Le Club Voyage Thumbs up or down

[Bowie MeMe]

Good question, and I took it that the opening sentence of his third paragraph identified one position found on this forum that he was challenging.

 

Perhaps he will identify others.

 

Ok that 3rd paragraph claims that they talked to real customers and constructed this policy and ran it through some kind of focus group or something. Can we see these people and identify anyone who was consulted. Not saying they didn't-- just saying that the people who advised them that this policy had ANYTHING to recommend it should be brought up to stand up for their ideas. They got some 'splainin' to do and then maybe we will be able to explain why we have to abandon the ships of AZ.

[EddiesToys]

Removing perks sounds like management has decided to can the Azamara brand and it's two R class ships. Great staff, great ships, just too bad such poor management!

[HudandPug]

IMO THIS is the only bit that says why they have done this.

 

' New programs bring change, most of this program as we noted prior is non-cruise traditional.'

 

They are trying to be 'different'.

 

However, they are trying too hard and probably had a focus group of committed Azamara loyalists help with finding something completely different, is not the same as have a group to say what do you think of the existing programme, how can we enhance/improve it.

 

It's how you ask the question and which question you ask.

 

They can also use feedback forms, informal groups, they ask at the end, 'if you could enhance the perks, what would you choose, given these options? '

 

It's unlikely that the people asked would realise that by choosing the options they are guided to they are removing the existing loyalty options.

 

Just my thoughts, one final one.

 

Azamara, for me and the people we have made friends with, is about

 

'The Little Things'

 

Yvonne

[sandyss]

Contrary to what many of you have posted here, this program was carefully constructed, researched, vetted and a pool of loyalty members contacted to give us input and feedback on what was most valuable to them in terms of their vacation experience. Throughout this process the insights that we gathered were significant, our guests travel with us for the immersion within the destinations we visit and the great service of the crew onboard. This is our brand promise and this will not change, we continue to deliver this promise to you each time you sail with us. New programs bring change, most of this program as we noted prior is non-cruise traditional.

 

Joel. When your pool of loyalty members were contacted to give you input and feedback on what was most valuable to them in terms of their vacation experience, were they shown the Ts & Cs that make the so called "enhancements" virtually worthless and unattainable for most of them?

 

Free nights and upgrades sound good - but most of us will not be able to take advantage of either of those "enhancements" because of the Ts & Cs.

 

We much prefer included internet minutes and free laundry - which make us feel that our loyalty is still appreciated.

 

Our next cruise is 16 days. With your takeaways, I fully expect that there will be a mob scene at the self-service washing machines and dryers - not the type of atmosphere that Azamara prides itself on.

 

I also expect that guest services will be inundated with complaints about lost internet minutes due to the slow and interrupted internet on board. Guests are much less likely to complain if they are not paying for the inefficient internet system.

[excitedofharpenden]

This has to be a mistake . I believe that two men have 50 plus cruise. No one I know has 100.

I think this might have been my fault because I put out on the boards that there were a couple with 100 cruises and you are correct. It is 50 (I was on their 50th cruise when they were honoured at the LCV party). Brain fade on my part. They had another large number booked or held via Open Passages too. You are right that there are many that have quite a number of cruises on Azamara. I'm a mere amateur!

 

All of those who have cruised a lot on Azamara and are Discovery Plus in their own right with Az or have picked up quite a few points via their Celebrity reciprocity are at a big disadvantage when it comes to earning toward their free night, either because it is going to take them so long to get to the next tier or in the case of Discoverer Platinum have already reached the top of the tree and can't go any further.

 

Phil

[nordski]

IMO THIS is the only bit that says why they have done this.

 

' New programs bring change, most of this program as we noted prior is non-cruise traditional.'

 

They are trying to be 'different'.

 

However, they are trying too hard and probably had a focus group of committed Azamara loyalists help with finding something completely different, is not the same as have a group to say what do you think of the existing programme, how can we enhance/improve it.

 

It's how you ask the question and which question you ask.

 

They can also use feedback forms, informal groups, they ask at the end, 'if you could enhance the perks, what would you choose, given these options? '

 

It's unlikely that the people asked would realise that by choosing the options they are guided to they are removing the existing loyalty options.

 

Just my thoughts, one final one.

 

Azamara, for me and the people we have made friends with, is about

 

'The Little Things'

 

Yvonne

 

I think you may well be correct, especially about the questions asked.

 

I don't think it's about the money. It may well be an attempt to differentiate from Celebrity.

[pacheco18]

I find it VERY HARD to believe that they consulted a focus group of "Azamara regulars" evaluating much less approving these changes. Was anyone on these boards consulted?? Just look at the reaction here.

[HudandPug]

I find it VERY HARD to believe that they consulted a focus group of "Azamara regulars" evaluating much less approving these changes. Was anyone on these boards consulted?? Just look at the reaction here.

 

If I was going to make radical changes to something and I needed customer endorsement, I would choose a random selection from those who are known to reply to feedback forms. i would choose from those who are local to wherever, this is the important bit, the focus group meeting is going to be held. Keeps cost down and keeps the demographics easy to manage.

 

The senior management will have already looked at what may be different to all the others. They pass that on to an outside marketing company to set up a group and 'navigate' them to choosing, even coming up with themselves what has already been chosen as the new path. There may be options eg. If you had to choose between 2 free sailing days and free laundry, discuss which one you would choose.

 

or

 

What is more important to you, an upgrade at a reduced amount or internet minutes?

 

Of course really good marketing psychologist will not even need options!

 

Pure hypothesis! They do a good post grad in it at my old uni;)

 

Yvonne

Edited September 5, 2014 by HudandPug

[peternina]

Did top management at Azmara tell Joel to write something to "shut those people up?"

 

The ship is sinking, does making two more big holes in the hull save the ship? What? What are they thinking?

 

My spouse feels that Azamara wants to sink the brand. Can that be true?

[nordski]

The senior management will have already looked at what may be different to all the others. They pass that on to an outside marketing company to set up a group and 'navigate' them to choosing, even coming up with themselves what has already been chosen as the new path. There may be options eg. If you had to choose between 2 free sailing days and free laundry, discuss which one you would choose.

 

or

 

What is more important to you, an upgrade at a reduced amount or internet minutes?

 

Of course really good marketing psychologist will not even need options!

 

Pure hypothesis! They do a good post grad in it at my old uni;)

 

Yvonne

 

But a really interesting hypothesis.

 

I used to sit through management meetings in which there were clear attempts to manipulate the discussion to arrive at the desired outcome, otherwise known as "co-opting".

 

Do they do a good post grad at your "old uni" in crowd psychology? Sometimes this forum would be an excellent subject :)

[Hamptonflyer]

:mad: Thumbs down. Can't add anything original to the hundreds of comments already posted. It's the little things in life that make a difference; free internet and laundry are two of such little things, and their imminent withdrawal WILL have an effect on customer loyalty. We shall probably jump ship and head for Seabourn and Silversea for our future cruises. We'll miss the incomparable crews of Azamara - after 14 cruises with them we are recognized and welcomed by so many individuals, from the Captain and senior officers to the waiters and cabin attendants - but customer loyalty is clearly not valued at senior management level. Our feedback to Azamara? By all means save a few dollars by ditching the cheap sparkling wine in the cabin on boarding; few are likely to miss it when they can go to any bar on board and enjoy a glass or three of pretty decent complimentary wine. Maybe even re-think the Azamazing Evenings, which must cost the company a fortune and often aren't THAT special. But don't touch those little things!

Sayonara, Azamara! (Catchy, ain't it? :) )

Edited September 5, 2014 by Hamptonflyer
Punctuation!

[piscean]

I'm a fan of the Azamara on board experience and am at Discovery level. However I find better offers with Regent and Crystal also about to try Oceania.Sadly I left AZAMARA a couple of years ago. Now they have taken away perks that many other cruise lines are including.....

Very sad.

[TRIPACIAN]

We just canceled a cruise in November 2015, and we are asking for a full refund based on the changes to the loyalty program. We can get a better deal (with perks) on several other cruise lines. Azamara does not deserve our money if they don't appreciate our past loyalty!

[takemewithyou]

I'm a fan of the Azamara on board experience and am at Discovery level. However I find better offers with Regent and Crystal also about to try Oceania.Sadly I left AZAMARA a couple of years ago. Now they have taken away perks that many other cruise lines are including.....

Very sad.

 

Ever since they made their announcement about the downgrade in loyalty perks, I have been barraged with a new e mail every day from Azamara....they are getting aggressive with the e mails searching for bookings!

 

Hi Carol, I have lost your e mail, but we, too, are trying Oceania!

can you e mail me and the "doughnut man"? :)

[tiggerrr]

Hello All,

 

Throughout this process the insights that we gathered were significant, our guests travel with us for the immersion within the destinations we visit and the great service of the crew onboard. This is our brand promise and this will not change, we continue to deliver this promise to you each time you sail with us.

 

Thank you, Azamara

 

This is the part of AzamaraJoel's response that explains to me the thought process behind the new program - "You'll cruise with us anyway." The slightly less harsh way to phrase that is "Destination and Crew/Atmosphere trump any perks we offer, so we're not going to offer them"

 

I have to admit that they may be right (they also may be wrong). People may be upset at the change. For others, this may be the last straw that puts them over the edge. But, for others, this may not be enough to make them leave Azamara. The onboard treatment by the officers and crew and the itineraries may keep people coming back.

 

For us, we're on the fence. We just completed our first cruise on Azamara and can't say enough good things about the crew and itinerary - we had a great time. We're happy with our cruise line of choice for big ships, but we wanted to find a favorite for small ship. We thought we had it in Azamara, but the change to LCV makes us want to keep looking. We MAY still land on Azamara as our choice (which would validate AZ's philosophy for this change), but we could land on Viking or Oceania or Seabourn or ... as the best balance of factors, including perks (which is the risk AZ is taking in making this change).

 

Bottom line, AZ believes that the remove perks do not sufficiently influence the buying choice over other factors for enough people to make a financial difference. They may be right (even though I hate the changes myself).

[excitedofharpenden]

Here we are a working week after the announcement and I find it very disappointing that Azamara have not tackled any of the concerns expressed by posters here. There have been some very salient points made and not a word. Just a reinforcement that our benefits are working toward those dubious free nights and savings when we book another cruise. I've always been impressed at how Azamara have listened here to what is said, but there's silence on this major one.

 

Phil

Edited September 6, 2014 by excitedofharpenden

[Lobbylin]

Ironically, when I cancelled my 3 b2b's my TA got back in touch to say "they are asking what do they have to do to keep the bookings?" But whilst I love Azamara, the trust is no longer there for me, so I said no, just cancel.

[hecc5]

I greeted the revisions to the loyalty rewards with dismay, and feel particularly distressed for the impact on the higher tiers whose level relates to vast $ spent.

 

Comments have been made regarding the free nights, and how it benefits the lower levels.

 

In theory, that would be us .... but

 

We have sailed with both Celebrity and Azamara, and are in the first tier

 

On 31 August, I booked B2B, covering 28 days for next spring on Journey, by far our most expensive cruise.

As we move up a tier during the !st half of the B2B, it was in the belief that we would get some extra internet minutes, and laundry if the benefit was applied for the cruise in which we changed level ( as the T& Cs said at the time )

 

Obviously no longer...

 

Ah .. but you'll qualify for 2 nights, subject to fulfilling conditions re timing etc...

 

NO

 

As we have another Celebrity cruise booked for this trip, we will not have 50% of points from Aza, when we move up a level.

 

If we did not do that cruise we would qualify for the percentage rule during the second half of the Aza b2b.

 

SO, techinically we would be better off if we cancelled our Celebrity cruise.

 

It seems that winners under the new rues are going to be rare.

 

 

So much for enhanced benefits.

[zennor]

hecc5,

 

This is ridiculous & makes a mockery of the whole thing. My guess (hope) is that they hadn't thought through that one. So this means that if you go up a level due to Celebrity points then you will never get your free nights. Crazy!

 

Maybe they have done their calculations & realised that this is going to cost them nothing....

 

Azamara, scrap this crazy scheme.

[Nachosdelux]

Loyalty is a 2 way street - companies must give repeat customers something of value to reward continued patronage.

 

Personally, I value something tangible and guaranteed (laundry and internet - which I use every cruise) over something that (while possibly worth more $$), is fraught with limitations, terms and conditions, meaning I may never get the benefit.

 

Similar trends can be seen in the airline industry. United has lost lots of high value flyers because of cuts to product and reward benefits.

 

IMO, this was done for one reason only - cost.

 

BTW, for a corporate spokesperson to call opinions "invalid" is not wise.

[geocruiser]

Azamara is going to do what they feel like doing--which is keep the new the loyalty rewards . I guess they feel that Azamara is so wonderful that they will still sail with two full older ships. I think the new loyalty rewards is here to stay. Azamara's ego is too big to change their minds on this.

[Jade13]

Loyalty is a 2 way street - companies must give repeat customers something of value to reward continued patronage.

 

Personally, I value something tangible and guaranteed (laundry and internet - which I use every cruise) over something that (while possibly worth more $$), is fraught with limitations, terms and conditions, meaning I may never get the benefit.

 

.

 

What, if anything, will customers get on every cruise in the new loyalty program on each level that is not part of a "dollars off" coupon, upsell, or require one to spend more money?

 

I was surprised they took away the bottle of sparkling wine. We don't need it (and DH doesn't drink), but I can't understand the savings for Azamara since they already offer "free" wine onboard.

 

Is there anything at all?

Edited September 6, 2014 by Jade13

[Nachosdelux]

What, if anything, will customers get on every cruise in the new loyalty program on each level that is not part of a "dollars off" coupon, upsell, or require one to spend more money?

 

 

Is there anything at all?

 

Sadly, it appears nothing.

 

This is why the changes are such a bad deal for the customer, for me at least.

[cruisingaussies]

I've spotted a typo in the Az announcement. They left the 'dis' off enhancements.

[Glenndale]

hecc5,

 

This is ridiculous & makes a mockery of the whole thing. My guess (hope) is that they hadn't thought through that one. So this means that if you go up a level due to Celebrity points then you will never get your free nights. Crazy!

 

Maybe they have done their calculations & realised that this is going to cost them nothing....

 

Azamara, scrap this crazy scheme.

 

You are quite correct, I'm at Discoverer level and would need to cruise for approx 74 nights in a balcony cabin to get to the next level.

I have a transatlantic cruise booked for Nov 15 and the laundry and internet would have been very useful.

From what I can see our 'loyalty' level will give us no benefits at all.

I do not want a suite, my cabin has been chosen with care so the carrot of paying $199 for a possible upgrade is worthless and all the other benefits will be no longer.

What is the point of me being a member of the LCV scheme?

Can anyone tell me?

I would be very interested to know what benefits I will receive on my next cruise :confused: although I'm pretty sure I know the answer - None :(

 

Bonnie and Azamara Joel insult our intelligence by trotting out the company line.

To quote Phil, 'Do they think we're stupid?'

Edited September 7, 2014 by Glenndale