynam@azamara.com?

Here’s what they’re asking...

Please could you reach out to ask her to provide the ship and sail date she is referring to and we will investigate. Also, can we understand where she has seen those prices? Was it through our website or through a travel agent/ tour operator?

Hi

I sent the information over to Richard last week - the November 26th 2019 cruise is now costing about £3k more in the UK than in the US. When the USA double upgrade offer first started as I posted earlier, the comparisons were broadly similar. The US price has stayed the same but the UK prices have gone up on Azamara's site.

And more telling for anyone looking around for the cruise it is also more expensive than an equivalent cruise on Seaborne about the same time.

Hope its a temporary thing

Just for comparison our 4th October 2019 cruise is still exactly the same price for the cruise fare as it was when we booked in March. Although the port fees & taxes are now £4pp less for some reason.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Interesting, our change has led to the following UK price is now (for 2 in a V3) £11500 whereas for USA where the double upgrade is running it is $9500 At the beginning of the month the UK price was an approximate equivalent to the US double upgrade rate based on current exchange rates. We are looking at other plans for that time if we want to commit to something now as £11500 no flights in a V3 for 2 is beyond what we want to pay much as we really love Azamara.

(For various complicated reasons we do not want to book this one through the USA though that is what we would advise others to do)

Because we’ve booked a CC it’s not affected by the double upgrade but I’ve just looked at the US prices and it’s interesting. The U.K. fare is £3999 pp however the US price is $5499pp (£4224) so unusually £225 pp more, strangely the fees and taxes are also £7pp more.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

We used our four free nights on a North Cape cruise. We chose that one because it’s a cruise that is rarely discounted and it’s expensive, so 4 free nights out of 16 worked as a 25% discount, with little chance of ever getting it any cheaper.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

That cruise is now on double upgrade in Norway. They have increased the inside cabins to veranda cabin cost and call it double upgrade. In UK the price for the inside cabin is 2000£ lower than in NOK on the double upgrade. Pricing is crazy.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I'll agree pricing is crazy, oddjob. We filled pages with scribbles and numbers and made 3 calls before the dust settled, but with this double upgrade sale we've saved $ on two Azamara future cruises. Je suis content.

I've had my eye on a 2019 Pursuit cruise, and for a balcony cabin, the price has come down slightly with this promotion. The OV category pricing, which is what we've booked in the past, is quite a bit higher than it was in March and April. Booking a V2 now would only cost $187 more PP than booking an OV category 5 back in April, so that's better than what we paid for an LCV upgrade to a veranda on our last cruise.