Controversy with all inclusive - what would you like included?

[Bill Leiber]

Bobotheviking, I think you have got this spot on. I too was sold an Azamara cruise as 'All Inclusive' and I did feel cheated and conned when the drinks list was published, however I've got over it. I have two cruises booked this year with Azamara, the first of which is in ten days time. I'm going with an open mind, and to enjoy myself, then I'll make judgement afterwords.

I have been encouraged by Bill Lieber acknowledging that they will listen to feed back both from this forum and onboard questionnaires, so I live in hope that adjustments and improvements can be made.

 

Boot Ye Norn Iron -

 

Thank you for sharing how you processed the realization that Azamara actually offers a "More-Inclusive" rather than an "All-Inclusive" tariff as it initially had been positioned in the UK/Ireland market. We're pleased that you're approaching your vacation with "an open mind" and will make your "judgments afterwards."

 

At Azamara we realize that we cannot judge our new complimentary liquor, wine and beer program by our intentions when we created it because you and our other guests will judge us by the actual program.

 

The "introductory phase" of the program is now complete so now our executive team can evaluate and consider your collective feedback about the positives and areas for improvement.

Please keep in mind that an important ingredient in this evaluation process is the element of time so please be patient while we evaluate what the "marketplace" is saying. I will keep the community informed on the Azamara forum.

 

My best wishes for your approaching Azamara vacation experience - I hope that it exceeds your expectations! Thank you for your confidence in booking another vacation with us later this year.

We look forward to welcoming you aboard!

 

Best regards,

 

Bill Leiber

_____________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

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

[Lottie A]

Having recently returned from another wonderful Quest cruise I can tell you that if you ask for your cocktail to be made from the complimentary list then you get what tastes almost exactly like the same cocktail you should have paid for! :D

 

I took some pics of the price lists and I hope this works because I have never uploaded pics on here before!

[Lottie A]

Sorry folks.....the pics are not uploading. Not sure why, but I will try again when I have more time.

[English Tim]

Boot Ye Norn Iron -

 

Thank you for sharing how you processed the realization that Azamara actually offers a "More-Inclusive" rather than an "All-Inclusive" tariff as it initially had been positioned in the UK/Ireland market. We're pleased that you're approaching your vacation with "an open mind" and will make your "judgments afterwards."

 

At Azamara we realize that we cannot judge our new complimentary liquor, wine and beer program by our intentions when we created it because you and our other guests will judge us by the actual program.

 

The "introductory phase" of the program is now complete so now our executive team can evaluate and consider your collective feedback about the positives and areas for improvement.

Please keep in mind that an important ingredient in this evaluation process is the element of time so please be patient while we evaluate what the "marketplace" is saying. I will keep the community informed on the Azamara forum.

 

My best wishes for your approaching Azamara vacation experience - I hope that it exceeds your expectations! Thank you for your confidence in booking another vacation with us later this year.

We look forward to welcoming you aboard!

 

Best regards,

 

Bill Leiber

_____________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

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

 

Thanks Bill. As one of the fiercest critics of the handling of this new policy, I am greatly looking forward to my fast approaching debut with Az and my wife and I will have a wonderful cruise.

 

I'll be sure to do my usual comprehensive review and we are confident that we'll be just as well treated as we were on Seabourn Odyssey, a couple of weeks ago.

 

I hope some of the feedback will be implemented and my wife hopes for a Bellini or two, but if not we'll find equally nice drinks.

[zennor]

Having recently returned from another wonderful Quest cruise I can tell you that if you ask for your cocktail to be made from the complimentary list then you get what tastes almost exactly like the same cocktail you should have paid for! :D

 

I took some pics of the price lists and I hope this works because I have never uploaded pics on here before!

 

So are there price lists of what is complimentary & what isn't? I'm happy to try any cocktail but I would be embarrassed to ask which ones were free :o:o maybe this is because I'm a Brit. ;)

[English Tim]

So are there price lists of what is complimentary & what isn't? I'm happy to try any cocktail but I would be embarrassed to ask which ones were free :o:o maybe this is because I'm a Brit. ;)

 

If I ordered a cocktail and it was chargeable, I'd expect to be told when ordering it and maybe have an alternative suggested. I believe most cocktails are included.

[Lottie A]

I hope this link works!

 

https://picasaweb.google.com/116396719857053580602/May252013?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCJn9j83unPaLxAE&feat=directlink

[Lottie A]

The link seems OK.

 

You can ask for a cocktail made from the included list of alcohol/liqueurs and it tastes exactly the same as the purchased one and I tried quite a few of them! :D

 

I asked whether anyone bought the "bespoke" Nespresso.....and the answer was a definite No! The free coffee in Mosaic is just as good as ever.

 

We asked the Bar Manager why there was no sparkling wine in the complimentary drinks list and he told us it was simply because they wanted to keep this for the many special cocktail parties/CC meetings etc that are a feature of an Azamara cruise.

 

They are listening to our suggestions and I was assured there would be some fine tuning in the next few months. We found the included alcohol list to be quite sufficient for us and we were able to have our favourite Bertrand wine every night.....just ask if you have a preferred choice and they happily supply it.

 

It was another wonderful Quest cruise and we are now planning our next one. :)

[zennor]

I hope this link works!

 

https://picasaweb.google.com/116396719857053580602/May252013?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCJn9j83unPaLxAE&feat=directlink

 

Yes that works - thanks! So photo 13 shows the Complimentary list. I can have margarita but not a mojito? And if I have no idea what a Bay Breeze is, I have to ask? May just stick to a G&T :rolleyes:

[Lottie A]

Yes that works - thanks! So photo 13 shows the Complimentary list. I can have margarita but not a mojito? And if I have no idea what a Bay Breeze is, I have to ask? May just stick to a G&T :rolleyes:

 

Yes you can have a Mojito.....just ask for it to be made with the complimentary vodka! The lime and mint will be free anyway.

[NC&KY]

Yes you can have a Mojito.....just ask for it to be made with the complimentary vodka! The lime and mint will be free anyway.

Or complimentary rum.

[Lottie A]

Or complimentary rum.

 

LOL! If you prefer it that way. They do have complimentary rum of course.

 

Personally I prefer my Mojito's made this way.

 

WHAT'S INSIDE:

50 ml Smirnoff® No. 21

8 mint leaves

20 ml sugar syrup

Barspoon of brown sugar

40 ml soda

4 lime wedges quartered

 

 

Read more: http://www.smirnoff.com/en-gb/main/drinks/cocktails/miami-mojito.aspx#ixzz2UKX0ASJq

[mara01]

There seems to be plenty of choice with the standard inclusive drinks as far as we're concerned but we would really like DIET tonic. As far as we remember, you can get diet Coke and diet Sprite so please can we have diet tonic? Any chance of you putting this request through for us please Bill? :)

[Bill Leiber]

There seems to be plenty of choice with the standard inclusive drinks as far as we're concerned but we would really like DIET tonic. As far as we remember, you can get diet Coke and diet Sprite so please can we have diet tonic? Any chance of you putting this request through for us please Bill? :)

 

Hello Mara01 -

 

I'll pass on your request that a diet tonic be added to our choices for diet-free beverages and then let you know the response on this thread.

 

As I mentioned a few posts above (May 24), now that the new beverage program is being offered on both vessels, we'll be assessing the onboard comments about the program and then consider the fine-tuning that may be required. This process will include guest requests for not only specific alcoholic brands but also for non-alcoholic beverages.

 

Please stay tuned.

 

Best regards,

 

 

Bill Leiber

_____________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

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

[mara01]

Hello Mara01 -

 

I'll pass on your request that a diet tonic be added to our choices for diet-free beverages and then let you know the response on this thread.

 

As I mentioned a few posts above (May 24), now that the new beverage program is being offered on both vessels, we'll be assessing the onboard comments about the program and then consider the fine-tuning that may be required. This process will include guest requests for not only specific alcoholic brands but also for non-alcoholic beverages.

 

Please stay tuned.

 

 

 

Best regards,

 

 

Bill Leiber

_____________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

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

 

Thanks Bill, much appreciated. My husband is diabetic and it's difficult to 'be good' all the time on a cruise with such lovely food, so every little helps!

[norn iron]

Boot Ye Norn Iron -

 

Thank you for sharing how you processed the realization that Azamara actually offers a "More-Inclusive" rather than an "All-Inclusive" tariff as it initially had been positioned in the UK/Ireland market. We're pleased that you're approaching your vacation with "an open mind" and will make your "judgments afterwards."

 

At Azamara we realize that we cannot judge our new complimentary liquor, wine and beer program by our intentions when we created it because you and our other guests will judge us by the actual program.

 

The "introductory phase" of the program is now complete so now our executive team can evaluate and consider your collective feedback about the positives and areas for improvement.

Please keep in mind that an important ingredient in this evaluation process is the element of time so please be patient while we evaluate what the "marketplace" is saying. I will keep the community informed on the Azamara forum.

 

My best wishes for your approaching Azamara vacation experience - I hope that it exceeds your expectations! Thank you for your confidence in booking another vacation with us later this year.

We look forward to welcoming you aboard!

 

Best regards,

 

Bill Leiber

_____________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

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

 

Hi Bill - thanks for your local greeting, it alway much appreciated.

We returned on Monday from our first Azamara cruise (after years with Celebrity), and as this is the thread for feedback on the 'More Inclusive' topic its time for my penny's worth.

I have nothing drastically negative to report, however a couple of suggestions to improve and enhance the offering maybe could be considered as the Management team look to improve and tweak the initial package.

I did approach the cruise with an open mind towards the drinks deal, and have approached the subject both constructively and subjectively.

 

The Boutique wines were very acceptable and plentiful. On the one occasion my wife found The Crusher (Californian Merlot) to sweet it was easily replaced without question.

In relation to the beers, its a struggle to call them international as two of them are from the USA and the Beck's that is served in draught is undoubtably brewed in the USA as well as it tastes nothing like the German brewed product. Ironically i found it okay to drink, mainly because I don't like the flavour of the German brew. On our cruise there were 15 nationalities on board which is probably a true reflection of 'International' so perhaps a few additional beers could match the International clientele on most cruises.

 

On the subject of the included spirits, I spoke with the senior Bar Man in each bar and discussed the more inclusive deal with 10 - 12 passengers.

The Bar staff generally agree (although unscientific and will change from cruise to cruise) that 70% of the drinks they serve are covered by the package. Part of the 30% who pay for their drinks do have a gripe that their needs are not catered for, others were just confused. I asked what both the bar staff and 10- 12 passengers what could change or improve and my suggestions are as follows.

The current spirit available within the package include a Tequila, a Rum, 2 Gins, 2 Vodkas 2 Whiskeys from North America and a Scotch. My suggestion which will help complete the package is, a Port, Baileys, a Brandy and as there are two North American Whiskeys why not two from Europe, therefore an Irish to match the Scotch. I bounced this idea off various passengers (none of whom contribute to Cruise Critic) and it was met with general approval.

 

One final comment relates to soft drinks. If I drank Vodka and Coke, I would get Smirnoff and Coke, or alternatively Sprite is offered. Both of these products are premium mixers. The tonic water on board is Royal Club which cannot be considered premium, and a discouragement to drink G&T. There has to be a comparable premium tonic water which Azamara could consider.

 

Aside from constructive feedback, all four of us who travelled had a great cruising experience.

[English Tim]

I think that's a very fair analysis. Undoubtedly AZ regulars aren't concerned as they are used to paying extra, but new customers may be surprised and disappointed to see pages and pages of drink extras.

 

The basic AZ product and service level is excellent

[kikki21]

Thank you for posting the drinks menu Lottie!

 

Shouldn't be thinking about what cocktails I'll be drinking at 10.00am lol! :rolleyes:

[Haworth]

I made a few observations after this years Monaco GP trip on the quest, I fully agree that at least one brandy/ cognac should be included.

 

I do not drink beer or cocktails so the more inclusive for ourselves only covers wine and soft drinks at the moment

[Spursgirl]

I made a few observations after this years Monaco GP trip on the quest, I fully agree that at least one brandy/ cognac should be included.

 

I do not drink beer or cocktails so the more inclusive for ourselves only covers wine and soft drinks at the moment

 

We had no complaints about what drinks were included as complimentary on our May Quest cruise. It was suggested to us that tweaks might be made following analysis of guest's feedback and so we offered our opinions on the end of cruise survey.

 

We return to Quest in October and hope that some of the thoughts that other cruisers have discussed are adopted as they are neither unreasonable or expensive.

[zennor]

We have just come back from the previous cruise on the Journey (am still writing my review!) having booked way before the 'included' drinks or Azamazing events were announced so this wasn't a reason for booking. However if I hadn't read about the drinks here I wouldn't have known they were available. On the ship Azamara were very keen to promote the evening events but there was absolutely nothing about the drinks.

 

- When we first arrived, there was quite a lot of promotion of the drinks packages.

- the 'welcome' letter from Heike only mentions the complimentary wines available in the restaurants at meal times. This was queried at the CC meeting as this was obviously out of date.

- if you ordered a cocktail, the waiter always queried whether you wanted the Premium version and we had to say 'no we wanted the free version' (!)

- the Daily Pursuits newsletter listed a payable Cocktail of the Day

- as already mentioned the menu in the bars has several illustrated pages detailing the premium cocktails you can purchase, followed by one page at the back simply listing the included cocktails & VERY EASY TO MISS. We were limited to ordering those we were familiar with i.e. Planter's Punch, Margarita & Tequila Sunrise as we didn't know what the others contained.

- we were never offered Rosé as a wine only the Red or White - it wasn't until Day 6 that I remembered that it was now available so we asked for it.

 

I have the impression that the new 'more inclusive' is being used as a Sales Promotion to bring in new customers and then conveniently hidden away on the ship itself. Why? Azamara may make a few extra bucks selling drinks but will these passengers return? Fortunately we did know about the changes - thanks to this forum - and we really enjoyed being able to order a cocktail without the pain of signing a tab. We also liked asking for the non-alcoholic Tropical Lemonade whenever we fancied a refreshing long drink. Also at dinner I found out, by seeing another guest order one, that you can ask for a Fruit or Cheese plate if you don't fancy the dessert. Why isn't this on the menu? All of these inclusions added to our enjoyment of the cruise and are part of the reason why we hope to sail Azamara again, so why hide what is available? Bill, I do hope you'll be able to explain what is the thinking behind this?

[Spursgirl]

Zennor,

 

I am beginning to think that the regimes on the Journey differs a little from the Quest.

 

We returned from a wonderful cruise on the Quest on May 16.

 

Drinks packages were not pushed at all although of course they were available should you require one.

 

We were never asked whether we required a premium cocktail or the complimentary version. It was assumed we wanted the complimentary version. There were a few cocktails that were unfamiliar to us. We asked what they were and if they sounded nice we tried them. We only came unstuck once when a lurid blue cocktail turned up which we didn't like. We apologised for leaving it and were immediately asked with a smile what we would like instead.

 

I have always found that in the MDR you can ask for anything whether it is on the menu or not and if it is available they will happily bring it for you. I do recall though that the cheese plate is offered on the always available section.

 

I return to Quest in October for the 9th time and every one of my cruises has been wonderful. The Journey has some fabulous itineraries and I have thought that I really should sail on her soon. Your comments are making me think that I should stick with the fabulous Quest.

[zennor]

Zennor,

 

I am beginning to think that the regimes on the Journey differs a little from the Quest.

 

...

I return to Quest in October for the 9th time and every one of my cruises has been wonderful. The Journey has some fabulous itineraries and I have thought that I really should sail on her soon. Your comments are making me think that I should stick with the fabulous Quest.

 

Spursgirl, we've now been on both ships & loved both cruises! We purchased another Open Passage certificate as we're sure that we will sail with Azamara again. So maybe I've given the wrong impression here.

 

I'm really pointing this out from the viewpoint of guests who aren't members of CC. I meant that if you hadn't seen the recent sales promotions & hadn't read CC, you would arrive on either ship (I imagine) not being aware that wine was now available from the bars at any time & not just at mealtimes, that rosé was now available as well as red or white, that certain spirits and cocktails are now included free of charge. I do know now that you can ask for variations on the menu but new cruisers or those new to Azamara may not be aware. What I wanted to say is that there is so much that Azamara is now offering especially the included drinks but these are not being promoted on board & I think that's a shame.

[sailor554]

Hi - I found the inclusive liquor list quite extensive and suitable for most people. The drinks listed by English Tim reflect expensive drinks and with the exception of Port would typically generate a fair cost in any restaurant. I ma happy the way it is and leave it up to the judgment of Azamara Club to deliver what they believe is appropriate though I would suggest they put the list of drinks on their website

[Spursgirl]

Spursgirl, we've now been on both ships & loved both cruises! We purchased another Open Passage certificate as we're sure that we will sail with Azamara again. So maybe I've given the wrong impression here.

 

I'm really pointing this out from the viewpoint of guests who aren't members of CC. I meant that if you hadn't seen the recent sales promotions & hadn't read CC, you would arrive on either ship (I imagine) not being aware that wine was now available from the bars at any time & not just at mealtimes, that rosé was now available as well as red or white, that certain spirits and cocktails are now included free of charge. I do know now that you can ask for variations on the menu but new cruisers or those new to Azamara may not be aware. What I wanted to say is that there is so much that Azamara is now offering especially the included drinks but these are not being promoted on board & I think that's a shame.

 

You are quite right Zennor.

 

We are fortunate that we embark our cruises armed with all up to date information thanks to fellow CC posters.

 

I am glad that despite your observations you still enjoyed a great cruise.

 

We buy the Open Passage too and have already used the one we purchased on Quest last month to book a future cruise