Booking Sooner vs Later

[lynadyj]

I have never sailed Azamara but several of the 2012 itinaries are of interest to me. My concern in booking this early is how Azamara handles existing bookings when they put out new promotions. Will they honor the current booking and apply the new promotion? Will they allow me to cancel and rebook? I haven't had any experience in cancelling a cruise.

 

I have sailed Oceania and if a promotion came out after the booking (not that often) they applied the promotional rate and/or OBC. I didn't have to do anything. Thanks for any input.

[Jade13]

I have never sailed Azamara but several of the 2012 itinaries are of interest to me. My concern in booking this early is how Azamara handles existing bookings when they put out new promotions. Will they honor the current booking and apply the new promotion? Will they allow me to cancel and rebook? I haven't had any experience in cancelling a cruise.

 

I have sailed Oceania and if a promotion came out after the booking (not that often) they applied the promotional rate and/or OBC. I didn't have to do anything. Thanks for any input.

I hope they will honor any promotions that may come out, but make sure you check on your own. Our experience is that the Reps are not going to tell you about any. They have a big ongoing promotion that they never told us about (even though the code was on our booking) and is costing us a LOT of money. It involves air so now we do not meet the promotion guidelines due to the Reps not telling us about it. There is also someone who posted yesterday who has this code on their booking and did not even understand it, or know that they missed out last year. So, we are not the only one who has had this issue.

 

The cruise line should not make you have to cancel and rebook a cruise to be eligible for any promotion offered prior to the final payment date. That is just our opinion. Guests should not be penalized for booking early.

 

That is great that Oceania gave you a promotional rate and/or OBC without you having to ask. That has not been our experience with Azamara. Hopefully they will read our concerns and other passengers will be treated differently in the future and in the way that you have outlined has been your experience with Oceania. While the cruise line is in business to make a profit, they should take care of their passengers who book early. It would be better for them if their cruises just sold out, and then they would not have to offer any promotions and we would not have to worry about booking early and ending up paying more.

[MightyQuinn]

We usually plan our trips well in advance. We enjoy getting a head-start on research as well as a jump on those coveted FF flights. It's not unusual for us to book cruises or land trips up to 12-15 months in advance.

 

But it appears that there is no decided advantage to booking early with Azamara. No early booking discount, no OBC incentives. In fact, it seems that it could actually be disadvantageous, as in the cases reported here last year when Azamara specifically excluded those who had booked early from participating in later offers that happened well before final payment date. Those who booked early actually paid more. And yes, I understand that cruise lines want to maximize yield on every booking, but there needs to be some fairness in how promotions are handled.

 

We're watching a 2012 itinerary on Quest. We'll patiently wait to see if any booking incentives are offered later on. There is still wide availability across all stateroom cats at this point. We'd love to book early, but we don't want to be penalized for doing so.

[meow!]

For many cruise lines, the earlier you book, the better off you are, and subsequent promotions will be given to you if you ask. Such is not the case with Azamara, we booked the Iceland voyage for August 2011 in Spring last year, more than a year before sailing date. Then several months after we booked, Azamara offered $500 shipboard credit for new bookings. They would not give us that benefit, and even if we cancelled (nearly a year before the voyage) and rebooked, we would still not be eligible. Plainly speaking, you booked early, tough luck.

 

Since we particularly wanted that itinerary, and a similar itinerary with Oceania was much more expensive, we grudgingly kept our booking. We are now hoping for some other benefits that might include those who booked too early! In any case, since Azamra voyages are not that frequently full, the chances of a fare decrease may not be less than that of an increase if you book late, but this is only our guess.

[suec12]

We took two cruises with Azamara in 2010, both booked quite a ways in advance - and for those cruises, we benefitted by booking early because after we booked, the prices were increased and amenities expanded. I don't think there were any offers later that beat the early prices we locked in. So I went ahead and booked early for 2011 - mistake! Four days after booking my 2011 trip the website promoted a $500 OBC - NOT available to those already with reservations AND if you cancelled and re-booked - NOT available to you. As you can imagine, this scenario did not push my happy buttons. Now I see an offer for 2011 sails that gives a substantial discount if you use their ChoiceAir program - I don't know if I can get this with my current booking. And I don't think this is being offered for 2012 cruises (which are priced about the same as 2011 itineraries.) So at this point, I would suggest waiting and watching how your trip is selling. As far as I can tell there is not ALOT of early booking activity - even 2011 trips (well at least the one I have chosen) are pretty open. Therefore a significant price increase before sailing seems unlikely.

 

I put up a post for comment as to how well customers thought their cruise was selling, did not get much of a response. More and more ships are cruising Europe (and usually for quite a bit less than Azamara!) I do REALLY like the ship size and the Azamara product but am not sure exactly how much it is worth to me. Unfortunately for all the good points of Azamara, so far they will not extend offers or discounts to those that have already booked so as a generalization it does not seem there is much benefit for early booking. I think Azamara is still searching for their pricepoint and working on marketing their product to a more diverse customer base than US cruisers.

[Jade13]

 

I put up a post for comment as to how well customers thought their cruise was selling, did not get much of a response. .

 

We are on the April 24 repositioning cruise and last I checked about a week ago at least half the staterooms were available. Also, 9 of the 10 top Suites had not yet sold.

[Jade13]

For many cruise lines, the earlier you book, the better off you are, and subsequent promotions will be given to you if you ask. Such is not the case with Azamara, we booked the Iceland voyage for August 2011 in Spring last year, more than a year before sailing date. Then several months after we booked, Azamara offered $500 shipboard credit for new bookings. They would not give us that benefit, and even if we cancelled (nearly a year before the voyage) and rebooked, we would still not be eligible. Plainly speaking, you booked early, tough luck.

 

Since we particularly wanted that itinerary, and a similar itinerary with Oceania was much more expensive, we grudgingly kept our booking. We are now hoping for some other benefits that might include those who booked too early! In any case, since Azamra voyages are not that frequently full, the chances of a fare decrease may not be less than that of an increase if you book late, but this is only our guess.

Meow, that is ridiculous

 

We had booked the same Icelandic Voyage as you and just canceled last week. While part of the reason was that we decided on a better itinerary for us (includes Greenland in addition to Iceland, only one transatlantic flight and includes an overnight on the ship at the end so we avoid paying for a hotel), a large contributing factor was the shore side customer service experience issues we have been dealing for the past 6 plus months. We did not really want to cancel an upscale cruise experience in favor of a mass market one, but have not gotten over the fact that we booked our upcoming cruise early and are now paying an extra $1,000.00 on our cruise fare because of Azamara's failure to advice of a promotion we could have easily used. And, I want to note that the cruise we are taking later this year is approx the same cost, so that had no bearing on our decision. I do think if we were having an upscale shore side experience that matched the wonderful on-board experience, we could never have canceled.

 

Back to your Icelandic Voyage. We booked while onboard the ship and transferred to that itinerary once it came out. I think you might have booked the first day as well. We were able to get Azamara to add that $500.00 OBC when the promotion came out over a year before the departure date. We have now transferred that deposit to a 2012 Voyage and have lost the $500.00 OBC. That is understandable as the 2012 Voyages currently do not have the OBC offer. We did speak to a Rep with our concerns last week and requested that they notate our account, and should the OBC offer be posted for 2012 we wish to be included. That would not be right to book so early and not include us in the promotion.

 

I hope you can painlessly get Azamara to add the $500.00 OBC to your early booking without either forcing you to cancel and rebook, or telling you that if you cancel and rebook your cruise, you are still are not eligible for the OBC. I can not believe that Azamara wishes to alienate past passengers who book on-board and/or book early. Please let us know how you make out. Ideally Azamara will read this, figure out who you are, and add the OBC (which is apparently what competitor Oceania would do), without having you have to call and beg . Good Luck. Please let us know how you make out.

[Jade13]

 

Well, that is the bottom line. If Azamara priced their cruises correctly they would not have to add these OBC (or "Choice Air" - really a discount on cruise fare) promotions because the cruise would sell out. They would then never have any issues with clients booking early and than watching those that book later pay less, either through a lower price, or OBC, or combination of both.

[C-Bunny]

We generally book our cruises on the ship each spring for a year out. Not this year. Our March cruise on Journey will be the first time in 10 years that we will not book another cruise. I refuse to be excluded from promotions just because I booked early and gave Azamara my deposit for a year!

[Emdee]

I am with all the posters. I benefitted with a late booking not because I was waiting but because we found ourselves with a few days vacation and Azamara appealed. I really enjoyed the trip and I would love to repeat the experience but wont be booking for the cruise I have my eye on. The problem for Azamara is some other holiday may just appear on the horizon and it will be goodbye potential Azamara cruise. With Oceania and Regent assaulting my mail box , with Silversea pricing quite reasonable

 

My recommendation would be for Azamara to offer their best prices when bookings come out for a limited time. Or offer large discounts to Club members who book really early or even an included significant precruise program for early bookings ( like I have on Regent).

If bookings are not filling up as scheduled then they can offer an additional OBC, Choice air credits etc for new bookings and I wouldnt feel so bad about it all.

[meow!]

We were able to get Azamara to add that $500.00 OBC when the promotion came out over a year before the departure date..

We don't know how you managed that. Believe me, we tried, we called Azamara and argued when the promotion came out, but the simple answer was, sorry, NO!

 

P.S. This was what we had been talking about http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=25104164&highlight=#post25104164

[Jade13]

We don't know how you managed that. Believe me, we tried, we called Azamara and argued when the promotion came out, but the simple answer was, sorry, NO!

 

P.S. This was what we had been talking about http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=25104164&highlight=#post25104164

 

Well, as I said, we have canceled this cruise and lost the $500.00 OBC which was not transferred to our 2012 booking, so you can't even argue that there is now someone on your cruise who booked before July 2010 and has this credit. I don't even remember this verbiage that you posted (shown below) that spelled out,

 

"Any existing booking that is cancelled and rebooked within 7 days prior to the first day of the Sale Away sale (12-JUL-2010) and is rebooked for the same ship and sailing within the Sale Away sale dates will not be eligible for the offer. Any eligible booking that is modified (ship and/or sail date) or cancelled and then re-instated after 15-JUL-2010 will no longer be eligible for the offer."

 

But as you know this "4 day promotion" $500.00 credit was extended until October 31, 2010, than December 31, 2010, and now March 31, 2011. The only option they leave you to get the credit is to cancel and pick another sail date.

 

I guess this answers the original question posted by the OP. They just might decide to stick with Oceania.

 

 

"News from Azamara’s website http://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/sp...way_promotions

SALE AWAY

with Azamara!

BOOK BETWEEN

JULY 12 AND 15!

AZAMARA CLUB CRUISES IS SURPASSING ITS ALREADY INCREDIBLE VALUES!

$500 ONBOARD CREDIT

COMBINABLE WITH EXISTING OFFERS

• 4 DAYS ONLY

• MONDAY, JULY 12 TO THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2010

• VALID ON VOYAGES DEPARTING ON OR AFTER OCTOBER 15, 2010*

 

BUT . Any existing booking that is cancelled and rebooked within 7 days prior to the first day of the Sale Away sale (12-JUL-2010) and is rebooked for the same ship and sailing within the Sale Away sale dates will not be eligible for the offer. Any eligible booking that is modified (ship and/or sail date) or cancelled and then re-instated after 15-JUL-2010 will no longer be eligible for the offer.

 

---------------------

 

We booked the August, 2011 Iceland voyage and paid our deposit several months ago. We believe we are not eligible. Any comment from anyone?

Does this kind of thing happen with Celebrity too?"

[Jade13]

We don't know how you managed that. Believe me, we tried, we called Azamara and argued when the promotion came out, but the simple answer was, sorry, NO!

 

P.S. This was what we had been talking about http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=25104164&highlight=#post25104164

 

Meow, Azamara did add the $500.00 OBC for that promotion that you have referenced (for the cruise we have now canceled). The promo said "Combinable with other offers" .

 

Our issue now is on the cruise that we have in April. As also shown here, Azamara has given another client $1,000.00 OBC for the 1/30 cruise on Journey, and another $750.00 per person OBC ($3,000.00 for the family) in lieu of the Free Air promo on a Panama Canal cruise. We met someone on a recent Celebrity cruise and a group of them ran into the same issue after the Choice Air promo came out and they had already booked their air. Azamara gave them the credit. The Kansas City call center Customer Service actually told me I would do better if I had a group of people complaining :rolleyes:

 

These are not isolated issues but the only ones so far willing to speak up and post publically. I actually think like SueC12, there are many people who do not even understand the Choice Air promotion.

[westmount]

Hi there,

Firstly, the Panama canal trip we wenton was in December, as we are now back, relaxed, and were very happy with the trip. As mentioned before, you have to presume that since Azamara is trying to keep the "fares" the same for all passengers, that early bookers get first choice of suites and whatever early deals are being offered. Azamara is going through big changes of offering wines, tips, finer foods and services as part of the price, while trying to fill up the ship at the same time. A family friend booked at the last minute our cruise and got free air, free booze, and some OBC, while we got $1500 each room without those other perks booking early, so it generally comes out to the same thing, with a full ship not leaving empty. Don't worry so much about the "other" guy, just book when you want for a price you are willing to pay, and leave the games cruise lines play with fares to the computer programmers. As I stated somewhere else, no two people pay the same fare on a plane, why should a ship be any different.

[meow!]

Meow, Azamara did add the $500.00 OBC for that promotion that you have referenced.

Not to us, sorry (for us, that is)!

[Emdee]

Westmount, I totally agree with you in theory IF Azamara offers early booking discounts like Oceania or Regent. If they dont as they havent on any of the 2012/2013 itineraries then it just makes sense to wait unless you are absolutely determined to get a particular suite or itinerary. Now time will tell whether at some point they try to fill the bus and reduce rates or offer incentives. If they dont then I will be no further behind booking at that point anyway. The danger for Azamara which I have stated before is that by waiting for me to book and not closing the deal with an incentive I may well find an equally attractive itinerary somewhere else. I think their marketing strategy is flawed ... time will tell.

[AMTDGT]

Hi there,

Don't worry so much about the "other" guy, just book when you want for a price you are willing to pay, and leave the games cruise lines play with fares to the computer programmers. As I stated somewhere else, no two people pay the same fare on a plane, why should a ship be any different.

 

Well said. My DW (because of the work she does) is astounded that people expect a discount after they have purchased, especially if a price guarantee isn't in the offer accepted. We have booked this week a B2B for less $$ than the original quote last week because of a positive (to us) currency change. Should I give Az back some money when the currency goes back the other way. Of course not. Anyway we have the cabin we wanted for both legs.

[Jade13]

Well said. My DW (because of the work she does) is astounded that people expect a discount after they have purchased, especially if a price guarantee isn't in the offer accepted.

 

Well, that brings up another question. Did or did not Azamara used to have the same price Guarantee that Celebrity had prior to the May 2010 changes? I thought they did. We booked prior to these changes. Celebrity used to even guarantee the best price after final payment.

 

Of course by offering Free Air, Choice Air Credits, Free drinks and or OBC, Azamara has kept the prices the same. The Choice Air credit is the one that actually discounts the cruise fare.

 

But, to answer your original question, yes, when booking early we have always expected the best prices on every cruise line, at least up until the final payment date.

[westmount]

I think although I got a lot of OBC, I got taken on the free air deal, as I was trying to understand it and mentioned it to my agent. She did not pursue it as i wished she did. Booking early works well when ships fill up with early bookers, and then you see prices increasing as the popular cruises fill up. The cheap deals at the last minute are usually for engine room suites sitting right over the anchor. I went to the Baltic's with Seabourn two years ago for $20k, with the exact same trip $12k one year later. If you have the flexibility to wait until the last minute and go where best deals wants to take you, you will always get a good deal. Worrying that someone else might save $500 booking three weeks before sailing (but paying double for airfare) is not the way to enjoy a cruise. While the rooms are relatively small for a premium label, Azamara is providing great value outside the rooms, so book a larger room and get top premium service and a fabulous cruise for 30% or more less than Seabourn or Regent. All the room on Seabourn are the same, yet you pay $3000 more to be two decks higher up, and people pay, you figure. While we all want the best deal possible, we must have had twenty countries represented on the Panama cruise paying different rates based on the fares determined a long time ago,

Cruise fares are capacity controlled, so don't be surprised if you see Azamara fares going up as they get filled, then those who booked early will be able to smile again.

one last thing. The last I looked, Almost all of the cruise lines are either run by Royal Caribbean or Carnival, so who and where do you think all these rules and fares are made. Regent and Oceania are now one, but I doubt one has a better policy of saving us money and promising everyone will be given the lowest fare sold on the ship, so stop trying to chase it, life is too short.

[Jade13]

I think although I got a lot of OBC, I got taken on the free air deal, as I was trying to understand it and mentioned it to my agent. She did not pursue it as i wished she did.

 

How do you feel that you got taken on the Free Air deal (besides the fact that your TA did not explain or understand it)? Would you have paid more than the $750.00 per person you got in OBC for a round trip coach ticket?

 

Also, Free Air would be a problem for those who always fly business or first class if Azamara is not offering an alternative.

[meow!]

Celebrity used to even guarantee the best price after final payment..

So true. Years ago, we booked and had to immediately pay in full a Celebrity cruise just one month before sailing date. The fare went still lower later. We got a refund after the cruise!

 

Airlines don't give rebates even if the fare goes down after ticket purchasing. Cruise lines used to, and the majority of cruise lines still give early bird customers the same deal as later customers (at least up to the penalty date). Only last minute (quasi-"standby") passengers pay less than early passengers. A cruise line can set its own rules, though customers tend to expect lines to follow the "general convention".

[MightyQuinn]

Azamara used to have a program called Azamara Assurance. Essentially, the program gave you peace of mind that if the price of your cabin category was reduced before sailing, you could get a price match without giving up your assigned cabin. It wasn't automatic - either you or your TA had to monitor prices and request any price match. It also didn't apply to offers marked for new bookings only. I know this program was in place in Oct '09 because we benefited from it. I'm not sure when it was discontinued but it's no longer on the Azamara website.

 

Cruise lines have some of the most liberal policies for booking, deposit and cancellation among travel suppliers. This has led customers to expect price matches and lowest price guarantees. I fully appreciate why Azamara has moved away from price matching. It's not good for business. But I do think Azamara needs to offer a best price advantage to those who book early, in order to encourage customers to make a commitment. I think that would be smart business.

[cpgrneyes]

My first Azamara cruise was in September and was booked the previous October pre-"club." We watched the prices climb, knew we had a great value, and enjoyed our trip so much that we cancelled a longer Celebrity cruise this year to travel again on Azamara. The itineraries weren't ideal for us in Europe, but we loved our experience so booked a 7 day and have planned an add-on land trip.

 

In looking at 2012, there are a couple of trips that are very interesting, but I see absolutely NO need to book early. It does seem like Azamara should entice travelers to make that commitment in some way. I'll be waiting for an enticement and keeping an open mind on other options.

[westmount]

It's hard to complain to Azamara about price matching, as they seem to have held their prices without discounting. What they are doing is trying to guage what package of enticements at what price will fill up their ships. They are starting now with drink packages, air packages, all inclusive packages, OBC, etc, all because they want the "Seabourn" crowd while keeping their original "Celebrity" upgraders. Somepeople are "happy" paying $5000 for a trip but ask not to be bothered and nickled and dimed. Some people are happy paying $2000 and getting bills for $3000 extras of their own choosing. Those that want to pay $2000, get free air, OBC, drink cards and worry that another passenger got a free massage thrown in, well, my crystal balls tells me Azamara is past them and doesn't mind if they go somewhere else.

What they are doing now if simply fine tuning their pricing for 2012 when they will have established their new routes, schedules, pricing and customer base. The ships are filling up now, the word is getting around, and prices are not going to be dropping into next year. Remember, RCI doesn't have a premium line, as Carnival has, so Azamara and it's two ships fits perfectly into creating a 6 star line for RCI. If you can tolerate a smaller room than the premium lines, everything else is 6 stars at a better price than the others. Don't be surprised if they buy another ship, or build one from scratch. Just imagine, Azamara buys Silverseas, voila, everything works out perfectly.

[Jade13]

I

Just imagine, Azamara buys Silverseas, voila, everything works out perfectly.

 

That will not be happening. Silversea is privately owned and operates at a loss according to industry insiders.