fernem Posted August 15, 2017 #1 Share Posted August 15, 2017 Hi, everyone. I am wringing my hands today trying to decide whether to bail on the newly constituted Fall 2018 TA on the Journey ... albeit with an extra non refundable $1000.00 to ease my inconvenience ... and go on Oceania's Riviera TA with a more interesting itinerary and just about the same price. I need help thinking about it and need to decide today! On the one hand, I love what Azamara provides: small, warm, charming experience. However, I do not like the way Azamara corporate has treated this situation. I had to tell my travel agent about the change since she never got the letter laying it out. I had to have a meltdown with Azamara on the phone to get them to hold my cabin for a few days while I thought it over. They seemed to consider that unreasonable. The new TA, of course, is nowhere near as interesting as the first and three days shorter to boot. I have five Azamara cruises booked at this point and wanted Azamara to be nicer to me, perhaps childishly. I found a fall TA on Oceania, a line I have never tried, with six ports: Alicante, Malaga, Tenerife, Santa Cruz de Palma, San Juan, and Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas. The price is pretty much the same: club continent suite vs Penthouse suite; 1250 vs 686 passengers. Any thoughts on this, please? I would love some help deciding. Thanks. Fern Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ceba Posted August 15, 2017 #2 Share Posted August 15, 2017 Personally I don't have a favorite because they are both great lines and I'm happy to be on either one. We took A's Antarctica (Club Continent suite and in November the Dubai-Singapore) itinerary and O's Easter Island/French Polynesia (penthouse, Marina). Both were excellent cruises. We're fairly quiet people but we're friendly so for us both staffs were excellent. We loved the variety of food choices on O, but food is not a deciding factor. When we travel it's all about itinerary for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiccups Posted August 15, 2017 #3 Share Posted August 15, 2017 Well, Oceania doesn't include alcoholic beverages and gratuities, so that would make it more expensive, I'd assume. Although if you take O Life, you'd have unlimited internet (if that's important) and whichever perk you select (beverage package/shore excursions/OBC). Riviera is a beautiful ship, but as you've pointed out, it is larger, so you lose a bit of the intimacy of Azamara. We didn't run into the same people as frequently on Oceania as we did on Azamara. We had similar service on both lines, and preferred the food on Oceania, but of course that's subjective. I'd have to weigh out how much the ports mattered to me. And like you, how I'd been treated couldn't help but sneak in there a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fernem Posted August 15, 2017 Author #4 Share Posted August 15, 2017 Thanks for the replies. All input gratefully accepted. Our travel agent has a promo where they pay gratuities on this sailing so that's a big help. We would choose their O Life promo for $800.00 on board credit and hope that covers the expensive drinks for dinner and occasional lunches on the crossing. It really is pretty close. If we do excursions, that will up the Oceania cost but mostly we don't see ourselves doing that. We have been to The Azores, albeit not Horta, and Bermuda so Azamara's crossing leaves only Cuba for curiosity and we have another Azamara sailing in March of 2019 that takes us to Cuba as well. The ports are clearly in Oceania's favor. I just fear missing Azamara's intimacy. I am very bad with decision-making! 🙄 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidTheWonderer Posted August 15, 2017 #5 Share Posted August 15, 2017 There is no right answer to this. It depends on the individual. When thinking about Riviera vs Azamara, I tend to use an analogy. Some people prefer to live in a beautiful 3000 sq. ft. house on a big lot out in the middle of nowhere. They tend to stay home a lot, and entertain in their house or in friend's houses. They tend to drive anywhere that they go. Some people prefer to live in the heart of a big city. They will usually end up living in a much smaller place. But they can and do walk to nearby restaurants, bars, theaters, grocery stores, etc. They do most of their socialising in these places. Neither one of these types of people are "better" than the other. But what they are looking for in where they live is different. For the former type of person, I think Riviera is likely to be a better fit. The ship is the second most beautiful ship I've ever been on (the dear departed Radisson Diamond is number 1). But compared to other ships, those beautiful lounges and bars are comparatively empty, except during the one-hour "happy hour" every afternoon. For the second type of person, Azamara is probably a better choice. People are out and about on board in all lounges, bars, etc., and there is a lovely social ambience on the ships. For a TA cruise, these factors become especially important because there are a number of sea days and they are certainly far from being port-intensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
excitedofharpenden Posted August 15, 2017 #6 Share Posted August 15, 2017 Hey David! Was the Diamond the twin hull ship? Pretty unique. I think I saw it a couple of times in the Caribbean. Not that comfy if it was rough? Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidTheWonderer Posted August 15, 2017 #7 Share Posted August 15, 2017 Hey David! Was the Diamond the twin hull ship? Pretty unique. Phil Yes, that is the one. The Art Decor motif was particularly spectacular. The captain said that as a ship there was lot to be desired, but for a passenger it was very special. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floridiana Posted August 15, 2017 #8 Share Posted August 15, 2017 The price is pretty much the same: club continent suite vs Penthouse suite; 1250 vs 686 passengers. Any thoughts on this, please? I would love some help deciding. Thanks. Fern Wow, what a luxury! I would choose the Riviera any time. I've sailed on Riviera, Regatta and Journey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MobyandDick Posted August 15, 2017 #9 Share Posted August 15, 2017 (edited) Both cruise lines are outstanding, the only thing I would consider is that the Azamara sails with the original smaller R-ships and Oceania's Riviera ship is larger and maybe a little more comfortable for a transatlantic crossing??? We loved the choice of four additional specialty restaurants on Riviera but also enjoyed Journey's F&B served at the maian dining room and buffet restaurant (with 2 spec. restaurants) and instead they seem to offer more theme parties during our West Indies cruise during January 2017. Personally I liked the little extra space/room on Riviera but to be honest, both F&B choices, F&B quality and service was at par by both ships. Edited August 15, 2017 by MobyandDick typing error Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lottie A Posted August 15, 2017 #10 Share Posted August 15, 2017 I have sailed on Marina, one of the larger O ships. She is beautiful and yes, the food is great but there was no atmosphere onboard after 10 pm as most people went to bed early and given the choice, it would be Azamara for me every time. Just my opinion of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandma Gilly Posted August 15, 2017 #11 Share Posted August 15, 2017 i have sailed on marina, one of the larger o ships. She is beautiful and yes, the food is great but there was no atmosphere onboard after 10 pm as most people went to bed early and given the choice, it would be azamara for me every time. Just my opinion of course. ditto! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronte2 Posted August 15, 2017 #12 Share Posted August 15, 2017 I have sailed on Marina, one of the larger O ships. She is beautiful and yes, the food is great but there was no atmosphere onboard after 10 pm as most people went to bed early and given the choice, it would be Azamara for me every time. Just my opinion of course. My thoughts exactly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fernem Posted August 15, 2017 Author #13 Share Posted August 15, 2017 Thank you all for your help. We have decided to try Oceania for this 2018 Transatlantic. The house analogy was really helpful. We enjoy meeting people on Azamara but we eat alone, or with friends, drink by ourselves, and often walk the deck at night after dinner to digest. We like the comforts of our cabin and balcony. I am also terribly annoyed at Azamara's attitude in this charter fiasco. I understand business decisions, I really do, but the customer base needs to be treated with some loyalty as well. I hope Bonnie communicates this to corporate. Had they treated me with more courtesy, I would more than likely remain in its fold. Now I may just find Oceania to my liking and be gone. I still have two Azamara cruises in 2018 and I would be hard pressed to give up Norway, plus the onboard experience is warm and welcoming and filled with charm. And we also have two Azamara cruises in 2019. But I really do like to be treated less dismissively and I do think it shows itself here in this decision. Thanks again everyone. Fern Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiccups Posted August 15, 2017 #14 Share Posted August 15, 2017 I'm sure you'll have a great time, and it's always fun to try something new. If you like fish, try the sea bass at Red Ginger... everyone says it's fantastic. I don't know from personal experience, but my DH had it after recommendations and really enjoyed it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrulyBlonde Posted August 15, 2017 #15 Share Posted August 15, 2017 Thank you all for your help. We have decided to try Oceania for this 2018 Transatlantic. The house analogy was really helpful. We enjoy meeting people on Azamara but we eat alone, or with friends, drink by ourselves, and often walk the deck at night after dinner to digest. We like the comforts of our cabin and balcony. I am also terribly annoyed at Azamara's attitude in this charter fiasco. I understand business decisions, I really do, but the customer base needs to be treated with some loyalty as well. I hope Bonnie communicates this to corporate. Had they treated me with more courtesy, I would more than likely remain in its fold. Now I may just find Oceania to my liking and be gone. I still have two Azamara cruises in 2018 and I would be hard pressed to give up Norway, plus the onboard experience is warm and welcoming and filled with charm. And we also have two Azamara cruises in 2019. But I really do like to be treated less dismissively and I do think it shows itself here in this decision.Thanks again everyone. Fern We are similar and like "just the two of us". But we also enjoy friendly people. Last year we spent a month on O for S. America and had the best time actually being a bit more social. We met many interesting people from all over the world and even though we chose to dine alone each evening, the camaraderie was there with all of our new friends. A very fun time and you will have a wonderful time on a TA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fernem Posted August 15, 2017 Author #16 Share Posted August 15, 2017 We are similar and like "just the two of us". But we also enjoy friendly people. Last year we spent a month on O for S. America and had the best time actually being a bit more social. We met many interesting people from all over the world and even though we chose to dine alone each evening, the camaraderie was there with all of our new friends. A very fun time and you will have a wonderful time on a TA. Thanks! I am looking forward to it. Fern Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiseaholic78 Posted August 16, 2017 #17 Share Posted August 16, 2017 As many others have done I can assure you that you will have a great time. You might want to consider one of the balcony cabins with an extended balcony which was enormous with both shade and sun. I am not sure of the extra space with a suite but this sort of cabin may provide similar leaving you with extra money in the pocket.Our first cruise with Oceania was a TA on the Riviera and I do love their larger ship (pool). Our first love is Azamara but if the price and itinerary are right we go with Oceania. Happy cruising Rosalyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuAnn Posted August 16, 2017 #18 Share Posted August 16, 2017 I am considering the same switch...as I was booked on the AZ T/A 18 that was altered so much!...We have been on O a number of times and do enjoy both lines. Unfortunately we have been to most of the ports on the O T/A and are interested in Cuba...and I'm still waiting to hear AZs offer! And my TA was never contacted either. The way we have been treated by AZ on this has been very, very bad IMO. LuAnn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBMacLaird Posted August 16, 2017 #19 Share Posted August 16, 2017 I am considering the same switch...as I was booked on the AZ T/A 18 that was altered so much!...We have been on O a number of times and do enjoy both lines. Unfortunately we have been to most of the ports on the O T/A and are interested in Cuba...and I'm still waiting to hear AZs offer! And my TA was never contacted either. The way we have been treated by AZ on this has been very, very bad IMO. LuAnn Hi LuAnn, I can't understand how your travel agent, i.e. your agent of record for your booking, was never contacted? Letters, emails, and now phone calls are going out to all affected. It should go without saying that it is our goal to rebook as many of the cancelled booked guests as possible! Please copy this post (yours, not necessarily mine) and email AzamaraCustomerService@AzamaraClubCruises.com with your name, sailing date and booking number to see how your communication fell through the cracks...and to get resolution. I'd hate to lose you over this. We appreciate your business, and I appreciate your posts on our forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fernem Posted August 16, 2017 Author #20 Share Posted August 16, 2017 Hi LuAnn, I can't understand how your travel agent, i.e. your agent of record for your booking, was never contacted? Letters, emails, and now phone calls are going out to all affected. It should go without saying that it is our goal to rebook as many of the cancelled booked guests as possible! Please copy this post (yours, not necessarily mine) and email AzamaraCustomerService@AzamaraClubCruises.com with your name, sailing date and booking number to see how your communication fell through the cracks...and to get resolution. I'd hate to lose you over this. We appreciate your business, and I appreciate your posts on our forum. Well, I spoke to very unpleasant customer service people at Azamara on Friday who told me my travel agent had received notice from Azamara about all this fiasco and they could not even be pleasant to me about it since I worked with an agent. My travel agent knew nothing about it until I informed her late Friday afternoon and then she had to get them to email her with the letter on Monday morning. Just disgraceful. With five Azamara cruises on the books, most in a suite, it seems only reasonable Azamara would try to be nice to me. Not true. I was totally dispensable. I now have four on the books. I am not writing Azamara to inquire about their dropping the ball. I did that last Friday and had to have a meltdown and demand a supervisor to get them to consider holding the cabin I had already reserved. I still have not gotten a letter of apology. I am sure they think I don't need one. They dramatically changed our 17 day Transatlantic to one very similar to the spring 2018 Transatlantic I am currently booked on (which I am not even including in the five I had reserved because I always thought I might drop that one). In response to LuAnn, perhaps consider the much more appealing Miami to New York in March 2019 if you can do it. I really nice itinerary which includes Cuba. The Fall 2018 TA is really mediocre in my opinion and costs way too much for its offerings. The Oceania is back in November, not October, and has some nice ports. I have been to most of them as well but to me it looks like a much nicer sailing. Thanks for responding, LuAnn. Fern Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuAnn Posted August 16, 2017 #21 Share Posted August 16, 2017 Hi LuAnn,I can't understand how your travel agent, i.e. your agent of record for your booking, was never contacted? Letters, emails, and now phone calls are going out to all affected. It should go without saying that it is our goal to rebook as many of the cancelled booked guests as possible! Please copy this post (yours, not necessarily mine) and email AzamaraCustomerService@AzamaraClubCruises.com with your name, sailing date and booking number to see how your communication fell through the cracks...and to get resolution. I'd hate to lose you over this. We appreciate your business, and I appreciate your posts on our forum. Bonnie...I could not understand it either...but as of Monday when he called in the only way he knew about the change was because I sent him an email on Friday (too late for him to do anything as it was already after closing for him on the east coast) The staff I talked to on Saturday AM at AZ were not very helpful...and I too had to "arm twist" to get them to "hold" the cabin I had already booked on the original T/A and they would only agree to hold it until 8/14. (obviously that hold has expired so who knows where I stand on that issue) I still don't have the offer re what is happening to the OBC I had on the original cruise or the "CruiseNow" discount. And when I mentioned that my TA knew nothing about this they should "he should of known and called in"!!...HUH??? The original rep was Marianna and the supervisor was Pamela (this was AM 8/12 SD time). We have enjoyed AZ so much...and are booked on the fall T/A this year on Quest and the T/P in fall of '19 from Alaska to Tokyo...but I'm afraid this entire experience has left a "bad taste in my mouth". As far as I can tell most people on the R/C for the original cruise have not "re-booked" and I'm afraid I might be one of them. I have a hold on a cabin on Oceania for their fall T/A...one I had considered previously but chose the AZ one because it was 17 nights versus 14. I'm sorry you have been stuck in the middle of all this...hopefully senior management will listen to you when you alert them to all the problems their customers have experienced. I will certainly keep you in the loop about what happens next as far as "offers" from the home office. LuAnn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuAnn Posted August 16, 2017 #22 Share Posted August 16, 2017 Well, I spoke to very unpleasant customer service people at Azamara on Friday who told me my travel agent had received notice from Azamara about all this fiasco and they could not even be pleasant to me about it since I worked with an agent. My travel agent knew nothing about it until I informed her late Friday afternoon and then she had to get them to email her with the letter on Monday morning. Just disgraceful. With five Azamara cruises on the books, most in a suite, it seems only reasonable Azamara would try to be nice to me. Not true. I was totally dispensable. I now have four on the books. I am not writing Azamara to inquire about their dropping the ball. I did that last Friday and had to have a meltdown and demand a supervisor to get them to consider holding the cabin I had already reserved. I still have not gotten a letter of apology. I am sure they think I don't need one. They dramatically changed our 17 day Transatlantic to one very similar to the spring 2018 Transatlantic I am currently booked on (which I am not even including in the five I had reserved because I always thought I might drop that one). In response to LuAnn, perhaps consider the much more appealing Miami to New York in March 2019 if you can do it. I really nice itinerary which includes Cuba. The Fall 2018 TA is really mediocre in my opinion and costs way too much for its offerings. The Oceania is back in November, not October, and has some nice ports. I have been to most of them as well but to me it looks like a much nicer sailing. Thanks for responding, LuAnn. Fern Fern...we enjoy both lines and I think you'll be happy with O too! I have a cabin on hold for the fall '18 T/A on Riviera. We have sailed on O a number of times and think the Riviera and Marina are just fabulous ships. I agree that the interaction with the Captains and crew is not at all the same and that "warmth" is missing that we experience on AZ...but the ships are stunning and the food is excellent..especially the Terrace. Let us know what happens and what you decide to do! LuAnn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fernem Posted August 16, 2017 Author #23 Share Posted August 16, 2017 Fern...we enjoy both lines and I think you'll be happy with O too! I have a cabin on hold for the fall '18 T/A on Riviera. We have sailed on O a number of times and think the Riviera and Marina are just fabulous ships. I agree that the interaction with the Captains and crew is not at all the same and that "warmth" is missing that we experience on AZ...but the ships are stunning and the food is excellent..especially the Terrace. Let us know what happens and what you decide to do! LuAnn Hi, LuAnn, Now I am getting excited about Oceania! [emoji849][emoji33] We are definitely booked on their fall TA. Ask your travel agent about deals. My ta's company just happened to have a promo for this sailing for paid gratuities so that was a plus and, for us in California, the OLife airfare deal was less than $900. more and we chose the $800. amenity which was a no brainer! Maybe we will meet onboard! Be well. Fern Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fernem Posted August 17, 2017 Author #24 Share Posted August 17, 2017 Fern...we enjoy both lines and I think you'll be happy with O too! I have a cabin on hold for the fall '18 T/A on Riviera. We have sailed on O a number of times and think the Riviera and Marina are just fabulous ships. I agree that the interaction with the Captains and crew is not at all the same and that "warmth" is missing that we experience on AZ...but the ships are stunning and the food is excellent..especially the Terrace. Let us know what happens and what you decide to do! LuAnn Hi LuAnn. I have another question. In the many Celebrity cruises we have taken, I have loved the Century best. Felt like a real ship. My love of Azamara came from a sense I'd found a new and improved Century experience. Is Riviera about the same size as Century, if you know? In tonnage Riviera is slightly less. I don't know how that translates to size. Just curious. Fern Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenndale Posted August 17, 2017 #25 Share Posted August 17, 2017 Hi LuAnn. I have another question. In the many Celebrity cruises we have taken, I have loved the Century best. Felt like a real ship. My love of Azamara came from a sense I'd found a new and improved Century experience. Is Riviera about the same size as Century, if you know? In tonnage Riviera is slightly less. I don't know how that translates to size. Just curious. Fern Sent from my iPhone using Forums Hi, I too loved Century and was sad to see it go. It was slightly larger than Riviera but carried approx a third more passengers. Riviera is a beautiful ship so no need to worry and the passengers are just as friendly as those on Azamara :) We are booked on the TA in November 18 for 26 nights, starting in Barcelona, maybe see you on board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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