Azamara's Big Announcement

[Spursgirl]

Do they really expect past Azamara cruisers to be delighted with this very underwhelming announcement.

 

I have been on the Quest three times - the last time one month ago and I loved the product as it was. A 20% uplift in prices will just drive me back to Celebrity and Princess.

[Redtravel]

I am booked on a cruise in April. I just called Azamara to find out whether my cruise is affected by these changes. I spoke to a man who said that I could buy a water package or wine package , but that they " were not giving it away." He then put me on hold, and eventually hung up. So what gives, Azamara doesn't seem to know what's happening.

[California Native]

I thought the comment about "ideal customers" and the 300K mark was a little bit condescending and certainly unrealistic in this day and age -- so don't take that too personally. I think it was just showboating.

 

Carolyn

 

Carolyn.

My DH and I would be considered riff raff by those standards...and yet we are the demographic they need to tap into for long term growth

We are in our early 40's, no kids and passionate about travel...In fact our financial planner thought he read our numbers wrong when he realized how little we spend elsewhere in our budget and then came across

the travel column figures...

We want a small ship experience that we can return to each year for extended cruises...

K

[nikless]

He may have been setting it up to be sold in a few years.

 

And it was certainly condescending...as if he were saying that the current clientele was not satisfactory, so they are making changes to upgrade the demographics, not to make Azamara more appealing overall....

[hondorner]

Let's see -- what are they offering that Oceania does not? Free standard wine at lunch and dinner. Free DIY laundry. "Trained" butlers at all levels. A new brochure...

 

I said a few days ago that they had basically failed so far, because they blatantly set out to copy Oceania, yet they could never attract the price point that Oceania gets -- probably because they never really understood what it is that makes O special. Now, they're trying to boost the prices by trying to surpass Oceania in insignificant ways, yet it appears they still don't actually "get" it.

[DrKoob]

I am booked on a cruise in April. I just called Azamara to find out whether my cruise is affected by these changes. I spoke to a man who said that I could buy a water package or wine package , but that they " were not giving it away." He then put me on hold, and eventually hung up. So what gives, Azamara doesn't seem to know what's happening.

 

Don't worry about that. It's just typical corporate America. I would bet that 90% of the people who work there didn't hear about these "changes" before we did. And that would include almost 100% of those who answer the phones (who I might add will never be able to afford an Azamara cruise.)

[TRIANDA]

Any mention of Azamara "Passages" now being made available to EVERY Nationality?

[susiesan]

It's going to be back to O for me after 3 AZ cruises. Overnights in the Caribbean don't impress me. And like others said, I'll do land trips in Europe if I want to stay overnight somewhere there.

[WooKeef]

Carolyn.

 

My DH and I would be considered riff raff by those standards...and yet we are the demographic they need to tap into for long term growth

 

We are in our early 40's, no kids and passionate about travel...In fact our financial planner thought he read our numbers wrong when he realized how little we spend elsewhere in our budget and then came across

the travel column figures...

 

We want a small ship experience that we can return to each year for extended cruises...

 

K

 

My husband and I fall into the same category. I spend three times on vacations than I ever would on anything else. Travelling is my life. To say that they are gearing towards 300K+ is a statement he better retract...and quick, we are all getting a bit ticked.

[shipsoul]

I am booked on a cruise in April. I just called Azamara to find out whether my cruise is affected by these changes. I spoke to a man who said that I could buy a water package or wine package , but that they " were not giving it away." He then put me on hold, and eventually hung up. So what gives, Azamara doesn't seem to know what's happening.

 

So, for those of us who booked early (at full price), how are they going to know that we are the "package" clients? Does that package add up to the 20% increase. The devil will be in the details.

[California Native]

Res agents are always the last to know..

Sad, but true..

I worked for Larry when he was at Classic Hawaii in VIP reservations....

Everyone (outside and inside the company) knew more than we did and it always ticked us off that we came across as idiots, especially since we were the 1st contact

people had with the company

Also, keep in mind these agents are monitored all the time..

They don't want to risk their job by saying something inaccurate or against what they were told to reveal,

if they do know more

[Andy]

So, for those of us who booked early (at full price), how are they going to know that we are the "package" clients? Does that package add up to the 20% increase. The devil will be in the details.

 

Hi Shipsoul !

 

This is strictly a guess, but I would think those who booked early will recieve the same amenities as everyone else. I cant see them drawing a line in the sand.

[schmidlapp]

I think many of you are whining for no reason,

Businesses are in business to make money.

Clearly Azamara was not making money at the pricing they were at.

I'm in business and if I were not making a profit, I'd change something

and change it pretty quickly.

We can't expect Azamara to survive on the purse strings of RCI forever.

If they need to raise prices, why not make the customers feel a bit

more special and that they are getting something for the increase.

I don't think things will be that much different. We have 3 future Azamara cruises booked, with one under our belts. Overnights in port are a great idea.

Nobody gets seasick at night, the ones that want to experience local nitelife can, the ones that want to eat on the ship can. Windstar is doing more of the overnights in port and I think they are getting postive comments regarding this. As far as coffee and wine included, their regular coffee was poor at best so this will be a big improvement.

By offering wine, it gives you a bit of inclusive feel without forcing one to drink like a fish just to get their moneys worth. If they went totally all inclusive you would see much more than the 20% price increase.

The only thing I do'nt like is the name of their loyalty program.

It's too late to change that now. Lets give them a chance, if they have

the same quality staff, food, service and destinations I'll stick with them.

Just make the casino pay out a bit more.....(ha ha)

[1westover]

Being new to Cruise Critic and traveling on Journey Baltic June 6, I would appreciate some clarification.

 

I am correct that the laundry facilities will remain.

Yes or no?

Beverages will not be included. Wine? Has the 2 bottle limit to bring on the ship changed?

 

Thank you so much.

 

1 westover:)

[shoesonfire]

Everything I've read (whine, whine, mostly) doesn't affect the reason we booked and chose our Quest 5/15/10 cruise. The price was good (as compared to Oceana) the itinerary was fabulous (unlike Oceana's continuous port days) sufficient sea days to recoup plus overnight ports to enjoy the culture and smaller number of travelers to interact with (unlike the 6,000 + passengers on the newest ship). The announcement of a few enchancements is welcome. We were happy with the choice we made for our spring cruise and still are! Can't wait for May 15, 2010. Thanks Azamara!!

[LHT28]

Frank Del Rio just posted and it said only "RFLMAO"

Where was that?

[Andy]

Hi Everyone !

 

I wanted to say a special thank you to Carolyn, for keeping us "up to the minute" with the Azamara news conference. I'm not into Twitter, so this was a fantastic way for us to learn the details !

 

I am a big fan of live chats. Hopefully, some of you remember when I was one of the Cruise Cafe Hosts for Cruise Critic, on AOL many years ago. I hope we will have more live chats in the future !

 

I will keep checking this thread for any updates or questions, but I have to get back to work :)

[hondorner]

Where was that?

I'm pretty sure PNickle was joking...but there's a grain of truth in all great satire...

[Paulchili]

Unfortunately I did not hear the one thing I was hoping for - free sodas (club soda specifically). I am fine with tap water - as they serve it at dinner, it should be just fine on shore excursions in a bottle. As a non drinker, free wine doesn't do much for me. Maybe sodas are included but were not mentioned specifically?

We'll see.

Count me in those who are underwhelmed.

PS My primary reason for trying Azamara in the first place was their price. Now that incentive seems to be gone. I might still choose them for the "perfect" unique itinerary, but maybe not for the same itinerary that O (or even Princess) offers at same/lower prices. We'll see.

[MightyQuinn]

Res agents are always the last to know..Sad, but true..

A few months back I e-mailed Azamara to request 2010/2011 brochures. I got a personal e-mail reply from an Azamara CS rep saying nothing was available but she'd put me on a list. So after learning of the big announcement today, I e-mailed a reminder for my brochures. But mail daemon intercepted & I got a bounce-back as "undeliverable". :eek::eek:

[Ma Bell]

Everything I've read (whine, whine, mostly) doesn't affect the reason we booked and chose our Quest 5/15/10 cruise. The price was good (as compared to Oceana) the itinerary was fabulous (unlike Oceana's continuous port days) sufficient sea days to recoup plus overnight ports to enjoy the culture and smaller number of travelers to interact with (unlike the 6,000 + passengers on the newest ship). The announcement of a few enchancements is welcome. We were happy with the choice we made for our spring cruise and still are! Can't wait for May 15, 2010. Thanks Azamara!!

 

Did you read about increasing prices 20%? Did you read about more days in port?

 

Sounds like they are changing two of the things that attracted you. Fortunately your cruise is already booked but it may affect your decision to book another.

 

I think this is called feedback, not whining. Everyone will decide if this is a good thing sometime in the future when they see what the changes really entail.

[editor@cruisecritic]

Just off the phone with Larry Pimentel and Edie Bornstein, am posting answers to your questions as fast as I can!

 

 

Carolyn

[editor@cruisecritic]

Okay, so at this point all Azamara's really decided re the past passenger club is to start one for Azamara passengers. Otherwise, there are no specifics on Le Club Voyage (by the way, Larry said the name was chosen more to reflect the line's drive for international expansion).

 

"On purpose," he said, "we will use more international verbiage."

 

He made a point to single out Cruise Critic and its members, and said that he follows the forum very closely and really tries to accommodate suggestions. I'd suggest someone write an "open letter to Azamara" on this forum, and put in specifics about what you want to see in a past passenger program.

 

Timing wise, Azamara will announce more details on or around April 1. I can't honestly imagine, though, that it would throw out any cruises you accrued before but we'll just have to wait and see.

 

Carolyn

 

As an Azamara guest who is sailing them in Feb I have seen no definitive answer about their Captain's Club (other than the April "Le Club Voyage"--could they have picked a worse name???:p). Will I, as a Celebrity Elite, get the current X elite benefits when I sail on Azamara this Feb?

 

And when will they publish what the complete info on the new Le Club Voyage (I REALLY HATE TYPING THAT)? Right now their website is in total screwed-up redirect mode. When you type in azamaracruises.com it redirects to azamaraclubcruises.com which redirects to azamaracruises.com and on and on and on. Ask him when that will get fixed. :p

[djr7879]

PS My primary reason for trying Azamara in the first place was their price. Now that incentive seems to be gone. I might still choose them for the "perfect" unique itinerary, but maybe not for the same itinerary that O (or even Princess) offers at same/lower prices. We'll see.

 

Yeah, I'm kind of in the same boat :) as you. We have yet to set sail on A (26 days to go!!) but we will continue to pick cruises based on itenerary, pricing, reviews and recommendations. We really don't have a lot of brand loyalty, and would never choose a particular line based on frequent cruiser perks.

 

I think a wine package for purchase would be nice, but being "forced" to drink whatever wine they choose to offer is not very appealing. We'll see. It does seem that they need to differentiate the brand in order to attract more revenue. I have no problem with that. May be for us with the new product, or it may not be.

[critterchick]

If their ideal demographic is 300K that leave a lot of past passengers out :eek:

 

True. I worry that a 20% price increase will drive off the people who have sailed on and enjoyed Azamara at a lower price (like DH and I who fit the age, but not the income, demographic). Then they're starting over again, to some extent, at least.

 

Both of our cruises had significant price drops after final payment - we ended up paying about half of our original booking price on the Quest Best of Italy trip in 2008. So I'm not seeing how the modest changes justify a 20% increase. It seems like a very 1980's strategy - the stereotypical yuppy wouldn't buy anything that wasn't expensive and was less concerned about quality than price. Today's consumer is more savvy, I think - just because something is pricey doesn't make it good. We all want value for our money, after all.