Azamara cruise line sold

[Canontale]

28 minutes ago, Azamara Team said:

Hi tgg!

 

Future cruise credits will be honored under the new ownership structure.

 

- Azamara Team

 

So good to get this news as we were on the Quest for less than half of our 65 days last spring when Covid 19 happened and we have amassed significant future cruise credits. Likely we will not be travelling from our country until we are vaccinated which may not happen until late 2021 or early 2022.

We have so enjoyed our 25 cruises with Azamara and would like to give the new owners the benefit of the doubt.

Mary and Alex

[uktog]

37 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Just thought of one really positive implication of Azamara no longer being under RCG's purchasing mandates:  they have no excuse now for serving Royal Club tonic!!!  Since it's clear that @Azamara Team is reading this thread, repeat after me:  "FeverTree"

They stopped serving it at least eighteen months ago

 

[Redtravel]

We had several nice Azamara cruises.  Thanks for the memories.  Sad to see them go.  I expect with the pandemic more lines folding, being sold, or just going away.  Starting to wonder if we'll ever sail again. 

[Bloodaxe]

6 minutes ago, Redtravel said:

We had several nice Azamara cruises.  Thanks for the memories.  Sad to see them go.  I expect with the pandemic more lines folding, being sold, or just going away.  Starting to wonder if we'll ever sail again. 

I feel the same, we have no bookings and are watching and waiting to see what the future of cruising holds.

I do wish Azamara all the best if only for the wonderful staff.

 

Edited January 19, 2021 by Bloodaxe

[Xcelsior]

Love Azamara, but there is just no way that I am going to book a cruise with them until all of this shakes down.  I'll stick with more stable brands as the risk of losing your money in a bankruptcy is just too big in my opinion.

[KirkNC]

1 hour ago, jelayne said:

According to my paperwork the Azamara charge for cancellation is $75 pp not $150pp.  I expect we will have to pay that when/if we cancell.

 

Yes, we canceled four cruises today and were charged $75/pp/cruise.

[Empehi]

OK ....  in MHO things could go either way for Azamara. PE firms purchase companies when they are selling at distressed levels and it appears that this is the case for Azamara. I don't expect any major changes in the cruising philosophy of Azamara until cruising resumes. If cruising resumes sooner rather than later and Azamara can begin generating revenues then she will likely survive and be the recipient of major debt financing. The PE firm will carry the line to a point and then either sell Azamara to another company or most likely have a stock offering and bring the company public and cash out the PE investment that way.

Of coarse, if Azamara can't make a profit as an independent cruise line then well it could be good-by Azamara. In any event, way to early to predict the outcome of Azamara and even the cruise industry in general.

[rallydave]

1 hour ago, TeaBag said:

If we cancel after the ownership changes, will we still be liable for the $150/pp fee which Azamara levied?  After all, we would be cancelling because it was not the cruise we thought we had put the deposit on due to the sale.

Believe it remains the same cruise line you booked with.  Only thing that changed is the ownership.  The company itself is not changed by its' being sold.

[Beyond words]

2 hours ago, excitedofharpenden said:

I guess we can all be experts right now. There certainly seem to be a lot of armchair experts out there who have probably, like most of us, spent too long in lockdown. 

 

It will all work through. Whatever will be will be. It's sad to see those with little knowledge of why Azamara is important to many of us or those who have had an axe to grind in the past (I know who you are) tell us where it all went wrong. You are definitely wasted.  You should be running a cruise line!

 

Phil 

I’m with Phil on this. My handle “Beyond words” sums it up in a way, but I still have 2 cruise booked with Azamara, one of which I have just done a lift and shift to April 2022. I would love to think new ships could be coming in the short to mid term but either way my hope is we will all still be enjoying Azamara cruises for many years to come. Think positive. 

[Lookyboy]

3 minutes ago, Beyond words said:

I’m with Phil on this. My handle “Beyond words” sums it up in a way, but I still have 2 cruise booked with Azamara, one of which I have just done a lift and shift to April 2022. I would love to think new ships could be coming in the short to mid term but either way my hope is we will all still be enjoying Azamara cruises for many years to come. Think positive. 

Sad news indeed, but staying positive for all those involved.

[aandjw]

1 hour ago, midlandtourist said:

So good to get this news as we were on the Quest for less than half of our 65 days last spring when Covid 19 happened and we have amassed significant future cruise credits. Likely we will not be travelling from our country until we are vaccinated which may not happen until late 2021 or early 2022.

We have so enjoyed our 25 cruises with Azamara and would like to give the new owners the benefit of the doubt.

Mary and Alex

 

1 hour ago, midlandtourist said:

So good to get this news as we were on the Quest for less than half of our 65 days last spring when Covid 19 happened and we have amassed significant future cruise credits. Likely we will not be travelling from our country until we are vaccinated which may not happen until late 2021 or early 2022.

We have so enjoyed our 25 cruises with Azamara and would like to give the new owners the benefit of the doubt.

Mary and Alex

I concur.....

[donaldsc]

Interesting thought.  All of Azamara's ships were bought from the Renaissance line that went bankrupt.  I predict that if they are managed by this new company, they will get all the cash that they can get out of Azamara and then toss out the husks.  Oh well.  It was a good ride while it lasted.

 

DON

[TeaBag]

1 hour ago, Redtravel said:

We had several nice Azamara cruises.  Thanks for the memories.  Sad to see them go.  I expect with the pandemic more lines folding, being sold, or just going away.  Starting to wonder if we'll ever sail again. 

Me too.

[TeaBag]

1 hour ago, KirkNC said:

Yes, we canceled four cruises today and were charged $75/pp/cruise.

Thank you for the confirmation.  Frankly, I think that's not fair.  Azamara sold the ship from under you and they should rethink their policy.

[rallydave]

32 minutes ago, TeaBag said:

Thank you for the confirmation.  Frankly, I think that's not fair.  Azamara sold the ship from under you and they should rethink their policy.

The entire company was sold, not one or more ships and the company will continue so don't understand saying the cancellation penalty is unfair at least at this point where no changes to the current Azamara have been announced

 

Had Azamara been folded into another company and ceased to exist as a separate entity you might have a case.  Comparing this purchase to when the R ships were bought from Renaissance is a complete non-starter as Renaissance went bankrupt and the ships were separately sold.  In this case Azamara as a whole was sold and will continue for the time being as Azamara with the same Terms and Conditions which specify the $75 pp/cruise plus all other T's and C's in full effect until changed if at all.

[ChucktownSteve]

Here's our dilemma, we have a 13 night AZ cruise out of Miami this December. The P1 cabin is at a really good rate.   I realize that the CDC has  restricted the cruises to 7 days.  So I don't expect the cruise to be viable. History has been that the RCL Group companies have waited until after final payment to cancel a cruise so that you've paid full boat to get a FCC.

 

Since the cruise will be cancelled. Do I wait for the new owner to be responsible to refund the balance above the $150 cancellation penalty, take it while RCL still owns it or stick my head in the sand and hope everything will be ok?  At the current inflated cabin rates I don't believe I want to find a new cruise until the L&S and FCC work through the system.

 

I've just cancelled our June Greece cruise and took the $150 cancellation hit already. I was doing that before the announcement today because of the last extension of cancelled cruises.

 

This makes me very conflicted because I really like Azamara but fear what an investment company, with no cruise company experience, will do to this special product.

Edited January 20, 2021 by ChucktownSteve

[jerkymom]

We had a South Africa cruise booked for January 2021 which Azamara cancelled after we made final payment.  Opted to lift and shift it to January 2022.  

 

I decided to cancel it today after hearing about the sale.  We were charged a 25 percent penalty (well over $2,000) because it was a lift and shift and "current cancellation penalties apply".  It makes no sense to me, but at least we will get some money back.

 

Just a warning in case anyone else thinks there will be a $75 per person penalty for cancelling a lifted and shifted cruise paid in full.

[jelayne]

21 minutes ago, rallydave said:

The entire company was sold, not one or more ships and the company will continue so don't understand saying the cancellation penalty is unfair at least at this point where no changes to the current Azamara have been announced

 

Had Azamara been folded into another company and ceased to exist as a separate entity you might have a case.  Comparing this purchase to when the R ships were bought from Renaissance is a complete non-starter as Renaissance went bankrupt and the ships were separately sold.  In this case Azamara as a whole was sold and will continue for the time being as Azamara with the same Terms and Conditions which specify the $75 pp/cruise plus all other T's and C's in full effect until changed if at all.

Key words “ for the time being”.  If ships were sailing now one could assess the changes, if any.  We are booked on a cruise 16 months from now on a cruise line sold to a PE that doesn’t have a track record in cruising, tourism or hospitality.  We are cancelling and will take the $75pp hit.  We have FCCs and deposits on other lines and don’t feel comfortable betting on this cruise line.

[icat2000]

10 hours ago, VACruiser123 said:

Went to the Sycamore Partners website...not encouraging for Azamara. Sycamore has left a trail of ruined businesses and uhappy creditors in the businesses they have "exited"...up to and including trying to force liquidation of assets of Aeropostale. They look like a "rip and strip" gang to me....maybe it will be different here.

Reminds me of the scene in Pretty Woman where Edward buys companies and breaks them up to sell them off at a profit. 

[BCHappyGal]

17 minutes ago, jerkymom said:

We had a South Africa cruise booked for January 2021 which Azamara cancelled after we made final payment.  Opted to lift and shift it to January 2022.  

 

I decided to cancel it today after hearing about the sale.  We were charged a 25 percent penalty (well over $2,000) because it was a lift and shift and "current cancellation penalties apply".  It makes no sense to me, but at least we will get some money back.

 

Just a warning in case anyone else thinks there will be a $75 per person penalty for cancelling a lifted and shifted cruise paid in full.

I take it you had paid in full???

I have a cruise booked for Nov 30th of 2021 which is a L&S from Nov 2020 ... however that crusie was never paid in full all we have is a deposit on it ...

So I would assume our fee would be the $75pp cancellation fee... if anyone has any other knowlege please share...

[icat2000]

22 minutes ago, ChucktownSteve said:

Here's our dilemma, we have a 13 night AZ cruise out of Miami this December. The P1 cabin is at a really good rate.   I realize that the CDC has  restricted the cruises to 7 days.  So I don't expect the cruise to be viable. History has been that the RCL Group companies have waited until after final payment to cancel a cruise so that you've paid full boat to get a FCC.

 

Since the cruise will be cancelled. Do I wait for the new owner to be responsible to refund the balance above the $150 cancellation penalty, take it while RCL still owns it or stick my head in the sand and hope everything will be ok?  At the current inflated cabin rates I don't believe I want to find a new cruise until the L&S and FCC work through the system.

 

I've just cancelled our June Greece cruise and took the $150 cancellation hit already. I was doing that before the announcement today because of the last extension of cancelled cruises.

 

This makes me very conflicted because I really like Azamara but fear what an investment company, with no cruise company experience, will do to this special product.

Take whatever money you can get back and run. There is no solution to cruising at the moment. 

[icat2000]

1 hour ago, TeaBag said:

Thank you for the confirmation.  Frankly, I think that's not fair.  Azamara sold the ship from under you and they should rethink their policy.

They don't care. They bleeding money at the moment. They not going to rethink any policy unless it involves getting more money to stay afloat.

[jerkymom]

Just now, BCHappyGal said:

I take it you had paid in full???

I have a cruise booked for Nov 30th of 2021 which is a L&S from Nov 2020 ... however that crusie was never paid in full all we have is a deposit on it ...

So I would assume our fee would be the $75pp cancellation fee... if anyone has any other knowlege please share...

Our cruise was supposed to sail on January on 1/30/21 and I made final payment with Costco travel in September 2020.  It also was cancelled by Azamara in September 2020.  

 

We were advised that if we requested a future cruise credit, that it would always be a future cruise credit.  So we chose to lift and shift the fully paid for cruise to January 2022, never expecting the huge 25 percent cancellation fee for cancelling a year in advance.  

[EddiesToys]

2 hours ago, donaldsc said:

... All of Azamara's ships were bought from the Renaissance line that went bankrupt...

 

DON

Not all, Don.  Azamara Pursuit was bought from Carnival Corp.

[Arizona Wildcat]

5 hours ago, Baynanno1 said:

Thanks Phil for posting the email.

It seems some received it while others (me included) did not.

Found out initially via Lee Hetherington on Facebook.

 

Hope retention of current crew and other staff bode well for the future!

 

Trish

I think most ships will have huge changes in their crews because of a year or more of no cruises.  Sad