What is it with Azamara and flights?

[N&PJ]

We have booked a fly-cruise with Azamara for mid August and are told by our TA that we may not be given our flight details until 7-14 days before we cruise.

I find this extraordinary and probably would not have booked the cruise had I known this at the outset.

Is this normal practice with Azamara?

[Riocca]

We have never experienced this, we have always had our flight details within a few days of booking or whenever the flights become "in range" which is about 10 -11 months before the return flight.

 

It is common for RCCL flights department in the UK who handle the flights for Celebrity & Azamara to do a block booking so even though you have the locator number you are unable to access your booking online with the airline until the tickets are issued, this might be what your TA is saying, but you should have flight times and numbers.

[ridolphi]

Interesting.

 

Azamara uses the Choice Air program, and for our upcoming cruise, I booked the air myself on the website, although I could have had my TA do it, I clicked on the air link, put in our reservation number, name, and cruise info, and then flight options came up and I picked the one I wanted. Very happy with the flights, and the price. I too did this within a few days of our booking and they were confirmed and ticketed immediately with record locator numbers.

 

Is your air being booked thru the Choice Air program?

[Xport]

Is your air being booked thru the Choice Air program?

 

Are from the UK... Choice Air is only available to guests from The United States and Canada...

 

Travel is packaged very differently in other markets...

[Riocca]

Quite correct Choice Air is not available in the UK, here flights can be either through Azamara or the travel agent can package it themselves. Often it is very difficult for the customer to know exactly is doing the flights, I always make sure who is doing it.

 

One very important factor is the legislation we have here for financial protection, if the cruise and flights are sold as a package the entity doing so should have an Air Tour Operators Licence (ATOL) and should produce an ATOL Certificate as part of the documentation, this will clearly show who is responsible for the booking.

[Prefdavid]

We have booked a fly-cruise with Azamara for mid August and are told by our TA that we may not be given our flight details until 7-14 days before we cruise.

I find this extraordinary and probably would not have booked the cruise had I known this at the outset.

Is this normal practice with Azamara?

 

That's not been our experience at all and I'd question your TA very carefully as to why they're saying that. Our next cruise with Azamara is in November and has been booked for some time via our TA. We sorted out the flights with help from both Azamara and our TA last month, once the flights were available, as we wanted to have time in Barcelona pre-cruise.

 

If your flights are part of an Azamara package, I'd be very surprised at this and maybe contacting Azamara directly could help.

[ridolphi]

Understand now. Sorry you are having an issue, hope it gets resolved soon and you can relax and enjoy your cruise.

[pcur]

I would threaten to cancel the cruise and re-book with another travel agent if you don't get your air confirmed by May. Of course, you won't do this, but the agent will be motivated to get it all cleared up. I think it's a travel agency thing, and I'm guessing they don't want to release the funds until 2 weeks before the flight. Just a guess.

[AnnenAlan]

we have just booked too with Azamara for July just been told that our flights are indirect and will take a total of 8 hours to get from the UK to Istambul! I have contacted out agent to change but no response yet we have been on many cruises and never had flights that are indirect

[AnnenAlan]

sorry posted twice::confused:

Edited March 25, 2015 by AnnenAlan

[Karieem]

We are obviously on the previous Cruise which ends at Istanbul. Our Istanbul to Heathrow flights are direct but we have indirect ones to Athens on 11th July. I emailed Azamara and got no response at all. Our Travel Agent contacted them yesterday and they DID offer a direct flight which got into Athens very late on 11/07 so I stuck with the indirect ones. Like you this is the first time in 14 Cruises that we have had this situation! Not very impressed so far! I wonder what sort of detour the transfers will take!!

[Spursgirl]

I have cruised many times with Azamara and have never had this problem. Also live in the UK. When I book via a travel agent I never firm up my booking until I know flight details. And one of my things is that I will never fly indirect. Being fortunate enough to fly from London it is almost never an issue.

 

Think you need to have a stern word with your TA. What they are telling you is ridiculous

[Karieem]

The TA was on the phone to Azamara at the same time as she was talking to me (on another line obviously!) and Azamara said that BA flights were "out of the budget"! I intend to keep pursuing this.

[uktog]

That's why I go cruise only from UK and manage my own flights

[Riocca]

Our last Azamara cruise in November came with flights for £499 pp we were able to choose the flights we wanted and for the return flight from Rio to Heathrow Premium Economy was "within budget".

 

However for all of our future cruises we are cruise only and are doing our own flights, mainly to take advantage of using air-miles.

 

Next January we are booked on Journey for a round-trip from Miami as this is only 11 days and the ship is in for refit prior to this we have booked a pre-cruise cruise on Regal Princess and have booked our own direct flights with Virgin. But looking at flights available through Princess none are offered as direct and all were well in excess of the price we have paid to Virgin.

[liauq]

Hi;

we booked the azamara cruise 21/7/15 from Istanbul with flights included thru' a ta and asked when we would know about flight details because we had chosen to fly from manchester and a quick scan of flights could reveal nothing suitable that day!

I'd also spoken to people on a previous azamara cruise who'd travelled from manchester to barcelona via Paris, quite a long day for a short journey.

 

we were also told that flights would not be confirmed til very close to the saildate but were actually given them in early march.azamara had booked us flights with ba via heathrow the day before the cruise and flights back to manchester (from athens) via heathrow with ba.

 

I was not entirely happy with this because coming from the midlands, I would have preferred a direct flight from heathrow (2 hours north to manchester,3 hours south to heathrow) so the ta got back to azamara who subsequently offered me a direct flight from manchester to istanbul the day before the cruise but the indirect flight on the way back remains because they were "too late" to book a direct flight.

apparently, we will be put up in a Wyndham Grand hotel for the overnight in istanbul but no details of meals,baggage,transfers are available yet!

 

I'm a bit of a control freak , ok, a lot..but I'm gritting my teeth and trusting that azamara prove to be 5*, p.s. also know that we'll be kicked off the ship early so expect we'll get to know Athens airport very well!

[welshfamily]

We too have been given indirect flights from Manchester via Heathrow to Istanbul. We are also flying the day before and staying at the Wyndam and again also have no details of anything. Our cruise is in August. Now wondering if this is the norm for Azamara.

[AnnenAlan]

HI we are on the same cruise as you out of istanbul 21/7 staying at the wyndham the day before, our flights leave heathrow at 9.30am we change at hamburg reaching istanbul at 5pm crazy! our flights home from athens are indirect too

 

I have been on many cruises non of the flights are indirect unless long haul

[liauq]

hi, annenallan;

that's weird.I want direct flights from manchester and get offered indirect flights via heathrow with BA and you want to go from heathrow and get diverted thru' germany.where do you think we'd be going if we'd asked for flights from edinburgh..iceland?

 

we've now had info. from Azamara but it doesn't say anything about airline baggage allowance, whether the hotel (actually the wyndham grand istanbul hotel europe, petek is the old name) is room only or b and b.it indicates a pick-up time from the hotel of 12.00 hrs which would be disappointing for sightseeing in Istanbul and doesn't say anything about the transfer to the airport in Athens.

 

we've been on Azamara before and you have to disembark quite early, from memory, 09.00 at the latest and our flight is now put back to 14.45 hrs; so not enough time to sightsee and far too long at the airport!

 

I've put a few queries to our TA but it's making me think twice about booking cruise/flight packages in the future.

[AnnenAlan]

Hi Liauq

 

I have just rang TA again.The hotel looks nice 5* but is at the airport so a long way from the city. it is our first azamara cruise got a good deal on inside guarantee we liked the idea of a small ship with the all inclusive and we love the Greek Islands

 

all our flight details are on checkmytrip with Lufthansa says baggage is 23kg flight back out of Athens 2.10pm again via hamburg!

[AnnenAlan]

:D result

 

I take it all back

 

has now been confirmed by TA we have direct flights very pleased!

[AnnenAlan]

:D

 

I take it all back just confirmed all our flights are now direct

 

result!

[AnnenAlan]

Sorry posted twice again I am rubbish at this lol!

[liauq]

hi AnnenAlan;

glad you are all sorted out now.we've only been on Azamara once but we had a lovely time and I'm sure you will too..we booked out own flights and accommodation that time!!

[welshfamily]

We our on the 6th of August cruise.

Spoken with TA re flights as Turkish Airlines fly direct from Manchester to Istanbul.

Azamara could not offer a return direct flight from Istanbul until evening and as we had requested a lunchtime return flight if possible he took the indirect flight via Heathrow. Looking at the times offered TA was correct.

We could have flown out with Turkish Airlines but would have arrived after 11pm. Using the BA flight again gets us into Istanbul by 4.30pm even though we have to leave Manchester at 7 am. Again with the free hotel and transfers he thought an evening in Istanbul was a better choice.

 

Our TA says Azamara always try to get flights which suit their guests.

 

 

Re hotel.

Yes it's an airport hotel however it gets very good reviews but it makes sense to use such a hotel if cruisers are arriving from many different places. We intend taking a taxi into Istanbul for the evening.

 

We would too like to know the pick up time to go to the ship.