Hello Carol Cabezas (CEO), What on Earth is Going On?

[uktog]

12 minutes ago, ECCruise said:

We had a similar problem with Celebrity on a lift and shift.  They insisted that it could not be accomplished, even though it was obvious that it should have been.  The problem is, when they hold all the cards, we are beholden to the cruise lines, even when it is beyond common sense. 

Exactly - and you lose the will to live to fight! 

[Mrs Miggins]

58 minutes ago, uktog said:

Thanks we’ve two more booked for 2024. Our hope is they sort themselves out but they seem to have an ability to push a self destruct button too often. They’ve moved from line of choice to one we will consider. It all seemed to change when Larry Pimintel moved away 

Also the service in the UK was sadly diminished when Richard Twynam left.  I thought it was a good move when he started working for Scenic/Emerald as we love Scenic cruises.  However he was only with them for a few months.  Wonder where he is now ?

[Mackdogmolly]

4 hours ago, takemewithyou said:

Noticing that the conversations here on this board have diminished significantly!  
 

Many people must have moved on to other cruiselines!  It’s pretty concerning, although we hear nothing from Azamara , other than frequent sales emails and mailings.  We are, however, reading here regularly about customers cancelling their cruises out of their frustrations dealing with Azamara’s management and web site issues.

 

 Sad !  

I do have a Panama Canal cruise booked with Viking, after canceling one with Azamara because the itinerary just wasn’t making any sense. I do have a 2025 cruise booked and am hoping to book a 2024 cruise partly using “free” nights, if we can ever sort THAT out.

[norn iron]

Reading this thread is not a joyful experience, however, there may be signs of improvement or hope at Azamara.

 

A few weeks back I put a call into Azamara in the UK, the call was answered within three rings and I queried a lost (my fault) refer and receive certificate which was due to expire in early August.

The certificate was reissued within a couple of days by email.

Again my fault, when I went to pay my TA the final deposit I forgot to apply the R&R certificate.

 

Last week I again rang Az and the phone was answered very promptly I asked could the allowance be applied retrospectively. I was asked to leave it with them and asked to make my TA aware that I had spoken with Az.

I rang my TA updated them and was told the prospect of getting a retrospective £200 discount was slim.

 

Today I got a phone call from my TA to be told that Az had applied $300 OBC by way of allowance to the unused R&R certificate.

 

Thank you, Azamara. There is hope.

 

[Mackdogmolly]

1 hour ago, norn iron said:

Reading this thread is not a joyful experience, however, there may be signs of improvement or hope at Azamara.

 

A few weeks back I put a call into Azamara in the UK, the call was answered within three rings and I queried a lost (my fault) refer and receive certificate which was due to expire in early August.

The certificate was reissued within a couple of days by email.

Again my fault, when I went to pay my TA the final deposit I forgot to apply the R&R certificate.

 

Last week I again rang Az and the phone was answered very promptly I asked could the allowance be applied retrospectively. I was asked to leave it with them and asked to make my TA aware that I had spoken with Az.

I rang my TA updated them and was told the prospect of getting a retrospective £200 discount was slim.

 

Today I got a phone call from my TA to be told that Az had applied $300 OBC by way of allowance to the unused R&R certificate.

 

Thank you, Azamara. There is hope.

 

I also have a R & R credit that my TA is on the lookout for . It should be a cash allowance, not an OBC though.

[Mackdogmolly]

Just now, Mackdogmolly said:

I also have a R & R credit that my TA is on the lookout for . It should be a cash allowance, not an OBC though.

Or, a FCC I meant to say 

[norn iron]

1 minute ago, Mackdogmolly said:

I also have a R & R credit that my TA is on the lookout for . It should be a cash allowance, not an OBC though.

Correct, it should be discount on the price. However, Az very kindly applied it as additional OBC.

[Mackdogmolly]

24 minutes ago, norn iron said:

Correct, it should be discount on the price. However, Az very kindly applied it as additional OBC.

I am hoping to have it applied to the final payment on an upcoming cruise 

[Huntingdon1701]

23 hours ago, uktog said:

Yes two bookings onboard I have the paperwork issued on booking that outlines the one free move terms 

 

UK courts have ruled that that cancelling key ports can count as a major change of contract if they were a major factor in booking and therefore eligible for a refund. You could try using the small claims court - it's not too complicated. 

 

See gov't guidance at 3.14 which explicitly talks about change of location. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/616960/oft668.pdf 

Edited August 31, 2023 by Huntingdon1701

[BritishLandS]

On 8/30/2023 at 2:28 PM, uktog said:

Glad it’s worked for you. Shows they can get it right! 
 

Maybe we should have persisted. We just wanted to lift and shift which we believed we were eligible to do. Our agent tried we tried all communication remains unanswered today. We past the deadline for making the transaction so we’ve lost two deposits and our free nights. Leaves a horrid taste in our mouths. Our door remains open if they ever wake up 😀

Same thing has happened to us, our TA told us that Azamara had changed t&cs after we booked and we could no longer make one change (this we confirmed with agent prior to booking).  We lost £1,500 as a result.

It makes no legal sense to me and, at the time, I intended to follow up, not being sure whether it was down to Azamara or incorrect advice from TA, or whether it's just because we are in the UK, it all seems very inconsistent.

One thing for sure is I won't be booking way in advance with them again, just pay & go from here in!

Edited August 31, 2023 by BritishLandS

[BritishLandS]

On 8/30/2023 at 3:11 PM, uktog said:

Yes two bookings onboard I have the paperwork issued on booking that outlines the one free move terms 

Oh I was told recently that this is still possible! Inconsistencies!

[blag]

1 hour ago, BritishLandS said:

Same thing has happened to us, our TA told us that Azamara had changed t&cs after we booked and we could no longer make one change (this we confirmed with agent prior to booking).  We lost £1,500 as a result.

It makes no legal sense to me and, at the time, I intended to follow up, not being sure whether it was down to Azamara or incorrect advice from TA, or whether it's just because we are in the UK, it all seems very inconsistent.

One thing for sure is I won't be booking way in advance with them again, just pay & go from here in!

I believe that the 'one change' rule applied to onboard bookings only. 

Were your original bookings made on board and assigned to your TA, or did you book thorough your TA? 

If the latter is the case, then the t&c's have not changed. 

[BritishLandS]

On 8/31/2023 at 7:42 PM, blag said:

I believe that the 'one change' rule applied to onboard bookings only. 

Were your original bookings made on board and assigned to your TA, or did you book thorough your TA? 

If the latter is the case, then the t&c's have not changed. 

No I didn't book onboard. Booked from UK but asked at the time, Feb 22, whether it would be possible. My TA says they changed T&Cs in Aug 22. 

I think it quite possible that I was misled by my TA, although they allegedly handle the highest no of Az bookings in the UK.

Yes, they did say that you can still do a change but only if you book onboard.

Thanks for taking the time to reply blag!

 

 

[blag]

16 minutes ago, BritishLandS said:

Thanks for taking the time to reply blag!

You are welcome.

Sorry to hear that you were misled.

[Riocca]

3 hours ago, BritishLandS said:

No I didn't book onboard. Booked from UK but asked at the time, Feb 22, whether it would be possible. My TA says they changed T&Cs in Aug 22. 

I think it quite possible that I was misled by my TA, although they allegedly handle the highest no of Az bookings in the UK.

Yes, they did say that you can still do a change but only if you book onboard.

Thanks for taking the time to reply blag!

 

 

U.K. t&c’s were updated last year but as blag correctly says previous t&c’s didn’t allow for any free changes for bookings made off ship. During the pandemic free changes were being allowed as but that stopped some time ago.

That said the current t&c’s as shown on the website do allow for changes of sail date and ship with a fee of £75 pp it also goes on to say the new cruise will be charged at the current prevailing rate. Presumably you would therefore lose any incentives included in the original cruise, copy of the relevant information following:-

 

1.10 Can I make changes to my booking after it has been confirmed?
Should you wish to make any changes to your confirmed holiday, you must notify us in writing as soon as possible. Whilst we will endeavor to assist you, we cannot guarantee we will be able to meet any such request. For guests wishing to make a significant amendment to their booking outside of 90 days from departure, such as changing the ship or sail date, note that a booking transfer fee is applicable. Please note that any amendments for hotels, transfers and flights may result in the loss of the amount that was collected at the time of booking for these additional components. The transfer fee is £75 per guest which is limited to the first two guests on a booking, therefore any additional guests will not be charged as well.

[crusinbanjo]

Not sure if this is the right thread for thi, but just in case Azamara management is reading, here goes.

 

This week, the first of my two final payments are due, and I will make them on time, but there has been absolutely NO communication from Aza at all. No reminders of upcoming payments, no emails on excursions, no communication about OBC that was promised, no promos for future cruises, nothing.  It is like I fell off the radar or maybe they lost my email address?  I don’t know, hopefully all goes well, but Aza is not making a good first impression!  

[commodoredave]

People on this thread may be interested in the story linked below. Not only does it address the declining service at Azamara, but it provides a link to this thread.

 

https://gentlemansportion.com/2023/09/04/an-azamazingly-sad-decline/

[babykay]

1 hour ago, commodoredave said:

People on this thread may be interested in the story linked below. Not only does it address the declining service at Azamara, but it provides a link to this thread.

 

https://gentlemansportion.com/2023/09/04/an-azamazingly-sad-decline/

This is dead on! 

[takemewithyou]

2 hours ago, commodoredave said:

People on this thread may be interested in the story linked below. Not only does it address the declining service at Azamara, but it provides a link to this thread.

 

https://gentlemansportion.com/2023/09/04/an-azamazingly-sad-decline/

Thank you for posting this.

[takemewithyou]

I really like Azamara but some things have got to be done regarding customer service or lack there of currently.  It’s been months since the website fiasco and things are still a mess.  
 

It’s essential to be represented by a travel agent when dealing with them and as this story illustrates, sometimes the best agencies can’t get errors corrected, even by escalating to the head office.  

 

The article mentions how capable the CEO is or should be, but I feel like she should have more communication and updates with her loyal customers and she should have made more progress is getting things back online by now.

[excitedofharpenden]

17 hours ago, commodoredave said:

People on this thread may be interested in the story linked below. Not only does it address the declining service at Azamara, but it provides a link to this thread.

 

https://gentlemansportion.com/2023/09/04/an-azamazingly-sad-decline/

I'm very much a supporter of Azamara. I love the cruise experience, but this makes depressing reading because it's spot on. The issues surrounding back office Azamara should have been sorted out months ago and it seems as time goes on there is more chance of articles like this put out there that harm the brand.  I'm still waiting for my cabin confinement FCC from my July cruise. It was dealt with so well and efficiently on the ship by the HD, but since then nothing. In spite of chasing it. I will now ask my new ta to deal with it if she is able as I want to apply to a booking that she now handles.  It's such an effort and we are all busy people. 

 

There really is no excuse for this shambles continuing. Recent occupancy levels that I've read here are poor. They need to get a grip so as not to scare off new customers and aggravate existing ones. 

 

Phil 

Edited September 5, 2023 by excitedofharpenden

[uktog]

Well said Phil. I thought it was a fair article which absolutely resonates with my experience. 
We are currently on a Viking cruise, for us it was booked because Azamara had not at that stage offered the itinerary (they will in 2025).  We’ve been surprised talking to other guests (they’re as friendly a bunch as on Azamara) that without exception and without us sharing our views they say either we used to cruise with Azamara but not anymore or we’ve heard Azamara is really poor with their website and in two cases people said their agent advised against booking. So people who are from US will take Vikings demanding payment regime over Azamara

 

It worries but does not surprise me 

[nordski]

I think this article resonates with many who have  suffered particularly in the post-website period.

However, I am not certain that it is fair to be quite so laudatory about Larry P’s administration.

 

First, it would be wonderful if Larry’s ideas had, as Richard Fain claims, a big impact upon the industry as a whole. If so, then it would not be so difficult to find an alternate cruise line and perhaps RCI would have stayed the course.

 

Secondly, he doesn’t mention Azamara’s transition to a “more inclusionary” beverage experience. On this forum that change produced considerable heat, so much so that Azamara offered free cancellations to those who felt that this would compromise the shipboard experience.. So heated that the wonderful Chief Blogging Officer, Bill Leiber, at least once withdrew from the discussion to let cooler heads prevail.

 

Thirdly, it was not unheard of thst people complained here as to how the office in Miami was letting down the crew on the ships.

 

Larry Pimentel deserves high praise indeed, but if anything gives me hope for the future it is that Azamara has experienced several transitions and heavy seas. Not so heavy as the present regime faces and we will discover if they, as was Larry, are up to manning the helm.

 

 

[WanderingTravels]

On 9/4/2023 at 8:02 AM, crusinbanjo said:

Not sure if this is the right thread for thi, but just in case Azamara management is reading, here goes.

 

This week, the first of my two final payments are due, and I will make them on time, but there has been absolutely NO communication from Aza at all. No reminders of upcoming payments, no emails on excursions, no communication about OBC that was promised, no promos for future cruises, nothing.  It is like I fell off the radar or maybe they lost my email address?  I don’t know, hopefully all goes well, but Aza is not making a good first impression!  

 

Curious, did you book with a travel agent or direct?

[crusinbanjo]

I generally book direct.  This cruise is no different.  Quite honestly, I would like to have a TA, but I have been burned twice, and honestly, it is pretty easy to do myself, so I have been direct booking for the past 10 years, +/-.  

Edited September 5, 2023 by crusinbanjo