Complimentary nights

[uktog]

7 hours ago, audobon_tx said:

We are D+ and will cross 1500 points soon.  We have 6 nts good for booking thru 12/22 and as noted will have an additional 3 soon.

 

If we booked a cruise of 9 nts this summer would the cruise not be free (taxes excepted) regardless of promotion or whatever other pricing acrobatics are in place on that cruise at that time?

You cannot combine two sets of nights. We had to book two cruises

[Leo_On_Geo]

12 hours ago, audobon_tx said:

We are D+ and will cross 1500 points soon.  We have 6 nts good for booking thru 12/22 and as noted will have an additional 3 soon.

 

If we booked a cruise of 9 nts this summer would the cruise not be free (taxes excepted) regardless of promotion or whatever other pricing acrobatics are in place on that cruise at that time?

You seem to be asking if the nights are combinable. Complimentary nights are not combinable on a cruise booking

[audobon_tx]

6 hours ago, uktog said:

You cannot combine two sets of nights. We had to book two cruises

 

So if I have 9 total nights I can only use 6 on one segment?  If so, they really are of no value.

[audobon_tx]

6 hours ago, Grandma Cruising said:

Not sure how that would work, but I think you would at least have to pay port fees & taxes.

 

Yes, as noted in the post.

[uktog]

5 minutes ago, audobon_tx said:

 

So if I have 9 total nights I can only use 6 on one segment?  If so, they really are of no value.

Correct you’d have to use six on one and there’s on another 

 

https://www.azamara.com/es/loyalty/terms-conditions

 

Here are the terms

[lizee1979]

So it seems the complimentary nights are a waste as I would lose the obc which is higher than their value! Curious as to who has made them work financially for them! 

[Riocca]

8 minutes ago, lizee1979 said:

So it seems the complimentary nights are a waste as I would lose the obc which is higher than their value! Curious as to who has made them work financially for them! 

We have but you have to be flexible, our 6 nights was easy as we booked a 7 night cruise (as part of a b2b) so only paid for 1 night plus taxes. Got even better as Azamara changed the cruise to 8 nights at the same price.

Our 3 days was more difficult we managed to find a 7 night cruise in 2020 that worked out slightly cheaper, it was an onboard booking that again was part of a back to back. Of course that cruise was cancelled so we had to find another cruise, when we were making new post pandemic bookings we just asked the Azamara agent to check if it was worth using them. For most cruises that was a no but surprisingly we found a 10 night 2023 cruise that saved over £900 even the agent was surprised. OK we lost the free internet. drinks package and tours OBC but as we get free internet anyway and don’t do ships tours it wasn’t a problem as with the saving we could do the Ultimate package rather than the Premium.

 

[uktog]

You can make 10 nights work, if you’re creative you can sometimes make six nights work but it’s almost impossible to come out more than £100 ahead and you’re more often behind with three nights. 

[excitedofharpenden]

42 minutes ago, uktog said:

You can make 10 nights work, if you’re creative you can sometimes make six nights work but it’s almost impossible to come out more than £100 ahead and you’re more often behind with three nights. 

That has been my experience too.  I've only ever made the 10 nights truly work, saved some money with 6, but now I get 3 at a time for every 750 Azamara Circle points and with not being able to combine them they are worthless. 

 

Phil 

[nordski]

I agree that the 3 nights are difficult to use in a meaningful way, although we were able to save some money when we chose a b2b.

 

As others point out, 6 nights perhaps work best if you choose an itinerary that is rarely put on sale. For example, the cruise we are supposed to be on this August provided a significant savings and that itinerary is not included in the present sale.

 

I would not be upset if the 3 night complimentary nights were removed and even happier if some of the value was transferred to other rewards.

 

Perhaps the new management will adjust the system.

[marinaro44]

To make three nights work on a promoted cruise it would have to be a seven or eight night cruise.  We've made it work on back to backs where one cruise was a shorter one. 

 

Six nights should be easy.  Even on a fourteen night cruise you're getting 43% off the unpromoted price.  Even a BOGOHO cruise is effectively only 25% off full price.  We're about to spend twelve nights in an Owner's Suite for under $3200 total using ten free nights.  Don't tell me free nights have "no value."

 

That having been said, you should be able to use the free nights at the cruise price at the time you booked.  The current structure too often turns what should be a positive loyalty experience into one of frustration and even resentment.  Not smart business.

[Mackdogmolly]

5 hours ago, Riocca said:

For most cruises that was a no but surprisingly we found a 10 night 2023 cruise that saved over £900

Which cruise? I have two free nights to use, but from what I am generally seeing here, they will be of little to no value.

[Riocca]

10 minutes ago, Mackdogmolly said:

Which cruise? I have two free nights to use, but from what I am generally seeing here, they will be of little to no value.

It’s Onward 4th October 2023 Venice to Istanbul, bonus is all 4 ships will be in Koper on the 5th October which we didn’t realise when we booked it.

 

[Mackdogmolly]

3 hours ago, Riocca said:

It’s Onward 4th October 2023 Venice to Istanbul, bonus is all 4 ships will be in Koper on the 5th October which we didn’t realise when we booked it.

 

That sounds wonderful!

[lizee1979]

Still no further forward in utilising this or making this work. Any thoughts? Have taken this up with the Az team and as  usual they haven’t responded! 

[Leo_On_Geo]

3 hours ago, lizee1979 said:

Still no further forward in utilising this or making this work. Any thoughts? Have taken this up with the Az team and as  usual they haven’t responded! 

I really don't think it is Azamara's responsibility to "make this work" for you.  It takes some effort on your part to get the best value on the "free nights".  It is a fact that using the free nights does not make financial sense on every cruise.  Obviously, the free nights do not work on your selected cruise, so try a different cruise! You need to make it work for you.  I have used 3, 6 and 10 nights to financial advantage, but I was flexiable. You do not seem to be flexiable.

[norn iron]

Free nights are hit and miss, sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't.

Despite Covid cancelations, lift and shift and FCC ours have worked out okay.
We originally made the booking in 2019 for a Japanese intensive in 2021 and the six free nights worked really well on a non discounted cruise.
That cruise was cancelled with no option of a like for like lift and shift, so we moved to eleven nights Venice to Istanbul on Onward, it worked out okay at the time we changed the booking, just not as beneficial as the original booking.

Now there are competitive prices available and the cruise we switched to has barely changed in price so I am feeling reasonably comfortable with the perk.

[AllisonJames]

We made two free nights “work” for us on a high-demand, high cost per night cruise, that tended to sell out early, that didn’t seem to be discounted much. (Irish Seas/Open Championship 2019). We booked on board and it was substantially less expensive using the free nights. But as others have said you really have to run the numbers.

 

Question: If you qualify for the next level during the first few days of a cruise, can you then book a new one onboard using the free nights you have just earned?

[uktog]

25 minutes ago, AllisonJames said:

We made two free nights “work” for us on a high-demand, high cost per night cruise, that tended to sell out early, that didn’t seem to be discounted much. (Irish Seas/Open Championship 2019). We booked on board and it was substantially less expensive using the free nights. But as others have said you really have to run the numbers.

 

Question: If you qualify for the next level during the first few days of a cruise, can you then book a new one onboard using the free nights you have just earned?

Yes you can

[Wander58]

I was just reading this on the Azamara site:

 

• Complimentary Nights may only be redeemed on voyages of seven nights or more and must be redeemed at the full fare rate and cannot be combined with other promotions, except the Onboard Booking Program, Early Booking Offer, and the FCC from the Refer & Receive Program.

 

So it looks like you could use them on the Early Booking Offer which might make it a better deal.

[ddpe]

We are using this on our cruise at the end of the month.  We are at the point of 6 free nights.  It is a very generous proposition.