We cannot put our fingers on it but.....

[florisdekort]

I wonder what an "ordinary passenger" with maybe one or two cruises under their belt, would think of the differences in this cruise? They would not have been included in the special dinner at The Burg, the Arabian Chef's Table, the Best of the Best dinner etc, so their take on this LCV cruise may be very different. It would be interesting to find out.

 

 

That is precisely the point/concern...

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[uktog]

Thanks for everyone's comments - there are just a comments I would like to pick up on.

 

I would like to emphasise as I said in the original post, it was a good cruise and we saw a lot we would never have seen otherwise. The onboard experience delivered by the hotel staff was its usual very high standard.

 

And Jollyjoyce and others booked on the May LCV cruise I would not be concerned for three reasons. Firstly, one of the strengths of Azamara is they do listen and learn and I know that Nicole had a very long list of notes she was keeping. I do not know what is on these notes but they will be doing some things differently for sure. Secondly, the route of that voyage is to ports Azamara knows well and have consistently delivered excellent guest experiences in, so some of the "tensions" that were caused by "first time at this port using these providers" will not be there. And thirdly, I have done that itinerary with Azamara, it is gorgeous and perhaps lends itself better to a voyage mixing land and sea activities.

 

I really do not want to see this thread descend into a "compensation" debate. I had hoped that in the original wording I had chosen I might have avoided that but my words have not succeeded. What I was posting was about an attitude - justifying failures by saying its our first time here so put up with it which came from LD team rubbed us up wrong - Larry Pimintel did not do that, he admitted when he knew there was a failure his view on the % it was wrong. I am not aware if he knew about the issues on the photography tour, he was on it, but maybe he was not aware what the advertised product was that night.

 

Floris makes a valid point he was reflecting would he directly ask for compensation or not and against his benchmark he chose not to. Everyone has a different benchmark, it can be how many were affected, how you individually were affected or what your experience of land based itineraries was. In our case, we had paid for two persons so we were starting with a higher down cost and we have had several experiences of high end land based providers who charge around the same premium price as Azamara was, but who deliver a far more perfect, logistically possible product. That is maybe why we are nearer 60% than 80%. And to be absolutely clear, whilst we have given detailed feedback to Azamara on how they can improve that overnight tour, we have not specifically asked for compensation, though in our very British way we have noted that if something is only 80% right (accepting that benchmark) 100% cost is not where they should be at and where it is not where it is advertised the onus should be on the cruise line to react rather than the customer to have to plead.

 

We would absolutely hate it Robin if there was ever a hint onboard that just because we might post on these boards somehow Azamara would be running around compensating us or looking after us. We would cease posting if we thought that behaviour happened, and we do not believe it does.

 

Lottie does make a very valid point about what the ordinary cruiser would have thought. The excursions the CEO was party to were the really premium cost ones and many had already said, "these are expensive, I cannot do them". Interestingly for us, it was the "ordinary" excursions that worked very well and the high end ones that we did that bombed.

 

Was it expectations, over hype, what - we are still not sure but again I want to say we did see parts of the world in comfort we might never have seen before. So we are concentrating on making our photo book full of memories to share with friends and family.

 

And would we book an LCV tour again - we are exactly the same as Floris, we book for destinations and dates so if it aligned, I would say yes. Would I book just to go on an LCV cruise, jury is still out but at present the vote is No and like Bill it is an academic question anyway as we will be in the Seychelles then.

Edited November 14, 2016 by uktog

[Spursgirl]

Ann,

 

I think what I have taken from your comments is a minor disquiet that Azamara are not as on top of things as they might be when they are visiting new areas of the world and new ports. This is concerning because many of us on these boards are keen for the company to visit new destinations (as they have announced they will in 2017/18)

 

Some of the issues you experienced on your LCV cruise were the same ones you had when you visited Australia earlier in the year so it is disappointing that similar things have happened again.

 

As Azamara has a destination specialist I would expect that part of his remit is to research new Land Discovery tours competently and then to ensure that the team on board are briefed adequately.

 

On the positive side Azamara are very receptive to guests' comments and so hopefully these issues will not reoccur going forward.

 

It sounds though despite these annoyances you still enjoyed a memorable time on board

[TrulyBlonde]

I can hear those cogs whirring Hazel but we can't go.....we will be on Oceania Marina. :D

 

Lottie A,

I am on the May 5th Adriatic cruise. What is an LCV cruise?

[jollyjoyce]

Thanks for everyone's comments - there are just a comments I would like to pick up on.

 

I would like to emphasise as I said in the original post, it was a good cruise and we saw a lot we would never have seen otherwise. The onboard experience delivered by the hotel staff was its usual very high standard.

 

And Jollyjoyce and others booked on the May LCV cruise I would not be concerned for three reasons. Firstly, one of the strengths of Azamara is they do listen and learn and I know that Nicole had a very long list of notes she was keeping. I do not know what is on these notes but they will be doing some things differently for sure. Secondly, the route of that voyage is to ports Azamara knows well and have consistently delivered excellent guest experiences in, so some of the "tensions" that were caused by "first time at this port using these providers" will not be there. And thirdly, I have done that itinerary with Azamara, it is gorgeous and perhaps lends itself better to a voyage mixing land and sea activities.

 

I really do not want to see this thread descend into a "compensation" debate. I had hoped that in the original wording I had chosen I might have avoided that but my words have not succeeded. What I was posting was about an attitude - justifying failures by saying its our first time here so put up with it which came from LD team rubbed us up wrong - Larry Pimintel did not do that, he admitted when he knew there was a failure his view on the % it was wrong. I am not aware if he knew about the issues on the photography tour, he was on it, but maybe he was not aware what the advertised product was that night.

 

Floris makes a valid point he was reflecting would he directly ask for compensation or not and against his benchmark he chose not to. Everyone has a different benchmark, it can be how many were affected, how you individually were affected or what your experience of land based itineraries was. In our case, we had paid for two persons so we were starting with a higher down cost and we have had several experiences of high end land based providers who charge around the same premium price as Azamara was, but who deliver a far more perfect, logistically possible product. That is maybe why we are nearer 60% than 80%. And to be absolutely clear, whilst we have given detailed feedback to Azamara on how they can improve that overnight tour, we have not specifically asked for compensation, though in our very British way we have noted that if something is only 80% right (accepting that benchmark) 100% cost is not where they should be at and where it is not where it is advertised the onus should be on the cruise line to react rather than the customer to have to plead.

 

We would absolutely hate it Robin if there was ever a hint onboard that just because we might post on these boards somehow Azamara would be running around compensating us or looking after us. We would cease posting if we thought that behaviour happened, and we do not believe it does.

 

Lottie does make a very valid point about what the ordinary cruiser would have thought. The excursions the CEO was party to were the really premium cost ones and many had already said, "these are expensive, I cannot do them". Interestingly for us, it was the "ordinary" excursions that worked very well and the high end ones that we did that bombed.

 

Was it expectations, over hype, what - we are still not sure but again I want to say we did see parts of the world in comfort we might never have seen before. So we are concentrating on making our photo book full of memories to share with friends and family.

 

And would we book an LCV tour again - we are exactly the same as Floris, we book for destinations and dates so if it aligned, I would say yes. Would I book just to go on an LCV cruise, jury is still out but at present the vote is No and like Bill it is an academic question anyway as we will be in the Seychelles then.

 

Ann, I am not worried about our May cruise. I know Azamara will have learnt a lot from your cruise and will hopefully strive to avoid repeating the mistakes.

As we very rarely do ship tours the LD problem should not impact on us.

We chose the cruise for the ports, half of which we haven't visited, the other half we just love so are happy to return.

 

You gave a very measured, honest review and I am sure we are all very grateful that you took the time to write it. I do think it is a pity that after paying a lot of money for "special " LD tours they did not fully provide.

 

Thank you again for taking the time.

 

We love Az and I am sure our May cruise will be memorable for all the right reasons!

 

Glad you enjoyed The Burj, we got off Az in Dubai in 2015 on my birthday...we stayed on for 3 nights. My DH took me to Burj Al Arab for a Safari lunch (different courses in different restaurants). It was certainly the most memorable birthday ever and the meal was perfect.

 

Lottie...can't wait to get to Hvar.....

Joyce

[Wacktle]

As we all know, Azamara treats it's VIP guests very well indeed.

 

I wonder what an "ordinary passenger" with maybe one or two cruises under their belt, would think of the differences in this cruise? They would not have been included in the special dinner at The Burg, the Arabian Chef's Table, the Best of the Best dinner etc, so their take on this LCV cruise may be very different. It would be interesting to find out.

 

We are “ordinary passengers”. Although we have done many cruises with other non-RCL lines, this was only our third Azamara experience, so we were not invited to any special events, on board or otherwise.

 

This cruise was booked in December 2014, primarily for the itinerary, and secondly because we knew we’d feel comfortable on Azamara. At the time, the only alternatives seemed to be with Italian cruise lines, which didn’t appeal. After booking, the cruise was designated the first LCV members’ cruise, and after that, it was announced that the CEO would be on board. Each announcement brought several emails and announcements via the website promising special events. However, it transpired that, for us, the only special events were the costly LCV-badged shore excursions. Since making our original booking, a UK cruise line announced Arabian itineraries for this season, and their website made interesting reading. In trying to decide which Azamara LD excursions to book, I did some online research and was shocked to find that one of these so-called special LCV excursions was (and still is) being sold by that cruise line at two-thirds of Azamara’s price. Being a captive audience on Azamara, we had to pay their over-inflated price. We wondered whether there would be any special surprise to justify the extra cost, but there was not.

 

Around the ship, the officers were not as visible as they’d been on our 2 previous Quest cruises. At the time, we put this down to the itinerary requiring more liaisons with immigration, etc, than on our Med cruises. Until reading these posts, we had no knowledge that staff from Miami were on board. We found some of the on board service haphazard. Even before the buffets were closed due to the G-I issues, some staff seemed distracted, or had little knowledge of what was going on, or where buffet items were or where they should be. With hindsight, we wonder whether the more experienced staff had been moved away to look after the VIPs and/or whether staff were on edge due to their presence on board.

 

In summary, after all the emailed hype, the actual experience fell flat. Had this remained an ordinary cruise, all would have been fine. At some events, there seemed to be a current of congratulatory back-slapping between management and officers, even by some passengers, but the coal-face experience didn’t always seem to warrant it. We were also a little suprised that we never saw Mr Pimental speaking to "ordinary passengers" like us to gain feesback. Prior to the cruise, our main grouses were the communication issues with Azamara. Another disappointment is that, despite completing "Guest List" cards at check-in, we have not received anything. I have emailed Nicole, but have had no reply as yet.

 

Of more concern, the G-I issues were badly handled in our opinion. Captain Johannes requested that anyone affected should report the issue immediately, day or night. My partner did just that, telephoning at 07.30. He was told to report to the Medical Centre on deck 4 at 08.00, when it opened. He went down early, from deck 7, and was made to wait in the corridor alongside the deck 4 cabins, and necessitating a visit to the public restroom. The nurse then confined him to the cabin until the following morning and then again until early afternoon. Later in the cruise, a couple who we’d met on board, and who purposely had not eaten or drunk anything off the ship, were made to stand in a queue outside the Medical Centre before being confined for 48 hours. They witnessed the medical staff passing pens between patients and staff, and overheard a staff member declaring it to be a disaster ship. Making passengers trek through the ship and then confining them to cabins seemed farcical.

 

The pleas via the tannoy to use the hand sanitisers fell on many deaf ears. On our last evening we ate at The Patio. The person in charge spent time overseeing a staff member cleaning the outside of the cupboard doors under the Swirl and Top ice cream machines; doors that passengers would be unlikely to touch. Nobody manned the nearby hand gel dispenser, which we were sitting alongside. Numerous people walked past without using the gel, some of whom subsequently sat down to eat. These included a large group which included at least one officer and another very recognisable woman who was working on the ship. Only one or two of this group used the hand sanitiser. We raised our initial concerns via the mid-cruise questionnaire and were told they’d be escalated, and raised further concerns via the post-cruise questionnaires.

 

Despite all this, we did enjoy the cruise. We saw sights and had experiences that we would not otherwise have had.

 

Would we cruise with Azamara again? Possibly if the price and itinerary are right. We had already booked a Croatian cruise on a small yacht for the same week as the 2017 LCV cruise, so have no decision to make regarding that. However we would have been very unlikely to book it because, having had a horrendous departure from Venice airport after a cruise, we vowed never to end a cruise there again.

 

Finally, we did find the Land Discoveries staff on board to be excellent. We made some changes to our pre-booked excursions and found them to be very helpful. Also, all our excursions did deliver exactly what was advertised.

[Lottie A]

Lottie A,

I am on the May 5th Adriatic cruise. What is an LCV cruise?

 

Hi portofino....We will be on Oceania Marina while you are on Azamara....will be interesting to compare notes! :)

 

LCV cruise stands for a Le Club Voyage.....it's Azamara's loyalty programme special cruise, with the Azamara President Larry Pimentel being onboard, along with senior Miami executives. It is advertised as having special events and "once in a lifetime" land discovery tours. Your cruise is the 2017 Le Club Voyage cruise.

It seems the 2016 LCV cruise was not a complete success in all aspects but I'm sure Azamara will have learnt from this by your cruise next year.

 

Hope you have a lovely time. :)

[ellbon]

Ann- I would never talk about the LCV cruise in Dec-at least not first. If something came up I would be like i read the boards. I meet so many new guests some i question if they read the boards or the read the. roll call and not here. I get that idea from their silly questions

 

I would never say that Charles or you wanted or ask for money back. I would say that i went to LD on the AU cruises and had the line we are knew here. In one case i wanted Anita to ask the LD Manager a question for me. she was like you want me to ask her? Yes! This person would of known which of two tours I would prefer as she knew me. felt the line we are new here old very fast. guess they are not reading Frommers or other books on the ports. and hardly knew their tours.

 

As far as your cruise goes I would be reading if i worked on the ship more. as a guest if i did not get my tour as written I would of been writing the LD manger and the HD. I have and i had money back. this past June had a very poor guide-manage to switch tours in them i did. but later I heard from other guests they had the same problem. I hope they got money back. we could not hear her in the church- but we heard other guides.. I do know several of us went to the LD at 5 that day.

 

I do not believe in saving tables and to save near the front vs back not cool. meanwhile I believe the paying guests come first.

 

I am sorry that the officers were not around as much as they make the ship.

 

If I was on the May cruise I would be doing it for the ports not the LCV treatment

 

I am trying Oceania this year and I know it will be different i know i will enjoy the new ports of call.

 

Ann, looking forward to seeing both of you next summer.

 

Lastly i again agree Thabi should of had more help.

 

 

 

 

[TrulyBlonde]

Hi portofino....We will be on Oceania Marina while you are on Azamara....will be interesting to compare notes! :)

 

LCV cruise stands for a Le Club Voyage.....it's Azamara's loyalty programme special cruise, with the Azamara President Larry Pimentel being onboard, along with senior Miami executives. It is advertised as having special events and "once in a lifetime" land discovery tours. Your cruise is the 2017 Le Club Voyage cruise.

It seems the 2016 LCV cruise was not a complete success in all aspects but I'm sure Azamara will have learnt from this by your cruise next year.

 

Hope you have a lovely time. :)

 

Thank you, Lottie A.

I have 2 AZ cruises and 3 X so I think I am a member ;-))...It will not matter because we are on this cruise for the wonderful itinerary. My wine glass is a full one and looking forward to it.

Enjoy Oceania, I just came back from a month in South America on Insignia. it was lovely.

[BBMacLaird]

There is so much in this thread for all of us to think about, discuss, absorb, and correct. I will be sure to share this thread and everyone's comments herein with our department heads.

On behalf of all of us, aboard and ashore, I apologize for your individual disappointments.

I know there was SO much excitement in the office about this first LCV voyage. To have disappointed some of our most loyal, and/or our first-time guests, and everyone in between, is believe me, an internal disappointment for us as well.

I promise we will work doubly hard to manage expectations the next time!

[uktog]

There is so much in this thread for all of us to think about, discuss, absorb, and correct. I will be sure to share this thread and everyone's comments herein with our department heads.

On behalf of all of us, aboard and ashore, I apologize for your individual disappointments.

I know there was SO much excitement in the office about this first LCV voyage. To have disappointed some of our most loyal, and/or our first-time guests, and everyone in between, is believe me, an internal disappointment for us as well.

I promise we will work doubly hard to manage expectations the next time!

 

Thanks for listening, that is a strength of Azamara.

We know how hard it must be to have the internal disappointment after the excitement because many people worked hard to try and create this experience.

[davidandjulia]

It is always sad to read adverse contributions to this forum concerning perceived slipping of standards of guest care on board, especially when the contributors’ views are expressed so profoundly by those who are fortunate to have experienced so many past enjoyable cruises both on the Journey and the Quest, and whose opinions we have valued and appreciated over time. We are in no doubt that Ann (UKtog) has true justification in bringing to the attention of those in power at Head Office, many of whom were on board, that they should have taken note at the time that their loyal guests, the whole intended purpose of this particular cruise, (we are not referring to those who have paid for Owners Suite/Ocean Suite staterooms or cruised with Azamara for 30 plus occasions and readily accept that they should be offered preferred treatment), were not afforded the usual kind consideration and friendly contact with both the officers and indeed the President and senior Miami executives that we have come to expect on an Azamara cruise. (We quote allocated and reserved seating at the White Night event as an example). We were not on board this voyage and consequently our comments are based on trusted reports from regular contributors to this Forum and it must be said that it was heartening to read that our Chief Blogging Officer is to bring matters of concern relating to this Le Club Voyage to the attention of management as we are sure that those of us who choose Azamara as first choice when considering a future cruise, will be anxious to read the reply from Head Office.

That said, and to restore confidence that the usual high level of standard in customer care still exists within the Azamara family, we can categorically state that our recent Quest cruise from New Orleans to Miami could probably be rated as amongst the best of the 30 plus cruises we have experienced, ten of which have been with Azamara with another back-to-back cruise booked for next September. Please do not misinterpret this statement as meaning that our previous Azamara cruises in any way fell short of expected standards but each time we state that our cruise couldn’t be bettered and each time Azamara seem to have the gift of introducing new ideas to make the cruise even more enjoyable than the last. Our recent cruise was no exception and it was with a lump in our throats that we said our fond farewell to our sea going friends who were already busy ensuring that our home at sea was ready to receive their next guests. For us it was back to reality and our inclement UK weather but we eagerly look forward to seeing our friends again on our next Azamara cruise, hopefully before next September.:)

David and Julia

[Grandma Cruising]

We were also on the New Orleans to Miami cruise on Quest. Would totally agree that it was excellent. We loved the new menus with the two ' surprise' offerings every day and also the addition of sparkling wine & non- alcoholic beer and wine.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[excitedofharpenden]

I think the point being made by the OP is that the LCV cruise wasn't your typical Azamara cruise and not in a positive way. Ann did say she enjoyed the two previous cruises.

[uktog]

I think the point being made by the OP is that the LCV cruise wasn't your typical Azamara cruise and not in a positive way. Ann did say she enjoyed the two previous cruises.

 

Indeed we did - and hence why the thread was about not being able to put our finger on what was not right other than for us the land discoveries issue because we felt it was more than that.

 

I am heartened others are able to report that on Quest if was business as usual, it was certainly business as usual the previous two cruises and I read in another thread from a guest who was on the LCV voyage and the subsequent one (and also identified "vibe issues") that it is business as usual on the following cruise. All good news for future cruisers.

[elusive_23]

Hi all!

 

We were also on the LCV voyage and figured I would chime in with our perspective. My husband and I are in our very early thirties and have sailed numerous times with Holland America. This was my husband’s FIRST Azamara cruise and my SECOND. So you get the youngins and the low loyalty tier opinion. This might turn into a novel.

 

We absolutely loved the cruise. We had booked in December 2015 before it was dubbed an LCV voyage strictly for the itinerary but also because I had sailed on the Quest and while I enjoyed it I thought the refit was absolutely necessary and I was thrilled with what I saw online for the changes plus I really wasn’t excited about the other lines that offered similar routes.

 

I’d like to touch on some points from other posters without getting too lengthy.

 

Re: tables at White Night. We got there relatively early and sat right next to the reserved table for Miami and behind the captain’s tables. We were at a large round table that sat at least 6-8 people. We only had 4 at the table the whole night. We were disappointed only one couple joined us but we delighted in our conversation with them. Perhaps people thought it was also reserved or didn’t want to sit with us?

 

Re: Larry not being accessible to non-VIPs. Well… my husband walked right up to him at White Night and had a 10-15 minute conversation. He said he was a really pleasant guy and very approachable. I think they had a lot on their mind and a lot of special events to attend so the pressure was on even for them.

 

Re: Land discoveries. Yes, we encountered a problem in Qatar. We were on the Camel Racing and Museum tour that promised a visit to the Equestrian Center. Our tour was moved to the afternoon because that is when the camel training took place, which was fine. What wasn’t fine was when we boarded the bus our guide didn’t mention anything about the horses. There was quite discontentment over this by numerous people including us, as that was the ONLY reason we booked that tour. Simply put, the guide said we didn’t have time to do it and get back to the boat on time. Well enough people asked and complained that he said if we didn’t tell anyone, especially the other bus, *shhh* that we would cut our museum time short and fit in a very quick visit to the horses. Yes, we were disappointed that the stop was VERY short at the equestrian center but we were appeased that the guide fit it in. Personally we think that the tour should have been all day. Stop at the stables or museum in the morning and then the camels in the afternoon. Instead we crammed 3 things and transportation in 4 hours. My husband could have wandered the museum for hours and I could have wandered the barn and center for longer than 10 minutes. The LD in Bahrain and Khasab were on par with other excursions we have taken… some guides better than others but a good time overall. For Muscat, Dubai and Abu Dhabi we booked the Big Bus HOHO as a package deal privately and did our own thing.

 

Re: LCV special LDs. We had booked Nights and Cool Places: Bedouin Dinner on the Dunes but ended up cancelling because I found a similar one offered through another site saving us $112. We picked up another family at a hotel and had a great time. From other cruisers we heard that we ended up with more activities at our private booking than the LCV LD. We could buy alcohol, free henna tattoos, free shisha, free falcon photo ops, free camel rides. The great part was after the driver dropped off the other family he took us on an extended tour of the city on the way back to the ship. Bonus! We took no other LCV special LDs because we simply didn’t think the cost was worth it to rub elbows with Miami staff nor for what was offered.

 

Re: Something missing. Yep, I could tell that there was something “off” even though this was only my second cruise with Azamara. Although my first cruise the ship only had 230ish passengers aboard vs. the full boat on the LCV Voyage so that may have had something to do with it. We felt the service was lacking in the drink service department at tables in the MDR as well as Patio, buffet and back dining area for the first few days. It was like they were flustered and didn’t have a system. Service at the bars themselves was wonderful. I will note that the great service I had known from my previous cruise returned very quickly after the first few days though. I had asked some staff if they were worried about all the big wigs being on board and most said they were not and seemed honest in their answer and others admitted they were very new and seemed nervous so we did our best to put a smile on their face when we saw them. The “off” thing I think was that the staff was trying so exceptionally hard to make it special and a good cruise and they knew the importance that it threw them off a bit. It reminded me of the first time I took my husband cruising… I tried so hard to make sure he was enjoying it and would return that it stressed me out and just wasn’t the same. The service from the staff was still AZAmazing but there was definitely a “wear” we saw on staff at all levels at the end of the cruise that we haven’t seen on previous cruises. I hope they all got some time off at some point! Oof!

 

Re: Lottie and “ordinary cruisers” and tier special events. What we received because of my Discoverer tier was 30 free internet minutes per person, the Welcome LCV cocktail party and an invite to the brunch/lunch. We only attended the cocktail party. When we saw what high tier guests got we thought that we would have been thrilled to take a part of any of the activities and what an honor. Something to look forward to! We really like what they offer their loyal passengers in terms of perks compared to our usual line HAL where I am 3 star. Honestly though, there were so many regular activities, enrichment lectures and long days at port that we skipped SO many things that would have been great to attend and if we had even MORE to choose from we would have been overwhelmed.

 

Re: The LCV gifts. I thought that Nicole did a FANTASTIC job with the gifts she selected. The camel is now perched on my travel shelf in my travel room as well as the special dish. The journal was wonderful and if only I had more hours in the day I would have kept a journal every day of all the amazing little things that happened. The selfie stick didn’t thrill either of us even being as young as we are but I understand the tie in with the scavenger hunt and was a nice touch to help encourage participation. On that note…

 

Re: LCV Scavenger Hunt. I am the grateful and excited one that WON it! I dutifully checked in the 3 times throughout the cruise to get my scores validated. Not everything was reliant on posting to social media and the things that were my 30 minutes of internet and the free internet in some of the ports was more than enough. The more difficult things were gathering the answers that required you to take a significant portion of the LCV special LDs or at least be adept at getting the answers. I get it, it encouraged taking those LDs. Basically there was 2 pages of things that you could gain points for onboard the ship and then 2 pages of things for in port. In the end there was only one other couple that participated and don’t get me started on what poor sportsmanship they had during the scoring and when they lost… hopefully they aren’t on CC. The scavenger hunt was new to everyone and I know the staff struggled with it which led to some confusion on certain answers and missed opportunities (selfie spot each day) but honestly it was fun, challenging and the prize was worth it. I may be biased. :cool: The prize was 50% of the LCV voyage in May or 25% off any other cruise! I don’t honestly know why more people didn’t participate. A win for Azamara as it guarantees we will be on another sailing and wins major loyalty points in our book and has us mulling over how we can afford more Azamara cruises.

 

Re: GI illness. The few times that I have cruised in the Middle East each time there was some GI or other illness that went around. I guess I just expect it now. I think Azamara was very responsive and that the captain in particular was adept at addressing it by his announcements and updates. We all had a good laugh over him saying we needed to hurry out to sea so the ship could purge itself of the sickness! There were times that I HAD to sanitize my hands 3-4x in a span of a few minutes because of what areas I went through. They took all décor and silver ware off the tables and were washing down chairs and tables between each seating. Yes, we saw passengers not adhere and that was disappointing.

 

RE: Groups on board. Yes, there was a group of doctors on a continuing education cruise that did take up certain areas but it never interfered with what we had planned. My husband “accidentally” sat in on one of the lectures by being in the Living Room at the right time and sure got to learn a lot!

 

All in all, it was an exceptional cruise and we met some wonderful people aboard. And we are looking forward to our next Azamara cruise. In the future we won’t specifically choose an LCV voyage just for the perks (maybe when we are a higher tier??) but we will continue to choose our voyages on Azamara by itinerary and pricing. I will say though that if the timing worked for us on next year’s LCV voyage in May we would definitely book it with our 50% off we received!

[upwarduk]

Thank you for your detailed comments.

 

What we received because of my Discoverer tier was 30 free internet minutes per person, the Welcome LCV cocktail party and an invite to the brunch/lunch. We only attended the cocktail party.

 

We also are Discoverer level ( via Celebrity sailings) but had 90 free internet minutes per person, when we were on the Quest TA. So something was amiss for you, if you were only credited with 30!

Edited November 21, 2016 by upwarduk

[uktog]

Delighted to read of your success Elusive 23! Bad though that someone was unsportsmanlike especially when there was only two of you - two couples out of 700 guests though can't have been the result Aamara wanted.

Happy choosing your next cruise!

[Wacktle]

Thanks for your comments, Elusive23; I really enjoyed reading them. Congratulations on your win; it's great that someone on here got it. I'm trying to remember you at the M&M, but it's all a blur now, aside from a couple of participants. I can't think who the group of doctors were; I'm clearly not very observant ... and not as nosey as I thought I was!

[jollyjoyce]

Hi all!

 

 

Re: LCV special LDs. We had booked Nights and Cool Places: Bedouin Dinner on the Dunes but ended up cancelling because I found a similar one offered through another site saving us $112. We picked up another family at a hotel and had a great time. From other cruisers we heard that we ended up with more activities at our private booking than the LCV LD. We could buy alcohol, free henna tattoos, free shisha, free falcon photo ops, free camel rides. The great part was after the driver dropped off the other family he took us on an extended tour of the city on the way back to the ship. Bonus

 

All in all, it was an exceptional cruise and we met some wonderful people aboard. And we are looking forward to our next Azamara cruise. In the future we won’t specifically choose an LCV voyage just for the perks (maybe when we are a higher tier??) but we will continue to choose our voyages on Azamara by itinerary and pricing. I will say though that if the timing worked for us on next year’s LCV voyage in May we would definitely book it with our 50% off we received!

 

Thank your for your review. It sounded like a good cruise and it was interesting to hear from a non VIP about the experience.

We are booked on the LCV cruise in May ( we didn't realise it was a LCV cruise when we booked it! ) so maybe we will meet you...if you decide to go! We are certainly looking forward to it.

What a great prize to win....good for you...well done.

 

Before the May cruise we are doing an Emirates cruise on Celebrity.....at the risk of seeming cheeky I would be extremely grateful if you could email me details of the company that you booked the Bedouin trip through. We have been looking at various companies but found none that included so much!!

 

Thank you again.

Joyce........kjleitch2@yahoo.com

[elusive_23]

Thanks for your comments, Elusive23; I really enjoyed reading them. Congratulations on your win; it's great that someone on here got it. I'm trying to remember you at the M&M, but it's all a blur now, aside from a couple of participants. I can't think who the group of doctors were; I'm clearly not very observant ... and not as nosey as I thought I was!

I was the brunette w/glasses in the back with the husband who thought napping was more important than the meet and greet!

 

Sent from my LG-H900 using Forums mobile app

[elusive_23]

Thank your for your review. It sounded like a good cruise and it was interesting to hear from a non VIP about the experience.

We are booked on the LCV cruise in May ( we didn't realise it was a LCV cruise when we booked it! ) so maybe we will meet you...if you decide to go! We are certainly looking forward to it.

What a great prize to win....good for you...well done.

 

Before the May cruise we are doing an Emirates cruise on Celebrity.....at the risk of seeming cheeky I would be extremely grateful if you could email me details of the company that you booked the Bedouin trip through. We have been looking at various companies but found none that included so much!!

 

Thank you again.

Joyce........kjleitch2@yahoo.com

Joyce. I emailed you the details. Let me know if you did not receive them.

 

Sent from my LG-H900 using Forums mobile app

[BBMacLaird]

Thanks elusive_23 for your review. I will be sure to share it with Senior Management.

[elusive_23]

Thanks elusive_23 for your review. I will be sure to share it with Senior Management.

Eek! Hopefully no one gets into trouble. It truly was a fabulous cruise and we booked our next one just yesterday!

 

Sent from my LG-H900 using Forums mobile app

[elusive_23]

Thank you for your detailed comments.

 

 

 

We also are Discoverer level ( via Celebrity sailings) but had 90 free internet minutes per person, when we were on the Quest TA. So something was amiss for you, if you were only credited with 30!

Oops looks like I was mistaken. I am at the Adventurer level. The lowest tier. My apologies for the confusion.

Hi all!

 

We were also on the LCV voyage and figured I would chime in with our perspective. My husband and I are in our very early thirties and have sailed numerous times with Holland America. This was my husband’s FIRST Azamara cruise and my SECOND. So you get the youngins and the low loyalty tier opinion. This might turn into a novel.

 

We absolutely loved the cruise. We had booked in December 2015 before it was dubbed an LCV voyage strictly for the itinerary but also because I had sailed on the Quest and while I enjoyed it I thought the refit was absolutely necessary and I was thrilled with what I saw online for the changes plus I really wasn’t excited about the other lines that offered similar routes.

 

I’d like to touch on some points from other posters without getting too lengthy.

 

Re: tables at White Night. We got there relatively early and sat right next to the reserved table for Miami and behind the captain’s tables. We were at a large round table that sat at least 6-8 people. We only had 4 at the table the whole night. We were disappointed only one couple joined us but we delighted in our conversation with them. Perhaps people thought it was also reserved or didn’t want to sit with us?

 

Re: Larry not being accessible to non-VIPs. Well… my husband walked right up to him at White Night and had a 10-15 minute conversation. He said he was a really pleasant guy and very approachable. I think they had a lot on their mind and a lot of special events to attend so the pressure was on even for them.

 

Re: Land discoveries. Yes, we encountered a problem in Qatar. We were on the Camel Racing and Museum tour that promised a visit to the Equestrian Center. Our tour was moved to the afternoon because that is when the camel training took place, which was fine. What wasn’t fine was when we boarded the bus our guide didn’t mention anything about the horses. There was quite discontentment over this by numerous people including us, as that was the ONLY reason we booked that tour. Simply put, the guide said we didn’t have time to do it and get back to the boat on time. Well enough people asked and complained that he said if we didn’t tell anyone, especially the other bus, *shhh* that we would cut our museum time short and fit in a very quick visit to the horses. Yes, we were disappointed that the stop was VERY short at the equestrian center but we were appeased that the guide fit it in. Personally we think that the tour should have been all day. Stop at the stables or museum in the morning and then the camels in the afternoon. Instead we crammed 3 things and transportation in 4 hours. My husband could have wandered the museum for hours and I could have wandered the barn and center for longer than 10 minutes. The LD in Bahrain and Khasab were on par with other excursions we have taken… some guides better than others but a good time overall. For Muscat, Dubai and Abu Dhabi we booked the Big Bus HOHO as a package deal privately and did our own thing.

 

Re: LCV special LDs. We had booked Nights and Cool Places: Bedouin Dinner on the Dunes but ended up cancelling because I found a similar one offered through another site saving us $112. We picked up another family at a hotel and had a great time. From other cruisers we heard that we ended up with more activities at our private booking than the LCV LD. We could buy alcohol, free henna tattoos, free shisha, free falcon photo ops, free camel rides. The great part was after the driver dropped off the other family he took us on an extended tour of the city on the way back to the ship. Bonus! We took no other LCV special LDs because we simply didn’t think the cost was worth it to rub elbows with Miami staff nor for what was offered.

 

Re: Something missing. Yep, I could tell that there was something “off” even though this was only my second cruise with Azamara. Although my first cruise the ship only had 230ish passengers aboard vs. the full boat on the LCV Voyage so that may have had something to do with it. We felt the service was lacking in the drink service department at tables in the MDR as well as Patio, buffet and back dining area for the first few days. It was like they were flustered and didn’t have a system. Service at the bars themselves was wonderful. I will note that the great service I had known from my previous cruise returned very quickly after the first few days though. I had asked some staff if they were worried about all the big wigs being on board and most said they were not and seemed honest in their answer and others admitted they were very new and seemed nervous so we did our best to put a smile on their face when we saw them. The “off” thing I think was that the staff was trying so exceptionally hard to make it special and a good cruise and they knew the importance that it threw them off a bit. It reminded me of the first time I took my husband cruising… I tried so hard to make sure he was enjoying it and would return that it stressed me out and just wasn’t the same. The service from the staff was still AZAmazing but there was definitely a “wear” we saw on staff at all levels at the end of the cruise that we haven’t seen on previous cruises. I hope they all got some time off at some point! Oof!

 

Re: Lottie and “ordinary cruisers” and tier special events. What we received because of my Discoverer tier was 30 free internet minutes per person, the Welcome LCV cocktail party and an invite to the brunch/lunch. We only attended the cocktail party. When we saw what high tier guests got we thought that we would have been thrilled to take a part of any of the activities and what an honor. Something to look forward to! We really like what they offer their loyal passengers in terms of perks compared to our usual line HAL where I am 3 star. Honestly though, there were so many regular activities, enrichment lectures and long days at port that we skipped SO many things that would have been great to attend and if we had even MORE to choose from we would have been overwhelmed.

 

Re: The LCV gifts. I thought that Nicole did a FANTASTIC job with the gifts she selected. The camel is now perched on my travel shelf in my travel room as well as the special dish. The journal was wonderful and if only I had more hours in the day I would have kept a journal every day of all the amazing little things that happened. The selfie stick didn’t thrill either of us even being as young as we are but I understand the tie in with the scavenger hunt and was a nice touch to help encourage participation. On that note…

 

Re: LCV Scavenger Hunt. I am the grateful and excited one that WON it! I dutifully checked in the 3 times throughout the cruise to get my scores validated. Not everything was reliant on posting to social media and the things that were my 30 minutes of internet and the free internet in some of the ports was more than enough. The more difficult things were gathering the answers that required you to take a significant portion of the LCV special LDs or at least be adept at getting the answers. I get it, it encouraged taking those LDs. Basically there was 2 pages of things that you could gain points for onboard the ship and then 2 pages of things for in port. In the end there was only one other couple that participated and don’t get me started on what poor sportsmanship they had during the scoring and when they lost… hopefully they aren’t on CC. The scavenger hunt was new to everyone and I know the staff struggled with it which led to some confusion on certain answers and missed opportunities (selfie spot each day) but honestly it was fun, challenging and the prize was worth it. I may be biased. :cool: The prize was 50% of the LCV voyage in May or 25% off any other cruise! I don’t honestly know why more people didn’t participate. A win for Azamara as it guarantees we will be on another sailing and wins major loyalty points in our book and has us mulling over how we can afford more Azamara cruises.

 

Re: GI illness. The few times that I have cruised in the Middle East each time there was some GI or other illness that went around. I guess I just expect it now. I think Azamara was very responsive and that the captain in particular was adept at addressing it by his announcements and updates. We all had a good laugh over him saying we needed to hurry out to sea so the ship could purge itself of the sickness! There were times that I HAD to sanitize my hands 3-4x in a span of a few minutes because of what areas I went through. They took all décor and silver ware off the tables and were washing down chairs and tables between each seating. Yes, we saw passengers not adhere and that was disappointing.

 

RE: Groups on board. Yes, there was a group of doctors on a continuing education cruise that did take up certain areas but it never interfered with what we had planned. My husband “accidentally” sat in on one of the lectures by being in the Living Room at the right time and sure got to learn a lot!

 

All in all, it was an exceptional cruise and we met some wonderful people aboard. And we are looking forward to our next Azamara cruise. In the future we won’t specifically choose an LCV voyage just for the perks (maybe when we are a higher tier??) but we will continue to choose our voyages on Azamara by itinerary and pricing. I will say though that if the timing worked for us on next year’s LCV voyage in May we would definitely book it with our 50% off we received!

 

 

Sent from my LG-H900 using Forums mobile app