Let's Get Azamara's attention

[kk99]

Hi Everyone,

After reading all of the posts of the first three short cruises on Azamara Quest, and after posting my review on these boards, I would appreciate it if everyone who sailed would spend 10 minutes of their time and send an email to azamaracustomerservice@celebrity.com ,or a telephone call to customer service at 1-877-222-2526, or a phone call to Captain's Club at 1-800-760-0654 or a fax to Captain's Club at 1-305-373-4384 or snail mail to Dan Hanrahan, President and CEO of Azamara Cruises 1050 Caribbean Way Miami, FL 33132. As I said in my thread on my review of the Quest inaugural sailing I've already sent my three page letter concerning the issues I encountered on the sailing by email, snail mail and fax. I received the charges on my credit card for the sailing today, however, since the ship never provided an itemized statement, and the charges do not match the handwritten charge slips I received on the ship, I will await my response from Azamara before paying the billed amount to make sure it is correct. Mr. Hanrahan as President and CEO of Azamara Cruises is paid an extremely large salary and deferred benefits which is reported on both the RCL website and forbes.com. If Azamara wants positive reviews and customer loyalty to this new brand, then they need to timely address all of the real concerns, the initial passengers had on these sailings. I believe that the passengers' concerns and service issues can be addressed and rectified by Azamara,but communication is key. I do know that that Azamara representatives read the boards in a telephone conversation I had with them, but written documentation with them is harder for the company to ignore. My family and friends (30 or so) usually book an annual cruise (many times in the past on Celebrity).

If Azamara wants our future business, as well as the passengers who have already sailed on the Quest, then hopefully they will respond quickly to everyone's concerns.

kk

[factor30]

Hi Everyone,

After reading all of the posts of the first three short cruises on Azamara Quest, and after posting my review on these boards, I would appreciate it if everyone who sailed would spend 10 minutes of their time and send an email to azamaracustomerservice@celebrity.com ,or a telephone call to customer service at 1-877-222-2526, or a phone call to Captain's Club at 1-800-760-0654 or a fax to Captain's Club at 1-305-373-4384 or snail mail to Dan Hanrahan, President and CEO of Azamara Cruises 1050 Caribbean Way Miami, FL 33132. As I said in my thread on my review of the Quest inaugural sailing I've already sent my three page letter concerning the issues I encountered on the sailing by email, snail mail and fax. I received the charges on my credit card for the sailing today, however, since the ship never provided an itemized statement, and the charges do not match the handwritten charge slips I received on the ship, I will await my response from Azamara before paying the billed amount to make sure it is correct. Mr. Hanrahan as President and CEO of Azamara Cruises is paid an extremely large salary and deferred benefits which is reported on both the RCL website and forbes.com. If Azamara wants positive reviews and customer loyalty to this new brand, then they need to timely address all of the real concerns, the initial passengers had on these sailings. I believe that the passengers' concerns and service issues can be addressed and rectified by Azamara,but communication is key. I do know that that Azamara representatives read the boards in a telephone conversation I had with them, but written documentation with them is harder for the company to ignore. My family and friends (30 or so) usually book an annual cruise (many times in the past on Celebrity).

If Azamara wants our future business, as well as the passengers who have already sailed on the Quest, then hopefully they will respond quickly to everyone's concerns.

kk

Hi kk

 

As I have already mentioned on a recent thread, I telephoned Azamara Customer Services from the UK (actually, at the beginning of this week). Yesterday I sent an email to Azamara Cust.Serv., and followed this up with a further email, having read more disquiet and criticisms, this afternoon, urging Richard Fain and Dan Hanrahan to read CC Azamara, take note, and take action NOW. We are on the 24 Nov Quest sailing and if things haven't improved........they haven't seen anything yet. I may be small but boy, can I make a noise - my husband will vouch for that!!

 

Like you, I hope that as many people as possible make their voices heard to the powers that be at RCCL/Celebrity/Azamara. ASAP

[Ms. J.]

Hi, kk and Factor 30....

 

Thanks for speaking to the powers that be. I have also emailed my concerns as I am booked for the 1-19-08 sailing. I will also fax and snail mail a letter, and make a phone call this morning. My concerns are about the lack of good service, room service, no hand sanitizers and their accounting system. I love those R ships and apparently Azamara doesn't know what they have. There's lots of people like me who sail on the old R ships, and already do with Oceania and Princess. If everyone reading this thread would contact Azamara. I think it would make more of impression on them that we are a cruising force to be reckoned with.......or, maybe Azamara's staff are all on vacation right now(!)

Jini

[kk99]

Hi Factor30 and Jini,

Thanks for taking the time to contact Azamara. I do know that in the past when I contacted Celebrity customer service, I have always received a written response and a solution to the request/problem. I did not expect perfection on an inaugural sailing(have done way too many of them not to have some glitches), but the service, and sanitization issues are important. It is a lovely ship with many pluses however, until the issues listed on these boards have been addressed, Azamara is not a step above Celebrity.

kk

[bububr]

Okay,

 

I have snail mailed, e-mailed, and faxed my issues to Azamara, Captains Club, and Dan...

 

Of course my biggest issue was the Bonus round on the MONA LISA slot:D .

 

Just kiddiing...( about the machine, although I think we both know the bonus round sucked ).

 

I'll post when/ If I get a response from somebody.

 

And yes I'm still working on the review......

 

Dave:eek:

[kk99]

Thanks Dave,

I appreciate your effort along with everyone else who takes the time to help make the upcoming cruises for people booked on this ship more enjoyable, safer, and more in line with the brochure claims. And yes, I forgot to add in my letter that the "bonus rounds" on the slots were missing!(at least during my time in the casino) I do hope you are feeling better soon.

kk

[murphysmum]

Hello...

 

I'm booked to sail Quest in Feb....Acapulco to Miami.

 

To date I'd received no confirmation of the deposit made, due date of payment, or any information about the cruise.

 

I just called Customer Service, received an apology, a confirmation number, a promise of a written trip confirmation with details and a brochure within the week. The representative was extremely professional and helpful. She was able to answer questions I had about booking shore excursions (of course it would have been nice if I'd known they were available two weeks ago).

 

I did have a question (for you more experienced cruisers out there). I had booked the middle aft cabin on deck 8; subsequently I've read that deck 6 would have been a better/larger choice (I'm sure those are gone by now.) She assured me that ALL of the aft cabin balconies are 64 sq. feet, no matter what deck you're on and that she had verified this. I'm just curious; does anyone know if this is accurate?

 

I did not bring as specific questions about hand sanitizers, food safety, etc. I just mentioned that I am concerned about the multiple complaints about the ship and hope that they're addressed before final payment is due. She said that they are well aware of all of these issues and that attempts are being made to correct the problem areas.

 

I hope this is helpful. I'd love to have another small ship to enjoy!

 

murphysmum;)

[kk99]

Hi Murphysmom,

Th balconies from what I recall on the aft sunset verandas are the same size on the various decks. There was noise reported by others who had cabins on deck 8(we were in 8036 midships and did not notice it). I think people like being on a deck that is not directly below the pool and buffet like deck 8 is. I'm sure your cabin location will be fine. If you were at the front of this small ship, you would definitely feel more motion on the ship if there were any rough waters. Glad to hear customer serivce was responsive to your upcoming cruise.

kk

[1cruiselvr]

Okay, maybe my brain cells are dying at a faster rate than I realize, but I don't remember reading major negatives about the first few sailings of the Quest. Maybe I sprinkled what I read with thoughts of some problems are to be expected when a ship is launched but the beds were reported comfy, no one got food poisoning, died, fell overboard and they kept on sailing, were refused medical care, left behind at a port, and as far as I know water flowed, toilets flushed, etc. I don't see what all the fuss is about that demands everyone emails, faxes and phone calls in mass.

Happy Sailing!

[bububr]

Actually the one concern we had was our connecting door to the adjoining suite. We didn't have or felt we didn't many of the other issues.

 

The door that connects Royal Suite 6003 and OV 6005 does not have any seals around it allowing any noise...i.e regular conversation, t.v, doors and drawers opening and closing...to pass right through. I'm just glad they weren't verbally intimate, It would have been like being in the middle of an X-rated movie. There was also a 1/2 gap at the bottom between the door and the threshold allowing the light to shine through underneath. So while we were in bed in the dark, and they flicked on their light it lit up the back half of our cabin...

 

This is an issue that can be resolved with a bit of thought, and would have been overlooked if there were no previous passengers on board in one room or the other.

 

Unfortunately there was nothing that could be done at the time and those pax in 6003 were a bit obnoxious, loud, and quite possibly inebriated especially after wandering in around 2 am and not settling down till hours later each night...

 

Not to trivialize any of the other issues like not receiving breakfast on time, seeing a table with dirty dishes by the pool or having an inattentive waiter which are service issues, this will involve a tech person to resolve the problem.

 

Dave:eek:

[LMKohler]

Hi Murphysmum--I'm interested in your statement about shore excursions on your February cruise.

 

We are on the March 1st - Miami to Acapulco Quest cruise and I think I was told that the excursions weren't available yet. How do I find out if they are? Last time I checked the internet they said they weren't available.

 

Thanks,

Lucy

[kk99]

Hi 1cruiselvr,

You are right that no one on the inaugural got left behind, or didn't get fed. The purpose was to get Azamara to correct what I think will affect future passengers' enjoyment and safety on this cruise. We paid a higher per diem for the cruise, than our other similar cabins on Celebrity(we were in a sky suite)and you do expect some level of service. Forgetting the service issues, and there were many reported on the threads including my review, there are some basic health preventative measures that need to be in place. Hand sanitizers should be available on the ship. They should not hold the muster drill in Discoveries with the tables already set for dinner where some passengers were picking up and using the silverware and napkins, right before dinner service. The sign and sail cards many people had problems with and spent considerable time at guest relations trying to get squared away. I would hope that passengers on any first few sailings would point out real problem areas that the line can work on for future sailings, so that the future sailings would be more pleasant. I have been on many cruises including inaugurals and this cruise was disappointing. The people I met onboard were great, and the staff was very polite. I have faith that they will work out the kinks, but I still felt the need to send Azamara a written report so that they would take corrective steps now and not a year from now. I want the line to flourish becuase it is a great size for cruising, the ship is lovely, and it has great possibilities.

kk

[Susan-M]

Were the first few cruises priced low as a trade off for a less than stellar cruise experience that Celebrity and many passengers might have anticipated? I notice that the next cruise is priced quite low and hope that the first two cruises were a bargain.

 

Celebrity is probably counting on feedback from early cruisers in order to 'iron out the wrinkles' ... good suggestion KK99. :)

[Cathy Maneri]

Were the first few cruises priced low as a trade off for a less than stellar cruise experience that Celebrity and many passengers might have anticipated? I notice that the next cruise is priced quite low and hope that the first two cruises were a bargain.

 

Celebrity is probably counting on feedback from early cruisers in order to 'iron out the wrinkles' ... good suggestion KK99. :)

 

 

No bargain for me, I paid full price. I did not get a discount, but knew that and booked it anyway because I wanted to see the ship and wanted to try a Sunset Veranda. It came out to be a $196 a person for two nights or $784 total.

 

Breakdown of what I paid for would be:

 

Two nights in a cabin

Lunch the day of embarkation

Dinner for two in the specialty restaurant (no charge)

Breakfast room service the second day (but I had to track it down)

Lunch at the pool grill

Small sandwiches/pastries at the Mosaic cafe

Dinner in the dining room the second night

Breakfast in the dining room day of embarkation

 

Seapass charges: Martinis, coffees and wine purchased separately with 18% tips added. Tips paid on seapass (no extra tipping by me).

 

No excursions, gambling or shopping.

 

Parking at Terminal $20

 

My seapass account was fine, no extra charges, but I had to check my

AX to find out what I was charged. But I was curious on what the tipping charges were. I, like others, did not get a hardcopy under my door and I did not want to be bothered waiting on line the morning of debarkation, I'm sure there were some real issues there. My charges only amounted to about $80 and I knew when I last checked online it was about $65, so I assumed the rest was for tipping. Although, everyone should have had the opportunity to check it before leaving the ship either by TV or hardcopy and the system was down the night before. Not good business practice.

 

Personally, I would not book another cruise on Azamara for about 6 months to one year. I would be very upset if I paid a lot for a relaxing cruise vacation, knowing what I had in the past was not up to par.

[kk99]

Hi everyone,

I paid full price for the sky suite for the two days on the inaugural, $1000 for the two days for the two of us. Unfortunately our seapass will probably be close to that amount because of all of the spa services for myself and my Mom , speciality coffees and drinks, and the 18% gratuity on the charges. I'm not complaining about the fares, I knew going in what they would be, I just wanted my mother's first cruise to be everything she hoped it would be.

kk

[HotRoot]

Our toilet did NOT flush for the first 24 hours. We filled our ice bucket with water from the bathtub and poured it in the toilet. We also paid $500 a night for our cabin, the same as kk.

[Xcruiser]

Kk99,

 

My wife maybe one of the first to voice concerns in writing to the Captain’s Club the day before the Oct. 24th sailing of Quest. From a services standpoint this was by far the worst cruise we have been on and I plan to outline this in a review.

 

Regardless if this was the 1st or 101st sailing of this very fine vessel there is no justification for the poor standard of service. Celebrity (Azamara) is better than the effort we experienced on this sailing and it needs to voiced and corrected before others sail and have the same issues. I can promise that they will hear further from us both in writing and from posts on this site.

 

I think your review was very unbiased and true to conditions on this sailing and thanks for posting it.

 

Joel

[kk99]

Thanks Joel and others,

I'm trying to be fair to Azamara, but I definitely want others to not experience the easily fixed problems that we had on the inaugural. Service will always be an ongoing issue for any cruise line, but the sanitation issues, noise from cabin doors, smoke in the hallways are examples of items that Azamara can fix and should before they start their 14 day sailings. I've never been this active on the boards before, but I just felt more strongly about this sailing than the more than two dozen I've taken before. I will sail Azamara again especially if it goes on sale! I like the ship and itineraries offered.

kk

[murphysmum]

Hi!

 

RE: Your question about what I was told about shore excursions. Customer Service told me to go to Celebrity, then to shore excursions and then pull up our sailing/date and confirmation number.

 

I haven't tried it yet; I'm investigating other private options, but when I have time I'll try it.

 

I hope it works for you.

 

Janed;)

[Ms. J.]

Hi, kk, Cathy, Hotroot, and others.....

 

Thanks for all your postings. It's like I tried this line for the first time without having to be inconvenienced. You've done me a favor - thanks! Jini

[factor30]

Re my recent posting further up this thread, I was quite surprised to receive a response to my email to Azamara Customer Services so quick. Below is an excerpt from my original email followed by their reply sent yesterday which I read this morning (Friday), allowing for the time difference.

 

"Since the Quest had its inaugural 2-day sailing on the 24th Oct following another of 5 days ending today, and preceded by a 2 day sailing for your company executive and various travel agents, etc., there have been an alarming number of negative comments. There have also been favourable things said about the ship but the reported problems need to be rectified without delay. Rather than make a list here, I suggest that your department and the powers that be take a look at the Cruise Critic site where you will see what your customers are saying.

 

We appreciate that hiccups do occur at the beginning but after the fiasco with Journey at the start, there should be very little for Quest passengers to be concerned with. At the moment, this is not the case. Please prove us wrong."

 

AZAMARA'S REPLY:

 

"Dear Rita

Thank you for contacting Azamara Cruises.

 

We are receiving feedback from our guests while on the ships at the Guests Relations as well as comment cards. All concerns or problem areas where

the ship is not at 100% are being addressed immediately. Creating an enjoyable cruise vacation for our guests is our top priority."

 

We now appear to have their word that definitive action is being taken.

Watch this space!

[factor30]

OOPS!!

The first line of my email actually said:

 

Since the Quest had its inaugural sailing on the 24th Oct followed by another of 5 days ending today...

 

A typographical error.

[tbelian]

We are receiving feedback from our guests while on the ships at the Guests Relations as well as comment cards.

 

Striking. There was NO mention made of cruise critic, even though you did specifically put that in your initial email.

 

What does that say?

[LMKohler]

Hi Janed -- thanks for the response.

 

I've done what you suggested and it tells me online that the excursions are not available yet:confused: . So, I'll just wait a little longer:)

 

I have been reading on these boards, though, that Azamara is not offering as many excursions as Celebrity does -- probably due to the size of the ship. All we can do is wait and see the reivews from the first 14 day cruises to return.

 

Thanks,

Lucy

[cruising diva]

Hope this is helpful regarding cabin locations. We just got off the Quest and were in the Penthouse Suite on deck 7. This was the nosiest cabin we ever had.Constant engine noise and vibrations and also could smell food being cooked in the pm.Also-the ship is designed that the back veranda is enclosed waist high in metal which means you can't see the water when you are sitting down.Stick to the middle of the ship !!!