pacheco18

Sounds divine

If you get back to Jacques I highly recommend the duck.

The irony of course will be that even if Miami furiously backpedals and reinstates or 'fine tunes' part of the revamp, they will still end up with a program no better than it was, but with a core of loyal repeat cruisers thinking harder about looking at the competition.

 

I'm still shaking my head.

It takes years to gain trust and about a minute to lose it.

yes you are right...who knows...

 

but I am still hoping that as first time on O....and having a huge need to keep in touch with my 94yr old mother, even if we dont have a promo for wifi....O will surprise us with it upon sailing.....like the tooth fairy....like a welcome aboard for the first time, sort of thing....

 

a wifi fairy...sure would be nice....

 

I can dream, cant I.....

Not gonna happen - here's why I think not:

About a year ago I booked a "fake" cruise on board to get the onboard booking discount. I knew I was not going to take the cruise I booked. We all do it -- it's a placeholder. The placeholder cruise came with FREE WIFI and INCLUDED GRATUITIES.

I just used the placeholder booking and transferred it to a cruise I am actually taking. Free wifi gone (was only an amenity for the placeholder cruise). Included gratuities gone (same deal) (not an issue since my TA is giving them to me and I will have my 10th cruise entitling me to included gratuities anyway).

When they offer free wifi it is promotion-specific.

It does indeed. With regard to coverage for multiple persons on the same trip, p. 17 of the Guide to Benefits says this: "Yes, each traveler is eligible to receive the primary benefit up to the Trip Cancellation & Trip Interruption Maximum Limit of Insurance per Occurrence." The maximum per person is $10,000 (or what was charged), up to a maximum of $20,000 per trip (all persons) and $40,000 maximum per-12 month period. In other words, if you cancelled a years' worth of trips (for cause) for both of you, they'd stop the reimbursement at $40K.

I have completely switched to using the Sapphire and Explorer cards for cancellation and interruption insurance. I have personally spoken with the benefits department and I feel confident that the coverage is no different from that which we usually pay hundreds or thousands for per trip. I supplemented with an annual health insurance plan (around $300) and Medjet Assist. I think it's a smart move.

Totally agree with you Laraine.

 

If a third ship is added to the fleet at least it will mean that I can sail Azamara if I choose to at my favourite time of the year.

 

But I don't think a new build is in anyone's thinking and those Oceania and Viking ships look very appealing to me.

Regent is also getting a new build. I personally won't sail Regent because of the included excursions that I do not want to pay for but it is an alternative for some.

I am amazed that anyone believes that buying an old ship is a smart strategy to keep Azamara competitive when every other cruise line is building brand new state of the art ships designed with what today's cruisers want in mind. Renovation only takes you so far

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

We (only two) dine in our "O" Penthouse only when we can't get a desired reservation in one of the specialty restaurants. As stated, it's a bit cramped but also being seated at the end of our bed feels odd. However, it is what it is.

Exactly my point

The OP states he "tends to eat meals regularly on his balcony."

For someone who looks forward to in suite dining as a highlight of cruising, a PH is not a good choice -- on R ships or O ships.

For the rest of us who are ok with "cramped" and uncomfortable, we manage. LOL

Thanks for the tapas tip. Oceania doesn’t do them as such but I never do more than 2 appetizers as my meal and the idea of a section of tapas for in room dinning is very appealing.

 

While the Ph suites are roomier than the Veranda Staterooms – they are not huge and I just cant imagine dining in that space. Small plates would be doable but the table at the end of the bed was not big and there is no view …..unless you are feeling romantically inclined. ;)

If you have a butler, he can make tapas happen.

I was using tapas as an example. My point was that anything but a small plate on that table is too big -- not just for 4 but for 2. If you want to have comfortable in suite dining experience for 2 or for 4, you need to book one of the larger suites. The PHs are just too small.

Another insane strategy IMO

Alienate your most loyal passengers to the point that they state they will no longer sail on Azamara because of the LCV changes and defect to other cruise lines and then bring in a third ship?

Maybe some of you want to believe this "third ship" story but how long has this rumor been promulgated. Does not sound to me like a line that is "flush with cash" to build or acquire another ship. I would think if a new build were really in Azamara's future, top management would be shouting it from the rooftops.

I suppose time with tell . . .

Four for tapas is fine

Four for "dining" is just not doable IMO

Hi Loraine,

 

Sorry I didn't answer you before but I guess I didn't get back to this thread.

 

Thanks for the information about the bargaining. We are pretty good at it, but good to know we shouldn't pay more than 1/3.

 

I don't know how brave I would be now to have my picture taken again with a cobra, but one never knows........lol....I'll let you know when I get back.

 

Ellen:)

Go for it!

We will be trying their new suite experience and restaurants in 2015, I will post a comparison after that trip as I am sure we will discover things that may or may not encourage others to Celebrity

The experiences are not really comparable BUT you will get great value for your money.

Hi Pacheco18,

 

It's pretty amazing, isn't it ? Part of this is due to two entirely separate teams at Celebrity and Azamara. It's fairly obvious there's 2 completely different mindsets.

 

Just a guess... but I have to believe that Celebrity is well aware of the unhappiness from Azamara's guests, and I suspect they see an opportunity, especially since many of Azamara's guests frequently sail with Celebrity, and vice versa.

 

With Azamara's announcement - there was an active discussion on the Celebrity forum, with folks wondering if Celebrity might make changes to their loyalty program - to which I repeatedly stated, that I'd be shocked if Celebrity made any negative changes for the forseeable future. Thankfully, Celebrity confirmed this today. IMO, Celebrity handled the speculation very well. Kudos to them.

Agree. Very smart of them to respond so quickly. Azamara could take a lesson from them. Their silence is deafening.

I have sailed Celebrity four times. While I tend to avoid the larger ships now (except I am trying Allure for the fun of it LOL) in favor of a more intimate experience, I would sail Celebrity again. IMO best value at sea. And I think their specialty restaurants are phenomenal.

Ok. So we boarded the Insignia in Istanbul. We were docked in the magnificent setting of the Bosphorus, with a backdrop of the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi. Stunning! We naturally chose to eat on the Terrace. So this is the beginning of an amazing cruise in the Med and Adriatic.

 

So to set the scene for the cruise, what is the focus of the menu? Was it Turkish food? Greek food? Italian food? No, believe it or not it was Mexican! Now, I happen to like Mexican food, but not as I am about to set out on an adventure in Turkey, Greece, the Balkans and Italy! Talk about being tone deaf. What a missed opportunity :(

 

Oceania is a small company with only five small ships. Surely they can customize menus depending on itinerary? I can understand Carnival with 20 something mega-ships being oblivious to local cuisines. But the entire fleet of R ships can fit comfortably in a mega-cruiseship, with space for an O ship as well!!

 

Come on Oceania, a premium line can and should do better!!

As someone who owns property in Mexico and goes to Mexico all the time (4 hour drive) and lives in the southwest where there is great Mexican food, I would not touch the Mexico buffet on Oceania. IMO it is awful. It is the one cuisine that they do not do well. We either go to the GDR or Waves for lunch when there is a Mexican lunch buffet.

Thanks so much for the tip. We called Chase and they are sending us both a Lounge Pass.

Isn't cc wonderful?

I think changing the menus in specialty restaurants is positive. If you are a frequent cruiser on a particular line the menus get old.

We were just on Oceania (r class ship) eating in both the specialty restaurants and a number of us commented on what it will be like for those taking the world cruise -- 6 months of eating in those 2 restaurants! You wouldn't do that at home. You'd get sick of it fast!!

I would like to see not only rotating menus but daily specials for all specialty restaurants on all ships. That would make them really "special."

We used my Priority Pass at the Lima Airport last May. I have free Priority Pass through my Platinum AMEX card but I had to pay about $25 for my husband to go in. We arrived at the airport very early because of an early connection from the Amazon and even thought it wasn't the best lounge I've ever been in, it was sure better than sitting in the airport general seating area. One thing that was a problem for us was that we weren't in a place where we could print a boarding pass before we arrived so we didn't have one when we arrived at the airport. The Delta counter didn't open until 3 hours before the flight and we were there about 6 hours before the flight. The lady at the information counter said we couldn't use our iPhone boarding passes so we were unable to pass through security to get to the lounge. Luckily, I asked another agent if we could use the boarding passes on our phones and she said that would be fine so we were able to pass through security and go directly to the lounge. I can't speak for the lounge in Buenos Aires but the Lima lounge was okay and we had drinks, light snacks and comfortable chairs.

and a bad lounge is better than no lounge LOL

Posted on the Cruise Critic Celebrity board today by Celebrity Cruises.:

Hi all,

 

Wanted to share this with the Cruise Critic community.

Celebrity Cruises has spent the last 15 months focused on listening to what our guests are looking for in their membership benefits. As a result, at the end of 2013, we revamped our program and added or improved upon many benefit offerings to our Captains Club members and have no intentions of taking any of those benefits away. We've also made additional changes in 2014 based on what our members are saying: "You asked, we listened" is our motto that we follow, always listening to guest feedback on ways to improve the overall guest experience and maintain customer loyalty.

~ Lee Moreau, Director of Loyalty

Azamara should take a lesson from Celebrity.

PLus 1

Curious how two cruise lines that sail under the same "umbrella" could treat their loyal cruisers so differently.

Contrary to Laraine's experience, we shared a birthday cake one dinner with two other couples -- it was the birthday of one of the others, not either of us. It was a small cake and I think six generous slices probably finished it off.

 

But it was delicious!

 

Mura

Totally consistent with my experience. Our cake would have had six slices. Once we each had one, they took the cake away. No chance for seconds or to share with someone else in the dining venue. I thought it was tacky.

I think the OP might be "expecting" something special as this is done on other lines. Oceania does not do anything special for celebrations. It is very low key in all respects.

There is a chance that you will be the ONLY honeymoon couple on board (I am assuming you are younger than the average demographic for Oceania). If that's the case, maybe you will get invited to dinner with an officer.

Best thing is to have no or low expectations.

Hi!

 

We are so excited! We have finally booked our first Oceania cruise for next summer. 7 days, inside guarantee (you can always hope for an upgrade!) and honeymoon.. We are so happy to have possibility to be onboard! We have cruised with Celebrity a lot and will become Elite after our January cruise but are really looking forward to nicer food and smaller ship for our honeymoon on Riviera.

 

You Oceania experts, I have one question... Do you know if Oceania recognises special occasions?

You get a cake in the dining venue you are in for your birthday. They take half of it away before you can get a second slice. Not impressive. Don't expect much. Have a great honeymoon -- make your own magic.

A good Oceania TA should also be able to get you the benefit of the price decrease if your cruise goes does in price (again, more likely for Caribbean, some Mediterranean and some Alaska itineraries) and should also be able to get you a good deal on an upsell for a cruise not doing that well.

Thank you all for your input. We both have a United Explorer credit card; will these cards get us into the airport lounges even if we are not flying United or one of their partners? Thanks for clarifying.........

NO

One of the perks of having the card is being a member of Lounge Pass. You have to have the Lounge Pass card. Call Chase and ask. You can use no matter which airline you fly.

As an American Express Platinum Card holder, I have a Priority Pass. I know that the lounges vary considerably in quality. I go online and check them out before we get to the airport. We travel business whenever possible, so my first preference will be the airline's club. However, not every airline has a club at every airport, or a share arrangement. In those cases, I'm glad to find Priority Club properties. I have to pay for my husband but it beats the mob scene.

 

Mary

Exactly our approach

Since we BOTH have the United Explorer card, there is no fee for either of us to use the lounges that are part of the Lounge Club Program. Many of those lounges are the same ones in the Priority Pass program.

I was a first time Azamara cruiser this past June on a B2B and knew nothing of the loyalty perks when I booked. I enjoyed the cruise so much I booked another on board. I no sooner got home and two things happened. One, there was a new promotion that far outweighed the on board savings and then Azamara cancelled my bookings since they chartered out the ship but never notified my TA. We had to actually approach them to see what was going on and when our deposits would be returned. I would NEVER consider another Azamara cruise unless it was within a 6 months sailing frame and had a GREAT promotion. It just isn't worth the risk of Azamara cancelling cruises and now perks. Azamara isn't such a great deal that you can't find another cruise for a similar amount of money. It really is too bad since we thoroughly enjoyed our cruise.

Unlike you, before I booked my first Azamara cruise I knew all about the loyalty perks from being Celebrity elite. Those benefits were a factor in my choosing Azamara over Oceania for a nearly identical itinerary. I liked the Azamara itinerary slightly better and I wasn't worried about losing my O perks as I was getting the LCV perks. It was certainly a factor for us.

Like you, I really enjoyed my Azamara cruise, found it compared favorably with Oceania (some things better, some things not as good) and booked 3 additional cruises. I love having choices. Also like you, I agree -- we have other options but it is too bad.