2014 Discontinuation of 25% Savings on Land Discoveries and Enhanced Tour Program

[3418ahl]

According to the E-mail and a phone conversation with Azamara, that is not correct. It is based on the booked cruises and not the land discoveries. They can be booked up until 4 days before cruising.

 

A friend of mine has spoken TWICE with Azamara and they stated that all tours must be booked by Jan 4 for the discount to apply, as per Bill's message above.

Edited October 30, 2013 by 3418ahl

[Sanatee]

So when we booked two 2014 cruises earlier this year, the policy was a 25% pre-booking discount on land excursions. Now that's going away unless we book the excursions by early Jan 2014. But the currently listed excursions were designed under the old non-bespoke excursion program, not the hyped one that we get to pay more for. Then, we still don't have the Az Evening for our March West Indies cruise, so we don't know which tours to book where. And land excursions aren't even available yet for our Nov transatlantic. Who knows when given the recent unavailability of information from Miami.

[Reggiefan]

Given the last post by Mr. Leiber on this thread, the interpretation of the policy by 3418 seems correct.

[Bill Leiber]

Hello Again-

 

The information that I posted earlier today about the discontinuance of the 25% Land Discoveries Savings was reviewed and approved by our marketing, call center, and Azamara Customer service management and is being shared with the team members for consistency of message.

 

 

I've attempted to summarize the details about the last-chance to receive the 25% Land Discoveries Savings in 2014.

 

 

The language on website states the following about our Land Discoveries Savings:

• Effective January 4, 2014, the current 25% savings on Land Discoveries will no longer be available.
  
• Guests already booked on a 2014 voyage, or those who book now through midnight January 3, 2014 will still be eligible for the 25% savings as long as you book your Land Discoveries online at least 4 days prior to the voyage sailing date or prior to January 3, 2014.
  

There are two specific voyages shown below in which there are specific "last-call" dates to receive the savings during the booking process for both NEW and EXISTING reservations. The rule is driven by the fact Land Discoveries must be booked at least four (4) - 24-hour cycles/days prior to the voyage's embarkation day. That means that the sailing date is not included in the calculation.

-Departure - Quest, Jan 5, 2014 - you have until December 31, 2013, 11:59 PM EST to do so.

-Departure - Journey, Jan 6, 2014 - you have until January 01, 2014, 11:59 PM EST to do so.

 

With respect to the brain-teaser question, using the rules above, the correct response:

Q: Guest A books Quest for September 2014 today.

-A: Must book Land Discoveries no later than now through midnight January 3, 2014.

Q: Guest B books Quest for September 2014 in February of next year.

- A: Guest B is not eligible. The program was discontinued on midnight, January 3, 2014.

 

Best regards,

 

Bill Leiber

__________________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

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

[uktog]

Thank you Bill, the clarity comes 100% not from the centrally prepared marketing text, the second Bullet of which can still be read two ways, but from the answers to your brain teaser questions. Please encourage those who prepare customer communications to do as you have done, put yourself in the shoes of the customer and write the messages as responses to questions. If we had had that from the outset, at least some of the angst you have been fielding would never have surfaced.

 

Thanks again for the clarity you have given

 

Ps Bullet 2 needs the addition of a few words only at the end "whichever date is earlier"

Edited October 31, 2013 by uktog

[Bill Leiber]

Thank you Bill, the clarity comes 100% not from the centrally prepared marketing text, the second Bullet of which can still be read two ways, but from the answers to your brain teaser questions. Please encourage those who prepare customer communications to do as you have done, put yourself in the shoes of the customer and write the messages as responses to questions. If we had had that from the outset, at least some of the angst you have been fielding would never have surfaced.

 

Thanks again for the clarity you have given

 

Ps Bullet 2 needs the addition of a few words only at the end "whichever date is earlier"

 

Hello Uktog -

 

Thanks for the suggestion to add "whichever date is earlier." I'll pass it along to our trainers.

 

Best wishes for a wonderful Azamara onboard experience which I hope exceeds your expectations!

 

Sincerely,

 

Bill Leiber

__________________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

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

[uktog]

Thank your your good wishes Bill, we are very much looking forward to this cruise and we know onboard and in the various stops en route it will be special

Edited October 31, 2013 by uktog

[riandei]

So when we booked two 2014 cruises earlier this year, the policy was a 25% pre-booking discount on land excursions. Now that's going away unless we book the excursions by early Jan 2014. But the currently listed excursions were designed under the old non-bespoke excursion program, not the hyped one that we get to pay more for. Then, we still don't have the Az Evening for our March West Indies cruise, so we don't know which tours to book where. And land excursions aren't even available yet for our Nov transatlantic. Who knows when given the recent unavailability of information from Miami.

 

Yes...seems a little bait and switch for those of us that have just recently (1 month ago) booked our first voyage with Azamara

[ShopperfiendTO]

Great summary. Given the deadline dates, I would go further and just state this:

 

 

The 25% discount for pre-booking Land Discoveries excursions will only apply to cruises that embark in 2014, and even then, only if the excursions are booked by January 3, 2014, 11:59 PM EST, except for the following cruises:

1. Quest, departing Jan. 5, 2014: for this cruise, you must book the excursions by December 31, 2013, 11:59 PM EST.
   
2. Journey, departing Jan. 6, 2014: for this cruise,you must book the excursions by January 01, 2014, 11:59 PM EST.
   

 

I realized that I forgot about 2013 cruises, so:

 

For cruises that embark in 2013, the 25% discount for pre-booking Land Discoveries excursions will apply only if the excursions are booked least 4 days before the embarkation date.

 

 

For cruises that embark in 2014, the 25% discount for pre-booking Land Discoveries excursions will apply only if the excursions are booked by January 3, 2014, 11:59 PM EST, except for the following cruises:

1. Quest, departing Jan. 5, 2014: for this cruise, you must book the excursions by December 31, 2013, 11:59 PM EST.
   
2. Journey, departing Jan. 6, 2014: for this cruise, you must book the excursions by January 01, 2014, 11:59 PM EST.
   

The 25% discount for pre-booking does not apply to cruises that embark in 2015.

[MIKESCOTLAND]

Bill,

 

Thanks for the clarification. My wife & I will be cruising on the Quest B/B from 18 Feb 2014 - Los Angeles to Miami. We would like to take advantage of the 25% discount but note so far no shore excursions are shown by Azamara for Caldera, Costa Rica on either 3 March (cruise day) or 4 March (changeover day).

 

Given the timing of the removal of the discount please advise if & approximately when excursions will be publicized for one or both of these dates.

 

 

 

 

Hello Again-

 

The information that I posted earlier today about the discontinuance of the 25% Land Discoveries Savings was reviewed and approved by our marketing, call center, and Azamara Customer service management and is being shared with the team members for consistency of message.

 

 

I've attempted to summarize the details about the last-chance to receive the 25% Land Discoveries Savings in 2014.

 

 

The language on website states the following about our Land Discoveries Savings:

• Effective January 4, 2014, the current 25% savings on Land Discoveries will no longer be available.
  
• Guests already booked on a 2014 voyage, or those who book now through midnight January 3, 2014 will still be eligible for the 25% savings as long as you book your Land Discoveries online at least 4 days prior to the voyage sailing date or prior to January 3, 2014.
  

There are two specific voyages shown below in which there are specific "last-call" dates to receive the savings during the booking process for both NEW and EXISTING reservations. The rule is driven by the fact Land Discoveries must be booked at least four (4) - 24-hour cycles/days prior to the voyage's embarkation day. That means that the sailing date is not included in the calculation.

-Departure - Quest, Jan 5, 2014 - you have until December 31, 2013, 11:59 PM EST to do so.

-Departure - Journey, Jan 6, 2014 - you have until January 01, 2014, 11:59 PM EST to do so.

 

With respect to the brain-teaser question, using the rules above, the correct response:

Q: Guest A books Quest for September 2014 today.

-A: Must book Land Discoveries no later than now through midnight January 3, 2014.

Q: Guest B books Quest for September 2014 in February of next year.

- A: Guest B is not eligible. The program was discontinued on midnight, January 3, 2014.

 

Best regards,

 

Bill Leiber

__________________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

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

[ellbon]

Bill,

 

Thanks for the clarification. My wife & I will be cruising on the Quest B/B from 18 Feb 2014 - Los Angeles to Miami. We would like to take advantage of the 25% discount but note so far no shore excursions are shown by Azamara for Caldera, Costa Rica on either 3 March (cruise day) or 4 March (changeover day).

 

Given the timing of the removal of the discount please advise if & approximately when excursions will be publicized for one or both of these dates.

 

First off i have not seen you on our roll call. There is going to be a private tour set up by Ted. I just go an email from him. Think there is room for one more.

There are never tours planed for change over day.. ted again might be working on a plan. This is the importance off using the roll call.

[marinaro44]

So when we booked two 2014 cruises earlier this year, the policy was a 25% pre-booking discount on land excursions. Now that's going away unless we book the excursions by early Jan 2014. But the currently listed excursions were designed under the old non-bespoke excursion program, not the hyped one that we get to pay more for. Then, we still don't have the Az Evening for our March West Indies cruise, so we don't know which tours to book where. And land excursions aren't even available yet for our Nov transatlantic. Who knows when given the recent unavailability of information from Miami.

What makes this latest take-away even more painful for those of us who've been cruising Azamara for years is that just one year ago we were handed an announcement that what was then a 50% discount for pre-booking excursions was going to be reduced to 25%. This was in addition to the huge fare increases that came with the BIG November announcement.

 

However, we were told that shore excursion prices were to be reduced to compensate for the reduction in the discount. As I look at excursion prices in Sorrento for our cruise starting this Saturday I wonder what happened to those price reductions. Worse, excursion prices for our far east Journey cruises in February and March are just absurd, and the 25% reduction that is about to be taken away barely makes those prices come close to reasonable. Bottom line: we've gone from a 50% discount to no discount in barely more than a year. Many thanks, Azamara. Makes it rather difficult to experience "destination immersion."

 

The big issue is that Azamara keeps making promises to us every time they boost prices but don't ever seem to deliver on those promises. " Selection of international beers?" Reduced excursion prices to compensate for cutting the pre-booking discount from 50% to 25%? Where are you?:confused:

 

Why should we have the slightest confidence that we'll be seeing smaller group tours or more "culturally immersive" tours or any of the hype in Bill's posting at anything resembling reasonable pricing in the future? The track record has yet to live up to the hype.

Edited October 31, 2013 by marinaro44

[pacheco18]

The track record has yet to live up to the hype.

 

Agree

 

But there is a workaround.

We always arrange private tours (we did all private tours on our recent Azamara cruise (they were fabulous) and are doing only private tours on our next Azamara cruise. They are cheaper, better and you have control over who will be your guide, who you spend time with and how you spend that time. You do not have to worry about tours being cancelled due to lack of participation or being on a big bus that cannot get near some of the more interesting places where only a smaller vehicle can get through. And there's nothing like waiting for 25 women to use a single bathroom!

 

Oceania cruisers have used this strategy for ages to get around the ridiculous prices of Oceania tours and now it is more the norm than the exception. I am hoping that an unintended consequence of this recent decision by Azamara will lead to more active roll calls on Azamara, the main purpose of which is usually to find others to tour with you.

[MIKESCOTLAND]

First off i have not seen you on our roll call. There is going to be a private tour set up by Ted. I just go an email from him. Think there is room for one more.

There are never tours planed for change over day.. ted again might be working on a plan. This is the importance off using the roll call.

 

Thanks. I am fully aware of the roll call & what is mentioned there re private tours. However I have just returned from an Azamara cruise & gather as there are a large number booked from LA B/B they are considering one tour on change over day. In any event there are likely to be Azamara excursions on the 3 May & time permitting I would prefer to first find out from Azamara what will be available from them.

[Jade13]

What makes this latest take-away even more painful for those of us who've been cruising Azamara for years is that just one year ago we were handed an announcement that what was then a 50% discount for pre-booking excursions was going to be reduced to 25%. This was in addition to the huge fare increases that came with the BIG November announcement.

 

However, we were told that shore excursion prices were to be reduced to compensate for the reduction in the discount. As I look at excursion prices in Sorrento for our cruise starting this Saturday I wonder what happened to those price reductions. Worse, excursion prices for our far east Journey cruises in February and March are just absurd, and the 25% reduction that is about to be taken away barely makes those prices come close to reasonable. Bottom line: we've gone from a 50% discount to no discount in barely more than a year. Many thanks, Azamara. Makes it rather difficult to experience "destination immersion."

 

The big issue is that Azamara keeps making promises to us every time they boost prices but don't ever seem to deliver on those promises. " Selection of international beers?" Reduced excursion prices to compensate for cutting the pre-booking discount from 50% to 25%? Where are you?:confused:

 

Why should we have the slightest confidence that we'll be seeing smaller group tours or more "culturally immersive" tours or any of the hype in Bill's posting at anything resembling reasonable pricing in the future? The track record has yet to live up to the hype.

 

Agree.

 

I was disappointed to hear that they are cutting back on the evening event and turning it more into an evening show or performance. If that is the case how is that different than having the performers come onboard, which they do on some mass market lines, including HAL where we have had performers in Barcelona and in Scotland to name a couple of places.

 

As far as the small group tours being offered by the ship, I hope people have realistic expectations regarding the pricing. The main stream cruise lines including both Celebrity and HAL offer small touring options for around $1,500 for the vehicle and guide for the day (which is for up to 6 or 8 people) and does not include entrance fees or meals. At that point we just book our own. Note the current full day tours with lunch are running in the $200 - $300 per person price range (in Asia where costs are cheaper), so assume small group tours will be more expensive.

[uktog]

[quote=ellbon;40509469

There are never tours planed for change over day..

Robin

I have been on two on change over day and there are some planned on the cruises we are on in the coming months. They are however the kind of tour that often gets cancelled as numbers are low.

[marinaro44]

Agree

 

But there is a workaround.

We always arrange private tours (we did all private tours on our recent Azamara cruise (they were fabulous) and are doing only private tours on our next Azamara cruise. They are cheaper, better and you have control over who will be your guide, who you spend time with and how you spend that time. You do not have to worry about tours being cancelled due to lack of participation or being on a big bus that cannot get near some of the more interesting places where only a smaller vehicle can get through. And there's nothing like waiting for 25 women to use a single bathroom!

 

Yes, we are part of two private tours on our upcoming November 2 Quest cruise and have already joined one for our far east cruises. Other ports, like Barcelona or Bermuda or Gibraltar, where we have been many times, we just do on our own. But there are many who rely on ship's tours for their convenience, safety, etc., and Azamara has treated those folks not very well over the past twelve months. Plus, there are some less-visited ports where it is either not easy to arrange a private tour or where, for whatever reason, someone may just feel uncomfortable not being in the ship's care (certain South American ports, for instance).

 

As I've written elsewhere, my primary annoyance is Azamara's habit of trying to soften a take-away by making vague, generality-filled announcements of something supposedly good to come, and then not delivering. Better to just tell it like it is: Costs are up, we can't afford the pre-booking discount anymore; book 'em now while you can.

[ellbon]

Robin

I have been on two on change over day and there are some planned on the cruises we are on in the coming months. They are however the kind of tour that often gets cancelled as numbers are low.

 

I have been on 15 change over day cruises. only one ended at the ship. and we all taxi to the airport to fly home from RIO.

 

i wish there were some in europe but no luck. but when there are less than 20 guests staying on what is the point.

[ellbon]

I have already booekd two high end ship tours and a couple others for next summer. i will look at the other cruise in Nov.i have looked but some ports are missing info still.

in some cases I will do my own thing...

robin

[beachmudhut]

Agree

 

But there is a workaround.

We always arrange private tours (we did all private tours on our recent Azamara cruise (they were fabulous) and are doing only private tours on our next Azamara cruise. They are cheaper, better and you have control over who will be your guide, who you spend time with and how you spend that time. You do not have to worry about tours being cancelled due to lack of participation or being on a big bus that cannot get near some of the more interesting places where only a smaller vehicle can get through.

 

All the land tours we have booked with Azamara have been cancelled when we got on board due to lack of numbers. By the time you are on board it is too late to book anything else. We almost always book private tours which are much better value for money.

[pacheco18]

 

As I've written elsewhere, my primary annoyance is Azamara's habit of trying to soften a take-away by making vague, generality-filled announcements of something supposedly good to come, and then not delivering. Better to just tell it like it is: Costs are up, we can't afford the pre-booking discount anymore; book 'em now while you can.

 

That does not appear to be their approach.

It takes a lot of courage to do that.

I'm not seeing it

[MIKESCOTLAND]

All the land tours we have booked with Azamara have been cancelled when we got on board due to lack of numbers. By the time you are on board it is too late to book anything else. We almost always book private tours which are much better value for money.

 

I find that astonishing. You seem to be very unlucky or we are lucky. We pre- booked c18 land tours with Azamara in 2012 & 2013 well in advance & none were cancelled by Azamara. Perhaps it has something to do with the itineraries. Ours tours with Azamara were mainly from Black Sea, Aegean and Mediterranean ports.

[taxjam]

We also never had a cancellation of an Azamara excursion and booked over 10 (probably 15 but I don't want to research prior trips) on our Antarctica, Norwegian Fjords and Hamburg to London cruises. We did do a lot of private tours on the Antarctica and on the Hamburg to London cruises.

[taxjam]

We also never had a cancellation of an Azamara excursion and booked over 10 (probably 15 but I don't want to research prior trips) on our Antarctica, Norwegian Fjords and Hamburg to London cruises. We did do a lot of private tours on the Antarctica and on the Hamburg to London cruises.

[Reggiefan]

For me, the issue is academic. I try to avoid excursions promoted by the cruise line, though I understand that itinerary determines the number of private tour options that exist.

 

The cruise excursions at their pricing will or will not be good value. If the latter, relative lack of demand will drive the pricing down.

 

And I hate to pile on, but UK is correct regarding the clarity of the policy change as articulated again in Bill's long post on page 2 of this thread. The questions and answers at the end of the post clearly communicate the policy change. The second bullet point does not by using the word "or" instead of the word "and".