Experience of refunds from Azamara

[Merly]

We have a cruise to South Africa booked for January and it is very very unlikely it will sail. More chance of going to the moon I think.  The final balance is due soon.  If we cancel now we would lose our quite large deposit so it looks like we will have to make the final payment if they don’t cancel in the next few week.  What experience have fellow cruisers had with getting their money back?  How long, roughly, should it take?  Or are we going to have a hassle?  We do not want a FCC we will want a cash refund. I am also weighing up whether or not to pay it on  a credit card. Hopefully they would refund before we pay it off but if they don’t, then we will have paid it off and then it would put the credit card in a significant credit balance. 
thank you 

[Riocca]

2 minutes ago, Merly said:

We have a cruise to South Africa booked for January and it is very very unlikely it will sail. More chance of going to the moon I think.  The final balance is due soon.  If we cancel now we would lose our quite large deposit so it looks like we will have to make the final payment if they don’t cancel in the next few week.  What experience have fellow cruisers had with getting their money back?  How long, roughly, should it take?  Or are we going to have a hassle?  We do not want a FCC we will want a cash refund. I am also weighing up whether or not to pay it on  a credit card. Hopefully they would refund before we pay it off but if they don’t, then we will have paid it off and then it would put the credit card in a significant credit balance. 
thank you 

Probably everybody is going to have a different experience especially with the change of ownership earlier in the year. Our March 2020 was one of the first to be cancelled and as we were only 10 days away from sailing was fully paid up. This of course was under Royal Caribbean’s ownership from cancellation to refund was approximately 4 months we also received 25% of the fare in FCC and Azamara also paid £1000 towards our cancelled non refundable air fare. This cruise was booked via a travel agent who was about as useful as a chocolate fire guard, I was got a lot more sense dealing with Azamara customer service directly.
Since then we have cancelled 3 more cruises, two for October 2020 and one for September 2021, all before final payment and before they were cancelled by Azamara. For all for these Azamara have given FCC for the deposit amount, we have used these on new booking without problem so we know it works, two of the original bookings were made onboard and we have also been able to keep our “Cruise Now” perks of loyalty discount and OBC.

One of the new bookings was made using the original TA as the compensation FCC had gone to them, it was ok but I’ve lost all confidence in them, the others direct with Azamara who have been fantastic to deal with taking time to make sure I got the best deal using everything I was entitled too.

We have cancelled and moved cruises with other operators and I can safely say in our experience Azamara have been the best to deal with.

Don't know if this helps with your dilemma but it’s our experience.

[uktog]

Riocca's post reflects our experience also.  It all depends, if you have booked with a large online agency you are likely to be far more messed around than if you are working with someone you can eyeball or can have more personal contact with.  Our cruises that were cancelled with the online agency we are still having issues with the FCCs not being accurate - and what they say we have being very different (lower) from what Azamara says we have.  But our new agency is wonderful.

 

I would not cancel yet.  I would ask your agent to ask for a delayed final payment date given that South Africa is on the red list.  Not relating to SA but elsewhere people have been able to get a delayed final payment date.  Make sure your agent actually asks Azamara for the deferral -  it suits the agencies cash flow to get the money from you - and in the UK you pay the agency not Azamara - then they do not pay the cruise line for some time in line with their business terms.  There are instances of agents saying the cruise line will not allow a deferral when in fact the cruise line were.

 

Another agency problem we had having made our final payment having been told no deferral was allowed - our final balance had not even been paid over to Azamara when our cruise was cancelled by them but the agency kept us waiting several months claiming they had not had the refund from Azamara.  In fact for that cruise we wanted an FCC but the agency told Azamara we wanted a refund.  We were waiting several months for the FCC and it was only when the Loyalty Team got involved they found the agency had the money and always had having told them it was to be a refund.  Even then it took two more months due to "computer issues" to refund me. 

 

It is still a tricky time, hope you do not get messed about as I do not expect to see you on the moon. 🙂 

[marinaro44]

A number of people on the 11/26/2021 Quest cruise posted here that Azamara granted their request to delay final payment.  When I wrote to say this was unfair to others on the cruise who were facing the same uncertainty but never considered asking, they replied that you had to ask.  Of course, I don't know if there were other extenuating circumstances (e.g, health issues) in those situations.  So ask!  Nothing to lose. 

[AtlAllie]

1 hour ago, Merly said:

We have a cruise to South Africa booked for January and it is very very unlikely it will sail. More chance of going to the moon I think.  The final balance is due soon.  If we cancel now we would lose our quite large deposit so it looks like we will have to make the final payment if they don’t cancel in the next few week.  What experience have fellow cruisers had with getting their money back?  How long, roughly, should it take?  Or are we going to have a hassle?  We do not want a FCC we will want a cash refund. I am also weighing up whether or not to pay it on  a credit card. Hopefully they would refund before we pay it off but if they don’t, then we will have paid it off and then it would put the credit card in a significant credit balance. 
thank you 

Merly, we are booked on the February 20 and March 4 Pursuit South Africa sailings and received the following a few days ago:



Dear Azamara Guest,

We would like to provide you with an important update regarding an adjustment to our payment policies for Azamara Pursuit sailings departing between January 3, 2022 and March 4, 2022.

We recognize the need for more flexibility when it comes to your travel plans during this time. To help alleviate any uncertainty, we're pleased to share that you will receive a 30-day extension on your final cruise payment due date. Please note that this extension will be applied automatically to your booking and you should expect to receive an updated invoice soon. If you have specific questions, please contact your Travel Advisor or visit https://www.azamara.com/contact-us for your local Azamara call center number.

As we monitor global developments related to the coronavirus (COVID-19), our priority remains the health and safety of our guests and crew, as well as providing amazing vacation experiences. We've enhanced our health and safety standards through our new Explore Well at Sea program focusing on advanced screening protocols, more rigorous sanitation measures, and innovative medical services - to ensure a care-free Azamara experience.

We greatly appreciate your understanding and thank you for your cooperation throughout our journey as we have worked to manage this very fluid situation. Please be assured we are fully focused on protecting the health and safety of our guests and crew.

Thank you for choosing Azamara®. We look forward to seeing you onboard soon!

Sincerely,

AZAMARA®

[Leo_On_Geo]

 

9 minutes ago, AtlAllie said:

Merly, we are booked on the February 20 and March 4 Pursuit South Africa sailings and received the following a few days ago:



Dear Azamara Guest,

We would like to provide you with an important update regarding an adjustment to our payment policies for Azamara Pursuit sailings departing between January 3, 2022 and March 4, 2022.

We recognize the need for more flexibility when it comes to your travel plans during this time. To help alleviate any uncertainty, we're pleased to share that you will receive a 30-day extension on your final cruise payment due date. Please note that this extension will be applied automatically to your booking and you should expect to receive an updated invoice soon. If you have specific questions, please contact your Travel Advisor or visit https://www.azamara.com/contact-us for your local Azamara call center number.

As we monitor global developments related to the coronavirus (COVID-19), our priority remains the health and safety of our guests and crew, as well as providing amazing vacation experiences. We've enhanced our health and safety standards through our new Explore Well at Sea program focusing on advanced screening protocols, more rigorous sanitation measures, and innovative medical services - to ensure a care-free Azamara experience.

We greatly appreciate your understanding and thank you for your cooperation throughout our journey as we have worked to manage this very fluid situation. Please be assured we are fully focused on protecting the health and safety of our guests and crew.

Thank you for choosing Azamara®. We look forward to seeing you onboard soon!

Sincerely,

AZAMARA®

That's good news.  Thanks Azamara

[Merly]

54 minutes ago, AtlAllie said:

Merly, we are booked on the February 20 and March 4 Pursuit South Africa sailings and received the following a few days ago:



Dear Azamara Guest,

We would like to provide you with an important update regarding an adjustment to our payment policies for Azamara Pursuit sailings departing between January 3, 2022 and March 4, 2022.

We recognize the need for more flexibility when it comes to your travel plans during this time. To help alleviate any uncertainty, we're pleased to share that you will receive a 30-day extension on your final cruise payment due date. Please note that this extension will be applied automatically to your booking and you should expect to receive an updated invoice soon. If you have specific questions, please contact your Travel Advisor or visit https://www.azamara.com/contact-us for your local Azamara call center number.

As we monitor global developments related to the coronavirus (COVID-19), our priority remains the health and safety of our guests and crew, as well as providing amazing vacation experiences. We've enhanced our health and safety standards through our new Explore Well at Sea program focusing on advanced screening protocols, more rigorous sanitation measures, and innovative medical services - to ensure a care-free Azamara experience.

We greatly appreciate your understanding and thank you for your cooperation throughout our journey as we have worked to manage this very fluid situation. Please be assured we are fully focused on protecting the health and safety of our guests and crew.

Thank you for choosing Azamara®. We look forward to seeing you onboard soon!

Sincerely,

AZAMARA®

That’s useful thank you.  Can I ask if you are in the UK and did you book via a travel agent or Azamara direct?  We haven’t had that e mail.  We booked through a travel agent and have a very good relationship with our cruise consultant so we hope we wouldn’t be messed around, but you just never know. 

 

[AtlAllie]

3 minutes ago, Merly said:

That’s useful thank you.  Can I ask if you are in the UK and did you book via a travel agent or Azamara direct?  We haven’t had that e mail.  We booked through a travel agent and have a very good relationship with our cruise consultant so we hope we wouldn’t be messed around, but you just never know. 

 

We are in the US and although we are booked through a travel agent, we received the email directly from Azamara. This is the first direct contact from Azamara I recall receiving as we always use the same agent.  I found it in my spam folder so you may want to check there.  We are travelling with another US based couple and they received the same email directly from Azamara and they too are booked through a travel agent. 

[uktog]

9 minutes ago, Merly said:

That’s useful thank you.  Can I ask if you are in the UK and did you book via a travel agent or Azamara direct?  We haven’t had that e mail.  We booked through a travel agent and have a very good relationship with our cruise consultant so we hope we wouldn’t be messed around, but you just never know. 

 

We had a good relationship with the consultant but they are at the mercy of the corporate policies.  I hope it was a simple oversight that meant you did not get that letter.  In the UK these letters re payment terms go via the agency

Edited September 3, 2021 by uktog

[Merly]

29 minutes ago, uktog said:

We had a good relationship with the consultant but they are at the mercy of the corporate policies.  I hope it was a simple oversight that meant you did not get that letter.  In the UK these letters re payment terms go via the agency

I hope so too.  I will check with her.  Do you know how long before the sail date Azamara want the final balance, because I know the travel agent always want it well before?  Just to give me an idea of how long we might have. We have flights and a pre cruise hotel for a few nights booked as a package. We need to find out who our contact is with. Azamara or the travel agent. 

[Baynanno1]

2 hours ago, Merly said:

I hope so too.  I will check with her.  Do you know how long before the sail date Azamara want the final balance, because I know the travel agent always want it well before?  Just to give me an idea of how long we might have. We have flights and a pre cruise hotel for a few nights booked as a package. We need to find out who our contact is with. Azamara or the travel agent. 

 

From past experience, if your booking is with a TA, your primary contact is with that person.

 

However, as has already been said above, many TA's have failed in their communication as well as holding on to cash while telling out right lies about where the money was. A number of cruisers including us with several cancellations have resorted to contacting Azamara directly to get their refunds sorted. (Many others have had excellent experiences with their TAs.)

 

If you have a problem arranging a delayed final payment with your TA, show them the Azamara letter quoted above. According to that letter the delay is for 30 days.

 

Final payment is usually 120 days before the cruise, so the 30 day delay would make it 90 days. Most TA's push that out about a week or so "for administrative purposes."

 

It is good to see Azamara being preemptive with this cruise payment. 🙂 Hope your cruise is a go for you . . . enjoy!

[Merly]

Thank you all for your reply’s. Fingers crossed it all gets sorted without too much hassle. 

[uktog]

I believe Azamara UK deadline is 13 weeks (90/91 days) before sailing. That’s before any latitude as just now for uncertainty. 
Certain online cruise booking sites are 19 weeks. In this day of electronic funds clearance as opposed to the old cheque days I can’t see why these operations are asking for 6 weeks leeway - 3 might be reasonable. They’re not going to change though as it suits their cash flow and most cruisers don’t realise it. 

[boogybaby]

Hi, our final payment is now 9 weeks prior to sailing. We booked through a TA, janice

[marinaro44]

32 minutes ago, boogybaby said:

Hi, our final payment is now 9 weeks prior to sailing. We booked through a TA, janice

Is this for everyone, not just greasing the squeaky wheel?  Would be a more fair approach, if so.

[boogybaby]

I’ve no idea my TA told me Azamara had extended final payment, janice

[marinaro44]

1 hour ago, boogybaby said:

I’ve no idea my TA told me Azamara had extended final payment, janice

Sounds like for everyone...as it should be.

[jelayne]

23 hours ago, Merly said:

I hope so too.  I will check with her.  Do you know how long before the sail date Azamara want the final balance, because I know the travel agent always want it well before?  Just to give me an idea of how long we might have. We have flights and a pre cruise hotel for a few nights booked as a package. We need to find out who our contact is with. Azamara or the travel agent. 

We may have the same package.  We are on the 1/27/22 sailing and originally our final payment date was 8/16.  On 8/13 we were notified by the TA that final payment was pushed back until 9/16 still over 120 days pre cruise.  I haven’t heard from TWA  about a another change in payment date.  I guess I will call next week.  We would cancel before 9/16 but that would get us a FCC which would need to used by next September which is not doable with other cruises and commitments.  
 

This July Azamara canceled a cruise we were booked on and we had our deposit refunded in about 4 weeks.

[lizziebargain]

I was booked on the Pursuit on Jan 15/22 with a safari-the package included airfare and was through an agency. I decided to cancel several weeks before final payment was due-the agency had let me know upon booking that the sizable deposit was only refundable as FCC. I asked both Azamara, the agency and the credit card company if I could get cash back but I had to accept the FCC as those were the terms I had agreed to. Anyway I have booked a cruise to Iceland next summer so all is not lost. 

[boogybaby]

We are on the transatlantic Lisbon to Miami in November, as it currently stands we can’t sail so I’m hoping Azamara will cancel our cruise before the 12th September so I can get a refund, janice

[excitedofharpenden]

8 hours ago, boogybaby said:

We are on the transatlantic Lisbon to Miami in November, as it currently stands we can’t sail so I’m hoping Azamara will cancel our cruise before the 12th September so I can get a refund, janice

For the sake of others on this cruise who want to go I didn't want them to cancel it. I booked that cruise with a view to taking the FCC if I couldn't go. I know I would spend it next year, but as it happened I was able to transfer those monies paid to an already booked cruise by upgrading my cabin on that trip (and taking advantage of the current promotion).

 

Just in the process of cancelling my flight back on miles with Iberia, which is a bit of a palava.  Anything is possible with this cruise just now with confusing border rules, but I don't want to wish cancellations on cruises. I just want us to get back to some normality. 

 

Phil 

 

 

Edited September 5, 2021 by excitedofharpenden

[uktog]

13 hours ago, boogybaby said:

We are on the transatlantic Lisbon to Miami in November, as it currently stands we can’t sail so I’m hoping Azamara will cancel our cruise before the 12th September so I can get a refund, janice

I’m going to be honest I feel your pain but you need to see the bigger picture and in this Azamara will be no different to other lines. 
 

1. They currently are selling Caribbean itineraries many in the US are looking forward to. They have to do a transatlantic to honour that obligation so will sell it as a cruise- that’s business sense. 
2. Asking them to cancel because there are issues for UK and European guests who will have quarantine rules is one sided. There were issues for US guests coming to round UK cruises that many British people have enjoyed but they did not get cancelled just because the US guests couldn’t join them - again that’s business sense. 
 

Appreciate you are in a not knowing the final answer but you are either going to have to

cancel and accept the FCC as Phil did which he thought was best for him

ride it out and pay the balance and see if that leads you an FCC, a refund, an insurance claim or a cruise because the rules change again and you can go

 

No perfect answer but you have to look at it big picture 

Edited September 5, 2021 by uktog

[Belfastman]

If you made a booking direct with Azamara in the UK prior to 1st July 2021 then the final payment is due 57 days prior to the start of the cruise.

[procter]

Not 110 sure if transatlantic will be revenue as Pursuit is going to South Africa empty it appears as no reposition voyage on planner. 

Maybe visa requirements for ports etc make it too complicated and I would not want to be unable to get off ship for 17 days or so. 

[Merly]

13 hours ago, excitedofharpenden said:

For the sake of others on this cruise who want to go I didn't want them to cancel it. I booked that cruise with a view to taking the FCC if I couldn't go. I know I would spend it next year, but as it happened I was able to transfer those monies paid to an already booked cruise by upgrading my cabin on that trip (and taking advantage of the current promotion).

 

Just in the process of cancelling my flight back on miles with Iberia, which is a bit of a palava.  Anything is possible with this cruise just now with confusing border rules, but I don't want to wish cancellations on cruises. I just want us to get back to some normality. 

 

Phil 

 

 

Of course I want to go, that’s why I booked it but realistically it’s not going to go.  Sad but nothing we can do.  If by some miracle it does then I will be thrilled. Our final payment has been pushed back to 10 th Oct.