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Caffeine Free Diet coke on Azamara Journey?

Lafayette59

By Lafayette59,
in Azamara

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geocruiser

geocruiser

Posted
Posted
Hi Maria,

 

I've tried the Freestyle machine on several occasions, and they are THE BEST. The flavors are great, and they leave zero taste residue from the prior drink selected - which has always been a problem for single cup dispensing machines. I've already suggested Freestyle to Celebrity on a number of occasions. So far, it has not happened.

 

I agree the Freestyle machine would be a welcome addition to Azamara ships. I will be happy to pass the suggestion along to Azamara's director of Hotel ops.

 

Hi Andy,

 

Happy to hear that the Freestyle machine works great. I believe it would be a good thing for Azamara to have. With 100 different sodas most PAX could find one they like to drink. Thank for passing ithe info on to Azamara's director. I would be a plus for Azamara if they got one per ship.

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bottomfeeder

bottomfeeder

Posted
Posted
Hi Maria,

 

I've tried the Freestyle machine on several occasions, and they are THE BEST. The flavors are great, and they leave zero taste residue from the prior drink selected - which has always been a problem for single cup dispensing machines. I've already suggested Freestyle to Celebrity on a number of occasions. So far, it has not happened.

 

I agree the Freestyle machine would be a welcome addition to Azamara ships. I will be happy to pass the suggestion along to Azamara's director of Hotel ops.

 

They do sound great! I guess with the soda stream machines you can buy for your own kitchen these days it isn't surprising that something like this would exist. I think this is exactly what we should all start requesting! :)

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pacheco18

pacheco18

Posted
Posted

Also under the heading of not very upscale

 

My TA wrote to Azamara about providing Dr. Pepper

 

Here is the response:

 

Dear ____

I will check with the ship regarding the _____'s request for Dr. Pepper. We don't carry it, but the Food and Beverage Manager is checking to see if we can order it and if there would be a charge. Once I hear back I will let you know

 

A CHARGE? LOLOL

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pacheco18

pacheco18

Posted
Posted
I agree there should be a charge for a special request like Dr. Pepper soda. If every passenger requested their favorite soda be available that could create quite a problem for the food and beverage department.

 

I won't pay

I doubt "everyone" is making requests.

 

You may agree but if Azamara wants to attract luxury, upscale cruisers that policy will not fly. All the luxury lines (plus Oceania) routinely accommodate such requests at no charge. Some of the requests are ridiculous IMO (truly high maintenance type items) but they do it anyway. They view it as customer service.

 

But my TA is still working on it

Let's see if they want to charge me or not.

 

I will be the first to applaud them if they do it at no charge.

If they don't, I have no problem with it. I can live with their policy, personally.

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pacheco18

pacheco18

Posted
Posted
You hit the nail on the head! Are they looking for the truly upscale cruiser?Time will tell.

 

Enjoy your cruise,hopefully with a Dr. Pepper.

 

Thanks

They claimed they were

Have we forgotten "bespoke" and luxury

"All inclusive."

 

IMO with their older R ships (and the attitude on the land side) Azamara will have a tough time attracting that crowd. Recently,we have seen many long time devoted Regent and Crystal cruisers moving over to Oceania but only to the O ships, which are decidedly more luxurious than the R ships and have 7 food venues for foodies. Those folks also want top shelf wine and spirits. They would rather order a drink package than drink basic stuff. Oceania's R ships are now mostly limited to Oceania loyalists. I think that is why all three are getting major upgrades in 2014 -- to include some of the features on the O class ships.

 

I think Azamara loyalists are going to find plenty of bargains -- like book inside, upgrade to veranda -- it does not seem to me like this new strategy and the huge price increase is a big hit. If the Azamazing evenings are only getting mixed reviews, what is the real value added that corresponds to the increase in price? Some standard spirits? I doubt that will move many luxury cruisers.

 

I did not choose Azamara for the alcohol or the event. I booked my first cruise before the change in policy. I chose it for the itinerary, the R ship and the service that everyone raves about. The luxury market wants luxury. They don't want to pay for a Dr. Pepper.

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Bill Leiber

Bill Leiber

Posted
Posted

Hello Soft Drink Followers -

 

I sense that this discussion about soft drinks is about ready to "pop!"

 

It seems the issue's focus is the limited variety of soft drinks offered and the procedure for guests to request their personal preferences.

 

In this thread, the following soft drink categories/brands were mentioned although some of you recognized that your preference might not be feasible:

1. Caffeine-free Diet Coke

2. Diet Sprit

3. Dr. Pepper

4. Dr. Pepper caffeine-free Diet

5. Diet Mountain Dew

6. Diet Cherry Cola

7. Diet root beer (no brand preference mentioned).

 

Unlike a supermarket, our degree of flexibility is limited by the timing and delivering of our pre-determined orders that we receive at various ports of call during each vessel's operation. Sometimes, we may be or not be able to purchase some items in the local market.

 

Further, the platform for operating and managing our alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage products is a function of our automated inventory management and Point of Sale (electronic cash register) systems. Therefore, when special requests are fulfilled, there will be variances in both the inventory and accounting systems.

 

Nevertheless, there is a process in place for guests to request their preferences. It starts with making your request through reservations in your local market. Your special request is added to your booking record and forwarded to the Azamara beverage team; however, that does not mean that it is guaranteed. The vessel may be able to fulfill your request, but it very much depends on the geographical area of operation and the amount of prior notice provided. I've been told it is at least 45 days prior to departure.

 

In the meantime, I have forwarded a summary of this thread to our Vice President of Hotel Operations and to our Call Center Manager for their review and comments. Also, I'm requesting:

§ A list of the complimentary soft drinks available on each vessel as well as those that are onboard but available only by special request, e.g., diet tonic.

§ Are there restrictions and/or limits that govern product requests. Remember, your requests will be limited - they cannot be open-ended.

§ A reconfirmation of the process to make special requests and whether there would be an extra charge.

 

You can see why Andy's timely suggestion to place a Coca Cola Freestyle machine sounds like a practical solution!

 

Rest assured that your opinions and comments have been forwarded and please stand by for my follow-up report, which might take several days.

 

Best Regards,

 

Bill Leiber

_____________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

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pacheco18

pacheco18

Posted
Posted (edited)
Hello Soft Drink Followers -

 

I sense that this discussion about soft drinks is about ready to "pop!"

 

It seems the issue's focus is the limited variety of soft drinks offered and the procedure for guests to request their personal preferences.

 

In this thread, the following soft drink categories/brands were mentioned although some of you recognized that your preference might not be feasible:

1. Caffeine-free Diet Coke

2. Diet Sprit

3. Dr. Pepper

4. Dr. Pepper caffeine-free Diet

5. Diet Mountain Dew

6. Diet Cherry Cola

7. Diet root beer (no brand preference mentioned).

 

Unlike a supermarket, our degree of flexibility is limited by the timing and delivering of our pre-determined orders that we receive at various ports of call during each vessel's operation. Sometimes, we may be or not be able to purchase some items in the local market.

 

Further, the platform for operating and managing our alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage products is a function of our automated inventory management and Point of Sale (electronic cash register) systems. Therefore, when special requests are fulfilled, there will be variances in both the inventory and accounting systems.

 

Nevertheless, there is a process in place for guests to request their preferences. It starts with making your request through reservations in your local market. Your special request is added to your booking record and forwarded to the Azamara beverage team; however, that does not mean that it is guaranteed. The vessel may be able to fulfill your request, but it very much depends on the geographical area of operation and the amount of prior notice provided. I've been told it is at least 45 days prior to departure.

 

In the meantime, I have forwarded a summary of this thread to our Vice President of Hotel Operations and to our Call Center Manager for their review and comments. Also, I'm requesting:

§ A list of the complimentary soft drinks available on each vessel as well as those that are onboard but available only by special request, e.g., diet tonic.

§ Are there restrictions and/or limits that govern product requests. Remember, your requests will be limited - they cannot be open-ended.

§ A reconfirmation of the process to make special requests and whether there would be an extra charge.

 

You can see why Andy's timely suggestion to place a Coca Cola Freestyle machine sounds like a practical solution!

 

Rest assured that your opinions and comments have been forwarded and please stand by for my follow-up report, which might take several days.

 

Best Regards,

 

Bill Leiber

_____________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

I for one appreciate the response.

Unfortunately, the folks in Customer Service do not know the policy.

I got a NO -- cannot be done

My TA got an "I have no idea or whether there will be a charge."

 

This is not a big deal. What is a big deal IMO that you seem to be the only person on the land side who knows the answers to questions. Big burden to have to carry. And what happens to the 95% of cruisers who are not on CC?

 

Your answer is what I hoped to hear from Azamara CS -- they will honor a special request if it is available in the market -- no guarantee -- and certainly no charge. Completely reasonable and appropriate.

 

What I think you need to bring back to management is what veteran Azamara cruisers have repeatedly said here -- the service on the ship is exemplary, the service on land is awful. (I don't even want to tell you what I had to go through (including extreme rudeness) to get luggage tags -- not worth the post)

Edited by pacheco18
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pacheco18

pacheco18

Posted
Posted

I interpreted it to mean that some requests -- perhaps extraordinary ones-- might carry an extra charge. I did not read it to mean that soda would.

 

Open question I guess

Or perhaps I was being optimistic

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pacheco18

pacheco18

Posted
Posted

Memo from Azamara to my FABULOUS TA

 

 

Hi ___

We will be able to order 24 cans for the guest and have it available for her at no charge. I put a note on the reservation to stock her fridge in the stateroom.

 

Best regards,

 

 

Kudos to Azamara

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excitedofharpenden

excitedofharpenden

Posted
Posted
Memo from Azamara to my FABULOUS TA

 

 

Hi ___

We will be able to order 24 cans for the guest and have it available for her at no charge. I put a note on the reservation to stock her fridge in the stateroom.

 

Best regards,

 

 

Kudos to Azamara

That's great. Now don't drink it all at once;)

 

Phil

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pacheco18

pacheco18

Posted
Posted

I will probably be the cause of a rush for special requests. LOL

Not my attention

 

But all the upscale cruise lines honor special requests if their suppliers can provide the requested item. You can load on a case of Dr. Pepper with the Coca Cola with little effort. These are not ships with 5000 passengers. I bet only a small fraction of cruisers make these requests. We are only 5 % of the cruising public on CC - if 1/2 of us made a request, that would still be a relatively small number.

 

I think it is the right policy, especially for a line that is try to up the ante and compete with more upscale lines. It really costs them nothing but goes a long way towards making a passenger feel that the line wants to make their trip as enjoyable as possible.

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azevedan

azevedan

Posted
Posted
Let us know how it turns out. I'd like CF DC, also. Request just sent to my TA.

 

I'll probably wait until we get closer to departure, like around final payment. We're on the Panama Canal Jan 5 2014 trip.

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