LCV cruise. Land discoveries. ...worries

[Grandma Cruising]

Can't make private arrangements using OBC!

 

 

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[scapel]

Can't make private arrangements using OBC!

 

 

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How much OBC do people usually get? All I will have will be $250 and that doesn't last long.

[uktog]

How much OBC do people usually get? All I will have will be $250 and that doesn't last long.

 

Nowadays people can have on board credit for a variety of reasons for example

1. If you book back to back cruises, Azamara no longer gives you a price discount but onboard credit for both cruises. The amount depends on the length of the cruise but if it is a 9 night cruise it is $400 per room and for 4-8 nights $300

2. Early booking pricing - you can find a link to it on Azamaras website if book your Azamara voyage 10 months prior to departure, you will receive Onboard Credit to be used against Land Discoveries only - this can be as high as $1,000 for the highest suite

3. From time to time a booking incentive from Azamara can include a Like package which comes with $400 of credit again only useable for land discoveries.

4. Booking onboard can give a benefit of $200

 

None of these are credits from a travel agent I believe you get in the US, in the UK we rarely if ever get that.

 

So book onboard, a year in advance a nine night cruise as part of a back to back arrangement when a like package is being offered as a booking benefit and you can have up to $2000 of OBC, $1400 of which can only be used for land discoveries

 

Hope this explains why guests are concerned about the position

[scapel]

Nowadays people can have on board credit for a variety of reasons for example

1. If you book back to back cruises, Azamara no longer gives you a price discount but onboard credit for both cruises. The amount depends on the length of the cruise but if it is a 9 night cruise it is $400 per room and for 4-8 nights $300

2. Early booking pricing - you can find a link to it on Azamaras website if book your Azamara voyage 10 months prior to departure, you will receive Onboard Credit to be used against Land Discoveries only - this can be as high as $1,000 for the highest suite

3. From time to time a booking incentive from Azamara can include a Like package which comes with $400 of credit again only useable for land discoveries.

4. Booking onboard can give a benefit of $200

 

None of these are credits from a travel agent I believe you get in the US, in the UK we rarely if ever get that.

 

So book onboard, a year in advance a nine night cruise as part of a back to back arrangement when a like package is being offered as a booking benefit and you can have up to $2000 of OBC, $1400 of which can only be used for land discoveries

 

Hope this explains why guests are concerned about the position

 

I can certainly see why the guest are concerned with getting an OBC that can be only used for Land Tours and then the company removes the land tours. Kind of sneaky.

I only have an OBC because I have over 100 shares of Royal Caribbean Stock. Can UK Guest file for the Stock OBC? I think it does not add to any other OBC.

My TA gives a rebate on completion of the cruise, but no OBC

[uktog]

I can certainly see why the guest are concerned with getting an OBC that can be only used for Land Tours and then the company removes the land tours. Kind of sneaky.

I only have an OBC because I have over 100 shares of Royal Caribbean Stock. Can UK Guest file for the Stock OBC? I think it does not add to any other OBC.

My TA gives a rebate on completion of the cruise, but no OBC

 

yes we can and we are subject to the same rules as the USA. I did not include it in the example because if you book onboard or subject to the early booking scheme OBC is disallowed. In fact there are very few opportunities to earn that obc because if you have any booking offer it is disallowed which is why I consider that a non perk for my shareholding.

[scapel]

yes we can and we are subject to the same rules as the USA. I did not include it in the example because if you book onboard or subject to the early booking scheme OBC is disallowed. In fact there are very few opportunities to earn that obc because if you have any booking offer it is disallowed which is why I consider that a non perk for my shareholding.

 

So you take the most desirable OBC.

The one that gives you the most money.

[nonrev1]

Uktog, thank you for explaining why we are concerned about the OBC. :)

We typically always book our own tours and do not book group excursions....but, with the large OBC and nothing else to use it for, we carefully planned out ship excursions that appealed to us and would also let us utilize the credits. My agent also gives us a choice of a rebate after the cruise or an equal amount as an OBC. I went through all the tours and opted for the additional OBC so we would have no out of pocket costs for tours and would be able to book the ships tours that we wanted for each port. The surprise was on me when they started cancelling them. Azamara should reconsider allowing anyone with an OBC to prebook shore excursions and then deduct the dollar amount from your account once onboard. This would be a win-win. Passengers can book tours and Azamara will have a much better idea well in advance if there is interest in particular tours. If everyone had the opportunity to book in advance, Azamara could then cancel if interest is low.

[gskimmel]

How much OBC do people usually get? All I will have will be $250 and that doesn't last long.

 

On my last Azamara cruise in May, I had $900 in OBC. For our December cruise, we have $500. Luckily, I can use it for anything.

[gskimmel]

Uktog, thank you for explaining why we are concerned about the OBC. :)

We typically always book our own tours and do not book group excursions....but, with the large OBC and nothing else to use it for, we carefully planned out ship excursions that appealed to us and would also let us utilize the credits. My agent also gives us a choice of a rebate after the cruise or an equal amount as an OBC. I went through all the tours and opted for the additional OBC so we would have no out of pocket costs for tours and would be able to book the ships tours that we wanted for each port. The surprise was on me when they started cancelling them. Azamara should reconsider allowing anyone with an OBC to prebook shore excursions and then deduct the dollar amount from your account once onboard. This would be a win-win. Passengers can book tours and Azamara will have a much better idea well in advance if there is interest in particular tours. If everyone had the opportunity to book in advance, Azamara could then cancel if interest is low.

 

i agree. If Disney can do it then Azamara can, too. On Disney, I can book excursions a few months before the cruise and payment is due on the last day of the cruise.

[uktog]

I understand that to achieve this Azamara needs some major IT changes which if I recall from the Q and A the CEO did in July are about a year off.

 

What I can still never understand is why a workaround to help guests was not reinstated in the interim. Until about a year ago I could book (yes and pay) in advance so Azamara had money from me for a period of time. Once onboard I switched that booking to being paid for by my OBC and the original charge was refunded to my onboard account which, if still in credit at the end of the cruise was refunded back to my credit card.

 

As I am UK based there was an "exchange rate risk/cost" as well as the notional cost of "lending Azamara a dime". I was very happy to do that in return for the knowledge my excursions were booked. It did not stop some potential cancellations due to lack of numbers but surely it gave Azamara a better indication of likely demand. I experienced far fewer cancellations than are the case now, but then excursions were more reasonably priced then with an early booking incentive but that's another matter for another day!

 

I know several others used this prebook then switch approach then suddenly it was stopped. Now if you do try and use it, you go to the bottom of the list if a trip is oversubscribed despite having paid well in advance. Ok the reverse problem to cancelled due to lack of interest but still leaves the guest unhappy.

 

If the excursions are on the first 48 hours, it is not allowed full stop. Now that kind of rule might be fine on a Royal Carribean scoot out of Miami no port for 24-48 hours but when Azamara is hitting bucket list places like Florence and Pompei on Day one it is very different.

 

So I understand why an IT change might be needed and these sure do take time. I also realise that this one will be complicated getting billing systems to talk to each other. What I still cannot understand is why absolutely no work around has been offered to guests and one that was there was suddenly removed.

 

Over the last few years Azamara has moved away from the Day 1 = At sea model, whilst at the same time moved several perks away from cash discounts (eg back to back sailings or price guarantee incentives) to OBC or worse still land discoveries credit yet at the same time they've made it harder for guests to use these credits and not recognised through their excursions cancellation timelines and processes that a percentage of their demand for land discoveries are still to get on the ship.

 

Am I alone in thinking a customer focused workaround should be a priority and it does not reflect well on the cruise line that months after issues have come to light there seems to be no change?

Edited September 16, 2016 by uktog

[Grandma Cruising]

Totally agree with every word uktog. We have Land Discovery OBC for a cruise in October 2017. We really want to do the Petra tour and have decided to book and pay for it now to make sure we can do it, so can't use our OBC for it.

 

 

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[Riocca]

Absolutely agree, we have booked and paid for the 2 day Monaco Grand Prix experience for 2018, at as you might imagine considerable cost, because we are told places are limited even though we have $500 LD OBC for that cruise which we are now unable to use for that tour. We are not great ones for doing ships tours so to be honest the LD OBC is no incentive to book early, it just becomes an irritant when we have to see it go to waste.

Please Azamara if you are unable to provide a sensible way of using it don't offer LD OBC as an incentive, because it's not!

 

 

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[nonrev1]

I agree with uktog!

As a side note, we are sailing on Oceania in October. We received our personalized cruise booklet after final payment. Besides offering many options for each port, none have been cancelled or tweeked.

[excitedofharpenden]

It really is a bit of a shambles. Not what a "destination immersion" cruiseline should be about. I've got Land Discoveries OBC to use next year and hope I can make good use of it doing something I actually want to do. I know Azamara read these boards. Hopefully some note is being taken because as I said in another post they are shooting themselves in the foot.

[scapel]

I understand that to achieve this Azamara needs some major IT changes which if I recall from the Q and A the CEO did in July are about a year off.

 

What I can still never understand is why a workaround to help guests was not reinstated in the interim. Until about a year ago I could book (yes and pay) in advance so Azamara had money from me for a period of time. Once onboard I switched that booking to being paid for by my OBC and the original charge was refunded to my onboard account which, if still in credit at the end of the cruise was refunded back to my credit card.

 

As I am UK based there was an "exchange rate risk/cost" as well as the notional cost of "lending Azamara a dime". I was very happy to do that in return for the knowledge my excursions were booked. It did not stop some potential cancellations due to lack of numbers but surely it gave Azamara a better indication of likely demand. I experienced far fewer cancellations than are the case now, but then excursions were more reasonably priced then with an early booking incentive but that's another matter for another day!

 

I know several others used this prebook then switch approach then suddenly it was stopped. Now if you do try and use it, you go to the bottom of the list if a trip is oversubscribed despite having paid well in advance. Ok the reverse problem to cancelled due to lack of interest but still leaves the guest unhappy.

 

If the excursions are on the first 48 hours, it is not allowed full stop. Now that kind of rule might be fine on a Royal Carribean scoot out of Miami no port for 24-48 hours but when Azamara is hitting bucket list places like Florence and Pompei on Day one it is very different.

 

So I understand why an IT change might be needed and these sure do take time. I also realise that this one will be complicated getting billing systems to talk to each other. What I still cannot understand is why absolutely no work around has been offered to guests and one that was there was suddenly removed.

 

Over the last few years Azamara has moved away from the Day 1 = At sea model, whilst at the same time moved several perks away from cash discounts (eg back to back sailings or price guarantee incentives) to OBC or worse still land discoveries credit yet at the same time they've made it harder for guests to use these credits and not recognised through their excursions cancellation timelines and processes that a percentage of their demand for land discoveries are still to get on the ship.

 

Am I alone in thinking a customer focused workaround should be a priority and it does not reflect well on the cruise line that months after issues have come to light there seems to be no change?

 

 

 

I know several others used this prebook then switch approach then suddenly it was stopped. Now if you do try and use it, you go to the bottom of the list if a trip is oversubscribed despite having paid well in advance. Ok the reverse problem to cancelled due to lack of interest but still leaves the guest unhappy.

I guess you could just pay for the tour that you had pre-booked if it was oversold and you had a spot. For one that was not overbooked you could just get on it with the OBC.

 

 

"Am I alone in thinking a customer focused workaround should be a priority and it does not reflect well on the cruise line that months after issues have come to light there seems to be no change? "

It looks like the company is doing so well that it does not feel obliged to honor its frequent users with discounts. The company does benefit from customers that pre-book long time ahead of departure times. The company knows they have some business in the future. If the company continues to deliver a good product they may feel there is no need to offer perks. I know the OBC that I have does not carry any refunds of unused amount. I do get a substantial rebate from my TA at the end of the cruise. These rebates only happen with certain cruises and I don't know why some and not others.

[uktog]

I know several others used this prebook then switch approach then suddenly it was stopped. Now if you do try and use it, you go to the bottom of the list if a trip is oversubscribed despite having paid well in advance. Ok the reverse problem to cancelled due to lack of interest but still leaves the guest unhappy.

I guess you could just pay for the tour that you had pre-booked if it was oversold and you had a spot. For one that was not overbooked you could just get on it with the OBC.

 

 

"Am I alone in thinking a customer focused workaround should be a priority and it does not reflect well on the cruise line that months after issues have come to light there seems to be no change? "

It looks like the company is doing so well that it does not feel obliged to honor its frequent users with discounts. The company does benefit from customers that pre-book long time ahead of departure times. The company knows they have some business in the future. If the company continues to deliver a good product they may feel there is no need to offer perks. I know the OBC that I have does not carry any refunds of unused amount. I do get a substantial rebate from my TA at the end of the cruise. These rebates only happen with certain cruises and I don't know why some and not others.

 

Yes in relation to your first point, yes I can just pay for the trip but lets say it is an excursion costing $400 - what do I do with the now useless $400 Land Discoveries credit?????

 

As regards the second point - the cruise line does benefit from the guests booking ahead, they now do not give the kind of price drops they did before so they give the guests - hey yes - land discoveries credit in "compensation". Its nothing to do with what your travel agent may or may not give you, those posting and having such issues are talking about the problems with credit given to them by Azamara.

 

I suspect you have not directly experienced the problems the current system now gives. It actually put a massive damper on the first three days of our cruise in August and we were not alone in that issue.

[nonrev1]

It is obvious that scapel has not experienced this issue. Azamara seems to be running different incentives every month. When we booked our New Years cruise, they were not running the buy one get one 50% off or the double upgrade. We paid a higher cruise rate but received air (only need it one way) and a large OBC. We decided since the price of our cruise was quite high, we would offset it by not booking our own tours and paying out of pocket, but simply use the OBC to keep the cost more in line. So - quite insulting when a lower cruise rate comes out and we can not use it because we are alreay booked and now have a large OBC and can not use that either because the one excursion remaining in one port has limited capacity and others are just cancelled.

I hope this helps you understand the frustration and not wanting to pay even more for excursions.

[mare s.]

I have booked an Azamara cruise more than 10 months in advance and have received the OBC for shore excursions. I agree wholeheartedly with the previous posters about the need to tweak the booking system to enable us to plan in advance and book excursions using the OBC. It's been a while since we cruised with Azamara and I didn't realize that excursions are being canceled for lack of interest (we had that issue with an airport transfer/tour but the wonderful concierge fixed that in a hurry) To have to wait until we are on board and then hope that excursions are still available is absurd and reflects very badly on Azamara. It's almost a "bait and switch" situation....an incentive to book early but then you end up not being able to use the incentive.

 

Nevertheless, I have faith that Azamara will respond and fix this.

[Riocca]

For us it's the frustration of the wasted time, we spent ages going through the tours online and eventually came up with some that looked OK. Then once onboard you have to make the trip to Land Discoveries only to find those trips have been cancelled, yes they were helpful in finding another tour but it wasn't the one we wanted. In the end we gave in booked a tour that was not what we wanted but used a large chunk of the LD OBC and let the rest go to waste.

There must be a simple fix for this surely?

 

 

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[munch1]

I have booked an Azamara cruise more than 10 months in advance and have received the OBC for shore excursions. I agree wholeheartedly with the previous posters about the need to tweak the booking system to enable us to plan in advance and book excursions using the OBC. It's been a while since we cruised with Azamara and I didn't realize that excursions are being canceled for lack of interest (we had that issue with an airport transfer/tour but the wonderful concierge fixed that in a hurry) To have to wait until we are on board and then hope that excursions are still available is absurd and reflects very badly on Azamara. It's almost a "bait and switch" situation....an incentive to book early but then you end up not being able to use the incentive.

 

Nevertheless, I have faith that Azamara will respond and fix this.

Agree with you completly of being a bait and switch

If you can't use it , Azamara ends up saving at least half of the amount that they would have been paying the tour operator

Hate to think that , but it makes you wonder

[florisdekort]

In 27 Azamara cruises I haven't had a single land discovery cancelled so I'm not sure how big this problem really is. (And I use the ship's tours exclusively.)

 

However, I do totally agree that if Azamara issues land discoveries only onboard credit, they should make it possible to use such credit when booking online before departure. Until they can, they shouldn't issue it imo, or convert it to regular onboard credit.

 

Calling it "bait and switch" (previous comments) is absurd as even if one land discovery is cancelled, there are always plenty more you can spend your credit on.

 

Floris

 

 

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Edited September 16, 2016 by florisdekort

[ellbon]

In 27 Azamara cruises I haven't had a single land discovery cancelled so I'm not sure how big this problem really is. (And I use the ship's tours exclusively.)

 

However, I do totally agree that if Azamara issues land discoveries only onboard credit, they should make it possible to use such credit when booking online before departure. Until they can, they shouldn't issue it imo, or convert it to regular onboard credit.

 

Calling it "bait and switch" (previous comments) is absurd as even if one land discovery is cancelled, there are always plenty more you can spend your credit on.

 

Floris

 

 

 

 

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I have to say you are very lucky. as i have about 6 to 8 canceled in the past 2 or 3 years. or times change etc.. in some cases i book another tour others not. i have a few more cruises than you but not much.

[uktog]

Hi uktog,

I've been told the following just this morning:

"Our team is working on requesting an earlier time for J209. We should have an update on this by End of Week."

 

I have just noticed on line that they have pushed back the start time to 1830 with a 2.5 hour trip so I am assuming they are pushing the departure back a little as well. Should all work well for us, now just got to hope there are spaces left on all the trips we want once we get to the point that onboard booking is possible.

 

Do you have any idea when this is for B2B guests as we are likely to be ashore all day on turn around days for both our second and third cruises?

Edited September 21, 2016 by uktog

[ellbon]

I have just noticed on line that they have pushed back the start time to 1830 with a 2.5 hour trip so I am assuming they are pushing the departure back a little as well. Should all work well for us, now just got to hope there are spaces left on all the trips we want once we get to the point that onboard booking is possible.

 

Do you have any idea when this is for B2B guests as we are likely to be ashore all day on turn around days for both our second and third cruises?

 

Ann, for me in the past I have been able to get the new booklet before it hits our cabins the day or night before turn around day.. but i could not book a tour before they closed out the current cruise. yet, they are printing tour tickets for the following cruise. never did understand if you were a B2B guest why you could not pay early. . unless they are waiting on tour operators still. i have come back on ship from turn around day and see my new tickets and letters canceling or changing tour times. .what a time saver for B2B guests if at a certain point the day before or the B2B party they could sign up for tours fro the following cruise. which would boast the numbers to get whatever the number is. wonder if it is a Mia.RCI parent thing.

[uktog]

Ann, for me in the past I have been able to get the new booklet before it hits our cabins the day or night before turn around day.. but i could not book a tour before they closed out the current cruise. yet, they are printing tour tickets for the following cruise. never did understand if you were a B2B guest why you could not pay early. . unless they are waiting on tour operators still. i have come back on ship from turn around day and see my new tickets and letters canceling or changing tour times. .what a time saver for B2B guests if at a certain point the day before or the B2B party they could sign up for tours fro the following cruise. which would boast the numbers to get whatever the number is. wonder if it is a Mia.RCI parent thing.

 

Thanks

On both cruises, the trips we want to book happen on the day following embarkation so I hope spaces are left when we get back onboard