My thoughts on how to improve the LCV update

[Andy]

Hi Andy

The Onboard Future Savings concept has always worked well for us in the past. We transfer our bookings to our UK TA when we get home and we get the onboard saving plus our TA's discount. It makes a tangible difference to the cruise fare and so we would be disappointed if it were to be removed. Yet to test the new system of course... Thanks for your thoughts and all you do by the way.

 

Hi Tabatha,

 

Just to be clear, I'm aware that Azamara has a current onboard booking program. I'm suggesting they leave that as it is.

 

In the updated benefits, they have an entirely different format in mind. That's what I'm suggesting they bypass. Hope this helps !

Edited September 3, 2014 by Host Andy

[Andy]

I'd be down a tier, but in actual fact it would be easier for me to achieve some free nights. At present under the new proposals and being bang in the middle of Discoverer Plus I'm far away from the next level and some who are lower down the Discoverer Plus points table are even further away from any free nights. Doesn't seem a very fair way to reward your most loyal cruisers.

 

Actually, thinking about it this is probably why they aren't doing as you suggest. It will cost them too much in free nights.

 

Phil

 

I agree with your thoughts Phil. While Tommy is a great guy, and I've had the pleasure of meeting him on past sailings, I absolutely would not be in favor of Azamara decoupling from Captains Club... at least not now. It's way too big of a project, would be extremely expensive, and too much to consider IMO.

 

Perhaps this would make sense in the future, but right now, they need to figure out a way to put the train back on the track, so to speak. IMO, that must be first and foremost.

Edited September 4, 2014 by Host Andy

[ikelmay]

The idea of separating out the two loyalty programs has some merit, but even with the best of intention, it isn't going to happen any time soon. The very notion of RCCL devoting time, energy and $$$ to any I.T. project is laughable.

 

There are many areas that the group collectively excels in, but I.T. support and development surely isn't one of them.

[alfredo1]

Great work.

 

In reality most of the current proposals are well nigh useless to the average passenger who chooses to pay for what they require, and have only served to alienate many,many, loyal customers.

 

Reinstate the laundry and internet, and probably all would be pleased, because sadly all this discussion involves people who are ardent Azamara supporters and look for them to succeed.

 

On a recent cruise the internet service was appallingly slow, and on three occasions I experienced it totally shutting down which caused much grief for many. Had I been paying for it I would have been even more aggrieved, but as it was free I could live with it. Other lines can provide fast and stable internet, so what is the problem with Azamara?

 

On the same cruise, their were hundreds of "repeaters" apparently the most ever experienced, which surely must be positive but overwhelmed the officers brunch which to be honest is a bit unnecessary given the ongoing crew interaction on board.

 

Similarly the Azamazing evening, which we and many others did not attend, involved almost two hours each way on a coach which meant a shortened event which apparently was not terribly well critiqued, but which would have cost Azamara a significant amount to organise.

 

Obvious areas where cost savings could be made.

[Redtravel]

Andy:

 

You do your best representing cruise critics. The bottom line is Azamara and the parent company RCL are making cuts to improve revenue. As long as people will buy the cruise, they will keep making changes that make them more money. It is a simple case of supply and demand. On my last Journey cruise ( 8-20-14 ) very few people booked future cruises. After experiencing the new version of Azamara, I doubt that I will book with them again. The service, food, and condition of the ship has slipped. The prices has continued to go up. RCL is brilliant if they can get cruises to pay the fares. I used to praise Azamara. That will not happen again. My vacation was nice. Great ports, nice people on a ship that needs a big update in many areas especially food.

 

Get some sleep. Nobody blames you. You're doing a fine job. Azamara is not listening.

[davidandjulia]

Hi Andy

 

I would like to reply to you privately but your email link doesn't work. David:mad:

[riandei]

A free laundry bag and some internet minutes??? Is that worth it? The last 48 hours Azamara has probably lost 4 million$ worth of revenue because loyal cruisers are fleeing the brand. History will tell, but IMO this is the worst mistakes in advertising. You just don't go and tell your best customers they are stupid.

 

 

Agreed

 

the only thing I'm AZAMAZED about is that it took so many MONTHS to come up with this horrible plan.

[troywest]

It appears that Oceania is rolling out a "Free Internet" Promotion.

 

If RCL doesn't understand that Azamara's loyal customers are unhappy, it would seem that NCL does.

 

I hope that the team at Azamara can pound some sense into the RCL bean counters in Miami.

[maggie.1008]

I am Discover Plus and half way to Zenith. That will never happen. So I guess free nights would not be a benefit I could ever use. I would rather have the old benefits. I will stay with Celebrity and enjoy the great perks.

[geocruiser]

It appears that Oceania is rolling out a "Free Internet" Promotion.

 

If RCL doesn't understand that Azamara's loyal customers are unhappy, it would seem that NCL does.

 

I hope that the team at Azamara can pound some sense into the RCL bean counters in Miami.

 

Good for you NCL!!

[pacheco18]

It appears that Oceania is rolling out a "Free Internet" Promotion.

 

No one gets free internet on Oceania based on loyalty alone, but we do get discounts on the unlimited package. The "free" internet to which you refer is a booking promotion offered on some cruises. Sometimes it is offered when the new itineraries are announced as an inducement to get people to book. Sometimes it is offered for cruises that are not selling as well as expected.

 

I have a 30 night O cruise starting in January with unlimited free internet because I booked the day the itinerary came out and the promotion was in place.

 

One thing I can say about O -- they never take away benefits -- they add to them. That is generally how most successful businesses operate. You just don't alienate your best customers if you want to do well in a competitive market.

[Robb]

We are destination cruisers. A few (or a few less) extras on a cruise will not deter us from sailing with Azamara. The extras are nice but, after all, it its the cruise experience and the ports of call that matter most to us.

 

I hope all the disgruntled people find the niche that best suits them. :)

 

Happy crusing.

[pickypicky]

We are destination cruisers. A few (or a few less) extras on a cruise will not deter us from sailing with Azamara. The extras are nice but, after all, it its the cruise experience and the ports of call that matter most to us.

 

I hope all the disgruntled people find the niche that best suits them. :)

 

Happy crusing.

 

Thank you. I couldn't have said it better.

[pacheco18]

Thank you. I couldn't have said it better.

 

Not sure I understand the import of the post.

Is Azamara the only line that can take you to destinations of your choice?

Not in my world.

I too am a destination cruiser. I have been to over 100 countries on land and sea.

I have sailed on many different lines from the Paul Gauguin to Celebrity to Oceania . .and now I am booked on Seabourn.

I can go to the destinations I choose to go to on those lines and at the same time get treated with the respect I deserve from the cruise line to which I give my substantial sums of money.

 

I think you might be missing the point that is being made by the vast majority of cruisers on this board. It is not about laundry or internet. It is about unacceptable disrespect towards those passengers who are the most loyal.

[nordski]

We are destination cruisers. A few (or a few less) extras on a cruise will not deter us from sailing with Azamara. The extras are nice but, after all, it its the cruise experience and the ports of call that matter most to us.

 

I hope all the disgruntled people find the niche that best suits them. :)

 

Happy crusing.

 

Agree.

 

In our case the Internet cost will be about $30.00. That is not a big deal considering the destinations and on board experience.

 

Others may have to pay an amount they won't accept and thus those other niches may prove attractive. I'm certain they'll enjoy whatever option they select.

[Richard&JohnSTX]

I am Discover Plus and half way to Zenith. That will never happen. So I guess free nights would not be a benefit I could ever use. I would rather have the old benefits. I will stay with Celebrity and enjoy the great perks.

 

We are also close to halfway to Zenith - we loved our Journey cruise in April. But with the loss of free (slow) internet and free laundry at our tier, and with the higher prices and no chance of us getting any free nights because our points are mostly from Celebrity guess where we are going back too! I was really looking forward to the possibility of Antarctica in January '17 on Azamara - now will be looking at Celebrity Infinity - of course maybe Azamara will have things sorted out by then!

 

Richard

[pickypicky]

Not sure I understand the import of the post.

Is Azamara the only line that can take you to destinations of your choice?

Not in my world.

I too am a destination cruiser. I have been to over 100 countries on land and sea.

I have sailed on many different lines from the Paul Gauguin to Celebrity to Oceania . .and now I am booked on Seabourn.

I can go to the destinations I choose to go to on those lines and at the same time get treated with the respect I deserve from the cruise line to which I give my substantial sums of money.

 

I think you might be missing the point that is being made by the vast majority of cruisers on this board. It is not about laundry or internet. It is about unacceptable disrespect towards those passengers who are the most loyal.

 

I'm impressed. Although I do not choose to include all my world travels on my signature, I am not a novice. And I am not missing the point at all. To repeat, happily, there are enough choices for everyone to find a niche.

[pacheco18]

I'm impressed. Although I do not choose to include all my world travels on my signature, I am not a novice. And I am not missing the point at all. To repeat, happily, there are enough choices for everyone to find a niche.

 

Those are not my world travels -- just my upcoming future travels. LOL

And I think you do miss the point -- that comment about my signature was simply a distraction and uncalled for. Many posters include everywhere they have ever been in their signatures. Good for them.

 

You stated "A few (or a few less) extras on a cruise will not deter us from sailing with Azamara." No one here is changing cruise lines simply because of loss of internet and laundry. They dislike the treatment they are receiving.

 

You apparently do not care about how you are being treated by Azamara. If that's the "niche" you choose, enjoy. It won't be mine.

[TommyD3]

In our case the Internet cost will be about $30.00. That is not a big deal considering the destinations and on board experience.

 

I am Zenith on Celebrity and now get 1620 free minutes - a $400 value on EVERY Celebrity cruise (even a 4/5 night).

 

Under the new Azamara program I will get 0 minutes:mad:

 

What is the point of even coupling Celebrity and Azamara?

 

Even on RCCL where I only get Diamond benefits (due to the linkage with Celebrity) I still get 60 minutes of free internet!!!

 

I had expected Azamara to add new increased benefits for the two new levels.

Unfortunately they have significantly stripped the program:mad:

Shame on you Azamara.

[ikelmay]

We are destination cruisers. A few (or a few less) extras on a cruise will not deter us from sailing with Azamara. The extras are nice but, after all, it its the cruise experience and the ports of call that matter most to us.

 

I hope all the disgruntled people find the niche that best suits them. :)

 

Happy crusing.

 

I genuinely have a sense from so many loyal cruisers' postings, that focusing purely on the loss of a couple of benefits is missing the point. Azamara's P.R. department has been trailing this supposed 'upgrade' for months now, and promising something spectacular in terms of the revised LCV.

 

What I don't think anyone in their right minds expected, was that the Company would take the opportunity to remove some cherished perks (no matter how relatively trivial), implement an obscure reward system with abstract benefits such as extra nights and discounts/upgrades that may be difficult if not impossible to achieve, and then sell this package as "L'announcement of the year" ?

 

My sense is that many CC contributors feel that Azamara's approach to this rollout and their response is a significant part of the problem, rather than just the issue of laundry and internet time.

Edited September 5, 2014 by ikelmay

[Andy]

Hi Andy

 

I would like to reply to you privately but your email link doesn't work. David:mad:

 

Hi David&Julia,

 

I've received nearly 100 emails today, along with several from members, so I'm pretty sure the link works. Some browers are pickier than others.

 

The email address is my Cruise Critic screen name (HostAndy) @cruisecritic.com

[Andy]

Andy:

 

You do your best representing cruise critics. The bottom line is Azamara and the parent company RCL are making cuts to improve revenue. As long as people will buy the cruise, they will keep making changes that make them more money. It is a simple case of supply and demand. On my last Journey cruise ( 8-20-14 ) very few people booked future cruises. After experiencing the new version of Azamara, I doubt that I will book with them again. The service, food, and condition of the ship has slipped. The prices has continued to go up. RCL is brilliant if they can get cruises to pay the fares. I used to praise Azamara. That will not happen again. My vacation was nice. Great ports, nice people on a ship that needs a big update in many areas especially food.

 

Get some sleep. Nobody blames you. You're doing a fine job. Azamara is not listening.

 

Thank you for your kind comments Redtravel. Believe me, I do not feel an ounce of responsibility for the new program. Like many others, I'm just sad and disappointed. I think the best plan is to continue the conversation, as I'm highly confident that Azamara is paying attention to what's said on here and other Social Media outlets.

 

My biggest regret, is that Azamara failed to reach out to myself - nor any of the Azamara faithful *before* making this plan a reality. Had they reached out, or emailed surveys, I cant imagine they would have gone down this path. They also could have saved themselves a ton of aggravation, the negative feedback, and the industrial size bottle of Tylenol, which is likely being passed around at their headquarters.

 

I remain hopeful that Azamara will reconsider this plan.

[ellbon]

To me several of us were on the Journey in August and npthing was said as we got our laundry coupons. somehow i have an extra again. I wonder if people on ship had seen the memo about losing perks.. even as I look at other lines for certain parts of the world Azaamra gives better ports. i was beginning to hate the internet but i do love laundry that i am not doing.

[zennor]

Hi Everyone,

 

I've been giving this thought since Azamara's announcement. A lot of thought. So much so, that I've barely slept in the past 24 hours. While most everyone isn't pleased with the new plan, here's my ideas on how to make things right.

 

1. Reinstate the complimentary laundry benefit. I'd be surprised if this is a huge expense, and should be relatively easy to correct.

 

2. Reinstate the complimentary Internet, at reduced levels. I'm sure many of us would agree that Azamara's Interenet benefits were *very* generous - probably too generous. While this adds signficant expense to my proposal, the costs should be much less than what is currently offered. I've also added some cost savings ideas to offset this reinstatement, in items 3-5.

 

Here's what I suggest for Internet benefits :

 

Adventurer : 60 compimentary minutes

 

Explorer : 90 complimentary minutes

 

Discoverer : 120 complimentary minutes

 

Discoverer Plus : 180 complimentary minutes

 

Discoverer Platinum : 240 complimentary minutes

 

Note : I'd also hope for some bonus minutes for longer sailings of 8+ nights, but not a dealbreaker.

 

3. Eliminate the Onboard Future Savings concept : Very few guests seem interested in this, and would likely welcome it's elimimation in favor of the Internet and Laundry reinstatement. Offer a reasonable OBC for booking onboard, along with your other promotions. Azamara can thereby utilize the savings, by not offering this item, towards your Internet/Laundry costs.

 

4. Eliminate the earned complimentary nights by tier : IMO, it's complicated, and seems to hurt your most loyal guests. Why would you (unintentionally) go there ? They should be your key target, and are critical towards an exciting future at Azamara. Again, utilize the savings towards the Internet & Laundry reinstatement.

 

5. Upgrade your stateroom : I like this benefit very much, but if Azamara can save money and help it towards the goal of reinstating Internet and Laundry, I believe most of your guests would be fine if it were eliminated.

 

6. Loyalty Ambassador : Nice idea, but not a must. If you can save money by eliminating this item, then do so. Utilize the savings towards Internet & Laundry reinstatement.

 

I hope Azamara will give all or some of this consideration. Looking forward to your replies !

 

Hi Andy,

 

I've been thinking through your suggestions and I do hope that Azamara listens to you.

 

As a new cruiser - Adventurer still! -, looking at what would entice me to stay loyal/book etc., certainly simple, easy to understand perks such as laundry, free internet etc. are much more attractive than those with complicated T&Cs. The promise of a dedicated Loyalty Ambasassador means nothing to most of us - we are not stupid & have come across these concepts before - just words!

 

I really would like to know whether Azamara do envisage cost savings if the laundry & internet are removed. Are they expecting to do less laundry & therefore fire staff or do they expect customers to pay for the itemised laundry instead? My guess is that they are envisaging both but haven't thought about the impact on the self-service Laundry. If cost is an issue, I as a member of a low tier, would personally pay for a bag of laundry. I had heard that these used to be offered on certain days but not any more.

 

Internet is key for us. Even if reduced free minutes were offered, I would be more likely to pay for a subsequent package once I had signed up. By all means offer increased free minutes & discounts per tier level.

 

The current simple Open Passage works well - we have used it twice - but I don't think it is well publicised.

 

The stateroom upgrade option is certainly a nice one - and I think would be an attractive perk for those on higher levels with more points! We will try on our next cruise but I doubt that we will be priority!

 

Finally, a new suggestion. Azamara prides itself on its destinations etc. So why not re-introduce the discounts for Land Discoveries? - with greater discounts for higher tiers. This may not cost that much but would be a tangible, easy to understand benefit.

[2fromTO]

I genuinely have a sense from so many loyal cruisers' postings, that focusing purely on the loss of a couple of benefits is missing the point. Azamara's P.R. department has been trailing this supposed 'upgrade' for months now, and promising something spectacular in terms of the revised LCV.

 

What I don't think anyone in their right minds expected, was that the Company would take the opportunity to remove some cherished perks (no matter how relatively trivial), implement an obscure reward system with abstract benefits such as extra nights and discounts/upgrades that may be difficult if not impossible to achieve, and then sell this package as "L'announcement of the year" ?

 

My sense is that many CC contributors feel that Azamara's approach to this rollout and their response is a significant part of the problem, rather than just the issue of laundry and internet time.

 

Exactly. The LVC rollout is one big empty promise. I feel duped - that is the issue for me.