Back to back disembarkation days

[midwestchick]

Thanks. I will call ACC in the morning. I was booking through a third party and planned on booking in the morning. I have a hold on the cabin through tomorrow.

 

It pays to read CC!

 

Thanks again.

 

chris

 

All travel agent are or should be aware of the b2b discount and really should tell you up front. Sometimes it!s much easier to let your TA put a cabin on hold for you, otherwise if you book that cabin, you have to fill out a form to transfer it.....anyway, that's what ACC told me. Easy way out is to cancel the hold and rebook through your TA unless you have your heart set on that particular cabin. We love having the same cabin on our b2b's.

[ellbon]

All travel agent are or should be aware of the b2b discount and really should tell you up front. Sometimes it!s much easier to let your TA put a cabin on hold for you, otherwise if you book that cabin, you have to fill out a form to transfer it.....anyway, that's what ACC told me. Easy way out is to cancel the hold and rebook through your TA unless you have your heart set on that particular cabin. We love having the same cabin on our b2b's.

 

if you book on the ship you also get a discount for that too.. prices of discount I think varies on price of cabin. i get about 1000 off each cruise.

[midwestchick]

if you book on the ship you also get a discount for that too.. prices of discount I think varies on price of cabin. i get about 1000 off each cruise.

 

Right, and isn't it also the length of the cruise, Robin? What category are you booking to get that amount off....seems a little high compared to booking your own or through a TA.

[cbradley1209]

Right, and isn't it also the length of the cruise, Robin? What category are you booking to get that amount off....seems a little high compared to booking your own or through a TA.

 

I just got off the phone with ACC and it is tied to the length of the sailing. I'm looking to do a b2b for the Norwegian fjords and the British Open. This isn't until 2017 - it's a surprise for my husband. For these cruises I got $400 off each (neglected to ask if it was per person....) She said that ACC will take the money off once the TA sends in the paperwork. It takes 7-10 days.

Thanks for your help-chris (and we should be able to stay in the same room! a VZ cabin on the stern).

[BBMacLaird]

My understanding of maritime law is that there is a requirement ON EMBARKATION for all passengers to attend a safety briefing. Perhaps the Azamara chief blogger would please explain why your cruise line requires back to back passengers to attend repeat safety briefings at the start of every subsequent voyage? On this basis why not hold a safety briefing every seven or fourteen days? What is special about turn round day?

 

Why does Azamara not host a dinner on the first night of 2nd and subsequent cruises for b2b passengers with at least one senior officer present in one of its speciality restaurants? This is a nice touch by other cruise lines in recognition of loyalty.

 

A meeting for b2b passengers? Why? Are b2bers an unwelcome presence on turn round day who could potentially interfere with the ship's operation?

 

We will be doing our first b2b on Azamara next month, after many such instances on other cruise lines, and envisage a major row looming on turn round day.

 

I look forward to hearing from Azamara's chief blogger on these points.

 

BTW I have been cruising since 1964.

Kindest regards

Master Echo

 

Hello Master Echo,

I apologize for the delay; yesterday proved to be one of those terrible flight days where every plane was late departing and every connection barely made. But I'm back on solid land and will attempt here a thorough response to your post.

 

Per the Chief Officer Safety of the Azamara Journey

"all back-to back guests are technically "disembarked" when they are checked-out (even if they do not leave the ship). Once they are checked in and issued a new card they are considered as newly embarked again and according to SOLAS/CLIA/SQM all need to attend the Drill. In USA for instance all guests are required to actually step off the ship and disembark to the terminal even if they are continuing on for the next cruise."

Azamara Club Cruises takes the safety of our guests and crew extremely seriously. We don't leave anything to chance when it comes to our safety procedures.

 

On the day before debarkation, we schedule a meeting with those guests who are with us on back-to-back voyages, and explain how the turn-around day will work for you as a guest staying on.

 

Finally, I'm hearing that the Hotel department senior management is considering your other suggestions.

 

All of us appreciate your questions. We look forward to welcoming you aboard!

[excitedofharpenden]

 

Finally, I'm hearing that the Hotel department senior management is considering your other suggestions.

 

 

Bonnie, if this is the question about having a b2b dinner in the Specialties I really hope they don't. As I said in my post above there can be a surprisingly large number of them which would seriously affect the "speciality" nature of those restaurants and filling them with back to back cruisers especially on the first night when dining arrangements are bedding in I don't think is a good idea. Besides we have our back to back discount that shows they value b2bers.

 

Phil

[midwestchick]

I just got off the phone with ACC and it is tied to the length of the sailing. I'm looking to do a b2b for the Norwegian fjords and the British Open. This isn't until 2017 - it's a surprise for my husband. For these cruises I got $400 off each (neglected to ask if it was per person....) She said that ACC will take the money off once the TA sends in the paperwork. It takes 7-10 days.

Thanks for your help-chris (and we should be able to stay in the same room! a VZ cabin on the stern).

 

 

The extended voyages benefit is per voyage, not per person. You can read about it here:

https://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/plan/extended-voyages

 

Glad you got everything taken care of. VX cabins are the same price as the standard V cabins right now. The VX are usually more expensive.

Looks like I was incorrect when I said I thought it was cabin category also.

[BBMacLaird]

Bonnie, if this is the question about having a b2b dinner in the Specialties I really hope they don't. As I said in my post above there can be a surprisingly large number of them which would seriously affect the "speciality" nature of those restaurants and filling them with back to back cruisers especially on the first night when dining arrangements are bedding in I don't think is a good idea. Besides we have our back to back discount that shows they value b2bers.

 

Phil

 

Hi Phil,

As this thread has now come to the attention of various departments, I'm sure they are reading your post with particular interest.

 

I know I appreciate your voice of experience on this forum re our service and product.

 

Thank you.

[excitedofharpenden]

Thanks Bonnie.

 

Phil

[cbradley1209]

I just got off the phone with ACC and it is tied to the length of the sailing. I'm looking to do a b2b for the Norwegian fjords and the British Open. This isn't until 2017 - it's a surprise for my husband. For these cruises I got $400 off each (neglected to ask if it was per person....) She said that ACC will take the money off once the TA sends in the paperwork. It takes 7-10 days.

Thanks for your help-chris (and we should be able to stay in the same room! a VZ cabin on the stern).

 

Now, I just got off the phone with the TA and she said the b2b credit comes off of her commission. Does that sound right?

 

Thanks-chris

[Spursgirl]

Bonnie, if this is the question about having a b2b dinner in the Specialties I really hope they don't. As I said in my post above there can be a surprisingly large number of them which would seriously affect the "speciality" nature of those restaurants and filling them with back to back cruisers especially on the first night when dining arrangements are bedding in I don't think is a good idea. Besides we have our back to back discount that shows they value b2bers.

 

Phil

 

Hi Phil,

 

Azamara used to offer a complimentary dinner in either speciality restaurant on embarkation night of the second cruise.

 

I have only done one b2b with Azamara with my mother who sadly no longer cruises and she rather liked not going to the MDR on embarkation night.

 

Not sure when they discontinued this but I have no strong feelings regarding whether they should re-instate it or not.

 

Azamara certainly appreciates back to backers as they do all their pax.

[uktog]

I personally am also very happy with the current B2B arrangements and would say it aint broke so don't try and fix it.

 

Everyone has different ideas of what they want on embarkation (or should I say re embarkation night). Having done B2B on both Azamara and Celebrity we found Azamara handled the change of key card much more efficiently and the get together just prior to the end of the first cruise was a nice touch. It allowed us to meet up with someone we had not previously met and to make off ship plans for change over day.

 

I fully understand why we rego to the lifeboat drill - just like I sit through the leaving the plane instructions so often I could recite them verbatim but sometimes things are a little different and even on the airline I usually fly on can change from one week to the next as they change the process

[midwestchick]

Now, I just got off the phone with the TA and she said the b2b credit comes off of her commission. Does that sound right?

 

Thanks-chris

 

Not that I'm aware of. My TA has never said anything like that. Maybe since it costs a little less because of the credit, she gets less commission...not sure. Maybe you need a new TA.

Does anyone else know the answer to this question?

[ellbon]

I so agree with Phil and others. We -B2B people-are just fine with our cocktail party with the info given at it.. I know that some of the events there are 40 people thee- no way you can close off a restaurant for dinner.

 

it is up to us to go or not go but i always get my key before we dock.

 

if they wanted to do anything for us if possible serve breakfast later in buffet to say 9 or 10.. many times we do not leave he ships to after 9 so it would be nice to get food alter. at least drinks and cold food.

[Master Echo]

I read with interest and some concern the responses to my previous post about B2Bs on Azamara.

 

I am most grateful to the Azamara Chief Blogger for the trouble he has gone to in replying to my post.

 

So, one poster felt my post was highly negative? Well, if that was the impression, then the text reflected the gloom I felt about how Azamara deals with B2B passengers, a state of affairs added to by other respondents. By this, I mean that the over-riding impression is that Azamara is not geared for B2B passengers. This view is reinforced by careful reading of Azamara’s current brochure, which states that customs and immigration require all passengers to disembark the vessel.

 

This latter statement, coupled with a remark by a previous poster, runs counter to our experiences on many B2B sailings with different cruise lines. In fact, we did a B2B with Silversea where the turnround port was Fort Lauderdale in the US, and there was NO requirement for B2B passengers to disembark the ship. It seems therefore that Azamara are being singled out by local customs and immigration staff in enforcing such a requirement which clearly does not apply to other cruise lines.

 

Perhaps herein lies an important dichotomy between cruise lines within the RCI group and others, because it is clear from a previous post that Celebrity follows a similar approach. My question remains, why RCI systems require B2B passengers to forego the obvious benefit of being “in transit” (Silversea’s phrase), and being regarding as having left the ship and re-boarding at the end/start of each voyage? This seems a crass waste of time for both passengers and crew.

 

Other lines outside the RCI Group on which I have sailed do not require checking-in repeatedly.

 

What makes this worse, based on what other respondents have said, is that however brief, it will interfere with my plans to go ashore for the day.

 

I’ve been sailing with Azamara since the early days, when returning past-passengers got a free, special shore trip; I recall one in Kotor. This, of course, pre-dated Azamazing evenings. My suggestion of officers hosting a dinner in one of the speciality restaurants on the first night, is therefore in keeping with past practice. So there might, as one poster says, be up to 70 doing B2B, but the speciality restaurants each hold over 90 covers, so what’s the problem? I cannot imagine that every cruise has over 70 returning guests. I also cannot understand the remark by another poster that the event I suggest would interfere with the “bedding in” of new dining arrangements. It is hardly a new experience for the crew nor most likely for the B2B passengers, merely a small inconvenience for those new arrivals. In replying to the poster who commented there is plenty of food anyway, this misses completely my point, which was a gesture by Azamara for loyalty.

 

Concerning lifeboat drill, my point was that this is dressed up as a requirement of maritime law for everyone. This only becomes an issue because of the way the RCI cruise lines force passengers to disembark, thus terminating one cruise and re-embarking as new arrivals for the second, which is a totally unnecessary requirement not forced upon passengers by other lines and merely procedural for your cruise line’s purposes. But at least now, the Chief Blogger has been kind enough to elicit the real reason.

 

I was looking forward to my cruise. The B2B hassle that awaits me has put a real downer on, what should be, a great trip.

 

Kindest regards

 

Master Echo

[marinaro44]

Sorry to say but I find not one bit of "hassle" in your posting. Not having a dinner with an officer is not a "hassle." We've done many back-to-backs and never had a dinner with an officer on embarkation day. They have other things to do the evening of that first day.

 

At one time there was a dinner offered in the specialty restaurant, but with so many now doing back-to-backs that's probably no longer an option. Matters not a whit. The rest of your complaint is trivia. Zero sympathy from me.

 

Go to the muster. Everyone else does and it's painless. Going to the gangway to check out and check in takes less than a minute. It's another non-issue.

 

Complaints like this make me glad I don't run a cruise line.:rolleyes:

[excitedofharpenden]

I read with interest and some concern the responses to my previous post about B2Bs on Azamara.

 

 

In my opinion this is a drama over nothing. A few of us who have done b2bs have explained that the process is very straightforward, but there still remains concern. I'm not sure further discussion of it here is going to put your mind at rest so I won't give any further input on it to you.

 

Just one thing. If by a free special shore trip in Kotor you mean a walk to the fort with officers or a special visit to Our Lady of the Rock, they still do those.

 

Phil

Edited September 8, 2015 by excitedofharpenden

[2fromTO]

We have done many b2b cruises and have had no issues with debarkation/embarkation days. They have been seamless and we have really enjoyed those days, both on and off the ship. The get together the evening before with Senoir Officers is a nice touch and very helpful.

 

On a turnover day in Malaga, we did a long excursion to the Alhambra, and, unfortunately, did not get back to the ship in time for the Muster Drill. We attended the make-up drill the next day.

 

I really do not understand anyone taking issue with having to attend a Muster Drill. Personally, I would prefer to sail on a ship that takes safety seriously.