Convince us not to cancel our Azamara cruise

[audobon_tx]

7 hours ago, JVNYC said:

I am "holding" a 14 day - 2021 Pursuit cruise roundtrip Rome (7 day Italy intensive and 7 day France intensive).  I'm holding a V2 category.  Love the itinerary.  Not thrilled it's in August, but I can work with that.  The price is $1114 per day for 2 people.  Seriously....that's high for a non-luxury brand and an older ship and one that does not include premium drinks.  Anyone else agree?  This would be my first Azamara.  Not sure I'm booking it now.

 

 

That's too much for a V2 particularly for a high competition market like the Med.  I would maybe pay that for a 6 star line standard veranda but not for Azamara.  You can book to hold the room, particularly if you are picky with location, then rebook when the, probable, promotion comes along or cancel later if you want, anytime up to final payment date.  I have sailed with Azamara frequently and enjoy the experience but not at that price.

[mchell810]

15 hours ago, excitedofharpenden said:

Totally agree with uktog. Sometimes we can read just too much so as to make ourselves crazy! 

 

 

I have sailed Azamara only once, just a couple months ago.  I think the question of whether or not you enjoy it depends on your expectations.  As Phil said -- quoted above -- you can make yourself crazy in reading too much.  For me, I read too many praises of Azamara; too many descriptions of over the top service.  I did enjoy my cruise (not nearly at $1000 a night); but the amazing service is just not guaranteed IMHO.  In the MDR I saw it happening at times for others, but couldn't manage to get a simple description of the day's special from my waiter.  I listened the descriptions given to the next table to get the information.  I had my unfinished wine bottle shoved in my hand rather than being held for me.  Yes, I mentioned it to the maitre'd, and he offered to take the bottle; but at that point I didn't trust leaving it. There were other instances were service lacked. As for included drinks I found the wines to be really bad -- again this is opinion.  Eventually, I simply stopped drinking beyond the wines I brought on board.  In the end, I am very sure I would not have been disappointed if I didn't have expectations for Azamara as a luxury line.  I loved having shuttles available and the lack of crowds; I loved the Azamazing Evening and the other passengers.  There is much good with Azamara; I would sail them again if the price were right.  Lately, the prices seem incredible high.  I have booked my next cruise with Celebrity -- including gratuities, unlimited wifi and a drinks package -- at 50% less than the cost of the same cruise with Azamara.  Ultimately, each person has to decide what they feel is important and how much they are willing to pay for it.

[sailco]

Thank you everyone for your thoughtful responses. When we booked this cruise we believed that Azamara was a luxury cruise line. That's certainly how travel agencies here in Australia promote Azamara. So, we thought the $1000 a night for a V1 Balcony was a reasonable price.

 

Over the months since then we've done a fair bit of research and now realise we won't have anything near the luxury experience we had expected. Your comments here and elsewhere on CC have confirmed this.

 

So that brings us back to the daily tariff. We've been checking the website but there's been no change to the fare since we booked 12 months ago. In Australia most cruise lines do not refare. If you find a lower fare you must cancel and lose the deposit (with Celebrity and Azamara this is $600pp), then hope your chosen cabin has not been onsold before you can rebook it. It needs to be a very favourable saving before you begin the exercise and from our experience it rarely works in your favour.

 

Thanks again for your input. It was very much appreciated.

[travelberlin]

14 hours ago, JVNYC said:

I am "holding" a 14 day - 2021 Pursuit cruise roundtrip Rome (7 day Italy intensive and 7 day France intensive).  I'm holding a V2 category.  Love the itinerary.  Not thrilled it's in August, but I can work with that.  The price is $1114 per day for 2 people.  Seriously....that's high for a non-luxury brand and an older ship and one that does not include premium drinks.  Anyone else agree?  This would be my first Azamara.  Not sure I'm booking it now.

 

Cruises in the Mediterranean are offered by several cruise lines. Have you compared if you can get another cruise line ( for example Oceania, which offers deals including drinks or Crystal, which is fully inclusive) for those prices?

[sailco]

14 hours ago, JVNYC said:

I am "holding" a 14 day - 2021 Pursuit cruise roundtrip Rome (7 day Italy intensive and 7 day France intensive).  I'm holding a V2 category.  Love the itinerary.  Not thrilled it's in August, but I can work with that.  The price is $1114 per day for 2 people.  Seriously....that's high for a non-luxury brand and an older ship and one that does not include premium drinks.  Anyone else agree?  This would be my first Azamara.  Not sure I'm booking it now.

 

At that price I wouldn't be booking either. We're just back from our first MSC cruise in the Med on a magnificent new ship and less than a quarter of what you're quoting. Even adding the basic drinks gratuities and internet we were way ahead of that. Big ship maybe, but the onboard experience was better than we've ever had. The organisation was spot on, the entertainment was amazing (excuse the pun), the shore ex the best we've ever been on and value for money? There's no comparison.

Edited June 28, 2019 by sailco

[JVNYC]

Thanks all, appreciate your insight....I fully agree.  I'm an early planner and there aren't many released summer 2021 itineraries out there right now....none that look that great to me, except this one.  It's still early, there will be more to come by the fall I guess.  I'm going to wait....not paying that much, no way.   

[audobon_tx]

32 minutes ago, JVNYC said:

Thanks all, appreciate your insight....I fully agree.  I'm an early planner and there aren't many released summer 2021 itineraries out there right now....none that look that great to me, except this one.  It's still early, there will be more to come by the fall I guess.  I'm going to wait....not paying that much, no way.   

 

From what I have seen (USA market), the fares won't start to adjust until 12 months (+/-) before sailing.  If you are in US market you don't have much risk booking early. 

 

We have 3 booked in Europe summer of 2020, way over priced and we knew that going in.  But we can wait for the expected fire sale and will rebook (US customers can do so once at no penalty) at that time or walk away.

[JVNYC]

4 minutes ago, flyingshoes said:

 

From what I have seen (USA market), the fares won't start to adjust until 12 months (+/-) before sailing.  If you are in US market you don't have much risk booking early. 

 

We have 3 booked in Europe summer of 2020, way over priced and we knew that going in.  But we can wait for the expected fire sale and will rebook (US customers can do so once at no penalty) at that time or walk away.

 

Good point, I'll consider this.  Is your 2020 cruise also as high per day?  Also....for cancellations no matter how far out....$75 pp per cruise for my back to back totals $300 cancellation....not thrilled with that.  I like Oceania's cancellation policy, no charge when far out. 

[audobon_tx]

Booked onboard to lock in the LCV and early booking incentives.  Fare was in the 1000 USD pp range, has since come down about 10%, it will drop more.  I wouldn't be surprised to see $500 pp next February (sails in June 2020) but that may be a stretch.  Then after final payment date in March the fare could go to fire sale prices by April.  Northern Europe/Baltic/Norway.  Competitive market.  No guarantees of course.

[audobon_tx]

1 hour ago, flyingshoes said:

Booked onboard to lock in the LCV and early booking incentives.  Fare was in the 1000 USD pp range, has since come down about 10%, it will drop more.  I wouldn't be surprised to see $500 pp next February (sails in June 2020) but that may be a stretch.  Then after final payment date in March the fare could go to fire sale prices by April.  Northern Europe/Baltic/Norway.  Competitive market.  No guarantees of course.

Whoops, error.  1000 USD total per night, not per person.  Ditto $500 total per night, not per person.

Edited June 28, 2019 by flyingshoes

[Grandma Cruising]

Prices can come down. In June 2018 we booked a transatlantic from Lisbon to Rio for Nov 2019 and a few months later the price went down by £2000. In the UK we have no best price guarantee, but I still saved £1500 by cancelling and rebooking.

[Burlington ON]

I, too, am frustrated by Azamara's North American customer service. My final payment is due today - sat on hold for 30 minutes this morning and didn't get through - emailed requesting a call-back noting that payment is due at 5:00pm.  It's now 2:30pm - no reply - I've been on hold again for 43 minutes - still haven't got through.  This experience is not sitting well for me.

[hubofhockey]

8 hours ago, JVNYC said:

 

Good point, I'll consider this.  Is your 2020 cruise also as high per day?  Also....for cancellations no matter how far out....$75 pp per cruise for my back to back totals $300 cancellation....not thrilled with that.  I like Oceania's cancellation policy, no charge when far out. 

 

I had a choice with Celebrity.  If I wanted a third perk, my deposit would become non-refundable.  The cruise was 18 months out, so I stuck with the two perks.  

[Host Jazzbeau]

5 hours ago, Burlington ON said:

I, too, am frustrated by Azamara's North American customer service. My final payment is due today - sat on hold for 30 minutes this morning and didn't get through - emailed requesting a call-back noting that payment is due at 5:00pm.  It's now 2:30pm - no reply - I've been on hold again for 43 minutes - still haven't got through.  This experience is not sitting well for me.

 

This is one reason that I happily 'give up control' to my TA.  'Control' often means sitting on hold – that I don't need. 

[florisdekort]

4 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

This is one reason that I happily 'give up control' to my TA.  'Control' often means sitting on hold – that I don't need. 

 

The fact that you can also book via a TA is no excuse whatsoever.  The poster is totally right to expect excellent customer service from Azamara itself. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

Maybe it's because I don't pay much attention to the luxury cruise line forums on CC, but my experience on all the cruise line forums that I follow is that people complain about poor shoreside service that is redeemed by the onboard experience.  People who mainly cruise on one line think that line has the worst website – no matter which cruise line that is!  So while I wish that Azamara was top notch from first click to post-cruise surveys, I recognize that they don't seem any worse on shoreside glitches and my Azamara onboard experience has been wonderful. 

[florisdekort]

15 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Maybe it's because I don't pay much attention to the luxury cruise line forums on CC, but my experience on all the cruise line forums that I follow is that people complain about poor shoreside service that is redeemed by the onboard experience.  People who mainly cruise on one line think that line has the worst website – no matter which cruise line that is!  So while I wish that Azamara was top notch from first click to post-cruise surveys, I recognize that they don't seem any worse on shoreside glitches and my Azamara onboard experience has been wonderful. 

 

I’m sorry to keep disagreeing but the fact that some other cruise lines also provide abysmal shoreside service is not an excuse either.  Again, the poster is totally right to expect excellent customer service from Azamara itself. 

 

 

[BBMacLaird]

On 6/28/2019 at 11:21 AM, Burlington ON said:

I, too, am frustrated by Azamara's North American customer service. My final payment is due today - sat on hold for 30 minutes this morning and didn't get through - emailed requesting a call-back noting that payment is due at 5:00pm.  It's now 2:30pm - no reply - I've been on hold again for 43 minutes - still haven't got through.  This experience is not sitting well for me.

Hi Burlington ON, 

I'm sorry you were on hold for so long yesterday!

If you’re comfortable posting your booking number here, someone from our Customer Service will reach out to you.

 

Bonnie

[Burlington ON]

18 hours ago, BBMacLaird said:

Hi Burlington ON, 

I'm sorry you were on hold for so long yesterday!

If you’re comfortable posting your booking number here, someone from our Customer Service will reach out to you.

 

Bonnie

I finally got through after a 47-minute wait; did not get a reply to my email.  I'm a travel agency owner, a very frequent traveller and have cruised with Azamara before. I'm looking forward to the onboard experience, but I've got to say that my staff need better support pre-trip.

[JIMinNC]

I'll chime in to provide the OP with the perspective of someone who is NOT as an experienced/frequent cruiser as most on this board. First, here are my general thoughts:

 

1. Message boards tend to amplify the negatives more than they do the positives of anything, so IMHO, always look at message board postings in that context.
2. If you read ANY of the boards on CC, you will find complaints. So, see #1 above.

Now as far as Azamara itself and how it compares to our only other recent cruise experience:

1. We've done one Azamara cruise, a Barcelona to Rome cruise last fall. We were thrilled with the experience, although we were in a Club Ocean Suite, so can't address how sailing in a smaller cabin might have impacted our experience/opinion. Because we were in a suite, specialty dining was included. We bought a beverage package so we wouldn't have to deal with the included/not included question.
2. Our only other cruise is a just-completed French Polynesian cruise on the m/s Paul Gauguin. The Gauguin is a little more all-inclusive than Azamara in that all alcohol is included and specialty dining is free for all cabin levels, but it was also more expensive for a smaller cabin. Our cost for the 478 square foot Club Ocean Suite on Azamara was about $1600/night versus about $2000/night for a 250 square foot Veranda Suite on the Gauguin. Both cruises included butler service. Both cruises had comparable food and service on board, although I would say the specialty restaurants on Azamara were maybe just a notch above Paul Gauguin's two specialty options. Otherwise, the two cruises were comparable, although we absolutely loved the smaller size of the Gauguin (only 322 passengers). Having now done Azamara and Gauguin, I can say with confidence that we will probably never sail on a bigger ship. We love the smaller ship experience. We feel Azamara was probably the overall better value, but French Polynesia was incredible, and Paul Gauguin does that better than anyone else. 
3. In our opinion, the Azamara Mediterranean itineraries are superior to virtually every other cruise line we have shopped. They generally stay in port longer and have a more immersive feel to them than the other itineraries we shopped. They also seem to offer a greater variety in Mediterranean options than the others. The immersive experience we had on Azamara last fall was what drew us to choose Paul Gauguin for French Polynesia, since they offer a similarly immersive experience there.
4.  We like Azamara's informal "Country Club Casual" dress code. We would be hesitant to consider Silversea and other more formal luxury lines because my understanding is they still have formal nights and men must at least wear jackets almost every night.
5. We loved our shore excursions on Azamara last fall. We had a large OBC, so only booked ship's tours. We did one tour each day, and every tour was well organized and the guides were very informative. Our day trip to Cinque Terre from Santa Margherita, Italy was incredible and our afternoon tour of a Tuscan winery was so memorable. We bought several cases of their wine and had it shipped home.
6. Our Azamazing evening was a Cirque du Soleil- style performance in Valencia, Spain and was very well done.
7. We will be sailing again, and are booked now on a September 2021 cruise from Rome to Athens on the Pursuit that hits the Amalfi Coast, Sicily, and the Greek Isles. We were originally booked on an October 2020 Greek Isles cruise, but a change to the Journey's dry dock schedule forced Azamara to change the itinerary for that cruise. They allowed us to re-book and gave us $500 in OBC as compensation. It would have been $1000 in OBC had we found an acceptable itinerary from a list of specific cruises, but none of those options worked as well for us as the one we chose, so we decided to choose the best itinerary rather than letting the higher OBC push us in another direction. We felt their offers were very reasonable.

Is Azamara perfect? No. Their website can be clunky and hold times at their call center can be long, but as long as they keep coming up with great itineraries, we'll continue to cruise with Azamara.

[Tarwood3]

On 6/27/2019 at 2:20 PM, Covepointcruiser said:

Go with Seabourn or Silversea if you want a luxury experience.   See if you can get either for $1000 a day.   Azamara is perfectly fine for most folks but if you think you will be disappointed you should cancel.

Yep, you can get SB or SS for $1000 a day...of course depends on when you book and where, but its not difficult to do.  And thats the thing...we have always done a mix of luxury and premium lines...to balance out travel expenses.  But lately, AZ has gotten so expensive and our Sky Suites on Celebrity are more than or equal to what we would pay on SS or SB...so for same price or lower, we will do SS or SB every time..  

[srvpoo]

In 4 cruises with Azamara, I have never had anything but outstanding experiences. Great and friendly service, great food and outstanding port visits. You always get what you pay for.

[florisdekort]

1 hour ago, srvpoo said:

In 4 cruises with Azamara, I have never had anything but outstanding experiences. Great and friendly service, great food and outstanding port visits. You always get what you pay for.

 

For Azamara’s current prices you should be getting more. 

[aussie travel bird]

On 6/29/2019 at 1:13 AM, Host Grandma Cruising said:

Prices can come down. In June 2018 we booked a transatlantic from Lisbon to Rio for Nov 2019 and a few months later the price went down by £2000. In the UK we have no best price guarantee, but I still saved £1500 by cancelling and rebooking.

No price price guarantee drop (repricing) in Australia either.  We personally have a price point per day per person that we go by that we're prepared to pay and are struggling to see anything less than near double for our future cruises.  We might have to become those guests who consider booking at the last minute and of course that is subject to availability and if you can get in before the consolidators.  Sounds like a full time retirement job!

[srvpoo]

Check prices on Silversea or Seabourn, Viking etc and tell me what you get extra for the price