Shareholder Benefit - Feedback to Bonnie and warning to shareholders for the future

[uktog]

Anyone who books more than a year ahead (and therefore gets the land discoveries credit in recognition that there will be no price drops available to them within 10 months of sailing) will not get the shareholder benefit.

 

If you become a frequent cruiser Doug, you will have to chose between your LCV discount and your shareholder benefit. Just sayin ;)

[rallydave]

Anyone who books more than a year ahead (and therefore gets the land discoveries credit in recognition that there will be no price drops available to them within 10 months of sailing) will not get the shareholder benefit.

 

 

Believe what is written above only applies to the UK or elsewhere but, not to the US. We booked almost 2 years ahead in the US and are completely unaware of any land discoveries credit or recognition that there will be no price drops within 10 months of sailing.

 

We did get an OBC promo as well as a price drop more than 10 months prior to sailing. Appears there are so many different promotions depending on where you live that any discussion of promos, OBC, etc. needs to also cover where they might be available so people in different areas don't try to get promos that are not available to them.

[uktog]

Believe what is written above only applies to the UK or elsewhere but, not to the US. We booked almost 2 years ahead in the US and are completely unaware of any land discoveries credit or recognition that there will be no price drops within 10 months of sailing.

 

We did get an OBC promo as well as a price drop more than 10 months prior to sailing. Appears there are so many different promotions depending on where you live that any discussion of promos, OBC, etc. needs to also cover where they might be available so people in different areas don't try to get promos that are not available to them.

 

It is a global programme that was introduced last November

 

https://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/plan/our-pricing-program

[rallydave]

Thanks for the quick and informative reply. Didn't know they had actually put the best price guarantee into specific information. Got our OBC and discount before last November and am glad for future reference that the specifics are now in writing.

 

And, as a clarification for others, prior to 10 months, you will get promotions consisting of discounts altho they may not be as significant as you might think and is sort of strangely worded but, here is what we got. There was a promotion that included the cruise we are booked on for 25% of the cruise fare for each person. In our case, the fare has gone up for our cruise as it is almost sold out. Thought we would get 25% off the price we paid but, reading carefully, what they will do is take the current price of your cruise and reduce that by 25% and that is your new price. In our case we saved money but, depending on what you paid and what the new price is, you might end up with the same or higher price with the promotion depending on how much the price has changed.

 

Good luck all.

[Grandma Cruising]

It is a global programme that was introduced last November

 

 

 

https://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/plan/our-pricing-program

 

 

Interesting that this link is to the US site. When you change it to UK only the OBC for early booking is there. There is no mention on the UK site of the best price guarantee. I wonder if that's because TAs in the US offer much better benefits than any I have ever found in the UK.

 

 

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[pvkatmom]

It is a global programme that was introduced last November

 

https://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/plan/our-pricing-program

 

I didn't know about the global program until now, thank you! I originally booked a December 2016 cruise on the Journey around January or Feb 2015 (so almost 2 years in advance), then I saw they had a BOGO for 50% off the second fare, so I asked for and got that in March 2015. But now I see that since we are in a CC suite and we are still more than 10 months away from our sailing date, we are also entitled to $500 in OBC for Land Discoveries. Yippee, I am going to ask for that, too! Thank you, this site is such a great resource!

[Exc]

I booked with a travel agent. Received no OBC. Received no discounts. Today I was turned down for the shareholder benefit. After reading this forum, I am not surprised. The response was immediate, only took one day for rejection. Bonnie, please talk to corporate. I was a loyal Celebrity and Azamara customer. I will now be looking else where.

[BBMacLaird]

I booked with a travel agent. Received no OBC. Received no discounts. Today I was turned down for the shareholder benefit. After reading this forum, I am not surprised. The response was immediate, only took one day for rejection. Bonnie, please talk to corporate. I was a loyal Celebrity and Azamara customer. I will now be looking else where.

 

Hi Exc,

If you've rcvd no discounts at all you should be eligible for the shareholder benefit. I'd suggest you write an email to our LCV ambassador Nicole and ask her to look into your reservation. Include your booking number and contact information.

LeClubVoyage@azamaraclubcruises.com. Attn Nicole.

I hope you'll check back in on this thread and let me know how it turns out.

Bonnie

[Pam]

I booked my cruise almost two years out, but I am less than 10 months out now, so I guess no OBC for me.

[pvkatmom]

I booked my cruise almost two years out, but I am less than 10 months out now, so I guess no OBC for me.

 

Pam, you DID book more than 10 months in advance, so you should get the OBC for Land Discoveries. Read it again, below!!! My first post made it seem like you still had to be 10 months away from sail date, but that is not how I'm reading it now. Per uktog, this program was rolled out in November 2015, and I saw nothing about it not applying to prior bookings. The whole point of the program seems to be to give people that book early, a price guarantee and perks for booking early. You and I qualify! We both booked more than 10 months in advance. I got busy with other life issues, since my last post, but am hopping on this tomorrow to get the OBC for Land Discoveries.

https://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/p...ricing-program

 

P.S. I seem to recall that, as was I, you Pam, were an advocate for keeping some bath tubs... Azamara listened!:)

[Grandma Cruising]

I didn't know about the global program until now, thank you! I originally booked a December 2016 cruise on the Journey around January or Feb 2015 (so almost 2 years in advance), then I saw they had a BOGO for 50% off the second fare, so I asked for and got that in March 2015. But now I see that since we are in a CC suite and we are still more than 10 months away from our sailing date, we are also entitled to $500 in OBC for Land Discoveries. Yippee, I am going to ask for that, too! Thank you, this site is such a great resource!

 

 

You may not. We booked a cruise for October 2016 in 2015 before the early booking offer was available. I have asked if I can have the early booking OBC and been told no, because I booked before the offer was available.

 

 

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[Grandma Cruising]

Pam, you DID book more than 10 months in advance, so you should get the OBC for Land Discoveries. Read it again, below!!! My first post made it seem like you still had to be 10 months away from sail date, but that is not how I'm reading it now. Per uktog, this program was rolled out in November 2015, and I saw nothing about it not applying to prior bookings. The whole point of the program seems to be to give people that book early, a price guarantee and perks for booking early. You and I qualify! We both booked more than 10 months in advance. I got busy with other life issues, since my last post, but am hopping on this tomorrow to get the OBC for Land Discoveries.

 

https://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/p...ricing-program

 

 

 

P.S. I seem to recall that, as was I, you Pam, were an advocate for keeping some bath tubs... Azamara listened!:)

 

 

Please can you post on here if you get the OBC so I can then go back and have another go!

 

 

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[uktog]

I think we are confusing things here

 

The on board credit for booking ahead is only valid for bookings made since 1 November and are still more than 10 months from sailing date. If you fall into that group you are never eligible for shareholder benefit, that has been confirmed both by Shareholder Benefit and Azamara Head Office (though in the case of head office, they are only able to reconfirm the Benefit rules over which they could only intervene at board level as it is a Group corporate policy).

 

Exc if you are sailing some time in the future or have had the like package added (maybe your TA does not know this) you will be ineligible. If you are sailing more than 10 months out please post again if you do get OBC as a shareholder. I know in the past there has been inconsistencies in decisions and sharing info helped some cruisers a lot.

[Pam]

Okay, I booked my cruise long before November 1, and I am less than 10 months out, and I am not a shareholder (I don't think that is part of this, but just in case). I got an amazing suite for an incredible price, and I really hate to go asking for something else that I am probably not entitled to anyway. The link that was posted (thank you pvkatmom, and yes I was one pleading for a bath tub) isn't leading anywhere so I can't read about the program. I think I'm just going to be grateful for what I have unless somebody tells me different.

 

Thank you, too, uktog; you are always a voice of experience and I appreciate what you say.

 

Edit: I went back and found a "good" link, but I am going to be late for work if I explore that program. So I will look at it when I get to the office, but I still doubt that I am eligible.

Edited February 19, 2016 by Pam

[BBMacLaird]

I booked with a travel agent. Received no OBC. Received no discounts. Today I was turned down for the shareholder benefit. After reading this forum, I am not surprised. The response was immediate, only took one day for rejection. Bonnie, please talk to corporate. I was a loyal Celebrity and Azamara customer. I will now be looking else where.

 

Good morning Exc,

Can you clarify for me if you're upset over the Shareholder benefit (OBC)? Or our new Early Booking Benefit, which is an OSM (onboard spending money) applicable towards Land Discoveries?

[BBMacLaird]

I've been informed that rather than email about shareholder benefits to the LCV desk, the better email address to send this issues to would be:

 

AzamaraCustomerService@AzamaraClubCruises.com

[Pam]

I read through that "early booking" thing, and it is totally confusing. I just can't believe that Azamara is going to simply hand us $xxx simply because 1)we booked a cruise a long time out, and 2)we are more than 10 months away from the cruise. The way I read it was that if those two things were in place AND there was a price reduction in our category, THEN they would give us the difference and that difference would possibly be in OBC.

[uktog]

The difference is between 10 months and sail date you can't have any offers

[wuppis]

I´ve sent my email to this adres and got the confirmation one day later:

 

ShareholderBenefit@rccl.com

 

It works for all 3 cruiselines: RCCL, Celebrity and Azamara.

 

It came from the

 

Coupon Redemption Team

Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd.

 

Maybe you´ll try this emailadres also.

[p18750]

This is the first I have heard of the Early Booking Benefit but I applied for and received the shareholder benefit when I booked my cruise back in 2014 (sailing this august). I read the information at the link and I don't see a limitation on when the booking was made other than 10 months or more before the cruise departure. So I have sent a request to Azamara asking about the Early Booking Benefit. We will see what they say.

 

Regarding the shareholder benefit I have found in the past that it is not allowed if you have any other OBC from the cruise line. For example I had a cruise last year where Celebrity offered a $100 OBC with my cruise fare. I asked if I could decline that since it would eliminate my ability to get a $250 shareholder credit. My TA talked to Celebrity and was able to remove the $100 OBC so I could get the larger shareholder credit. This does not apply to OBC directly from the TA and not associated with the cruise line.

[Grandma Cruising]

This is the first I have heard of the Early Booking Benefit but I applied for and received the shareholder benefit when I booked my cruise back in 2014 (sailing this august). I read the information at the link and I don't see a limitation on when the booking was made other than 10 months or more before the cruise departure. So I have sent a request to Azamara asking about the Early Booking Benefit. We will see what they say.

 

 

 

Regarding the shareholder benefit I have found in the past that it is not allowed if you have any other OBC from the cruise line. For example I had a cruise last year where Celebrity offered a $100 OBC with my cruise fare. I asked if I could decline that since it would eliminate my ability to get a $250 shareholder credit. My TA talked to Celebrity and was able to remove the $100 OBC so I could get the larger shareholder credit. This does not apply to OBC directly from the TA and not associated with the cruise line.

 

 

I did exactly the same and was turned down on the basis that I booked before the early booking benefit OBC offer started on 1 November even though I booked 18 months before my cruise.

 

 

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[uktog]

I did exactly the same and was turned down on the basis that I booked before the early booking benefit OBC offer started on 1 November even though I booked 18 months before my cruise.

 

 

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But you get the benefit of being able to claim a price reduction if you are eligible at say 9 months before your cruise and also if you have no other benefits that lead to the cruiseline giving you obc on your booking you are eligible for shareholder benefit. That's the difference, we can have it one way or the other, not both!

[Pam]

I had time to go back through that link again. Are there two separate things being discussed on that page of the website? The "apply here" link takes you to requesting a price drop, and wants to know where you saw the lower price. I did see the early booking program with the amounts listed per suite but nowhere to ask about it. I would be willing to ask, but only if I could do it myself; I have bothered my TA enough over this trip; she has gotten me through two promotions that I found, and then she found another one for me.

[CruiseLady88]

Good that I bought Carnival shares and not Royal Caribbean shares. I have no problem getting my shareholders benefit from Carnival for my princess and Holland America cruises. Good job, Carnival! I told my friends to buy Carnival stocks. The price has gone down and it is a good time to buy.

[Exc]

I am speaking of the shareholder benefit. I am booked on the TA on April 5. I did not receive the like package or the land discoveries credit. I booked this cruise thru my travel agent a year ago.