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Upgrade bid experiences


Grandma Cruising
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43 minutes ago, BBMacLaird said:

Eligibility to bid on an upgrade is no longer restricted to LCV members.

This seems to confirm that not just LCV level but even LCV membership is irrelevant in the new, mass-market-worthy, money-grubbing upgrade scheme.  Newbies are given the same shot as Platinums.  Enjoy your shared weekly laundry bag.

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On another board somebody said that Azamara has employed the same third party company as Celebrity and Royal to administer the bidding process. The LCV status may or may not factor into their program for upgrades. It seems like another way to make a buck.  I just hope that Azamara isn’t becoming a  Celebrity upgrade. Celebrity downgraded their cruise experience too much.  

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I totally disagree with the comments regarding the upgrade bidding process made by some LCV Platinium members. In my opinion the new process is a fairer, objective procedure enabled by an IT solution which cannot be influenced by any guest.

I ask a rhetorical question to those Platinium posters who are complaining - how many upgrades have you received over the years? I think Azamara has looked after you very well and still are as I notice on twitter recently how some LCV Platinium members were enjoying the benefits of the top tier status (including some of those complaining here).

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Do you not think that frequent Azamara cruisers, who have probably spent hundreds of thousands of pounds with them over the years.,,,and also possibly kept Azamara afloat in it's early years deserve some benefits for their loyalty? Is it good business sense to treat them the same as someone booking their first and possibly their only Azamara cruise? I don't think so. 

 

Speaking personally, sometimes I received an upgrade under the old system by registering early and paying the $398 and sometimes not. It was pleasant to have but did not worry me overmuch. I think the new bidding system is horrible, money grubbing and unworthy of a classy cruise line. My opinion only. 

Your comments re Twitter and LCV Platinum members seem a little green eyed to me. Why shouldn't someone enjoy the benefits of their Platinum status? They surely spent a lot of money to acquire it! 

 

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32 minutes ago, Lottie A said:

Do you not think that frequent Azamara cruisers, who have probably spent hundreds of thousands of pounds with them over the years.,,,and also possibly kept Azamara afloat in it's early years deserve some benefits for their loyalty? Is it good business sense to treat them the same as someone booking their first and possibly their only Azamara cruise? I don't think so. 

 

Speaking personally, sometimes I received an upgrade under the old system by registering early and paying the $398 and sometimes not. It was pleasant to have but did not worry me overmuch. I think the new bidding system is horrible, money grubbing and unworthy of a classy cruise line. My opinion only. 

Your comments re Twitter and LCV Platinum members seem a little green eyed to me. Why shouldn't someone enjoy the benefits of their Platinum status? They surely spent a lot of money to acquire it! 

 

Honestly, I think those at the top tier DO deserve more consideration. As an Adventurer level, I chose not to seek an upgrade for a couple of reasons. 1. I am happy with my cabin, a VX and don’t think an upgrade to a CC worth the money for a little more real estate and a few more perks and 2. If I had been successful and had posted here, would have probably been subject to resentment from those more “deserving.” I guess that’s why I don’t see the point of the spread sheet. 

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18 minutes ago, Mackdogmolly said:

Honestly, I think those at the top tier DO deserve more consideration. As an Adventurer level, I chose not to seek an upgrade for a couple of reasons. 1. I am happy with my cabin, a VX and don’t think an upgrade to a CC worth the money for a little more real estate and a few more perks and 2. If I had been successful and had posted here, would have probably been subject to resentment from those more “deserving.” I guess that’s why I don’t see the point of the spread sheet. 

I do hope that no one fires over any resentment to individuals when bids succeed.  All the higher tier members I know have no issue with successful bidders, they are happy for them, there issue is with the process and some promises made to people directly that may not now be applicable.  I was very happy in the room I had on my cruise, I spent the money I saved on my bid on buying speciality restaurant when I wanted it.  Its the process and the application or not of the multiplier that is causing some to have pain.  If there is no loyalty multiplier, that is disappointing but we all will then know where we stand.

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2 hours ago, Lottie A said:

Do you not think that frequent Azamara cruisers, who have probably spent hundreds of thousands of pounds with them over the years.,,,and also possibly kept Azamara afloat in it's early years deserve some benefits for their loyalty? Is it good business sense to treat them the same as someone booking their first and possibly their only Azamara cruise? I don't think so. 

 

Speaking personally, sometimes I received an upgrade under the old system by registering early and paying the $398 and sometimes not. It was pleasant to have but did not worry me overmuch. I think the new bidding system is horrible, money grubbing and unworthy of a classy cruise line. My opinion only. 

Your comments re Twitter and LCV Platinum members seem a little green eyed to me. Why shouldn't someone enjoy the benefits of their Platinum status? They surely spent a lot of money to acquire it! 

 

I am one of those frequent Azamara cruisers - being in the upper portion of Discoverer Plus having sailed with Azamara over the past 10 years. I travel mainly in suites and I suppose have given a considerable amount of money to the company. Personally I do not believe my spending with Azamara is of much relevance - I am only one guest. So, no I do not believe that a frequent cruiser has a greater right to an upgrade than someone else.

I think you missed the point regarding the Twitter photo, I merely pointed out that Azamara looks after its top tier members.

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23 minutes ago, tidespring said:

There seems to be a certain amount of resentment of first time Azamara cruisers on this thread.Everyone was once a beginner. I really hope this feeling does not follow me onto my cruise.

 

Absolutely no resentment for first time Azamara Cruisers at all from me. My first was in 2010 and I felt so welcome onboard....it was like home immediately.

 

To think that people who have very high loyalty levels and have spent maybe hundreds of thousands of pounds on Azamara (by the way, that's not me!) are not deserving of some small perks and LCV advantages when bidding cold hard cash for an upgrade like everyone else just seems unfair to me. We were told that loyalty levels would count when the bidding scheme was introduced. It does seem that this isn't the case and we are constantly seeing a devaluation in the LCV loyalty programme. 

 

You will feel welcomed on your cruise like everyone else  tidespring and I hope you have a great time. 

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2 hours ago, Host Grandma Cruising said:

Although no-one has said exactly how it works, my impression is that LCV level only comes into it when two or more bids are equal.

This is what the announcement to travel professionals said:  [spelling errors corrected]

 

"Q. Now that Azamara Upgrade is open to everyone and is not exclusive to loyalty members, how is this a benefit for loyalty members?
A. If your client is a LCV member, their bids are given a priority. Their priority increases as they move up in tier. If all else is equal among two bids, the LCV member with the higher tier will win out."

 

No mention of the mysterious and yet-to-be-divulged "boost."

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1 hour ago, LuAnn said:

I posted this several days ago and no one responded...Does anyone know if your bid is declined can you re-bid at a higher $ amount? Thanks ! LuAnn


My assumption would be that if your bid is turned down, it's because all the cabins you've bid on have been assigned.  However, I suppose you could go to the Azamara website and then check to see if they are still taking bids.

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Is there actually a “turn down?”  I submitted an upgrade request, increased it slightly but have had no notification from Azamara. My cruise info still shows our original room. I guess silence means no, but it’s my understanding this could come through any time before the cruise. 

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12 minutes ago, Cool Fool said:

Is there actually a “turn down?”  I submitted an upgrade request, increased it slightly but have had no notification from Azamara. My cruise info still shows our original room. I guess silence means no, but it’s my understanding this could come through any time before the cruise. 

You can receive a successful outcome up to a few days before sailing.  If the system is working properly you should receive a final bid unsuccessful notification after which you can do no more bidding.  However, one cruise I got the unsuccessful bid notice, the second one, I was unsuccessful also but I got no notice.

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20 hours ago, tidespring said:

There seems to be a certain amount of resentment of first time Azamara cruisers on this thread.Everyone was once a beginner. I really hope this feeling does not follow me onto my cruise.

 

My issue is not with someone who "wins" by playing within the rules.  My issue is with the rules.  Winners should enjoy their prize.

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if Indeed Azamara is trying to maximize profit by letting guests bid against each other for an upgrade, I cannot understand why they don’t notify every booked guest about the bidding process. Let everyone have a chance to bid. Or if Azamara is trying to reward loyal guests by telling them that their status makes a difference, then explain how the value of a loyalty status in LCV improves your being upgraded. Confused?  Yes!

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On 6/13/2019 at 10:53 AM, marinaro44 said:

My issue is not with someone who "wins" by playing within the rules.  My issue is with the rules.  Winners should enjoy their prize.

How would handle an  upgrade that you did not know about and did not want but found when you checked in that you had been  upgraded to the owners cabin on the stern. I had specifically obtained the forwarded viewing cabin and wanted to stay there.

 

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1 hour ago, scapel said:

How would handle an  upgrade that you did not know about and did not want but found when you checked in that you had been  upgraded to the owners cabin on the stern. I had specifically obtained the forwarded viewing cabin and wanted to stay there.

 

That happened to us on Royal Caribbean many years ago. We refused said upgrade because we had booked the wrap around forward balcony  a couple of years before.  But, someone was already in our cabin by the time we checked in and we were refused our plea to offer them the upgrade.  The ship sailed and we were without a cabin....and at around midnight, after 48 hours without sleep....we gave in and accepted the upgrade.....wait for it....to a stateroom with...  a.....BATH! It turned out to be our travel agent who had accepted and had omitted to let us know. From then on, we have had a note on our file to NOT offer upgrades unless to ourselves in person and that has worked well with Azamara for the last 9 years.

 

Of course, it is all change now.....

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1 hour ago, scapel said:

How would handle an  upgrade that you did not know about and did not want but found when you checked in that you had been  upgraded to the owners cabin on the stern. I had specifically obtained the forwarded viewing cabin and wanted to stay there.

 

You deserve to be notified about an upgrade or change of cabin.  People book certain cabins for a variety of reasons. Not everyone likes aft cabins. Some dislike forward cabins.  Many years ago, I booked a midship cabin( not Azamara) in a location that I liked. When my final payment was due, I noticed a different cabin number. Same category in a forward location. The TA and cruise line didn’t understand why I was upset.  I canceled the cruise.  Had the change happened at embarkation, I would be upset.  And, would never book on that cruise line again.  

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I met a lady in the hall amidships on the port side that said she booked her cabin about one year ahead of time so she was close to the washing machines. She would certainly not appreciate being upgraded away from the washing machines. 

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I'm following this topic for quite some time but I still have no idea how it does work with the eligibility. When I go the Upgrade page on Azamara's website and fill in my name and booking no. (I can't do so because it tells me I'm not eligible) what happens then? Will I be able to bid immediately or do I have to fill in my contact detais to receive the mysterious email invitation from Azamara? Or will it just tell me that I'm eligible and that's it? Do others receive the mysterious email invitation automatically without any action by themselves? I think Azamara should make the conditions to qualify more transparent.

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46 minutes ago, Klaus234 said:

I'm following this topic for quite some time but I still have no idea how it does work with the eligibility. When I go the Upgrade page on Azamara's website and fill in my name and booking no. (I can't do so because it tells me I'm not eligible) what happens then? Will I be able to bid immediately or do I have to fill in my contact detais to receive the mysterious email invitation from Azamara? Or will it just tell me that I'm eligible and that's it? Do others receive the mysterious email invitation automatically without any action by themselves? I think Azamara should make the conditions to qualify more transparent.

You should get an email from Azamara a certain number of days before your cruise. This was initially supposed to be 90 days before, but I think it can vary - in my case it was about 85 days before. Before I got the email I had used the upgrade page on Azamara’s website and kept being told I was not eligible. Apparently you are not eligible to bid on your cruise until the point at which invitations are issued. So if you are within 90 days keep trying the website. If it still says not eligible and you are within 80 days of your cruise, then I’d try emailing Azamara to ask someone to look at your booking.

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@Host Grandma Cruising

Another data point for your spreadsheet:

-  May 28, 2019 sailing of Azamara Pursuit (10 days).

- cabin booked: DV2

- many months ago (shortly after booking), I submitted the request form under the 'old' upgrade system ($395USD/cabin), and received an acknowledgement back from Azamara.

- in March, thanks to CC I learned the old program had been cancelled, replaced by the new bid-what-you-will system. Like others have reported here, attempts to submit a bid were refused ('you are not eligible', etc).  After several emails back and forth with a "team leader" at AZ, the upgrade page suddenly came alive for me.

- Mar 22: submitted bid of $200USD/pp (=$400 per cabin), essentially the same as what we would have paid under the old system. This bid was judged as "weak".

- May 26 (2 days before sailing), AZ sent an email notifying that my bid was not successful. 

 

This was not a surprise. Unlike many who have posted on this forum, we are near the bottom of the priority list, having only sailed on AZ for a total of 5 weeks (plus one short Celebrity cruise). LCV level is Adventurer.

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