What's going on with the Journey?

[Suffolkgirl]

Agree these are significant changes. We specifically booked this cruise in order to visit Valletta, Siracusa and Trapani. We've already visited all the other destinations several times on Azamara. Plus ending in Barcelona in stead of Rome creates significant 'knock on' effects for the following cruises. 

[marinaro44]

41 minutes ago, Suffolkgirl said:

Agree these are significant changes. We specifically booked this cruise in order to visit Valletta, Siracusa and Trapani. We've already visited all the other destinations several times on Azamara.

We booked for the same reason.  Livorno for the umpteenth time.😣

[uktog]

Significant changes usually bring the option to cancel without penalty in the document issued to your agent that Bonnie mentioned if Azamara do as happened to us three times last year.  Its just a waiting game until you have all the correct paperwork.

[marinaro44]

Will shore excursions paid for by credit card in ports that are no longer in the itinerary be automatically credited back to the card?  No reason that I can think of that Siracusa, Valletta, and Trapani had to be dropped with two days added to the cruise and disembarkation now in Barcelona.  Bad form, Azamara.

Edited October 31, 2018 by marinaro44

[Ithikan]

29 minutes ago, marinaro44 said:

Will shore excursions paid for by credit card in ports that are no longer in the itinerary be automatically credited back to the card?  No reason that I can think of that Siracusa, Valletta, and Trapani had to be dropped with two days added to the cruise and disembarkation now in Barcelona.  Bad form, Azamara.

My excursion payment was refunded, Marinaro, when the bike tour for Zakynthos was eliminated from the Pursuit's sailing next June...

[Suffolkgirl]

Even if we get our deposit back, presumably we lose our on-board booking discount (Discoverer Plus level) and OBC if we then choose and book another cruise. 

[laurieb]

There appears to be a five day gap between the cruises that end and then start in Barcelona

[marinaro44]

8 minutes ago, laurieb said:

There appears to be a five day gap between the cruises that end and then start in Barcelona

Have you seen updated itineraries for the November cruises?  I still can't see them on the Azamara web site.

[MMDown Under]

I decided years ago to no longer book cruises ahead, when my TA to New York, with MSC, changed from departing Genoa, Italy to departing Kiel, Germany.  I book long haul flights and land travel, when I cruise overseas.

 

Only Azamara knows why it makes changes to its itineraries.  But, whatever the reason, it isn't to the benefit of already booked passengers.  

[uktog]

53 minutes ago, Suffolkgirl said:

Even if we get our deposit back, presumably we lose our on-board booking discount (Discoverer Plus level) and OBC if we then choose and book another cruise. 

I believe in the past the onboard discount was transferred to another booking.  I am not sure about the OBC because when we rebooked we were given OBC for accepting the new cruise which was larger -  this again was a standard offering to all affected.  All you can do once you get the offer is talk with your agent and see what concessions are going to be offered.  

Its unfortunate for everyone affected.  It all depends on why it is happening - if it is the cruise line making changes to aim for more profitable itineraries, (as happened to us) its harder to accept than if it is a short dry dock to upgrade the vessel - otherwise given where Journey is at the end of 2020 it would be mid 2021 if they were to delay the changes to the unpublished itineraries.

[marinaro44]

35 minutes ago, uktog said:

I believe in the past the onboard discount was transferred to another booking.  I am not sure about the OBC because when we rebooked we were given OBC for accepting the new cruise which was larger -  this again was a standard offering to all affected.  All you can do once you get the offer is talk with your agent and see what concessions are going to be offered.  

Its unfortunate for everyone affected.  It all depends on why it is happening - if it is the cruise line making changes to aim for more profitable itineraries, (as happened to us) its harder to accept than if it is a short dry dock to upgrade the vessel - otherwise given where Journey is at the end of 2020 it would be mid 2021 if they were to delay the changes to the unpublished itineraries.

They're considering two charter opportunities in the October-November time-frame, is what a little birdy told me.

[marinaro44]

Tha 10/19/19 Journey cruise has just joined the others in Azamara limbo. This will likely become a Greek islands charter, I'll bet. 

[marinaro44]

2 hours ago, laurieb said:

There appears to be a five day gap between the cruises that end and then start in Barcelona

I'm thinking they're bookending the "new" October 27, 2019 cruise with charters, one before and one after.  This will rock the boat for all those on the original 10/19, 10/27, and 11/3 Journey cruises.  Plus anyone on the 10/10 or 11/10 cruises who booked back-to-backs with one of the canceled cruises.  Not very nice, Azamara, if this is true.

[Tom47]

23 minutes ago, marinaro44 said:

Tha 10/19/19 Journey cruise has just joined the others in Azamara limbo. This will likely become a Greek islands charter, I'll bet. 

Depressing news  We have 10-10 and 10-19 b2b booked since  Feb.

 

Edited October 31, 2018 by Tom47

[Suffolkgirl]

This is very annoying if it turns out to be charters. And thank you uktog for sharing your cancellation experience. We were lucky enough to book on board in August when they had a double LCV discount promotion, i.e. 14% for us plus OBC. We'll see if they at least match that on any new cruise offer. After 12 cruises, all on Azamara, this may be the nudge we need to look elsewhere. 

[QueenP]

That's really sad for all those booked! For those of us who book long haul flights to fit in with our cruises, to then have the cruises just disappear would be terrible! It makes me nervous about my bookings just reading about it.

[Literary Lynne]

If they are charters but not quite full and you, as a full fare paying guest, doesn't realise until on board, like we experienced a few years ago, might find yourselves to be in a tiny minority among a huge majority. The charter was obviously scaled to a budget so the food was not good, there was no White Night Party and, of course, the charter guests had their own lectures in a lot of the public rooms, which were closed to us. There was little opportunity to get to know other guests because they arrived in their own large groups and took over the Discoveries Bar and the Mosaic coffee area by shuffling the seating together. The group had long day tours and after dinner there were only one or two in the disco, so the ship was dead by 10pm. One evening there were only a handful of guests in the cabaret lounge for the evening entertainment that the comedian got all those there to sit with him. There was a change to our itinerary which we only learned once on board, although it was always part of the itinerary given to the charter group! So disappointing.

 

Fortunately, our recent cruise on Journey was a complete contrast and we enjoyed Azamara at its very best.  We are just careful now, when we book, to ask if the cruise is partly or wholly a charter one.  I appreciate that this is difficult when the cruise is so far in the future.

Lynne  

[excitedofharpenden]

13 hours ago, marinaro44 said:

I'm thinking they're bookending the "new" October 27, 2019 cruise with charters, one before and one after.  This will rock the boat for all those on the original 10/19, 10/27, and 11/3 Journey cruises.  Plus anyone on the 10/10 or 11/10 cruises who booked back-to-backs with one of the canceled cruises.  Not very nice, Azamara, if this is true.

It's a case of wait and see. I know as a regular poster here you know the score as far as charters go. It rears its ugly head every so often on this board. Quest was the charter ship used most when there were two. Now with three it seems Journey might have a turn. And yes, I'm sure the swingers and clothing optional cruises that Azamara do will be discussed. 

 

I am aware of posters here who have been disrupted more than once by charters. If it happens to you personally it's annoying, but you just have to suck it up or move to a cruiseline where there is less chance your ship will be chartered. 

 

Phil 

[Riocca]

27 minutes ago, excitedofharpenden said:

It's a case of wait and see. I know as a regular poster here you know the score as far as charters go. It rears its ugly head every so often on this board. Quest was the charter ship used most when there were two. Now with three it seems Journey might have a turn. And yes, I'm sure the swingers and clothing optional cruises that Azamara do will be discussed. 

 

I am aware of posters here who have been disrupted more than once by charters. If it happens to you personally it's annoying, but you just have to suck it up or move to a cruiseline where there is less chance your ship will be chartered. 

 

Phil 

Phil I think it would be difficult to find a cruise line that doesn’t charter, we should have been off on Celebrity Constellation this month but lost the cruise to a charter. Royal have charters on all classes of ship including Oasis, and a friends company regularly charter P&O ships for corporate events.

We have lost cruises on Azamara to charters and have always been well looked after, although it’s worth noting that the cost of compensation to cancelled guests falls on the charterer not the cruise line.

Edited November 1, 2018 by Riocca

[nordski]

25 minutes ago, excitedofharpenden said:

It's a case of wait and see. I know as a regular poster here you know the score as far as charters go. It rears its ugly head every so often on this board. Quest was the charter ship used most when there were two. Now with three it seems Journey might have a turn. And yes, I'm sure the swingers and clothing optional cruises that Azamara do will be discussed. 

 

I am aware of posters here who have been disrupted more than once by charters. If it happens to you personally it's annoying, but you just have to suck it up or move to a cruiseline where there is less chance your ship will be chartered. 

 

Phil 

 

Agree in general with your post.

 

It isn’t a new policy and we personally have been affected by a charter.

 

Yes, initially it was annoying but in our view we were well compensated and the change, in the end, worked out well for us

 

 

[excitedofharpenden]

40 minutes ago, Riocca said:

Phil I think it would be difficult to find a cruise line that doesn’t charter, we should have been off on Celebrity Constellation this month but lost the cruise to a charter. Royal have charters on all classes of ship including Oasis, and a friends company regularly charter P&O ships for corporate events.

We have lost cruises on Azamara to charters and have always been well looked after, although it’s worth noting that the cost of compensation to cancelled guests falls on the charterer not the cruise line.

John, the point I was making is that Azamara have only three ships in the fleet and with them being keen to take charter business (which I cant blame them for) there is a greater chance of disruption and less options available than if there was a fleet the size of say Celebrity.

 

Phil

[uktog]

It is interesting that Journey is already chartered 21-28 September.  I think whoever is in the Med in the summer/Autumn is at higher risk of charter.  I think when your rebook of your first charter then gets a big itinerary change, thats when you know you have got the jinx 🙂 

[marinaro44]

1 hour ago, uktog said:

I think when your rebook of your first charter then gets a big itinerary change, thats when you know you have got the jinx 🙂 

We're about to have the reverse.  A one-month shift in schedule combined with a significant itinerary change in the third cruise of a 2019 Quest b2b2b caused us to cancel those three and instead book Journey's October 10, 19, and 27 cruises in 2019.  Now it appears the middle cruise of those three will be a charter and the third has had a significant itinerary change to accommodate a charter to follow. 

 

Add that to recent month-long cruises we had to interrupt in the middle to accommodste a swingers charter and we now have three strikes.

[Riocca]

1 hour ago, excitedofharpenden said:

John, the point I was making is that Azamara have only three ships in the fleet and with them being keen to take charter business (which I cant blame them for) there is a greater chance of disruption and less options available than if there was a fleet the size of say Celebrity.

 

Phil

Agree, smaller ships are always more likely for charters as well but it’s pot luck really whoever you book with. It’s become a fact of cruising life, we’ve learned to make our plans but if charters disrupt them then rework them and move on.

We’ve found that disappointment often leads to more exciting opportunities.

[uktog]

29 minutes ago, marinaro44 said:

We're about to have the reverse.  A one-month shift in schedule combined with a significant itinerary change in the third cruise of a 2019 Quest b2b2b caused us to cancel those three and instead book Journey's October 10, 19, and 27 cruises in 2019.  Now it appears the middle cruise of those three will be a charter and the third has had a significant itinerary change to accommodate a charter to follow. 

 

Add that to recent month-long cruises we had to interrupt in the middle to accommodste a swingers charter and we now have three strikes.

Not wanting to get competitive but we actually have had even worse with airfare booked as well but it happens.  I am waiting for the Nov 2019 to come back up so we can make plans onboard