Jump to content

Price drops after final payment


coldweathergirl
 Share

Recommended Posts

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

 

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It just doesn't seem fair that your booking wouldn't automatically be eligible to upgrade without charge. I am actually thinking of cancelling our cruise prior to the final payment as our sailing is poorly booked.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As our Host says, you / your TA should reach out to our Customer Service department.

 

Thanks Bonnie. He did and received this reply:

"I called Azamara and they advised me that those promotions are for new

bookings only and you will have to cancel and assess the current 50% penalty

to get the new rate with the balconies. Also, the new rates do not come with

any onboard credits and are not combinable with the back to back onboard credits. "

I guess if the price difference was only a few hundred dollars it wouldn't bother me but when I subtract the B2B booking discount and obc from what I paid, the new price for a balcony is over $1,250.00 pp USD cheaper than what I paid for my obstructed OV. Even the suites are showing much less than what I paid for my OV. Lesson learned. I will probably wait until after final payment for Azamara unless it is a sailing I absolutely have to be on.

I guess I should be thankful enough that I'm fortunate to be sailing around Central America on the B2B instead of up here in the frigid north and not worry about the price drops. I'm still very much looking forward to sailing on Azamara.

Edited by coldweathergirl
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Bonnie. He did and received this reply:

"I called Azamara and they advised me that those promotions are for new

bookings only and you will have to cancel and assess the current 50% penalty

to get the new rate with the balconies. Also, the new rates do not come with

any onboard credits and are not combinable with the back to back onboard credits. "

I guess if the price difference was only a few hundred dollars it wouldn't bother me but when I subtract the B2B booking discount and obc from what I paid, the new price for a balcony is over $1,250.00 pp USD cheaper than what I paid for my obstructed OV. Even the suites are showing much less than what I paid for my OV. Lesson learned. I will probably wait until after final payment for Azamara unless it is a sailing I absolutely have to be on.

I guess I should be thankful enough that I'm fortunate to be sailing around Central America on the B2B instead of up here in the frigid north and not worry about the price drops. I'm still very much looking forward to sailing on Azamara.

 

I understand your disappointment, as it doesn't seem fair. However, it does pay to wait until after final payment to book, as long as you don't absolutely have to be on a particular cruise.

 

If the ship is not sailing full, you could still be in for a pleasant surprise with an upgrade, because you paid full price.

 

Sounds like a wonderful cruise - enjoy!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is why, I am thinking of canceling and rebooking after final payment.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

I was tempted to cancel my bookings before final payment because sales were very slow but because there was some obc associated with the booking I decided our obc would offset any potential last minute discount. Never in my wildest dreams would I expect the price to drop by so much and be unable to move cabin categories.

 

I guess it was a tough lesson for me today. My TA said he tried his best but had no luck.

 

If I were you I would count vacant cabins just before final payment and then if there were a high percentage vacant cancel with the hopes that prices will fall. I suppose bookings are always a gamble when it comes to price.

 

I'm going to put this behind me now and take it as a lesson learned as I don't want it to potentially negatively impact my trip. It sounds like Azamara will be a wonderful experience and I'm still looking forward to our sailings in January.

 

Thanks everyone for listening.

 

Annwyl

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting, I thought I would take a look at the January Quest sailings. There are indeed some attractive prices, but when I compared the cost/night of the 14 night sailing (VX stateroom) with the 17 night sailing (V2, in February) that we booked last December, the costs are within one dollar/night.

 

I check periodically when someone says there is a sale, but have never been able to see a better price than we get by booking a year ahead of time. This does not factor in any additional onboard credits or other benefits that we received which tips things further in favour of early booking.

 

I am sorry this one didn't work out in your favour. I still think the best deals are booking early or last minute (where you take your chances).

 

John

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Annwyl I truly think what you experienced is wrong. I can see where Azamara wants to keep their revenue. However, upgrading your stateroom would go a long way to making you a satisfied customer while costing them very little. I am going to be checking availability and I will cancel if necessary. I might even switch to an similar earlier sailing if it has a lower rate. We are driving to the cruise so I'm flexible. I hope the cruise gods smile down on you and you do get that upgrade.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Nashana and everyone else.

 

Looking at prices on Azamara's website they're in line with prices from when I booked with the exception that they now have guarantee categories which are substantially less. The fire sale is listed with a big online TA which I had booked with. I wouldn't have noticed the promotion but a friend is now considering coming with us and I was helping her with booking the cruise. She's now able to get a balcony for much less than we paid for the OV.

 

We usually sail in a balcony at minimum but with our poor CAD exchange we were ok with booking OV. We were comfortable with the price we paid but it's like anything you buy, you sometimes have buyers remorse when you later see the item on clearance.

 

Thanks everyone for letting me vent and putting up with me. It's over and done and nothing to do now but look forward to a couple of great cruises.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...