uktog

I expect that route is under review- it’s not so much the canal as the seas off the type of Somalia that led to the round Africa trips earlier this year. I expect there’s a lot of discussions with insurers etc as to whether the canal route could be offered 

2 hours ago, cavaaller said:

something interesting has happened:

I have received a letter from the cruise Sales team telling me that I am entitled to 4 complimentary nights if I book a 7N sailing during this cruise.

 

This cannot be right...????

 

Does this mean, I book a 7N cruise and only pay for 3 Nights?

This sound too good to be true. I am sure there are blackout cruises - I just hope, that some of the eligible ones will be during school breaks!??

 

I will definitely ask Pangiotis (Head of Cruise Sales) about this the first chance I get.

 

Not a scam but a very good benefit that now works as a genuine discount without the smoke and mirrors of the past 

Your toilet issue sounds like a system back up which happens from time to time. I suspect from other things said your room hadn’t been signed off by the supervisor. Maybe it should have been but you should address the issue with the supervisor so they monitor for the future. 

In warmer places the Patio is a great spot. We also love the back veranda on Windows if we want a simple casual dinner. I agree the MDR is not as it used to be - menu choices focus too much on spices cheap meats with the beautiful salads and pasta of the day no longer offered. 
I am sure though with some of the changes in Head office hotel side we will see adjustments in due course. 

9 minutes ago, Allwashedup said:

Thanks UKtog, hopefully, I can get a WI-FI connection on the dockside. 

There are pubs in the area or head further into town on the tram - might be much more pleasant as the terminal building is minute 

4 minutes ago, Allwashedup said:

We are on a British Isles cruise which starts on Sunday 14 July from Leith.

 

Does anyone know if Azamara Quest would show the UAEF European Football game on TV on a big screen or in our cabin on our television.

 

If not, what time do we need to be back on the ship in the evening if we choose to go into Leith to watch the game. The ship does not depart until the following day.

The gangway is open all night. Experience is that they do not show games like that onboard and haven’t been showing the games to date this year. 
Bear in mind if you are watching in Edinburgh you may well be with a lot of Scots suddenly claiming Spanish grannies 😀😀

7 hours ago, Carol01 said:

Does Azamara offer free shuttle from Rouen port into Paris?  I know they do as part of paid excursions, but if we wanted to go into Paris on our own, do they provide the shuttle that far?  

That has not been an option when we have been. There was effectively a shuttle called Paris on your own but that was a paid for transfer 

When we were in Rouen we were dropped off just below the cathedral. Looking at a map I think it was Rue de General Le Clerc

8 minutes ago, Grandma Cruising said:

A lot higher! The point being made was that the poster liked not having to show their room card.

Yes but they were on Oceania - never need cards on Explora apart from the usual opening the doors.  So for the Explora board its not an issue

By the way, we did need our cards on Azamara in February for a few days so its intermittent depending on the system and the staff's familiarity with the techonolgy

The included Reisling used to be nice if it was properly chilled, but of course with generic bottling I can’t be sure what you’re getting will be the same as us  a few months ago in the Far East

1 hour ago, Grandma Cruising said:

Try Azamara - you don’t need to take out your key card to get upgraded drinks. Initially they ask your room number, but after the second or third drink they know you and remember.

Yes but you have to buy a package. On Explora package level drinks are included as standard. 
Explora overall is in a different league to Azamara (the only issue was the entertainment and they’re fixing that)

To be fair their per day price is also higher 

10 hours ago, alfredo1 said:

Eye opening travel blog from Oceania Sirena.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2VjgZCHmZ4

 

Thanks for highlighting. Even though they pay for their cruises surely Oceania knew who they were which makes it even more appalling. It’s worse if you read how they treated the mother in law in her wheelchair. Sounds like a culture onboard I would never want to experience 

Yes you do. The little flyer onboard also confirms it, so for us our $8 becomes $6 a day 

42 minutes ago, HalifaxYorksCruiser said:

Currently on Pursuit. The only tonic available is Royal Club - yuk. Have asked at all the bars and they have no stock of Fevertree . 

Not good. I hope you highlight on your mid and end cruise surveys 

40 minutes ago, little britain said:

If I do a price check it clearly shows 2 prices - albeit the same price - but one option has Pay in full get 5% OBC 

Yes that’s correct. The price is the same it’s the OBC that kicks in on one Sounds like they are doing a low offer.
When we booked our most recent cruise we were offered the 8% offer which we declined because it was a bit far out and the team manager doing our booking said not to worry - There will be further offers nearer booking as has happened recently.
We did get an email offering us that opportunity on a nearer in cruise.  Most people who are taking up the offer are doing so about nine months before departure. They email you new offers. You can ask to pay off and get the offer at any time. It’s just that you are restricted to the amount being offered if anything and as 5% is the lowest figure of the most hang on for a much higher percentage.

The reason it looks like that on the booking page is because Azamara are using seaware as the software. This allows early payments to be taken from those who want to pay in full booking - some companies like explora journeys give a discount off the Cruise fare so you do see twi prices there whereas Azamara you pay the same fare, get obc so don’t see a difference in price 

22 minutes ago, little britain said:

So the only way to see whether it is 5/8/10% is to continuously do dummy bookings to check what it says? 
 

I presume the OBC is non refundable therefore must spend on board? 

No. Dummy bookings will not show it. Only after you complete a booking and make a deposit is the OBC shown.
 

They do not run the offer all the time. Those eligible (some special rates are not) get an email advising them. The 8% has run off. It’s a case of wait and see. 
 

It is non refundable but ideal for excursions 

Thanks thought so

9 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

So....your flight was not cancelled because it never existed as a ticketed flight.

 

What you had was, at best, a mere reservation.  Which means bupkis until actually ticketed.

 

Those reservations can, and often are, changed before ticketing.

 

Being "listed" on a reservation means nothing in reality.

 

 

For my understanding does having a PRN and being able to add frequent flyer number, select seats (free in our case) and add extras like baggage/request assistance mean you are ticketed or reserved? 

1 hour ago, little britain said:

How do you track the offer?

 

If I try a new booking the ‘Price from’ and the ‘Pay in Full get 5% OBC’  prices are the same?! 
And the fare is $3000 more than when we booked 2 weeks ago! 

Price is the same whether you go for pay in full or not. The offer is based on the price you pay for 2 minus taxes and air if you have it 

15 minutes ago, blag said:

In my experience, if the change is significant, the airline will contact the customer to confirm whether they wish to accept the change.

That contact will be via Azamara unless the customer has the flight PRN and has been able to manage their booking and add their email address which isn’t always possible with an airline booking made by the cruise line not the customer. The alternatives may be the decision of the cruise line not the guest in any event depending on the airline cruise line contract 
 

@FlyerTalker is absolutely correct re the terminology particularly in relation to applying for any insurance claim. At the airport those on the boards showing cancelled relate to events that have happened after the schedule was finalised (latest schedule changes will not normally be in the last 14 days due to compensation rules). Any schedule changes before then that involve the removal or re numbering of a flight never appears on the board as cancelled 

16 hours ago, Sthrngary said:

A brand that is in an evolution.  Interesting article and in my opinion, very positive for future guest.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

I agree. Some things sound a little strange but at least they’ve recognised they had to do something. Look forward to testing the offerings in September 

They were going to do a software update in early summer.  Fingers crossed what we are all finding is a temporary issue and overnight it will sort itself (and also that we find some nice website and bookings features).  I would suggest staying away from bookings unless its urgent

2 minutes ago, Riocca said:

Had similar issues at the beginning of the week using Safari on an iPad, cleared cookies and cache and all has been working fine since. Possibly there’s been an update on the website and out of date cookies are causing some problems.

Made no difference 

Im using chrome 

Also can’t log in on my iPhone 

Me neither 

8 hours ago, CruiseCrew123 said:

Too early to say as school haven’t broken up yet in a lot of Europe  

They have in Scotland - a fact overlooked even by the UK government!!!