Watch the promotions carefully!

[excitedofharpenden]

I am posting this information as something I have noticed recently and for advice to others. Until Friday the UK promotion was to receive “up to 30% off” the cruise price. We are now in sync with the promo in other parts of the world and on Friday it changed to the double upgrade offer (book a balcony for the price of an inside). I was looking to book a couple of cruises this week in an OV cat 05 and decided to do that on Wednesday under the 30% off promo. I’m not bothered with having a balcony and like the location of the cat 05s. Out of interest I took a screen grab of prices from the website for the 23rd June 2018 Quest cruise then and also when the double upgrade offer started. I’ve posted them below for you to look at. Bear in mind it’s quoted in £££s and single occupancy, but as there is no special single supplement deal it that would be pretty much the cabin cost for two, adding a bit for port taxes and fees.

 

My observations. The price increase from the “up to 30% off” promo to the double upgrade promo across all categories apart from balcony cabins is about 43%. The price of the balconies are reduced by 17%. They are big price hikes for the rest of the cabins to pay for the double upgrade. It’s a promotions game and you have to pick your time.

 

 

 

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[excitedofharpenden]

I am posting this information as something I have noticed recently and for advice to others. Until Friday the UK promotion was to receive “up to 30% off” the cruise price. We are now in sync with the promo in other parts of the world and on Friday it changed to the double upgrade offer (book a balcony for the price of an inside). I was looking to book a couple of cruises this week in an OV cat 05 and decided to do that on Wednesday under the 30% off promo. I’m not bothered with having a balcony and like the location of the cat 05s. Out of interest I took a screen grab of prices from the website for the 23rd June 2018 Quest cruise then and also when the double upgrade offer started. I’ve posted them below for you to look at. Bear in mind it’s quoted in £££s and single occupancy, but as there is no special single supplement deal it that would be pretty much the cabin cost for two, adding a bit for port taxes and fees.

 

My observations. The price increase from the “up to 30% off” promo to the double upgrade promo across all categories apart from balcony cabins is about 43%. The price of the balconies are reduced by 17%. They are big price hikes for the rest of the cabins to pay for the double upgrade. It’s a promotions game and you have to pick your time.

 

 

 

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These are a better size I think.

 

 

 

 

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[Bloodaxe]

You have been lucky Phil, I booked a balcony last week, such is life

Edited September 30, 2017 by Bloodaxe

[excitedofharpenden]

You have lucky Phil, I booked a balcony last week

:( I really dislike this game. Advertise up to 30% off and then when the promo is over put the prices up by 43 for the other cabins.

 

Phil

[Bloodaxe]

:( I really dislike this game. Advertise up to 30% off and then when the promo is over put the prices up by 43 for the other cabins.

 

Phil

I agree, Celebrity are also doing something similar with a buy one get half off for a second passenger.

The price has gone up significantly compared to that before the offer.

I suppose at the end of the day they always come out winning.

[Lottie A]

I agree with you Phil. No-one minds Azamara making a reasonable profit as we understand it is a business of course, but this pricing seems very disingenuous to me.

 

It leaves an unpleasant feeling and if Azamara thinks that it's loyal passengers don't notice these things then they are wrong.

[excitedofharpenden]

I agree with you Phil. No-one minds Azamara making a reasonable profit as we understand it is a business of course, but this pricing seems very disingenuous to me.

 

It leaves an unpleasant feeling and if Azamara thinks that it's loyal passengers don't notice these things then they are wrong.

Well I’m glad it’s not just me and on the highlighted you are correct!

 

Phil

[upwarduk]

I agree, Celebrity are also doing something similar with a buy one get half off for a second passenger.

The price has gone up significantly compared to that before the offer.

I suppose at the end of the day they always come out winning.

 

We booked our X cruise in June and when the deal ‘buy one, get one for half price’ came out, I worked out that we actually saved £86 by buying at the June offer so the 1/2 price promotion was more expensive!

Edited September 30, 2017 by upwarduk

[excitedofharpenden]

We booked our X cruise in June and when the deal ‘buy one, get one for half price’ came out, I worked out that we actually saved £86 by buying at the June offer so the 1/2 price promotion was more expensive!

I can live with £86. It’s neither her nor there. It’s when the figures are in the 100s and 1000s.

 

Phil

[rallydave]

I can live with £86. It’s neither her nor there. It’s when the figures are in the 100s and 1000s.

 

Phil

 

It's a pattern and not a good pattern for the customer. Just like the 2018 TA debacle where they tried to get us to pay the same fare for a cruise with 3 fewer days as well as half the ports and not very good ports as well. Hope all of you are happy with the new ship that it appears azamara is trying to pay for by ridiculous pricing as well as try to take advantage of customers by trying to increase profits with high pricing for Cuba cruises with cancellations for already booked customers.

 

They need to be careful as perhaps it will bite them if the US goes back to boycotting Cuba and stopping the cruises from the US. Not saying this will happen but, pulling half the Embassy employees out of Cuba might be an indication of future actions.

[Bobal]

This is really interesting Phil - and thank you for pointing it out. We have already taken a step back from Azamara (despite loving the brand) because their pricing is so 'out there'. I got an email about the double upgrade today - which has worked well for us in the past - and if it hadn't been for the fact that we have lots of stuff already booked, on other cruiselines and land-based holidays, I may have been exploring options on Azamara.

[Riocca]

Not a fan of consistent confusing offers and the double upgrade does nothing for us as we usually book CC suites, would much rather have clear and consistent pricing.

However it obviously works for Azamara as do the current prices because bookings look to be strong. We enjoy the Azamara product and know what we have had to pay for that product over the past years, so it will be our decision whether the higher prices are right for us or not. We are now trying other lines which will be good for comparison, it may be that Azamara has been underpriced in the market place, time will tell.

 

 

 

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[excitedofharpenden]

Ok, I think people are with me! I’ll simplify it from my personal example I’ve given. If I’m cruising I like to do a back to back if I’m doing a 7 night cruise. If I’m flying out to Europe then 7 nights isn’t enough. So I book on Wednesday and with the %age discount for two 7 nights I pay £5,750 website price for a window cabin. Two days later I pay £8,600 for that same window cabin.

 

I realise that prices will vary, but that is just crazy. In a suite it’s even crazier. Sad to say that Azamara are just going to pee off their regular cruisers with this tactic and as Lottie says above it leaves a very nasty taste. Nobody likes being taken for a fool. I’m sorry that I’m so vocal about this. You’ll know I’m an Azamara lover, but come on!

 

Phil

[uktog]

Ok, I think people are with me! I’ll simplify it from my personal example I’ve given. If I’m cruising I like to do a back to back if I’m doing a 7 night cruise. If I’m flying out to Europe then 7 nights isn’t enough. So I book on Wednesday and with the %age discount for two 7 nights I pay £5,750 website price for a window cabin. Two days later I pay £8,600 for that same window cabin.

 

 

 

I realise that prices will vary, but that is just crazy. In a suite it’s even crazier. Sad to say that Azamara are just going to pee off their regular cruisers with this tactic and as Lottie says above it leaves a very nasty taste. Nobody likes being taken for a fool. I’m sorry that I’m so vocal about this. You’ll know I’m an Azamara lover, but come on!

 

 

 

Phil

 

 

 

I totally get it Phil. It's why we didn't book any more onboard this trip.

 

 

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[Bloodaxe]

Not a fan of consistent confusing offers and the double upgrade does nothing for us as we usually book CC suites, would much rather have clear and consistent pricing.

However it obviously works for Azamara as do the current prices because bookings look to be strong. We enjoy the Azamara product and know what we have had to pay for that product over the past years, so it will be our decision whether the higher prices are right for us or not. We are now trying other lines which will be good for comparison, it may be that Azamara has been underpriced in the market place, time will tell.

 

 

 

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Azamara were underpriced in their early years, we have had some real bargains over the years.

I don't believe that is the case anymore in fact the way prices are now heading it is just the opposite.

Has you said time will tell but many loyal customers will be feeling the same and moving on.

Edited September 30, 2017 by Bloodaxe

[broberts]

It's gotten to the point where I simply ignore all "special" pricing offers. I don't let them influence my purchase decisions since I know that merchants have absolutely no interest in helping me pay less for products.

[excitedofharpenden]

It's gotten to the point where I simply ignore all "special" pricing offers. I don't let them influence my purchase decisions since I know that merchants have absolutely no interest in helping me pay less for products.

And that is of course the rub because it’s hard to avoid the “specials” because the current Azamara marketing strategy is to make them business as usual.

 

Phil

[Riocca]

Ok, I think people are with me! I’ll simplify it from my personal example I’ve given. If I’m cruising I like to do a back to back if I’m doing a 7 night cruise. If I’m flying out to Europe then 7 nights isn’t enough. So I book on Wednesday and with the %age discount for two 7 nights I pay £5,750 website price for a window cabin. Two days later I pay £8,600 for that same window cabin.

 

 

 

I realise that prices will vary, but that is just crazy. In a suite it’s even crazier. Sad to say that Azamara are just going to pee off their regular cruisers with this tactic and as Lottie says above it leaves a very nasty taste. Nobody likes being taken for a fool. I’m sorry that I’m so vocal about this. You’ll know I’m an Azamara lover, but come on!

 

 

 

Phil

 

 

 

Totally with you Phil think prices and offers are crazy at the moment but we’ve seen this before with other lines. Over time things change and hopefully for the better, at the moment there are no itineraries (other than those we have already booked at sensible prices) that attract us with prices we are comfortable with.

We are currently booked until early 2019 so we can sit back and see how things are once Pursuit is on sale, but there’s a lot of competition out there.

 

 

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[workingtocruise-59]

Azamara were underpriced in their early years, we have had some real bargains over the years.

I don't believe that is the case anymore in fact the way prices are now heading it is just the opposite.

Has you said time will tell but many loyal customers will be feeling the same and moving on.

 

Yes, we had some unbelievable pricing in the early years of Azamara.

The current prices are also unbelievable ...but not for the same reasons!

[alfredo1]

It saddens me to read this, but the theme is becoming more common now with Azamara playing the special offer game which is recognised as little more than a con trick to entice gullible customers, but not the more experienced and loyal Azamara cruisers who see through it as poor value. Prices continue to increase to the extent that they no longer represent decent value for what are revitalised but old ships with limited lifespan and adding a third old ship does little to improve the outlook, although hopefully it may allow some new and interesting voyages rather than the yearly repeats now being offered. We were on a short cruise recently where apparently there were over 700 passengers on board and at times it felt like that, and had the weather been poor making the deck areas unusable it would have been unbearable.

The huge advantage Azamara has had to date is the attitude and friendliness of all crew across the board, who interact as friends with repeat passengers, but this can only compensate so far for the unnecessary penny pinching decisions being made which grate with passengers. One easy illustration is the "included" bottles of spirits for suite passengers where whisky used to be black label now reduced to red label a cheaper version, and similarly across all spirits supplied. Contrast that with other lines where Azamara are now targetting their price points, where the ships are more modern with larger cabins and inclusive in suite bar set ups, excellent selections in the common bar areas, no additional cost restaurants, and with some of the competition including land tours.

The huge expansion in new builds in the luxury market was referred recently by Mr. P as a threat to maintaining price levels across the board which makes it even stranger that Azamara are pricing continually upward which makes repeat passengers then look seriously at alternatives which was never the case before, and the loyal customer base built up thus starts to dwindle.

This is not anti Azamara comment as we are well into the Discoverer Plus category but honestly do not see us attaining Platinum, as we increasingly jump ship to the competition.!!

[AJCM]

Very disheartened with Azamara's pricing. We've cruised almost exclusively with Azamara since our first in 2012 and with B2B we had our 12th in Jul/Aug this year. We were shocked to learn that the "free" days offer had the price of our intended 2018 B2B cruises at >AUD1,000 per day and that price level has continued with their "double upgrade" offer.

 

We've already left Azamara, having decided to pay Azamara's current pricing level to instead upgrade to Seabourn next year (Greek Islands) and Regent Seven Seas in 2019 (Japan). Same outlay (unbelievably, Seabourn is actually lower cost than an Azamara balcony). Previously, there was a significant pricing difference between Azamara and these luxury lines.

 

We'll certainly miss all that's great about the Azamara experience but at these prices we'll cruise in true luxury. I imagine we'll only return if Azamara recognises they are not at the luxury level and return to a significant price differential. It's also possible (likely?) that we'll find we prefer the higher ship standard and find the prospect of returning to Azamara's small cabins undesirable.

[Lottie A]

It saddens me to read this, but the theme is becoming more common now with Azamara playing the special offer game which is recognised as little more than a con trick to entice gullible customers, but not the more experienced and loyal Azamara cruisers who see through it as poor value. Prices continue to increase to the extent that they no longer represent decent value for what are revitalised but old ships with limited lifespan and adding a third old ship does little to improve the outlook, although hopefully it may allow some new and interesting voyages rather than the yearly repeats now being offered. We were on a short cruise recently where apparently there were over 700 passengers on board and at times it felt like that, and had the weather been poor making the deck areas unusable it would have been unbearable.

The huge advantage Azamara has had to date is the attitude and friendliness of all crew across the board, who interact as friends with repeat passengers, but this can only compensate so far for the unnecessary penny pinching decisions being made which grate with passengers. One easy illustration is the "included" bottles of spirits for suite passengers where whisky used to be black label now reduced to red label a cheaper version, and similarly across all spirits supplied. Contrast that with other lines where Azamara are now targetting their price points, where the ships are more modern with larger cabins and inclusive in suite bar set ups, excellent selections in the common bar areas, no additional cost restaurants, and with some of the competition including land tours.

The huge expansion in new builds in the luxury market was referred recently by Mr. P as a threat to maintaining price levels across the board which makes it even stranger that Azamara are pricing continually upward which makes repeat passengers then look seriously at alternatives which was never the case before, and the loyal customer base built up thus starts to dwindle.

This is not anti Azamara comment as we are well into the Discoverer Plus category but honestly do not see us attaining Platinum, as we increasingly jump ship to the competition.!!

 

alfredo, in that post you have absolutely nailed what many loyal Azamara fans are thinking.

[Riocca]

alfredo, in that post you have absolutely nailed what many loyal Azamara fans are thinking.

 

 

 

On the second of our b2b cruises on Quest in September there were at least 400 passengers new to the brand, only 270 LCV members and some of those could have been new to Azamara from RC or Celebrity.

Made it quite different from a “normal” Azamara cruise, less sociable with some very unAzamara behaviour. It was difficult to judge exactly why some passengers had chosen this particular cruise but there were some obvious unofficial large groups who took over some areas. It had no great impact on our cruise experience but obviously Azamara are attracting new passengers.

 

 

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[Lottie A]

John, the same thing happened on our July Quest cruise. There was a large group of Spanish passengers onboard on a company paid for jolly. They were nice people and caused no problems, apart from hysteria in the Casino when they won the magnificent sum of $10! That was so funny, but the noise was truly incredible every time someone won even a small amount. They were having fun so no-one minded at all.

 

We were a bit miffed that Aqualina was closed on our last night for a private party for them though. Never mind, we went to Prime C instead so not a big problem. I would say the atmosphere onboard wasn't quite the usual Azamara ambience but we were all having too much fun to really mind.

 

I'm sure these company jollies and the special charters are profitable for Azamara so I don't mind them in the least. However, I would like to know when they are.

[nordski]

Interesting comments on pricing.

 

Ignoring all the market hoopla,in the Canadian market, comparing roughly equivalent staterooms, the net cost of a cruise in the Mediterranean is approximately equivalent amongst Azamara, Viking and Oceania. And Regent and Seabourne are not competitive at that level.

 

That is what I would expect.

 

I agree that the "specials" games that cruise lines love to play can be annoying, since the cost often ends up at, or near, the same price point.

 

For years on the River Cruise Forums posters have complained about the eternal "two for one sales" in which Viking indulges, and Oceania always shows a discount from their "brochure rates".

 

As many have argued, it would be be more seemly if these and similar marketing ploys were done away with, since it suggests appealing to a clientele that is not very sophisticated.