AZAMARA'S BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: More Amenities added for Up-Market Travelers

[May B]

I was writing from personal experience when AZ first offered the 50% shore excursion discount. I did go back and read the current policy and you are correct. I don't know when they corrected the issue but glad that they did. On our last cruise, none of our excursions were cancelled so did not need to deal with replacements. And, you are correct, that is the fair way to do it.

 

Thx for posting this explanation. That must've truly been annoying for any cruisers who got stuck with it! Glad to hear it didn't happen to you.

 

And did you enjoy your shore excursions? I've been thinking, sometimes our enjoyment is very relative to our expectations. I've already started to remind myself that my ship's tours won't be similar to my usual way of sightseeing in ports. Usually Mr. B. plots out our whole day and then walks three steps ahead of me, so I'll be sure to keep up the pace!!!

 

On our upcoming Quest on Jan. 15th, most of our exercise will have to come on the ship, as we only have four ports, for a 16-day cruise. And the weather there is rather iffy, so I just hope we get to stop at all four!

 

Isn't cruising wonderful???

[May B]

Could they want more of a profit? Or just want another type of cruise line?

 

I think if you take out the words "more of", you've got it pegged.

 

Also, I think they want to be the very same type of cruise line that all of you have known and loved in the past, but they needed a real GOTCHA marketing tool, to fill more cabins at the price to make it profitable.

 

I hope I get to participate in one of the evening excursions -- which I will get to read all about before I book my next Azamara -- and I will go with certain expectations. I will not be in a rush, I will enjoy the company with whom I am traveling, and I will marvel at the performance that will be included and its venue. I believe I will be delighted. I hope I am able to do this, please dear Supreme Being, if you are able to grant me the strength and the where-withall. But if not, thank you for all that I have been fortunate to experience in my life so far. I feel truly blessed.

[geocruiser]

I think if you take out the words "more of", you've got it pegged.

 

Also, I think they want to be the very same type of cruise line that all of you have known and loved in the past, but they needed a real GOTCHA marketing tool, to fill more cabins at the price to make it profitable.

 

I hope I get to participate in one of the evening excursions -- which I will get to read all about before I book my next Azamara -- and I will go with certain expectations. I will not be in a rush, I will enjoy the company with whom I am traveling, and I will marvel at the performance that will be included and its venue. I believe I will be delighted. I hope I am able to do this, please dear Supreme Being, if you are able to grant me the strength and the where-withall. But if not, thank you for all that I have been fortunate to experience in my life so far. I feel truly blessed.

 

Do you happen to know what Azamara's profit was last year? I would really like to know. I can't assume profit or loss until I see the math, if that info can be found/given.

[pickypicky]

I think if you take out the words "more of", you've got it pegged.

 

Also, I think they want to be the very same type of cruise line that all of you have known and loved in the past, but they needed a real GOTCHA marketing tool, to fill more cabins at the price to make it profitable.

 

I hope I get to participate in one of the evening excursions -- which I will get to read all about before I book my next Azamara -- and I will go with certain expectations. I will not be in a rush, I will enjoy the company with whom I am traveling, and I will marvel at the performance that will be included and its venue. I believe I will be delighted. I hope I am able to do this, please dear Supreme Being, if you are able to grant me the strength and the where-withall. But if not, thank you for all that I have been fortunate to experience in my life so far. I feel truly blessed.

 

Wow...May B...I like the way you think. We have so enjoyed Azamara in the past, and hope that the line continues to be successful so that we may enjoy future cruises.

[pacheco18]

I hope I get to participate in one of the evening excursions -- which I will get to read all about before I book my next Azamara

 

This is why making us all pay for it is so offensive.

 

I, like many others who have posted, will avoid this big event like the plague. The mere thought of going to an event with 600 other tourists -- well there are no words. IMO Awful? Tacky? Yuck! That is just my opinion.

 

I hope you enjoy the evening event -- but we all have different tastes and interests and Azamara is simply ignoring that fact.

[Lottie A]

This is why making us all pay for it is so offensive.

 

I, like many others who have posted, will avoid this big event like the plague. The mere thought of going to an event with 600 other tourists -- well there are no words. IMO Awful? Tacky? Yuck! That is just my opinion.

 

I hope you enjoy the evening event -- but we all have different tastes and interests and Azamara is simply ignoring that fact.

 

Personally speaking, I think I will wait to see what these "special evening events" are all about before making the judgement that they will be "awful and tacky". In my experience nothing that Azamara does onboard can be described in this way and I do not presume that these newly announced evening events will be any different.

 

After all, we do all go to mass events such as concerts, the cinema, museums and galleries with many hundreds, if not thousands of other people also attending, so why presume that this one will be any different just because there may be 600 or so people involved? I think that it would be organised with the usual Azamara efficiency and quality......by that I mean the onboard experience of course!

 

Let's give it a chance before we start to criticise it. I have just got off Quest this week and I did three ships tours, two of which I enjoyed very much and one was perfectly acceptable. I am quite an independent traveller and usually do a mix of private and ships tours and using public transport to see the ports I am visiting.

 

And after all.......no-one is being forced to go to this evening event! As you say, we all have different tastes and some of us are actually looking forward to trying these evening tours.

 

As has been said.....we are all different.

[Mrs Miggins]

Have received email from UK travel agent detailing some of the proposed evening activities.

 

1) Ephesus at Night with concert and Turkish Meze

2) Castello di Verazzano with 3 Tenors from Livorno

3) Ligurian Villa with Music and Italian Buffet

4) Agromento Garden, Sorrento

 

They sound good but not sure I want to pay much more than current prices.

[Joecors]

Bill

We have previously responded to this thread in which we advised you that in spite of our misgivings regarding the “Azamara’s Big Announcement”, we had booked a further cruise on the Journey on 30th August 2013 to take advantage of the October booking concession. We booked this cruise as the itinerary appealed but more especially because of the excellent on-board service we experienced on the Quest 15th September Barcelona to Rome, our first with Azamara.

On our return we extolled the virtues of Azamara to two other couples who we have cruised with in the past and we are happy to advise you that they too have booked to join us on the Journey next August, purely on our recommendation. It may also be the case that another of our friends who sailed with us on the Quest could also be joining us if the single occupancy concession is repeated as she also is anxious to continue cruising with Azamara.

It would follow, as we are sure Bill you will agree, that personal recommendations contribute so much to the future viability of Azamara. It does however concern us that recent endeavours by management to attempt to enhance what the majority of your “consumers” consider to be the ideal in a cruise experience, and engage in what appear to be speculative decisions with dubious “enhancements”, which could possibly result in many fleeing the nest to pastures new. This will obviously be to the detriment of us all. Let us hope that Mr Pimentel will be able to reassure us following reading the opinions of the many contributors to this thread, that our fears are without foundation, and that we can all look forward to returning home again and again to our newly acquired Azamara family at sea.

What is very apparent by reading the many Azamara threads/topics, is that we are all unanimous in our praise for the on board personnel who go out of their way to make each cruise so special for us and for this reason alone we are happy to recommend Azamara to others. It was especially moving for us to join in the short Ecumenical Morning Service with the coast of Capri replacing the usual back drop of the altar. It is of course, these special moments that remain within your memory and a very big thank you again must be extended to Russ, the Cruise Director who led the service and sang a very moving hymn accompanied by the resident pianist (sorry, can’t remember his name). We will forever cherish this very special unforgettable moment. Very shortly both the Quest and Journey will be undergoing their dry dock revitalisation programme including crew quarters enhancements etc., which of course is to be commended. We must however accept that the dry-dock facility will probably be well away from all on-shore amenities for the crew and in addition, this will not be an opportunity for a break from the usual pressure they experience during cruise days. Quite the contrary as I believe our shipmates will be under even more pressure as in addition to providing home comforts to shore staff engaged in the renovation work, they are also to be allocated additional projects involving deep cleans etc. It would be nice to read that management will in some way show their appreciation in some tangible way and perhaps Mr Pimentel may like to also add his comments in this regard. :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Great posting which so adequately sums up our feeling too!

I don't knpw whether Azamara management realises what a great advertising job its onboard staff does to promote the Az. brand name. It goes further too, in imbibing into its guests such a great feeling (the ambience, the friendship) that they to will arrive home to spread "the gospel" as you appear to have done. We have just about exhausted the coastline of the Med (we cruised on the Quest on 15th Sept), the Black Sea, and the Baltic but have booked 2 cruises with Az for 2013 to benefit from the sheer relaxing experience that the line provides. Will we do more????

Will Mr. Pimentel listen to you, us and a "hell-of-a-lot" of other cruisers? I hope so but I have my doubts.

[nordski]

Personally speaking, I think I will wait to see what these "special evening events" are all about before making the judgement that they will be "awful and tacky". In my experience nothing that Azamara does onboard can be described in this way and I do not presume that these newly announced evening events will be any different.

 

After all, we do all go to mass events such as concerts, the cinema, museums and galleries with many hundreds, if not thousands of other people also attending, so why presume that this one will be any different just because there may be 600 or so people involved? I think that it would be organised with the usual Azamara efficiency and quality......by that I mean the onboard experience of course!

 

Let's give it a chance before we start to criticise it. I have just got off Quest this week and I did three ships tours, two of which I enjoyed very much and one was perfectly acceptable. I am quite an independent traveller and usually do a mix of private and ships tours and using public transport to see the ports I am visiting.

 

And after all.......no-one is being forced to go to this evening event! As you say, we all have different tastes and some of us are actually looking forward to trying these evening tours.

 

As has been said.....we are all different.

 

Well said.

 

Let's see if the evening events are truly "special" Since I'm already sharing a cruise with 700+ passengers, I can envision certain attractions that I might truly enjoy with them.

 

On river cruises on the Danube, one of the added attractions in Vienna is a concert of Strauss waltzes with a bit of Mozart on the side. No problem with the "mass" experience there.

[pacheco18]

Well said.

 

Let's see if the evening events are truly "special" Since I'm already sharing a cruise with 700+ passengers, I can envision certain attractions that I might truly enjoy with them.

 

On river cruises on the Danube, one of the added attractions in Vienna is a concert of Strauss waltzes with a bit of Mozart on the side. No problem with the "mass" experience there.

 

I cannot imagine any I would enjoy. I will not go on a bus with 50 people (much less times 12) anywhere. It is just not my style. To each his own.

 

If I want to do something amazing, I will arrange it on my own and I will do it with a SMALL group of people I want to be with.

 

I know I am not alone i this regard. For some of us this whole idea of a large group event is anything but upmarket and bespoke and it is not at all appealing.

[zqvol]

I cannot imagine any I would enjoy. I will not go on a bus with 50 people (much less times 12) anywhere. It is just not my style. To each his own.

 

If I want to do something amazing, I will arrange it on my own and I will do it with a SMALL group of people I want to be with.

 

I know I am not alone i this regard. For some of us this whole idea of a large group event is anything but upmarket and bespoke and it is not at all appealing.

 

 

That is all good, but some of these events, such as the concert at Ephesus at night, are not to be missed and are not publicly available, so if you want experience something like that you go with a large group or you never get the chance to go.

[pacheco18]

That is all good, but some of these events, such as the concert at Ephesus at night, are not to be missed and are not publicly available, so if you want experience something like that you go with a large group or you never get the chance to go.

 

We all have different tastes. I have been to Ephesus and the visit is not about a concert (which is a contrived event IMO) but about the history. I would have no interest. It's like a sound and light show at the Parthenon.

 

Sorry, but these are "touristy" events -- they are right for some but not for others. That, again, is why I dislike paying for them.

[nordski]

I cannot imagine any I would enjoy. I will not go on a bus with 50 people (much less times 12) anywhere. It is just not my style. To each his own.

 

If I want to do something amazing, I will arrange it on my own and I will do it with a SMALL group of people I want to be with.

 

I know I am not alone i this regard. For some of us this whole idea of a large group event is anything but upmarket and bespoke and it is not at all appealing.

 

Obviously the programme is not for you. In our case, we'll have to assess its value as it is implemented and also whether it is a particular activity that is a/ available to small groups or b/ if it would be cost prohibitive.

 

For example, a bus ride with 50 people to visit the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, in a special after hours tour/visit is, in our view, a small price to pay for the experience. We have also taken buses to the Keukenhof Gardens, Heidelberg and Rothenburg respectively. Each of those destinations was, in our assessment, worth the trip. In fact, we rather enjoyed meeting new people on board.

 

Perhaps we are in the minority on this, and the evening events will be a failure. But we will wait for the details. and the results.

[pacheco18]

For example, a bus ride with 50 people to visit the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, in a special after hours tour/visit is, in our view, a small price to pay for the experience. We have also taken buses to the Keukenhof Gardens, Heidelberg and Rothenburg respectively. Each of those destinations was, in our assessment, worth the trip. In fact, we rather enjoyed meeting new people on board.

 

.

 

We are different and have decidedly different travel styles. We had an amazing private guide for 6 in the Hermitage and we rented a car and drove the Romantic Road for a week to see those wonderful German towns.

 

I -- and many many others -- will never be on a bus with 50 people. We love meeting new people -- just not 50 or 600 at a time.

[Jade13]

That is all good, but some of these events, such as the concert at Ephesus at night, are not to be missed and are not publicly available, so if you want experience something like that you go with a large group or you never get the chance to go.

 

This event does not seem that special as I have seen it advertised on mass market lines who have an overnight or late night stay. Btw, we have been to Ephesus multiple times.

[Jade13]

 

For example, a bus ride with 50 people to visit the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, in a special after hours tour/visit is, in our view, a small price to pay for the experience. We have also taken buses to the Keukenhof Gardens, Heidelberg and Rothenburg respectively.

 

It was also fine for us to get to the Military Tattoo in Edinburgh last year. A fantastic experience even in the pouring rain!

[pacheco18]

This event does not seem that special as I have seen it advertised on mass market lines who have an overnight or late night stay. Btw, we have been to Ephesus multiple times.

 

LOL

So there will be 600 from Azamara, another 1200 from RCCL, another 1000 form NCL and who knows how many other cruisers at this "upmarket and bespoke" event.

 

In a word -- ridiculous

[frequent traveler]

This event does not seem that special as I have seen it advertised on mass market lines who have an overnight or late night stay. Btw, we have been to Ephesus multiple times.

 

Because it is open to others, it is not special? We also have been to Ephesus taking a private tour. Unfortunately, SeaDream no longer can book the night concert due to the lack of numbers but everyone I have spoken to who has attended the evening concert at Ephesus raves about it. Clearly, mass events are not for some people. However, I love concerts under the stars. I attend them and have paid big bucks depending on the artist. At Ephesus, there are capacity constraints and there are quite a few highlights on other boards. Somehow, if Regent, Silversea, Crystal and Seabourne passengers enjoy, I can't imagine it being too bad.

 

FT

[3418ahl]

Have received email from UK travel agent detailing some of the proposed evening activities.

 

1) Ephesus at Night with concert and Turkish Meze

2) Castello di Verazzano with 3 Tenors from Livorno

3) Ligurian Villa with Music and Italian Buffet

4) Agromento Garden, Sorrento

 

They sound good but not sure I want to pay much more than current prices.

 

These events sound very much in line with the "Seabourne Signature excursions", which is logical given Larry Pimentel's background.

[taxjam]

Perhaps we are in the minority on this, and the evening events will be a failure. But we will wait for the details. and the results.

 

I agree with the quoted statement at least as to previously booked cruises. Since we are already booked on two Azamara cruises this summer, we have the benefit of evaluating the amazing evening excursions at no additional cost. While I find most of Azamara's recent changes sufficiently negative to necessitate jumping ship in 2014 (read this going back to Oceania and looking at river cruises, land tours, etc.), I will evaluate the evening experience on our two 2013 cruises.

 

Just my opinion, but it seems closed minded to reject this offering at least on previously booked cruises. To me, that is a different question of whether the evening is an appropriate substitute for the previously promised 50% off Land Discoveries program for 2013. That aspect of Azamara's new deal, to me, is a "bait and switch" which I find abhorrent (and the reason we've gone back to Oceania for winter 2013/2014). Similarly, I do not think the evenings or the free lower shelf liquor warrants the excessive price increases we have seen with more promised for the future. Finally, all the changes to Azamara mean that despite the wonderful crew I just don't know what I will get from Azamara 2 years from today.

[greeneg]

I think that the original point is being lost here, i.e, does the addition of the "enhancements" as described, justify the increased pricing for the cruise? Do they, in fact, add sufficient value to the cruise, or are they actually a sort of camouflage to make the increased cost of the cruise appear to be more palatable?

 

My own interpretation, and I submit that it's probably the majority view, is that this is the sort of smoke-screen pricing that Azamara has done before ( two for one pricing after doubling the price and then dividing by two etc...) and probably will do again. This may seem to be a harsh judgment, but it does seem to reflect what has been done in the past, at least to me...

 

As these ships become more dated, the only thing to my thinking which justifies the pricing are the standards of service and performance and the very hard work of the people on the ships who continue to do an outstanding job for Azamara's Customers. More and more, I think that the rest is smoke and mirrors.

 

We'll see next week.

[uktog]

The evening in Ephesus is currently being offered at £125 each for our trip next week on Azamara subject to a minimum number of 40 booking. This trip does not attract 50% off. Although I have done Ephesus several times this would be my first night experience and as I do not have plans to be back in that region when it is the Azamazing event I hope to go. I will report back

[GrandmaJ]

I have been following the comments on this page for the last few days and just felt that I would add my two cents worth.

 

We LOVE Azamara cruises and everything they have to offer. When people ask us what we like about Azamara Club Cruises, we ALWAYS say "it is the wonderful people on board", "the crew and the staff are like none other", "we love the food", "we love the entertainment", we love the destinations, we love the size of the ship", "we love the wonderful people we meet as fellow passengers and "we love where they take us and how they take us"!! As far as I can see NONE of this is changing!!! Azamara Club Cruises is going to continue to provide EVERYTHING that we love PLUS a little extra!!! YAY!

 

We always felt we got wonderful value for our $$$s and have no problem paying more for what we have been getting. If Azamara is now adding a few more perks....then good for them. It is unfair for people to say "we do not want to pay for something we do not intend to use". For example, we have yet to ever use a swimming pool or hot tub on board a ship....but never for a moment thought that others should be deprived of these facilities just because WE choose not to use them!

 

We hope to be sailing on the wonderful Azamara Club Cruiseships for many many years to come. We can hardly wait to get back on board!

 

We want to say a HUGE congratulations and thank you to all of the people at Azamara Club Cruises for providing us the "perfect" vacation whenever we can join you!

[deise17311]

I think the 50% off is bait and switch also...it's just to get people to book...the full prices are absurd and if people pay them versus booking prior (except in the cases of OBC) then I'm speechless...hopefully they will reveal the 50% off will be the new pricing across the board...

[cpgrneyes]

Right there with you, GrandmaJ! Those who haven't yet experienced Azamara cannot possibly understand the wonderful warmth onboard.