50% off Excursions

[uktog]

Hello UKtog -

 

I'm sorry that the October 15th Journey was not corrected at the same time as the October 26th voyage, although both were requested.

 

I know how important this repair is to your future planning and I'm sorry that it did not happen. I'll let you know when you'll be able to complete your plans.

 

Sorry to ask for your patience again.

 

Regards,

 

Bill Leiber

________________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

(*CBO is an authorized and compensated representative of ACC)

 

No problem Bill, I know there has been a lot on everyones plate recently - I just so love doing all the excursion planning and at times get too eager to start :)

[thecruisechick]

I've been booking private tours for a long time and I think I'm leaning on Bill's side with his statement regarding private tours vs AZ tours.

 

The last few cruises I've been on and booked private tours have been a disappointment, the value for the money was not there and at times when we were promised English speaking guides it was not the case. In the beginning stages of booking private guides I had my list of favorites and enjoyed the services they provided, but even some of them are not the same anymore. They got too big and lost the charm of what they had going in the first place.

 

I think its going to be all Azamara Tours for me on the cruise I have booked.

[Jade13]

I've been booking private tours for a long time and I think I'm leaning on Bill's side with his statement regarding private tours vs AZ tours.

 

The last few cruises I've been on and booked private tours have been a disappointment, the value for the money was not there and at times when we were promised English speaking guides it was not the case. In the beginning stages of booking private guides I had my list of favorites and enjoyed the services they provided, but even some of them are not the same anymore. They got too big and lost the charm of what they had going in the first place.

 

I think its going to be all Azamara Tours for me on the cruise I have booked.

 

We did mostly Azamara tours last year and for the most part they were good. On our recent HAL cruise we did mostly private tours which were good.

 

I would be interested to know which countries you were in and tour companies that were not good. It all depends on the guide that shows up.

[ArtM]

On our March West Indies cruise, the Azamara excursions were repackaged Celebrity and Royal Caribbean tours. There was considerable discussion at the closing CC get together with the officers that Azamara ought to be able to do a lot better than the excursions we were offered. Overall, that set of excursions did not meet my expectation that Azamara would be "something special."

 

However, I will say that at 50% off, most the tours were comparable in value to what could have been booked privately. One tour, however, promised much more than it delivered and was a loser at any price.

 

Art

[thecruisechick]

We did mostly Azamara tours last year and for the most part they were good. On our recent HAL cruise we did mostly private tours which were good.

 

I would be interested to know which countries you were in and tour companies that were not good. It all depends on the guide that shows up.

 

Jade13,

 

I'm not going to name names here, it serves no purpose. I am well aware it depends on who shows up to do the tour and not so good tour guides have shown up in, Italy, Iceland and England just to name a few.

I'm not a novice and have been working in the business for 35 years. I was agreeing with Bill L. because I feel on a personal level they have not been as good as in the past. Strictly MY OPINION! Will i use them again? Of course I will, after all all the tours are a crap shoot, some you win on some some you lose on. I'm hoping this time around we have good luck with Azamara. :)

[Jade13]

On our March West Indies cruise, the Azamara excursions were repackaged Celebrity and Royal Caribbean tours. There was considerable discussion at the closing CC get together with the officers that Azamara ought to be able to do a lot better than the excursions we were offered. Overall, that set of excursions did not meet my expectation that Azamara would be "something special."

 

However, I will say that at 50% off, most the tours were comparable in value to what could have been booked privately. One tour, however, promised much more than it delivered and was a loser at any price.

 

Art

Thanks.

 

Art, please tell us which tour in your opinion was a loser so we will be sure not to book it on either Azamara or Celebrity.

[ArtM]

Thanks.

 

Art, please tell us which tour in your opinion was a loser so we will be sure not to book it on either Azamara or Celebrity.

 

It was the 4x4 Waterfall Escapade in St Lucia. I don't recall anyone on the tour having anything good to say about it.

 

Twas not a guide problem; it was a content problem.

 

Art

[Bill Leiber]

No problem Bill, I know there has been a lot on everyones plate recently - I just so love doing all the excursion planning and at times get too eager to start :)

Hello UKtog -

 

I hope this finds you well. I've learned from our shore excursion team that they checked each shore excursion listed for every port of call on the Azamara Journey's Oct 15, 2012 voyage and did not encounter any problems with the 50% savings.

 

Further, they cross-checked this voyage's Summary of Tours included for each port of call which was offered on other voyages and found that the pricing was consistent.

 

Please let me know if you suspect that that there is still a problem so that I can check with the shore excursion team,

 

I hope that now you'll be able to begin your shore excursion planning in earnest.

 

Enjoy the process!

 

Regards,

 

Bill Leiber

________________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

(*CBO is an authorized and compensated representative of ACC)

[uktog]

Hello Bill

Thanks for checking back in. I am wondering then if the issue is an IT issue and apologies if I was not clear in my previous posts. I think i did give all the details in amuch earlier post but here are the issues again The problem all stems from when the itinerary was changed.

For those ports that were originally in the schedule, Haifa, Jerusalem, Ephesus, Rhodes and Mykonos, when you land on the booking page the 50% discount comes up and you can book at the reduced price.

For those added after the change Paphos, Antalya and Marmaris there is no 50% off discount pulling through. ( I have checked this on several PCs so it is nothing to do with cookies or anything on my machine)

 

There are still no excursions showing for Friday 19th in Ashdod which was added and much made in the pr to convince one to stay with this cruise of this positive when we lost other ports. This is a little worrying, we are only there until 1500 so by my calculations nothing that was offered on Thurdsay 18th can be rerun, added to this it is Friday so many sites will not open until after midday and I start to think has this overnight becomes a little pointless and we really only have one days sightseeing in what is now for us the main place for our cruise.

 

Finally, I am trying to get a little more explanation on the overnight from Haifa HF12 which shows as £629 per person, I think in the US brochures it is $999 which I fully accept would not have the 50% off given the hotel element so I will do my maths at full price on the comparative tours and in sterling.

 

Unless I am missing something, and that's the clarification I need, Day 1 is very similar to HF06 which is sold at (full price) £122.25. Later in the day you drive to Jerusalem and have the option ( therefore I assume at additional cost) of an evening tour plus included overnight accommodation. Day 2 is very similar to AS03 at £125.50. This makes a grand total of £247.75. So per person as I read it the cost of accommodation and dinner in Jerusalem is £381.25 being HF12 - HF06 plus AS03. As a couple - the £629 pricing is double occupancy- that is £762.56 per couple or at today's rates almost $1220. I have checked prices at the No 1 rated tripadvisor 5* hotel The King David and it is quoting for a deluxe old city view room ie a top level room at. $ 500 for the exact date in question for two people. So, even allowing for markup and dinner costs, what am I missing here?

Are there sights other than those on the two one day trips included that do not appear in the write up

Are the costs related to the cost of travel between the Galiliee region and Jerusalem - that would not make sense though as this should be offset by the fact the guests are not travelling back to the ship on Day 1 or out from the ship on Day 2

 

Apologies for the detail in this second issue, I am just trying to make sense of the offering as I plan - hopefully the first issue which is really annoying and seems hidden to staff in Miami, it only is visible to the customer can be quickly put right

 

Thanks a lot as ever

[KyleSS]

Are these discounts available to all booked on an itinerary or are they only for those who book directly with Azamara?

 

Thanks,

Kyle

[vival]

Are these discounts available to all booked on an itinerary or are they only for those who book directly with Azamara?

 

Thanks,

Kyle

 

Hi Kyle

They are available to everyone, the only condition is that you book online prior to your cruise. You will find them on the Azamara website under Plan your Voyage then select Land Discoveries on the drop down menu.

[tiggertom]

There are no excursion for Journey on 14 November- any idea when these will become available :confused:

[uktog]

Bill

Thank you so very much. I see the 50% off is now pulling through to all relevant excursions on 15 Oct sailing! As soon as we see what's available for 19 th and can work out what happens on the Grand Overland on 17/18 th the real fun will begin but at least we can all sort out the other ports now

Thank you again for waiving the magic wand with IT

 

Ann

[Barry Shaw]

Bill,

 

We are thinking of booking AZAMARA QUEST from BA to Miami to include the carnival in Rio in February 2013.

We assume that a cruise that takes in the Carnival won't have too many sedate OPs but rather younger in body and spirit fun-lovers? Right?

Also, can you confirm that the Azamara Quest will include the Carnival as one of their onshore activities? Wouldn't want to book this cruise only to find that they haven't put the Carnival on their itinerary, or given their passengers select seating arrangements.

[Jade13]

[And in most cases they don’t have what we are offering---unique Night Touring."

 

 

________________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

(*CBO is an authorized and compensated representative of ACC)[/font][/size]

 

When did unique night touring start? There wasn't anything offered in the evening on our fall 2011 cruise. We spent 2 overnights in Israel, and also had a late night in Rhodes.

[uktog]

Quite a few night tours on our South America trip and we can see a lovely evening classics tour and concert is being offered in Kusidasi. Just because things were not or were offered last year does not mean no or yes this year or beyond. Like all good brands the offering is clearly evilving

[cpgrneyes]

BarryShaw - Quest's 1/31/2013 sailing from BA to Rio will include 2 nights in Rio during Carnival. Azamara was also in Rio this year during Carnival, and an excursion WAS offered to the Samba parade. We're booked on the cruise, but no excursions are posted yet. Note that tickets to Carnival are not 50% off.

[uktog]

Bill

Thank you so very much. I see the 50% off is now pulling through to all relevant excursions on 15 Oct sailing! As soon as we see what's available for 19 th and can work out what happens on the Grand Overland on 17/18 th the real fun will begin but at least we can all sort out the other ports now

Thank you again for waiving the magic wand with IT

 

Ann

 

Bill

 

Time is moving on and we are still seeing no excursions for Ashdod 19th October which is Day 2 of our time in that area and we are scheduled to sail at 1500 therefore it will not be a repeat of the 12 hour Day 1 excursions.

We would really like to see Jerusalem and Bethlehem on Day 1 and the Dead Sea (just to float not the King Herod's ruins necessarily). on Day 2. I have read the Dead Sea is 50 miles from Ashdod, so with a prompt start this should be doable. But is this going to be an option with Azamara? It certainly is with one private provider but as we want to use OBC for some of this, we want to book with Azamara, either with a scheduled excursion or hiring a driver through the ship.

You mentioned hiring a driver through the ship on a previous query I posted re Holy Land excursions and whilst we have seen pricing for that on many other Azamara cruises, none are posted for this trip

 

Sorry to keep asking questions and I appreciate it is 5 months off yet, but it is so difficult to plan with an incomplete picture

[Bill Leiber]

Bill

 

Time is moving on and we are still seeing no excursions for Ashdod 19th October which is Day 2 of our time in that area and we are scheduled to sail at 1500 therefore it will not be a repeat of the 12 hour Day 1 excursions.

We would really like to see Jerusalem and Bethlehem on Day 1 and the Dead Sea (just to float not the King Herod's ruins necessarily). on Day 2. I have read the Dead Sea is 50 miles from Ashdod, so with a prompt start this should be doable. But is this going to be an option with Azamara? It certainly is with one private provider but as we want to use OBC for some of this, we want to book with Azamara, either with a scheduled excursion or hiring a driver through the ship.

You mentioned hiring a driver through the ship on a previous query I posted re Holy Land excursions and whilst we have seen pricing for that on many other Azamara cruises, none are posted for this trip

 

Sorry to keep asking questions and I appreciate it is 5 months off yet, but it is so difficult to plan with an incomplete picture

Hello Ann -

 

Please allow me some time to sort out your specific questions about Jerusalem and Bethlehem and the Dead Sea with our shore excursion team and whether other options are in the works.

 

Your comments and input about what we do and do not cover with our shore excursions help us better understand the needs and expectations of our discerning guests and what translates into their definition of "destination-immersion."

 

I'll get back to you very soon so that you'll know where you stand in your planning process.

 

Regards,

 

Bill Leiber

________________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

(*CBO is an authorized and compensated representative of ACC)

[uktog]

Bill

 

Thanks very much, we are doing this as a mini pilgrimage and so are really enjoying working through what an immersion of this nature might be.

 

Ann

[Jade13]

Bill

 

Time is moving on and we are still seeing no excursions for Ashdod 19th October which is Day 2 of our time in that area and we are scheduled to sail at 1500 therefore it will not be a repeat of the 12 hour Day 1 excursions.

We would really like to see Jerusalem and Bethlehem on Day 1 and the Dead Sea (just to float not the King Herod's ruins necessarily). on Day 2. I have read the Dead Sea is 50 miles from Ashdod, so with a prompt start this should be doable. But is this going to be an option with Azamara? It certainly is with one private provider but as we want to use OBC for some of this, we want to book with Azamara, either with a scheduled excursion or hiring a driver through the ship.

You mentioned hiring a driver through the ship on a previous query I posted re Holy Land excursions and whilst we have seen pricing for that on many other Azamara cruises, none are posted for this trip

 

Sorry to keep asking questions and I appreciate it is 5 months off yet, but it is so difficult to plan with an incomplete picture

 

uktog, Azamara did not offer a Dead Sea option only last year.

 

We did almost all of our excursions with Azamara, but booked two private tours in Israel. I can recommend a couple of guides if you need them. It was fortunate as Azamara canceled their tours in Israel the first day when we ended up in Haifa instead of Asdod because of gunfire in Gaza and the port was closed. Fortunately our private guide picked us up in Haifa.

 

Note that we might be joining you on 11/9/13. I say might because nothing is definite until we figure out the airfare. We had wanted the prior cruise with Egypt and Luxor but it was canceled. I was surprised to learn today that Celebrity is going to Egypt so still wondering why Azamara canceled.

[Bill Leiber]

Bill

 

Thanks very much, we are doing this as a mini pilgrimage and so are really enjoying working through what an immersion of this nature might be.

 

Ann

Hello Ann -

 

I'm sorry for this delayed response but I've learned that there are no plans to add new tours to the Journey's October 15 voyage that would encompass Jerusalem and Bethlehem and the Dead Sea.

 

The shore excursion team suggested two approaches: 1) Create a customized program in advance by sending your request to shorex@rccl.com or, 2) Wait until you are onboard and create your custom experience with their Concierge. It is this "onboard" option that will permit you to redeem your OBC.

 

I hope that what I've shared with you will benefit your planning process to create a memorable and satisfying pilgrimage experience and wish you much success in the process!

 

Best regards,

 

Bill Leiber

________________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

(*CBO is an authorized and compensated representative of ACC)

[gaudi1234]

Hello Bill,

 

We too are booked on the Journey October 15th Holy Land Cruise. From your answer to Ann, I understand that there are no plans to add other tours to Jerusalem, Bethlehem or the Dead Sea. But there are still no shore excursions posted for the 19th of October, the 2nd day in Ashdod. Do you have any idea of what kind of shore excursions will be offered for that day, since the Journey leaves at 3pm? Maybe Tel Aviv/Jaffa?

 

Thanks a lot for all the information you provide!

 

Louis

[uktog]

Hello Ann -

 

I'm sorry for this delayed response but I've learned that there are no plans to add new tours to the Journey's October 15 voyage that would encompass Jerusalem and Bethlehem and the Dead Sea.

 

The shore excursion team suggested two approaches: 1) Create a customized program in advance by sending your request to shorex@rccl.com or, 2) Wait until you are onboard and create your custom experience with their Concierge. It is this "onboard" option that will permit you to redeem your OBC.

 

I hope that what I've shared with you will benefit your planning process to create a memorable and satisfying pilgrimage experience and wish you much success in the process!

 

Best regards,

 

Bill Leiber

________________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

(*CBO is an authorized and compensated representative of ACC)

 

Thanks Bill, as ever, not shoooting the messenger and thanks for finding out for us but that is really very very disappointing as it reads to me there are no excursions on October 19th which was added as a second day in Ashdod when we lost Egypt- so what are guests to do that day - in the communication that came out when the itinerary was changed, much was made about having the opportunity for two days of sightseeing in Jerusalem.

 

I am sure many guests will be unhappy with this news - we certainly are and will now need to decide how we handle this and indeed, if staying with this cruise was the right decision. It is a high price to be paying when we have already lost Egypt and now have a curtailed Holy Land experience. I had hoped I could maybe do Jerusalem and Bethlehem on Day 1 and Dead Sea only (not Herods palace) on Day 2. Whilst I hear what you say about using OBC we have identified other ways to use that and would have preferred more access to 50% off excursions.

 

I think Azamara are missing a huge destination experience opportunity here, we have three whole days in Israel so there is potential to do so much. If we keep this cruise reservation, they are actually driving us away to independent providers who can provide a three day experience, returning to the ship every night. If they can do it, why is Azamara not able to I wonder?

 

Is there any option that this will be reconsidered and can you share the rationale for this decision or not

 

Thanks for your input

Ann

[uktog]

Hello Bill,

 

We too are booked on the Journey October 15th Holy Land Cruise. From your answer to Ann, I understand that there are no plans to add other tours to Jerusalem, Bethlehem or the Dead Sea. But there are still no shore excursions posted for the 19th of October, the 2nd day in Ashdod. Do you have any idea of what kind of shore excursions will be offered for that day, since the Journey leaves at 3pm? Maybe Tel Aviv/Jaffa?

 

Thanks a lot for all the information you provide!

 

Louis

 

Further to Louis post, personally I have no desire for Tel Aviv or Jaffa and looking at maps and other operators timings a trip to the Dead Sea and back with time for a float takes the same time as a Tel Aviv or Jaffa trip