Is Azamara going under???

[hamrag]

16 minutes ago, CHTobi said:

The current shore side paralysis (for lack of a better word) speaks volumes. Systems seem pretty much collapsed, the hired staff in the customer service center are not educated and trained enough to deal efficiently and effectively with the many issues that passengers have. And "All quite on the Western Front" - no communication from the top. Whereas months ago there were eloquent messages with rosy promises and marginal apologies. Now - nothing! Again, paralysis through and through - to the point of clear damage to the brand. That's what happens when a cruise line sails (no pun intended) into the uncharted waters of a divorce from a big "mother company" WITHOUT proper planning. 

I don't disagree with most of what you have written, and I realise this isn't the answer for everyone....but, there is a useful Q&A on the UK website. Do remember that Az have asked those whose sailings are more than a month out to hold fire, and experienced diehards (I am not a member of that club) have politely reminded this fact on these boards. Of course, as is typical in all walks of life, many still want to do it anyway and that must be adding to the problems Az have.

 

This is the Q&A referenced:

 

WEBSITE REVAMP

Frequently Asked Questions

We just launched our new website. See our most common account, bookings, check-in and loyalty questions below.

Contact Us 

Access to My Azamara.com Account

What steps should I take if I am unable to login to my Azamara.com account?

• For the fastest resolution, please fill out the Account Login Help Form and be on the lookout for an email with further instructions.  
• Other trouble shooting steps:
  • As part of the transition, all guests were asked to reset their Azamara.com password. If you have not done so already, please click Forgot Password and follow the steps.
  • If you receive a message indicating your email was not found, please register for a new account. 

Access to Your Upcoming Cruises

How can I view upcoming cruises in my azamara.com account?

What if I have already booked a future cruise, but it is not listed under Upcoming Cruises in my account?

How do I make a payment on my reservation?

How can I link my account to other bookings?

How do I book shore excursions?

How do I book Onboard Packages, Transfers, Hotels or Pre/Post Cruise Land Programs?

How do I book Air through Azamara?

Currently, air booking is not available on Azamara.com. However, our Customer Service team can assist in making an air reservation. 

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Online Check-in is unavailable until May 15, 2023.

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Where can I find the address of my embarkation pier?

How will I know what time to arrive at the pier?

You will receive an email with assigned boarding times. Please reference the schedule below, based on your sailing date. 

Sailings from April 1-24, 2023: 

• 1:30pm-4:00pm: Suite Guests  
• 2:00pm-2:30pm: Azamara Circle members in the Discoverer Platinum, or Discoverer Plus tier levels  
• 2:30pm-3:30pm: Azamara Circle members in the Discoverer tier level  
• 3:30pm-4:00pm: Azamara Circle members in the Explorer tier level and all remaining guests  

Sailings from April 29-May 14, 2023: 

• 1:30pm-4:00pm: Suite Guests and Azamara Circle members in the Discoverer Platinum and Discoverer Plus tier levels  
• 2:00pm-2:45pm: Azamara Circle members in the Discoverer and Explorer tier levels  
• 2:45m-3:30pm: Guests staying in staterooms on Deck 7  
• 3:30pm-4:00pm: Guests staying in staterooms on Deck 4 & 6, and all other remaining guests  

Sailings May 24, 2023 and after: 

• Online check-in will resume on azamara.com starting May 15th, 2023. 

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When will I be able to view my past cruises?

What do I do if I have questions about my past cruises?

Our Customer Service Team is happy to assist you.

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Please fill out the Future Bookings & Loyalty Support Form.  Be sure to provide specific details about what is incorrect on your account. We will review your information and make necessary corrections. 

Edited April 25, 2023 by hamrag
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[fruitmachine]

17 hours ago, akpsibrian said:

I am in the beginning of a terrible experience with Azamara.  I too have had a lot of difficulty calling them.  I usually call when they open (8AM Central) and request they call me back.  I usually receive a call back between 3:30 and 4:30PM.  That is not that big of an issue.  However, my wife and I were supposed to depart the US on 20 April and arrive in Venice on the morning of 21 April (the cruise departed on 22 April).  Unfortunately, our first two flights were cancelled but we were able to rebook.  We boarded our flight to Paris only to have mechanical issues and that flight was cancelled at 1AM on 21 April.  We tried to rebook any flight to Venice that would get us there before the ship departed but had no luck.  We tried to go through Milan or Rome and take a train but nothing could get us there in time.  We found on the website that Azamara said we could only join the cruise at a later if we pre-coordinated with them so we didn't have much time to make plans.  We called Azamara (knowing they were closed) to see if they could let us know what to do but no one answered.  We then rebooked a flight that would have been our last possible chance to get there.  In the morning, we called our travel agent who tried to call Azamara.  They sat on hold for 7 hours before they were disconnected.  We also called Azamara and got through to no one.  We unfortunately had to cancel because our flights were cancelled and Azamara was not available to tell us how to proceed...  I just got off the phone with them (had to call and say I was booking a new cruise to actually get through to anyone) and they pretty much said there is nothing they can do and it did not matter that we tried to get through to them for advice.  I am hoping travel insurance covers this but I did not have a good experience with Azamara and they did nothing to try to make the situation better.  Very, very disappointed and will not give them another shot.  

That seems a terrible experience and is exactly the sort of scenario that we buy travel insurance for.  I hope you have a smooth claims process.

 

Whilst Azamara answering the phone might have helped you recover part the latter part of your vacation, they were neither the seller nor provider of the bit that went wrong.  Booking your own air (& hotel) has many advantages, but it does mean that when things go really wrong you're less likely to get significant support from the provider of your core element - the cruise.

[Oregonhiker]

They may not be going under, but they certainly act like they are. I have been trying to cancel a cruise due to wife's health for a month. A cruise line that is savy would have already rebooked our cabin. Since Azamara still doesn't know we aren't going our cabin will go empty even though I have tried all forms of communication - (ie email gets you an automated response suggesting you call them). Cruise leaves in 3 days.....

[Ayden]

56 minutes ago, Oregonhiker said:

They may not be going under, but they certainly act like they are. I have been trying to cancel a cruise due to wife's health for a month. A cruise line that is savy would have already rebooked our cabin. Since Azamara still doesn't know we aren't going our cabin will go empty even though I have tried all forms of communication - (ie email gets you an automated response suggesting you call them). Cruise leaves in 3 days.....

This is very disappointing to read and and I am so sorry you have these additional complications to deal with.  

I really hope someone from Azamara takes the time to read these messages and soon realizes the implications, not only for their guests but for their ongoing business. 

An update on expected timeline and return to normal is more than overdue.

 

[MetravelUtoo?]

On 4/20/2023 at 4:08 AM, Host Jazzbeau said:

I lived through something similar with Scenic last year when their website was held for ransom and they decided to rebuild it rather than pay.  Many on Cruise Critic were predicting that the company was on the rocks.  But my cruise and all reports on Cruise Critic were wonderful.  And the company is still in business, and even expanding.  Azamara will get through this and next year it will all be forgotten.

Dear Host, 

I’m just curious, how many days out from disembarkation on your Scenic cruise were you when you found out your air flights (you arranged and paid for through them) had been cancelled due to non payment??

 

 What about the second time?  Were both instances less than 30 days from your cruise??  Did you think the problem had been solved after your first 5-1/2 hr hold to talk to agent and the new confirmation number you got 2 days later?? 

————————————-OR—————————————

Were you SHOCKED one week later to discover it happened again?? Same reason, non payment?  

 

I only ask as there seem to be several of the mindset that “some” of us are unnecessarily bashing the Azamara brand.  Personally, I believe it’s a heck of a lot easier to be alturistic when it’s not YOUR long awaited vacation or hard earned $$$ on the line.  

 

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

I agree that having your flights cancelled is a much greater problem than what I experienced with Scenic, because I didn't have Scenic arrange my flights.  All I experienced was the inability to verify that my reservation (and Scenic) still existed – which is similar to many of the posts about Azamara at present.  For you and those similarly situated, I have much sympathy.  It's a very different situation if you aren't sure you are even going to get to the ship, no matter how wonderful the onboard experience is.

 

But your thread title and first post raise the question whether Azamara is going under.  That is the point I was equating with Scenic – their website was down for months and it was impossible to reach them by phone.  Many people were raising that same question.  In the end, Scenic didn't go under.

[nordski]

4 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

I agree that having your flights cancelled is a much greater problem than what I experienced with Scenic, because I didn't have Scenic arrange my flights.  All I experienced was the inability to verify that my reservation (and Scenic) still existed – which is similar to many of the posts about Azamara at present.  For you and those similarly situated, I have much sympathy.  It's a very different situation if you aren't sure you are even going to get to the ship, no matter how wonderful the onboard experience is.

 

But your thread title and first post raise the question whether Azamara is going under.  That is the point I was equating with Scenic – their website was down for months and it was impossible to reach them by phone.  Many people were raising that same question.  In the end, Scenic didn't go under.

Back in the early days of Viking’s very rapid expansion in river cruises, on the River Cruise Forum there were posts questioning Viking’s viability. Since the cruise line was also privately held, there was lots of opportunity for speculation.

We see how that worked out.

We too had a struggle with an inability to contact Scenic. When the website finally returned it was still very, very slow and frustrating. We now have to change a reservation and for the past week there is no possibility of getting to the reservation function,

 

But neither of these points is intended to detract from the seriousness of the issues facing some who are struggling to work with Azamara. My sympathies to those who are caught in this situation,

[D. B.]

On 4/18/2023 at 2:06 PM, chrisbu315 said:

There are likely fingerprints all over this knife, but there is no excuse.  This transition was poorly executed.  There should always be contingency plans.

 

If I were Oceania or Viking Ocean, I would come up with a clever advertising campaign to lure over the Azamara faithful.

I was expecting some glitches in the transition, so I printed out All the extras we paid for and sure enough I ended up showing them to staff to stop them from billing me for things we had already paid for.