AZAMARA'S BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: More Amenities added for Up-Market Travelers

[procter]

Agreed.

Bespoke is not sharing the experience with 700 others and visiting 2 factory shops

[justhappytobehere]

Precisely. We ended up having to book a Private tour as we didn't know if a ship excursion (that we had pre-booked at 50%) was going to run. But the there was very little publicity about the 50% LDS offline. I only knew about it via the forum. I didn't receive any emails or letters about it once we had booked reminding us to pre-book & get our 50% discount. I should think large numbers of passengers just didn't know about it.

 

Also, as numerous posts here show, there was lots of confusion about the pricing as the online system wasn't geared up for it. Excursions were often displayed in the downloadable PDF as 50%, & then initially online as 100% & only 50% when selected.

 

I still think it was a great promotion - just needed promoting to customers who had booked. :)

 

Exactly. I've pre-booked 8 excursions for November but wouldn't have had a clue about the 50% discount if it wasn't for the forums.

[150edmiston]

Bill,

I can hear the management discussions now, "Only the Cruise Critic fans are dissatisfied with the changes. We haven't gotten poor feedback from anyone else. " I want to point out that the email AZA sent out on Monday with subject "Upgrades for Everyone!" doesn't mention that 50% off excursions have been eliminated. Neither does the link provided in the email to "2013 Enhancements." Also, the link to view "2013 Destination Guide" still says there is 50% off excursion program. If you happen to click on "Value Pricing", you would see the bad news that the program has been eliminated. Also, if not for this forum, I wouldn't have any reason to believe that 2014 fares, which were just released, would already be increasing in a month. Most people would likely assume that 2014 rates would already be priced to include these "enhancements."

 

Doug

 

I hope I dont incur the wrath of admin for this and my post gets chopped, but I came across this article a moment ago. There is currently nothing behind it when you press the link. I will only post the headline which then links to a major US newspaper.

 

Will Azamara's price hikes stick? Not all cruise-selling travel agents are convinced......and then below ...

 

Would you pay 30% or 40% more than you have in the past for a cruise on Azamara?

 

I am hopefull reading this that perhaps some inward pressure from TAs may come to bear and help our cause.

 

EDIT ~ the fact the link doesnt work, is this old news?

[mare s.]

I agree with Mare S. about concerns about changing the onboard atmosphere. I have pasted my post from another discussion thread because I think it speaks to the concern about Azamara wanting to attract a different demographic,

Quote:

Originally Posted by marinaro44

Scroll all the way to the bottom. Another appeal to so-called "up-market travelers?"

 

http://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/li...ning-and-wines

 

Very interesting that they now state " We recommend that men bring a sport coat or SUIT". I checked my 2012 Destination guide for shipboard attire and it says "...and a sport coat if desired (not required)." no mention of bringing a suit.

 

This does seem like an appeal to "up-market" the passengers. And is contrary to the opinions expressed on the thread about Azamara enhancement, where many have stated that they are comfortable with, and prefer, the existing atmosphere on board. I think the current resort /casual dress code is one reason some passengers choose Azamara.

 

Hadn't even read the statement about bringing a sport coat or suit! Not going to happen for us. We enjoyed formal nights on the other cruiselines but the hassle of packing cocktail attire and suits began to get a bit much. We appreciated not having to do that on Azamara. We still dress up a bit at dinner but an elegant shirt or sweater is all my husband wants to do. We prefer to pack light and not have to tote extra suitcases. This is sounding more and more like Azamara is trying to create an ambience in which we are not going to feel comfortable. Just hoping our upcoming January cruise will still have the same old Azamara feel.

[marinaro44]

I think the current resort /casual dress code is one reason some passengers choose Azamara.

Certainly is for me. I won't put up with the phony pretentiousness of the HAL, Celebrity, RCCL dress codes.

[HudandPug]

Certainly is for me. I won't put up with the phony pretentiousness of the HAL, Celebrity, RCCL dress codes.

 

Hear Hear;)

[pacheco18]

"Bespoke" is chartering a 150 foot yacht in Nice and cruising the Med for the summer with a few of your best friends, a three-star chef, and cases of Veuve Clicquot.

 

Exactly. What were they thinking??

[pacheco18]

Azamara needs to have the courage to admit it made a big mistake. That's a tall order.

 

If Apple can apologize for its lousy maps, Azamara can rise to the occasion as well.

 

I would love to be a fly on the wall in corporate after they read all of these posts.

[Dididi]

I must agree with KoalaPanda and others in that Azamara is failing its extremely loyal, repeat customers whose goodwill has helped to grow the brand. Azamara's relatively small oceanview and veranda cabins cannot compete with the luxury lines' accommodations. But most of us (guests in suites are in numerical minority) are more than willing to trade-off a larger cabin and no clingy plastic shower curtain for outstanding service, gourmet dining, educated and friendly fellow passengers, the ability to visit ports inaccessible to larger ships, and lower fares.

 

Now these lower fares are about to vanish, and we're instead getting free beer and spirits (not interested -- showing my room key and signing a receipt the few times I have drank a cocktail was not burdensome -- and Azamara does offer an optional beverage package), no shore excursion discounts (several of the Azamara's shore excursions we have taken were not worth the discounted price, let alone the full price), and a semi-compulsory evening event for the whole ship.

 

The special event in Livorno made me cringe. What can truly be special when planned for 700 guests (unless it's a Royal Wedding or similar)? What is special about spending a couple of hours at leather stores with 700 fellow passengers? If I want a pair of bespoke Italian shoes (and I have a pair -- of real, bespoke Italian shoes, not the fake bespoke-coffee kind), I can conduct some research and plan accordingly. To be dragged to a shop I don't want to visit is not special, and is in fact one of the trademarks of bad organized tours (where the guide gets a kick-back from the store). The musical part of the special evening sounded interesting, but it's not everyone's cup of tea -- although everyone on board will be paying for it, whether they attend or not.

 

Back in the Spring, most avid Azamarians advised Larry Pimentel not to fix what was not broken. He made reference to the optional beverage package when someone asked about hard liquor and beer. He agreed to add rose to the free wines served with meals on board -- a small (cost-wise) change that generates goodwill. He talked about the extended drydocks that were going to "wow us," but these were later cut back considerably, so that the ships that will welcome the 2014 "upscale" passengers will look similar to what we'll find in our upcoming late November 2012 cruise. Almost 300 passengers on my Mom's recent Rome to Barcelona cruise were repeat customers. I wonder how many of them will jump ship. Unless there's a super special promotion, our India/Maldives/Sri Lanka cruise on Azamara will surely be our last.

[marinaro44]

Here's a quote from an article on the "enhancements" posted on a different travel web site:

 

"Pimentel said he hopes to see a 10% to 15% fare increase over time. Azamara officials have said the line currently provides value by pricing about 15% below its competitive set."

[MightyQuinn]

... I will only post the headline which then links to a major US newspaper.

 

Will Azamara's price hikes stick? Not all cruise-selling travel agents are convinced......and then below ...

Would you pay 30% or 40% more than you have in the past for a cruise on Azamara?...

My BFF Google helped me find the article you referenced. It's dated Dec 22, 2009 which was before the introduction of Azamara Club Cruises. So yes, it's old news.

 

But I also found a current interview with Larry Pimentel about the upcoming enhancements. He seems very bullish. It's interesting to read his insights on the market he's hoping to attract. Google for details. I couldn't find any industry response.

 

Now for some potentially good news. No fare increase for 2013! I found this little nugget on another trade website:

 

"Travel agents will benefit from increased commissions, Pimental said, “because [the event and liquor] are included, and agents are compensated based on the tariffs.” Guests with existing bookings will be notified of the date of their AzAmazing Evening shortly, to prevent conflicts. Despite incorporating a new inclusive feature, Azamara does not plan to raise fares in 2013."

[150edmiston]

My BFF Google helped me find the article you referenced. It's dated Dec 22, 2009 which was before the introduction of Azamara Club Cruises. So yes, it's old news.

 

But I also found a current interview with Larry Pimentel about the upcoming enhancements. He seems very bullish. It's interesting to read his insights on the market he's hoping to attract. Google for details. I couldn't find any industry response.

 

Now for some potentially good news. No fare increase for 2013! I found this little nugget on another trade website:

 

"Travel agents will benefit from increased commissions, Pimental said, “because [the event and liquor] are included, and agents are compensated based on the tariffs.” Guests with existing bookings will be notified of the date of their AzAmazing Evening shortly, to prevent conflicts. Despite incorporating a new inclusive feature, Azamara does not plan to raise fares in 2013."

 

Thanks MQ, I also did a bit more digging and found the same. Pity.

[HudandPug]

Contractually they could not increase fares already paid, but they could add a fuel surcharge and additional port tax. I was delving through their yearly report and OMG its looooooong! Anyway still thinking about some things put in there to keep the shareholders happy. Shares are down 40% 2011, so they need something. RCL ships are going all disney (my words not theirs) so I expect all brands will be changing.....

[Lindy028]

My BFF Google helped me find the article you referenced. It's dated Dec 22, 2009 which was before the introduction of Azamara Club Cruises. So yes, it's old news.

 

But I also found a current interview with Larry Pimentel about the upcoming enhancements. He seems very bullish. It's interesting to read his insights on the market he's hoping to attract. Google for details. I couldn't find any industry response.

 

Now for some potentially good news. No fare increase for 2013! I found this little nugget on another trade website:

 

"Travel agents will benefit from increased commissions, Pimental said, “because [the event and liquor] are included, and agents are compensated based on the tariffs.” Guests with existing bookings will be notified of the date of their AzAmazing Evening shortly, to prevent conflicts. Despite incorporating a new inclusive feature, Azamara does not plan to raise fares in 2013."

 

Prices have already risen for 2013 , at least in my case they have , since the announcement. I was given a price over the phone , and after he went to check flights , told me the rice had gone up by£ 165 pp. Told him I would check with my husband and get back . The price then increased further, by another £393 pp. that is £558 pp in total. No pre cruise hotel and only return indirect flights as cruise is from Southampton.

So they are not raising fares 'in 2013 ' they are raising them in Nov 2012 for cruises in 2013.

Do they really think we are that stupid.

[HudandPug]

Prices have already risen for 2013 , at least in my case they have , since the announcement. I was given a price over the phone , and after he went to check flights , told me the rice had gone up by£ 165 pp. Told him I would check with my husband and get back . The price then increased further, by another £393 pp. that is £558 pp in total. No pre cruise hotel and only return indirect flights as cruise is from Southampton.

So they are not raising fares 'in 2013 ' they are raising them in Nov 2012 for cruises in 2013.

Do they really think we are that stupid.

 

That is very bad form! lets hope its not the TA's that are raising the prices after the promise on their yearly report and elswhere to encourage their 'partners'.

[insidecabin]

Simple solution to higher prices if you think these will put people off

 

WAIT

 

IF acc atracts these high rollers they were right if not they will be discounting just to get bodies on board.

 

How many cruises currently get booked out so you would have missed the ship if you had waited a few months or even longer to book.

 

Price up the competition and price watch.

 

those with a bit of flexbility give yourself a few options.

 

For some trips, flight price fluctuations are going to be an issue but not than many.

 

Looking at the trips from now through 2013 which trips are sold out? not many.

[MightyQuinn]

Prices have already risen for 2013 , at least in my case they have , since the announcement. I was given a price over the phone , and after he went to check flights , told me the rice had gone up by£ 165 pp. Told him I would check with my husband and get back . The price then increased further, by another £393 pp. that is £558 pp in total...

Lindy, what a bummer! I'm having a different experience. I'm researching a few 2013 voyages and prices on the Azamara website are the same as they were before the announcement. But they're all higher than the prices published in the 2013 Destination Guide. I don't recall any notice that those published fares were increasing so this must have been a silent rate hike. Which is also a bummer.

[Christine Frances]

Could the fares are going up because the ships are selling cabins? All cruise lines do that. My X 2013 Baltic cruise has had at least 3 increases since we booked it in March.

[dfishner]

Lindy, what a bummer! I'm having a different experience. I'm researching a few 2013 voyages and prices on the Azamara website are the same as they were before the announcement. But they're all higher than the prices published in the 2013 Destination Guide. I don't recall any notice that those published fares were increasing so this must have been a silent rate hike. Which is also a bummer.

 

Fares do go up if a cruise is selling well, the one we booked for 2013 had gone up over $500 pp and this was before any announcements. It is all about supply and demand. The publish rate is what they start out with and does not always remain the same.

[MightyQuinn]

...It is all about supply and demand. The publish rate is what they start out with and does not always remain the same.

I understand the supply and demand bit. It may be at play here, but maybe not.

 

I'm looking at several 2013 cruises - different dates, different itineraries, different lengths, different ships. At this point in time, every cruise has availability in all categories. Yet all have increased by $200 pp over the published prices. Odd coincidence? Supply and demand? Overall price hike?

[Canalside]

In an interview on October 1st Larry P was asked,

How do you think your cruise product is being received today?

 

His reply

 

"The onboard product is an absolute grand slam. If you look at all national and international surveys, at Conde Nast Traveler and Travel+Leisure Readers' Choice, we're number three, slightly below Regent. When I first came in we were in a ballgame with Norwegian Cruise Line, Holland America and Celebrity, but now the competitive set has changed entirely. We're competing directly with the luxury and ultra-luxury lines. I would define us as a business-class product in terms of the physical plant -- we've referred to it as the “upmarket.” What I've determined is the guests are coming for the enhanced experience of the destination and they love the night touring. Our number one sector of growth has actually come from the boutique hotel industry, and that continues to grow."

 

So what is wrong with being number three behind Regent? Or does he aspire to be number one?

The "new enhancements" and promised price increases are more likely to send Azamara back down the rankings.

[Lindy028]

Could the fares are going up because the ships are selling cabins? All cruise lines do that. My X 2013 Baltic cruise has had at least 3 increases since we booked it in March.

 

I accept that , but we have been keeping an eye on this particular cruise and the Cabins that were available a month ago are by and large still there.

A £ 568 pp increase in a couple of hours is a Bit hard to stomach !

[davidandjulia]

Bill

We have just returned from a great cruise on the Quest (Barcelona to Rome) our first cruise with Azamara. We thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of the cruise and fully endorse all the good comments that have been made so eloquently by so many on this forum. As we remarked at our Cruise Critic well attended get-together on board, your input on these boards is greatly appreciated.

On our return we contacted our T/A to obtain a quote for the Journey sailing 30th August next year – Istanbul to Piraeus as we were anxious to renew our “family commitment” to our new friends at Azamara. Of course we were aware that an announcement was due to be made on the 1st October and obviously was expecting to hear some good and positive news to further enhance the Azamara experience. Well, I’ve heard the expression “shooting oneself in the foot” and boy, did this so called enhancement announcement fall well within this saying. We can do no more than completely agree with the majority of the 250 or so contributors to this thread who fail to understand the reasoning behind these so called enhancements. It is also very obvious that many more have shown their interest by reading this thread and no doubt viewed with concern the issues arising from the announcement on the 1st October.

You state Bill that your marketing personnel will be taking note the number of bookings made since the release of the “enhancements” on the 1st October. We will be part of these statistics having made the decision to join the Journey next August purely as a result of keeping within the October dead line cut off to remain within the current brochure prices. However Bill, it is important for you to note that by making this booking, this does not imply our whole hearted endorsement to the so called enhancements and price rise indication as outlined in your post of the 1st October. Obviously we will not now be able to take advantage of the 50% shore excursion concession and consequently we will be making our own arrangements, no doubt through this Forum with other like mindful cruise mates, who share our belief that the present full cost of the brochure tours are rather excessive.

Let us hope that common sense will prevail and management will review their decision to implement the so called enhancements and perhaps replace with a more authentic interpretation of the term enhancement to the benefit of all concerned who have the best interest of Azamara at heart.

David and Julia

[Lindy028]

In an interview on October 1st Larry P was asked,

How do you think your cruise product is being received today?

 

His reply

 

"The onboard product is an absolute grand slam. If you look at all national and international surveys, at Conde Nast Traveler and Travel+Leisure Readers' Choice, we're number three, slightly below Regent. When I first came in we were in a ballgame with Norwegian Cruise Line, Holland America and Celebrity, but now the competitive set has changed entirely. We're competing directly with the luxury and ultra-luxury lines. I would define us as a business-class product in terms of the physical plant -- we've referred to it as the “upmarket.” What I've determined is the guests are coming for the enhanced experience of the destination and they love the night touring. Our number one sector of growth has actually come from the boutique hotel industry, and that continues to grow."

 

So what is wrong with being number three behind Regent? Or does he aspire to be number one?

The "new enhancements" and promised price increases are more likely to send Azamara back down the rankings.

 

Hear , hear.

[150edmiston]

quote-

So what is wrong with being number three behind Regent? Or does he aspire to be number one?

The "new enhancements" and promised price increases are more likely to send Azamara back down the rankings.

 

I have just read an interesting article on another site, and it specifically mentions "bordering on luxury", Regent, and that azamaras offer is now better than oceania.

 

I am beginning to come round to the idea that azamara has made this move to try and eat into the market share of regent, and in turn hike the price. The typical regent customer is used to paying more than azamara, expects certain standards and service, and is willing to pay for it. It would seem, that if my assumption is correct, and it is an assumption, azamara are willing to jettison us as a consequence. Risky. Very risky.