Britcruiser Posted November 12, 2010 #1 Share Posted November 12, 2010 Staff in the UK office seem unaware of marketing offers and whether or not they are applicable to UK guests. We recently sailed on the Quest and were given the latest brochure which offers 50% savings on pre booked shore excursions. The UK Azamara sales person I spoke to 'thought he might have heard about it'. Neither the on board Sales Manager nor UK Office could offer flights other than Heathrow which is not convenient and unacceptable in view of the recent experience of other guests. I was advised that there were none available from Manchester although I could easily find reasonaly priced direct flights on line - please don't make us go via Amsterdam again. The current price includes air and transfers but no appropriate reduction could be offered for cruise only. I also queried the 5% reduction for on line booking which seems to have disappeared from the website. I was given no explanation but told the discount could be matched with obc. US agents are offering Azamara obc for most sailings but this appears not to be on offer to UK guests. We have sailed with Azamara six times and do enjoy the on board experience but are seeking clarity and value when we book. With forums such as these and a little internet research it is clear that Azamara treats its international customers differently and we are not happy with this policy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piscean Posted November 13, 2010 #2 Share Posted November 13, 2010 Staff in the UK office seem unaware of marketing offers and whether or not they are applicable to UK guests. We recently sailed on the Quest and were given the latest brochure which offers 50% savings on pre booked shore excursions. The UK Azamara sales person I spoke to 'thought he might have heard about it'. Neither the on board Sales Manager nor UK Office could offer flights other than Heathrow which is not convenient and unacceptable in view of the recent experience of other guests. I was advised that there were none available from Manchester although I could easily find reasonaly priced direct flights on line - please don't make us go via Amsterdam again. The current price includes air and transfers but no appropriate reduction could be offered for cruise only. I also queried the 5% reduction for on line booking which seems to have disappeared from the website. I was given no explanation but told the discount could be matched with obc. US agents are offering Azamara obc for most sailings but this appears not to be on offer to UK guests. We have sailed with Azamara six times and do enjoy the on board experience but are seeking clarity and value when we book. With forums such as these and a little internet research it is clear that Azamara treats its international customers differently and we are not happy with this policy. No matter how hard we try on these boards clarity is simply not there! The onboard experience is at odds with the Customer service/Booking and really needs attention! We sailed on AZ on the 20th September and still have not had a satisfactory (none in my case!) reply to the flight bookings from Heathrow. Carol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nijh Posted November 13, 2010 #3 Share Posted November 13, 2010 Have to agree too. After contacting Azamara a couple of times regarding offers I'd seen, only to get a completely different non-offer from CS we gave up and booked Celebrity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jade13 Posted November 13, 2010 #4 Share Posted November 13, 2010 No matter how hard we try on these boards clarity is simply not there!The onboard experience is at odds with the Customer service/Booking and really needs attention! We sailed on AZ on the 20th September and still have not had a satisfactory (none in my case!) reply to the flight bookings from Heathrow. Carol But what can they do after the fact? I just would not book those flights through Azamara next time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Ross Posted November 15, 2010 #5 Share Posted November 15, 2010 Staff in the UK office seem unaware of marketing offers and whether or not they are applicable to UK guests. We recently sailed on the Quest and were given the latest brochure which offers 50% savings on pre booked shore excursions. The UK Azamara sales person I spoke to 'thought he might have heard about it'. Neither the on board Sales Manager nor UK Office could offer flights other than Heathrow which is not convenient and unacceptable in view of the recent experience of other guests. I was advised that there were none available from Manchester although I could easily find reasonaly priced direct flights on line - please don't make us go via Amsterdam again. The current price includes air and transfers but no appropriate reduction could be offered for cruise only. I also queried the 5% reduction for on line booking which seems to have disappeared from the website. I was given no explanation but told the discount could be matched with obc. US agents are offering Azamara obc for most sailings but this appears not to be on offer to UK guests. We have sailed with Azamara six times and do enjoy the on board experience but are seeking clarity and value when we book. With forums such as these and a little internet research it is clear that Azamara treats its international customers differently and we are not happy with this policy. There is a new onboard offer for when you book an ACC cruise whilst on a cruise and this is a ££ discount off the cost. This IS offered to UK (and other) guests. It is called 'Reserved Package'. Discounts range between £150 and £400 per stateroom depending on cruise length. They have stopped the OBC for booking on board. The Open Package and the Friends and Family Cerificate is not applicable to UK guests. Never heard of the cheap shore ex so would be very interested if you find the answer to this one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jade13 Posted November 15, 2010 #6 Share Posted November 15, 2010 There is a new onboard offer for when you book an ACC cruise whilst on a cruise and this is a ££ discount off the cost. This IS offered to UK (and other) guests. It is called 'Reserved Package'. Discounts range between £150 and £400 per stateroom depending on cruise length. They have stopped the OBC for booking on board.The Open Package and the Friends and Family Cerificate is not applicable to UK guests. Never heard of the cheap shore ex so would be very interested if you find the answer to this one! What is a "Friends and Family Certificate"? I have never heard of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Ross Posted November 16, 2010 #7 Share Posted November 16, 2010 What is a "Friends and Family Certificate"? I have never heard of that. Open Passages booking. A reduced, non refundable deposit of $100 per person gets you a certificate that does not expire and is good for booking a future cruise. You pay less up front and no additional funds are required until you make final payment. Plus you get a Friends and Family Certificate for each one purchased. Friends and Family Certificate: This is a certificate that allows another cabin to be booked at the same low deposit and also recieve the same OBC as you. It must be the same sailing and booked within 30 days of the original booking. It's great if you are traveling with family or friends...even your own kids that would need a cabin of their own....same low deposit and OBC. As said - neither valid in the UK.:( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Britcruiser Posted November 16, 2010 Author #8 Share Posted November 16, 2010 The '50% savings on pre-booked Land Discoveries' is headlined in the brochure distributed to all staterooms on our recent Quest cruise. It is also mentioned in www.azamaradestinationimmersion.com in which all prices are in dollars. Perhaps we non US guests are unsuited to 'destination immersion'! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Sea Dog Posted November 16, 2010 #9 Share Posted November 16, 2010 :eek:This is yet another example of Them(US) and Us(UK).Cruise Companys and Travel Agents based in the UK are light years behind those based in the US.No wonder that it is much to a UK customer's benifit to book in the US even when the dollar is weak. As they say you get more for your dollar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare insidecabin Posted November 23, 2010 #10 Share Posted November 23, 2010 The current free flight UK offer is thowing up some good prices. Tha 3 april TA Oceon view for £720(all gone) including hotel flights and transfers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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