Ridiculous new Azamara "Sale"

[Globehoppers]

RCCL uses what the industry calls "dynamic pricing" across all three lines and is similar to what many other cruise lines, and air lines, use. Its primarily based on occupancy and time to sailing date. Had a good discussion with a T/A several years ago after purchasing a Quest trip up the Norwegian coast. Azamara offered a "sale" for the same cruise. In essence, the BOGOHO was a sham - its was almost $2,000 more than I had paid without the "sale." Disingenuous at best. Not what one expects from a "luxury" cruise line like Azamara. And, as others have stated, drove me to look at other options.

[Globehoppers]

On the LCV cruise we were told 47% of Azamara passengers overall are from the US.

 

Its region dependent. In the eastern Med expect a larger partition of Europeans and Aussies. On a Mumbai-Piraeus cruise it was well majority Australians, then Europeans. Norway probably half from the US indicative of Europeans having less expensive options for getting to Nordkapp and the fjords.

[Riocca]

We normally book early often at the point of launch, our 2017 never went below the price we paid despite a number of offers in the intervening period.

However we felt that at launch the 2018 cruise prices were significantly higher and held back, however we did book a Crystal cruise for the itinerary but even then it was comparatively cheaper than Azamara at the time (we have subsequently had a price drop which for the UK market is unusual). Fortunately we were on Journey's first cruise post refit so benefited from the generous 25% discount Azamara offered for onboard bookings as compensation, so we did make some 2018 bookings.

For 2019 prices seem to have risen to a level that encouraged comparisons to other lines, there is also a lack of itineraries that appeal to us. Currently we are only looking at one cruise for September 2019, however there's also a Crystal cruise with a better itinerary that's actually cheaper than Azamara for a balcony cabin.

 

 

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[nordski]

Personally, the most annoying offers are those published by a close competitor of Azamara that show permanent discounts from a "brochure" rate that is purely hypothetical and never been paid. This is the same type of "offer" that arrives weekly from Viking River Cruises.

 

However, perhaps naively, I never take this as a sign of deep duplicity on the part of said lines and it doesn't offend us sufficiently to remove them from consideration. As suggested above, I simply do the math and decide if that itinerary is worth the price we will ultimately pay.

 

And, of course, I imagine the sometimes criticized shift of Azamara to Alaska in the summer of 2019 is also, partially, an attempt to improve revenues.

 

If these plans fail, then we will see some attractive sales indeed.

[Riocca]

Going back in time P&O in the UK used to launch prices at up to 45% off brochure fares, then employ what they called "fluid pricing" this meant if a cruise was selling well the discount was reduced and this could happen within hours. Alternatively a slower selling cruise would maintain the higher level of discount for longer, I don't think anyone ever paid brochure fares and the "discounts" rarely dropped below 30%. This meant that prices didn't increase only the discount reduced, all smoke and mirrors!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[TravelBugM]

I have now gone through the process with the current free night promotion for a cruise we are already booked on for March 2018. The price is essentially double what we have paid. It now makes that cruise one we cannot afford not to take.

 

Not much of a sale. And I agree, prices are extremely high and the "sales" being offered are somewhat misleading.

 

We have other travel options besides cruising, so may be spending our hard earned dollars elsewhere.

[Snow cat]

Well, I'll count myself very lucky; our Oct 2018 cruise is significantly lower, so we have been able to take advantage of the lower price.

[rabin1]

I think like every industry new price promotion techniques are used, then customers get wise to them, so new ones are developed. Azamara is no different in that respect.

 

Loss of goodwill is never good but I wonder how much they really are losing. Cruisecritic is a really small % of their cruising market. It seems the rest of the market are paying the prices though. Several of our cruises for 2018 have very little room availability and people are continuing to book now at prices which are higher than 12 months ago. Of course in the US some of these bookings might not convert into cruisers but elsewhere in the world, where there is not the cancellation flexibility they probably will.

 

Our last two cruises had US guests being No3 and No2 respectively in numbers on board and looking back past Pursuits US guests haven't been No 1 for over a year. So maybe the global market is shaping up differently for Azamara.

 

The other thing, onboard repeat cruisers on these two cruises were at the two highest figures ever and rebooking onboard was doing very brisk business. With only two ships, if almost everyone who is a repeater rebooks and the number coming over from other lines especially Celebrity stays at its current level, demand is going to stay high.

 

In the end of the day, if they are filling their ships pricing is all about supply and demand and whilst it is always nice to see last minute offers I've made my 2018 and 2019 bookings as I'm not expecting big discounts to kick in.

 

Time will tell if I've got it right or wrong as I'm saving my limited use crystal ball for picking lottery winners to fund this addictive cruising habit.

 

I agree with UTOG. For any one customer they lose there will be new people like me and others to replace them I have read about on CC and as she says around the world. Although that doesn;t mean we will stay as I have said I am going for the itinerary and do on any sailing I do. Several years ago I knew Princess was selling the route down the Amazon to Holland America. So I was on their last sailing of that cruise. As most of you have noticed Azamara is not doing the route Dubai to Athens any longer after this year. I like their itinerary and not the other lines which is why I booked it.

 

I am going to use my advertising agency as an example. I used us as an example once before on another thread. I do coupon magazines that are direct mailed to residents. I am sure this is the way Azamara thinks as do most businesses. If I lose a client for whatever reason I simply say NEXT. While yes it is easier for any business including me to keep current clients the new ones I can collect more from. So while a hassle I don;t lose any sleep over it.

 

Kathy

[bob278]

I don't get offended at the details of "sales". It's more amusing than offensive. Any reasonable person knows that every industry has sales and many (most?) of them do not offer exactly what is implied. For instance, 50% off is seldom really 50% off the previous price. Sometimes it may be, but that is usually for "left-overs" or less desirable products.

 

But I have had the great pleasure of finding at several cruises where the sale on Azamara was exactly as advertised. We booked a b2b from Sydney-Auckland-Sydney for Feb/Mar of this year while on board a cruise almost 3 years ago. A BOGOHO sale came about for both and the base price was exactly what we had paid and we got the lower price on top of our LCV discount. That really felt good. The same happened for a Norway North Cape cruise for last year.

 

And I also checked the 8-night Lisbon-Barcelona on Quest for 2018 that we passed on because it had no offer available and was too expensive (failed my bottom line test of being a good value for my money). It is now included in the free days sale and the numbers work out to be a true discount over the previous price. An N1 cabin was $4,999 per person (at 8 nights, that's 624.88 per night). Taking 2 nights off the price gives $3,799 per person - exactly what shows up today on a dummy booking. That becomes more attractive but we have made other plans now and can't take that particular cruise.

 

This is another example of how global characterizations are incorrect. It's simply wrong to say this is a sham sale across the board. There are certainly many cases where the price is higher than it was, but that would probably have been true even if they didn't have a "sale". Prices go up and down all the time and we all know it's up more often than down. Would people be as upset if the price today was simply higher and no sale was mentioned? Marketing is all about perception and they are trying to convince potential customers that the price is a good one. Many people would pay $X for something on sale sooner than they would pay the same amount with no sale. It's psychology.

 

It's my money and I think it's my responsibility to determine how I spend it. So I look at numbers and ignore the marketing. I think most experienced cruisers do the same.

[CYNSport]

I don't get offended at the details of "sales". It's more amusing than offensive. Any reasonable person knows that every industry has sales and many (most?) of them do not offer exactly what is implied. For instance, 50% off is seldom really 50% off the previous price. Sometimes it may be, but that is usually for "left-overs" or less desirable products.

 

But I have had the great pleasure of finding at several cruises where the sale on Azamara was exactly as advertised. We booked a b2b from Sydney-Auckland-Sydney for Feb/Mar of this year while on board a cruise almost 3 years ago. A BOGOHO sale came about for both and the base price was exactly what we had paid and we got the lower price on top of our LCV discount. That really felt good. The same happened for a Norway North Cape cruise for last year.

 

And I also checked the 8-night Lisbon-Barcelona on Quest for 2018 that we passed on because it had no offer available and was too expensive (failed my bottom line test of being a good value for my money). It is now included in the free days sale and the numbers work out to be a true discount over the previous price. An N1 cabin was $4,999 per person (at 8 nights, that's 624.88 per night). Taking 2 nights off the price gives $3,799 per person - exactly what shows up today on a dummy booking. That becomes more attractive but we have made other plans now and can't take that particular cruise.

 

ame.

 

I just looked at the Lisbon/Barcelona September cruise on the Quest. N1 or N2 are priced just above US10,000 (for two) which included the "discount". I cannot get the price you found. So this is over $1200 a night for two. At this price point, I have many better options.

[bob278]

I clicked on Learn More on the Nights on Us promo slide, then scrolled down to the eligible cruise and, finally on the April 20th cruise. Could you consider that date?

[CYNSport]

:)

I clicked on Learn More on the Nights on Us promo slide, then scrolled down to the eligible cruise and, finally on the April 20th cruise. Could you consider that date?

 

Thanks Bob! Very nice of you. This is a much better price :)

[bob278]

You're welcome. Hope it works out that you can take it.

[QueenP]

We were told we couldn't have our 5% LCV discount with the BOGOHO offer for our October cruises, so it's interesting that other people have!

 

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[the mice]

We are on the Aug 8, 2018 11 Night Romantic Baltic Copenhagen-Stockholm. Booked a 2017 version of this cruise in Feb 2016 but changed to this one in Sept. 2016 (liked the 2018 itinerary better). This Nights on Us promo reduced the price of our cat 4 OV by $2728 for 2. Total now is $7886 making the price per night for 2 people $717. So, for us, this was definitely a sale. Puts the pricing close to a BOGOHO.

[nordski]

Well, I'll count myself very lucky; our Oct 2018 cruise is significantly lower, so we have been able to take advantage of the lower price.

 

As is ours, about $2000.00 less.

[bob278]

We were told we couldn't have our 5% LCV discount with the BOGOHO offer for our October cruises, so it's interesting that other people have!

 

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Unfortunately, there are many differences/inconsistencies when you talk to different people at Azamara. You may also be affected by where you live. In the US, we are fortunate in more lenient cancellation policies and sometimes better opportunities to combine offers such as booking on board plus sales.

 

We have been able to combine LCV discount and a BOGOHO sale that was in force at time of booking and in another case, even added the BOGOHO after we got home. In that instance, we did lose $500 OBC that was for early booking, but the OBC was only for excursions and we still saved nearly $2,000.

 

As I see more comments, it appears that that are many cases where prices under the sale really did go down which reinforces my statement that people should not globally complain that this is not really a sale.

[pickypicky]

I feel silly asking this, but hearing of those receiving good value from this "sale", I'd like to know: is the price that I see when I go to the cruise I wish to take reflective of the "nights on us" or do I have to finish the booking process to see the final price? The cruise I'm interested in is eligible for the sale, and did have a reduction, but only $870 for two (on a 13 night cruise), or $435PP. Certainly not three nights. I really don't get upset by the marketing strategies, just sometimes not sure if I'm reading them right!

[Snow cat]

I feel silly asking this, but hearing of those receiving good value from this "sale", I'd like to know: is the price that I see when I go to the cruise I wish to take reflective of the "nights on us" or do I have to finish the booking process to see the final price? The cruise I'm interested in is eligible for the sale, and did have a reduction, but only $870 for two (on a 13 night cruise), or $435PP. Certainly not three nights. I really don't get upset by the marketing strategies, just sometimes not sure if I'm reading them right!

 

Yes,in my case the final amount was shown on the opening page.

[the mice]

I feel silly asking this, but hearing of those receiving good value from this "sale", I'd like to know: is the price that I see when I go to the cruise I wish to take reflective of the "nights on us" or do I have to finish the booking process to see the final price? The cruise I'm interested in is eligible for the sale, and did have a reduction, but only $870 for two (on a 13 night cruise), or $435PP. Certainly not three nights. I really don't get upset by the marketing strategies, just sometimes not sure if I'm reading them right!

 

Once I found our cruise in the list, I proceeded through the booking process. Since the stateroom category we were booked in was still available, I was able to select a cabin in that same category. The price displayed was significantly lower than what we had originally booked, so it was the sale price.

[uktog]

Once I found our cruise in the list, I proceeded through the booking process. Since the stateroom category we were booked in was still available, I was able to select a cabin in that same category. The price displayed was significantly lower than what we had originally booked, so it was the sale price.

 

Has anyone in the UK seen lower prices. Everything I look at is £1-2k higher than a few months ago

[Riocca]

Has anyone in the UK seen lower prices. Everything I look at is £1-2k higher than a few months ago

 

 

I think that this looks less of a sale because there have been some hefty price increases probably compounded for those of us un the U.K. By the the fall in the £ Sterling after Brexit.

If I look at the net price per night (for two) for an N2 on our September 2017 cruise it's £800 now for 2018 & 2019 its over £1000 so at least a 25% increase, that's certainly going to negate the effect of any sales.

 

 

 

 

 

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[pickypicky]

Once I found our cruise in the list, I proceeded through the booking process. Since the stateroom category we were booked in was still available, I was able to select a cabin in that same category. The price displayed was significantly lower than what we had originally booked, so it was the sale price.

Thank you. Yes, that's what I did as well. I had noted the price for my cabin category a week or so ago, and went through the booking process up to choosing cabin. As I said, it was some less, but not enough to entice me to book it yet. We will be onboard in 10 days, so I'll see how much I can save by booking then.

[Foggyzx9r]

Has anyone in the UK seen lower prices. Everything I look at is £1-2k higher than a few months ago

We booked our Jan 2018 Central America cruise late last year via a TA.

At the time there was a double upgrade plus $200 per per person OBC. Total cost per person £2750.00, this included the 14 night on board, return flights, all transfers. We went for the VX cabin as it was the same as our previous trip and enjoyed the views and the little extra space on the balcony.

If I book that same trip, a similar cabin as to the one we have for the trip plus flights etc, directly with Azamara the total is £15980 and not forgetting about the 98p on the end.

Seems to me one don't book direct with Azamara, shop around with the TA's. The double upgrade appears, at least for us the most advantageous and book as early as possible. BTW that same TA for the same cruise with balcony with a fly cruise shows at £3496. Best of luck finding your cruise.

[bob278]

More examples of why you can't simply say "It's a real sale" or "It's not a sale at all".

 

Global statements just don't work most of the time.