OBC Issues

[needingwifi]

On 10/2/2023 at 3:38 AM, westcoasttech said:

Under the Add ons list I have various amounts of ‘Coupons’ showing titled either OBC or onboard credit with a ‘price’ of zero.  [...]

 

I later ‘booked’ the zero cost OBC coupons and they have gone onto my booking list on the website.

 

We have the same issue/situation here - did you conclude on what happens to that OBC that you booked at zero cost? Is that now valid?

[westcoasttech]

3 hours ago, needingwifi said:

 

We have the same issue/situation here - did you conclude on what happens to that OBC that you booked at zero cost? Is that now valid?

On the phone Azamara has confirmed it is valid and actual OBC that can be used pre-cruise for excursions and onboard for other things.

 

I was advised that once you have "booked" the coupons you SHOULD be able to see it as a pulldown option on the credit card payment page when paying for excursions.  In my case it is not working due to the currency differences - I see the pricing for excursions in CDN$ and OBC is US$ - apparently the website can't deal with currency exchanges!  Even the Azamara agent couldn't work out how to use the OBC for excursions!

 

They have said to "give them a few days" to convert the OBC to CDN$ and then it should become available on my account for booking or at least available for an agent to make the bookings for me!

 

I have no idea what will happen once I'm onboard and the OBC is then CDN$, but one issue at a time!

Edited October 3, 2023 by westcoasttech

[avw]

On 10/1/2023 at 3:38 PM, westcoasttech said:

I’m also attempting to make sense of the website as a 1st time Azamara booking.

 

Under the Add ons list I have various amounts of ‘Coupons’ showing titled either OBC or onboard credit with a ‘price’ of zero.  There are also 2 coupons listed titled OBC and bar credit with a ‘price’ of the equivalent of about US$25.

 

I booked the cruise on the day they moved from one deal (4 nights free) to the current OBC deal, but due to the timing I wasn’t really expecting any particular OBC - booked direct without a TA [long story … TA I was trying to use wasn’t being helpful!]

 

I booked a tour, before I tried ‘booking’ the OBC coupons, and had to provide a credit card and that charge has gone on my CC.

 

I later ‘booked’ the zero cost OBC coupons and they have gone onto my booking list on the website.

 

So … do I have the OBC or not??? If I do, I would like to cancel my paid for tour and use the OBC instead … which I guess I would have to do by phone as I can’t see a Cancel option on the website?  if I do have that amount of OBC, it is quite an amazing amount, so I don’t see how I can have!

 

I guess I will have to call them, but if they have mistakenly provided too much OBC, I’m not sure I want to tell them that they’re wrong😜!

 

Any advice?

I just spoke to Azamara and the zero price OBC coupons are a system error. Although the OBC coupon will show as" booked" on the system if you "buy" it for $0, the coupon won't be able to be used. Hopefully they will get this system error fixed quickly, before other people think they found a pot of gold and then are disappointed. Interestingly, the $0 OBC coupon addons only showed up on one of my five cruises booked with Azamara.  

 

Edited October 10, 2023 by avw
remove word

[westcoasttech]

I'm still waiting for a promised call back ("quelle surprise" 🙄)...  While I cannot see any OBC listed anywhere, some of the extra tours I moved into my account appear to have been paid off by said supposed OBC, as I have a zero amount showing.  My "invoice" on the system shows "paid in full" (including several tours) with no separate line for OBC anywhere.  

I would just like to know one way or the other ... I don't want to get onboard to find I have no tours and have lost the opportunity to book cheaper private options!  

I'm used to dealing with "messy" websites and chaotic situations ... (I've sailed with MSC, several times!😲) but this is really not giving me a good impression of Azamara ... perhaps I should have sailed them while they were still RCCL and got my D+ benefits then ☹️!

[avw]

1 hour ago, westcoasttech said:

I'm still waiting for a promised call back ("quelle surprise" 🙄)...  While I cannot see any OBC listed anywhere, some of the extra tours I moved into my account appear to have been paid off by said supposed OBC, as I have a zero amount showing.  My "invoice" on the system shows "paid in full" (including several tours) with no separate line for OBC anywhere.  

I would just like to know one way or the other ... I don't want to get onboard to find I have no tours and have lost the opportunity to book cheaper private options!  

I'm used to dealing with "messy" websites and chaotic situations ... (I've sailed with MSC, several times!😲) but this is really not giving me a good impression of Azamara ... perhaps I should have sailed them while they were still RCCL and got my D+ benefits then ☹️!

I can understand that you do not have a good impression of Azamara when dealing with their website. It is a disaster, and, believe it or not, it was far worse 6 months ago. Parts of the website are better now but parts are still not functioning properly. The telephone situation is much better than it was a few months ago because they hired a lot of people, so phones can be answered now. However, the phone reps aren't fully trained or experienced yet; that will take time. The supervisors must be overwhelmed with nonstop questions from new employees using a system that doesn't function properly. But, once you get onboard, I am quite certain that you are going to love your cruise experience. They know what they are doing onboard and what every crew member wants, from top to bottom, is to give you a wonderful cruise. It my favorite cruise line by far. If they could only get the booking system on their web site to function properly! 

[roger b]

On 10/11/2023 at 2:18 AM, westcoasttech said:

I'm still waiting for a promised call back ("quelle surprise" 🙄)...  While I cannot see any OBC listed anywhere, some of the extra tours I moved into my account appear to have been paid off by said supposed OBC, as I have a zero amount showing.  My "invoice" on the system shows "paid in full" (including several tours) with no separate line for OBC anywhere.  

I would just like to know one way or the other ... I don't want to get onboard to find I have no tours and have lost the opportunity to book cheaper private options!  

I'm used to dealing with "messy" websites and chaotic situations ... (I've sailed with MSC, several times!😲) but this is really not giving me a good impression of Azamara ... perhaps I should have sailed them while they were still RCCL and got my D+ benefits then ☹️!

My agent finally fixed my OBC and tours and extra restaurant booking and now all show on the website.

So things are getting straighten out ,ready now for our November 14th cruise

 

[holidaysaregood]

Well I have just had an interesting conversation with customer service.  I have often paid for excursions way in advance using my OBC.   Namely Japan excursions and the Petra excursion for our cruise in 2 weeks time over a year in advance. 

Now there is a new rule!  I cannot pay until 30 days before the cruise departs.  We have a B2B and the 2nd cruise leaves on 13th November.   But as October is 31 days I cannot use my OBC till tomorrow.  $300 of this OBC is for excursions.  Anyone else heard of this rule change?

[mare s.]

I am soooo confused.   Because of early booking terms and special promo, we got OBC from Azamara.  In addition, our TA gave us a hefty amount of OBC.   The OBC from Azamara shows on our reservation summary (in addition to the other promo perks) but the OBC from our TA does not.   From what I am reading here, we may or may not see the TA OBC and it may or may not show up before we depart.   And we may or may not be able to get the TA to call Azamara and get the credit listed so we can use it in advance of boarding for shore excursions.  (but I also read that TA OBC cannot be used until we are actually on board!)  I guess I should be grateful that the web site shows our correct loyalty level, but I am an early planner and would like to lock in our shore excursions in advance.   Can anyone provide real clarity on this or am I doomed to confusion?

[crzrr]

9 minutes ago, mare s. said:

I am soooo confused.   Because of early booking terms and special promo, we got OBC from Azamara.  In addition, our TA gave us a hefty amount of OBC.   The OBC from Azamara shows on our reservation summary (in addition to the other promo perks) but the OBC from our TA does not.   From what I am reading here, we may or may not see the TA OBC and it may or may not show up before we depart.   And we may or may not be able to get the TA to call Azamara and get the credit listed so we can use it in advance of boarding for shore excursions.  (but I also read that TA OBC cannot be used until we are actually on board!)  I guess I should be grateful that the web site shows our correct loyalty level, but I am an early planner and would like to lock in our shore excursions in advance.   Can anyone provide real clarity on this or am I doomed to confusion?

You will not see TA OBC on your account.  It generally shows up onboard on the second day of your cruise (that's been our experience).  As far as I know, you have never been able to use TA OBC prior to getting onboard.  It is after all, onboard credit!  In the past, we have been able to use Azamara OBC prior to embarkation to book shore excursions.  That's where the confusion seems to be now.  Some have reported being able to use it prior to final payment, some have been told that it can't be used until final payment has been received, and some have reported being told that it can't be used until 30 days prior to your sail date.  It seems to be dependent on the agent you speak with.  

[Scotlands cruise critic]

Cruised November 2023. Added $1800 worth of free onboard credit by using the $0 add ons ( $500, $300 & $100 each). Was given $1800 on our account when we boarded.  Have another 2 cruises booked this year.. used the same method of adding the $0 credits to both . My account shows up as $0 for the first  cruise and $1000 for the second cruise 🤷🏼‍♀️ no logic applied but im just happy to receive the “free” money .