DS
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Posts posted by DS
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So, here is where WE are…
Our loyalty points are wrong, and have been for 6 months, despite multiple “forms” by both DW and me.
We have been assured that “their” records are correct, even if what we see on the web site is not.
We will be onboard in about 6 weeks, so we will see… we know the loyalty ambassador who will be onboard and trust we’ll get the truth.
If they are having so many IT problems overall, which they seem to have…, it’s reasonable to assume that they have more important issues than what shows to us on the web… as long as the "real" records are correct... we shall see...
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Shortly after the 2025 World cruise was announced, we (were onboard, and) asked the HD why the ONWARD was chosen for both the 2024 and 2025 World Voyages. He said he had asked the same question and was told that the ONWARD had newer, more environmental friendly systems and that allowed it to get into more countries and ports that had higher standards that the other ships could not get to.... for what it's worth...
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So... no postings for more than two months??... have all the ships sank? We sail Azamara 2 or 3 or 4 times a year, and appreciate postings on this board. I'll try to always contribute. This and the https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2872255-senior-officers-at-the-moment-post-what-you-know/page/5/
are how we keep up with things....
Appreciate any help in understanding the status quo...
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6 hours ago, excitedofharpenden said:
That's great. Glad you got it all sorted. It does make a huge difference when you get someone who is diligent and obviously helping you as a guest to make it work. That's what loyalty is all about.
Phil
We've always found the FCC/Loyalty Ambassador on the ships to to be very informed and helpful-- much more so than a random shoreside agent. I would guess that these folks book more cruises than any single shoreside one. They have seen all kinds of "unique ( not so much...) circumstances, and know what do to. Tine on Journey, Matt on Quest, and others on the other ships have always been most helpful and explained the best deal for us
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So, for the past 7 or 8 years, we have sailed on Azamara almost all the time. A year or so ago friends showed us an interesting itinerary on Seabourn that they were going on: Dover UK, Scotland, Iceland, Greenland, down St Lawrence to Montreal (an itinerary that was not available on Azamara at the time—I think they are doing it in 2025…). So… new itinerary, new line, old friends…Sure!
We booked an oceanview cabin—nice size—but still cost more than 150% of what we paid per day for Club Continent suite on Azamara, and were prepared to be WOWed! We were not…
The itinerary was great; the cabin was nice; the friends were fun. The food the first week was wonderful… then it was less so and more repetitive—never bad.
But the onboard service was totally unimpressive. Dinners often took 90 minutes to serve entre after ordering; something was always missing: salad, or coffee, or wine, or butter, or wrong entre, or… By always, I mean EVERY SINGLE MEAL—something different each time, but no one got 100%, ever. I think they are still suffering from Long Covid, as the staffing is clearly not up to snuff: when it takes 26 minutes to get a drink at a bar after ordering, there clearly are not enough bartenders/waiters; when it takes 90 minutes to get food, there aren’t enough waiters or cooks or something.
Did we enjoy the trip? Yes! Did we think it was better than Azamara? No--- certainly not for the money.
I am keenly aware of the on-shore difficulties that AZ has been having, but we have been on more than 10 AZ cruises since the post Covid restart—and NEVER had a bad onboard experience. We are next on AZ in November, and look forward to being taken care of by our friendly staff and crew again!
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On 6/10/2023 at 10:19 PM, SuziQ1 said:
Oh, I soo agree! I thought it was just something I couldn't navigate. Did u get the excursions booklet? Which cruises are you on this fall? Thanks
Not yet... no response
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15 hours ago, Harrietq said:
I can’t confirm- sorry. RCCL was my final contact. They were still addressing questions at that time. Good luck.
Try this one...
azamaracustomerservice@azamara.com
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On 5/21/2023 at 2:40 AM, Host Jazzbeau said:
There have been reports on people onboard in other threads. If they don't reply here you need to read a little more widely.
Some are replying. I have and do "read a little more widely" but I think this board is a logical place that people would look for current experieinces. If people want to post extensively about an individual trip, more power to them- I follow and enjoy. But many posters just want to make a single or few comments. And, I think we all can benefit from them now...
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Dear Azamara cruisers,
No one has reported being on board for almost two months—I believe that some of you have been, or, are on board.
Those of us who sail in the future would welcome pleasant tales of Azamara voyages. At the present all we see is postings on other forums about web site issues, communications issues, payment issues, etc. etc. We all know that the true Azamara experience is onboard, not with Miami.
Please give us some comforting information!
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Timely topic for me.... I sent this to various Az emails today...
When I look at Shore Excursions for my upcoming cruises under the “Manage my Reservation” tab, all I can see is about 3 or 4 lines of text about a single excursion. The fixed banner of the cruise information and the fixed banner for shore excursions in general take up almost all my screen. This is not a good way to see and read about a given excursion, let alone compare all possible excursions on a given day. FURTHERMORE… it is NOT an efficient way for YOU TO SELL shore excursions.
I have two cruises coming up this fall and then the first three legs of the World Cruise at the beginning of 2024. I request that you send me softcopies of .pdf booklets for all the shore excursion available for these cruises ( listed below). It would also be useful if such booklets were posted on the website for all potential customers to see.
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Received this email minutes ago...
Dear Azamara Guest,
We deeply value your trust and loyalty to Azamara. As many of you are aware, we’ve completed the final steps of becoming an independent company. As part of this process, we implemented new technology to support all aspects of our business.
The most critical and complex component of transitioning our reservation system was to transfer bookings for future cruises from our former parent company’s system into our new system. We underestimated the complexity of moving over these bookings and as a result, trip components and prices may appear inaccurate in some guests’ accounts. We deeply regret the inconvenience or frustration this process has caused you and your travel companions. I can assure you that we are working diligently to resolve these issues as quickly as possible.
We want to assure you that all your booking information remains secure, and you’ll be able to sail with us as planned at the same rates you reserved. In the most concerning cases, customers may see a “balance due” that is not accurate. No additional payment outside of the original balances on the original booking is required, even if one appears in the account.
We understand that many of you and your travel advisors have questions, which has led to a drastic increase in our call center volume. Wait times have been unacceptably high, which has made servicing existing bookings and making new reservations very difficult. We recognize that the current pre-cruise process does not meet the Azamara standard. To address this issue, we have:
- Increased call center staff by 60% and plan to double this number in the coming weeks to answer phone calls and respond to request forms.
- Added a dedicated call center option for sailings within 30 days.
- Added IT resources to repair bookings and account accuracy to fix any incorrect information before you board so you can have a stress-free experience.
We appreciate your patience and understanding during this transition period. We remain committed to providing the exceptional service and experiences that have made Azamara one of the most respected and beloved brands in the travel industry.
Thanks,
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It seems all of us have issues with what the web page says our cruise status, price remaining, OBC registered, etc. etc. What I'd like to hear is from people who are actually on board and if they think their accounts are accurately presented: right OBC, right status, etc. etc. We are only seeing what is obvioulsy a poor transitioned the web site. What is important is the transition on Azmara's internal systems and those onboard. I can live with a bad web page ( for a while, at least) if I know that the REAL system is correct. Azamara... tell us!
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Onboard the Journey... STARLINK was our internet provider as of this morning in Funchal, Madeira (it was NOT the provider up the west coast of Africa, nor in the Canaries the past two days). Downlink speeds (per speedtest.net) was about 1/2 of a megabit... not great, but clearly better than yesterday!
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Onboard the Journey... STARLINK was our internet provider as of this morning in Funchal, Madeira (it was NOT the provider up the west coast of Africa, nor in the Canaries the past two days). Downlink speeds (per speedtest.net) was about 1/2 of a megabit... not great, but clearly better than yesterday!
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Currently on the Journey, heading up the west coast of Africa, starting 4 March. If its the same guitar playing "Nestor" he was on our ship at the beginning, leaving here on 6 or 7 March in Namibia. People here had same impression of performances...
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Onboard the Journey now, coming up the west coast of Africa. StarLink is apparently installed, but not in use--yet-- because there is no service to any African country. BUT, we are told that by the time we get to the Canaries early next week, the switch over will occur. Stay tuned...
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Aboard the JOURNEY.... today's a sea day between Angola and Ghana. The highlight was a visit to Null Island, a mythical "land" (since there is no "land") located at 0 degrees longitude and 0 degrees latitude (also a common error of some mapping programs: if you put in a non-existent address you sometimes get 0,0 back...). Crossing was about 9:42 AM GMT. There is supposed to be a buoy at the location, but I could not spot it (too close to the hull??). The traditional equator crossing ceremony on the pool deck with King Neptune was held at 10:00. GPS screen shots before and after attached...
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Onboard the Journey…
Earlier I noted that the patio was not open at first for dinner… it is now. Yesterday they had springbok as a special! Tonight they have Oxtail Potjie, a South African stew.
The complementary wines are mostly new, and reflect their past months in South Africa—a very nice SA shiraz and of course a pinotage—much better that the Azamara branded pinotage of a few months ago. The cab was also a SA vintage, which I have not had yet. There was also a SA Rose. I’m not usually a rose drinker, so can’t compare it to the whispering angel of fame on these boards, but it was quite nice, not like soda pop. All in all, a definite improvement over the last few cruises.
Yesterday was Walvis Bay, Namibia. Had person-to-person immigration in Cabaret before we could get off… went quickly (although a half hour late starting…); also an “exit” check out, again smooth. And, in the good news department (most welcomed after lots of uncertainly wrt visas etc. before trip…), Angola has changed their policy, just since we sailed(!), and no face-to-face will be required. Although the quick change could portent similar not-so-nice-changes in other countries—the adventure continues!
Walvis Bay port is a busy commercial port, with absolutely no cruise terminal/infrastructure…. Just a parking lot for buses. The town goes inland for maybe a mile, then the dunes of the Namib desert run up and down the coast
Weather has been cooler than we expected—mid to high 60’s F ( high teen’s C)—same latitude as Rio de Janeiro… I guess the colder, north flowing current from Antarctica?
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Onboard the Journey, departing Cape Town on 4 March for Lisbon, up the west coast of Africa. A nearly, but not quite, full house of 585 passengers. A fair amount of following winds and seas as we left Cape Town, so more roll/pitch than we expected—not bad, but noticeable. Temp on high 60’s F, so sitting on deck not enticing for long periods.
First two dinners in MDR have been very good—food hot, service excellent. Patio has not been open for dinner, yet…
Senior Officers on board include:
Captain Filip Adelfoulakos
Hotel Director Tomasz Jadczyk
Cruise Director Stephen Millet
Asst CD Sarah Hughes
F&B manager Mario Kucko
Chef Shijumon
Loyalty/ Future Cruise Tine Schils
Of note, Daniel from Croatia, who was the manager of the specialty restaurants on the Quest for the past 12 years, is now the manager for all restaurants on the Journey.
After having this cruise cancelled out from under us at least twice since 2020 ( quite a few other passengers in the same boat, so to speak…), we are looking forward to lots of sea days, punctuated by strange and mysterious ports.
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Onboard the Journey, departing Cape Town on 4 March for Lisbon, up the west coast of Africa. A nearly, but not quite, full house of 585 passengers. A fair amount of following winds and seas as we left Cape Town, so more roll/pitch than we expected—not bad, but noticeable. Temp on high 60’s F, so sitting on deck not enticing for long periods.
First two dinners in MDR have been very good—food hot, service excellent. Patio has not been open for dinner, yet…
Senior Officers on board include:
Captain Filip Adelfoulakos
Hotel Director Tomasz Jadczyk
Cruise Director Stephen Millet
Asst CD Sarah Hughes
F&B manager Mario Kucko
Chef Shijumon
Loyalty/ Future Cruise Tine Schils
Of note, Daniel from Croatia, who was the manager of the specialty restaurants on the Quest for the past 12 years, is now the manager for all restaurants on the Journey.
After having this cruise cancelled out from under us at least twice since 2020 (quite a few other passengers in the same boat, so to speak…), we are looking forward to lots of sea days, punctuated by strange and mysterious ports.
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We have done 3 or 4 TA's on Azamara. All have been nice; some a bit more "wavy" than others; none excessively so. Last fall we did one that was from Lisbon to Miami, and susposed to go "north" to Bermuda. Weather forecast indicated that that would be a rough route, so Captain adjusted to a "southern" route and we ended up on Bahamas instead of Bermuda. Could you wander down the corridors in an "S" shaoaed patter? Absolutly! Did it make one seasick? Not for us or anyone we noticed. I would not, however, recommend a forward cabin for these trips...
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On 1/26/2023 at 6:12 PM, lisiamc said:
We are doing 2 cruises B2B, 4th March and 25th March. I’ve had an invitation to bid for an upgrade on the 25th March cruise, but nothing for the 4th March cruise so far. I also haven’t been able to check in for the 4th March cruise yet, although the page says check-in is open from 18th January. My travel agent says online check-in should be open from 30 days before sailing date, and I should be patient!
we were able to check in for 4 March cruise on Journey today...
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Have anyone received an email offering them a bid on an upgrade on Journey, West Africa, Capetown to Lisbon on March 4th?
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I regularily have Manhattans, Martinis and Gimblets with no added cost... listed spirits only.... if you want rye or top shelf bouron or gin, its extra
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Sign of things to come??
in Azamara
Posted
Perhaps someone "currently on board" could ask the hotel director, at one of his/her Q&A sessions, which occur on almost every cruise, about the future of Azamazing Evenings given the recent inconsistent history ...?? (and, please, post the answer here!)