Grandma Cruising Posted July 18, 2019 Author #326 Share Posted July 18, 2019 No, when we were booked in an ocean view on our just finished cruise we only had the option to bid for a Verandah. We were successful at a bid of £250pp. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
combine Posted July 18, 2019 #327 Share Posted July 18, 2019 Thanks Grandma. V1s available at the moment on deck 8 , which dont go as far forward as the V3s on deck 6. They only go 5 cabins forward of the elevators .Ooh decisions! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandma Cruising Posted July 18, 2019 Author #328 Share Posted July 18, 2019 Be wary - we bid & were successful and allocated 6015. Lovely to have a Verandah at a price a lot less than if we had originally booked a Verandah, BUT it was above the Cabaret so it was noisy late afternoons during show rehearsals and in the evening during shows. The noise was drums & bass rather than general noise. Overall we were happy to have it at the price, but we would never book cabins on 6 above the Caberet as a starting point. Once you bid you are committed. You don’t get the chance to turn it down, just an email saying you were successful and the money will be taken from your card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werangels Posted July 18, 2019 #329 Share Posted July 18, 2019 37 minutes ago, Host Grandma Cruising said: Be wary - we bid & were successful and allocated 6015. Lovely to have a Verandah at a price a lot less than if we had originally booked a Verandah, BUT it was above the Cabaret so it was noisy late afternoons during show rehearsals and in the evening during shows. The noise was drums & bass rather than general noise. Overall we were happy to have it at the price, but we would never book cabins on 6 above the Caberet as a starting point. Once you bid you are committed. You don’t get the chance to turn it down, just an email saying you were successful and the money will be taken from your card. When we won we were allocated a suite with shower. I looked on-line at what was still available and they had clearly allotted a few ‘wins’ that day. There was however a suite with bath available which I preferred, so I asked my TA if we could have that one. She went online and changed it there and then. So, you can potentially change what you are allocated, and I imagine this is easier to do through a TA than direct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare uktog Posted July 18, 2019 #330 Share Posted July 18, 2019 11 minutes ago, Werangels said: When we won we were allocated a suite with shower. I looked on-line at what was still available and they had clearly allotted a few ‘wins’ that day. There was however a suite with bath available which I preferred, so I asked my TA if we could have that one. She went online and changed it there and then. So, you can potentially change what you are allocated, and I imagine this is easier to do through a TA than direct. Bonnie Is this allowed or was the agent lucky or has Azamara changed its policy because the original terms were clear no changes could be made. Its still a huge risk bidding if no alternative room is available though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werangels Posted July 18, 2019 #331 Share Posted July 18, 2019 1 minute ago, uktog said: Bonnie Is this allowed or was the agent lucky or has Azamara changed its policy because the original terms were clear no changes could be made. Its still a huge risk bidding if no alternative room is available though They were both the same category N1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
combine Posted July 18, 2019 #332 Share Posted July 18, 2019 1 hour ago, Host Grandma Cruising said: Be wary - we bid & were successful and allocated 6015. Lovely to have a Verandah at a price a lot less than if we had originally booked a Verandah, BUT it was above the Cabaret so it was noisy late afternoons during show rehearsals and in the evening during shows. The noise was drums & bass rather than general noise. Overall we were happy to have it at the price, but we would never book cabins on 6 above the Caberet as a starting point. Once you bid you are committed. You don’t get the chance to turn it down, just an email saying you were successful and the money will be taken from your card. What a dilemma! On the website there are only V1s available on deck 8. There are no V3s available on deck 6. Verandahs have been sold out for a long while and I suspect now that final payment has arrived, they are back in the pot. This is a port intensive cruise with only one sea day, so rehearsals would not be a problem in afternoon. Needs some thinking about, does this and I may wait a while before contemplating a bid. Thanks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandma Cruising Posted July 18, 2019 Author #333 Share Posted July 18, 2019 1 hour ago, Werangels said: When we won we were allocated a suite with shower. I looked on-line at what was still available and they had clearly allotted a few ‘wins’ that day. There was however a suite with bath available which I preferred, so I asked my TA if we could have that one. She went online and changed it there and then. So, you can potentially change what you are allocated, and I imagine this is easier to do through a TA than direct. Wow, that’s useful to know. If we bid in the future and don’t like what we’ve been allocated, we’ll ask our TA to look and see if she can get it changed to another in the same category. Thanks for the information Werangels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lookyboy Posted July 18, 2019 #334 Share Posted July 18, 2019 24 minutes ago, combine said: What a dilemma! On the website there are only V1s available on deck 8. There are no V3s available on deck 6. Verandahs have been sold out for a long while and I suspect now that final payment has arrived, they are back in the pot. This is a port intensive cruise with only one sea day, so rehearsals would not be a problem in afternoon. Needs some thinking about, does this and I may wait a while before contemplating a bid. Thanks. I would be interested to know how long you will get to think about it...would Azamara let you know as and when your desired categories have been sold via bids.....or would you just submit a bid after careful consideration and .....all your desired staterooms would be gone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jem 12 Posted July 18, 2019 #335 Share Posted July 18, 2019 I just wish I understood the reason why we have not got the ability to bid for an upgrade, we booked through Azamara, we travel in approx 5 weeks now, there are still balcony guarantee cabins being advertised on the Azamara site, I have got access to the upgrade page but it just says your are not eligible to bid ??? So I’m feeling slightly envious of the people who have been successful in at least receiving an offer, yet alone winning a bid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussie travel bird Posted July 18, 2019 #336 Share Posted July 18, 2019 13 hours ago, uktog said: Don’t hold your breath. There were more suites than that left in May and they were sold through agencies and interline. If you want a suite you need to pay upfront to be sure. I’d just content myself with the balcony and pay as you go on any speciality dining. Yes that's how it is these days....I understand the business need to sail with a full ship but, there's no considerations anymore by head office for loyalty. LCV benefits are disappearing rapidly. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussie travel bird Posted July 18, 2019 #337 Share Posted July 18, 2019 (edited) 12 hours ago, Lookyboy said: Jenny, we got that same message right up until we sailed , yet there were still suites available on our last cruise. No matter, still enjoyed the balcony at the end of the day. It is frustrating, though, especially the loyalty aspect of how things seem to be playing out....or lack of! Hi Audrey, we got our invite to offer overnight by email. But you know what, I'm so over this whole process and the carry on's we're not going to bid and get involved. We booked a cabin in a location we're happy with. We know we are valued and looked after on board, just as we know you are. We're just a number and represent a dollar value to Miami. We have a verandah cabin we're happy with and happy to pay for the extra expenses if they arrive. I'll PM you about something to try with your non receipt of email.... Edited July 18, 2019 by aussie travel bird Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jem 12 Posted July 19, 2019 #338 Share Posted July 19, 2019 After writing to the CEO as advised on here, I had a very quick response from Mr Twynam, he passed my email on to one of his colleagues, who called me back today She agreed with me that the message from the Upgrade site is rather unclear and has asked her web designers to make the restrictions clearer. Basically what I have been told is that if you book under any special deal you do not qualify for the programme, I didn’t think anybody actually paid brochure price for their cruise these days, but apparently that is why we are not eligible. i only actually bothered to email Mr Twynam because I was also incredibly frustrated at the awful website, plus the lack of response to emails and the callback facility, which I had used to try and book another back to back cruise, but I didn’t hear back from anybody at Azamara. At least now I know not to bother trying to upgrade our cruise at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiccups Posted July 19, 2019 #339 Share Posted July 19, 2019 31 minutes ago, Jem 12 said: After writing to the CEO as advised on here, I had a very quick response from Mr Twynam, he passed my email on to one of his colleagues, who called me back today She agreed with me that the message from the Upgrade site is rather unclear and has asked her web designers to make the restrictions clearer. Basically what I have been told is that if you book under any special deal you do not qualify for the programme, I didn’t think anybody actually paid brochure price for their cruise these days, but apparently that is why we are not eligible. i only actually bothered to email Mr Twynam because I was also incredibly frustrated at the awful website, plus the lack of response to emails and the callback facility, which I had used to try and book another back to back cruise, but I didn’t hear back from anybody at Azamara. At least now I know not to bother trying to upgrade our cruise at least. That's one the dumbest things I've ever heard. I agree that pretty much everyone books under some kind of promo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
excitedofharpenden Posted July 19, 2019 #340 Share Posted July 19, 2019 1 hour ago, Jem 12 said: After writing to the CEO as advised on here, I had a very quick response from Mr Twynam, he passed my email on to one of his colleagues, who called me back today She agreed with me that the message from the Upgrade site is rather unclear and has asked her web designers to make the restrictions clearer. Basically what I have been told is that if you book under any special deal you do not qualify for the programme, I didn’t think anybody actually paid brochure price for their cruise these days, but apparently that is why we are not eligible. i only actually bothered to email Mr Twynam because I was also incredibly frustrated at the awful website, plus the lack of response to emails and the callback facility, which I had used to try and book another back to back cruise, but I didn’t hear back from anybody at Azamara. At least now I know not to bother trying to upgrade our cruise at least. Just out of interest I am wondering what your special deal is. Any idea? You didn't book a guarantee cabin did you? Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malcliz Posted July 19, 2019 #341 Share Posted July 19, 2019 This doesn’t make sense. We booked under a very special deal - a 7 night cruise with 6 free days - but we were still eligible to bid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandma Cruising Posted July 19, 2019 Author #342 Share Posted July 19, 2019 5 minutes ago, malcliz said: This doesn’t make sense. We booked under a very special deal - a 7 night cruise with 6 free days - but we were still eligible to bid. I was told that using your LCV free nights doesn’t count as a special deal. That’s possibly because when you book it, you book it at full price - you can’t combine using them with a promotional price. We used our 4 nights for our recent Norway cruise and were offered the chance to bid for an upgrade and were successful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malcliz Posted July 19, 2019 #343 Share Posted July 19, 2019 16 minutes ago, Host Grandma Cruising said: I was told that using your LCV free nights doesn’t count as a special deal. That’s possibly because when you book it, you book it at full price - you can’t combine using them with a promotional price. We used our 4 nights for our recent Norway cruise and were offered the chance to bid for an upgrade and were successful. Oh yes, that’s true. Have to pay full price for the other days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
excitedofharpenden Posted July 19, 2019 #344 Share Posted July 19, 2019 The terms and conditions state full fare and general marketplace promotions only, so that will include most deals (including free nights). I wouldn’t expect the likes of travel agent rates etc to be eligible. I am however interested to know what Jem 12 has as a special deal that was refused. If it was a guarantee cabin then they have never been eligible for upgrades and I understand. If it was something then I’m a bit puzzled. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommajo22 Posted July 19, 2019 #345 Share Posted July 19, 2019 We will be going on our first Azamara cruise Aug 17-27 but we are Explorer tier due to our Celebrity status. We originally purchased our V1 cabin with a promotional upgrade from Oceanview to Veranda. At some point, about mid-June (husband handled all upgrades and can't find actual dates) we received the upgrade email. He originally bid $300/person, a weak bid, for a CC Suite. When he didn't hear back, he upgraded again to $420/person, still considered a weak bid. He received an email 32 days before sailing that we were awarded the upgrade but our credit card failed to process. The problem must have been on their end as there was plenty of available credit but trying to find someone to respond to us was rather difficult. We finally talked to a real person this Tuesday who made sure that the original card went through. We were awarded cabin 8050. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jem 12 Posted July 20, 2019 #346 Share Posted July 20, 2019 5 hours ago, excitedofharpenden said: The terms and conditions state full fare and general marketplace promotions only, so that will include most deals (including free nights). I wouldn’t expect the likes of travel agent rates etc to be eligible. I am however interested to know what Jem 12 has as a special deal that was refused. If it was a guarantee cabin then they have never been eligible for upgrades and I understand. If it was something then I’m a bit puzzled. Phil Hi Phil sorry for slow reply, I have been out for the evening. Yes we did indeed book an outside guarantee, I didn’t know that they are not eligible for upgrades and indeed the person I spoke too from Azamara did not quote that, she said we had booked under summer savings!!! We have previously had a $399 upgrade from an outside to a balcony and we also several years ago been upgraded from inside guarantee to a balcony, so I’m not complaining about the fairness of the new system, but just trying to get a transparent explanation of who can or can’t bid, so I know not to bother to keep checking. I am quite happy to have an outside cabin, but was hoping for one on deck 4, but hey ho we will have a great cruise. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to comment etc. I appreciate it. Elizabeth 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandma Cruising Posted July 20, 2019 Author #347 Share Posted July 20, 2019 12 hours ago, mommajo22 said: We will be going on our first Azamara cruise Aug 17-27 but we are Explorer tier due to our Celebrity status. We originally purchased our V1 cabin with a promotional upgrade from Oceanview to Veranda. At some point, about mid-June (husband handled all upgrades and can't find actual dates) we received the upgrade email. He originally bid $300/person, a weak bid, for a CC Suite. When he didn't hear back, he upgraded again to $420/person, still considered a weak bid. He received an email 32 days before sailing that we were awarded the upgrade but our credit card failed to process. The problem must have been on their end as there was plenty of available credit but trying to find someone to respond to us was rather difficult. We finally talked to a real person this Tuesday who made sure that the original card went through. We were awarded cabin 8050. Thanks for the information. I’ve added it to spreadsheet. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pEoojQ5-EPmD4cI3gw1dVcYfYTXfZePdDXxU09l0H3M Can you remember what the minimum bid was? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommajo22 Posted July 20, 2019 #348 Share Posted July 20, 2019 5 hours ago, Host Grandma Cruising said: Thanks for the information. I’ve added it to spreadsheet. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pEoojQ5-EPmD4cI3gw1dVcYfYTXfZePdDXxU09l0H3M Can you remember what the minimum bid was? My husband thinks the minimum bid was $200/person, or $400/cabin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dabear Posted July 20, 2019 #349 Share Posted July 20, 2019 How long did mommajo22 or Host wait before increasing initial bid? My understanding is that you don't hear anything for at least 30 days after initial bid. Our cruise is in October and we bid last week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiccups Posted July 21, 2019 #350 Share Posted July 21, 2019 I've been checking the last week to see if we could bid on a upgrade, and as I mentioned in an earlier post, kept getting "you are not eligible to bid at this time." I thought possibly our cruise hasn't opened up for bidding yet, but just out of curiosity, decided to check my settings. I had previously been opted into Azamara and Celebrity emails, but today, only the Celebrity box was checked! So I once again checked the box for Azamara, and we'll see if that makes a difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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