AZAMARA is the WORST customer service cruise line.

[kent4489]

6 hours ago, blag said:

Still not clear. I think the them is 'Azamara'.

But to answer your question, you would have to talk to Azamara anyway to arrange the transfer of the booking to the TA, if your cruise was still in the period allowed for transfer to a TA (unlikely), and you're no better off.

No, a Travel agent cannot make the payment for a direct booking (AFAIK).

No, I always booked direct with Azamara, but recently decided to try a travel agent. She contacted Azamara and transferred our 2 cruises for March. 
 

[uktog]

27 minutes ago, kent4489 said:

No, I always booked direct with Azamara, but recently decided to try a travel agent. She contacted Azamara and transferred our 2 cruises for March. 
 

Transfers usually have to be done within 30 days of booking 

[boxman52]

It's really incredibly easy for Azamara to set up an online payment system

Those people who say you can't get hold of an airline, as someone who flies weekly that's not entirely true. However you can pay simply & easily online

Why Azamara just don't set up a very simple payment system that could be bought off the shelf for little cost is very odd. It does make you wonder why they don't do that. 

To make it really difficult for people to pay is unacceptable really.

I'd also add a booking system for 4 ships is also a very very basic IT system. You can choose from very many & it will all be set up for you quickly

I like the line but the lack of buying an IT system is very odd & makes you think a little 

Edited November 19, 2022 by boxman52
Additional

[Grandma Cruising]

7 hours ago, boxman52 said:

It's really incredibly easy for Azamara to set up an online payment system

Those people who say you can't get hold of an airline, as someone who flies weekly that's not entirely true. However you can pay simply & easily online

Why Azamara just don't set up a very simple payment system that could be bought off the shelf for little cost is very odd. It does make you wonder why they don't do that. 

To make it really difficult for people to pay is unacceptable really.

I'd also add a booking system for 4 ships is also a very very basic IT system. You can choose from very many & it will all be set up for you quickly

I like the line but the lack of buying an IT system is very odd & makes you think a little 

I guess at the moment they are tied in to the RCCL systems and can’t yet do anything ‘standalone’. Can you pay for RCCL cruises online?

[Riocca]

10 hours ago, excitedofharpenden said:

John, at the end of the day it's totally ridiculous that guests are struggling so much to get through and pay for their cruise. Unacceptable that you spend so long. Maybe in two or three years we'll look back and laugh it the situation, but for those of us who have to endlessly listen to the Azamara hold spiel for well over an hour it is not so funny. OK if I was phoning up ask about the mechanics of booking a drinks package, but it's to pay for a cruise. For goodness sake Azamara, automate it so we can pay with our credit card online. 

 

Phil 

Totally agree that it’s not a good situation but remember pre covid and the sale of Azamara there were just as many complaints as the Royal Caribbean IT system and customer service set up was very bad. In those days we used a travel agent to avoid having to deal with them, now after being treated so badly by our travel agent we deal directly with Azamara so increasing the phone traffic.

As others have said when Azamara was part of the RCG setup they were bottom of the pile when it came to investment especially after the acquisition of Silverseas.
In an ideal world they would have been able to unplug from that system ages ago but no doubt post covid delays that we are all aware of have increased the timescale of being able to do this. I’ve looked at some of the other cruise lines that are using Versonix Seaware, who are producing Azamara’s new system, lines such as Virgin, MSC & Disney etc. and they have websites that have much better facilities for servicing bookings online including payments.

So it’s coming and from experience the onboard system that’s being rolled out to all the ships over the next few months the future is going to be better. As frustrating as it is getting through I’ve received excellent support from Azamara Customer service.

 

[john1970]

I've been travelling with Azamara since 2012. I have heard every excuse under the sun. Sorry, it really doesn't wash with me anymore. If your back office is so terrible then you have to plan and invest in your offline teams. Simply saying all travel companies/airlines are as bad is not going to be sustainable in the long run. Love Azamara but it's always jam tomorrow with them.

[uktog]

At least pre Covid you could get calls answered quickly using the RC system. 

Travel agents are having problems too. In these tight times days people don’t have 20, 30, 40 or more minutes to listen to nauseating marketing stuff some of which may even be out of date.  Yes if you’re lucky you get a good agent but even now you cannot guarantee that and if you get someone who is not aware of the product or comes out with something you know is not correct, it tips you over after the long wait.  Very nice if you can call at the sweet spot time, people who are working or helping on the school run often cannot. 

Remember we thought the world ended when UK calls were moved to Guatemala. Well looking at it today, Guatemala was five star compared to what we have now.  
I have live bookings with four lines just now, Azamara is by far and away the absolute worst for call handling and response times (eg Special needs form still not acknowledged it’s not a big thing for us, but for others it could be a significant need) 

They could reduce their call volume if there were not conflicts in information sent to guests. That’s a simple non IT fix

 

Time to sort out non IT driven workarounds Azamara. You’re driving customers and agents away from recommending or using you. 
 

Its all jam tomorrow at present both in terms of fixing onboard issues on some of the vessels and sorting out shoreside.

 

I wonder how much patience the investors will ultimately have? 

 

[uktog]

1 minute ago, john1970 said:

I've been travelling with Azamara since 2012. I have heard every excuse under the sun. Sorry, it really doesn't wash with me anymore. If your back office is so terrible then you have to plan and invest in your offline teams. Simply saying all travel companies/airlines are as bad is not going to be sustainable in the long run. Love Azamara but it's always jam tomorrow with them.

Haha we both typed the same phrase simultaneously I think 

[excitedofharpenden]

Paying for your cruise is basic stuff. No excuse.  They just need to sort it out because as can be seen from this thread, it creates a terrible impression, both new and existing guests. 

 

Phil 

[terry&mike]

For travel agents, it is a bit easier as payments can be posted online rather than called in. Currently, it involves logging in through the CruisingPower site (Royal, Celebrity, Silversea, Azamara), then accessing the reservation and posting payment; Azamara is working on it's own site and will be moving away in the near future. There was some sort of glitch on the website on Thursday for most of the day in to late at night that gave an error message when trying to post a credit card payment, but it was resolved by early Friday morning. 

Other functions available for TA's through the site are making bookings, adding CruiseCare, checking air prices/routings, and so on. 

Whether you book direct or use a TA, that is a personal choice and everyone has their own preference, but it is certainly easier to send a quick email to your TA saying "please go ahead and post my final balance to the card you have on file", and then receive back a Booking Confirmation email showing you are paid in full, than to be on hold for several hours. 

[kent4489]

12 hours ago, uktog said:

Transfers usually have to be done within 30 days of booking 

I don’t know. We booked in July and our new TA was able to transfer it in October. She also booked a new cruise for us (leaving tomorrow). Sorry, I don’t know the details.

I hated giving up control of my booking, but so far, so good. I didn’t have to worry about my final payments a few weeks ago. The new agent seems on top of it.

 

Edited November 19, 2022 by kent4489

[Riocca]

40 minutes ago, terry&mike said:

For travel agents, it is a bit easier as payments can be posted online rather than called in. Currently, it involves logging in through the CruisingPower site (Royal, Celebrity, Silversea, Azamara), then accessing the reservation and posting payment; Azamara is working on it's own site and will be moving away in the near future. There was some sort of glitch on the website on Thursday for most of the day in to late at night that gave an error message when trying to post a credit card payment, but it was resolved by early Friday morning. 

Other functions available for TA's through the site are making bookings, adding CruiseCare, checking air prices/routings, and so on. 

Whether you book direct or use a TA, that is a personal choice and everyone has their own preference, but it is certainly easier to send a quick email to your TA saying "please go ahead and post my final balance to the card you have on file", and then receive back a Booking Confirmation email showing you are paid in full, than to be on hold for several hours. 

U.K. system is different in that the travel agent processes the payment into their own account and usually ask for payment from the customer 4 weeks before it’s due to the cruise line. The cruise lines then take the money from the travel agent when payment is due, this is why they ask for the money early as they will cancel the booking if payment isn’t made before the cruise lines due date.

Could these automated payments made by travel agents explain why direct bookers have been forgotten about as they probably are a small proportion of overall bookings.

[oddjob16]

15 hours ago, excitedofharpenden said:

John, at the end of the day it's totally ridiculous that guests are struggling so much to get through and pay for their cruise. Unacceptable that you spend so long. Maybe in two or three years we'll look back and laugh it the situation, but for those of us who have to endlessly listen to the Azamara hold spiel for well over an hour it is not so funny. OK if I was phoning up ask about the mechanics of booking a drinks package, but it's to pay for a cruise. For goodness sake Azamara, automate it so we can pay with our credit card online. 

 

Phil 

Just changed TA from RCCL and was given a direct link for online credit card payment. Surprised me as I always had to phone in to use my cards when dealing with Royal.

 

[RW75]

I’ve had a balance payment reminder for a cruise I used a FCC to cover.
My assumption being the FCC was never applied.  Was pleased to be rid of them as I’ve had more problems than anyone should have reasonably expected.

Currently on hold again after being disconnected while placed on hold while the agent spoke to someone else. 
Hoping I can deal with this onboard with more success.  

[combine]

4 hours ago, Riocca said:

U.K. system is different in that the travel agent processes the payment into their own account and usually ask for payment from the customer 4 weeks before it’s due to the cruise line. The cruise lines then take the money from the travel agent when payment is due, this is why they ask for the money early as they will cancel the booking if payment isn’t made before the cruise lines due date.

Could these automated payments made by travel agents explain why direct bookers have been forgotten about as they probably are a small proportion of overall bookings.

Fortunately our  small independent travel agent takes my card  details and the payment is processed by Azamara directly. I think this started maybe 6 or 7 years ago. They dont hold any of my monies on behalf of Azamara.

This was extremely  advantageous when covid refunds were being made as mine  came direct to me in a timely manner not via the travel agent.  

[boxman52]

I don't believe for one minute Azamara have employed a host of programmers to write code for a hospitality IT system. 

It's the same as if they built massive pig farms because they serve bacon!

Even if they have lost their faculties & decided to enter the IT industry, it still doesn't stop them in the meantime putting in place a simple off the shelf payment system for final balance payment 

[blag]

18 minutes ago, boxman52 said:

I don't believe for one minute Azamara have employed a host of programmers to write code for a hospitality IT system. 

It's the same as if they built massive pig farms because they serve bacon!

Even if they have lost their faculties & decided to enter the IT industry, it still doesn't stop them in the meantime putting in place a simple off the shelf payment system for final balance payment 

Maybe the problem is how to integrate such a thing into their existing finance/accounting etc. software?

[Benthayer Gonbak]

On 11/18/2022 at 4:42 PM, Pizzasteve said:

To add a thought, there is both a global surge in travel and staffing shortages across the board as the industry pays less than their competing industries.  We recently finished a river tour with a reputable company, and while the ship was beautiful, some services, especially food were marred by inconsistent results.

 

example:  a raw pizza sent back (2-3 at same time on various tables), chef comes out and apologized as kitchen staff didn’t know he was supposed to close the oven door while pizzas cooking.  I kid you not.  And this line is expensive.  Hummas not puréed properly, without any tahini or oil.  Basically chick peas put in a food processor, and seeming to be put into half the meals.  Did no one taste it?  Nobody was eating it.   I guess a lot of canned chicken peas were in the  pantry, but hummus is not a decorative throw away food.

 

Nearly all of the call centers have staff that are new, under paid, and likely working from home, so no experienced staff at the next door cube to consult for answers. So calls take longer, hold times expand, etc. the whole industry is not what it was and we either adapt or expectations or be disappointed.

 

Hope your issue works its way out to your satisfaction.

 

i worked in a pizzeria , as a cook, one summer.  We always had to rotate ovens as they would cool down.  And if the had sausage on it that wouldn’t cook.  Fortunately for the patrons if the oven wasn’t hot enough it stuck to the oven after sogging through and thus was impossible to remove or not at least tear!  It isn’t really complicated to do it right, but knowing which ovens at hot enough again can be tricky. 

[Benthayer Gonbak]

On 11/19/2022 at 6:15 AM, kent4489 said:

I don’t know. We booked in July and our new TA was able to transfer it in October. She also booked a new cruise for us (leaving tomorrow). Sorry, I don’t know the details.

I hated giving up control of my booking, but so far, so good. I didn’t have to worry about my final payments a few weeks ago. The new agent seems on top of it.

 

 

id be interested in what control you are giving up with a travel agent. A few will even check price changes for you!  My agent knows my preferences and can find things I prefer easier than I can.  I normally, make my own bookings onboard, but if not I have just sent an email that I need to book a specific cruise.  When I booked the same cruise back to back he questioned why, it was room availability, but at least he noticed I might have mis asked! 

[mj_holiday]

I always have our cruises handled by my TA. (I take care of details for land vacations). My TA has much better ways to get to the cruise companies. I research the cruise we want and let our TA handle it from there. Anything I want to change gets taken care of. I have all the control and none of the hassle. Additionally, if I have problems on the trip, myTA will answer the phone and be able to assist. 

[laurieb]

On 11/18/2022 at 4:04 PM, uktog said:

Transfers usually have to be done within 30 days of booking 

60 days in the US if final payment hasn't been made

[uktog]

2 minutes ago, laurieb said:

60 days in the US if final payment hasn't been made

Another international difference then

[nonrev1]

I always book onboard and transfer to an agent.  Due to Covid cancellations I had several FCC’s.  My agent tried to have one applied to my April cruise and was told it was already used.  She was on hold for over 2 1/2 hours before she got the “it’s already been used” response.  She was also told that we were traveling using a special discount so the coupon had technically been applied and was part of our discount.  Our agent asked why there was no line item showing the coupon was applied.  The answer was ….because that’s the way we do it.  So…..I called Azamara.  I was on hold for over 2 1/2 hours but was fortunate enough to get an agent that was on a special team.  My booking was a lift and shift ….no special rate, no special discount.  She got accounting involved and no one could find where the FCC was applied but it showed as used.  They reissued it but then had to contact my agent because my agent holds the booking.  I was on the phone for 3 1/2 hours.  If I did not reach an agent that had experience, it would not have been resolved and I would have lost my FCC.  It should not have been a combined 6 hours on the phone between myself and my agent.  Agents are dreading Azamara bookings because their hold time is the longest and the information is nit accurate.  I am really at a crossroads.  Azamara is charging a premium and wants to be a premium product but the customer service is horrible.  

[JM0115]

If I was Azamara, I would put in a chat feature. It is so much easier on them and on the customer. Agents can chat simultaneously with several customers and it would cut down on telephone hold times I would think. I hope they do that some day!

[takemewithyou]

53 minutes ago, JM0115 said:

If I was Azamara, I would put in a chat feature. It is so much easier on them and on the customer. Agents can chat simultaneously with several customers and it would cut down on telephone hold times I would think. I hope they do that some day!

I think you are new to Azamara, but for those who remember, we used to have a CBO, Chief Blogging officer from Azamara, who answered questions on this forum and she was invaluable!  Happy Thanksgiving to Bonnie McLaird, if you are still checking in! 😀. We all miss you!