So I've been assigned 6001. Should I be delighted or dismayed?

[gkm]

I'm hoping that the North Atlantic in September won't be as bad as late Oct/ early November.

 

It can be pretty rough in September. I've done some TAs on the Jewel of the Seas in September that did the northern route from Southampton to Boston and have had very rough seas where we've missed ports in Canada. Remember September is an active hurricane month in the U.S. and the storms often go up the eastern seaboard toward Canada. Hopefully this coming season will be as quiet as last year.

 

Garry

[OctoberKat]

Jim and I are booked in 6001 on Quest for the August 2016 Norwegian Fjords cruise but are wait listed for the owners suite aft. Hoping our luck is sufficient to clear the wait list, still a year and a half to go ....

 

Meanwhile our very first cruise sails in late January for the Western Caribbean aboard Regent's Navigator.

[excitedofharpenden]

It can be pretty rough in September. I've done some TAs on the Jewel of the Seas in September that did the northern route from Southampton to Boston and have had very rough seas where we've missed ports in Canada. Remember September is an active hurricane month in the U.S. and the storms often go up the eastern seaboard toward Canada. Hopefully this coming season will be as quiet as last year.

 

Garry

Garry, do you remember the mid-September cruise we did on Constellation from Dover to New York via Dublin and Cobh when by the time we got to Newfoundland the name of the ship had been half washed off by the force of the waves?

 

The Atlantic is fickle any time of year. You might be fine Deirde or you could have quite a ride. Personally I wouldn't choose that cabin, least of all on a TA. Hope you manage to sort something. Sorry I couldn't spin it more positively.

 

Phil

[dln929]

I think we have all learned something about accepting a guarantee for the double upgrade fare special from your experience. My take away would be only to accept the offer if a specific cabin number is indicated.

Please keep us posted about how and when your dilemma is resolved.

Well, the upshot is that I cancelled this transatlantic after getting the following letter (below). I was more than a little peeved at this. Yes, I DO know that if I've made a booking with a travel agent, the booking belongs to them and it is their job to assist with cabin changes. However, I was told by my agent that V1, V2, V3 cabins were the only ones available for the promotion so I requested a V1. I did not request a VX cabin and neither did my travel agent. Why did I end up with a VX then? If Azamara "gave" it to me shouldn't they assist in getting me placed elsewhere? Even a simple "We'll put you on a waitlist and alert you when something else becomes available" would have gone a long way in keeping me from feeling the extreme irritation that I feel now.

 

The other thing is that (technically speaking), this cabin is an upgraded category, but there's no way for any of us to protect ourselves from upgrades that are anything but. When we sail on Royal Caribbean, for example, I can put in my profile whether I will accept upgrades or not. There's no place on the Azamara profile to a notation like this.

 

Lot of lessons learned on this one. I will repeat myself: If you choose to take advantage of the guarantee promo, do not get off the phone until you have a cabin #. The Azamara rep my travel agent spoke to said they were still sorting out the cabins and that they'd get back to her about which one we'd get...in the V1 category I requested. I really ought to have insisted that I needed a cabin # straight from the beginning and I would have avoided this unwanted "gift." So for all of you who want a good rock 'n roll across the North Atlantic, Cabin 6001 is at your disposal. Have at it.

 

Dear Mrs. N: Thank you for contact Azamara Club Cruises Customer Service. We apologize for the delay in our response. We understand your concerns with the location and details of the stateroom you have in your booking. As your reservation was made with a travel agency, please contact your travel agent so that they may assist you with any available options for changing staterooms. Mrs. N, we are thankful for your patronage, We trust you will thoroughly enjoy your upcoming cruise on the Azamara Quest. Sincerely, Erick Weidmann Corporate Guest Relations Advocate

[ellbon]

I always know my cabin when i book.. my first "S" cruise- my agetn picked the cabin.. sinceI knew i wanted to try the second new ship i counted cabin doors and picked the cabin and later booked it. used that cabin 3 times in AQ.

 

Even if I wanted an inside cabin I would want to know the deck and where near the stairs.

 

i am so sorry as this was a good cruise.. i honestly try to book with A on the ship or call A and then throw it at my agent..

 

i had the bad lesson that on baord they gave the future cruise things ot agent and i ahd to wait days until she came home.. never again!!!

[dln929]

I always know my cabin when i book.. my first "S" cruise- my agetn picked the cabin.. sinceI knew i wanted to try the second new ship i counted cabin doors and picked the cabin and later booked it. used that cabin 3 times in AQ.

 

Even if I wanted an inside cabin I would want to know the deck and where near the stairs.

 

i am so sorry as this was a good cruise.. i honestly try to book with A on the ship or call A and then throw it at my agent..

 

i had the bad lesson that on baord they gave the future cruise things ot agent and i ahd to wait days until she came home.. never again!!!

Thanks, Robin, I think you're right about this. "Know before you go." This whole thing feels like a comedy of errors in a way!

[ellbon]

Thanks, Robin, I think you're right about this. "Know before you go." This whole thing feels like a comedy of errors in a way!

 

I jsut realize i never spellchecked .sorry.. was emailing and checking flights for jan.

 

sometimes when this happens i think a higher power is keeping you away

 

i will be in Sydney next feb- thought i would stay longer there and fly to hawaii sleep and take cruise.. no! why? charter! yes NCL likes them too. i could go in March. no, thank you. by then i want to be back in CA and then home.

 

this was the next year i tried .so i now believe not to cruise there..

 

Rob

[Jay19]

"The other thing is that (technically speaking), this cabin is an upgraded category, but there's no way for any of us to protect ourselves from upgrades that are anything but. When we sail on Royal Caribbean, for example, I can put in my profile whether I will accept upgrades or not. There's no place on the Azamara profile to a notation like this."

 

 

Deirdre, I am so sorry this cruise did not work out for you. Just for future reference though, when we make a booking we always have our TA tell Azamara that we do not want an upgrade. We are extremely specific as to which cabin we want as we do not like any kind of noise issues, nor do I like being too near the front of the ship. Our TA makes sure she has Azamara put a no upgrade note into the booking and then she double checks it is still there when we make final payment. Obviously this is more time consuming than being able to put it in a profile since it has to be done for each booking, but hopefully if you did the same it would stop this from happening to you again. I know there are loads of people who love to get upgrades and I'm happy for them for when it happens, but for us it is the last thing we want.

[dln929]

Wise words, Jay19, and kind of you to post this information for others.

[OctoberKat]

As posted earlier, we are in 6001 on the August 2016 Norwegian Fjords cruise, waitlisted for the aft counterpart. Intend to have a grand time whether or not waitlisted clears. Would not miss it for the world. I understand, Deidre, your timing and seas differ.

Edited December 13, 2014 by OctoberKat

[ellbon]

As posted earlier, we are in 6001 on the August 2016 Norwegian Fjords cruise, waitlisted for the aft counterpart. Intend to have a grand time whether or not waitlisted clears. Would not miss it for the world. I understand, Deidre, your timing and seas differ.

 

I could never ever be in that cabin.. if yuo can more power to you. I walked out of shows due to motion .

[OctoberKat]

Can't wait for our cruise to the Norwegian Fjords ... but I shall have to since we don't sail until August 2016.

[Texed]

Deirdre,

 

We had a front facing cabin on the b2b last Christmas. Jacquie got pretty sick because there was a lot of movement. It didn't bother me, but if you have any tendencies to get sea sick, you did the correct thing to cancel that room. :)

[orchestrapal]

Here's my opinion: noise when docking, lack of privacy when crew members are outside, noise from lounge rehearsals and shows, wind, pitching with any significant wave action.

 

And it's a transatlantic? No way!

 

Agree, the views are not worth the pain! Try to change.

[dln929]

Deirdre,

 

We had a front facing cabin on the b2b last Christmas. Jacquie got pretty sick because there was a lot of movement. It didn't bother me, but if you have any tendencies to get sea sick, you did the correct thing to cancel that room. :)

 

Ed, you and Rob are cut from the same cloth. He was more than willing to give it a go but I just couldn't. Now you've doubly confirmed that my suspicions were correct! I'd end up as sick as Jaquie. I remember those first two days on the Quest last Christmas only too well. I have a very healthy respect/fear of the mighty Atlantic. :o

[Grandma Gilly]

What a shame that you've cancelled your cruise due to customer service!

And you being such a fab guest blogger.

[CintiPam]

Deirdre, it sounds like your travel agent did not do a good job for you when making your booking by accepting a guarantee rather than a specific cabin which you could have checked out and then approved or rejected.

 

As a mid-ships queasy cruiser, I only book or take upsells/upgrades if I know precisely which cabin we will have. We booked the August 2016 Azamara Quest Norwegian Fjords cruise in mid-October, and my TA, knowing my preferences, obtained the cabin numbers for the mid-ships cabins left on offer, and then I chose the best for my needs. There is no way I would have proceeded without knowing it.

 

Funnily enough, we knew so little about the cruise world when we started cruising in 2008, that we naively looked to book our Greek islands cruise (Istanbul to Athens) only about three months in advance. We took a guarantee in such a low category for that port-intensive cruise that we knew it would be a mid-ships cabin no matter what, and actually found out the cabin number only about a week before the cruise.

Edited December 13, 2014 by CintiPam

[Spursgirl]

Deirdre,

 

Sorry this cruise does not work for you but I suppose it gives you a chance to find another wonderful Quest itinerary that suits you. Or a Journey one of course.

 

I am happy to be proved wrong by other CC posters but here in the UK I don't believe we have the facility to be told our cabin number at the time of booking when we select a guarantee.

 

I have booked a guarantee cabin for my last three Azamara cruises and have been more than happy with what has been allocated. Fortunately I do not suffer from sea sickness however unfriendly the waves, but have immense sympathy for those who do.

[Freckles49]

Deirdre,

 

Sorry this cruise does not work for you but I suppose it gives you a chance to find another wonderful Quest itinerary that suits you. Or a Journey one of course.

 

I am happy to be proved wrong by other CC posters but here in the UK I don't believe we have the facility to be told our cabin number at the time of booking when we select a guarantee.

 

I have booked a guarantee cabin for my last three Azamara cruises and have been more than happy with what has been allocated. Fortunately I do not suffer from sea sickness however unfriendly the waves, but have immense sympathy for those who do.

 

Yes, totally agree. We gave booked a guarantee balcony for our last 4 Quest cruises and havent been given our cabin number at the time of booking.

 

Also in the UK, I think Im right in saying we cant change our cabin once allocated whereas US citizens can.

 

Sorry to hear about this turn of events Deidre. I know how much you enjoy cruising with Azamara.

Regards to Rob

Jen

[Redtravel]

6001 is fine. Gty can put you in any cabin. There are worse cabins. Aft cabins often vibrate and can have soot. Some cabins get a lot of foot traffic. 6001 is in a very quiet location. Enjoy.

[GJH123]

Deirdra:

Given Phil's comment about the Trans-Atlantic voyage where the name of the ship was half-erased by the waves during the crossing, I'm thinking you may have made the correct decision;-) You might want to look at cruises for Canada and New England during the fall. We were in New England (land trip) during the first and second weeks of October 2014 and the colors were stunning. Acadia National Park was especially beautiful.

Happy travels on your alternate journeys!

[oregon50]

6001 is fine. Gty can put you in any cabin. There are worse cabins. Aft cabins often vibrate and can have soot. Some cabins get a lot of foot traffic. 6001 is in a very quiet location. Enjoy.

 

Please let us know what you enjoyed about being in 6001.

[Port Power]

I am happy to be proved wrong by other CC posters but here in the UK I don't believe we have the facility to be told our cabin number at the time of booking when we select a guarantee.

 

In Australia we also don't know our cabin number until boarding if GTY is booked. The whole idea of GTY is to use the left over cabins, sometimes higher cost cabins if they are also empty. You pay less, but take your chances. Obviously it is also a good time for the ship to fill less desirable cabins too. However the polite letter from Azamara is all that they really can do. Having booked through an agent, the cruise line is not allowed to make any other suggestions.

 

Remember, too, that this was a 'double upgrade' deal, so the alternative is to stick to a nice, safe, midships inside cabin at the same price or pay a bit more for an ocean view cabin. The V1 cabins sold out so quickly that there was never any chance of getting one as GTY anyway. GTY virtually meant V3 or those less liked for transatlantic cruises such as 6001. Carol

[Loucat]

We were on Quest with a similar forward stateroom for a 14 day West Indies cruise.

Noise started at 4 AM when anchor lines started prior to docking. The stateroom actually vibrated as the anchor chains were dropping.

Noise started again at 4 PM for practice of the bands that played one deck below. Noise continued during show time.

We had a major rain and water came through the sliding glass doors.

Other than that, it was a great cruise.

I did try to change staterooms once I realized what I booked, but they wanted a considerable amount of money.

[dln929]

Thank you everyone for your kind words and feedback. While I am regretful that we won't be taking advantage of this incredible itinerary, I am breathing a sigh of relief that we're not going to be in 6001. Whew! close call there. After reading all the comments, though, I am still shaking my head over how this undesirable cabin is classified as a VX and carries a premium price tag over the V1, 2, and 3 balcony categories. It seems a little greedy to me. :mad: