Azamara pricing

[Jimmycruiser]

I thought I would start a new post on an old subject. Azamara pricing seems to defy logic and their sales tactics assume we are not very smart, BUT so do many of the competitors. We have been wanting to try Seabourn and Crystal for several years which are luxury lines, but every time we compare apples to apples the luxury lines are $150 per day or more expensive US dollars. We enjoy drinking good wine which Azamara’s included wines are a joke, but with the savings, we can buy good wine in port and bring on board. We really like the CC mid ship suites on Azamara with all the suite benefits so that is what we compare with other lines with similar itineraries. I see many posters complain about how expensive Azamara has gotten recently compared to the luxury lines but it seems all the premium and luxury lines have increased their popular itinerary prices as well. Supply and demand! They also charge a higher deposit and have higher cancellation fees than AZ. With Azamara we can book early, get the suite we want, and on two of the last three AZ cruise’s got the low price guarantee to reduce the price just prior to final payment. I would really like to see comparative pricing from those that have booked a luxury line instead of Azamara and say Azamara pricing is no longer competitive. Are we missing something that others have discovered? Comments would be appreciated since we really would like to experience a luxury line if the price was right.

[Endorable]

Damn so would I!  But for now I think that Azamara is as luxurious as I can afford!

[Grandma Cruising]

The way pricing has been recently I think Azamara is very reasonable if you wait until after final payment. I’ll give you an example. We wanted to do the Norway cruise and had seen that it’s price tended to stay high (this was before they bought Pursuit), so we booked it for July 2019 whilst onboard in autumn 2017. It was very expensive, but we got 4 free days because we had just gone up an LCV level and we got 5% LCV discount. That brought the price for this 16 night cruise down to £8600 for the two of us for an OV cabin.

Its now less than 5 weeks to the cruise and we could get the same category of cabin for £5600. 

I’m not sure we’ll be booking onboard in future!

[uktog]

We are about to lose our deposits on two upcoming cruises (long haul) because we are being in our perception stung. We would be well ahead even factoring in the lost deposits, of course that loss is far higher than other countries are hit. 

 It irks we paid double for the cruise we are just finishing and saw upgrades allocated elsewhere despite our loyalty level and IF guests are to be believed their bids were only £200 more than ours (ok it’s anecdotal but I’ve yet to hear of anyone at the highest level being successful and the guests we’ve talked to were relatively new cruisers or first timers). 

 

We love the onboard product but the iniquities in pricing can’t be ignored. 

We have our long haul flights booked but before we reconfirm with Azamara for the two we are cancelling we are looking at other lines that fit to our dates. Azamara have only got themselves to blame for this potential defection. 

[Bloodaxe]

We have also decided not to book early or onboard in the future.

We cancelled a long haul back to back booked onboard( for family reasons) and lost our deposits.

If we had wished we could later have rebooked and made big savings 

If nothing that we fancy comes up in future at at a good price so be it, but at least we won't feel so hard done by has in recent times.

Edited May 27, 2019 by Bloodaxe

[Riocca]

9 hours ago, Jimmycruiser said:

I thought I would start a new post on an old subject. Azamara pricing seems to defy logic and their sales tactics assume we are not very smart, BUT so do many of the competitors. We have been wanting to try Seabourn and Crystal for several years which are luxury lines, but every time we compare apples to apples the luxury lines are $150 per day or more expensive US dollars. We enjoy drinking good wine which Azamara’s included wines are a joke, but with the savings, we can buy good wine in port and bring on board. We really like the CC mid ship suites on Azamara with all the suite benefits so that is what we compare with other lines with similar itineraries. I see many posters complain about how expensive Azamara has gotten recently compared to the luxury lines but it seems all the premium and luxury lines have increased their popular itinerary prices as well. Supply and demand! They also charge a higher deposit and have higher cancellation fees than AZ. With Azamara we can book early, get the suite we want, and on two of the last three AZ cruise’s got the low price guarantee to reduce the price just prior to final payment. I would really like to see comparative pricing from those that have booked a luxury line instead of Azamara and say Azamara pricing is no longer competitive. Are we missing something that others have discovered? Comments would be appreciated since we really would like to experience a luxury line if the price was right.

We are in the U.K. so don’t have the price drop protection but our experience is similar to yours, booking early gives us the accommodation we want and as yet haven’t suffered too much with prices dropping. But this could be because our choice of accommodation usually sells out early, in fact recently we have seen the prices rise significantly from ours , maybe we are just lucky.

We look at other cruise lines and have recently tried Crystal and Viking, but I struggle to find the deals others mention without compromising the standard of accommodation. Maybe if we weren’t so fussy about our cabin grade/location late booking would work for us.

Edited May 27, 2019 by Riocca

[uktog]

I think this is highlighting the current pricing policy works at the suite level and above but perhaps not at the balcony cabin level where there are many perfectly acceptable options. 

[Grandma Cruising]

2 hours ago, uktog said:

I think this is highlighting the current pricing policy works at the suite level and above but perhaps not at the balcony cabin level where there are many perfectly acceptable options. 

I think you’ve hit the nail on the head!

[snowglobe]

It seems to me, from this discussion and others, that the basic inequity in Azamara’s management of the booking conditions between the North American and UK markets is really the main issue - especially regarding deposits and adjustments, as cruise pricing fluctuates.

[john1970]

It just means that the UK is at a disadvantage with the pricing policy. I have given up booking on board and now book around 3-6 months before departure. I just want a balcony cabin and don't really care where onboard it is. I like Azamara on board but their back office and pricing management needs looking at.

[marinaro44]

6 hours ago, uktog said:

We are about to lose our deposits on two upcoming cruises (long haul) because we are being in our perception stung. We would be well ahead even factoring in the lost deposits, of course that loss is far higher than other countries are hit. 

 It irks we paid double for the cruise we are just finishing and saw upgrades allocated elsewhere despite our loyalty level and IF guests are to be believed their bids were only £200 more than ours (ok it’s anecdotal but I’ve yet to hear of anyone at the highest level being successful and the guests we’ve talked to were relatively new cruisers or first timers). 

 

We love the onboard product but the iniquities in pricing can’t be ignored. 

We have our long haul flights booked but before we reconfirm with Azamara for the two we are cancelling we are looking at other lines that fit to our dates. Azamara have only got themselves to blame for this potential defection. 

We are doing the same.  Azamara has decided to cast loyal cruisers to the winds (or maybe to Windstar?) with its callous change in upgrade scheme.  Perhaps an unintended consequence on Azamara's part but I won't accept this slap in the face.

[Cruise Junky]

I don't find Azamara reasonable at all.  The size of their cabins is a joke. When I book Regent or Crystal I'm getting twice as much square footage. I'd never in a million years pay that amount of $$$ for 175 sq ft hotel room.  Not sure where you're doing your price comparing but I've found Crystal to be quite reasonable compared to Azamara and as mentioned, you don't have to deal with their laughable wines on offer.

Edited May 27, 2019 by Cruise Junky

[Grandma Cruising]

2 hours ago, Cruise Junky said:

I don't find Azamara reasonable at all.  The size of their cabins is a joke. When I book Regent or Crystal I'm getting twice as much square footage. I'd never in a million years pay that amount of $$$ for 175 sq ft hotel room.  Not sure where you're doing your price comparing but I've found Crystal to be quite reasonable compared to Azamara and as mentioned, you don't have to deal with their laughable wines on offer.

I think you’d struggle to get a 16 night cruise to Norway for under £2000! That’s one of the current offers for a cruise in just over 5 weeks! When I said Azamara was reasonable I was talking about the offers that come up after final payment date.

[Cruise Junky]

42 minutes ago, Host Grandma Cruising said:

I think you’d struggle to get a 16 night cruise to Norway for under £2000! That’s one of the current offers for a cruise in just over 5 weeks! When I said Azamara was reasonable I was talking about the offers that come up after final payment date.

yes, they're having a fire sale, that's for sure....but at $1,250 cdn a night for Spain, I'll pass.

[oddjob16]

1 hour ago, Host Grandma Cruising said:

I think you’d struggle to get a 16 night cruise to Norway for under £2000! That’s one of the current offers for a cruise in just over 5 weeks! When I said Azamara was reasonable I was talking about the offers that come up after final payment date.

This is why you never talk about what you paid, when on board. I would be sour grape if that happened to me. Luckily my agent lets me rebook if price goes down or another sale comes up. The UK restrictions on rebooking is heartbreaking sometimes. 

[marinaro44]

3 hours ago, Cruise Junky said:

I don't find Azamara reasonable at all.  The size of their cabins is a joke. When I book Regent or Crystal I'm getting twice as much square footage. I'd never in a million years pay that amount of $$$ for 175 sq ft hotel room.  Not sure where you're doing your price comparing but I've found Crystal to be quite reasonable compared to Azamara and as mentioned, you don't have to deal with their laughable wines on offer.

Cruised Regent twice...seven weeks total.  Cold, impersonal service.  Never again.  Room size doesn't overcome that.  You can have it.

[Grandma Cruising]

16 minutes ago, oddjob16 said:

This is why you never talk about what you paid, when on board. I would be sour grape if that happened to me. Luckily my agent lets me rebook if price goes down or another sale comes up. The UK restrictions on rebooking is heartbreaking sometimes. 

You’re right, but then I figured that I paid a price I was happy with, for a cruise I really wanted to do, so I will just try to forget the sale price and enjoy the cruise!

You are also right that our re-booking restrictions are very annoying, to say the least!

[Jimmycruiser]

Cruise Junky - I would love to see your price comparison. I compare a 265 sf CC suite on Azamara which we enjoy to a standard cabin on Crystal which are comparable and again we can not come close in price for the same itinerary sailing at about the same time. Obviously a popular itinerary and sail date will have higher prices than less popular ones with the same cruise line so comparing prices is a challenge but the several times I have tried to do it Crystal and Seabourn were not close enough to justify the switch.

[Riocca]

8 minutes ago, Jimmycruiser said:

Cruise Junky - I would love to see your price comparison. I compare a 265 sf CC suite on Azamara which we enjoy to a standard cabin on Crystal which are comparable and again we can not come close in price for the same itinerary sailing at about the same time. Obviously a popular itinerary and sail date will have higher prices than less popular ones with the same cruise line so comparing prices is a challenge but the several times I have tried to do it Crystal and Seabourn were not close enough to justify the switch.

We made the same comparison and booked a standard cabin on Crystal because we liked the itinerary, price was about the same as we pay for a CC on Azamara. In reality although the bathroom was probably better, although we do like Azamara’s walk in shower, the room itself felt cramped and not as well fitted. We also missed the suite extras from Azamara, of course compared with an Azamara balcony cabin it is far superior so can certainly appreciate that if Azamara’s balcony prices are similar to Crystal then it would be a better option. 

 

However like others we are we are concerned by some of Azamara’s pricing, but this is the same as with other cruise lines we monitor, at the end of the day we have a price per day we are prepared to pay. So if the price for the itinerary we want fit into our criteria and there cabins we like are available we will book otherwise we hold off or look elsewhere.

 

 

 

[Cruise Junky]

1 hour ago, Jimmycruiser said:

Cruise Junky - I would love to see your price comparison. I compare a 265 sf CC suite on Azamara which we enjoy to a standard cabin on Crystal which are comparable and again we can not come close in price for the same itinerary sailing at about the same time. Obviously a popular itinerary and sail date will have higher prices than less popular ones with the same cruise line so comparing prices is a challenge but the several times I have tried to do it Crystal and Seabourn were not close enough to justify the switch.

on a quick glance, Using May 2021, both 10 day med cruises... OV Cabins, Crystal Symphony $3449 at 207sq ft vs. Azamara Journey $3,899 at 143 st ft

[Jimmycruiser]

I do not mean to argue but you picked an obstructed view OV on Crystal without port fees and compared it to an unobstructed OV with port fees. Azamara room is 170 sf not 143 sf compared to 207 sf on Crystal. True difference in apples to apples is AZ $75 per day cheaper after all costs included with much lower down payment for a cruise 2 years away and lower cancellation. I admit the price difference is better than I have seen and reasonable comparing luxury to premium. I will look closer at comparing an AZ mid ship CC suite at 266 sf to a 254 sf balcony suite on Crystal. 

[Cruise Junky]

19 minutes ago, Jimmycruiser said:

I do not mean to argue but you picked an obstructed view OV on Crystal without port fees and compared it to an unobstructed OV with port fees. Azamara room is 170 sf not 143 sf compared to 207 sf on Crystal. True difference in apples to apples is AZ $75 per day cheaper after all costs included with much lower down payment for a cruise 2 years away and lower cancellation. I admit the price difference is better than I have seen and reasonable comparing luxury to premium. I will look closer at comparing an AZ mid ship CC suite at 266 sf to a 254 sf balcony suite on Crystal. 

Square footage came right from Azamara’s site and seeing as Oceania lists their starter OV at 143 sq ft, I’m thinking it’s correct

Edited May 28, 2019 by Cruise Junky

[critterchick]

We cancelled a couple of cruises in Europe this summer (we're in the US, so only lost $200 on each) and they went on fire sale pricing for about $1000pp less than what we would have paid. We have two more cruises that we really only booked as placemarkers that we could transfer over, but our summer plans are set by now.

Our strategy in the future will be to plan on staying on land. If an interesting cruise happens to show up in the bargain bin, then we'll book it. But the Azamara experience has declined since 2017, and it's reminiscent of what the line was like when it first launched. Philip Herbert told us that that they were aspiring to be a 6 star line. Too bad they've given up on that idea.

 

[Bloodaxe]

3 hours ago, critterchick said:

We cancelled a couple of cruises in Europe this summer (we're in the US, so only lost $200 on each) and they went on fire sale pricing for about $1000pp less than what we would have paid. We have two more cruises that we really only booked as placemarkers that we could transfer over, but our summer plans are set by now.

Our strategy in the future will be to plan on staying on land. If an interesting cruise happens to show up in the bargain bin, then we'll book it. But the Azamara experience has declined since 2017, and it's reminiscent of what the line was like when it first launched. Philip Herbert told us that that they were aspiring to be a 6 star line. Too bad they've given up on that idea.

 

 

They seem to have been aspiring for 6 star prices and have failed, hence the current late sales.

Just my opinion but I loved Azamara in the early days, many things have slowly declined over the years.

 

[travelberlin]

I have also cancelled a cruise with Azamara and booked 6 more cruises with Crystal. IMHO Crystal offers a better product. Besides that, it is attractive for solo cruisers because almost all itineraries offer a reduced solo supplement. As much as I have enjoyed Azamara the pricing policy (increasing prices and none or just few reduced solo supplement) has taken me to other cruiselines. It is good to have options.