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Working on first Azamara cruise: Questions


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We are contemplating our first Azamara cruise for next summer, and have a number of questions. We have several cruises on Celebrity, but not enough for any particular elevated status.

 

We will be on Celebrity later this month, and wonder about booking the Azamara cruise while onboard. Any tips we need to know about? Will probably transfer to TA when we return.

 

 

We understand that Azamara has a price guarantee, but that their fares generally do not go down. Is this the case? Is it worth learning the details and bothering to monitor the fares?

 

 

We apparently will not have enough points on Celebrity to receive any bonus nights on Azamara based upon status, but they appear to also have a 'Nights on Us' promotion. As I read it, on a 15 night cruise we would receive 4 'Nights on Us'. When are they applied? It looks like they are used to reduce the cost of that cruise by 4/15ths, but maybe they are applied to a future cruise? If they are used to reduce the cost of the current cruise is that reflected in the quoted price, or applied to reduce the quoted price?

 

Included air: Are they merely talking about ChoiceAir, or is it some other program? If we want to arrange our own airfare is there any reduction in the cruise fare?

 

As an absolute beginner with Azamara I am sure I am missing something(s). Any and all tips will be much appreciated.

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The 'Nights on Us' promotion applies to certain 2018 cruises at present - you can find out which cruises it applies to by following the 'Nights on Us' link on the website. If you find a cruise you like, follow it through to look at the prices - it will show both the original prices and the discounted prices for each type of stateroom.

The Price Guarantee only applies to US cruisers.

Air fares are extra, not included, so no reductions if you book your own. I think they use Choice Air.

 

 

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To be rewarded with bonus/free nights, due to increasing LCV status/level change, 50% of your cruise points must be earned on Azamara. This does penalize high status members that earned most of their points on Celebrity. These "LCV bonus/free night" are different from the current promotion of the "free nights on us" (that is a bit confusing).

 

Another thing if you plan to book the Azamara cruise while onboard a Celebrity cruise, you will get the same on board booking discounts as if you were on an Azamara cruise. This can be the early booking OBC, or the 3% to 10% LCV price discount (according to LCV status). I have heard that not all the Celebrity hosts are up to date with the Azamara onboard booking benefits. So it helps to come prepared when you book.

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Thanks for the information, it is helpful.

 

My understanding is that we cannot join LCV until we have cruised on Azamara at least once, regardless of cruises on Celebrity. Since this is our first cruise we will just have to do the best we can. If this is not correct please let us know, as we will apply immediately.

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As far as I am aware you are right - you can't join LCV until after your first Azamara cruise.

 

 

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Captain's Club and LCV share the same membership number so you are automatically enrolled I believe, providing that loyalty number is registered against the booking. Reciprocal benefits apply and are detailed at the bottom of this link. Points earned with Celebrity and Azamara are amalgamated, for now at least:

 

https://www.azamaraclubcruises.co.uk/le-club-voyage/le-club-voyage-programme/member-benefits

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Captain's Club and LCV share the same membership number so you are automatically enrolled I believe, providing that loyalty number is registered against the booking. Reciprocal benefits apply and are detailed at the bottom of this link. Points earned with Celebrity and Azamara are amalgamated, for now at least:

 

https://www.azamaraclubcruises.co.uk/le-club-voyage/le-club-voyage-programme/member-benefits

 

Yes you are correct, the previous post is only correct in respect of cruisers from other lines. Several guests at the LCV party last month were new to Azamara and were welcomed as part of the brand family.

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I booked an Azamara cruise while on an Azamara cruise this past March and got a discount based on my Elite Celebrity status plus free unlimited internet. Last summer there was a sale after I booked my March cruise. I emailed my TA asking if I qualified for a reduction. She sent me a new invoice, price dropped $1,000.

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I booked an Azamara cruise while on an Azamara cruise this past March and got a discount based on my Elite Celebrity status plus free unlimited internet. Last summer there was a sale after I booked my March cruise. I emailed my TA asking if I qualified for a reduction. She sent me a new invoice, price dropped $1,000.

 

Just one more reason why as a U.K. Customer I am looking less at cruising against land based holidays.

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Yes you are correct, the previous post is only correct in respect of cruisers from other lines. Several guests at the LCV party last month were new to Azamara and were welcomed as part of the brand family.

 

That is good to hear.

 

Thanks

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I booked an Azamara cruise while on an Azamara cruise this past March and got a discount based on my Elite Celebrity status plus free unlimited internet. Last summer there was a sale after I booked my March cruise. I emailed my TA asking if I qualified for a reduction. She sent me a new invoice, price dropped $1,000.

 

Thank you, that is information I have been trying to find. Are price reductions as common with Azamara as with Celebrity and other lines? Hard to find price history for Azamara.

 

Was it a credit card refund, or OBC?

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Thank you, that is information I have been trying to find. Are price reductions as common with Azamara as with Celebrity and other lines? Hard to find price history for Azamara.

 

Was it a credit card refund, or OBC?

I had only made a deposit so it was a reduction in final payment. Azamara is owned by Celebity/RCI and the company does sales for all 3 lines. The March cruise was my 1st Az cruise. I posted this thread, comparing Celebrity to Azamara.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2477526

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Thank you, that is information I have been trying to find. Are price reductions as common with Azamara as with Celebrity and other lines? Hard to find price history for Azamara.

 

Was it a credit card refund, or OBC?

 

I think as with most lines, it depends on the cruise. We booked last September, and our July cruise never had a price reduction. But several people on this board were able to get reductions with upcoming cruises that fell under the "Nights on Us" promo.

 

We've sailed RC several times, and our points gave us Explorer status on Azamara. We used the discount for the unlimited internet package, and the free bag of laundry. We booked another Azamara cruise online and had the LCV discounts applied to our fare--both the standard discount and the extra quarterly discount for our particular cruise.

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Thank you, that is information I have been trying to find. Are price reductions as common with Azamara as with Celebrity and other lines? Hard to find price history for Azamara.

Was it a credit card refund, or OBC?

 

As our ships are sailing fuller, and our bookings are happening earlier in the sales cycle, I expect fewer price reductions as the sailing date approaches. Many of our offers tend towards onboard spending credits or some other value added offer.

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I had thought that UK customers could get the US price drop rules by using a US online TA; am I wrong?

 

 

 

I presume you can, but we mostly book direct or through our daughter who is a TA. I would hesitate to book though a US TA anyway, not least because it would cost a fortune to call them.

 

 

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I had thought that UK customers could get the US price drop rules by using a US online TA; am I wrong?

 

You can certainly use a US agent and have both price drops and the more generous OBC. No issue calling them as our phone tariffs include calls to several key countries at no cost.

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