Oceanview vs. Balcony and upgrade potential

Would love AZ experts thoughts on this! Our 2 previous AZ cruises have been in V3 Verandas, which we booked initially and on the 2nd applied for the upgrade and didn’t get it. Looking at how the staterooms sell and how many are in each category I can see why it’s difficult to get an upgrade from the V category, as it always seems like the categories above sell out and there are fewer of them so it’s not like many CC suite guests are getting upgraded, which would then clear the way for V upgrades as well.

So...looking at booking Pursuit’s maiden voyage, where currently it’s a $2,700 price difference between oceanview and veranda, and there appear to be 129 V staterooms available, with the higher categories almost sold out as well as interior. So I’m thinking of rolling the dice and booking oceanview and applying for the upgrade. Now I know the experts will say “if you must have a veranda then book one” and I guess I could live with an oceanview but would be much happier with a veranda. The cruise does not seem to be booking that well so far, so I’m thinking I might have a good chance at an upgrade, I’m also concerned that after final payment AZ will dump a whole bunch of staterooms with discount agencies (do they do that?) and then I will really be unhappy if I’ve overpaid by thousands for a veranda that I might have gotten upgraded on or bought a lot cheaper less than 120 days out and it’s not long now until the 120 day mark. Would love to hear your thoughts and experience on that. And after booking an oceanview and after final payment, can I pay to upgrade to a Veranda if I decide to? And are the oceanview staterooms A LOT smaller than the verandas?

I kinda liked our ocean view cabin on our 16 night NZ cruise. I’m wishing we would have booked our upcoming port intensive cruises in an ocean view. I love having a balcony but on our last three cruises we just didn’t use it that much.

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I think you still have time to wait for a promotion. We missed a promo last fall so booked an oceanview and waitlisted for a balcony. It took less than two weeks and we were able to book under another promo and the financial difference was delightfully minimal.

Some travel agents may be holding cabins as usual. I'm surprised that so many cabins are available for the inaugural sailing.

Good luck.

Here is my feeling. I had a look at pricing and availability on the UK website and it mirrors what you see. I would take the gamble and book the cat 05 OV and register for the LCV upgrade. 4056 is available at the moment. That's the one I'd pick. I will also add that for me I really like the cat 05s and if I didn't get an upgrade then I'd still be quite happy. They have large picture windows and are exactly the same size as the balconies. The bed is nearer the window than the cabin door, but I actually prefer that.

It's hard to know if Azamara will hand the unsold cabins on. My experience has been that yes, they do this to avoid dropping the price on the website. I guess it just comes down to how much you'd miss that balcony if you didn't get it on a scenic cruise like the Norwegian Fjords, but it's just a quick walk up one flight of stairs to the Promenade Deck anyway. For the price difference and seeing as how many balconies are left I'd take the risk.

Phil

We take that tactic, but we are happy with an OV cabin. We have twice been awarded an LCV upgrade from an OV to a Verandah cabin. I’m sure you’re right that you’re much more likely to get that upgrade than to get one from Verandah to CC suite - there are far more Verandah cabins than CC Suites.

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You all are so helpful as usual. Thank you! Phil, I’m curious as to why you’d select 4056 as it is right next to the main area (concierge, etc.) and if I am reading the deck plan correctly it looks like the hallway to the staterooms goes directly into that area???? So it seems like it might be noisy, but I know you cruise AZ a lot so would love to hear your opinion. I’m not really familiar with the deck 4 staterooms and layout because we’ve been on deck 7 twice.

And it is worth noting that the cruise is on the Buy1-50% off second promotion so I don’t know if I can expect something better when that ends 2/28 (it’s still quite pricey—our AZ Baltic last summer was significantly less.)

You all are so helpful as usual. Thank you! Phil, I’m curious as to why you’d select 4056 as it is right next to the main area (concierge, etc.) and if I am reading the deck plan correctly it looks like the hallway to the staterooms goes directly into that area???? So it seems like it might be noisy, but I know you cruise AZ a lot so would love to hear your opinion. I’m not really familiar with the deck 4 staterooms and layout because we’ve been on deck 7 twice.

You won’t hear any noise. 4056 thru 4046 is my favourite location for those cabins. I’ve been further forward too, but prefer the more midship location, Guest Relations is very close as is the sitting area in the lobby and as I said, a short walk up to the Promenade Deck (and assuming it won’t change on Pursuit, Mosaic Cafe). Key thing is you have to assume the worst and be happy with an OV if you don’t get the upgrade. Whatever you decide, good luck!

Phil

Hi, I'm booked for my first Azamara cruise in October. Can someone please explain what an LCV upgrade is? Thank you.

~Maya

OP -- keep in mind that you are booking the maiden voyage of the new ship. There is a certain cachet to maiden voyages. I don't get it – too likely to have teething problems – but there seem to be a lot of people who want to cut a notch in their belt. So my guess would be that LCV upgrades are less likely on this particular voyage than on most others. [but of course, I could be as wrong as your local meteorologist ;p]

Hi, I'm booked for my first Azamara cruise in October. Can someone please explain what an LCV upgrade is? Thank you.

~Maya

Azamara has a very nice policy that rather than having the 'upgrade fairy' make apparently random calls, you can sign up through the loyalty program ['Le Club Voyage,' or 'LCV' -- and BTW if you have Celebrity 'Captain's Club' status you have equivalent status in LCV already] for an upgrade @ $398 per stateroom. This works for Inside to Oceanview, Oceanview to Veranda, or Veranda to CC suite. There is an algorithm that arranges the waitlist based on member level, then by time of request. If you get the call, it's a sweet deal. [And I also learned on my recent cruise that if you book a CC, you can call LCV and ask about an upgrade to CO or CW -- it costs more than $398 but is still a sweet deal]

https://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/le-club-voyage/le-club-voyage-program/member-savings/stateroom-upgrade

Thank you, Jazz, for the info on LCV upgrades, really helpful because we have Celebrity Captain's Club status. One more question: If you sign up for the upgrade and are offered a cabin, are you told which cabin you are assigned and do you have the option of turning it down?

~Maya

Thank you, Jazz, for the info on LCV upgrades, really helpful because we have Celebrity Captain's Club status. One more question: If you sign up for the upgrade and are offered a cabin, are you told which cabin you are assigned and do you have the option of turning it down?

~Maya

Yes.

Phil

Azamara has a very nice policy that rather than having the 'upgrade fairy' make apparently random calls, you can sign up through the loyalty program ['Le Club Voyage,' or 'LCV' -- and BTW if you have Celebrity 'Captain's Club' status you have equivalent status in LCV already] for an upgrade @ $398 per stateroom. This works for Inside to Oceanview, Oceanview to Veranda, or Veranda to CC suite. There is an algorithm that arranges the waitlist based on member level, then by time of request. If you get the call, it's a sweet deal. [And I also learned on my recent cruise that if you book a CC, you can call LCV and ask about an upgrade to CO or CW -- it costs more than $398 but is still a sweet deal]

https://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/le-club-voyage/le-club-voyage-program/member-savings/stateroom-upgrade

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I think Belfastman meant that you get the call from LCV, after you’ve completed the online application.

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I think Belfastman meant that you get the call from LCV, after you’ve completed the online application.

 

 

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No Host Jazzbeau stated that you can call LCV and ask about an upgrade from CC and I was asking if this got priority over online applications.

 

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Never mind--I missed the part about the CC upgrade in Jazzbeau's post. I would submit online as soon as I booked, just in case, so that you have a paper trail. The cruises we've booked, though, the suites are the first categories that sell out so I would imagine those upgrades are hard to come by.

You all are so helpful as usual. Thank you! Phil, I’m curious as to why you’d select 4056 as it is right next to the main area (concierge, etc.) and if I am reading the deck plan correctly it looks like the hallway to the staterooms goes directly into that area???? So it seems like it might be noisy, but I know you cruise AZ a lot so would love to hear your opinion. I’m not really familiar with the deck 4 staterooms and layout because we’ve been on deck 7 twice.

We were unhappy with our forward OV cabin on our British Open cruise, and wondered about the category 5 cabins closest to Guest Relations. I asked a couple of people I saw coming out of those rooms and none of them had any complaints about noise, so we booked 4054, I think, for our upcoming PerryGolf Iberian Peninsula cruise. We've also applied for the LCV upgrade, but if we don't get it, we were happy enough with OV, especially for these port-intensive cruises.

We were unhappy with our forward OV cabin on our British Open cruise, and wondered about the category 5 cabins closest to Guest Relations. I asked a couple of people I saw coming out of those rooms and none of them had any complaints about noise, so we booked 4054, I think, for our upcoming PerryGolf Iberian Peninsula cruise. We've also applied for the LCV upgrade, but if we don't get it, we were happy enough with OV, especially for these port-intensive cruises.

4054 is my favourite. Probably because I’ve stayed there a few times and no issues.

Phil

No Host Jazzbeau stated that you can call LCV and ask about an upgrade from CC and I was asking if this got priority over online applications.

 

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Sorry my mistake in not reading either the quote or the post!

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4054 is my favourite. Probably because I’ve stayed there a few times and no issues.

 

Phil

We’ve had 4052 twice and really liked it too. It’s really handy for dinner in Discoveries, and to grab a coffee from Mosaic.

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We enjoyed 4054 on our most recent cruise last year. We had researched all the helpful information on this board (thanks, Phil!) and decided we would take a chance on the location. We would not hesitate to book it again. We really liked the location.

It was close to Guest Relations, but we didn't have any noise issues. It was convenient for getting on and off the ship, and it was a very quick trip to Deck 5 for the Mosaic Cafe. (I do love my coffee...) We found the location was stable...not rocky.

On the flip side, we ate most of our meals on Deck 9, so we were navigating the stairs or elevators for most meals. (No big deal, though.)

We are sailing Azamara again in September. There was a big price difference between OV and veranda, so we booked OV again. 4054 was already taken, so we chose 4053 this time. That said, I do love a veranda, so we have applied for the LCV upgrade--just in case one opens up for us. :):)

Thank you, Jazz, for the info on LCV upgrades, really helpful because we have Celebrity Captain's Club status. One more question: If you sign up for the upgrade and are offered a cabin, are you told which cabin you are assigned and do you have the option of turning it down?

~Maya

We were recently booked in an ocean view and registered for the LCV upgrade. We received ‘the phone call’ via our travel agent, (Azamara were waiting on another line for our reply) and were given the option of 3 balcony cabins. We chose the one which suited us best. It was handy that I had taken a screen shot of the deck plans on my iPad and I was able to see immediately where they were.

That said, I do love a veranda, so we have applied for the LCV upgrade--just in case one opens up for us. :):)

Good luck. Fingers crossed!

Phil

4054 is my favourite. Probably because I’ve stayed there a few times and no issues.

 

Phil

You had posted that once after we booked that cabin, so I was happy to hear your assessment :) We will be happy not to be under the Cabaret Lounge, and hopefully will not hear the anchor drop, either. But at a minimum, it won't be as loud.

You won't hear any of that! You might hear the tenders going down in the morning if you are in a tender port, but I am always awake at that time anyway so didn't bother me.

Phil