kiawahdon

Just a couple of thoughts as others may expand on these comments.

First, Crystal has a more formal dress code on several nights. They just changed the code, but bottom line dressy cruise casual probably won't work all nights.

Second, unless you spring for a premium cabin, Crystal's are similar to AZ- read smaller than many other lines.

Third, Crystal is in the midst of renovating their ships. One just finished a $20 million drydock. Sorry, I can't remember which one.

And finally, dining on Crystal is not totally at your discretion for dinner. They have a number of guests that have set times to dine and those that choose otherwise, must make a "reservation" for a specific time. The issue is there is no room for impromptu dining. You have drinks with a couple of couples and decide to walk to the MDR- could well be a significant wait. The little known secret is that when the Crystal ships were designed, all dining was the 2 settings routine. The restaurant isn't large enough to handle true "any time dining".

One final comment is that the ships and crew are superior; and the interior public spaces are excellent.

Because this thread has taken a disturbing turn, I thought I would refrain from making comment. I find it unfortunate that a poster has been challenged for speculative opinion by speculating on his motivations rather than simply offering a well reasoned response.

 

However, the subject raised by this thread is obviously important to many given the emotion this thread has engendered. With regard to the future of Azamara, is the arrow pointed up or down? What is the likelihood of Azamara expanding its fleet? Why is Azamara relying on charters more than other cruise lines--the percentage of cruises chartered by Azamara seems higher than that of other cruise lines? And perhaps most important how highly does the parent company value Azamara and what is the parent company's vision and expectations for Azamara going forward?

 

I do not know the answers to these questions, and I readily concede that I have less knowledge about the industry than many of you. But because Azamara two or three years ago scaled back on the well publicized renovation of its ships, presumably for financial reasons; because Azamara is a small cruise line, especially compared to RC and Celebrity; and because of its recent emphasis on charters, the questions I posed above seem legitimate--especially the last one regarding the parent company's vision for Azamara.

Be careful, you will likely be slammed as I have in stating the obvious-AZ needs to spend about 40+ million and modernize their ships or let the competition preside over the funeral. As Jazzbeau indicates above, the competition is only getting more aggressive for cruise dollars. nI have spent may months on Crystal, Seabourn and Oceania so don't say I am unaware of the competition! There are a lot of choices out there, it seems AZ doesn't realize the landscape

I have spe

It's the program we all object to

 

 

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Why would you hand out a glossy if changes (?) are hours/days away?

Left hand-right hand syndrome.

I challenge kiawahdon to provide real numbers to support his assertion that Azamara's "cash flow is weak" and that chartering their ships "doesn't really improve the bottom line." I'm really quite tired of his incessant uninformed, unfounded, gloom-and-doom opinions. Without substantiating numbers, his opinions are just so much hot air.

I am still waiting for the name of another major cruise line that has chartered the majority of their "plum" fall season.

Just another tid-bit. Oceania Riveriera was last in drydocks in November '12 and it was just announced it will be getting further upgrades in a '16.

You may feel differently, but personally musty staterooms and baths are not my cup of tea.

You can rant and say I don't know what I am saying, but facts are facts. If you read RCI sec filings as I do, you might put the Pom proms away and look at facts- not blind loyalty, which I respect, but can't accept with the over riding facts that AZ is floundering.

I challenge Host Andy or anyone else to name 1 cruise line that has taken weeks off the plate and chartered their ships. The only reason management does this is that cash flow is weak and the future uncertain. It is heads on beds but doesn't really improve the bottom line. You do not build brand loyalty by taking weeks off the cruise calendar. All this does, as has been expressed, is alienate potential passengers. In my humble opinion, when Larry lays awake at night, he knows what the future holds- and it isn't great.

From Cruise Industry News today- another $ 1 billion of RCL capital that will not be spent upgrading AZ or adding ships.

"TUI Cruises has ordered Mein Schiff 7 and Mein Schiff 8, for deliveries from STX Finland in 2018 and 2019 as Meyer Werft and STX Finland announced they had closed their deal for Meyer to acquire a majority stake in the Finnish yard."

You can also just "show up" in the hope there will be no shows.

I know people who have successfully gotten extra dining opportunities using this strategy. I doubt, however, it will work for a 2 top at 7:30 but worth a try.

If you are willing to share, you have very good odds. We were 2 for 2 on or last cruise.

I am not sure whether it is RCL board or Larry, but a lot of decisions have had the net result of alienating your loyal customer base. A quick review of decisions in the last 2 years:

-Guatemala, need I say more?

-killing the harpist that virtually everyone enjoyed and created a special ambiance.

-Moving the piano to a location where "moon river" competes with slot machines.

- The "enhancement" of the loyalty program-- no comment necessary.

-The lack of consistentquality of the Amazing Evenings- some are great and others are a total disaster.

-Chartering of the ships when many loyal passengers like to cruise. I would challenge Larry to name one other major line that charters as AZ is going to do. It is a quick term "heads on beds" decision. Not a long term decision.

I could go on, but it probably serves little purpose at this point. An insightful CEO would have quickly picked up on the loyalty program issues- before announcing, not after.

Have to respectfully disagree. The one area where Oceania crosses the line into being a "class" system is their "Concierge" and "Executive" lounge. IMO, these are areas that would not be missed if they were removed. Luxury cruise lines do not have separate areas for passengers so this is not "true on EVERY ship

Sounds like you have not been in an executive or concierge lounge, because if you took advantage of the benefits, you might feel differently. The ability to run down to a lounge in the morning and get a continental breakfast; talk to the concierge to make specialty restaurant reservations or solve an issue is invaluable.

Your idea of a "class system" is no different than booking a porthole or a suite. The cabins are different in size and amenities. Is this a class system? NO! If you are inclined to pay more- you get more!

Put your Regent Pom poms away and recognize that different lines offer different options. I personally don't even look at a Regent as I don't want to pay for substandard tours on a crowded bus as a part of my cruise fare. Plus I generally use FF points and book my own air.

May be a new build is out of their reach? I can't really see them getting any ship new or old when the two ship that they have need to be upgraded. But there are use and new builds that can be ordered if Azamara wants.

 

PS,

 

Do you know how long it can take to build a new ship? Is it years or months?

The attached chart taken from Cruise Industry News may be insightful. It shows all known new cruise ship orders. I have highlighted the orders of RCL and its subsidiary, TUI:totaling 29,000 new berths costing $7 billion. Nothing on the books for Celebrity- interesting to say the least.

The corporate capital committed and the berths being added do not auger well for Azamara in my opinion.

To answer your other question, a new ship can take 18 months to over 2 years to build. Then there is the pre-build design time which can be months to years depending upon if the ship is a new design or another cookie-cutter of an existing design.

cruise ship orders 2014-19.docx

Hello Xport (post #114), et.al. ~ you (all of you!) continue to impress me with the thought you put into your responses.

I remain 100% confident in the future of Azamara Club Cruises and our dedication to our customers, ships and employees ashore and at sea.

As for yours, and the multitude of other criticisms of the new LCV program, there will no doubt be some fine-tuning to the program in the months to come. You can rest assured your comments are not falling on deaf ears.

Bonnie[/quote

 

I am sorry but "fine tuning" is a world class understatement. Let's face it, the changes were ill thought-out and conceived. It is clear the corporate dictate of "cut costs or disappear " is in play.

Just a head's up that if you crack open your cabin door you will "typically" notice an improvement to your wifi connection especially if a repeater is nearby. The cabin doors are metal and greatly block the wifi signal.

 

We were in 6088 last year and there was a repeater right outside our door. Door closed wifi was marginal at best, crack open the door just a couple of inches using the door stop the attendant uses and voila! Wifi was at full strength.

 

Simple tricks of cruising...:D

 

That being said, the internet is still slow (well, we are at sea!) and paying for it will be distasteful if the speed is not improved upon. No working internet eliminates my opportunity to take a cruise vacation due to work. If the quality of the speed remains the same then it should continue to be complimentary IMO, but if I have to pay for the service then it should perform to reflect the cost or I would request a refund of course.

What is abundantly clear is that RCL has not( and probably will not) invest the necessary dollars to upgrade the internet and band width. RCL's larger ships are getting upgraded all the time. It is another example of RCL's lack of commitment to the AZ brand. Some of RCL ships can handle Skype- try that on AZ.

Opening your cabin door to get decent? internet is not "bespoke".

It comes down to the actual cruise experience. Does not gave anything to do with free this and that. If you want a fantastic cruise experience, book Azamara without a doubt. # 1 across the boards! If you want a lackluster NCL cruise with bad service and lousy food book Oceania!

 

 

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Looking at your post history, its clear you have not set foot on an Oceania ship or enjoyed their food. Am I correct?

Also, NCL has nothing to do with Oceania now as the deal will not close for 90 days! When you have cruised both lines recently, as I have, then rational comments are encouraged.

Even if you book your cruise 2 years before the actual sailing the upgrade request wont be processed until 2-4 weeks before the sailing. By that point normally there are very few high level cabins available. It will be VERY hard to get the suite upgrade. Also unless you are Discoverer Plus or Platinum you wont get it either.....

If you think you will get anything above deck 6, I have a bridge for sale.

Let's face it, Azamarajoel I is a PAID shill of AZ. He will always spout the "party line"; even if the incoming fire is decimating. That is what he is paid to do!

His comments are a poor attempt to calm the waters, but like other PR people, he has to play with the cards delt. Too bad he has a looser hand.

Perhaps I did not explain it clearly enough. Our experience on our one and only Oceania cruise (so other experiences may differ) was that Martinis was so busy during happy hour that there was standing room only. When we walked by it at some other times there was absolutely no one in it.

 

 

In terms of finding Oceania's lounges too busy during happy hour for people with the alcohol package........ it is really simple. We want to sit down and enjoy a cocktail before dinner (we dine early). We cannot get into Martinis at 5:30 p.m. (our normal time for a before dinner drink) because it is happy hour and too crowded. So we go in search of a place where we relax have my champagne and actually be able to sit down. Because of happy hour, people on Oceania tend go there more during happy hour than any other time. On Regent there is no incentive to converge into the lounge at a specific time.

 

Hope this clarifies my view.

One thing you did not mention (maybe didn't know) is that O's 5-6 happy hours are offered in BOTH Martinis AND Horizons. If you couldn't find a seat in Martinis, why not go to Horizons? Many folks prefer the views and seating in Horizons.

Let me say it one more time- choice air is an integral part of one's decision to book a cruise and it is part of the total cruise fare. If you change the rules mid- stream it is subject to a refund of fees paid if one cancels.

Could that be why Choice Air would not be included in the cancelation?

"The waiving of penalties does not include any penalties associated with ChoiceAir reservations" If you still have penalties with air you might have to keep the cruise. So Azamara still has you stuck to them for that cruise?

Seems to me that choice air is part and parcel of the passengers contract with AZ. The fact that AZ has issues with the airlines is not the passengers problem. They sold a product that in many cases included air. When they changed the terms of the transaction; they have the issues- not the passengers who purchased in good faith.

We recently did a cruise on the Insignia from Istanbul to Venice. Our impression was that there was a lot of pork and shellfish on the dinner menu in the GDR, and very little lamb and veal. As we do not eat pork and shellfish, this somewhat limited the choices for us, unless we opted for a plain old steak or salmon, which are always available.

 

So I went back through the menus, and reviewed the Main Courses, plus the Taste of Red Ginger and Jacques.

 

20 dishes included shellfish

15 fish

15 vegetarian

13 beef

11 pork

11 poultry

4 veal

3 lamb.

 

I think this is quite surprising, as many Mediterranean cuisines feature a lot of lamb, and this was a Med cruise.

Just to add another perspective, we just finished a long cool/cold weather cruise on Nautica and I have to say, in my opinion, the soups and cookies were awful. The soup selection was so esoteric that most were unappetizing and the cookies were tasteless bricks. Not a big deal to many, but it really got to me. The executive chef said Miami is in control and he has no discretion on soups, even though he agreed with my observations.

I know I will get slammed, but I will say it again: RCCL is not willing to invest in AZ, period. Did Larry give any detailed drydocks upgrade plans in his CC "talk"?

No, he talked in very generalities because he clearly does not have the RCL board support. I challenge anyone to tour O's three R ships and tell me AZ's compare. What we are experiencing is the slow, painfull demise of what could be a great cruise line. I really feel sorry for the staff which are fabulous. The loyalty changes and charters are just the beginning of a process that will end with a sale of the ships. Very sad.

Article today from Seatrade Insider:

http://www.seatrade-insider.com/news/news-headlines/norwegian-in-advanced-talks-to-buy-prestige-reuters-says.html

The upgrade opportunity to a Club Continent suite is pure fiction as they sell out fairly quickly on most cruises. You might move to a veranda on deck 6, but I really doubt much else.

The reason for no free internet is that AZ ships have not upgraded their internet; hence limited band width. They have to control usage somehow. Interesting that many of the RCCL ships have upgraded to the point you can now video Skype or do streaming.

After the Guatemala fiasco, are you really surprised? Larry and his on-shore management team could not manage a 3 car funeral in my opinion.

It would be nice if FDR were to post something when he was free to do so.

I would not expect FRD or any other shareholders of Prestige to say anything if a deal is in negotiations. Federal/SEC laws tend to put a sock in everyone's mouth until it is officially announced.

This is a reposition cruise with lower than "normal" rates due to the contiguous 7 sea days. Personally, I would go nuts with so many days in a row on an R ship. But, others enjoy the quiet time at sea. One plus on this cruise is that you can spend a couple of days scanning the sea for the Somali pirates.

Here is a different perspective after 20 days on Nautica.

We left from Southampton. After a little web research, I found a "national chain" of bottle shops about a mile from the port. We picked up 2 six-packs of

nice wine and proceeded to the ship. One six-pack was consumed in our room and the other bottles went to restaurants where the $25 corkage was charged. This approach worked great for us as many days we were touring; and often stopped for a local lunch. Hence no lunch-time beverage consumption on board.

Looking at our bar bill at cruise end, there is no way either beverage package made dollar sense. If your cruise has a lot of ports and few sea days, and you will be off ship a lot, look closely at your options.