Do you really want Azamara to fail?

[blag]

7 hours ago, Mrs Miggins said:

I really think the post by Blag was a wind up.

It wasn't.

I think it is important to be realistic about this. Azamara have demonstrated their lack of resources, skills whatever you may call it by completely mismanaging the transfer to the new web site. It smacks of systematic gross incompetence. Those who work(ed) in IT who have commented in these and similar fora are simply astonished at his badly it has been handled. Personally, I wasn't surprised.

We seem to be in agreement that we all like the end-product - it is hard not to - but it is being eroded, subtly, but consistently.

Let me give you a further example - again, easy to dismiss as not being of any importance (on its own), but as I say, symptomatic: they used to supply real maple syrup for pancakes, waffles etc. Not any more.

On our last cruise apple sauce wasn't available with pork.

Individually, these things are of little consequence, but an insidious reduction in standards is taking place.

[blag]

14 minutes ago, norn iron said:

If you want to split hairs I could take this thread off in a totally different direction I could write about tonic water on Azamara!

I am not splitting hairs, but please do tell...

[blag]

7 hours ago, uktog said:

When I travel at Christmas I do not expect a cruise line or hotel overseas to replicate a Scottish family Christmas (differs from English, American, Canadian etc etc etc). 
😂😂

I wasn't asking for any such replication or any expectation of this. You have made that assumption.

Brussels sprouts are listed as a side dish in Prime C, but were not available.

[Mrs Miggins]

If the lack of certain items onboard is a problem to anyone.  I believe the remedy is in their hands.

 

Looking forward to a lovely cruise in June.  Looking forward to meeting some great people onboard, visiting some new ports to me, eating some great food and enjoying the rest of the many delights onboard. 

I promise not to ask for Boddingtons, Brussel Sprouts, or Rock Salt. I may take a measuring jug to ensure I get full value of liquor in our suite.  If I want something different I will ask and be delighted with what I receive.  I look forward to trying the new Cocktail menu and try to forget my favourites from the 60, 70s, 80s and 90s or do they still offer Babycham or Snowballs ?

[blag]

7 hours ago, Mrs Miggins said:

Wouldn't think that most onboard would know or care about Boddingtons - and if Rock Salt is a priority then as he says it is easily sourced by the person who needs it.  If there are no supply issues in Italy I would be surprised.  Apparently both Railworkers and Airport workers have been on strike very recently.  Personally I would be happy if I never saw a Brussel Sprout again - mainly forced on us in the UK at Christmas.  

The thing is: we all have different tastes.

Because you wouldn't miss either the Boddingtons or the Brussels sprouts doesn't mean they don't matter to others.

I am sure that there are things that you would miss if they weren't available, but that I - and others - would not.

Of course, the occasional absence of stuff is understandable (and I acknowledged as much).

I could go on about there being no key card holders and no tote bags, but I feel it would be a waste of time and effort.

[lisiamc]

11 hours ago, blag said:

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.

 

 

* 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.

We have had Brussels sprouts available on every Azamara cruise we’ve taken in the last year, on Onward, Pursuit and Journey. They are served in Prime C, and they’ve been there for certain in May, July, November, and December of 2022, and  January, March and April of 2023. I know, because I love them and always order them.

 

A wildly unscientific trawl of local supermarkets (North Norfolk) reveals that Tesco and Waitrose don’t carry Boddington’s, although ASDA and Morrison’s do, but it’s in limited supply. It’s not as easy to find as it used to be a few years ago. The Brexit effect may be at play here, as well, as far as supplying it to Azamara. Exporting and importing have become much more of a project post-Brexit, and the company sourcing Boddington’s may have decided it wasn’t worth it. I do agree it should be removed from the list if it isn’t going to be available, though.

 

As far as the quantity of booze available in suites, our butler told us to let him know if we finished ours and wanted more. We didn’t ask for Hendrick’s, so I don’t know if we could have had it, but we were supplied with Bombay Sapphire as a default, and traded it for Gordon’s, because that’s what we like.

[Mackdogmolly]

Ok, while we’re worrying about beer and gin and sprouts, etc, I’ve also noticed that they seem to have dropped the assistant cabin steward positions, putting a lot of extra burden on the cabin stewards. THAT is a very visible cost cutting measure and I really feel for the housekeeping staff.

[lisiamc]

28 minutes ago, Mackdogmolly said:

Ok, while we’re worrying about beer and gin and sprouts, etc, I’ve also noticed that they seem to have dropped the assistant cabin steward positions, putting a lot of extra burden on the cabin stewards. THAT is a very visible cost cutting measure and I really feel for the housekeeping staff.

Yes, I’m sure this is more work, although I don’t know how many cabins were allocated to a team of two, and how many are now allocated to solo stewards. 
 

However, did you know that since the takeover by Sycamore, the flight to the ship to begin their contracts AND the flight home at the end are now included in a crew member’s contract? Many other cruise lines (including Azamara under RCCL management) only include the flight out. It is on the crew member to pay for his or her flight home. I’ve had conversations where a crew member has mentioned that the first thing they used to do on arriving to the ship was start saving up for the trip home. This seems like a step forward to me.

[JAT0303]

12 hours ago, laurieb said:

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.

I did call Celebrity and spoke at length with their air department about the issue.  They no longer have any record of the flights that were booked.  They did have our accounts (we cruise frequently with Celebrity) but no flight reservations.  I pushed a little and asked them to look up the various confirmation numbers I had and there was nothing.  The rep. put me on hold to talk with a supervisor and came back and said there was nothing they could do to help because everything had been turned over to Azamara.

 

So, I'm not sure how to pursue with Celebrity given what I was told.

[Mackdogmolly]

17 minutes ago, lisiamc said:

This seems like a step forward to me.

Yes, but some of their contracts are really long.

[gymfreak]

1 hour ago, blag said:

I could go on about there being no key card holders and no tote bags, but I feel it would be a waste of time and effort.

Good news is we just returned from Japan intensive and we got both a tote bag and new design key holder! 
However Whispering Angel was in very short supply🙄

[Host Jazzbeau]

2 hours ago, blag said:

I wasn't asking for any such replication or any expectation of this. You have made that assumption.

But your focus is totally negative, and every example you give is a minor thing that is of importance only to you.  Meanwhile when others say their cruise was wonderful or they had the amenities they expected, you denigrate them or demand proof.  Please stop being so argumentative.  As you said, "we all have different tastes."  

 

If your recent Azamara cruise was so far below your (perhaps rose-colored) memories of prior cruises, it may be time to move on to other cruise lines.  But it is definitely time to stop expecting that Azamara will change to suit your particular taste.

[tucsonsuson]

Having JUST returned from back-to-back on the Azamara Pursuit from Lisbon to Athens and looking forward to our future back-to-back cruises in December/January on the Journey from Perth to Auckland, I would like to share our recent experience and hope that Azamara thrives for many years to come.  We are also booked to sail with Seabourn and Uniworld this year, so I’m looking forward to being able to compare them to Azamara.

 

Our recent cruise on Azamara was wonderful, as always.  I am of the mind that “if I don’t have to prepare it, cook it and serve it, I’m happy with it (McDonalds’ excluded!).  Seriously though, we found 95% of the meals to be lovely and the other 5% were items we wouldn’t enjoy at home either.  We DID have escargot and it was delightful.  When it comes to drinks, as long as it’s a chilled, dry chardonnay served by a good-looking crew member (male or female), I’m ok with it. As far as the Brussel sprout is concerned, I have as YET to find acceptable sprouts at the grocery store since the pandemic!  And, if my entire trip was based on the only spirit I would drink, I’d be sure to take my own supply, just to be on the safe side.

 

Also, we do not cruise for the entertainment onboard.  While we thoroughly enjoyed it on this ship, if top-notch live entertainment is our goal, we go to New York City!  We sail with Azamara for the itinerary, the places we get to visit and the great people we meet onboard.

 

The crew on Azamara is fantastic!  Each and everyone addressed us by name each time they saw us. They worked tirelessly to make our experience as memorable as possible.  Hats off to these ‘kids’!  They are well-trained and their personalities well-suited to cater to everyone, especially those who expect nothing short of excellence.

 

I’ll go out on a limb and guess that most of the people who travel on Azamara (and comparable ships) are booking through a travel agent and have no experience with the website or the IT issues.  My husband and I, on the other hand, have extensive experience in both areas – my husband having been in the computer business for over 50 years, will tell you that even companies like IBM have ‘IT’ issues occasionally.  AND, throw in the staffing problems during/after the pandemic, trust me, it is way more companies than Azamara having these issues.  Let’s also keep in mind, these cruise lines (like all for-profit businesses) are in it to make money.

 

In closing, I would like to give a nod to the Azamara clients who are standing by and supporting a company they love as we all come out of one of the most difficult times for the travel industry.

 

[lisiamc]

12 minutes ago, gymfreak said:

Good news is we just returned from Japan intensive and we got both a tote bag and new design key holder! 
However Whispering Angel was in very short supply🙄

Would I rather have a key wallet and a tote bag, or a generous supply of Whispering Angel? Hmmm… let me think! 😂😂 No contest there for me, I’m afraid. The Angel wins every time! 😇

[Grandma Cruising]

2 hours ago, lisiamc said:

Would I rather have a key wallet and a tote bag, or a generous supply of Whispering Angel? Hmmm… let me think! 😂😂 No contest there for me, I’m afraid. The Angel wins every time! 😇

Agreed!

[aliaschief]

Maybe we should consider that cruise lines order products that are in demand; if there is no demand why fill the stores with products that don’t sell.

That being said, I do hope they have my favorite Boone’s Farm onboard Journey in June!😉

[Host Jazzbeau]

1 hour ago, aliaschief said:

Maybe we should consider that cruise lines order products that are in demand; if there is no demand why fill the stores with products that don’t sell.

That being said, I do hope they have my favorite Boone’s Farm onboard Journey in June!😉

I hear it goes well with Brussels Sprouts – right into the garbage can!  🤣

[KevintheIrishDJ]

Our TA and I have been trying to get a refund of $5k for months. Finally got a call back today with no promise of when I will hear back.

[molemaui]

On 4/19/2023 at 11:06 AM, uktog said:

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

I agree with much if not most of what you say. However when you have many thousands invested in a vacation, you have some basic expectations which include being able to get in touch, ask questions, etc. Neither I nor my agent has had any luck getting in touch with AZ by normal channels. 

 

Most of us travel to relax or decompress. I don't expect the stress after I've booked and before I've sailed. We have at least two issues here. Phone-it is inexcusable not to have staffed phone lines. You simply cannot get in touch. (My agent is using private email addresses to contact people they know within the organization). The computer issue is far more distressing. Anyone who has been in business and been involved or managed computer and/or data migrations absolutely know you need to put redundancies in place. It appears AZ put very little thought or expense in executing this exercise. Any of you in business know what would happen if you failed so miserably. I'm not interested in seeing heads roll-rather I'm interested in resources being invested to solve this problem. 

 

While this is my first AZ cruise coming up (very soon), I have experienced the "front end" of Silversea, Regent, Windstar, Oceania, Uniworld, Norwegian and Celebrity having sailed ALL post COVID (a couple multiple times) and have not experienced anything remotely as bad as what we're experiencing now. Friends who have sailed AZ recommended them and I am still looking forward to "trying them out". Half the fun of a trip is the preplanning. This has been almost impossible. 

 

I know loyalists will say "Give them time", "it's not their fault", and my favorite, "At least you're cruising". 

 

Here's hoping the cruise is all we hoped it would be and totally realize the hardworking crew is not the culprit for these issues. 

 

 

[tucsonsuson]

1 hour ago, molemaui said:

While this is my first AZ cruise coming up (very soon), I have experienced the "front end" of Silversea, Regent, Windstar, Oceania, Uniworld, Norwegian and Celebrity having sailed ALL post COVID (a couple multiple times) and have not experienced anything remotely as bad as what we're experiencing now.

WOW!  I considered our cruise, which began on March 23, 2023 and ended on April 11, 2023, (after we cancelled SEVEN cruises "during Covid") as the very first “available post-Covid” cruise timing and you’ve been able to experience: “Silversea, Regent, Windstar, Oceania, Uniworld, Norwegian and Celebrity having sailed ALL post COVID (a couple multiple times) and have not experienced anything remotely as bad as what we're experiencing now.”

 

(FYI – Covid is STILL with us!)

 

Kudos for squeezing 3 years worth of cruising into a very short period of time!

 

I look forward to your thoughts AFTER your very FIRST Azamara experience!  Have fun! 

[laurieb]

5 hours ago, KevintheIrishDJ said:

Our TA and I have been trying to get a refund of $5k for months. Finally got a call back today with no promise of when I will hear back.

Have to ask, if your canceled cruise wasn’t supposed to sail until December this year, why did you pay so much more than the deposit?  

[uktog]

I totally get where @molemaui is coming from.  The stress elements are not what you want to start a trip with - believe me I know, I currently am facing it with American Queen Voyages who have not gone through an IT system change, so they do not have that excuse - and yes, I am using a travel agent before people ask and they are beyond frustrated.  

For Azamara, a little more communication would really really help.  This is the worst drop in communication I have ever seen from Azamara but I do not equate it with the demise of the operation as continue to do.  But they do need to get some reassuring messages out there!

 

 

Edited April 21, 2023 by uktog

[molemaui]

8 hours ago, tucsonsuson said:

(FYI – Covid is STILL with us!)

 

Kudos for squeezing 3 years worth of cruising into a very short period of time!

 

I look forward to your thoughts AFTER your very FIRST Azamara experience!  Have fun! 

I of course meant the COVID reference as a timeframe as “resumption of cruising after COVID shutdown on approximately 7/21” 

 

Ironically after all this cruising, my wife wants to stay home for a while after Azamara!  

[aliaschief]

Yes Covid is still with us. Currently on a cruise not Azamara with 48 confirmed cases and heaven knows how many are hiding minor symptoms. Crew that face guest are masked. Still optional for guest. Quite a few of us are masking up but many are not.

Edited April 21, 2023 by aliaschief

[ChucktownSteve]

It's obvious the major Azamara problems are with Customer Service BEFORE boarding.  I don't desire their demise however I'm not inclined to put myself into a stressful situation just trying to book a holiday.

 

The one thing that would help solve AZ's problem is if they hired additional CS reps to handle the apparently huge number of problems quickly when they appear.  Proper communication is a must if they expect to attract new customers and not lose existing ones. 

 

In the long run, if their customers are not happy with the pre-cruise experience, AZ will not be happy with the results...revenue loss.  IMO, it will cost less to fix the problem on the front end then lose bookings and attempt to recover later.