NicNata

In the past they allowed me to send a staff member (my cabin steward) to choose something with my OBC. They don't allow that any more but you can ask your steward what they would like and buy it for them. I also treat myself occasionally to one of the wildly expensive Atlas Bar cocktails or buy nice personal care goodies in the shop/spa. Last trip I had a huge amount of OBC so I invited 7 of my fellow solo travellers (most of whom I had travelled with before) to Aqualina for dinner. It was a great evening and a wonderful way to use up OBC

9 hours ago, Canberra601 said:

Our offer is also very clear that it applies to our upcoming cruise:

Amazing! That is the third different version of the same email I have seen. The one I got said it would be available for use on a future sailing

16 hours ago, wcc19 said:

The email I received is very clear that the 5% obc applies to the cruise you have booked:

"The onboard credit will be available on your booking as soon as you pay..."

 

What I get a kick out of is that it applies to "cruises greater than 180 days before departure."  When I received the email yesterday we were 178 days from departure so couldn't use it anyway.

To me this just highlights how bonkers the Azamara emails are. Different emails to different people with different descriptions of the same offer. My email said Guests who accept this offer and pay their sailing in full will receive 5% Onboard Credit to be used in future sailing

9 hours ago, eladi said:

 

Did not know about the 5% off email, but I did both see and check this "100% solo supplement" offer out.  It does mean 0% extra solo supplements (solo pays same price as double occupancy), but it comes with "caveats."

 

After having a long discussion with a travel agent, this is what I found:

Cruises that qualify for these discount are listed as having a 100% supplement (so this is one where the price is JUST 100% of price (no extra supplement beyond that for having only one person).  Other discounted cruises are listed as 125%, 150%, 175%, etc)

However this does NOT include other fees.  The problem is, these "other fees" may or may not be adequately described in your bill.

 

One of these "other fees" is called NCF (Non Commissionable Fare, I think).  I've heard of these fees for years,  This is the part of the cruise price on which your travel agent does NOT get commission.  It is a variable dollar (or applicable currency) amount the cruise lines almost always add to the price of your ticket over which neither you or the agent have control (except by picking a different cruise).

 

Without this particular fee, that 0% supplement for a single fare is easy to see.  However, when you pay the final price, all of a sudden, the numbers look higher that you've calculated they should be, even after subtracting taxes, extras, etc. That is, at least in part,  the work of that NCF.  This will almost always be the case whether or not you use a travel agent.

Wow the mental gymnastics needed for this one are insane. In addition, if you actually check the list of supposedly solo cruise rates in the email they sent, at least the ones I checked, all of them are twice the price when you change 2 people to 1 person in the booking i.e. by this logic it is 200% and so no saving at all for solo travellers. The marketing team needs to regroup and think again before sending at more of these so called "offers"

27 minutes ago, Laganlady02 said:

Can this get anymore confusing? 

You have now turned On-board Credit into Future Cruise Credit.

Its not me who said this. Its in the fine print as I quoted. So it is OBC but to be used on a future sailing not on the sailing it was earned on. At least that is how I read it. Again it is exactly my point. Azamara is bombarding us with confusing emails that we have to to work out what they mean. A marketing offer should be crystal clear and offer a benefit everyone understand immediately.

23 hours ago, Peter Lanky said:

I have not seen the 5% promotion, but I did clock the badly worded one about 100% single supplement. I feel I am being bombarded by emails from Azamara all saying pretty much the same thing re discount and OBC, but seeing as I have 2 cruises booked in March and May, both paid for, these emails annoy me intensely, seeing as Azamara will not honour a lower fare without cancelling the original booking.

 

At the moment, I'm more interested in the potential fate of our cruise in May that is scheduled to pass through the Red Sea, for which Azamara is sitting squarely on the fence.

 

At least I can amuse myself daily by trying to guess which of my THREE Azamara Circle membership levels will appear at the top of the page. 🤔

I agree. I seem to get an email virtually every day and after a while they become meaningless. Azamara marketing is doing a poor job because their "offers" are confusing, don't work in practice, are not of any real value or all of the above.

On 1/19/2024 at 4:56 PM, So Cal John said:

I

On 1/19/2024 at 4:56 PM, So Cal John said:

I received the 5% email this week for a cruise in Aug 2024. I was not sure how much the credit would be - is it 5% of the remaining balance or of the total cost of the cruise. Also was unsure if it applied to the cruise which I was being asked to pay for now. I called the Azamara Circle number. The agent said it is OBC for the cruise they are asking for payment on. And it is 5% of the "cruise fare" amount. Taxes and any other fees do not count towards the 5%. I specifically asked if I would get credit for my previously paid deposit and the answer was yes. It is 5% of the cruise fare. And she said there are no restrictions to the OBC. It is available for anything. But it won't be applied to my account until boarding.  

I read it as Future Cruise Credit i.e. you won't get it on your August 24 cruise. I goes back to my original point that the email is confusing and requires mental gymnastics which is not good marketing practice. It reads "Guests who accept this offer and pay their sailing in full will receive 5% Onboard Credit to be used in future sailing".

1 hour ago, emerald6273 said:

I received one of the emails pertaining to 5%. If you read small print attached to email it clearly states the 5% is in relation to any outstanding balance owed for cruise. We paid quite big deposits, so won’t receive much OBC in relation to this incentive to pay cruise balance in full. 

Not in the email I received. I posted the full text of the small print. It simply says "Guests who accept this offer and pay their sailing in full will receive 5% Onboard Credit to be used in future sailing". Rather like the vague Solo fares email why not make it straightforward and the headline says "Receive 5% of any outstanding balance in onboard cruise credit for a future sailing". In fact the original headline did not mention the OBC would be for future sailings rather than the one already booked. So all round vague and not a very good offer either. I wonder if anyone will take them up on this.

57 minutes ago, tgg said:

As I understand this, if the solo fare is 150%, it means that the solo passenger pays an extra 50% of the fare.

 

So if the solo fare is 100%, it would mean that there IS NO extra fare to be paid. Of course it would be clear to everyone if they simply said NO SINGLE SUPPLEMENT.

 

I could be completely mistaken.😉

Precisely my point! Just say No single supplement rather than try to make everyone do mental gymnastics. It does not work anyway. I looked at a couple of the so called solo fares and they were all double the price shown i.e. it was the price for two people.

13 minutes ago, laurieb said:

I haven't seen either of these promotions in the US market

The emails I got were from the US market. I had to change the country to UK a the bottom to see if they applied in the UK. They do but they still don't make any sense. Maybe you are not on their mailing list? For me it's part of an ongoing pattern that communications from Azamara aren't very well thought through and the problem is they then lose their credibility

Is it just me or are the last two marketing emails really poorly thought through? The first one offered 5% OBC for people who pay in full now. Nowhere, at least that I can see, do they specify 5% of what (see text below). The second one proudly proclaimed "Plus, for a limited-time solo travelers pay 100% Single Supplement on select sailings". Where is the bargain in that? I wish I could feed back to Azamara how silly these sound to us as customers.

The Pay-In-Full Benefits Program ( the “Offer”) is available to guests who choose the option to pay for their remaining cruise fare balance in full after receiving an email indicating they are eligible. Participation in the “Offer” does not change the refundability of the cruise fare and guests will retain their normal cancellation policies. The Offer is available for select guests booked on sailings departing over 180 days. Guests who accept this offer and pay their sailing in full will receive 5% Onboard Credit to be used in future sailing. Guests must call the Contact Center or their Travel Advisors to redeem the Offer. The Offer is combinable with Back-to-Back OBC, Loyalty quarterly savings, National Account amenity or hosted programs, reduced single supplements, and onboard booking savings. The Offer does not combine with onboard booking reduced deposits, net rates, travel agent rates, groups, statement agencies, or employee rates. Offer and pricing are subject to availability and change without notice and may be withdrawn by Azamara at any time.  Unless otherwise noted, all amounts referred to herein are in USD (United States Dollars). Other terms and conditions may apply, please refer to the Azamara Cruise Ticket Contract.  SUGGESTION: After the offer period, if a guest changes their ship and sail date, changes their category, or requests a refund, the Pay In Full Benefits are subject to removal. ELIGIBLE PAY-IN-FULL SAILINGS: The Offer is available for select guests booked on sailings that are departing in over 180 days REDEEMING PAY-IN-FULL OFFER: Eligible guests must call the Azamara Contact Center or their Travel Advisors to redeem the offer. Sailing must be over 180 days (about 6 months) out to redeem the offer EXCLUSIONS: Any bookings already paid in full are not eligible for this offer. ACCEPTANCE OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Upon submission of payment [or last payment], the guest will acknowledge that they have read, understand, and accept the terms and conditions of the Cruise Ticket Contract, including the Cancellation Policy.

2 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

You would do better to post your question in the Viking Ocean forum.  This is for Azamara.  Each cruise line makes different arrangements.

9 hours ago, MauiWowie57 said:

Yikes!
We're on a Viking in mid April; we're staying pre cruise at a hotel near city center in Venice; picked it was it's near the "original" cruise terminal, and I'm already completely baffled about how to get to Chiogga. Thanks!

We caught the bus from Venice airport direct to Chioggia. The bus stop is just outside the arrivals at Venice airport. If I recall it is about once an hour. The bus costs about Euro 8 per person and takes about an hour to get to Chioggia. You get off at the Via Naccari stop in Chioggia from where it is an easy walk to multiple small hotels in Chioggia. We stayed at a lovely small hotel called Casa Sansera, from where we simply walked to the ship. The ease or not of doing this will depend on how much luggage you have and your mobility.

6 minutes ago, cavaaller said:

We did this tour last April and were dropped off here (red dot) Basilica Santa Croce:

Great thanks very helpful

3 minutes ago, Leo_On_Geo said:

Last time (2022) I did this we were dropped near Santa Croce.  IMHO Five hours is too short for much.  If you have an overnight (often the case), consider spending a wonderful night in Florence.  It is magical in the late and early hours without the day trippers. 

Thanks we have been to Florence before so this time it is just doing a couple of more unusual things. Good suggestion though for someone who has not been before

We are doing a Florence on your own tour on 10th November 2023. The tour departs at 08:45 and arrives back at 18:15. The details on the tour simply say that the trip takes about 1.5 hours and that there will be about 5 hours on your own. Florence typically needs timed entrance tickets for various attractions and in planning a walking itinerary and route, I wondered if anyone knew where the tour bus would be likely to drop us off/pick us up OR know who to contact to ask this question? I am concerned if I leave it until being onboard on 7th that it will be too late to get the timed tickets. Any advice appreciated

1 minute ago, ginabab said:

I can't even look at the website because it really scares me.

 

I'm hoping someone on this thread will tell me when it's ok to check our reservations.

It seems so inconsistent. My 4 current reservations are all correct, my loyalty points are right, I have been able to spend my OBC, I have easily made new bookings etc. The only thing I have not been able to do without support is book a cruise using my free nights. Even then, it only takes minutes to get hold of a real person online who can help. Just weird

We just got a brilliant deal for an Iceland Intensive cruise next year using our 6 free nights for a 12 night cruise. It was way cheaper applying the free nights versus using current promotional discounts. My question is what happens when you get to 1500 points and 2250 points etc? The website says at 750 points you get 6 free nights - that is easy to understand. However it says when you reach 1500 points then it is +3 nights, at 2250 it is +3 nights etc. Does that mean at 1500 points you get 9 free nights (6+3), at 2250 you get 12 free nights (6+3+3) etc.? It is very unclear to me how the free nights work at higher numbers of points. Has anyone claimed the free nights at higher points levels and if yes, how did it work?

On 3/10/2023 at 12:49 PM, KTV said:

What’s the best way to get from the Venice airport to the port?

The 85 bus from the airport. Make sure to get off at the via Vaccari stop in downtown Chioggia. From there about 15 minute walk to the port. The cost is only about Euro8 per person.

We are going by bus from Venice Airport to Chioggia. The trip takes just over an hour. Make sure to get off at the via Vaccari stop which is in downtown Chioggia. We are staying in a hotel which is 5 minutes walk from this stop. Cost is about Euro8 per person.

34 minutes ago, hobo1937 said:

We booked thru the big box agency and recently tried to refare a 2024 cruise that had a price drop and obc. The new fare said new bookings only, which just about every fare that comes on Princess has that statement these days. They called Princess and were told if it says new bookings you can only cancel and rebook no refares. In the past we never had a problem getting a cruise refared. 

Did you lose your deposit when you cancelled and rebooked?

We are thinking about taking our first Princess cruise. I have been looking over the past couple of months at cruises to/from Sydney across the Pacific. I notice the prices seem to fluctuate a lot and vary enormously between the ships that ply the route. My understanding is Majestic Princess would be better than say the Grand Princess and thus more expensive. My question is what has been people's experience with Princess if there is a price drop after you have booked a cruise? Do they honour the price drop? It is very hard to know when to book given the big changes in price. I don't need advice on cabin choice, just on the price policy.

Yes I got this marketing email about 3 free nights and $600 OBC. It seems if you book in USA you get the three free nights but not if you book in UK. To my mind that is ridiculous but out of curiosity I checked it out. The 11 night Gems of the Med trip starting on  Nov 7 2023 costs from GBP1703 (roughly USD2186) on the UK site and USD1829 on the USA site. So it is cheaper to book on the US site but does not feel like 3 free nights. This is very poor marketing as it encourages people to book in other countries which does not make sense to me

31 minutes ago, david63 said:

Which site were you accessing. There is a specific Spain/Portugal site https://www.cruceros-princess.com which may give better results.

Thanks that does seem to work far better than the generic Princess site. I will give it a go

27 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

You can easily book a cruise with Princess online by yourself if you wish.  Just follow the prompts in the 'Plan a Cruise' section of the website.  I don't believe there is any method to see vacant cabins other than what is presented on the site.

 

You can phone Princess and do it with an agent or, have oneof the 'Princess Specialists' help you out.

 

We always book online by ourselves.

Thanks I tried that and I can now see pricing on other cabin types. However I still get the screen which gives the price and says Find a Travel Agent. There does not seem to be any button to click which actually says "Book". Any idea where to find that? As you say there doesn't seem to be any method to see vacant cabins. It is very different to, for example, Celebrity which gives full deck plans with empty cabins and booking online is easy

I have never been on a Princess Cruise before so registered as a user on their website, found a cruise I was interested in and tried to book. It only gave me an option for an interior cabin price (this is for a cruise in late 2024 so I doubt it is sold out) and then a prompt to say Find a Travel Agent. Is it impossible to book online yourself on their website? Does one have to go via a TA in order to book a cruise? I know its free to use a TA but its a bit frustrating that one cannot even browse options without involving a TA. Am I missing something? Any tips on how to browse/book online?