Booking while on board?

[Zimmy]

We will be taking our first Azamara cruise next month. While looking through the 2010 cruises, I saw one that we might like. Does Azamara give any discounts for booking while on board, as some of the other cruise lines do? And if so, is that discount combinable with any other discount we might get, such as Amex benefits? Thank you in advance to any of you experienced Azamara cruisers out there who may know the answer.

[greeneg]

They do. One of the problems with those credits is however, that RCCL, the parent Company, has decided that the booking on board credits are not combineable with any other credits ( such as shareholder benefits, etc.). This has tended to make them less valuable as far as I am concerned since we start out with a credit for our RCCL shares. You sort of have to look at it both ways as far as the benefits are concerned; what may be significant however, is the idea that you will have a cruise booked, in a cabin that you have selected, and at a price that if it goes down, the cruise line will match if you book directly with them.

 

Hope that's useful.

[Zimmy]

Yes, I have already run into those rules on next month's trip. I was not able to get my Amex credit because I had prepaid gratuities and onboard credit. This is not a problem that I have run into with other cruise lines - they have given me my Amex credit independent of whatever else is going on. Regarding the booking direct, when I have booked cruises while on board other lines, they have immediately (with my consent/request) of course, sent that booking to my travel agent. She always knows about it before our return home. I have been working with my travel agent for quite a while, and I have no desire to cut her out of anything, nor should Azamara I would think. That sounds to me like behavior ala Renaissance, and that didn't work out so well. When I have been in situations where the price did go down after booking, with any cruise line we've been on, my travel agent has been able to secure that price for us. I'm rereading my post and I know that I sound negative, but in fact I am very much looking forward to our cruise next month and expect that we will love Azamara. Thank you for your response.

[BurBunny]

what may be significant however, is the idea that you will have a cruise booked, in a cabin that you have selected, and at a price that if it goes down, the cruise line will match if you book directly with them.

 

Hope that's useful.

 

Azamara is very supportive of the agent community. If you book onboard and have it assigned back to your regular agent, you are also eligible for the same fare reductions as if you booked directly.