Azamara Journey’s propeller damaged in Japan

[English Tim]

Tim,

I contacted my insurance company yesterday to see how we are covered in case Azamara had to cancel the next cruise from HK on 17th March. They confirmed our own conclusion on this, the cruise company cancelled and they would be responsible for the cost of the cruise and thats it, in this case Azamara is doing more regarding flights etc. We would not have been able to claim anything from the insurance company for flights hotels etc. Luckily our cruise is going ahead but the only thing our travel insurance is valid for is cases of death, sickness or rather stragely becoming unemployed, maybe UK ones are different?

Rosalyn

 

Fortunately I have an excellent policy with AMEX and provided that I use an AMEX card to pay for my travel, they cover me for all sorts of extra things like flight delays, etc. Once I had to start a cruise 3 days late, due to my mum's funeral and started at a different port. BA changed the flights foc, but my insurers would have done so and sorted my other changes.

[AzamaraJoel]

Kathy 9, I am glad you have been in touch with your travel agent. Not sure if you are in North America, UK or other, but we are committed to working with your situation and all affected guests, so if there is something else we can do, please let us know and I can put you in contact with one of our customer service managers.

 

Cruiseaholic78, As I posted in this thread & others yesterday, I want to be crystal clear in confirming that the 17th March Journey voyage will sail as planned. After the guests disembark in Osaka on 2 March, the ship will travel to ship yard in Korea. The repairs are straight forward and will take 2 - 4 days. Once complete the ship will sail toward Hong Kong to be board our next group of guests on 17th March.

 

Thank you, Raul Parquet

Azamara Club Cruises

[oddjob16]

I believe some of the team on Azamara Club cruises have gone well above and beyond the call of duty - in particular the manager who rang us at 10.30 last night.

I am delighted to report we are about to leave to join a Celebrity cruise leaving on Sunday, we could not get to Quest it was too difficult to get flights to Costa Rica for us.

We have paid for this second cruise, we were able to rebook because we were not waiting for refunds or the certificate which we will use for one of our future bookings

My only thoughts as I wish everyone all the best as they rework plans, is that

 

I have been impressed by the communication on these boards by Azamara Joel and Raul

I think for the future when looking at policies/processes they do need to think about a quick rebook route for those people who are not waiting to use any compensation to fund a new booking

The efforts by Mark King and his team at Azamara UK have been first class

 

but..........how will things be when there is full transfer of powers to Guatemala in an incident like this

 

Good luck everyone and I will be back with an X vs Az comparison in a few weeks

Have a wonderful cruise, Ann. See you in Venice:D

[AzamaraJoel]

Hello All,

 

We're happy to report that the Azamara Journey and guests have arrived in Osaka, Japan, where they were met by Azamara Club Cruises CEO and President Larry Pimentel, VP of Operations Bert van Middendorp, and 30 Go-team members.

 

The Go Team is a group of highly trained individuals who work within corporation assigned to incident response. They will manage the logistics, planning, organization and reservations of all guests onboard in conjunction with teams from Miami.

 

Guests will enjoy 2 days in Osaka and Kyoto, Japan. As we have noted earlier the ship is operating safely and guests onboard can enjoy their time in Japan as planned.

 

Most guests will disembark the ship on 2nd March and fly to Shanghai, China, overnight 1 night, then return to their scheduled travel plans.

 

The Azamara Journey will sail to Korea after the guests have disembarked. The propeller will be repaired at Korea's Orient Shipyard Gwangyang, and the ship will resume service on 17th March.

 

Thank You, Raul Parquet

Azamara Club Cruises

[sandyss]

Azamara Joel. Thanks for your continued presence on this board, and your ability and willingness to address our concerns.

 

There's one question that I don't believe has been answered yet with regard to expenses incurred by those on the cancelled March 3 cruise - especially since insurance companies think that Azamara should cover additional expenses. Those of us who were planning to spend several additional days in Shanghai before embarking on the cruise, had hotel reservations. In our case, we missed the cutoff for cancellation by one day, and are being charged for one day's hotel rate. Will this be reimbursed by Azamara?

[AzamaraJoel]

SandySS,

 

If you did not purchase hotel or similar through Azamara Club Cruises, we will reimburse you for your change fee or cancellation, up to $500 per person. We ask that guests please send a copy of the receipt for the change fee / cancellation along with a brief note explaining that you were scheduled to sail on the March 3, sailing of Azamara Journey to the following address:

 

Azamara Club Cruises, Customer Service – JR 3/4/14 Sailing, 1050 Caribbean Way, Miami, FL 33132-2096.

 

A faster method is you may also scan receipts and e-mail them to AzamaraGuestRelations@AzamaraClubCruises.com Please include your full name and reservation number in your note.

 

Thank you, Raul Parquet

Azamara Club Cruises

[sandyss]

SandySS,

 

If you did not purchase hotel or similar through Azamara Club Cruises, we will reimburse you for your change fee or cancellation, up to $500 per person. We ask that guests please send a copy of the receipt for the change fee / cancellation along with a brief note explaining that you were scheduled to sail on the March 3, sailing of Azamara Journey to the following address:

 

Azamara Club Cruises, Customer Service – JR 3/4/14 Sailing, 1050 Caribbean Way, Miami, FL 33132-2096.

 

A faster method is you may also scan receipts and e-mail them to AzamaraGuestRelations@AzamaraClubCruises.com Please include your full name and reservation number in your note.

 

Thank you, Raul Parquet

Azamara Club Cruises

Thanks again for your quick response Joel and Raul. I'm very impressed by Azamara's response for those of us impacted by the cancellation. This would have been our first cruise with Azamara.

[AzamaraJoel]

SandySS,

 

We are deeply sorry this very unfortunate incident took place. Just plain bad luck that debris would damage our ship in this manner.

 

We truly hope in the near future you give us a chance to prove you made the right choice by booking your holiday with us.

 

Thank you, Raul Parquet

Azamara Club Cruises

[ellross]

Ellross,

 

I apologize we could not notify you prior to your departure. As far as communications, it is important to identify what office you booked your cruise through, what country?

 

We have sent communications to all travel agents who have booked guests on the 3rd March voyage, as well as contacted the guests who booked directly.

 

I would advise you contact your travel agent or contact us at the below number

1-855-292-4636 from the United States and Canada.

 

Details on those guests who are already in Shanghai are as follows -

 

Guests who traveled to Shanghai

full refund

75% FCC

if purchased air through Azamara: full refund + flight home at no charge

up to $500 per person in air change fees will be covered for independent air

should it be necessary for guests to stay in Shanghai overnight until their return flight home, we will provide a complimentary hotel room, as well $100 per diem, per guests, for meals and incidentals

 

Thank you, Raul Parquet

Azamara Club Cruises

 

Hello,

I am the travel agent as well as the client. When we were on the plane before takeoff I called in to Azamara and gave them contact information for my hotel, cell phone and email incase the trip cancelled.

I found out from a friend who was also scheduled on this trip.

Also I had a client booked in it as well. I never received an email about him either. I'm sure you thought that the agent would be the contact but in this case we were not.

 

As far as covered expenses I will send in to the office when I return home.

We have hotel, visa, meals, and other expenese incurred. Since we wouldn't have come to Shanghai if not for the cruise we would hope they will be covered.

 

We have been on 6 Azamara sailings and understand how these things can happen. However the clients will need to be made whole.

 

Thank you for updating this board. Being in Asia it's been the only good communication received.

Ellen

[midwestchick]

I'm surprised that someone thought my post was pessimistic...negative speculation. That is the complete opposite how it was intended. :eek:

Whatever was written was definitely misconstrued.

I only referenced Shoreside, which has been under scrutiny, as of late. I was hoping the situation would have some redeeming factors for Shoreside. And yes, I commend Azamara for coming on here and Facebook and keeping everyone informed of the situation. I thought they did a great job.

My heart goes out to all those travelers, and one of them I know personally and how much she was looking forward to this. There is a ton of work involved preparing for journeys such as this one was supposed to be.

So please, don't accuse me of "judging Azamara"....keep in mind, I still have 2 future cruises booked with AZ and not another cruise line. :rolleyes:

[uktog]

Fortunately I have an excellent policy with AMEX and provided that I use an AMEX card to pay for my travel, they cover me for all sorts of extra things like flight delays, etc. Once I had to start a cruise 3 days late, due to my mum's funeral and started at a different port. BA changed the flights foc, but my insurers would have done so and sorted my other changes.

 

For any UK travellers affected who have a Marks and Spencer's Premium Club card or Premier Bank account, the insurance policy that is part of that package will cover airfares, hotel costs airport car park costs etc.

 

it does not specifically state our reasons for cancellation as one covered within the policy but I called them en route yesterday and was advised I was covered and after giving some details, I am now in possession of all the paperwork including a list of documents they require.

 

The most important appears to be the first notification you had from Azamara re the cancellation as that time stamps the claim sequence, so do not delete that email if that is how you heard! If you booked through an agent and only heard from them by phone, the agent will be able to give you the paperwork

 

Good luck everyone, we are now in Miami, but of course our bodies are on UK time so it's 4am and I'm bouncing around the place - or is that pre cruise excitement?

Edited March 2, 2014 by uktog

[kathy9]

For any UK travellers affected who have a Marks and Spencer's Premium Club card or Premier Bank account, the insurance policy that is part of that package will cover airfares, hotel costs airport car park costs etc.

 

it does not specifically state our reasons for cancellation as one covered within the policy but I called them en route yesterday and was advised I was covered and after giving some details, I am now in possession of all the paperwork including a list of documents they require.

 

The most important appears to be the first notification you had from Azamara re the cancellation as that time stamps the claim sequence, so do not delete that email if that is how you heard! If you booked through an agent and only heard from them by phone, the agent will be able to give you the paperwork

 

I believe in the US my Travel Guard Insurance will pick up un-reimbursed costs ...but AZ should cover the cost of the policy which was over 600 US dollars.

Due to this being totally AZ "fault" we should not have any expenses for a trip that we are not taking! I guess it could be worse after reading the posts from people that are in Shanghai already and the lack of communication form AZ they have had.

Enjoy your trip Ann .....

[sandyss]

I believe in the US my Travel Guard Insurance will pick up un-reimbursed costs ...but AZ should cover the cost of the policy which was over 600 US dollars.

Due to this being totally AZ "fault" we should not have any expenses for a trip that we are not taking! I guess it could be worse after reading the posts from people that are in Shanghai already and the lack of communication form AZ they have had.

Kathy. I posted the following on our March 3 Roll Call.

 

If you have Travel Insurance through an outside agency (rather than through Azamara) and do not need to place a claim for this cruise since Azamara will be reimbursing most costs, you might check on modifying the policy and using it for another date.

 

Our policy was through Travel Guard. Since we only have 3 costs that need reimbursement (Air Cancellation Fee, Hotel Cancellation Fee, China Visas) - all of which should be reimbursed by Azamara, I checked with Travel Guard and was able to modify the dates on our policy to the dates of the next cruise that we plan to book with Azamara (with our Future Cruise Certificate). Travel Guard allows modification up until the date that you are scheduled to return from your cruise. I don't know about other travel policies, but it might be worthwhile to check on if you are not placing a claim.

 

The gal that I talked with walked me through the procedure which is done on line. Just go to the Travel Guard website. From the pull-down menu, choose "modify policy". Fill out the top section and then check the section for "change in travel dates" and then put in your new dates. (You can do likewise for any other parts of the policy that will change.) Then hit submit at the bottom of the page. I received a confirmation of our modification the following day.

[chicagogal]

I believe in the US my Travel Guard Insurance will pick up un-reimbursed costs ...but AZ should cover the cost of the policy which was over 600 US dollars.

Due to this being totally AZ "fault" we should not have any expenses for a trip that we are not taking! I guess it could be worse after reading the posts from people that are in Shanghai already and the lack of communication form AZ they have had.

Enjoy your trip Ann .....

 

IF Azamara does not reimburse he cost of the policy ( seems doubtful?) and IF Travelguard will not have to pay any expenses, talk to them about applying the cost of the policy to a future cruise. I have had some success doing this in a sort of similar situation and it doesn't hurt to ask. It was outside your control.

[chicagogal]

Kathy. I posted the following on our March 3 Roll Call.

 

If you have Travel Insurance through an outside agency (rather than through Azamara) and do not need to place a claim for this cruise since Azamara will be reimbursing most costs, you might check on modifying the policy and using it for another date.

 

Our policy was through Travel Guard. Since we only have 3 costs that need reimbursement (Air Cancellation Fee, Hotel Cancellation Fee, China Visas) - all of which should be reimbursed by Azamara, I checked with Travel Guard and was able to modify the dates on our policy to the dates of the next cruise that we plan to book with Azamara (with our Future Cruise Certificate). Travel Guard allows modification up until the date that you are scheduled to return from your cruise. I don't know about other travel policies, but it might be worthwhile to check on if you are not placing a claim.

 

The gal that I talked with walked me through the procedure which is done on line. Just go to the Travel Guard website. From the pull-down menu, choose "modify policy". Fill out the top section and then check the section for "change in travel dates" and then put in your new dates. (You can do likewise for any other parts of the policy that will change.) Then hit submit at the bottom of the page. I received a confirmation of our modification the following day.

Just read your post and glad to see this worked for you, too!

Patty

[AzamaraJoel]

Azamara Journey - Incident Update

 

All guests that were onboard for 17 Feb voyage disembarked the ship on 2nd March in Osaka, Japan and flew to Shanghai, China for a 1 night stay. On 3rd March guests will resume their normal scheduled travel plans.

 

Journey is sailing safely towards Busan, Korea with crew onboard to repair the damaged starboard propeller. Once the propeller has been repaired, the ship will sail towards Hong Kong, China to resume its normal Asia schedule starting with the 17 March Explorer's Asia voyage.

 

Unfortunately there were guests who traveled to Asia or were in transit prior to Azamara being able to contact their travel agent or them directly to advise of the cancelled voyage. We have incident response team members in Shanghai at the Hyatt Regency on the Bund working our command center to locate and contact all Azamara guests who were schedule to travel on 3rd March and are currently in China.

 

We are working with these guests to facilitate their travel arrangements as needed. There are a number of guests who were booked on back to back voyages, 3rd and 17th March. We are working with those guests individually to address their unique situations.

 

Thank you for your continued support during this difficult time.

Azamara Club Cruises.

[2fromTO]

We were on the February 17th cruise and arrived home from shanghai last night. Thought I would share a few comments based on my on-board experience and observations.

 

Even though the last few days of our vacation were disrupted by this unfortunate incident, we are more than satisfied with Azamara's response.

 

First, rather than end the cruise in Tokyo, a decision was made to sail to Osaka, the last port on the itinerary. We limped along on 1 propeller with a top speed of 9 knots. We made it, albeit 20 hours late. The shore excursion team was able to reschedule our tour of the temples of Kyoto and it turned out to be a highlight of our cruise. Thank you Azamara for making it happen.

 

We were flown to shanghai on the evening of March 2nd and accommodated at the beautiful Hyatt on the Bund. Would we have preferred to sail into shanghai, yes. Would we have preferred to be flown to shanghai earlier in the day, yes. Was the communication perfect, no. However, given the circumstances (finding flights, arranging ground transportation and accommodation for over 600 people all on the same day with only 2 days notice) Azamara did a great job.

 

The Go Team boarded in Osaka and did everything they could to answer our questions. The Ground Team were waiting for us at the Hyatt in Shanghai when we arrived late on March 2nd. They helped facilitate a smooth check in, made arrangements for a late check out the next day and answered all of our questions. They were also there the next morning and afternoon. Thank you.

 

Azamara understands that our vacation was disrupted and is providing compensation by way of a credit for two cruise days and a future cruise credit of 25%. Very generous considering we did not miss a single port and flew home from shanghai as planned.

 

A comment on passengers with private tours and flight arrangements. Azamara assisted these passengers by making phone lines available on board and by offering compensation for change fees. It is a useful reminder that, by making private arrangements you are implicitly also accepting responsibility for those arrangements.

 

Finally, hats off to Captain Jason, Hotel Director Richard, Cruise Director Tony, Le Club Voyage Hostess Cindy, Guest Relations Manager Heather, Shore Excursion Manager Liezl and all their staff. You scrambled with logistics, came face to face with upset (and some times rude) passengers and kept on smiling.

 

We were fortunate to complete our b2b cruise wth minimal disruption. My sympathies to those who were not so fortunate. Let's hope the dry dock goes smoothly and the Journey makes to Hong Kong in time for the next cruise.

 

Greetings to all my new cruise friends. Hope you made it home safely.

[nordski]

We were on the February 17th cruise and arrived home from shanghai last night. Thought I would share a few comments based on my on-board experience and observations.

 

Even though the last few days of our vacation were disrupted by this unfortunate incident, we are more than satisfied with Azamara's response.

 

 

Glad to hear about your experience and your satisfaction with the manner with which this unfortunate incident was handled.

 

Sorry we couldn't arrange better weather for your welcome home. :)

[marinaro44]

Agree completely, 2fromTO. We were booked on both Feb 17 and March 3 cruises and thought Azamara handled a very difficult situation very well.

[midwestchick]

Agree completely, 2fromTO. We were booked on both Feb 17 and March 3 cruises and thought Azamara handled a very difficult situation very well.

 

This puts a big on my face.

[Azamaracruiser2]

Finally, hats off to Captain Jason, Hotel Director Richard, Cruise Director Tony, Le Club Voyage Hostess Cindy, Guest Relations Manager Heather, Shore Excursion Manager Liezl and all their staff. You scrambled with logistics, came face to face with upset (and some times rude) passengers and kept on smiling.

 

We were fortunate to complete our b2b cruise wth minimal disruption. My sympathies to those who were not so fortunate. Let's hope the dry dock goes smoothly and the Journey makes to Hong Kong in time for the next cruise.

 

Greetings to all my new cruise friends. Hope you made it home safely.

 

2fromTO,

We also were on the Feb. 17th cruise and agree that Azamara's team both onboard and off, handled the difficulty well.

It was hardest on those losing their upcoming March 3rd cruise, and I wish them well with rescheduling. :)

[silkismom]

We were on the cruise and agree. It was nice of Capt Jason and Richard to take the time to come around in the dining room and chat with people. As if they weren't swamped with other things going on. We really enjoyed the whole cruise and would have loved more time in Tokyo, but our Nara & Kyoto tour was definitely worth the extra days at sea. We booked another cruise for Nov.

[ourring]

2from TO,

We also agree that everyone handled the situation very well and agree that the compensation package was great, considering the fact we did not really miss any ports. Other cruise lines would not have been so generous. We already have a cruise booked on Azamara, and the handling of this incident just confirmed that it is a wonderful line. We are the other TO cruisers.

[silkismom]

I really wish that Tony had given the mic to everyone to introduce themselves at the CC M&M, we never really had the chance to put names & screen names together.

[tgg]

I really wish that Tony had given the mic to everyone to introduce themselves at the CC M&M, we never really had the chance to put names & screen names together.

 

This happened on another cruise. I also wanted to meet everyone. So I stood up and asked if the microphone could be passed around so that everyone could introduce themselves. And it was.