Upgrade programme - Bonnie

[DebbieMacG]

Bonnie

 

You had previously told me that if I bid for an upgrade (under the new programme) from my current accessible inside cabin, I would only be given another accessible cabin, so with this in mind I did the upgrade, from inside to OV

 

I’ve just received an email to say I’ve been upgraded! Wow! Only to be horrified to discover I’ve been upgraded to an ordinary cabin, it’s not accessible. 

 

So I rang Azamara and the operator spoke to the lady who had done the upgrade and she hadn’t noticed I was in an accessible cabin so they are trying to put me back in my original cabin and will refund the money.

 

I did mention that there were two accessible OV cabins available when I did my original LCV upgrade but she thinks they were released for anyone to book and so have been taken by people not needing them. A shame but that’s what happens I guess.

 

Just hope I can get my cabin back!

[grayjay]

For that hassle Azamara should at least try to get you one of those OV accessible cabins you bid for , as you were promised when bidding esp. if others not needing them were upgraded into those. Still better , Azamara should upgrade you for free or for the upgrade OV price in one of the balcony cabins that are accessible, if there are any still available. This would only be fair.

[BBMacLaird]

Hi DebbieMacG, 

I saw your comment about this on the other thread and am already looking into how our system missed the fact that you need an accessible cabin.

There *shouldn’t be* human error since our new system is automated. 

I may not have an answer until Monday since it’s now end of biz on Friday.

As for getting your original cabin back, that will be done by a human. Hopefully you’ll get a confirmation soon.

[DebbieMacG]

Thanks Bonnie, I appreciate your help. The person on the phone said she had spoken to the lady doing the upgrades and she apologised that she had not noticed that I was in an accessible cabin and they would try and put me back in my original cabin.

 

I’ve not had an email yet and it was nine hours ago, there’s not enough room in a normal OV or inside so I’m praying that I will get my cabin back ok because if not I can’t go as they are too small for my wheelchair. I’m only a month away from sailing so everything is paid so I’m more than a little worried.

 

Sorry I’m being such a pain today with this and the problems with the specialist services emails 😞

Edited April 26, 2019 by DebbieMacG

[BBMacLaird]

10 minutes ago, DebbieMacG said:

Sorry I’m being such a pain today with this

You’re not being a pain! It’s understandable that you’re worried. But I’m sure we’ll get this straightened out so enjoy your Friday evening!

[uktog]

I think the system is having issues.  I had a gobbledegook email today about an upgrade I think given others on the roll call had one asking don’t you want to bid, it’s that. Sent it to LCV and Sandra is investigating. Teething troubles still I guess. 

[Bloodaxe]

17 minutes ago, uktog said:

I think the system is having issues.  I had a gobbledegook email today about an upgrade I think given others on the roll call had one asking don’t you want to bid, it’s that. Sent it to LCV and Sandra is investigating. Teething troubles still I guess. 

 

We have had several emails trying to encourage us to bid and several others promoting shore excursions, that never used to happen.

I understand that some people may not be aware of the new program, but repeat emails, all it does is put me off the idea.

if I was intending to bid ( which I am not) I would not need encouragement.

Edited April 27, 2019 by Bloodaxe

[excitedofharpenden]

12 hours ago, DebbieMacG said:

 

 

I’ve not had an email yet and it was nine hours ago, there’s not enough room in a normal OV or inside so I’m praying that I will get my cabin back ok because if not I can’t go as they are too small for my wheelchair. I’m only a month away from sailing so everything is paid so I’m more than a little worried.

 

You do realise the standard OV you’ve been offered is the same size as a standard balcony cabin?  Not sure why you say you’d not be able to go.  And it’s frustrating because you had asked on this board before about the upgrade program and accessible cabins and I explained to you that there isn’t the number of accessible cabins or systems in place for it to work for you.  

 

There is no reason a foldable chair can’t be left outside your cabin if you don’t have the need to transfer.  I’ve seen that many times.  And the set up of an OV inside the cabin is probably better for you than a balcony because the seating area is near the door to the cabin rather than the other side of the bed.  By your own admission you don’t need an accessible bathroom.  

 

As as I said to you a while back though, I’d keep the accessible inside and not gamble on an accessible OV.  Yet here we are.  Sorry if I am sounding harsh.  I’m just confused and I don’t think you’ve helped yourself.

 

Phil

[excitedofharpenden]

3 hours ago, Bloodaxe said:

 

We have had several emails trying to encourage us to bid and several others promoting shore excursions, that never used to happen.

I understand that some people may not be aware of the new program, but repeat emails, all it does is put me off the idea.

if I was intending to bid ( which I am not) I would not need encouragement.

I’ve just had another email giving me the opportunity to bid for my 14th May cruise from an OV to a balcony.  Lowest bid weak £160pp, highest bid strong £770.  For an unknown cabin.  Interestingly this cruise has been showing sold out for more than a week and now there is just one category available, an OV cat 05 GTY.  So I’m not sure what games they now play with the inventory, but considering under the old sheme I could get an upgrade to a cabin of my choice for less than £300 it’s not a game I’ll be playing.

 

Phil

[Mrs Miggins]

Same here,  I received another upgrade email yesterday.  On checking the 28th May Pursuit cruise it now no longer appears on the list of available cruises at all. (a message comes up when I go onto the site saying "are you still interested in this cruise"  then when I click on it it says this "you are unable to select this cruise"   Its all such a mess.

[Mrs Miggins]

Just clicked on the email again and it shows I can bid for a balcony from an OV weak bid £160 x 2 strong bid £770 x 2.  Its all a mystery.

Edited April 27, 2019 by Mrs Miggins

[Lottie A]

I had a third email yesterday offering me an upgrade on my May 28th cruise. It's the same cruise as Mrs Miggins. A weak offer was £200 pp so it would be £400 for me as I'm cruising solo this time. I could have booked the higher grade cabin at £120 LESS than the weak upgrade offer  when I booked the cruise about a month ago. I really don't think Azamara management onshore knows what it is doing! 

Why on earth would I bid now for a cabin and pay more when I could be located anywhere on the ship? So I am keeping my chosen cabin and I think others would be wise to do the same, especially if they do have special requirements for the cabin they are in. 

I do hope you get your accessible cabin back Debbie. 

Edited April 27, 2019 by Lottie A

[DebbieMacG]

18 minutes ago, excitedofharpenden said:

You do realise the standard OV you’ve been offered is the same size as a standard balcony cabin?  Not sure why you say you’d not be able to go.  And it’s frustrating because you had asked on this board before about the upgrade program and accessible cabins and I explained to you that there isn’t the number of accessible cabins or systems in place for it to work for you.  

 

There is no reason a foldable chair can’t be left outside your cabin if you don’t have the need to transfer.  I’ve seen that many times.  And the set up of an OV inside the cabin is probably better for you than a balcony because the seating area is near the door to the cabin rather than the other side of the bed.  By your own admission you don’t need an accessible bathroom.  

 

As as I said to you a while back though, I’d keep the accessible inside and not gamble on an accessible OV.  Yet here we are.  Sorry if I am sounding harsh.  I’m just confused and I don’t think you’ve helped yourself.

 

Phil

Wow! Yes you sound very harsh, if I’m honest I was expecting it though

 

I’ve seen those OV cabins and a balcony cabin and I know that there is a place to store the chair in a balcony but not in an that OV, a balcony is slightly bigger and with the bed near the balcony there’s room for it to fold up in front of the sofa. In the OV  I was offered (and the others available as I asked) the bed is near the bath and so the only place for storage for the chair is the other side of the bed, this means that my husband has to lift a 23kg chair over the bed. 

 

Azamara and every cruise line ask you to NOT leave your wheelchairs outside the cabins as it’s a hazard to others and a pain for the attendants with the cart so I would never do that.

 

yes I’ve brought it on myself, daring to believe that when Bonnie reassured me that when someone in an accessible cabin was upgraded they would only be done so to another accessible, that’s my crime, so be it. She said there was a system in place for me and I was grateful for that but it failed and somehow that’s my fault?

 

I know how many cabins there are that are accessible not just on this ship but many others, I’m not an idiot, so I knew the chance was slim but when I put my LCV request in there were two available accessible OV cabins.

 

Anyway don’t worry yourself, I’ll hopefully get my original cabin back and happy I will be never having the cheek to ask again about the possibility of an upgrade to another accessible cabin from my lowly inside, guilty as charged m’lord.

 

[DebbieMacG]

30 minutes ago, Lottie A said:

 

I do hope you get your accessible cabin back Debbie. 

Thank you Lottie 

[Viveretravel]

Hello everyone

I have been reading the email posts with intrigue. My husband and I are travelling from Tasmania Australia for the Azamara Cruise Canada/Alaska on 4 June starting from Vancouver.  This is our fourth cruise with Azamara. Its been a couple of years since our last cruise with Azamara so bidding for upgrade re room might be a new process.  Would someone please describe the process and how you go about bidding for an upgrade please? Many thanks

Gav and Viv

Australia

[uktog]

When I was using a chair on Azamara the Chief Housekeeper actually suggested we left it in the corridor so it’s not an issue for them. So if you are still in the non accessible room it’s not as much of an issue as you fear 

[Grandma Cruising]

40 minutes ago, Viveretravel said:

Hello everyone

I have been reading the email posts with intrigue. My husband and I are travelling from Tasmania Australia for the Azamara Cruise Canada/Alaska on 4 June starting from Vancouver.  This is our fourth cruise with Azamara. Its been a couple of years since our last cruise with Azamara so bidding for upgrade re room might be a new process.  Would someone please describe the process and how you go about bidding for an upgrade please? Many thanks

Gav and Viv

Australia

There’s a topic here https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2644282-az-upgrade-program-new-effective-31219/ 

which explains all about it. 

 

[excitedofharpenden]

1 hour ago, Lottie A said:

 

Why on earth would I bid now for a cabin and pay more when I could be located anywhere on the ship? So I am keeping my chosen cabin and I think others would be wise to do the same, especially if they do have special requirements for the cabin they are in. 

 

Yep, that about sums it up for me too. Another perk of loyalty goes or is watered down. Even the onboard booking discount, what with all the pricing variances now seen is not what it once was. This seems to be the future which is a shame.

 

Phil 

[Bloodaxe]

33 minutes ago, excitedofharpenden said:

Yep, that about sums it up for me too. Another perk of loyalty goes or is watered down. Even the onboard booking discount, what with all the pricing variances now seen is not what it once was. This seems to be the future which is a shame.

 

Phil 

 

In my opinion all of the recent changes have been only of benefit to Azamara.

They are all about profit, long term customers are paying the price and some will start moving on.

Edited April 27, 2019 by Bloodaxe

[DebbieMacG]

20 minutes ago, uktog said:

When I was using a chair on Azamara the Chief Housekeeper actually suggested we left it in the corridor so it’s not an issue for them. So if you are still in the non accessible room it’s not as much of an issue as you fear 

That’s very interesting to know, thanks. All other cruise lines I’ve been with won’t let you leave it outside and Azamaras website said the same. Did it have to be folded? Mines a powered wheelchair and weighs 23kg. 

 

I’m sure they will sort it out and it will be ok, just was a bit of a shock yesterday and I’m not well at the moment so had a bit of a panic!

[Lottie A]

Debbie, two years ago I travelled on Azamara with someone who was temporarily using a wheelchair after surgery. We had a normal cabin ....think it was an OV and we put the large foldable (but not powered) wheelchair between the sofa and the coffee table. It fitted OK. If you don't get your accessible cabin back then you could also ask them to take your coffee table away and then you would have more room to manoeuvre in the cabin. I have also seen the occasional wheelchair in the corridors but they have always been folded up. 

Don't panic....it may not be ideal but you will cope if you have to go into a non accessible cabin. Hopefully you will get your original accessible cabin back though. 

[DebbieMacG]

Thanks Lottie, on the phone yesterday they told me that the OV had the bed near the bathroom so it would have meant lifting the chair over the bed to store it, the gap at the bottom of the bed isn’t wide enough to wheel it on it’s wheels. If there was an OV the other way round then it might work by taking out the loveseat, there’s room then and I could manage. But as has been said, if I can leave the chair outside safely then it’s not such an issue. They didn’t tell me on the phone yesterday that I could do that so it’s perhaps not an “official” thing as such.

 

Edited April 27, 2019 by DebbieMacG

[snowglobe]

1 hour ago, DebbieMacG said:

I knew the chance was slim but when I put my LCV request in there were two available accessible OV cabins.

 

I’m in the same position as you. In my case, it looks like I’ll be traveling with a mobility scooter for the first time and I’ve opted for an inside wheelchair accessible as well. I would not want to gamble my accessible cabin away on a faulty upgrade bid system.

 

Bonnie was very clear in the upgrades thread that you would only be upgraded from an accessible to an accessible, if you put in an upgrade bid. You are not at fault here, and I sincerely hope that your original accessible cabin is still available.

 

You are correct, it is clearly stated by Azamara that wheelchairs and scooters cannot be parked in a corridor. It’s a basic safety issue. If it’s ‘OK’ to do so according to Housekeeping now and again, this can still be enforced at any time (just one complaint...)

 

I will be closely watching for Bonnie’s reply as to how this happened, how Azamara is to deal with accessible upgrades in the future, and whether you have your accessible cabin back.

[excitedofharpenden]

36 minutes ago, DebbieMacG said:

Thanks Lottie, on the phone yesterday they told me that the OV had the bed near the bathroom so it would have meant lifting the chair over the bed to store it, the gap at the bottom of the bed isn’t wide enough to wheel it on it’s wheels. If there was an OV the other way round then it might work by taking out the loveseat, there’s room then and I could manage. But as has been said, if I can leave the chair outside safely then it’s not such an issue. They didn’t tell me on the phone yesterday that I could do that so it’s perhaps not an “official” thing as such.

 

Debbie, it’s time for me to eat humble pie.  I can see on a thread where Bonnie specifically said the occupant of an accessible cabin would only be upgraded to an accessible stateroom should one became available.  So I apologise to you.  When you first asked the question a month or two back I was pretty sure there was no system in place to recognise this fact and it has now gone awry.  I hope you manage to get your original cabin back.  Personally, as I said at the time, I would have just stayed put.

 

FWIW, I’m not sure which OV you have been upgraded to.  As far as I know all the OVs have the bed by the window except the larger category 04s at the front of decks 6 and 7.  If it’s one of these then you’ll have extra space in your cabin because it includes the footprint of a balcony which is not there.  If it’s one of the others then it should be a bed by the window, but I’m not sure of the cabin number to comment 100%.

 

Once again I apologise for coming across like I did.

 

Phil

 

[gaspari]

We are on a short 5 night last minute cruise on Pursuit departing Nice on 23 May. Received two emails so far inviting us to bid for an Oceanview to Balcony stateroom. The absolute minimum “weak” bid is £160pp yet we could have booked our choice of Balcony stateroom for £360 total extra  ie. £160pp. 

 

Seems disingenuous, verging on dishonest to try and encourage people to bid more than the regular cost, implying they are getting a better deal!