New "sale" eff. dec. 12

[KevintheIrishDJ]

I don't get it. Azamara just posted a new sale: Save 40% + $300 credit. A Club Veranda lists for $10,767 for the Dec. 22, 2023 cruise. I booked it months ago $8,191 (20% sale)!!!

[uktog]

Smoke and mirrors been going on for years though can’t happen in the UK. There a sale has to be a sale 

Edited December 12, 2022 by uktog

[blag]

1 hour ago, uktog said:

Smoke and mirrors been going on for years though can’t happen in the UK. There a sale has to be a sale 

I don't know about you, but IMHO these 'illusory' offers damage the company's reputation. For a company with integrity, I feel that a sale, should always be genuine, and each 'sale' should be better than any previous.

Of course, it can be very difficult to distinguish whether a 'sale' will result in a lower overall expenditure for the purchaser  because the packaging* varies.

 

* by packaging, I mean (for example):

xx% off what? (Read the fine print).

Is xx% off better than (xx/2)%, plus 5 times as much OBC? (You do the calculation)

And so on...

[Ski Mom 2]

It looks like our cruise may be several thousands of dollars cheaper. My TA is checking but waited on hold so long today she’s going to try again tomorrow. We will see. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

This is not unique to Azamara.  It's 'dynamic pricing.'  Each cruise's prices go up if it's selling well.  Advertised offers like this apply to whatever the current list price is.  People who booked early should be happy they got a good deal, but for those who haven't booked yet this is the best deal available.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Cruise Critic bans any use of vulgarity, profanity or scatology (or attempt to get around this rule).  I know that the 'happy face' icon in the message window offers a certain emoji that comes within this area – and I have just asked Management why – but even though it's there it will lead to your post being deleted.

[Ski Mom 2]

Ok I’ll try again. My TA got through and the guy at A told her I must have done something wrong to get the pricing I got when I went to do a “practice” booking for my cruise. I took a photo of it and sent it to my TA but all she got was grief. He told her I should have booked it. Now it’s $3000 higher as others mentioned. 
 

[KevintheIrishDJ]

On 12/12/2022 at 6:53 PM, Host Jazzbeau said:

This is not unique to Azamara.  It's 'dynamic pricing.'  Each cruise's prices go up if it's selling well.  Advertised offers like this apply to whatever the current list price is.  People who booked early should be happy they got a good deal, but for those who haven't booked yet this is the best deal available.

Don't you think it is misleading?

[marinaro44]

1 hour ago, KevintheIrishDJ said:

Don't you think it is misleading?

Worst is "2-for-1" pricing on Regent and Oceania.🙄

[java spot]

I remember when Sycamore purchased Azamara this board expressed hope that these bogus sales would come to an end.  I am surprised to be reading of the same old tactics. 

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

1 hour ago, KevintheIrishDJ said:

Don't you think it is misleading?

Airlines?  Hotels?  Do you think the whole world is misleading?  Or have you just not kept up with the trend.  Today's price is ... today's price.  Tomorrow is another day.

[Grandma Cruising]

6 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Airlines?  Hotels?  Do you think the whole world is misleading?  Or have you just not kept up with the trend.  Today's price is ... today's price.  Tomorrow is another day.

Very true and it applies to all sorts of retail goods as well.

[uktog]

9 hours ago, KevintheIrishDJ said:

Don't you think it is misleading?

The moral of the story- you can’t predict future prices. You win some you lose some. If you’re trawling for the cheapest ever price you’ll waste hours and probably be disappointed. 
Set a price in your head you are prepared to pay and book when you find it. That’s what we do. Life is too short to waste time trying to beat pricing algorithms. 

[Rabo]

Totally agree with uktog. We book the cabin we want . . . usually deck 7 mid-ship. But we have in the past, and have several coming up, aft facing cabins on deck 7. Checking prices for this sale, I found one of our bookings with an almost $5K increase, and two others with a savings of about $2.5K each. It may very well be supply and demand. The cruise with the increase is almost totally booked, while the other two have lots of available cabins.

btw . . . Our fantastic TA was immediately able to send us new confirmations with the lower prices for the two. 
As a final note. It is usually beneficial for us to book early, and then keep an eye out for an occasional sale. We’re in the US, so what we can do doesn’t always apply to what can be done in other countries.