coldweathergirl

I’ve never heard of that being an option with Azamara, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t. May be worth you contacting Azamara (or your TA if you booked through one) and asking the question.

 

 

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Thanks for the reply. I sent an email off to my TA as well to inquire.

It's one of those things that of course I'm bummed that the price has dropped but when I look at how many deals I've gotten over the years I won't complain. I was ok with the original price so if I am able to upgrade now or get the call for a paid upgrade it will be a great bonus.

No matter what happens I'll be happy to be on board whether it's in the OV I chose or in a balcony.

It's times like this I sometimes wish I was the naive traveller again who never checked prices after booking. The only reason I really checked this time is we have friends who are considering joining us. They're novice travellers and asked for help with booking their reservation. Unfortunately for me their balcony will be considerably cheaper than our ocean view. Guess drinks will be on their balcony then lol.

I'm wondering if Azamara has a similar policy to Celebrity in that if the price drops after final payment, you can upgrade your cabin to the next category and just pay the difference.

I booked quite some time ago and final payment has been made. Unfortunately with the higher prices of Azamara and our weak Canadian dollar we couldn't justify spending the extra on a balcony when we travel so much. Balconies are now much less expensive and I'm hoping I can maybe move to one of those.

I've got my name listed for the paid upgrade but if there's a chance I can move up now I'd rather make the move now while there are lots of cabins available as I understand that the upgrades are totally dependent on availability closer to sailing date.

This is our first time sailing Azamara. We're elite plus on Celebrity so will be discoverer plus on Azamara.

I agree that the benefit of concierge class is pretty pointless. My choice would be to do either do a balcony or Aquaclass but for the price difference I'd do the balcony and spend the extra money on the spa and specialty dining.

Although my daughters when graduating university would love AQ they would much prefer the pampering of the spa.

Book the balcony and then check closer to sail date after final payment as sometimes they drop the price on cabins and you may be able to move up to an AQ cabin for a minimal up charge. Then you'd have the best of both worlds.

When my youngest graduated university a couple of years ago we also gave her a Celebrity cruise in a balcony cabin for her graduation present but the sailing was the Mediterranean. She went with her boyfriend instead of us. They found they were some of the youngest people on board. They enjoyed the cruise, loved the food in the MDR but found nightlife to be quiet for them.

Thanks for everyone's quick replies. It sounds like I'll have ample choice for breakfast on board.

We'll definitely take advantage of the steak for breakfast via room service at least once on the cruise. Ted especially loves his steak and has been known to order it a time or two via room service breakfast with the up charge when we've been on Celebrity.

Can't wait for our January cruises to try out Azamara but first we will have our Infinity cruise through the Panama Canal and onwards to Machu Picchu. The only thing I like about winter now is I get to sail for a good part of it.

A couple of questions. When we sailed on Paul Gauguin and Oceania they had the most delicious baby lamb chops for breakfast. Does Azamara have this?

Also, is their breakfast room service menu limited like Celebrity or do they have a good assortment of items available. We don't do room service a lot but once in a while it's a relaxing way to start the day.

We were on the Equinox in a Concierge Class room and went to Blu one night. Atmosphere OK; food boring and service dismal. Went to Specialty Dining for the rest of our 12 night cruise.

This is the first I've heard of anyone other than AQ or suite class being allowed into Blu. I'm surprised you were allowed to dine there.

Unless I am totally mistaking you, Sweetbreads are the thymus and/or pancreas from a bovine. Some people have misconceptions of what they are, especially when they refer to a "bull". Sweetbreads may be an acquired taste, and prep is very important, but they do not originate below the "waist" of a steer.

I loved the sweetbreads as an appetizer so much my last time in Blu that I ordered them for dessert as well! It's one of my favourite menu items in Blu when they're cooked well. :o

I haven't seen it on any of my sailings in the last couple of years.

Unfortunately I don't think you will get the extra Captains Club points. You used to but for the last couple of years if you get a complimentary upgrade (like this one) you only get the points for the category you book.

He will be eligible for the additional points as he's the one who upgraded for a price after the cost of the stateroom came down.

If Celebrity calls and offers the upgrade for a discount close to sailing then you stay with the original points.

No worries.

I was trying to figure out how I'd be able to book another cruise into our already busy schedule.

I'm a girl who loves a sale. ;)

I also emailed my TA and she hasn't received any notice of a special promotion. She said she was going to contact her Azamara rep to double check.

In case, like us, you have fallen off the Azamara email notification system, there is a National Sale in place lasting until the end of October.

 

Very good features!

 

None of this info is on the website, but TA's should know about it or I'm certain you can contact Azamara directly.

Thanks for the notice. I did receive emails from Azamara up until a few months ago. Not sure what happened for them to stop. I mostly book without a TA but I guess I'll have to inquire.

When we sailed this route last year on the Celebrity Constellation, I researched and found the staboard side to be recommended as you can see small towns in Egypt while transiting the Suez Canal whereas the port side had sand dunes and not much else to look at.

Just wondering if Azamara is like Celebrity in that if prices drop after final payment, you can then pay the difference to move into a higher category cabin.

I'm a planner so have booked our January Quest cruises some time ago in CAD but it doesn't appear to be selling well so I'm also assuming there's going to be a reduction in price to fill up the ship now that final payment has come and gone.

6-8 weeks is the norm.

Ok thanks for this. I assumed since they're so quick to take our money and when I cancelled I was told it would be back on my CC within a week I took them at face value.

I had a yacht club category booked for January 2018 which I paid the deposit last winter and cancelled August 18th. I've still not received my refund to my credit card even though I've called MSC five different times over that period of time.

Has anyone else had this happen? To add insult to injury, the CAD has gained over the last six weeks so the refund I eventually get will be less than if they had given it to me when I cancelled.

They've definitely lost my business for any future cruises with this really poor customer service.

I'm looking forward to sailing our first and second Azamara cruise this January.

Great news about acquiring another ship as it will expand destinations on offer.

I'm hoping there will be cruises along the coast of Africa and into the Seychelles, Mauritius, amd Maldives. :D

You can book your excursion now using your credit card and then once on the ship rebook using your OBC. This information was provided by the official blogger from Azamara. Have a look at the threads on excursions.

The bad thing about this is for us unfortunate Canadians, our dollar is so volatile we inevitably lose every time we do a US purchase and then a reimbursement. I guess one shouldn't look a gifthorse in the mouth though...OBC is essentially bonus money so we still come out ahead using that for excursions even if we take the hit on our CC reimbursement.

If it's served, will they truly give me the one slice of ham, one slice of cheese, one slice of pineapple that I ask for? Or will they load up the plate, in which case there is waste in served portions, too.

When the breakfast is via menu, the menu choices are usually pre plated so you can't get a custom order.

Here is a thread from last month re currency on the Panama cruise.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2533224

I love a good G+T but have never tried fevertree tonic. I live in a small town and had never heard of that brand until this forum. I'll have to look for some to try next time I'm in the city. I may have been missing out on nirvana lol.

I did try Hendricks with a slice of cucumber last time I was on Celebrity but didn't care for it.

I do know that I hate the really sweet tonic waters. If I'm stuck with those for mix I'll mix half tonic and half club soda and add a bit more gin to cut the sweetness. I won't use diet as I hate any diet sodas.

We did that cruise last year but instead of doing the ships tour to the Taj or on our own during the cruise we opted to fly back to India after disembarking in Abu Dhabi. Flight costs were very reasonable to Delhi and we had a private guide and driver for a week touring the golden triangle. Just something to consider if you have the time. The weeks private tour including air, 5 star hotels and meals was still considerably less than booking the very quick Celebrity tour.

I always either book or transfer my reservation to a TA. I'm not sure you mean " lose control of your reservation", because I have never lost control of any of mine. It is very easy for me to make changes.

If you want to switch cabins or ask for a price reduction etc before final payment Celebrity won't talk to you, you have to go through your travel agent. At least that's been the case for me the few times I've transferred a reservation.

One thing to remember is that once you've transferred your booking to a travel agent you lose control of your reservation. Any cabin changes or anything that would basically affect your reservation has to go through the TA and not directly with Celebrity.

This may also help with some questions about getting started on Cruise Critic.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=52