NEVER will cruise again with Azamara

[nordski]

To the OP, I'm sorry you had such a poor cruise that would make you not wish to sail on Azamara again. I post this not to doubt you, but hopefully allay fears that some reading here may have.

 

 

 

I'm currently on Journey. The loos are working, the crew are happy and engaging (well, they are wonderful actually) and the food both in the main dining room and buffet has been excellent. I've been on Journey about a dozen times. I love this ship. It's true to say it's not brand new, but it is very clean and I think charming. It will be nice to see it properly refurbed, but in the meantime I continue to be very comfortable. Since I have read bad reports (including one person via another review medium who called it small and old and a bathtub) I've made a point of asking other passengers how they are enjoying their cruise and it's been a unanimous positive response. Everyone seems very happy.

 

 

 

So don't panic. All is well here. Oh and so far the weather across the Atlantic is beautiful. Smooth and sunny, warm skies.

 

 

 

Phil

 

 

Thanks for the update.

[TxnAquarian]

We are the ones who were basically forced to disembark. They offered us only a credit on a future cruise with them. We spoke to the credit card company who said this was a fraud case. They sold us a " luxury" cruise, and we did not get a luxury cruise. We got a stateroom without a toilet. That is not luxury. They owe us a refund.

 

 

They offered you a credit, which is standard in this situation. They don't owe you a refund, as they still provided you with a room, crew, food, etc, which you still used for a few days. I can imagine the toilet situation was unpleasant, to say the least, but we had a similar issue on Holland America and were given a credit as well. We neither asked for, nor expected a refund. You also chose to the leave the ship early on your own....you weren't kicked off the ship or "basically forced to leave". Regardless of whether you're a physician or not, the shipboard medical staff is required to follow CDC guidelines. That does require quarantine if you exhibit signs of vomiting or diarrhea. You are, in turn, required to follow this protocol. Or leave the ship.

 

I'm not criticizing you, as I can imagine how miserable the whole situation must have been. But Azamara has provided you with compensation. As a physician, you must understand that the cruise lines must enact a quarantine given your symptoms. They can't chance a noro-infected guest to wander the ship's venues.

 

Sorry you had such a rough trip. My vacation time is very expensive and valuable time-wise, and I would hate to have it marred by something like this.

 

 

 

Michael

[need2cruisesoon]

They offered you a credit, which is standard in this situation. They don't owe you a refund, as they still provided you with a room, crew, food, etc, which you still used for a few days. I can imagine the toilet situation was unpleasant, to say the least, but we had a similar issue on Holland America and were given a credit as well. We neither asked for, nor expected a refund. You also chose to the leave the ship early on your own....you weren't kicked off the ship or "basically forced to leave". Regardless of whether you're a physician or not, the shipboard medical staff is required to follow CDC guidelines. That does require quarantine if you exhibit signs of vomiting or diarrhea. You are, in turn, required to follow this protocol. Or leave the ship.

 

I'm not criticizing you, as I can imagine how miserable the whole situation must have been. But Azamara has provided you with compensation. As a physician, you must understand that the cruise lines must enact a quarantine given your symptoms. They can't chance a noro-infected guest to wander the ship's venues.

 

Sorry you had such a rough trip. My vacation time is very expensive and valuable time-wise, and I would hate to have it marred by something like this.

 

 

 

Michael

 

Really, are you an expert on this legally?

Read the first post, it said AZ knew the plumbing in many of the cabins were inoperable (bio-hazard) but still sailed.

 

I agree with the poster, this is fraud and they should explore all means possible legally and financially to get full refund from the cost of the cruise. I'd be just as upset if my cabin had no running water or a toilet that didn't work.

 

It's funny that this thread has been up a couple days and yet no response or intervention form Bonnie or Larry? Silence from AZ proves the OP and others have a case for a full refund, let's see if the cruise line does right.

Edited April 6, 2015 by need2cruisesoon

[excitedofharpenden]

We are the ones who were basically forced to disembark. They offered us only a credit on a future cruise with them. We spoke to the credit card company who said this was a fraud case. They sold us a " luxury" cruise, and we did not get a luxury cruise. We got a stateroom without a toilet. That is not luxury. They owe us a refund.

 

You are the ones that referred to Journey as old and small and basically a bathtub. You lost my vote when I read that reasoned approach:rolleyes:

 

Phil

[Host Jazzbeau]

Really? You paid for a " luxury" cruise and the toilets didn't work and you are ok with that?? When we were on the Miami to Costa Rica leg they left port knowing the toilets didn't work , and they announced when they finally found the problem it was a leak in the galley, which was not confidence inspiring about the food. They repeatedly told us the problem had been fixed so it's interesting to see that on the return trip there were in fact still problems.

 

You don't show your cruising history, but I see that you are new to Cruise Critic so I wonder if this was your first cruise? The toilet systems on cruise ships (all cruise ships) are very different from land-based plumbing and are notoriously temperamental. Our first cruise was on Oceania Insignia -- another "luxury" cruise ship and a sister-ship to Journey. We had no toilets at one point; it was fixed; we got over it. Our toilets were working when the cruise began, but I don't think that is really the issue here. They break regularly; they get fixed. This was apparently a more difficult problem to suss out than they thought at first, but eventually they did get fixed. Rough seas also happen. If every cruise line delayed every cruise because conditions weren't perfect, very few ships would ever sail. If this is unacceptable, you will be better off on land-based vacations -- and preferably on the mainland, because islands can have bad weather and shortages that are impossible for tourists to overcome also. Or, you can roll with it.

[goorawin]

It's always sad to hear when things go wrong on a cruise and toilets are certainly a big issue.

I know I would not enjoy that experience and particular if it was not handle well.

Last August and September we sailed on both the Quest and Journey.

The Quest, which we had been on previously, was very good. The Captain, crew and staff were all very friendly and helpful. You would be hard pressed to find a ship with more friendly and pleasant staff.

The Journey on the other hand had a less friendly Captain, which we hardly saw throughout the cruise, unlike the Quest where the Captain was seen very regularly and mixed with passengers. This was reflected in some of the staff's attitude, which I guess is understandable. It's great to have a good boss!!!!

So our experience on the Journey was just not quite up to the high standard of the Quest.

The food and entertainment was of a good standard on both ships, so no complaints there.

Although these ships are getting on in age and probably need a major update, they are still generally very comfortable for cruising.

Because of their age, noise and vibration in parts of the ship is quite noticeable and certainly not up to the standard of very modern ships like Le Boreal, which is unbelievable for it's smoothness. No ship I've ever sailed on, and I've been on many over the last four to five decades, can match it.

We are booked to travel on the Journey once again in February, travelling from Miami to LA, through the Panama Canal. So hopefully the Captain this time round will be more friendly and open, which will make for a better all round experience.

[erdoc53]

No, this was not my first cruise. And if you read the critique of this cruise by myself and other critics you would know that they left port with the toilets not working. This was NOT a problem that developed at sea, it was a problem in port. On over half the ship. Good for you if you want to pay for a room without a toilet but I persoanlly do not. They should have given people the information before sailing and given them the option of a refund or boarding with no toilets. Weather is not controllable OBVIOUSLY, but certainly is made that much worse when your toilet DOES NOT WORK. Firthermore, toilet systems are not much different on ships than they are on airplanes and an airplane will not leave with inoperative toilets. Toilets that don't work on airplanes are extremely rare. If a cruise ship can not have the toilets working before you board they should not sail. That should be their problem, not mine. That is also a health department issue.

[erdoc53]

You are the ones that referred to Journey as old and small and basically a bathtub. You lost my vote when I read that reasoned approach:rolleyes:

 

Phil

 

They offered you a credit, which is standard in this situation. They don't owe you a refund, as they still provided you with a room, crew, food, etc, which you still used for a few days. I can imagine the toilet situation was unpleasant, to say the least, but we had a similar issue on Holland America and were given a credit as well. We neither asked for, nor expected a refund. You also chose to the leave the ship early on your own....you weren't kicked off the ship or "basically forced to leave". Regardless of whether you're a physician or not, the shipboard medical staff is required to follow CDC guidelines. That does require quarantine if you exhibit signs of vomiting or diarrhea. You are, in turn, required to follow this protocol. Or leave the ship.

 

I'm not criticizing you, as I can imagine how miserable the whole situation must have been. But Azamara has provided you with compensation. As a physician, you must understand that the cruise lines must enact a quarantine given your symptoms. They can't chance a noro-infected guest to wander the ship's venues.

 

Sorry you had such a rough trip. My vacation time is very expensive and valuable time-wise, and I would hate to have it marred by something like this.

 

 

 

Michael

 

You also contradicted yourself here. First you say we were not forced to leave the ship, or kicked off, we chose to leave. Then you go on to say we were required to follow the quarantine imposed or get off the ship. How can one be expected to follow quarantine in a room with a malfunctioning toilet? So we basically were forced to get off the ship. You yourself say that we were required to do so.

[Derby Street]

We are the ones who were basically forced to disembark. They offered us only a credit on a future cruise with them. We spoke to the credit card company who said this was a fraud case. They sold us a " luxury" cruise, and we did not get a luxury cruise. We got a stateroom without a toilet. That is not luxury. They owe us a refund.

 

And your quoting a credit card company as a reputable source :) ???? I wouldn't trust any of them. If you never cruised a refund or another cruise yes - cruise then a discount is the best you should expect.

[mara01]

To the OP, I'm sorry you had such a poor cruise that would make you not wish to sail on Azamara again. I post this not to doubt you, but hopefully allay fears that some reading here may have.

 

I'm currently on Journey. The loos are working, the crew are happy and engaging (well, they are wonderful actually) and the food both in the main dining room and buffet has been excellent. I've been on Journey about a dozen times. I love this ship. It's true to say it's not brand new, but it is very clean and I think charming. It will be nice to see it properly refurbed, but in the meantime I continue to be very comfortable. Since I have read bad reports (including one person via another review medium who called it small and old and a bathtub) I've made a point of asking other passengers how they are enjoying their cruise and it's been a unanimous positive response. Everyone seems very happy.

 

So don't panic. All is well here. Oh and so far the weather across the Atlantic is beautiful. Smooth and sunny, warm skies.

 

Phil

 

Phil, your post was very reassuring as we're on the Journey in May. Can you just tell us if the fresh orange juice machine is still present and working in Windows at breakfast time? We read on one bad review that it had been removed :eek: Breakfast wouldn't be the same without it! Enjoy your cruise.

[excitedofharpenden]

Phil, your post was very reassuring as we're on the Journey in May. Can you just tell us if the fresh orange juice machine is still present and working in Windows at breakfast time? We read on one bad review that it had been removed :eek: Breakfast wouldn't be the same without it! Enjoy your cruise.

Steve, I'm pretty sure it's still there and one outside on the counter at the Sunset Bar. I'll check when I go to breakfast and report back. The ginger energisers that they have as you walk past the Windows Bar are delicious if you haven't tried them and a good kick!

 

Phil

[mara01]

Steve, I'm pretty sure it's still there and one outside on the counter at the Sunset Bar. I'll check when I go to breakfast and report back. The ginger energisers that they have as you walk past the Windows Bar are delicious if you haven't tried them and a good kick!

 

Phil

 

Well that's a relief and we look forward to confirmation! Yes, we love the Energiser and in fact we can claim the special accolade that we introduced them to the Journey. After having them on the Quest, we were disappointed to find the Journey did not make them so we mentioned this on our mid cruise comment form and lo and behold, in true Azamara fashion, they contacted the Quest for the recipe and "the rest is history"! Another example of Azamara 'doing their best for the guest' :)

[erdoc53]

And your quoting a credit card company as a reputable source :) ???? I wouldn't trust any of them. If you never cruised a refund or another cruise yes - cruise then a discount is the best you should expect.

 

 

You can dispute a charge on your credit card.

[erdoc53]

You are the ones that referred to Journey as old and small and basically a bathtub. You lost my vote when I read that reasoned approach:rolleyes:

 

Phil

 

 

I replied to this once it seems to have disappeared. My point in calling th ship a bathtub was thT it handles poorly in rough seas, and Azamara knew we were sailing into rough seas WITH NO TOILETS before we left port.

[Lottie A]

I replied to this once it seems to have disappeared. My point in calling th ship a bathtub was thT it handles poorly in rough seas, and Azamara knew we were sailing into rough seas WITH NO TOILETS before we left port.

 

I am sure your cruise experience was unpleasant and I do sympathise with your obvious disappointment, however I have always found both Quest and Journey to be excellent, seaworthy ships and not a "bathtub" at all. The Captains are always proactive in advising passengers of any rough sea conditions ahead and allowing anyone prone to sea sickness to take medication ahead of time. Yes, the ships are small but I actually like the feeling of being on a moving ship at sea and not on a floating tower block. I have just returned from a cruise on a large ship and we had a night of Force 10 winds and very heavy seas with lots of pitching and rolling. You take a chance on rough weather on any ship, but it's a risk of cruising. I actually commented to my friend that I think Quest would have handled the seas better.

 

As to your cabin plumbing issues, these can happen on any ship, old or new and on any cruiseline. It's unfortunate but I'm sure Azamara did their utmost to fix it ASAP. If the sailing was delayed and ports missed because of this issue then I can imagine that the majority of passengers whose cabins weren't affected would be extremely unhappy and would have a case for claiming compensation. You were offered compensation and I do feel that this was well deserved but certainly not a complete refund.

 

As to the health issues, as a medical professional you must know the rules for isolation that have to be followed for gastro intestinal conditions. Could you not have been moved to one of the cabins with a working toilet? As you must know, Norovirus symptoms typically last a maximum of 48 hours and then you could have continued with your cruise. It is sad and unpleasant that this should have happened to you and I really do sympathise because I know that I would be upset if it happened to me, but I still cannot see that you have a case for a total refund of your cruise monies. I would think that a partial refund for the days that your bathroom did not function and a generous discount off a future cruise would be more than acceptable. After all, it was you who chose to leave the ship early.

 

To anyone sailing on Journey or Quest in the future, I can only echo Phil's comments that they are beautifully kept, clean and charming ships with the happiest and best crews at sea. I have just returned from a lovely cruise with another company and I am going on a Silversea cruise in a few weeks, but I just can't wait to book my next cruise with Azamara soon.

[excitedofharpenden]

Well that's a relief and we look forward to confirmation! Yes, we love the Energiser and in fact we can claim the special accolade that we introduced them to the Journey. After having them on the Quest, we were disappointed to find the Journey did not make them so we mentioned this on our mid cruise comment form and lo and behold, in true Azamara fashion, they contacted the Quest for the recipe and "the rest is history"! Another example of Azamara 'doing their best for the guest' :)

Well done Steve! :) Yes, they do have freshly squeezed orange juice both inside and out, for now at least. We have seven sea days to the Azores so might run a bit low before restocking.

 

Phil

[excitedofharpenden]

I am sure your cruise experience was unpleasant and I do sympathise with your obvious disappointment, however I have always found both Quest and Journey to be excellent, seaworthy ships and not a "bathtub" at all. The Captains are always proactive in advising passengers of any rough sea conditions ahead and allowing anyone prone to sea sickness to take medication ahead of time. Yes, the ships are small but I actually like the feeling of being on a moving ship at sea and not on a floating tower block. I have just returned from a cruise on a large ship and we had a night of Force 10 winds and very heavy seas with lots of pitching and rolling. You take a chance on rough weather on any ship, but it's a risk of cruising. I actually commented to my friend that I think Quest would have handled the seas better.

 

Lottie, an example of this is that Captain Johannes has an animation of sea conditions obtained via the web on his phone and plotted against our course. He has now put this on channel 17 updated each day to keep everyone advised. Good huh?

 

Phil

Edited April 6, 2015 by excitedofharpenden

[erdoc53]

I am sure your cruise experience was unpleasant and I do sympathise with your obvious disappointment, however I have always found both Quest and Journey to be excellent, seaworthy ships and not a "bathtub" at all. The Captains are always proactive in advising passengers of any rough sea conditions ahead and allowing anyone prone to sea sickness to take medication ahead of time. Yes, the ships are small but I actually like the feeling of being on a moving ship at sea and not on a floating tower block. I have just returned from a cruise on a large ship and we had a night of Force 10 winds and very heavy seas with lots of pitching and rolling. You take a chance on rough weather on any ship, but it's a risk of cruising. I actually commented to my friend that I think Quest would have handled the seas better.

 

As to your cabin plumbing issues, these can happen on any ship, old or new and on any cruiseline. It's unfortunate but I'm sure Azamara did their utmost to fix it ASAP. If the sailing was delayed and ports missed because of this issue then I can imagine that the majority of passengers whose cabins weren't affected would be extremely unhappy and would have a case for claiming compensation. You were offered compensation and I do feel that this was well deserved but certainly not a complete refund.

 

As to the health issues, as a medical professional you must know the rules for isolation that have to be followed for gastro intestinal conditions. Could you not have been moved to one of the cabins with a working toilet? As you must know, Norovirus symptoms typically last a maximum of 48 hours and then you could have continued with your cruise. It is sad and unpleasant that this should have happened to you and I really do sympathise because I know that I would be upset if it happened to me, but I still cannot see that you have a case for a total refund of your cruise monies. I would think that a partial refund for the days that your bathroom did not function and a generous discount off a future cruise would be more than acceptable. After all, it was you who chose to leave the ship early.

 

To anyone sailing on Journey or Quest in the future, I can only echo Phil's comments that they are beautifully kept, clean and charming ships with the happiest and best crews at sea. I have just returned from a lovely cruise with another company and I am going on a Silversea cruise in a few weeks, but I just can't wait to book my next cruise with Azamara soon.

 

I would agree with you if the toilets stopped up after we set sail, however the toilets were not working BEFORE WE SET SAIL. The passengers were not told, and should have had an option, especially since it seems this ship has had this problem I the past , and apparently will not or can not fix it. And as a MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL I think no working toilets on a cruise ship with a lot of seasickness is bad enough, but to quarantine someone to their room with a malfunctioning toilet and possible Norovirus , you are ok with that? Don't you think a Norovirus outbreak on a ship with no functioning toilets would be a total health disaster? This is what they were gambling with. Their immediate health problem on this ship was NOT Norovirus , it was no functioning toilets, and one reviewer even claimed there was sewage backup in some cabins.

[erdoc53]

i would agree with you if the toilets stopped up after we set sail, however the toilets were not working before we set sail. The passengers were not told, and should have had an option, especially since it seems this ship has had this problem i the past , and apparently will not or can not fix it. And as a medical professional i think no working toilets on a cruise ship with a lot of seasickness is bad enough, but to quarantine someone to their room with a malfunctioning toilet and possible norovirus , you are ok with that? Don't you think a norovirus outbreak on a ship with no functioning toilets would be a total health disaster? This is what they were gambling with. Their immediate health problem on this ship was not norovirus , it was no functioning toilets, and one reviewer even claimed there was sewage backup in some cabins.

 

and no it was not we who chose to leave the ship early. We were not given a choice for quarantine , we were quarantined to our room , like you said we should have been, but the toilet was malfunctioning. We were not offered another room. Our only other option was to disembark. There was no choice here.

[uktog]

I am extremely surprised the credit card company used the word fraud as that is not what happened. They need to retrain their call handlers in relation to the categorisation of credit card disputes. You may opt to raise a claim in relation to service delivery, though from the facts presented you will have a difficult case to prove, however if you progress with this as a fraud claim, 100% you will not be successful. There was no fraud committed, there are very precise definitions of what constitutes a fraud, including intent of malice, that did not happen here.

 

I am sorry your cruise was not as you expected and you chose to react to the situation you faced as you did.

 

I am glad to here from others that all is working well onboard a ship that is totally seaworthy and has given me a far smoother ride than some of the larger glitzed up bling offerings around

[erdoc53]

I am extremely surprised the credit card company used the word fraud as that is not what happened. They need to retrain their call handlers in relation to the categorisation of credit card disputes. You may opt to raise a claim in relation to service delivery, though from the facts presented you will have a difficult case to prove, however if you progress with this as a fraud claim, 100% you will not be successful. There was no fraud committed, there are very precise definitions of what constitutes a fraud, including intent of malice, that did not happen here.

 

I am sorry your cruise was not as you expected and you chose to react to the situation you faced as you did.

 

I am glad to here from others that all is working well onboard a ship that is totally seaworthy and has given me a far smoother ride than some of the larger glitzed up bling offerings around

 

No, you are wrong. Here is the definition of fraud. " deliberate deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain. I think that about covers it.

 

In law, fraud is deliberate deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain. Fraud is both a civil wrong (i.e., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud and/or recover monetary compensation) and a criminal wrong (i.e., a fraud perpetrator may be prosecuted and imprisoned by governmental authorities).

[uktog]

No, you are wrong. Here is the definition of fraud. " deliberate deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain. I think that about covers it.

 

In law, fraud is deliberate deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain. Fraud is both a civil wrong (i.e., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud and/or recover monetary compensation) and a criminal wrong (i.e., a fraud perpetrator may be prosecuted and imprisoned by governmental authorities).

 

Intent of malice/deliberate deception one and the same thing, deliberate deception did not exist in your case but you are not going to accept that nor are you going to accept anything anyone publishes on board.

 

There was by the way no unlawful gain, there was no deception. You have a view about the level of information you were given but that is highly unlikely to be seen as deception by a reasonable minded judge. You have to prove intent and that the perpetrator took actions deliberately to defraud you.

Edited April 6, 2015 by uktog

[erdoc53]

Intent of malice/deliberate deception one and the same thing, deliberate deception did not exist in your case but you are not going to accept that nor are you going to accept anything anyone publishes on board.

 

There was by the way no unlawful gain, there was no deception. You have a view about the level of information you were given but that is highly unlikely to be seen as deception by a reasonable minded judge. You have to prove intent and that the perpetrator took actions deliberately to defraud you.

 

How can you say deliberate deception did not exist? They deliberately did not tell us that the toilets did not work before we set sail, and this was obviously done so people would not demand a refund and refuse to board. As far as everyone else on the board, there are just a few like yourself who refuse to acknowledge that anything wrong was done. You must work for them?

[Andy]

Hi Everyone,

 

As this is a customer service issue, I suggest contacting your TA or Azamara if you've booked direct.

 

Azamara contact information can be found here : https://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/le-club-voyage/contact-us

 

Thanks very much for your participation and understanding. This thread is now closed.