Thank you for discontinuing the discount

When I booked in October 2013 I was told that I would get a 25% discount on all excursions booked online up until 4 days before my cruise. After paying my final payment in April, I asked how I should book to get the promised discount. At that time, I was told that the discount had been discontinued in January. I was angry. I called, posted, wrote to Larry pimental trying to get that discount. Nothing. Being angry led me to do research about the ports. I also met many people on the ship that had been promised discounts up to 50% that were not honored. I never booked any excursions from the Azamara. Instead I visited all the places that I wanted to see. I had a great time and saved a lot of money. You can do it too. The big draw for me was the stop in Bilbao. I wanted to visit the Guggenheim Museum. The cruise price for a tour of the museum was $100 pp. at the discounted price of $75pp I would have booked the tour. It would have been a huge mistake. My husband and I took the ship shuttle which left us off very close to the museum. We walked there in less than 5 minutes...and we walk slowly. We bought admission tickets with senior discount for 15€ for both of us. It included the audio self guided tour. For lunch we ate at the museum bar. 9€ for 3 tapas and a drink ( wine, water or beer). Then we walked up the street to the Fine Arts Museum which was fabulous. That museum was not part of the ship tour. Admission was free. We saw both museums for about $20 total for both of us. That was the typical experience. So in the end, I am no longer angry at Azamara for discontinuing the discount. I am delighted that it pushed me to do it myself. As a result, we saved a lot of money and visited more places.there is a lot of good info on line. Loved riding the free hop on hop off Navette vans in France. It is easy to do it yourself. Always ask for discounts. Most museums do discounts or are free for seniors, disabled, educators,museum docents and employees, etc. you must ask for the discount and show id. In many places, disabled are free and can skip the line.

When I booked in October 2013 I was told that I would get a 25% discount on all excursions booked online up until 4 days before my cruise. After paying my final payment in April, I asked how I should book to get the promised discount. At that time, I was told that the discount had been discontinued in January. I was angry. I called, posted, wrote to Larry pimental trying to get that discount. Nothing. Being angry led me to do research about the ports. I also met many people on the ship that had been promised discounts up to 50% that were not honored. I never booked any excursions from the Azamara. Instead I visited all the places that I wanted to see. I had a great time and saved a lot of money. You can do it too. The big draw for me was the stop in Bilbao. I wanted to visit the Guggenheim Museum. The cruise price for a tour of the museum was $100 pp. at the discounted price of $75pp I would have booked the tour. It would have been a huge mistake. My husband and I took the ship shuttle which left us off very close to the museum. We walked there in less than 5 minutes...and we walk slowly. We bought admission tickets with senior discount for 15€ for both of us. It included the audio self guided tour. For lunch we ate at the museum bar. 9€ for 3 tapas and a drink ( wine, water or beer). Then we walked up the street to the Fine Arts Museum which was fabulous. That museum was not part of the ship tour. Admission was free. We saw both museums for about $20 total for both of us. That was the typical experience. So in the end, I am no longer angry at Azamara for discontinuing the discount. I am delighted that it pushed me to do it myself. As a result, we saved a lot of money and visited more places.there is a lot of good info on line. Loved riding the free hop on hop off Navette vans in France. It is easy to do it yourself. Always ask for discounts. Most museums do discounts or are free for seniors, disabled, educators,museum docents and employees, etc. you must ask for the discount and show id. In many places, disabled are free and can skip the line.

Isn't it nice that you have a cruise line that you can trust!:mad: Happy that it worked out for you. I am glad that you did it on your own and not give Azamara one more penny of your money.

It is ALWAYS cheaper and better to book a private small group tour.

Happily, Azamara gave you an opportunity to find out.

Thanks to the internet, getting info was so easy. Not only did I save money, I rode local buses and trams, walked streets, wandered into gorgeous parks, and stayed as long as I wanted in museums or other attractions. I loved it. It was so much better than be driven by attractions on a bus. Driving by on a bus, you feel like an outsider insulated from the world. On the street, I felt free to move at my own pace. I often had conversations with locals, ate in local cafes, and enjoyed soaking up the local culture. I also decided that my next trip to Europe will be a fly in and stay. Although cruising is nice, the ship often docks in inconvenient places making it necessary to use transportation ti get to the town.

Great post! Definitely turning lemons into lemonade.

DIY or private tours definitely is the best way to go IMO.

Taking ship excursions is easy. Pay your money, hop on the bus, sit back and enjoy. Somebody else takes the time to arrange the tours. Some tours are good and some are not. By becoming independent, not only did I save money, I got to do what I wanted to do. It really hit home when I went to the Guggenheim in Bilbao. I paid my admission (7.5€)which included the hand held self audio guide. I saw the ship tours walking in large groups trying to keep up with the guides. I know that I saw everything in the museum at my pace. If I wanted to gaze on a specific piece, I had the freedom to do it. With all the info available today on the web, being independent is easy. After my recent experience, I may not want to book ship tours again. In the long run, I did turn a bad situation into a really great time. I wasn't going to let Azamara withdrawing the discount affect my trip. When I boarded the ship, I was determined to have a good time. I picked the cruise based on the ports. Being an avid traveler, I seldom see a cruise that is not going to ports that I have visited previously. In retrospect after the cruise, my spouse and I realized that we loved being independent so much that we probably won't be cruising in Europe again. We intend to fly in and stay. We are comfortable traveling by train in Europe. This trip reminded us how much nicer it is to be independent.

We booked in October of 2013 for a cruise later this month. At the time we also were told we would receive a 25% discount on ships tours. When I attempted to book the tours in mid-July I was told that the program was discontinued in January. I complained, to no avail. Instead I have worked with other cruisers to arrange private tours. Thank you Azamara for saving us all money by not living up to your promises.

How many cruisers were affected by the withdrawal of the discounts on excursions? Having just cruised and met many people who were angry, I can only imagine the extent of the situation. On board I met many people who were so angry that they said that they would never book on Azamara again. Wow! Some had already booked future cruises and orher types of travel. None were on Azamara. I only met one lady who had booked a future cruise on Azamara. She sat next to me for 8 hours on the plane home. We had lots of time to exchange thoughts. Being the most frequent Azamara cruiser on the ship, she (FF)had a lot to say about how much she disliked the changes. FF said that she would write to Mr. pimental to express her opinion. I hope that she does it. Azamara bookings are good. There are still many cruisers who booked last fall still thinking that they will be able to get this discount. Even reading the postings, many people think that they will not be affected because they booked before Jan. 2014. Wrong!! How many more people will look happily to their upcoming cruise and be shocked when they try to book excursions? How many people do not like the way Azamara has changed? How many people will not rebook on Azamara because they do not like the bait and switch attitude? The recent changes in LCV will also affect bookings? How many are really affected? Every cruiser deserves a great experience.....before, during,and after their cruise.

IMO this is a huge benefit

Now you can all find out how much better and cheaper it is to take small private tours. No big bus, no having to wait for 20 women to use the bathroom, choose your itinerary, choose your guide, no chance of cancellation because of lack of participation, stop when you want, access small streets that busses cannot access, have an intimate experience with a local guide. I wouldn't take a ship's tour if it were FREE.

IMO this is a huge benefit

 

Now you can all find out how much better and cheaper it is to take small private tours. No big bus, no having to wait for 20 women to use the bathroom, choose your itinerary, choose your guide, no chance of cancellation because of lack of participation, stop when you want, access small streets that busses cannot access, have an intimate experience with a local guide. I wouldn't take a ship's tour if it were FREE.

Did you go to the evening event on your cruise? i know you said you wouldn't, but was wondering if you changed your mind once onboard or not.

Did you go to the evening event on your cruise? i know you said you wouldn't, but was wondering if you changed your mind once onboard or not.

No -- and I was glad I skipped it from the reports I got.

Not going to the one on my cruise this month either and neither are the friends we are traveling with. Does not sound appealing at all and given the track record, Id rather stay on board and enjoy the ship or stay out late in town and be with the locals.

The Azamazing evenings were never a selling point for me.

Very glad that it worked out for you in the end, as you had previously expressed your frustration in this thread:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2046643&highlight=land+discoveries+january+2014

However, you posted in this thread in October 2013 as well (post #16), when the bru-hah-hah started and was (painfully but) ultimately cleared up, so it was unfortunate that the thread/issue didn't stay on your radar:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1934556

No -- and I was glad I skipped it from the reports I got.

Not going to the one on my cruise this month either and neither are the friends we are traveling with. Does not sound appealing at all and given the track record, Id rather stay on board and enjoy the ship or stay out late in town and be with the locals.

 

The Azamazing evenings were never a selling point for me.

We had intended to go to our Azamazing evening in Georgia last week but cancelled at the last minute due to illness.

Most people reported back positively and In some ways I was sorry to miss it. But the event only lasted a little time and it seemed a lot of effort for such a short period.

BUT we enjoyed a wonderful dinner on deck on a beautiful warm evening. An almost deserted ship made us feel we were travelling on our own private vessel. It was wonderful and I quite understand why you choose to opt out.

If I was Larry P, I would junk the Azamazing Evenings and return the internet and laundry

 

If I was Larry P, I would junk the Azamazing Evenings and return the internet and laundry

Unfortunately, you are not Larry P. I would have done the same a long time ago.

There is nothing upscale about busloads of people traveling to an event that may or may not be any good.