Do you really want Azamara to fail?

[uktog]

I have thought long and hard about posting this thread and for some, I suspect, I apologise for being somewhat provocative.

 

And first to those cruising in the next two weeks who are still not sure their flights exist etc you have my absolute sympathies.  I cruise with a river line in four weeks time and myself and my agent are having a nightmare trying to get information about where our cruise actually ends so I know what stress exacerbated by non communication is like.  

 

But lets look at the big picture - yes the website and data migration has been a huge problem, it has not gone right, it is still not fixed.  The cruise line may be losing a lot of revenue in terms of bookings and shore ex sales, we do not know for sure.  

HOWEVER

No one has reported being denied boarding at the ship - actually no one has been reported being turned away at the airport for a pre booked flight though I accept that area is pretty scary just now.

No one has reported being asked for more money to pay off fictitious sums owing once boarded

and really.....

In the scheme of things, where is trust?  We know our loyalty points are probably wrong, but it will get fixed, maybe not today but one day.  Unfortunately we just have to wait on that one

 

Trouble is.....

Some folks are clogging up the phone lines or sending in multiple forms about perceived errors on relatively trivial things (yes they may appear as errors but I would wager 99% will be resolved overnight with wholesale programming fixes)  

The fix is....

Probably somewhere down the line, and absolutely for now better communications will help

Yes look backwards, learn lessons and recover I am sure Azamara wish they could turn the clock back and do this work differently!

 

BUT

 

and here is my big worry, too many people on social media and forums are making a quantum leap to the "Azamara is in financial difficulties", "I am cancelling the bookings I have deposits on", "I am not booking with them now" etc etc etc

 

And that is exactly what happened to some good but not so well capitalised banks in the past - the age old run on the banks with no new deposits coming in.  Their customer base drove them over the edge based on ill founded information.

 

I am not aware of Azamara's financials, but all I would say is, maybe they are going through a really rocky patch financially maybe all is well, but one thing is for sure, if people start talking about failure and lack of trust, it becomes infectious and too often its a self fulfilling prophecy.

 

I for one will be keeping all my bookings (yes I have longer term horses in the race and associated air fares) Worst case, I have appropriate insurance and the use of credit cards for payments to protect if heaven forbid it is needed.  And as soon as my circumstances change, I will make further financial commitments in Azamara's direction

 

I do not want Azamara to fail because of potential misplaced rumours - do you?

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 19, 2023 by uktog

[lisiamc]

@uktog  I agree. Way back, we talked to people from Sycamore who were onboard Onward’s maiden voyage, and they were clear that Sycamore is a “build them up, make them better, and then keep them, or sell them as a going concern” company. They don’t go in and strip assets. They don’t want to see their acquisitions fail. They are also in a financial position to make success happen. 
 

I am confident that the website transition will get sorted out. (I won’t dispute that it’s a huge nightmare, and I hope it gets sorted out soon!) I haven’t cancelled any of our upcoming cruises, and I plan to book more when we’re onboard in July. 

Edited April 19, 2023 by lisiamc

[donaldsc]

Nobody who has cruised on Azamara wants them to fail. Those of us who have cruised on Azamara did so because they had a wonder product.  We cruised on them 5 or 6 times.  However that was then and now is now.  I have not cruised on them post covid but it sounds as if they are having problems keeping up their former high standards.  Fixing the apparent current issues is their problem and the fact that they are under new management is their problem and not ours.

 

DON

[conman]

Well if they are having financial problems that certainly was not evident on the cruise we just finished earlier this month.  Everything was first class.  No evidence at all of cutbacks and such.  The ship was full and everyone seemed very happy.  

[tscoffey]

If Azamara is even giving the appearance of failing, either thru their website or customer support, that is 100% on them, not on the customers who have a (possibly) mistaken impression of their company stability.

 

Management has an absolute duty to keep their booking site and staff at their absolute best at all times. Spend more money on IT to improve the site. Train staff better. Put out apology notices and acknowledge any perceptions. If they lost bookings over these things, and don't have a plan to correct them, they need to resign.

 

 

[Mackdogmolly]

I absolutely don’t want them to fail and I am not canceling my one upcoming confirmed booking. That said, my TA has been trying without success to confirm another booking for 2 weeks, so I have decided not to book any more cruises until everything has been sorted out.

[lisiamc]

1 hour ago, Mackdogmolly said:

I absolutely don’t want them to fail and I am not canceling my one upcoming confirmed booking. That said, my TA has been trying without success to confirm another booking for 2 weeks, so I have decided not to book any more cruises until everything has been sorted out.

I can understand that. That’s why I will book on board. I’m sure that will be the best route to a future booking with no problems. And it will be for next year, because we still have three more in the pipeline for this year (all of which are showing correctly when I log into my account!)

[Work in to Cruise 2023]

So happy you posted this uktog!!  I have been trying to encourage those on Social Media to have patience and trust in Azamara.  We have taken 4 cruises with Azamara since Sycamore purchased them.  We experienced the same phenomenal service with them as we did prior to the change of ownership - and we have 3 more currently booked.  When I sign in it shows no upcoming cruises, and no Loyalty points.  Since my first cruise does not depart until November 30th I am just sitting and waiting - they will have my account updated soon.  I love sailing with Azamara for many reasons from the itineraries, the crew and quality of service provided.  I certainly hope the negative comments do not turn too many people off this wonderful cruise line.  I agree there are many frustrations - especially for those who are sailing in the next few weeks, however there are multiple comments on here and on Social Media the confirm - once you get to the port you are well looked after and your loyalty points are correct.  So I say - relax, board an Azamara ship and have an Az-amazing vacation!  ✈️🚢🍷🍹

[norn iron]

2 hours ago, donaldsc said:

  I have not cruised on them post covid but it sounds as if they are having problems keeping up their former high standards. 

 

DON

Don, I returned to cruising with Azamara post Covid in October 2021 and to date have completed a further three cruises with them since then.

I didn't observe any loss of standards, so I'm somewhat confused by your comment.

 

In fact, since last August I've convinced my sister and her husband to upgrade to Azamara, they have now completed two cruises and are totally sold on the product.

 

Maybe it's time you returned to see that the product is as good as it ever was.

[Grandma Cruising]

Thank you uktog for your topic and post. I absolutely agree with you, people need to have a little faith that things will work out. Yes there are errors in the website, but as you say there have been no reports of people being denied boarding - once people get to the ship everything seems to get sorted out.

I also agree with norn iron that there has been no drop in standards since COVID. We’ve done 2 cruises in the last 6 months and everything has been as good as ever.

 

[marinaro44]

Not clear to me why anyone here thinks Azamara is about to fail.  Our 24 days on Onward during the holidays were as good as ever.  We have one side of a story about someone's flight being canceled and people think the sky is falling?  Nonsense.

[fernem]

Well, we have done two cruises with Azamara since the pandemic started (and one on Celebrity) and they have been the usual delight. We have five cruises booked and are currently not worried (even though they say we have no future cruises). Thanks to uktog as well. It will work out. They have a solid and lovely product. 

[donaldsc]

2 hours ago, norn iron said:

Don, I returned to cruising with Azamara post Covid in October 2021 and to date have completed a further three cruises with them since then.

I didn't observe any loss of standards, so I'm somewhat confused by your comment.

 

In fact, since last August I've convinced my sister and her husband to upgrade to Azamara, they have now completed two cruises and are totally sold on the product.

 

Maybe it's time you returned to see that the product is as good as it ever was.

 

I am not down on Azamara.  I just have not found any of their cruises that I was really excited about and I did find some on from other companies that I was more excited about.  

 

DON

[norn iron]

53 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

 

I am not down on Azamara.  I just have not found any of their cruises that I was really excited about and I did find some on from other companies that I was more excited about.  

 

DON

 I get that, Iit was just from your earlier post you were indicating standards had fallen when they haven’t. In this case I’m speaking from experience rather than speculation.

[JAT0303]

Just a thought for those posters who say everything is great on the ships so not to worry.  I fully expect that will be the case for my first Azamara cruise. 

 

However, I will first have to get to the ship to discover whether that is true.  A number of posters, including myself, have air reservations with Azamara for cruises in the next month or so.  In my case, Azamara has had full payment for my cruise and airline tickets for over 3 months.  Azamara is not paying for them and they are being cancelled by the airlines.  This is not a simple fix by calling Azamara because of the long wait time, turning off the phones, not returning calls to those who chose to "keep their place in line" and get a call back, and the fact that you're not allowed to talk to any staff in the "air department."  My TA is not having any better luck.

 

I have been working to get my flights ticketed for over 2 weeks with more than 6 phone calls and other communication attempts.  It's still only half done!

 

I do support the idea of asking those who have website problems that are not critical to refrain from calling Azamara right now.  This would allow them more time to fix the more time-sensitive issues.

 

So while I am happy to wait to check-in at the pier and sort out my excursions when I'm on the ship, I'm struggling to make sure I can actually fly to Europe and get on the ship 😔.

[Mackdogmolly]

10 minutes ago, JAT0303 said:

Just a thought for those posters who say everything is great on the ships so not to worry.  I fully expect that will be the case for my first Azamara cruise. 

 

However, I will first have to get to the ship to discover whether that is true.  A number of posters, including myself, have air reservations with Azamara for cruises in the next month or so.  In my case, Azamara has had full payment for my cruise and airline tickets for over 3 months.  Azamara is not paying for them and they are being cancelled by the airlines.  This is not a simple fix by calling Azamara because of the long wait time, turning off the phones, not returning calls to those who chose to "keep their place in line" and get a call back, and the fact that you're not allowed to talk to any staff in the "air department."  My TA is not having any better luck.

 

I have been working to get my flights ticketed for over 2 weeks with more than 6 phone calls and other communication attempts.  It's still only half done!

 

I do support the idea of asking those who have website problems that are not critical to refrain from calling Azamara right now.  This would allow them more time to fix the more time-sensitive issues.

 

So while I am happy to wait to check-in at the pier and sort out my excursions when I'm on the ship, I'm struggling to make sure I can actually fly to Europe and get on the ship 😔.

That really sounds like a nightmare 

[JM0115]

8 hours ago, uktog said:

I have thought long and hard about posting this thread and for some, I suspect, I apologise for being somewhat provocative.

 

And first to those cruising in the next two weeks who are still not sure their flights exist etc you have my absolute sympathies.  I cruise with a river line in four weeks time and myself and my agent are having a nightmare trying to get information about where our cruise actually ends so I know what stress exacerbated by non communication is like.  

 

But lets look at the big picture - yes the website and data migration has been a huge problem, it has not gone right, it is still not fixed.  The cruise line may be losing a lot of revenue in terms of bookings and shore ex sales, we do not know for sure.  

HOWEVER

No one has reported being denied boarding at the ship - actually no one has been reported being turned away at the airport for a pre booked flight though I accept that area is pretty scary just now.

No one has reported being asked for more money to pay off fictitious sums owing once boarded

and really.....

In the scheme of things, where is trust?  We know our loyalty points are probably wrong, but it will get fixed, maybe not today but one day.  Unfortunately we just have to wait on that one

 

Trouble is.....

Some folks are clogging up the phone lines or sending in multiple forms about perceived errors on relatively trivial things (yes they may appear as errors but I would wager 99% will be resolved overnight with wholesale programming fixes)  

The fix is....

Probably somewhere down the line, and absolutely for now better communications will help

Yes look backwards, learn lessons and recover I am sure Azamara wish they could turn the clock back and do this work differently!

 

BUT

 

and here is my big worry, too many people on social media and forums are making a quantum leap to the "Azamara is in financial difficulties", "I am cancelling the bookings I have deposits on", "I am not booking with them now" etc etc etc

 

And that is exactly what happened to some good but not so well capitalised banks in the past - the age old run on the banks with no new deposits coming in.  Their customer base drove them over the edge based on ill founded information.

 

I am not aware of Azamara's financials, but all I would say is, maybe they are going through a really rocky patch financially maybe all is well, but one thing is for sure, if people start talking about failure and lack of trust, it becomes infectious and too often its a self fulfilling prophecy.

 

I for one will be keeping all my bookings (yes I have longer term horses in the race and associated air fares) Worst case, I have appropriate insurance and the use of credit cards for payments to protect if heaven forbid it is needed.  And as soon as my circumstances change, I will make further financial commitments in Azamara's direction

 

I do not want Azamara to fail because of potential misplaced rumours - do you?

 

 

 

 

 

I agree with most of your points, but AZ can help themselves by improving communication. Why not send an e-mail to those with upcoming cruises saying, you will not have to pay more than your original invoice, OBC will be corrected on board to reflect what you have, shore excursions will be available to all that need them and could not book them online, itineraries will be correct when you are on board….

 

And perhaps, we recognize how frustrating this has been to you, our customers who are booked to travel with us, here is something to thank you for your loyalty and for sticking with us through this?

 

Edited April 19, 2023 by JM0115

[takemewithyou]

50 minutes ago, JAT0303 said:

Just a thought for those posters who say everything is great on the ships so not to worry.  I fully expect that will be the case for my first Azamara cruise. 

 

However, I will first have to get to the ship to discover whether that is true.  A number of posters, including myself, have air reservations with Azamara for cruises in the next month or so.  In my case, Azamara has had full payment for my cruise and airline tickets for over 3 months.  Azamara is not paying for them and they are being cancelled by the airlines.  This is not a simple fix by calling Azamara because of the long wait time, turning off the phones, not returning calls to those who chose to "keep their place in line" and get a call back, and the fact that you're not allowed to talk to any staff in the "air department."  My TA is not having any better luck.

 

I have been working to get my flights ticketed for over 2 weeks with more than 6 phone calls and other communication attempts.  It's still only half done!

 

I do support the idea of asking those who have website problems that are not critical to refrain from calling Azamara right now.  This would allow them more time to fix the more time-sensitive issues.

 

So while I am happy to wait to check-in at the pier and sort out my excursions when I'm on the ship, I'm struggling to make sure I can actually fly to Europe and get on the ship 😔.

And I am so sorry for you!  This is totally unacceptable!  I wasn’t aware of this until I read some of this this week on this board!    My next sailing is mid June and I also became aware of others on our sailing in the same situation.  I am booked independently for my air to Europe.   I have used Choice Air,  (now called Azamara Air or something like that) before and I would just be in panic mode with your air situation.  I certainly hope that this gets worked out for you but it is unacceptable and not good for future business at all and I don’t blame you for being upset.

[Lisaten]

I agree, most people should just find something better to do. But I am on the May 6 cruise out of Chioggia; the port change alone was a shock. There is no evidence AT ALL of Onward being in any port we will visit.  So, we take a leap of faith and leave Florida to travel all the way to Venice in HOPES of actually going on a cruise. At least I was wise enough to go a day early and Chioggia looks like a nice place to be stranded in.  Azamara should give priority to the cruises now, not the ones 8 months from now. Yet they haven't.  We're too old to deal with the stress. It's why we don't use the cheap cruiselines, and there are so very many near my home. Just sayin'.

[TeaBag]

1 hour ago, Lisaten said:

 

So, we take a leap of faith and leave Florida to travel all the way to Venice in HOPES of actually going on a cruise. At least I was wise enough to go a day early and Chioggia looks like a nice place to be stranded in.  Azamara should give priority to the cruises now, not the ones 8 months from now. Yet they haven't.  We're too old to deal with the stress. It's why we don't use the cheap cruiselines, and there are so very many near my home. Just sayin'.

I could have written your post, except we are flying to Singapore to board the ship....that's if we are allowed, when we haven't paid them their $5,800 extra.  Never in our 30+ years of cruising have we had such trouble with a cruise.  I so wish we had gotten cancellation for any reason insurance.

I hope your cruise works out for you and ours too.  I made someone laugh today by saying that our next trip will be on our skytrain into Vancouver!!  About a 10 min trip because like you, we are too old for this nonsense

[blag]

Whilst the sentiments expressed here by 'the usual suspects' are probably correct, my experience on three cruises with Azamara in the last year lead me to say that in some areas standards have, most definitely, dropped.

Before the howls of protest begin, let me cite just a few examples, one being a long-standing issue, others probably being a localised or temporary supply issue.

Firstly, despite being listed, there has been no Boddington's bitter on board on any of our cruises (different ships, different locations, but including north-western Europe) this year. And, if my recollection is correct, on our most recent cruise the choice of bottled beers, was limited to just two.

Secondly, there were no Brussels sprouts (or rock salt*) available throughout our Christmas cruise.

Thirdly, the quantity and choice of spirits provided in suites has diminished.

I freely admit that, in the grand scheme of things, these are not sufficient to justify cancellation or avoiding Azamara**, but, nevertheless, I believe they are symptomatic.

For those who have leapt in to defend Azamara (many of whom have merely repeated what the OP stated) I think it is important to apply some perspective. From my perspective, standards have dropped.

 

* eventually, I bought some rock salt at a port and gave it to Maitre d'.

**On the other hand, for future cruises, I am now seriously thinking about booking with Azamara's closest competitors, and nearer the time will be scrutinising their CC boards for evidence of similar 'supply' issues.

[ECCruise]

We boarded Quest on Tuesday and our faux $3550 balance not mentioned. OBCs correct on day 2. Tickets for pre-booked excursions in room. Quick and easy check and boarding. 

Only 3rd day, but sensing a difference in onboard experience from our dozen previous sailings, including 4 since restart. 

But too early to make a judgment since we will be onboard for 40 days. 

 

[laurieb]

4 hours ago, JAT0303 said:

Just a thought for those posters who say everything is great on the ships so not to worry.  I fully expect that will be the case for my first Azamara cruise. 

 

However, I will first have to get to the ship to discover whether that is true.  A number of posters, including myself, have air reservations with Azamara for cruises in the next month or so.  In my case, Azamara has had full payment for my cruise and airline tickets for over 3 months.  Azamara is not paying for them and they are being cancelled by the airlines.  This is not a simple fix by calling Azamara because of the long wait time, turning off the phones, not returning calls to those who chose to "keep their place in line" and get a call back, and the fact that you're not allowed to talk to any staff in the "air department."  My TA is not having any better luck.

 

I have been working to get my flights ticketed for over 2 weeks with more than 6 phone calls and other communication attempts.  It's still only half done!

 

I do support the idea of asking those who have website problems that are not critical to refrain from calling Azamara right now.  This would allow them more time to fix the more time-sensitive issues.

 

So while I am happy to wait to check-in at the pier and sort out my excursions when I'm on the ship, I'm struggling to make sure I can actually fly to Europe and get on the ship 😔.

I think actually RCCL was entrusted with your air funds; blame needs to be put on the original source, perhaps pressure needs to put on them to get these air issues resolved.

[laurieb]

22 minutes ago, blag said:

Whilst the sentiments expressed here by 'the usual suspects' are probably correct, my experience on three cruises with Azamara in the last year lead me to say that in some areas standards have, most definitely, dropped.

Before the howls of protest begin, let me cite just a few examples, one being a long-standing issue, others probably being a localised or temporary supply issue.

Firstly, despite being listed, there has been no Boddington's bitter on board on any of our cruises (different ships, different locations, but including north-western Europe) this year. And, if my recollection is correct, on our most recent cruise the choice of bottled beers, was limited to just two.

Secondly, there were no Brussels sprouts (or rock salt*) available throughout our Christmas cruise.

Thirdly, the quantity and choice of spirits provided in suites has diminished.

I freely admit that, in the grand scheme of things, these are not sufficient to justify cancellation or avoiding Azamara**, but, nevertheless, I believe they are symptomatic.

For those who have leapt in to defend Azamara (many of whom have merely repeated what the OP stated) I think it is important to apply some perspective. From my perspective, standards have dropped.

 

* eventually, I bought some rock salt at a port and gave it to Maitre d'.

**On the other hand, for future cruises, I am now seriously thinking about booking with Azamara's closest competitors, and nearer the time will be scrutinising their CC boards for evidence of similar 'supply' issues.

Bitters and Brussels sprouts, really??  That’s what you would base  your opinion of dropping standards?

[TeaBag]

10 minutes ago, ECCruise said:

We boarded Quest on Tuesday and our faux $3550 balance not mentioned. OBCs correct on day 2. Tickets for pre-booked excursions in room. Quick and easy check and boarding. 

Only 3rd day, but sensing a difference in onboard experience from our dozen previous sailings, including 4 since restart. 

But too early to make a judgment since we will be onboard for 40 days. 

 

Thank you so much ECC.  i have been waiting for a post by you since you boarded in Tokyo.  I hope the onboard experience improves for you.