Question for CBO Bonnie re: who to contact for suggested itinerary/excursion changes

[nordski]

This is a question for Bonnie or indeed anyone else with experience in suggesting the changes mentioned in the Title box.

 

We are on a cruise that visits Normandy on the 75th anniversary of D Day. Because of the memorial ceremonies and consequent security issues, some of the original itinerary's excursions are being withdrawn to the chagrin of a number of participants on our roll call.

 

There are, perhaps, some suggestions that might help alleviate some of the concerns.

 

Is there a particular office or person to whom these suggestions may be addressed?

 

Thanks

[uktog]

Thank you for posting 

The May 28th Remembrance Cruise is now not what we were expecting based on the advertising when we booked. 

I hope we can get an answer/update  on what is now planned as it’s an expensive trip now for things that aren’t quite what we expected 

[sternmark]

Appreciation here as well for the post. And agreed, what was promoted, and our reason for booking, is apparently not being delivered. Also have concerns that there is nothing as of yet for Rouen, which is the "Tall Sails" part of this cruise, the quinquennial Rouen Armada. Looking forward to some information.

[Arizonasunshine]

It seems that Azamara is dropping the ball on a number of issues. You have the New Year's Eve in Sydney Cruise, My February 11 Cuba Cruise ( supposed to be 3 days in Havana, now 2 ). The shore excursion department issues (see my posting on this). Your May 28th Remembrance Cruise.The latest issues with the roll out of the BOGOHO promotion. Azamara management needs to figure out what's happening. 

 

[BBMacLaird]

15 hours ago, nordski said:

This is a question for Bonnie or indeed anyone else with experience in suggesting the changes mentioned in the Title box.

We are on a cruise that visits Normandy on the 75th anniversary of D Day. Because of the memorial ceremonies and consequent security issues, some of the original itinerary's excursions are being withdrawn to the chagrin of a number of participants on our roll call.

There are, perhaps, some suggestions that might help alleviate some of the concerns.

Is there a particular office or person to whom these suggestions may be addressed?

Thanks

 

Hi Nordski,

I've forwarded your post re this voyage up my chain of command. I expect to hear back tomorrow and will be back online with you then. 

Sincerely, 

Bonnie

[SkystheLimit]

18 hours ago, BBMacLaird said:

 

Hi Nordski,

I've forwarded your post re this voyage up my chain of command. I expect to hear back tomorrow and will be back online with you then. 

Sincerely, 

Bonnie

Hope to hear from you Bonnie.  We  are also booked on the cruise and find the shore excursion issues  including lack of to be very disappointing. 

[BBMacLaird]

On 12/10/2018 at 12:11 PM, sternmark said:

Appreciation here as well for the post. And agreed, what was promoted, and our reason for booking, is apparently not being delivered. Also have concerns that there is nothing as of yet for Rouen, which is the "Tall Sails" part of this cruise, the quinquennial Rouen Armada. Looking forward to some information.

 

I do know that tours for Rouen are in development. They will be online as soon as possible. 

[nordski]

12 minutes ago, BBMacLaird said:

 

I do know that tours for Rouen are in development. They will be online as soon as possible. 

 

As I posted on the Roll Call, wondered if June 6th we could dock in Rouen and on the 7th Honfleur. That would allow relatively easy access to the Normandy beaches. The two ports are very close together. 

 

Also, is there a position they can take up on the 5th to observe any vintage aircraft flights?

 

Thanks for the information concerning the excursions in Honfleur.

[sternmark]

Thank you Bonnie for the update on Rouen, will keep following to see how this all works out, hopefully soon.

[marinaro44]

16 hours ago, BBMacLaird said:

 

I do know that tours for Rouen are in development. They will be online as soon as possible. 

Suggestion for Azamara:  When excursions for a port are still "in development," put a statement in Voyage Planner stating this so booked passengers know that something is coming.

[BBMacLaird]

13 hours ago, marinaro44 said:

Suggestion for Azamara:  When excursions for a port are still "in development," put a statement in Voyage Planner stating this so booked passengers know that something is coming.

 

Great idea! I’ll pass it along. Thank you, marinaro44.

[BBMacLaird]

I have a request. Would one of you make a list of what has changed re this cruise? I’ve been asked by the upper level to summarize and I’m frankly not clear on the history of what you thought was included vv what is offered now.

 

[nordski]

33 minutes ago, BBMacLaird said:

I have a request. Would one of you make a list of what has changed re this cruise? I’ve been asked by the upper level to summarize and I’m frankly not clear on the history of what you thought was included vv what is offered now.

 

 

Bonnie, thanks for for getting back on this matter.

 

i can attempt to summarize the primary concern. One of titles of this cruise referred to the 75th D Day Anniversary in Normandy. We are in Honfleur on June 6th, and an Azamara tour to the American beaches and cemetery was initially offered on that date. Some cruisers naturally really wanted to be present for the ceremonies at the site.

 

That excursion has recently been cancelled because of the expected closure of roads and other logistical issues that will be created on the  6th.

There seem to be few or no private alternatives.

 

This excursion cancellation has a knock on effect. We are in Cherbourg on June 5th and there is still a tour offered to Utah Beach etc.

from that port, but there were excursions to other attractions from that port that people had selected. Personally, I also wonder if road congestion at the Normandy beaches may also be a serious problem on that day as well, since preparations will be underway.

 

There has been some discussion on the Roll Call as to how to make our presence on the 6th more meaningful.

 

I was at the anniversary of the Gallipoli landings, albeit on a Celebrity ship, and Journey and Quest were there as well.

 

Thus I can only comment on events on Constellation. However, there was a touching memorial service on the ship the day of the anniversary when we anchored off the bay with an impactful view of the landing beaches. We went ashore the next day. 

 

Some suggestions:

 

1/ Is it possible on the 6th to anchor or pause off the various landing beaches to give us some sense of what the men on the ships/landing craft would have seen? I realize there will be a security perimeter. Could there be some service on board to mark the anniversary day?

 

2/ There may well be some fly pasts of vintage aircraft. (I expect especially on the 5th) Can the ship be in a location for us to view part of those events?

 

I’ll stop there for now.

 

I wish to make clear that I personally don’t think that the Excursion office could have known this would be a big issue. As I understand it, the Juno Beach (Canadian) ceremonies are just now being put into place with some unknowns remaining. For example, what dignitaries will choose to attend (President Trump?) and how that will affect security.

 

Thanks again. Of course, others on the cruise may have further or better suggestions.

 

 

 

 

[upwarduk]

4 hours ago, nordski said:

As I understand it, the Juno Beach (Canadian) ceremonies are just now being put into place with some unknowns remaining. For example, what dignitaries will choose to attend (President Trump?) and how that will affect security

I would be very surprised if President Trump attended ceremonies on Juno beach, as that was the beach where the Canadians landed.

[nordski]

1 hour ago, upwarduk said:

I would be very surprised if President Trump attended ceremonies on Juno beach, as that was the beach where the Canadians landed.

 

 I do agree that Trump’s presence at Juno would be very surprising. Although, it might be an awkward opportunity to repair relations between our two nations. 

 

My apparently poorly phrased point was that Trump’s presence at ceremonies in the American sector will create greater security demands along the entire beachhead. To a lesser extent, I think the security issue might be exacerbated even if our PM Trudeau decides to attend rather than sending Governor General Lise Payette.

 

Thus, as matters remain in flux I am not terribly surprised that the Excursion Department is struggling to keep up. Others in the Roll Call are, perhaps, less forgiving.

 

Although I admit to not being very sanguine when I initially realized some months ago that no ship’s tours were being offered to Juno. 😮

 

As stated, I am also not particularly optimistic that there will be ready access to the sites even on June 5th. For example, I know that some visitors to the American Cemetery this past summer were very frustrated since it was closed for maintenance. Will there be the same frustration on the 5th as security is organized?

 

So this gives me an opportunity to suggest considering a more radical change in itinerary; namely, switch our June 6th day in Honfleur to Rouen, and then sail back to Honfleur on the 7th. This would allow another potential  day of ship’s tours to The Beaches, although not on the day of the commemorative ceremonies. On the 7th the security perimeter should be dismantled and if a tour was added to Juno I would be even more thankful. 😄

 

However, I realize that this change might well interfere with enjoying the Tall Ships reunion in Rouen.

 

In fact all of these suggestions may well be wildly impractical.

 

Apologies, particularly to Bonnie, for this lengthy response which is, no doubt, more confusing than it need be. And I may not even have adequately covered the D Day issues for others on the cruise.

 

However, I do thank Bonnie again for addressing this concern.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[sovilav01]

10 hours ago, nordski said:

 

Bonnie, thanks for for getting back on this matter.

 

i can attempt to summarize the primary concern. One of titles of this cruise referred to the 75th D Day Anniversary in Normandy. We are in Honfleur on June 6th, and an Azamara tour to the American beaches and cemetery was initially offered on that date. Some cruisers naturally really wanted to be present for the ceremonies at the site.

 

That excursion has recently been cancelled because of the expected closure of roads and other logistical issues that will be created on the  6th.

There seem to be few or no private alternatives.

 

This excursion cancellation has a knock on effect. We are in Cherbourg on June 5th and there is still a tour offered to Utah Beach etc.

from that port, but there were excursions to other attractions from that port that people had selected. Personally, I also wonder if road congestion at the Normandy beaches may also be a serious problem on that day as well, since preparations will be underway.

 

There has been some discussion on the Roll Call as to how to make our presence on the 6th more meaningful.

 

I was at the anniversary of the Gallipoli landings, albeit on a Celebrity ship, and Journey and Quest were there as well.

 

Thus I can only comment on events on Constellation. However, there was a touching memorial service on the ship the day of the anniversary when we anchored off the bay with an impactful view of the landing beaches. We went ashore the next day. 

 

Some suggestions:

 

1/ Is it possible on the 6th to anchor or pause off the various landing beaches to give us some sense of what the men on the ships/landing craft would have seen? I realize there will be a security perimeter. Could there be some service on board to mark the anniversary day?

 

2/ There may well be some fly pasts of vintage aircraft. (I expect especially on the 5th) Can the ship be in a location for us to view part of those events?

 

I’ll stop there for now.

 

I wish to make clear that I personally don’t think that the Excursion office could have known this would be a big issue. As I understand it, the Juno Beach (Canadian) ceremonies are just now being put into place with some unknowns remaining. For example, what dignitaries will choose to attend (President Trump?) and how that will affect security.

 

Thanks again. Of course, others on the cruise may have further or better suggestions.

 

 

 

 

Thanks Nordski, you well expressed my thoughts. We will keep our fingers crossed.

[uktog]

For me the issue is I was expecting a cruise with access to Rememberance events and Tall Ships events. 

I appreciated that re D day it was likely to be challenging but thought given the write ups and marketing that the ship had secured some forms of access and guides. I am now concerned where we will actually dock for all the period in northern France and what excursions if any have been contracted. It’s less than 6 months now so time is not on our side. (And for us trips to Paris are not on the agenda we want local). 

[BBMacLaird]

I am sharing your feedback now. Thank you!

[upwarduk]

6 hours ago, nordski said:

lthough I admit to not being very sanguine when I initially realized some months ago that no ship’s tours were being offered to Juno. 

I have had 2 cruises booked previously and neither Azamara or RCCL have offered tours to Juno. I am particularly interested as my father landed on Juno on 6.6.44.

in 2016 I actually had a tour booked with ACSM tours. Unfortunately, this was later cancelled due to lack of interest.

 

Edited December 14, 2018 by upwarduk

[nordski]

4 hours ago, BBMacLaird said:

I am sharing your feedback now. Thank you!

 

Our thanks is to you for wading through the details!

 

And thanks to others who have shared thoughts.

[nordski]

4 hours ago, upwarduk said:

I have had 2 cruises booked previously and neither Azamara or RCCL have offered tours to Juno. I am particularly interested as my father landed on Juno on 6.6.44.

in 2016 I actually had a tour booked with ACSM tours. Unfortunately, this was later cancelled due to lack of interest.

 

 

Thanks for that information.

 

It looks like we may have to return to a river cruise experience, since some of the companies do offer an excursion to Juno.

 

Not certain if you know this, but the Juno Centre has a programme by which you can purchase a Memorial Brick. On the brick you can put the name of your father to commemorate his service.

[upwarduk]

1 hour ago, nordski said:

Not certain if you know this, but the Juno Centre has a programme by which you can purchase a Memorial Brick. On the brick you can put the name of your father to commemorate his service.

I will enquire, as I am booked on a land tour next May ( Brexit willing)

[sovilav01]

13 hours ago, nordski said:

 

 I do agree that Trump’s presence at Juno would be very surprising. Although, it might be an awkward opportunity to repair relations between our two nations. 

 

My apparently poorly phrased point was that Trump’s presence at ceremonies in the American sector will create greater security demands along the entire beachhead. To a lesser extent, I think the security issue might be exacerbated even if our PM Trudeau decides to attend rather than sending Governor General Lise Payette.

 

Thus, as matters remain in flux I am not terribly surprised that the Excursion Department is struggling to keep up. Others in the Roll Call are, perhaps, less forgiving.

 

Although I admit to not being very sanguine when I initially realized some months ago that no ship’s tours were being offered to Juno. 😮

 

As stated, I am also not particularly optimistic that there will be ready access to the sites even on June 5th. For example, I know that some visitors to the American Cemetery this past summer were very frustrated since it was closed for maintenance. Will there be the same frustration on the 5th as security is organized?

 

So this gives me an opportunity to suggest considering a more radical change in itinerary; namely, switch our June 6th day in Honfleur to Rouen, and then sail back to Honfleur on the 7th. This would allow another potential  day of ship’s tours to The Beaches, although not on the day of the commemorative ceremonies. On the 7th the security perimeter should be dismantled and if a tour was added to Juno I would be even more thankful. 😄

 

However, I realize that this change might well interfere with enjoying the Tall Ships reunion in Rouen.

 

In fact all of these suggestions may well be wildly impractical.

 

Apologies, particularly to Bonnie, for this lengthy response which is, no doubt, more confusing than it need be. And I may not even have adequately covered the D Day issues for others on the cruise.

 

However, I do thank Bonnie again for addressing this concern.

 

Oups, Governor General is Julie Payette, Lise Payette died few weeks ago. Thanks for these comments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[nordski]

4 minutes ago, sovilav01 said:

 

 

Oops is right!!!!

 

Thanks for the correction!

[BBMacLaird]

8 hours ago, upwarduk said:

I have had 2 cruises booked previously and neither Azamara or RCCL have offered tours to Juno. I am particularly interested as my father landed on Juno on 6.6.44.

in 2016 I actually had a tour booked with ACSM tours. Unfortunately, this was later cancelled due to lack of interest.

 

 

I’ve passed along your request for an excursion to Juno. I’m not promising anything but there’s interest. I’ve just learned one of our tour planners has visited Juno in honor of her grandfather who, like yours, landed there in 1944.