Azamara pricing

[Bloodaxe]

27 minutes ago, Cruise Junky said:

They really should change their wording if that’s the case. Change it to a selection of wines by the glass are offered. 2 reds, 2 whites sounds cheap and limiting. 

 

 

The previous days wines are not readily available, you do have to ask and they will try to accommodate you.

[SoBaycruiser]

On 5/27/2019 at 12:01 PM, Cruise Junky said:

yes, they're having a fire sale, that's for sure....but at $1,250 cdn a night for Spain, I'll pass.

 

Just curious about Spain pricing as that has been brought up a couple times.  I previously read that one can wait to book Mediterranean cruises as they have been doing them a long time and there is not quite the demand.  Are the Spain cruises selling faster and therefore holding their price?   We are looking at a 2021 Spain/Portugal cruise (no other Med ports).   We planned to sit tight for a while.  We will be taking our first Azamara cruise in over a decade soon and thought we’d see how things have changed.  (It was not all-inclusive back in 2008).  We took our first Seabourn trip last year and while we loved the size of the room, we didn’t care for the limited dining options without the dress code... basically having no options of where to eat if one didn’t want to “dress” for dinner except your room or poolside... which was about 48 degF on a cold Alaskan night.  I like to dress nice for dinner usually.  But there are times when one comes back late from an excursion and all you want to do is to eat at the buffet and relax.  I’m assuming that or something similar is possible on Azamara.  But I digress.  Back to Spain... is this a popular destination at the moment?  What would you expect the pricing to do on this trip?

[Cruise Junky]

1 hour ago, SoBaycruiser said:

 

Just curious about Spain pricing as that has been brought up a couple times.  I previously read that one can wait to book Mediterranean cruises as they have been doing them a long time and there is not quite the demand.  Are the Spain cruises selling faster and therefore holding their price?   We are looking at a 2021 Spain/Portugal cruise (no other Med ports).   We planned to sit tight for a while.  We will be taking our first Azamara cruise in over a decade soon and thought we’d see how things have changed.  (It was not all-inclusive back in 2008).  We took our first Seabourn trip last year and while we loved the size of the room, we didn’t care for the limited dining options without the dress code... basically having no options of where to eat if one didn’t want to “dress” for dinner except your room or poolside... which was about 48 degF on a cold Alaskan night.  I like to dress nice for dinner usually.  But there are times when one comes back late from an excursion and all you want to do is to eat at the buffet and relax.  I’m assuming that or something similar is possible on Azamara.  But I digress.  Back to Spain... is this a popular destination at the moment?  What would you expect the pricing to do on this trip?

 

I don't think Spain/Portugal are in demand to be honest. They've done similar itineraries before and usually have a significant drop.  Oceania is doing one very similar that is a day longer.  There's a lot of competition in the Med.  I could understand their pricing on a unique itinerary...ie..the black sea seems to be quite high.  Spain/Portugal are so inexpensive to do by land.  I could stay at some pretty lush places for $1,250 a day :)

[Shawnino]

SoBay:

We are about a month out of final payment on a nine day "Spain Intensive", Barcelona--Lisbon on pursuit in November.

Insides/OVs appear sold out

Veranda V3-VX (VX? The nerve!) ranges $2,924-$3,374 pp (all figures USD) at my TA

Continent N1 is $4,649 pp. 

 

Some people have reported cruises where prices plummeted after final payment.

[Cruise Junky]

8 minutes ago, Shawnino said:

SoBay:

We are about a month out of final payment on a nine day "Spain Intensive", Barcelona--Lisbon on pursuit in November.

Insides/OVs appear sold out

Veranda V3-VX (VX? The nerve!) ranges $2,924-$3,374 pp (all figures USD) at my TA

Continent N1 is $4,649 pp. 

 

Some people have reported cruises where prices plummeted after final payment.

 

TAs are throwing a lot of OBC on that one...

Inside Offer! Book select categories and receive a FREE $600 per cabin onboard credit.
Oceanview Offer! Book select categories by May 31 and receive a FREE $800 per cabin onboard credit and unlimited Internet access for one device.
Balcony Offer! Book select categories by May 31 and receive a FREE $900 per cabin onboard credit and unlimited Internet access for one device.
Suite Offer! Book select categories by May 20 and receive a FREE $1,000 per cabin onboard credit. and unlimited Internet access for one device.

 

The TA I'm looking at has insides and OVs available

[Grandma Cruising]

13 hours ago, uktog said:

It’s shown in the updated printed menus so I’d say permanent 

If Famous Grouse is now included, do you know if they have added any others to the Premium drinks list?

[uktog]

Didn’t spot any changes there

[Jimmycruiser]

Cruise Junky - I was responding to your post #39 that gave pricing for a med cruise that’s all, and you’re prior posts with wrong cabin sf leaving the impression you are biased in your negative opinion of AZ which is certainly your right. I really want to try a luxury line but after careful, accurate comparisons including extra amenities and OBC  have yet to find one I am willing to pay the premium over AZ. End of discussion. Have a great day!

[Cruise Junky]

16 minutes ago, Jimmycruiser said:

Cruise Junky - I was responding to your post #39 that gave pricing for a med cruise that’s all, and you’re prior posts with wrong cabin sf leaving the impression you are biased in your negative opinion of AZ which is certainly your right. I really want to try a luxury line but after careful, accurate comparisons including extra amenities and OBC  have yet to find one I am willing to pay the premium over AZ. End of discussion. Have a great day!

What part of my sq footage is wrong?

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 30, 2019 by Cruise Junky

[Cruise Junky]

You also gave me grief over comparing an obstructed view OV on Crystal to an OV on Azamara...well guess what?

 

ocean view stateroom features

• Maximum Occupancy: 2
• Obstructed View: 50.0%

Stateroom no.6038

Deck Deck 6

Ship Location Midship

ocean view stateroom features

• Maximum Occupancy: 2
• Obstructed View: 99.0%

Edited May 30, 2019 by Cruise Junky

[SoBaycruiser]

6 hours ago, Shawnino said:

SoBay:

We are about a month out of final payment on a nine day "Spain Intensive", Barcelona--Lisbon on pursuit in November.

Insides/OVs appear sold out

Veranda V3-VX (VX? The nerve!) ranges $2,924-$3,374 pp (all figures USD) at my TA

Continent N1 is $4,649 pp. 

 

Some people have reported cruises where prices plummeted after final payment.

 

Thanks!  That’s the cruise we want to take April 2021.  The prices for your cruise are already lower than what they are asking for 2021.  I should book your trip except for I don’t think we can turn around so quickly after Asia.  But I will keep an eye on it.  This has been very helpful.

 

[ShopperfiendTO]

10 hours ago, Bloodaxe said:

 

 

The previous days wines are not readily available, you do have to ask and they will try to accommodate you.

 

I think this is the best answer to the question on wine selection. 

 

There is a set roster of 2 reds and 2 whites for each day but if you really don't like any of the wines on the roster for that day, they will try to accommodate you but no guarantees and sometimes they do run out of wines mid-cruise (e.g., you really like one type and keep asking for it, they may run out and you will have to settle for something else).  And the roster isn't fixed and rotation isn't always evenly spaced out (for example, Red 1 might appear on day 2, 5 & 8, Red 2 might appear on day 2, 6 & 9 and White 1 might appear on day 2, 5 & 9 and White 2 might appear on just day 2 & 7).

 

I think objectively, the included wines are acceptable but nothing great, most in the $10-$20CDN range per bottle for the ones that are sold in Ontario.  Frankly there were some really bad wines when we were on but luckily there were more suitable alternatives that we were able to obtain instead.  Having said that most were acceptable and as stated above, they will try to accommodate if you really don't like any of the wines on the roster that day.

[ShopperfiendTO]

1 hour ago, Cruise Junky said:

What part of my sq footage is wrong?

 

 

Definitely the obstructed oceanviews are the smallest cabins on the R ships, at 143 sq. ft.  These are the lowest category oceanview cabins though.  All of the other oceanview cabins are at least the same size as an inside, and I am guessing going from an obstructed to a small porthole with noticeably more space isn't that much of a price premium?

[Cruise Junky]

30 minutes ago, ShopperfiendTO said:

 

Definitely the obstructed oceanviews are the smallest cabins on the R ships, at 143 sq. ft.  These are the lowest category oceanview cabins though.  All of the other oceanview cabins are at least the same size as an inside, and I am guessing going from an obstructed to a small porthole with noticeably more space isn't that much of a price premium?

You are 100% correct. My original price comparison was the lowest price OV on Azamara and Crystal. Both have some kind of obstruction. I was told I was wrong. Thank you

[Grandma Cruising]

9 hours ago, uktog said:

Didn’t spot any changes there

Thanks

[AllisonJames]

Agree with the comments about the poor wine selection and I cannot even be considered anywhere near an expert but this should not have to be a debate at the AZ price point.  The Dark Horse Chardonnay on our last two AZ cruises retails for $7 in our local wine store, just awful when there are plenty of decent wines in the $10 - $20 range.  And the added problem is the wine purchase selections are not great either or we would happily use our onboard credit to get better wine.  At this point, the beverage quality is the one thing that deters us from booking again.  We can live with the small showers -- hey, they are an adventure!  We can live with a missing rowing machine (but it should not happen). But for goodness sake, AZ, spend a little bit of all those high cruise fares you are charging and get better wine, tonic and liquor because it is making the cruise line truly seem to be substandard for the cost and many of your regular guests are unhappy!

[Bloodaxe]

18 minutes ago, AllisonJames said:

Agree with the comments about the poor wine selection and I cannot even be considered anywhere near an expert but this should not have to be a debate at the AZ price point.  The Dark Horse Chardonnay on our last two AZ cruises retails for $7 in our local wine store, just awful when there are plenty of decent wines in the $10 - $20 range.  And the added problem is the wine purchase selections are not great either or we would happily use our onboard credit to get better wine.  At this point, the beverage quality is the one thing that deters us from booking again.  We can live with the small showers -- hey, they are an adventure!  We can live with a missing rowing machine (but it should not happen). But for goodness sake, AZ, spend a little bit of all those high cruise fares you are charging and get better wine, tonic and liquor because it is making the cruise line truly seem to be substandard for the cost and many of your regular guests are unhappy!

 

This has been highlighted many times but hardly anything changes, in fact I think the included wines have deteriorated in recent times.

Edited May 31, 2019 by Bloodaxe

[maggie.1008]

Living in California there are so many great wines in the $ 15 - $20. range. No reason to serve bad wines .

I hope our Alaska July cruise will pull from these good wines. 

[AllisonJames]

Bloodaxe, we should not give up! I remember fondly a time when AZ listened to the guest outcry regarding two issues: they started including a sparkling wine in the included beverages and the reimagination plans originally included eliminating the Sunset Bar in favor on an Asian Restaurant. So I have to remain optimistic because my husband likes the Perry Golf Cruises!

[Bloodaxe]

3 hours ago, AllisonJames said:

Bloodaxe, we should not give up! I remember fondly a time when AZ listened to the guest outcry regarding two issues: they started including a sparkling wine in the included beverages and the reimagination plans originally included eliminating the Sunset Bar in favor on an Asian Restaurant. So I have to remain optimistic because my husband likes the Perry Golf Cruises!

 

We can only hope but most recent changes seem to have been disappointing, at least they seem to have now included a half decent Scotch Whiskey.

 

[Jimmycruiser]

Cruise Junky - This started with your post 20 and my response post 21 which were factual based on going to both Crystal website and Azamara website to check your claim Crystal was cheaper on a 10 day med cruise in May 2021. What I found was that a Crystal obstructed view cabin with port fees and taxes added was more expensive than an Azamara non obstructed OV with full window and 170 sf not the smaller 143 sf. It also included port fees and taxes and that is what I used in US dollars in my #21 post. I also mentioned that although AZ was still cheaper the difference was less than I found last year in my search. Let’s stop The Who has to be right or wrong and enjoy the search for best fares.

[Rabo]

Back in March of 2017, we were one of the first to book the upcoming July 1 Journey Norway & Midnight Sun.  Although high priced, I booked at a price and category (V2) I would be comfortable with.  When one of promotions was posted, we were able to save almost $2,500 (we are in the US).  I continued to check prices and availability only up to the date my final payment was made.  Once I made my final payment, I had no interest in seeing if the price went any lower.  If someone else got a better price than I did, good for them.  I'm happy with what I got.

[Cruise Junky]

59 minutes ago, Jimmycruiser said:

Cruise Junky - This started with your post 20 and my response post 21 which were factual based on going to both Crystal website and Azamara website to check your claim Crystal was cheaper on a 10 day med cruise in May 2021. What I found was that a Crystal obstructed view cabin with port fees and taxes added was more expensive than an Azamara non obstructed OV with full window and 170 sf not the smaller 143 sf. It also included port fees and taxes and that is what I used in US dollars in my #21 post. I also mentioned that although AZ was still cheaper the difference was less than I found last year in my search. Let’s stop The Who has to be right or wrong and enjoy the search for best fares.

Your search was flawed. I went through a TA for my pricing. I didn’t just look at each’s website. Some cruises allow discounting, some don’t. Cruiselines’s site Is a terrible way to get a price. And you needed to ensure you weren’t looking at a category 8 OV on Azamara because even though they show 170 sq ft, they’re not, they’re 143 and either all of partially obstructed. You should know your R ships better before arguing. Category 7 is where they start at 170sq ft. 

[Jimmycruiser]

Cruise Junky - You just won’t let it go. No wonder you have 19,900 plus posts. My post was not Flawed as you suggest just because you used a TA and I did not. I also know the deck layouts and cabin sizes of all three Azamara ships and have sailed on them which you have not. I used the cruise line official pricing just as an apple to apple comparison that’s all, and what I stated was correct for that comparison including cabin sf. I understand what TA’s do and some have better relationships with certain cruise lines with prices and OBC constantly changing based on demand.

 

I was hoping other cruisers who have actually sailed on both would comment so I could get some unbiased opinions. I regret having started this thread since it has taken on a life of its own. Have a great day!

[Globehoppers]

Guys, its just not the cabin dimensions.  Layout is very important and maybe the most important in overall ambience.  Sailing Azamara is like coming home, maybe also a bit like "Cheers" where "everyone knows your name."  Actually happened to us embarking Quest in :with for a Norway cruise.  Ir was about 8pm after a long day of touring and we were the only ones arriving at that time.  Encountered the hotel director on the pier helping a couple disembark, an officer we had sailed with previously, and he remembered and greeted us by name.  It had about a year...  Additionally, Crystal is still enamored with ocean liner faux "Black Tie" dining where Azamara is much more modern.  The crew can make all the difference and when Azamara stops being "home away from home" we may select an alternative small ship.  FYI - we primarily select cruises based on itinerary then ship then cabin.  Thus sail a variety of cruise lines.