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Bill L -- Tunisia???


brucedodge

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Hey Bill,

 

In about six weeks, we and the Quest are programmed to port in Tunis, and I hope we do.

 

BUT with current events, I'm guessing the head office is looking at this port stop, and considering contingencies.

 

If Tunis is dropped, I'd like to cast the first vote ;) -- for Malta as an alternate.

 

Cheers,

 

Bruce

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Hey Bill,

 

In about six weeks, we and the Quest are programmed to port in Tunis, and I hope we do.

 

BUT with current events, I'm guessing the head office is looking at this port stop, and considering contingencies.

 

If Tunis is dropped, I'd like to cast the first vote ;) -- for Malta as an alternate.

 

Cheers,

 

Bruce

 

Hello Bruce -

 

Earlier in the year I mentioned that Royal Caribbean Ltd's Global Security department is constantly monitoring the world's political situation and although I have nothing definitive to report about Tunisia, I will keep you posted on this new thread.

 

Here I am stating to you again that in "today’s world, one must expect the unexpected." It's been a very long spring... I'll pass on your alternative suggestions.

 

Best regards,

 

Bill Leiber

__________________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

(*CBO is an authorized and compensated representative of ACC)

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Hello Azamara Quest Guests -

 

I want to let you know that the October 27, 2012 Azamara Quest voyage will cancel its planned call at La Goulette, Tunis, Tunisia on October 31, 2012.

 

We should be announcing its replacement port as soon as the review of berthing availability has been completed within the parameter of not impacting the berthing confirmations we currently have in place in the ports pre- and post-Tunisia.

 

Hopefully, I'll be able to let you know the port by the end of business (EDT) on Monday.

 

Best regards,

 

Bill Leiber

__________________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

(*CBO is an authorized and compensated representative of ACC)

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Thanks, Bill, for the early info. I don't expect anyone is or will be surprised by the cancellation.

 

Earlier I voted for Malta as a replacement. There have been some other votes. I thought I'd through Siracusa in the mix.

 

Cheers,

 

Bruce

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Thanks for the info, Bill. I was looking forward to visiting Tunisia....but, after the events that took place and are still taking place, I am relieved we are not going.

I am looking forward to hearing the replacement.

 

Thank you again!

 

Lauri

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Travel Warning

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Bureau of Consular Affairs

Print Email Tunisia

September 15, 2012

The Department of State warns U.S. citizens against all travel to Tunisia at this time. On September 14, 2012 the Department of State ordered the departure of all non-emergency U.S. government personnel from Tunisia, following the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Tunis. The airport in Tunis is open and U.S. citizens are encouraged to depart by commercial air.

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Hello Azamara Quest October 27, 2012 Guests -

 

On the forthcoming October 27, 2012 Azamara Quest voyage, the planned call at La Goulette, Tunis, Tunisia on October 31, 2012 has been cancelled and will be replaced with a full-day visit to Mahon, Minorca, Balearic Islands, Spain on November 1, 2012. Our reservations team is in the process of notifying booked guests and travel partners.

 

Although Malta would have been a good port of call, it unfortunately takes us into the opposite direction of our next destinations. According to our itinerary planner, "Mahon offers not only a very scenic entry into the narrow bay but also our visits there in the past have met with very good guest satisfaction. It is one of those lovely small ports that also sets us apart from the big ships. Making this choice also allows us to keep the rest of the itinerary intact without any other port changes nor changes in any of the other ports times."

 

DATE PORT/CITY ACTIVITY ARRIVAL DEPARTURE

Saturday, October 27 Rome (Civitavecchia) - Italy Embark 6:00 PM

Sunday, October 28 Sorrento - Italy Tendered 8:00 AM

Monday, October 29 Sorrento - Italy Tendered 6:00 AM

Monday, October 29 Capri - Italy Tendered 8:00 AM 10:00 PM

Tuesday, October 30 Trapani - Sicily Docked 12:00 PM 7:00 PM

Wed. October 31 At Sea Cruising

Thursday, November 1 Mahon, Minorca - Spain Docked 8:00 AM 9:00 PM

Friday, November 2 Palma De Mallorca - Spain Docked 8:00 AM 8:00 PM

Saturday, November 3 Cartagena - Spain Docked 12:00 PM 6:00 PM

Sunday, November 4 Malaga - Spain Docked 8:00 AM 11:59 PM

Monday, November 5 Gibraltar - United Kingdom Docked 8:00 AM 4:00 PM

Tuesday, November 6 Seville - Spain Docked 11:30 AM

Wed. November 7 Seville - Spain Debark

 

 

Best regards,

 

Bill Leiber

__________________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

(*CBO is an authorized and compensated representative of ACC)

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Hi Bill,

 

I see our port change to Mahon, on November 1, 2012.

This looks like a lovely place to visit, however, by swapping the sea-day, we will be docking in Mahon on a National Holiday.

I believe most places will be closed down for All Saints Day.

Could Azamara look at swapping the sea-days, and have us dock there on October 31st instead??

Thanks for any consideration,

 

pacaduli

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Hi Bill,

 

I see our port change to Mahon, on November 1, 2012.

This looks like a lovely place to visit, however, by swapping the sea-day, we will be docking in Mahon on a National Holiday.

I believe most places will be closed down for All Saints Day.

Could Azamara look at swapping the sea-days, and have us dock there on October 31st instead??

Thanks for any consideration,

 

pacaduli

 

Since I live in Europe I thought to just mention that while most businesses and Govt offices are closed on these holidays, the tourist spots rarely are. The economy is bad here and especially there, I foresee no opportunity to make some money off tourism will go unnoticed. I hope this helps.

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Hi Bill,

 

I see our port change to Mahon, on November 1, 2012.

This looks like a lovely place to visit, however, by swapping the sea-day, we will be docking in Mahon on a National Holiday.

I believe most places will be closed down for All Saints Day.

Could Azamara look at swapping the sea-days, and have us dock there on October 31st instead??

Thanks for any consideration,

 

pacaduli

 

Hello Pacaduli -

 

Unfortunately, we require the sea day to sail from Trapani, Sicily to Mahon, Menorca. Indeed, many shops on Menorca are likely going to be closed on November 1 but as was mentioned on this thread, there might be a few merchants who will be open in light of the current economic condition in Spain.

 

My suggestion is to consider the Land Discoveries we offer in Mahon and to remember there will be plenty of opportunities to shop in Spain, and with more choices, in Palma, Cartagena & Seville.

 

Although the Land Discoveries offered in Mahon on November 1 on the Azamara Quest's October 27, 2012 voyage are not yet offered on our website's Land Discoveries PDF, here are the titles of the Land Discoveries available on the Azamara Quest's September 25th voyage when it calls at Mahon on October 3, 2012:

 

HW01 Mahon, Torralba & Xorroi

PRICES: Adult 40.00/Child 27.00 USD

DURATION: 4 hr(s) 15 min(s)

 

HW02 Taste of Menorca

PRICES: Adult 42.00/Child 27.00 USD

DURATION: 4 hr(s) 30 min(s)

 

HW03 Cultures of Menorca

PRICES: Adult 40.00/Child 27.00 USD

DURATION: 4 hr(s) 30 min(s)

 

 

HW04 Discover Ciudadela

PRICES: Adult 33.00/Child 24.00 USD

DURATION: 4 hr(s) 30 min(s)

 

HW06 Binibeca & Torralba

PRICES: Adult 34.00/Child 24.00 USD

DURATION: 3 hr(s) 45 min(s)

 

HW08 North Coast Panorama

PRICES: Adult 40.00/Child 27.00 USD

DURATION: 4 hr(s)

 

I hope this information is helpful and the shore excursion table will be updated on our website.

 

Regards,

 

Bill Leiber

__________________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

(*CBO is an authorized and compensated representative of ACC)

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Hi Bill,

 

Pacaduli raised a good point in her post #219 on the main board today, which she didn't mention in her post above, and that is how the 500-600 non-Cruise Critic passengers are going to be notified of the port switch from Tunisia to Menorca, and when, and by whom, if at all. Many if not most of the guests will probably have signed up or pre-paid for shore excursions in Tunisia, and since the sailing date is rapidly approaching, some might be trapped into a non-refund situation if they don't act quickly, such as a 30-day cancellation policy that might be strictly imposed by some tour guides or tour vendors.

 

Any info on how this will work, either a mailed or emailed notification from Azamara to all passengers, or thru a passenger's travel agent if they used one? I know that I haven't heard anything from my travel agent, who will have close to 160 passengers on the sailing (mostly non-CC people), and I talked with them about the cruise on Friday afternoon, just two days ago.

 

Thanks for any information or even speculation on how Azamara notifies passengers of port changes that take place well before the sailing date.

 

Al Finegold (BELLEVUE AL)

a finegold at msn dot com

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Hi Bill,

 

Pacaduli raised a good point in her post #219 on the main board today, which she didn't mention in her post above, and that is how the 500-600 non-Cruise Critic passengers are going to be notified of the port switch from Tunisia to Menorca, and when, and by whom, if at all. Many if not most of the guests will probably have signed up or pre-paid for shore excursions in Tunisia, and since the sailing date is rapidly approaching, some might be trapped into a non-refund situation if they don't act quickly, such as a 30-day cancellation policy that might be strictly imposed by some tour guides or tour vendors.

 

Any info on how this will work, either a mailed or emailed notification from Azamara to all passengers, or thru a passenger's travel agent if they used one? I know that I haven't heard anything from my travel agent, who will have close to 160 passengers on the sailing (mostly non-CC people), and I talked with them about the cruise on Friday afternoon, just two days ago.

 

Thanks for any information or even speculation on how Azamara notifies passengers of port changes that take place well before the sailing date.

 

Al Finegold (BELLEVUE AL)

a finegold at msn dot com

 

Hello Bellevue Al -

 

Your question about itinerary change notification is a good one and today emails / fax notifications have been sent to the travel agent community to notify their clients who are booked on this voyage. Guests who have booked directly with us do not receive this notification; however, they will be contacted by telephone this week.

 

The shore excursions for Mahon were added to our website today for you to make your bookings.

 

I hope this information is helpful and my best wishes for an Azamara experience that exceeds your expectations!

 

Regards,

 

Bill Leiber

__________________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

(*CBO is an authorized and compensated representative of ACC)

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Hey again Bill, three quick things for your consideraton or to pass on as appropriate.

 

1 - Your message #22 just above says that "The shore excursions for Mahon were added to our website today for you to make your bookings." I just read and downloaded the update. and it shows that every one of them had exactly doubled in price from your message #18 listing: (http://browse.azamaraclubcruises.com/shoreExcursions/brochure/download.do?brochureFileName=SHXQS121027USUSD09252012.pdf) Did the update inadvertently add Mahon at full price rather than the discounted 50 percent off? Incidentally, the Mahon excursions prices for the Quest's prior sailing there two weeks earlier, on Oct. 17, (http://browse.azamaraclubcruises.com/shoreExcursions/brochure/download.do?brochureFileName=SHXQS121016USUSD09192012.pdf) shows the same fifty percent prices that you mentioned in your message#18. It seems unlikely that every excursion would double in price in two weeks.

 

2 - Just FYI, you said above in your message #22 that all passengers who booked directly with Azamara would get phone calls about the port change sometime this week. Please be aware that this week, starting on Tuesday and ending very late Wednesday night, or slightly beyond for some people, is the Jewish High Holdiay observance of Yom Kippur, and most Jewish people will likely be in their temples or synagogues and not at home to receive phone calls, unless a message is ieft for them about the change, or with instructions to call Azamara when their holiday observance is over.

 

3. Finally, just as a courtesy suggestion, when you say, as you did in your message #22 above, that the new itinierary for Mahon was "added to our website today," or any words to that effect, would you mind providing a link to that information that passengers can click on and go directly to? You of course know the Azamara website well, but many of us do not, and "Azamara's website" covers a lot of territory, so we have to do a lot of searching at times to find just where it is, especially when the page or the information is buried three or four layers down from the home page. Thanks.

 

Bellevue Al

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I was just in the Azamara website and the home page has changed so you can't log in from there. I had to type in reservation in the search box to get to manage my reservation. A whole section on My Azamara is missing from the home page. I find it more user unfriendly than before the changes!! Is this a work in progress for the home page??

 

Also Bellevue is right about the prices. They are all double. I tried making a reservation to see if the 50% prices would show up on final booking but it does not. I canceled the tour!!!

 

I also did not get a phone call!!

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Hey again Bill, three quick things for your consideraton or to pass on as appropriate.

 

Bellevue Al

 

Hello Bellevue Al -

 

Thank you very much for your detailed message and suggestions to improve the value of my responses:

 

1. Mahon shore excursions - the 100% prices are being adjusted; however, at this time I do not have the time when the process will be completed.

2. I understand your concern about ensuring that our reservations staff leave a proper message with our Jewish guests who have booked directly with Azamara in light of the Yom Kippur Holiday and will remind our call center manager to be cognizant of that fact during the call-out process.

3. Your point about adding a "link" to our website whenever I refer it makes sense and I will do so going forward.

 

Thank you again for time and effort.

 

"May You Be Sealed for a Good Year in the Book of Life."

 

Sincerely,

 

Bill Leiber

__________________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

(*CBO is an authorized and compensated representative of ACC)

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