Pre-Booking Tours: for May-August 2017 voyages

We realize you are waiting for Azamara Club Cruises to offer the ability to pre-book tours online using your On-Board Credit (OBC.) We’re working on a solution that will be available this Fall 2017.

As an interim solution, effective immediately guests sailing with Azamara between May and August may pre-book our tours online (using credit card payment) and once onboard cancel and rebook their tours using OBC. This change takes effect today, 5/2/17, and is a temporary policy until our online function is available. Also please note, all tours booked or rebooked onboard will be charged the current onboard price at the time of booking/rebooking.

Terms and Conditions:

Shorex Onboard Credit (“OBC”) Offer applies to sailings departing between May and August 2017. Guests may not use restricted OBCs (Casino OBC or Spa OBC) to rebook their Shore Excursions. Tours will be charged at the current onboard price at the time of booking/rebooking. Tours must be cancelled no later than 48 hours prior to tour departure. Shorex OBC Offer excludes tours involving flights, trains, special events, overnight stays, hotel stays, and private tours, which must be cancelled 30 days prior to sailing. OBC is not redeemable for cash and expires on the final night of the cruise. Other restrictions apply.

Bonnie

On Sunday April 30 I booked a tour in Rome for our sailing in May paying with my credit card. I was frustrated as a tour we wanted in Taormina was soldout and didn't want to risk this happening in Rome. We have an OBC for tours only and I would like to know if they will honor this rebooking policy or do I need to cancel it and rebook it with a May 2 date since you state this is effective May 2.

Thanks for your assistance.

Kathy

Bonnie

 

On Sunday April 30 I booked a tour in Rome for our sailing in May paying with my credit card. I was frustrated as a tour we wanted in Taormina was soldout and didn't want to risk this happening in Rome. We have an OBC for tours only and I would like to know if they will honor this rebooking policy or do I need to cancel it and rebook it with a May 2 date since you state this is effective May 2.

 

Thanks for your assistance.

 

Kathy

Hi Kathy, we OUGHT to honor it! but let me ask to be sure. I'll probably get an answer tomorrow morning, and will let you know.

Thank you Bonnie! Crossing my fingers I don't have to cancel & rebook.

Kathy

So pleased about this temporary policy! Thanks, Bonnie.

Thanks Bonnie,

Great temporary solution.

Thanks for the update Bonnie.

I have noted . . . "Also please note, all tours booked or rebooked onboard will be charged the current onboard price at the time of booking/rebooking."

From past experience, the onboard price will doubtless be more than the online price.

But I guess at least one is assured of a seat on a popular tour.

Trish

Thanks for the update Bonnie.

 

I have noted . . . "Also please note, all tours booked or rebooked onboard will be charged the current onboard price at the time of booking/rebooking."

 

From past experience, the onboard price will doubtless be more than the online price.

 

But I guess at least one is assured of a seat on a popular tour.

 

Trish

True, prices tend to go up as time passes.

And, not only is one assured a seat, but there's no obligation to cx and rebook a tour using OBC. One can use OBC for other splurges, such as a spa treatment, specialty dining, drinks!

Bonnie

On Sunday April 30 I booked a tour in Rome for our sailing in May paying with my credit card. I was frustrated as a tour we wanted in Taormina was soldout and didn't want to risk this happening in Rome. We have an OBC for tours only and I would like to know if they will honor this rebooking policy or do I need to cancel it and rebook it with a May 2 date since you state this is effective May 2.

Thanks for your assistance.

Kathy

Hi Kathy, the answer is yes, on May-August voyages this year Guests can cancel pre-booked tours and rebook them onboard using OBC, regardless of when they actually booked the tours.

Just remember to cancel the tours onboard no later than 48 hours prior to tour departure. Our LD personnel will be strict about enforcing the 48-hour policy...so this new 'CX & rebook w/OBC' won't work on the first two days of a cruise!

This is good news especially for guests like us who have no other way to use their onboard credit because it is restricted land discoveries credit. It is a little harsh requiring the rebooking to be at the higher onboard price after all Azamara has had the benefit of our money in advance and the security of knowing better the numbers that are likely to want to book however the interim solution is better than nothing......

Or it would be if the online excursion booking system was working. Certainly for the UK site all is well until I try and put in the number of guests, I am trying to book tickets for the May 12 cruise, I select 2 tickets, I select take guests from current reservation, nothing, no drop down menu so I cannot progress with the booking. :( Tried it on laptop, iPad, iPhone and tried accessing land discoveries several ways but no joy. This needs flagging up to the IT people otherwise the good news is a little soured.

Great news Bonnie.

Good news! (except the tour we want to do is on the 2nd day of our cruise so will still have to book onboard :D)

Good news! (except the tour we want to do is on the 2nd day of our cruise so will still have to book onboard :D)

Yes we were hoping to book tours on the first and second day of our cruise so we shall just have to see if there are any places left when we board.

True, prices tend to go up as time passes.

And, not only is one assured a seat, but there's no obligation to cx and rebook a tour using OBC. One can use OBC for other splurges, such as a spa treatment, specialty dining, drinks!

Much OBC can be used for other splurges, but there is a certain amount that can only be used for shore excursions!

Thanks for your prompt response Bonnie. Unfortunately one of the tours we want is the 1st stop and I booked it anyway. We will just see what happens onboard.

Thanks,

Kathy

This looks like a good attempt to tentatively address the issue.

I hope the Land Discoveries staff has a thick skin during this interim period. In my experience that desk already attracts some interesting people with interesting demands.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I wish we could do this for our January 2018 cruise if only to ensure that the shore excursions we want don't fill up...I'm hoping that there will still be availability in the Fall when we are able to do this on line.

So I think I learned something from this thread -- prices of the shore excursions change? And shore excursions are more expensive to book onboard than online? Can someone please confirm?

So I think I learned something from this thread -- prices of the shore excursions change? And shore excursions are more expensive to book onboard than online? Can someone please confirm?

I can confirm that at least one of the excursions we wanted to go on was 20% more onboard this week than would have been the case if we had been able to use OBC pre boarding the others the difference was small up to $5 each

This is good news especially for guests like us who have no other way to use their onboard credit because it is restricted land discoveries credit. It is a little harsh requiring the rebooking to be at the higher onboard price after all Azamara has had the benefit of our money in advance and the security of knowing better the numbers that are likely to want to book however the interim solution is better than nothing......

 

Or it would be if the online excursion booking system was working. Certainly for the UK site all is well until I try and put in the number of guests, I am trying to book tickets for the May 12 cruise, I select 2 tickets, I select take guests from current reservation, nothing, no drop down menu so I cannot progress with the booking. :( Tried it on laptop, iPad, iPhone and tried accessing land discoveries several ways but no joy. This needs flagging up to the IT people otherwise the good news is a little soured.

As an update there is certainly an issue. I'm onboard and the very helpful Liesl had also been trying to get a booking to go through using their systems but no joy

As an update there is certainly an issue. I'm onboard and the very helpful Liesl had also been trying to get a booking to go through using their systems but no joy

Hi uktog,

Thank you for letting us know its not working. I've sent this to the Tour Department + the Website Gurus in home office.

Hopefully we'll get it fixed quickly! (yn)

Have a great cruise!

We had a very helpful call from Azamara today asking if we would like to book any excursions for our cruise in June and explaining that it was now possible to book in advance with a credit card and once on board to cancel and rebook with on board credit. I told him that we read this yesterday on Cruise Critic which is great news. What we didn't know is that the 48 hour cancellation rule does not apply to these excursions and he assured me that we could also cancel and rebook with OBC tours booked on the first and second days of our cruise. As the opposite is stated on this thread, I double checked this with him and he confirmed this is right. More good news so we are now able to book these tours in advance for the first 48 hours of our cruise.

Bonnie, thanks again for the information. Hopefully the glitches will be sorted quickly. In the meantime .....

Terms and Conditions:

Shorex Onboard Credit (“OBC”) Offer applies to sailings departing between May and August 2017. Guests may not use restricted OBCs (Casino OBC or Spa OBC) to rebook their Shore Excursions. Tours will be charged at the current onboard price at the time of booking/rebooking. Tours must be cancelled no later than 48 hours prior to tour departure. Shorex OBC Offer excludes tours involving flights, trains, special events, overnight stays, hotel stays, and private tours, which must be cancelled 30 days prior to sailing. OBC is not redeemable for cash and expires on the final night of the cruise. Other restrictions apply.

Tours must be cancelled no later than 48 hours prior to tour departure.

Would I be correct in assuming this means CANCELLATION (as is always the case) not cancel and re-book?

Guests may not use restricted OBCs (Casino OBC or Spa OBC) to rebook their Shore Excursions.

Does this mean that the only OBC that may be used to pre book (then cancel & re-book on board) Shore Excursions is that earmarked for Shore Excursions, which is not able to be used for any other on board purchase?

Or is one able to also use back to back cruise credit and / or early booking credit, neither of which are earmarked for a specific purpose?

Other restrictions apply.

It would be helpful to know what these other restrictions are before using the service.

Thanks.

Trish :)

We had a very helpful call from Azamara today asking if we would like to book any excursions for our cruise in June and explaining that it was now possible to book in advance with a credit card and once on board to cancel and rebook with on board credit. I told him that we read this yesterday on Cruise Critic which is great news. What we didn't know is that the 48 hour cancellation rule does not apply to these excursions and he assured me that we could also cancel and rebook with OBC tours booked on the first and second days of our cruise. As the opposite is stated on this thread, I double checked this with him and he confirmed this is right. More good news so we are now able to book these tours in advance for the first 48 hours of our cruise.

That's interesting. In that case we will probably book ours, which is our second port of call. However, it would be helpful if we could have it in writing that we'll be able to cancel on board although it will be slightly less than 48 hours until our tour. Perhaps Bonnie could confirm this to avoid problems on board.

I have just spoken with an agent for Azamara and he stated that you cannot book now and cancel/re-book once on board. I even read out the "terms and conditions" information written on this forum and he was adamant that you cannot pre-book pay/cancel/re-book.

It is very confusing.

Shirley