Trying to make lemonade on the journey crossing

[wripro]

18 hours ago, Anchor Light said:

These free nights are a misnomer.  I too booked my free nights - some time ago so they wouldn't expire. The base price used for the calculation has far exceeded the current pricing so we too are paying more for this cruise than if we were able to take advantage of promos and price drops.

 

LCV and Revenue Management was of no help when this was brought to their attention.  They even had difficulty understanding the issue, they just kept explaining the hard-and-fast free-nights rules.  There is no lemonade in this situation - just seems like another loyalty benefit that really isn't.  I'm sorry now that I even booked them.

Did you have your TA get involved to help steel the matter. That's what they are for.

[Spursgirl]

Finding Clockgate hilarious. We did not have a clock (authorised or unauthorised) in our stateroom on our Journey cruise which finished on November 5. Not quite sure how we survived 😄

Edited November 10, 2019 by Spursgirl

[excitedofharpenden]

3 hours ago, wripro said:

Did you have your TA get involved to help steel the matter. That's what they are for.

A TA would make no difference to the use of free nights because the rules on their use is strict. 

 

Phil

[laurieb]

I wonder if the clocks are going the way of the binoculars; once they break they’re not being replaced 

[Phylhering]

My TA was involved with the free nights to no avail.  But I did get a relatively generous refundable SBC.  Plus I did get the $300 for booking on board.  

 

I know clockgate is a nonsense problem in the overall scheme of things.  In the future I will bring my own.  

 

I was also on the b2b norway cruise, with the discount.  I had at one point booked it with my six free nights but could not pull the trigger on spending that money with a 200% single supplement,  so canceled.  Then the promo from a TA can out and jumped on that with a balcony.  Now they are not giving me single points for those 30 days.  Will see if I get those points back.

[Riocca]

12 hours ago, excitedofharpenden said:

A TA would make no difference to the use of free nights because the rules on their use is strict. 

 

Phil

We booked a 7 night cruise onboard to use our last free 3 nights and based on current pricing we have only paid for four of the seven nights, transferring it to our travel agent gave us another 5% discount.

I think you have to be very careful in the choice of cruise to make the free nights effective but appreciate that it might be more difficult for singles to make it work.

[uktog]

5 minutes ago, Riocca said:

We booked a 7 night cruise onboard to use our last free 3 nights and based on current pricing we have only paid for four of the seven nights, transferring it to our travel agent gave us another 5% discount.

I think you have to be very careful in the choice of cruise to make the free nights effective but appreciate that it might be more difficult for singles to make it work.

We had every seven night in 2020 priced for us. Even with our platinum discount only one two cost less so in each case our free nights had a value of less than £200. It’s not really a benefit in their current pricing model. A travel agent is irrelevant they can do no more. 

[Riocca]

1 hour ago, uktog said:

We had every seven night in 2020 priced for us. Even with our platinum discount only one two cost less so in each case our free nights had a value of less than £200. It’s not really a benefit in their current pricing model. A travel agent is irrelevant they can do no more. 

Agree that current pricing and offers are not as they used to be, we were looking to add on a 3 night cruise to a booking we have for 2020 but the onboard price we were given was ridiculous, per night the cheapest balcony was more than we were paying for a CW suite! It’s now on “offer” but a balcony is still more than we normally pay for a CC. As much as we enjoy Azamara there is a limit we are prepared to pay and there are plenty of alternatives available. 

[Lottie A]

I agree. Azamara prices have now become completely ridiculous. I do love the onboard experience but not at these crazy prices, especially if I have a solo cabin. I have recently done two cruises with another cruise line and enjoyed them very much. The food and service was easily as good as Azamara and the other passengers were lovely. My suite was far more impressive than anything on Azamara. The bathroom was three times the size of course. I could book two, actually almost three cruises with them for what I am paying for my Azamara cruise next June. The prices for this cruise have gone up and down for months and I can foresee a Fire Sale in May and then it will be given to some cheap US consolidators. I will be furious I expect. 

 

If it wasn’t for the lovely friends I am cruising with, then I would be cancelling my Azamara cruise and booking with the other cruise line instead. I don’t think Azamara will be seeing very much of me anymore and that’s a shame, but I’m getting so sick of these pricing games they play. 

[Riocca]

1 hour ago, Lottie A said:

I agree. Azamara prices have now become completely ridiculous. I do love the onboard experience but not at these crazy prices, especially if I have a solo cabin. I have recently done two cruises with another cruise line and enjoyed them very much. The food and service was easily as good as Azamara and the other passengers were lovely. My suite was far more impressive than anything on Azamara. The bathroom was three times the size of course. I could book two, actually almost three cruises with them for what I am paying for my Azamara cruise next June. The prices for this cruise have gone up and down for months and I can foresee a Fire Sale in May and then it will be given to some cheap US consolidators. I will be furious I expect. 

 

If it wasn’t for the lovely friends I am cruising with, then I would be cancelling my Azamara cruise and booking with the other cruise line instead. I don’t think Azamara will be seeing very much of me anymore and that’s a shame, but I’m getting so sick of these pricing games they play. 

To be fair to Azamara we are happy with pricing the 4 cruises we have booked for 2020, we have also been able to get price drops with no problems. However something seems to have changed recently and going forward we are seeing pricing we are uncomfortable with and false promotions where prices have risen by more than the value of “offer” just weeks before.

To me it seems to coincide with the demise of Club Cruises and focus on Land & Sea, one can only hope normal service will be resumed at some time otherwise we are with you.

[newmexicoNita]

21 hours ago, retird said:

Thank goodness we live in a world where the only major complaint we have is no bedside clock.   I wonder if all cabin attendants will be instructed to check each oceanview for the unauthorized clock.  🤣

and I can't believe this is such an issue to some. I have never given it a second though. Now if there were no phones or no TP I  might be a bit upset. 

[Phylhering]

As a follow up.  All the issues have been resolved when you get to the right people.  I now have 2 clocks. 🙂

What I thought was fair, with the 6 free days issue, the clock and the pillows.  All resolved.  There need to be more senior staff who care about your repeat business.

[Fatfish]

Just in case anybody is looking for a battery operated (3 aaa not included) with a dim backlight etc. I bought this from Amazon 2 days ago and it's great; only $13...Hopefully I am allowed to post this link..

 

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07WGTFFLH/

[uktog]

Glad it’s all sorted- but are they authorised clocks? 😂😂😂

[Lottie A]

Glad you have been treated like a valued customer and all is now well. 

Two clocks hey? As UKtog said... I hope they are authorised! 🤣🤣🤣

[excitedofharpenden]

1 hour ago, Phylhering said:

As a follow up.  All the issues have been resolved when you get to the right people.  I now have 2 clocks. 🙂

What I thought was fair, with the 6 free days issue, the clock and the pillows.  All resolved.  There need to be more senior staff who care about your repeat business.

Pleased to hear of the resolution after passing it up the line.  Two clocks?  Now you are just being greedy.  Not even the big suites get two😂

 

Phil

[Covepointcruiser]

Would anyone on board the Journey like a scale?   One is in our bathroom and is not wanted, will send to the highest bidding cabin!

[donaldsc]

On 11/10/2019 at 6:52 PM, laurieb said:

I wonder if the clocks are going the way of the binoculars; once they break they’re not being replaced 

 

The free binoculars that you get on a cruise are totally worthless.  I would guess that the retail price for them at Walmart might be as much as $10.  If you want binoculars that you can actually see through, go out an buy your own.

 

DON

[laurieb]

Ok?  Point being?

Edited November 17, 2019 by laurieb

[marinaro44]

7 hours ago, laurieb said:

Ok?  Point being?

Don't mourn the loss of binoculars.

[Baynanno1]

We have never paid "book price" for a cruise, except those booked using our "free nights".

We actually used our 4 nights on a ridiculously expensive 3 night cruise between two 9 night cruises and were "happy" with the 4th night disappearing into the ether in that deal.

Our 6 free nights went towards Norway, as we thought and as HGC says "is never discounted" . . . but yes, probably for the first time ever July this year was quite heavily discounted. But the experience was great apart from the unfortunately fogbound North Cape.

[critterchick]

On 11/11/2019 at 7:52 AM, Riocca said:

To be fair to Azamara we are happy with pricing the 4 cruises we have booked for 2020, we have also been able to get price drops with no problems. However something seems to have changed recently and going forward we are seeing pricing we are uncomfortable with and false promotions where prices have risen by more than the value of “offer” just weeks before.

To me it seems to coincide with the demise of Club Cruises and focus on Land & Sea, one can only hope normal service will be resumed at some time otherwise we are with you.

 

DH just got a glitzy brochure (I am chopped liver; I don’t get any communications from Azamara) touting the new land and sea program. We had quite a laugh over the pricing - Easily triple what you could do on your own or with a good land tour company. I can’t see how they will do well with those.

We gave up $400 of deposits recently, cruises approaching final payment that we had booked as placemarkers until something we wanted to do came along. Nothing did at a price we’re willing to pay. 😞