Azamara Flash Sales?

[RobTheGob]

We've recently been reading about Azamara cruises and are thinking about booking 2-4 B2B cruises for next spring... I came across a web page with details regarding the B2B bonus they offer - which is great! I also came across some details about a "European Discovery - September Flash Sale" - $500 OBC for each leg! It was combinable with the current "Double Upgrade" AND the B2B bonus...

 

Unfortunately - the sale was only on for the last 10 days of September and we hadn't even heard of Azamara until close to a week after the sale ended! When I did some more searching it seemed like these sales come up from time to time.

 

Azamara appears to have a minimum $75 per booking cancellation fee (even WAY out) - something we're not used to from the other cruiselines. It appears like many cabins are available for the itineraries we are looking at - so we might wait a little before we commit.

 

I'm curious if anybody here has an idea of how often these sales come up? Or was this "once in a blue moon" and we missed it?

 

Thanks!

[KevintheIrishDJ]

2 hours ago, RobTheGob said:

We've recently been reading about Azamara cruises and are thinking about booking 2-4 B2B cruises for next spring... I came across a web page with details regarding the B2B bonus they offer - which is great! I also came across some details about a "European Discovery - September Flash Sale" - $500 OBC for each leg! It was combinable with the current "Double Upgrade" AND the B2B bonus...

 

Unfortunately - the sale was only on for the last 10 days of September and we hadn't even heard of Azamara until close to a week after the sale ended! When I did some more searching it seemed like these sales come up from time to time.

 

Azamara appears to have a minimum $75 per booking cancellation fee (even WAY out) - something we're not used to from the other cruiselines. It appears like many cabins are available for the itineraries we are looking at - so we might wait a little before we commit.

 

I'm curious if anybody here has an idea of how often these sales come up? Or was this "once in a blue moon" and we missed it?

 

Thanks!

The Double upgrade sale is on their Facebook page as we speak.  https://www.azamara.com/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=paid-social&utm_campaign=fallsale&utm_content=verb&cid=aza_brnd_b_sm_vb_fb_2022fallsale_verb_82021_static&fbclid=IwAR1-ou-1B7iwjOv2PT11cVzVhcZ-iVrW3oK47j_DDHaBJINCsAPKBsHSshA   

 

[Janet&Carl]

I have been watching Azamara sales for a while - we too are new to the company and have booked our first cruise - I tried to get friends to join us but the same deal was not available however a new deal was.  The next month the same deal was available again.  

 

It appears to me that each month is a different deal and if you wait long enough a better deal will come up.   The price of the cabins appear to remain the same but the additional benefits like OBC, Wifi and upgrade deals change every month.

 

If there is plenty of time before your intended travel I would be inclined to wait and see.

[RobTheGob]

16 hours ago, KevintheIrishDJ said:

The Double upgrade sale is on their Facebook page as we speak.  https://www.azamara.com/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=paid-social&utm_campaign=fallsale&utm_content=verb&cid=aza_brnd_b_sm_vb_fb_2022fallsale_verb_82021_static&fbclid=IwAR1-ou-1B7iwjOv2PT11cVzVhcZ-iVrW3oK47j_DDHaBJINCsAPKBsHSshA   

 

 

The "September Flash Sale" was separate (and could be combined with) any other promotions - including the "Double Upgrade" sale (and B2B bonus).

[RobTheGob]

14 hours ago, Janet&Carl said:

I have been watching Azamara sales for a while - we too are new to the company and have booked our first cruise - I tried to get friends to join us but the same deal was not available however a new deal was.  The next month the same deal was available again.  

 

It appears to me that each month is a different deal and if you wait long enough a better deal will come up.   The price of the cabins appear to remain the same but the additional benefits like OBC, Wifi and upgrade deals change every month.

 

If there is plenty of time before your intended travel I would be inclined to wait and see.

 

Thanks. We're continuing to watch the sales - but we're both intrigued by what we've read/watched about Azamara. We'll see what we do in the next few weeks!

[Turangi!]

We had been tracking our recently booked June AZ Norway cruise for years…(precovid it was on the list)  and I print out prices so I know what has been offered and might be again! DH wanted to book Norway in late August and I said wait until the Labour Day sales and that I wanted to wait for the balcony deal! i.e., the double upgrade, which as luck would have it was offered in September. I usually compare prices between Big TAs and the cruise line and do a spread sheet weighing what’s on offer…  

 

There is never a right time to buy a cruise, it’s all about what you want and what you get… yes, there might be a lower price but without the perks… we got a great deal to our minds with a ton of OBC, balcony for interior price… [which is always inflated during the double upgrade sale but considerably less than an earlier offering I had on file…] and we booked it because it was a “good deal” after diligient research!  … With the OBC we  have found that we have to use it or lose it, and once ended up on an ship’s excursion we didn’t really want after the one we had booked was cancelled and didn’t have anywhere else to spend it…

 

Black Friday sales might be worth waiting for but they are usually more flash than substance… Tracking on multiple sites (and even though I have booked, I am still tracking) will give you the best information to make a decision… if you can wait to last minute, those do offer the cheapest base prices for cruises but getting there by air will cost a whole lot more… so maybe not a win/win strategy!

 

Turangi!

[KevintheIrishDJ]

7 minutes ago, Turangi! said:

We had been tracking our recently booked June AZ Norway cruise for years…(precovid it was on the list)  and I print out prices so I know what has been offered and might be again! DH wanted to book Norway in late August and I said wait until the Labour Day sales and that I wanted to wait for the balcony deal! i.e., the double upgrade, which as luck would have it was offered in September. I usually compare prices between Big TAs and the cruise line and do a spread sheet weighing what’s on offer…  

 

There is never a right time to buy a cruise, it’s all about what you want and what you get… yes, there might be a lower price but without the perks… we got a great deal to our minds with a ton of OBC, balcony for interior price… [which is always inflated during the double upgrade sale but considerably less than an earlier offering I had on file…] and we booked it because it was a “good deal” after diligient research!  … With the OBC we  have found that we have to use it or lose it, and once ended up on an ship’s excursion we didn’t really want after the one we had booked was cancelled and didn’t have anywhere else to spend it…

 

Black Friday sales might be worth waiting for but they are usually more flash than substance… Tracking on multiple sites (and even though I have booked, I am still tracking) will give you the best information to make a decision… if you can wait to last minute, those do offer the cheapest base prices for cruises but getting there by air will cost a whole lot more… so maybe not a win/win strategy!

 

Turangi!

You hit the nail on the head. Pricing is usually smoke and mirrors (lower price less perks).

 

[Janet&Carl]

5 hours ago, KevintheIrishDJ said:

You hit the nail on the head. Pricing is usually smoke and mirrors (lower price less perks).

 

Thats also what we found - I could have booked my cruise cheaper the following month.  $500 cheaper.  I booked when there was $1000 OBC which I can spend anywhere and the following month the cruise was $500 cheaper but the OBC was also $500 less and could only be spent on excursions.  I am happy with the deal I got and kept it - although now I am trying to spend loads of OBC with very few excursions that we want to go on. 🙂 swings and roundabouts, smoke and mirrors - they basically turn out the same.  Just book when there is a deal you are happy about.

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

Azamara, like most cruise lines these days, uses dynamic pricing.  If a cruise is selling well, they will raise list prices.  So if that cruise is included in a new sale if may seem like they raised prices to cover the sale.  But many of us have found that our cruise prices did not go up, and the new sale was a real bargain worth rebooking for.  You can't make generalizations based on one or a few cruises...

[laurieb]

On 10/16/2022 at 2:18 PM, RobTheGob said:

We've recently been reading about Azamara cruises and are thinking about booking 2-4 B2B cruises for next spring... I came across a web page with details regarding the B2B bonus they offer - which is great! I also came across some details about a "European Discovery - September Flash Sale" - $500 OBC for each leg! It was combinable with the current "Double Upgrade" AND the B2B bonus...

 

Unfortunately - the sale was only on for the last 10 days of September and we hadn't even heard of Azamara until close to a week after the sale ended! When I did some more searching it seemed like these sales come up from time to time.

 

Azamara appears to have a minimum $75 per booking cancellation fee (even WAY out) - something we're not used to from the other cruiselines. It appears like many cabins are available for the itineraries we are looking at - so we might wait a little before we commit.

 

I'm curious if anybody here has an idea of how often these sales come up? Or was this "once in a blue moon" and we missed it?

 

Thanks!

75.00 pp is a very reasonable cancellation fee; Silversea is 250.00 pp, and others are also higher.

Azamara will typically adjust prices to match a current sale price, but you or (hopefully you use one!) agent will need to contact Azamara to get the reduced fare.

[RobTheGob]

I had been watching for a similar deal as they had at the end of September - and that came this morning. The prices also dropped - so in the end, it made a huge difference for us.

 

We've booked four back-to-back cruises on the Onward! We'll see how we like it!

[RobTheGob]

On 10/18/2022 at 7:04 PM, laurieb said:

75.00 pp is a very reasonable cancellation fee; Silversea is 250.00 pp, and others are also higher.

Azamara will typically adjust prices to match a current sale price, but you or (hopefully you use one!) agent will need to contact Azamara to get the reduced fare.

 

We've normally cruised on the larger cruise lines - so we're not used to having any cancellation fees this far out (more than 120 days). But - as long as we were aware of the fees, it's OK.

 

Just means we have to be a little more "sure" when booking!

[JYDCruise]

16 hours ago, RobTheGob said:

I had been watching for a similar deal as they had at the end of September - and that came this morning. The prices also dropped - so in the end, it made a huge difference for us.

 

We've booked four back-to-back cruises on the Onward! We'll see how we like it!

Same here (though only 1 cruise) - our fare has dropped by $500pp, and they've also added a $500 OBC which per the T&Cs can be combined with the double-upgrade (i.e. pay for inside, get veranda). Win/win/win! Even if our TA can't swing this, which he assures us he can, cancelling/rebooking would be a no-brainer.

[mdeegooden]

On 10/16/2022 at 9:11 PM, Janet&Carl said:

I have been watching Azamara sales for a while - we too are new to the company and have booked our first cruise - I tried to get friends to join us but the same deal was not available however a new deal was.  The next month the same deal was available again.  

 

It appears to me that each month is a different deal and if you wait long enough a better deal will come up.   The price of the cabins appear to remain the same but the additional benefits like OBC, Wifi and upgrade deals change every month.

 

If there is plenty of time before your intended travel I would be inclined to wait and see.

We booked our first sailing w/ AZ earlier this year for a South African itinerary this coming Feb.  I admit I did rush to reserve because I thought I'd lose the rather competitive sale AZ was offering but found over time that the offers come and go.  I'm happy to report that AZ has always honored any "better deal" and reduced my fare and increased my OBC when I enquired (twice) to match the current offer.  So as long as you keep tabs, there is no downside to booking early.

[galeforce9]

On 10/31/2022 at 11:58 PM, mdeegooden said:

We booked our first sailing w/ AZ earlier this year for a South African itinerary this coming Feb.  I admit I did rush to reserve because I thought I'd lose the rather competitive sale AZ was offering but found over time that the offers come and go.  I'm happy to report that AZ has always honored any "better deal" and reduced my fare and increased my OBC when I enquired (twice) to match the current offer.  So as long as you keep tabs, there is no downside to booking early.

Do any uk cruisers know if they do this for uk bookings too?  Sometimes lines will not do this.  Thanks 

Edited November 7, 2022 by galeforce9

[iana1212]

We booked on a UK promo,  a couple of months later they added a higher obc for new bookings. Our travel agent contacted Azamara and got the higher obc added to our booking. She did comment that Azamara were good at allowing you to get a better price/ promo if one came up after you book, you do need to ask for it though as they won’t do it automatically .

[Riocca]

According to this article Azamara’s Black Friday sale will start tomorrow, doesn’t say if it will apply to all markets or not.

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/28742-azamara-offers-black-friday-deals.html

[Lady President]

48 minutes ago, Riocca said:

According to this article Azamara’s Black Friday sale will start tomorrow, doesn’t say if it will apply to all markets or not.

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/28742-azamara-offers-black-friday-deals.html

The OBC is nice, but they are sticking with the double stateroom upgrade.  I was hoping they would move away from that offer. 

[Benthayer Gonbak]

On 10/18/2022 at 10:04 PM, laurieb said:

75.00 pp is a very reasonable cancellation fee; Silversea is 250.00 pp, and others are also higher.

Azamara will typically adjust prices to match a current sale price, but you or (hopefully you use one!) agent will need to contact Azamara to get the reduced fare.

 

We found Silverseas cancellation much higher!  So high $1500 that our TA decided not to book the group on their ships.  His groups are always new things to try, both ports and ships! 

[Benthayer Gonbak]

On 10/25/2022 at 10:07 PM, RobTheGob said:

 

We've normally cruised on the larger cruise lines - so we're not used to having any cancellation fees this far out (more than 120 days). But - as long as we were aware of the fees, it's OK.

 

Just means we have to be a little more "sure" when booking!

 

Royal tried making non refundable deposits only, but now offers both for a price. Celebrity too! 

[laurieb]

On 11/13/2022 at 10:44 AM, iana1212 said:

We booked on a UK promo,  a couple of months later they added a higher obc for new bookings. Our travel agent contacted Azamara and got the higher obc added to our booking. She did comment that Azamara were good at allowing you to get a better price/ promo if one came up after you book, you do need to ask for it though as they won’t do it automatically .

Yes, friends just got an additional 500.00 obc without having to cancel and rebook 

[Los_Pepes]

13 hours ago, laurieb said:

Yes, friends just got an additional 500.00 obc without having to cancel and rebook 

Same here. We called this morning and got the additional OBC. I believe as long as you do this prior to final payment they will honor the current promo.

[dabear]

Same here!

[combine]

Here in UK , I contacted TA who in turn contacted Azamara and they have today just added the obc to our b2b next year. Happy Days…. I’ll have no problem spending that! 

[takemewithyou]

I am just so appreciative that Azamara is allowing current customers to get these new promotions applied without having to cancel, pay a cancellation fee and get rebooked.  This is a positive improvement and makes for great customer service and improved customer relations.