federalexpress

5 hours ago, tgg said:

 

I should have been more clear.  I was suggesting that people not talk about their upgrade once they're on the ship. For people who want to bid on an upgrade, this thread gives them valuable information.

Ah I see what you mean.

5 minutes ago, tgg said:

 

It would be better for everyone if people who bid on and get an upgrade keep quiet about it. Nobody needs to know how brilliant your bid was. 😇

 

And let's not forget:  when your bid is accepted, you are assigned a stateroom. It may not be one that you would have chosen because of noise, vibration, or other annoyances. When you book a CC suite, you choose the stateroom you want. For many people, that's worth paying for.

 True but I guess this whole thread is about the thrill of the chase, people wanting to know what others have paid for what.

Fair point on the cabin choice and of course with AZ, that can be significant since the least popular CC's, thus the ones more likely to be available, seem to be the ones with a bath, no shower, and I much, much prefer the latter. Looking at it from CC upwards, I was not greatly attracted by my upgrade offers because the spa and Club Ocean suites are at the front of the ship and we are sailing in potentially rough waters but also the cost was eye wateringly high.

From a commercial perspective, the upgrade model is basic yield optimisation. Same that airlines use. The price is low if low demand, high if high demand and the pricing is dynamic. Some long haul airlines even do their own upgrade offers, from Economy to Business.

The one drawback is that it can result in bad feeling, where someone is paying a lot less than you are, if for example you booked yourself in business class to begin with. Or in this case, someone getting the same CC suite as you but paying much less by a lowish upgrade bid from a Verandah.

I can see therefore how some may not like it, but for better or worse, I think dynamic pricing and yield management are not going to go away. To the extent I need to console myself where someone gets and upgrade at a basically lower price than I've paid, I could argue that the fare I paid gave me a guarantee, not a possibility, and that carries a value in itself. Certainly when it comes to late cruise deals when they are long haul, the money you might save on the cruise will almost certainly be more than counterbalanced by the higher flight costs you'll face with a last minute booking. The only truly attractive late fare deals would be ones in my case that left from my home port, in the UK, or somewhere almost as cheap to get to. I suspect Azamara don't do many of those, in fact the few ex UK cruises they do seem prohibitively priced.

6 hours ago, JM0115 said:

I think there are enough things to buy with my OBC on board other than Excursions which are bought and paid for. Beverage Package, Speciatly Dining, Chefs Table, Wine bottle packages, etc.  I tend to overthink things too much :).  Happy to have the extra $500 bonus and need to change my thinking to it being a bonus.

Yep that is true and if you do a mix of those, it should be a fun trip. Have a good time.

51 minutes ago, JM0115 said:

Good points. I have not sailed with Azamara yet. We are looking forward to doing so. I have $500 in OBC that I could use for excursions now but I purchased all my excursions before I got the extra OBC on their Black Friday sale. I could cancel the excursions I purchased and then repurchase them with OBC to use up the OBC which may be what I do but would hate to cancel them and then see that they are sold out. If I hold onto the OBC I will probably use it for the Ultimate Beverage Package on board. I am sure others have pondered the same. 

I gather there is a finesse you could try. You can cancel excursions without charge a set time in advance- I think 48 hours but you'd need to check. You could then in theory cancel any which are happening 2 plus days after you board, then immediately re-book those with the OBC you have. Your card should then be refunded. It is at the minimum worth asking once you get onboard.

The only reason I did not do this is the excursion I most wanted to reserve was one of the few that are non cancellable, a private driver in one of the ports. The annoying thing is I would have re-booked it onboard straight after cancelling it, but no, that didn't work for them, rules are rules. It's a bit over complicated really, there ought to be an easier way.....

1 hour ago, JM0115 said:

We probably will wait until onboard to check what is available before we purchase a beverage package. Can we use our OBC onboard to do so? I assume yes because it is OBC but things seem to defy logic sometimes.

Although I've not yet cruised on Azamara (that comes in January) I've explored this topic extensively.

I believe you are correct, that you can use OBC to buy a beverage package (or other packages/services) when you are onboard but not before. I looked into buying an Indulgence package ahead of the cruise which among other things, included a drinks package and an excursion allowance. I wanted to use the latter to book an excursion before it ran out. I wanted to pay with OBC plus cash. No go, I was told it could only be done onboard.

From what I can see you can only use OBC pre cruise to book excursions. This made me question why. I concluded it is probably because by making you wait till you get onboard, they can change their pricing in the meantime to enhance their margins and/or deal with inflation pressures, especially given some people book a long way in advance. Hence the value of that OBC might decline over time. Excursions are accepted probably because they have already contracted these rates.

Otherwise they insist you buy anything else pre cruise with cash. While that restricts the margin/inflation opportunity referred to above, I guess they trade that off against the fact they have more upfront money, so it's good for cashflow, whereas OBC is not cashflow positive.

1 hour ago, bcruiser said:

I do not see the list attached, Hate to ask but can you add it ? 

Be aware those lists are very likely out of date, even though only from a few months ago. I'd be very content with the red wines shown on the Ultimate package on that pdf but I've discovered on a different thread more recently, they are not offered, which would be fine if the replacements were equally good, but they aren't.

I think at least for that package, it's going to be a bit of a lucky dip, depending on which ship and when you go.

10 hours ago, DS said:

An extract of what I posted on "anyone onboard currently" about wines..

...Comp wines are a mix of Azamara labeled and others (a very nice other Syrah last night…).  Tony had a Q&A today and wines were discussed:  head office has hired a sommelier to revamp the entire wine (and other liquor packages) program;...

    .... They did have a second container full of wine, which they found in Sydney.  After it had sat for a year or more in heat and cold and heat and… they ended up throwing most of it away… tested one bottle per case, then if needed dumped the rest.   (Now there’s a job that we passengers could have helped with if they had asked!)

 

One of the things "Jonathan"  ... the guy hired to look at the wine program... is specifically looking at is a country intensive wine program for those cruises that are "country intensive"   Not sure yet if it will be the comp wines or the "revenue wines" or maybe a stand alone package.

 

Tony also noted that Azamara has entered into an agreement with Chateau St Michelle ( which is also owned by Sycamore Partners) to provide more wines... again, not sure if house wines or "revenue wines"   -- Tony's words...

Interesting insight. It's encouraging to hear that Azamara have acknowledged shortfalls in this area and are starting to address them. Sadly it will probably not happen in time for my cruise in January. Just hope there is something decent on the Ultimate package or I can persuade the onboard sommelier to go 'off piste' and find something reasonable.

The Chateau Ste Michelle link up makes sense. While they are not stellar in quality, I imagine they would be rather too costly for the included wines, but could provide a decent foundation for the Ultimate package.

56 minutes ago, Riocca said:

What time you have to get up depends on how close you are to the departure airport, there are two Saturday departures to Barcelona from Gatwick one arriving at 9.55am the other 12.30pm. I assume any cruise line would choose the earlier flight on a “just in case basis “ as most people would if booking their own flight. She would have done her own online check in for the ship as we did and would have known her boarding time, therefore should have known about the time gap.

The terminal opened at 12.30pm for physical check in and there was plenty of seating and refreshments available.

Yep, I'm guessing she was on that early flight. Even if she didn't check in online- and she likes her apps and tech so presumably did- most if not all people would surely seek information on when they could board. Same as they do for hotel rooms.

Personally I'd have been on the 12.30pm flight, after all there is still plenty of wiggle room before the ship goes, armed of course with appropriate travel insurance for delays.

4 hours ago, Kelownadon said:

What do you mean lack of research? She booked the cheapest inside cabin on Azamara for a ridiculously low price and lead us through honestly what she encountered during her cruise. I am just about to take my first Azamara cruise in January and I have watched her video about 3 times now to try and get a feel for what to expect. I think she has done a fantastic job compared to the majority of utube bloggers that take 15 minutes to tell you something that should take one minute and then spend another 2 minutes to try and get you to subscribe to their website. 

 I'd agree that Emma is a good cruise blogger, one of the better ones. However one does need to understand- as she makes clear herself- she is a mass/budget cruiser and was only on Azamara because she happened to access an amazing deal. So I think it is inevitable she would be impressed compared to what she is used to and I think that makes it a very useful insight for those looking to trade up from e.c NCL, MSC, P and O etc, to understand what's different on a premium line like Azamara, less so if people are trying to choose between Oceania, Azamara and other premium lines. Even so, I also enjoyed her video.

I think the point about research re boarding is fair enough however. Presumably for budget reasons, she appears to have got one of the very early Easyjet flights. She said on the video that she had been up at 4am so presumably that flight got into Barcelona maybe around 9-10am. Go straight to the port after such an early flight and you are going to wait, on Azamara even more so because they don't board till c 2pm (rightly or wrongly). Actually it's feasible she knew this full well, but it adds a bit of 'con' into what might have otherwise been a maybe too effusive list of 'pros'.

56 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Don't forget the Louvre Abu Dhabi, for those interested in art.  Not sure if Whistler's Mother is still on display there, but it's worth the visit.

Yes, that was completed after I left, quite a few years later. I recall there was going to be a massive arts and culture complex on Saadiyat, including a Guggenheim and national museum but it was all delayed way over scheduled completion time. In fact I think they have only built the Louvre so far. It looked to be quite an impressive venue, though obviously I only saw the models and drawings.

I think the problem with this part of the world is that there is basically no heritage and history and not even that much in the way of natural attractions. I guess that is why Dubai went the shopping and theme park route. To be fair, I always preferred Abu Dhabi, at least there is a sense of it being a real city connected to the coast. And there's the Grand Mosque, which is quite striking. You could certainly make a decent day of sightseeing there.

Just caught up with this thread. Unfortunately, having had long experience of working in the Gulf across well over a decade, this is unsurprising. Governments are a rule to themselves, unaccountable, mostly incompetent and not remotely concerned about decisions affecting individuals, unless they happen to be nationals. 

Of course, this is not Azamara's fault. The mistake was giving Qatar the World Cup in the first place but we all know why that happened. I don't know what subsequently happened to those who booked but for sure, road transport to Qatar from Abu Dhabi is a non starter. Just about the only way to do it would be to charter a private jet- maybe the Qatari government could stump up for that! What Azamara can and should do is offer full cruise refunds to anyone affected. I hope they did so.

For those who were not going to the WC, I think they may gain rather than lose. Abu Dhabi is a bit of a soulless place like all these Gulf countries (perhaps excepting Oman) but a little less so than Doha. The golfers should be happy, the courses are in my view better than Doha, especially the amazing Yas Links. And that stop in Sir Bani Yas might be interesting,

1 hour ago, luv2travel90266 said:

Was on the Pursuit in August in a  veranda cabin on deck 7. Used an extension cord to plug in across the room to my cpap. There is a USB outlet to charge cell phones on the bottom of the light sconses on both sides of the bed but no electric  outlet

 OK thanks, I thought I saw a youtube video that showed an electric outlet on the side of the bed. Must have been something else. Do you know if there is a UK outlet anywhere in the room and did you bring an extension lead or can you get one onboard?

Quick question that does not seem to be answered on the spreadsheet.

It looks like there is a socket on both sides of the bed in a CC suite on Pursuit. Is this a UK socket or US (or other). It's for a CPAP machine.

10 hours ago, Grandma Cruising said:

You can buy the Indulgence package before the cruise. We bought it six months before the cruise we are currently on. The $700 Excursions OBC showed up straight away in our Voyage Planner and we were able to use it to book all our excursions for the cruise.

My problem is I wanted to use my $1000 of OBC to buy the package (or at least part fund it). This they don't allow. You have to pay for it with cash before you go but that would have left me with all that OBC without any reasonable need for it. So I have to buy it onboard. To be honest, this strikes me as a daft arrangement, you are simply using OBC to convert into a package of OBC's, but it's the way it is.

5 hours ago, Lazy Sailor said:

Azamara have announced that from Dec 1st 2022, for cruises starting and ending in USA or in Europe, proof of COVID vaccinations is not required. How do people feel about being on board a cruise ship (however nice) with unvaccinated people? COVID might not kill vaccinated people, but it is still an unpleasant disease, so I for one don't really want to voluntarily mix in close quarters with the unvaccinated . Are Azamara rushing this relaxation?

In the UK at least, if you haven't been vaxxed you've likely caught it and that amounts to the same thing. In my case, you can be vaxxed 3 times and still have caught it, such are the latest variants. At least I wasn't at all ill, and that might well have been down to the vax protection. But it won't stop us getting it, at least not much longer than a few months after the jab.

If anything, I'd sooner people were tested before boarding. But I can see why even that is getting dropped. Instead my intention is to get vaxxed as close as possible to my next cruise. Not because I fear Covid, I don't, but it gives me the best chance of not being confined to my room because at least being vaxxed somewhat reduces you chance of catching it, if only for a limited time post vax.

17 minutes ago, uktog said:

Sorry, I have never heard of them saving private drivers for late bookers.  The concierge usually handles that and it is based on who they can get at the time you book, they do not keep reserves.  Have you got a 1.30 boarding slot?  Depends on the port you are in but most do not start until a little later

This is what the guy at AZ told me. He could be mistaken or even lying to keep me at bay but I don't think so, he sounded pretty assured and confident. I join at Buenos Aires and said I should turn up early, around 1.30, as suite guests will get onboard first if they wish to. I'm 95% sure that he said they hold back a small number of private driver excursions for those who wish to book face to face. He said this was because some guests, I guess the older ones, prefer to do these things face to face. I even recall him putting a number on this of 4, for the private cars (the vans are different). This from a total of around 15-20 available. With no guarantees, he reckoned I'd be unlucky not to get one for my excursion. Note this only seemed to apply to the private driver type excursions. I don't think it does to general excursions. I guess if the latter get filled, they might try and put another one on (or cancel if they don't have numbers for the original one).

Of course I'll soon find out if I got this wrong when I board!

13 hours ago, stines said:

Do you know if one is able to use non-Azamara generated OBC (e.g., from a travel agent) pre-cruise to book shore excursions or indulgence packages?

Grandma Cruising's suggestion above is a good one but there are some excursions which are not cancellable at short notice. In my case, this involved me wanting to use a private driver in Ushuaia on a S America cruise but pay for it using the credit from the Indulgence package. You can't buy the latter until you board and I was told by AZ that booking the excursion prior to boarding with cash or OBC would make it non cancellable. I'd still have my $700 excursion credit from the package but would have to use it on other excursions.

This didn't work for me, I'm self touring in the other ports, so I'm not having to take a chance they still have private drivers available at the point of boarding. Fortunately I'm in a suite and he said I'd be allowed to board from 1.30pm and he reckoned I should still get one if I act fast- get the Indulgence package, then use the credit. Apparently they save a few of the drivers just for onboard purchase- for those who don't like using internet etc.

5 hours ago, Riocca said:

My take on this for what it’s worth is that the Ultimate Package is more about spirits than wine. Especially with the Atlas cocktails at $17.95 and specialty cocktails at $14.95 the $23.95, discounted substantially with loyalty, looks extremely reasonable. The wines by the glass and beer selection are really just an addition, if wine is your thing then the wine packages probably provide better value. 
We upgrade because of our spirits preferences and take the wine by the glass as a bonus.

I agree and have a feeling that I am therefore likely  in a minority versus a majority of cocktail and/or spirit drinkers. Maybe that's why they do what they do on wine, too few notice much so they can get away with it. Shame really because I'd prefer a drinks package that included decent wine because a) I prefer the concept of fully inclusive and b) I want to buy a package that includes ultimate but has no allowance for bottle packages.

Oh well, I'm sure I'll still enjoy my cruise and I'll bring on at least one decent red to pay corkage on. Seems daft/unnecessary to me to go that way, and it will obviously cost more, but I guess that's life.

With thanks to Grandma Cruising for the latest list from a different ship. A lot of similarities but also a couple of differences, especially on the reds. I see a halfway OK satellite St Emilion, the Dame de Bouard, but also a bargain basement CS/Merlot that appears to come from the Cote de Gascogne of all places. Also a not bad Jurancon dessert wine, the Domaine Lasserre.

At this point it opens up the issue of what Azamara appear to be doing with wine versus our expectations as customers and whether they match up. My expectation is based on the fact that wine, albeit fairly basic, is already included, and that this needs an extra £20 per day spend (as a Brit, I'll deal in sterling). My expectation derived from the above is that I would expect to see wines retailing around £15 on the Ultimate list. Few people drink more than a bottle a day and that still more than covers their cost. Another way of putting it would be to apply a 250% mark up on the per bottle difference between the included and ultimate wines. You get to much the same figure.

For £15, a little above or below, I have bought in the UK (so including our high taxes), a decent Pomerol or a top Cru Bourgeois Medoc, a good grower Chablis, a Rioja reserva from a top producer. A Sancerre would be borderline but a decent Pouilly Fume fits in. Burgundy is pretty much off limits at this price but you could get a top cru single vineyard Beaujolais or a reasonable quality Pinot Noir from Oregon or S America or for that matter, a much better one than Matua from New Zealand. Beyond the best known names, £15 would also buy you some very decent quality wine from top producers from S Africa, Portugal etc.

What perplexes me even more is that some of the drinks on the list are definitely premium. The Champagne and Chandon would be way above that but look at those whiskies. The Balvenie and Macallan bottles are not all that far away from £100 a bottle. Granted you drink less whisky than you would wine, but even so, that also supports £15 a bottle. My conclusion is that AZ simply don't care much about wine and/or have zero expertise on the subject and so choose to make their savings there. I grant you most passengers are not wine nuts like me, but surely they are more interested than average, especially if buying the package? Seems to me, the package works pretty well if you drink whisky and champagne, a lot less so if you prefer wine. I write this hoping AZ may read this forum and do something about it.

Will do and with expectations somewhat lowered....

17 minutes ago, uktog said:

Managing expectations, first night might be the one night this would be a challenge as the butlers are usually extremely busy then so they may indicate they cannot do this or can only do it in a limited way.  Wine topped up, certainly they do not do that at any time, they will at best leave you a bottle.  Course by course serving - my experience - some do some decline to

OK, well bang goes my one and only big need! I'll see how it goes, I won't me making any other demands that day and it can be as leisurely a dinner as they wish...

This will be my first cruise with a butler (and only my second ever cruise). I have no expectations (or even understanding) of what a butler could do that a decent cabin attendant could not. I certainly don't need help with packing or unpacking for example and I plan to do my own restaurant bookings so I know they are done and done quickly.

On the first night, if weather allows, I plan to dine on my balcony so I imagine having a butler might mean that is more efficient and I get served as I would in a restaurant, course by course, and get my wine topped up. Otherwise I have no known needs. I can only imagine he/she might come in handy if I have a problem I need sorting that an in depth familiarity with the ship might assist with. So in Rumsfeld terms, 'an unknown known'.

On 10/31/2022 at 8:48 PM, Riocca said:

This is the latest wine list for the Ultimate Package onboard Azamara Onward.

 

Helpful, thank you.Although it makes for somewhat deflating reading. A decent Merlot like Matanzas Creek changed for what is basically a bucket Italian Merlot at about a third the cost? Mondavi's budget entry line v Sokol Blosser Pinot Noir? I guess we have to suck it up but maybe make sure onboard to the staff that some of us at least are noticing this, and hope that gets fed back...

19 minutes ago, kml246 said:

 

This is our first AZ cruise, too. We're sailing on Onward, and they have N2 suites forward and aft. 

 

Ah, OK, I'm on Pursuit and they don't, all the forward cabins are verandah (plus the v expensive suites at the very front). Didn't know there were such big differences between the various ships. Agree with you that although I'm far from an old hand, the front of the ship didn't appeal much, especially as I'll be in the Southern Ocean going around Cape Horn!