Azamara changes port times and cancels shore excursions one month before sailing...

[57thny]

We are booked on a cruise leaving from Dubai in December. Azamara changed all our port times and are now cancelling some of the best shore excursions because of this change. Aren't ports booked by the cruise ships in advance? The best tour in Phuket was cancelled, and I only found out because I read it on Cruise Critic! Azamara STILL hasn't emailed about the cancellation. I spoke with three representative and two said it was not cancelled and one confirmed it was. Azamara's internal communication leaves alot to be desired. Has anyone had this problem before?

[Andy]

We are booked on a cruise leaving from Dubai in December. Azamara changed all our port times and are now cancelling some of the best shore excursions because of this change. Aren't ports booked by the cruise ships in advance? The best tour in Phuket was cancelled, and I only found out because I read it on Cruise Critic! Azamara STILL hasn't emailed about the cancellation. I spoke with three representative and two said it was not cancelled and one confirmed it was. Azamara's internal communication leaves alot to be desired. Has anyone had this problem before?

 

Hi 57thny !

 

I know this isnt the answer you wish to hear, but schedule changes happen on all lines from time to time. In many cases, it's beyond the Cruise Line's control. I checked Azamara's schedule. Are you on Quest's 12/9 sailing ? Please confirm, and I'd be happy to see what I can find out.

[cpgrneyes]

On our Journey cruise earlier this year, several of the port times were changed, and my understanding is that these changes are not Azamara's choice, but changed because of local authorities for reasons such as tides, traffic, availability of port crew, etc.

 

Also on our cruise, because the ship was only about half full, many of the excursions (probably 30-40%) were cancelled. I imagine that many of the local tour operators who provide the tours for Azamara require a minimum number of participants.

[57thny]

Hi Andy,

Yes, that is the cruise. I've been on the phone with Azamara all day. All the answers are conflicting. I am assuming it is cancelled. I am shocked at the lack of communication. I only found out about all this through cruise critic! We only have five days off the ship, so one day being cancelled means alot...

[Andy]

Hi Andy,

Yes, that is the cruise. I've been on the phone with Azamara all day. All the answers are conflicting. I am assuming it is cancelled. I am shocked at the lack of communication. I only found out about all this through cruise critic! We only have five days off the ship, so one day being cancelled means alot...

 

Hi 57thny !

 

Sorry to hear. I will see what I can find out. If I hear anything, I will post it here. Stay Tuned !

[Jade13]

I hope they make changes on your cruise for the better. I would check to see if they had the same itinerary a year ago (check the old roll call), as they should have an idea of the timing from past experiance.

 

We are on a cruise leaving from Dubai in April and right now we only have one port stop. I'm still wishing and hoping they add one more stop (or two), but the cruise is selling poorly (in our case I'm sure because there is only one port stop) that I'm prepared for ShoreEx cancellations. Oh wait, they told me they won't even have the ShoreEx loaded until January.

 

What are the time changes?

[DougYWG]

Re Azamara Quest ex Dubai 9 Dec, here are the changes as advised by our agent:

 

dep Dubai, was 16:00, now 14:30

arr Mumbai was 10:00, now 11:00

dep Mumbai was 18:00, now 20:30

arr Cochin was 7:00, now 10:00

dep Cochin was 16:00, now 19:00

arr Phuket was 8:00, now 11:00

dep Phuket was 19:00, still 19:00

 

The major problem seems to be that 3 hours has been chopped out of the Phuket stop leaving only 8 hours in port. That is not enough to do an 8 hour tour, the one everybody wants. Enquiring minds would like to know why......

[Jade13]

Re Azamara Quest ex Dubai 9 Dec, here are the changes as advised by our agent:

 

dep Dubai, was 16:00, now 14:30

arr Mumbai was 10:00, now 11:00

dep Mumbai was 18:00, now 20:30

arr Cochin was 7:00, now 10:00

dep Cochin was 16:00, now 19:00

arr Phuket was 8:00, now 11:00

dep Phuket was 19:00, still 19:00

 

The major problem seems to be that 3 hours has been chopped out of the Phuket stop leaving only 8 hours in port. That is not enough to do an 8 hour tour, the one everybody wants. Enquiring minds would like to know why......

 

We were on a Southeast Asia cruise in February from Hong Kong to Singapore. I was sorry that we did not stop in Phuket, however, I can tell you that from Bangkok we needed almost two days to get to Singapore where we arrived at 4:00pm.

 

That is a positive change that you are departing Mumbai 2.5 hours later. The traffic in India is really bad. That is what it seems these changes are about, besides the fact the ship needs more time to get from Dubai to Mumbai. Captain Carl knows what he is doing.

[cadcruiser]

We are booked on a cruise leaving from Dubai in December. Azamara changed all our port times and are now cancelling some of the best shore excursions because of this change. Aren't ports booked by the cruise ships in advance? The best tour in Phuket was cancelled, and I only found out because I read it on Cruise Critic! Azamara STILL hasn't emailed about the cancellation. I spoke with three representative and two said it was not cancelled and one confirmed it was. Azamara's internal communication leaves alot to be desired. Has anyone had this problem before?

We had similar problems with our Northeast Asia cruise last year. I understand that sometimes port times are changed or deleted altogether but my biggest problem was the lack of info from Azamara. The only way I found out about the changes were from looking at the itinerary on the website and then I would post it on Cruise Critic to inform others who weren't notified as well. I even took it up to the executive level and they didn't seem to care. In the end I got a letter from Azamara that had nothing to do with the notification of itinerary changes.

[glutenhab]

This all sounds very ugly to me. I book what is offered, not what may be. Not to inform (I would cancel immedialtely if what I booked changed) is certainly adding insult to injury. I can see ports being bypassed or changed on the fly because of unforseen circumstances but this almost amounts to fraud. You should not offer what you cannot provide, plain & simple! Defending this practice because you are loyal to Azamara, or any line, doesn't do anyone any good. This is just wrong. If ports are not confitmed then they should be advertised as "Not Yet Confirmed".

 

Imagine buying a red four-wheel-drive automatic Toyota Highlander & being delivered a green front wheel drive standard Ford Fusion.

[Goldygolfer]

My husband and I are on the same cruise as 57thny and DougYWG and would also like to register our extreme disappointment with the re-scheduled port times, especially for Phuket.

[Jacks Minder]

My husband and I are on the same cruise as 57thny and DougYWG and would also like to register our extreme disappointment with the re-scheduled port times, especially for Phuket.

 

We would also like to ditto all of the above comments. Hopefully Azamara are monitoring all of these Cruise Critic comments.

[ocnlvr2]

We would also like to ditto all of the above comments. Hopefully Azamara are monitoring all of these Cruise Critic comments.

 

My domestic partner and I are astonished at the poor communication at Azamara. We have spoken on the phone with them several times as well as e-mailed them and they either don't respond or give totally different stories ... we are experienced cruisers and know that things can change, but have never seen this much lack of communication. We actually realized that there was an issue and had to bring it to their attention last Thursday ... They were not even aware that the ship schedule was in conflict with shore excursions until we called and told them and even then they initially did not believe us ... We still have not seen any notification about shore excursion schedule changes or cancellations.

[Jade13]

My domestic partner and I are astonished at the poor communication at Azamara. We have spoken on the phone with them several times as well as e-mailed them and they either don't respond or give totally different stories ... we are experienced cruisers and know that things can change, but have never seen this much lack of communication. We actually realized that there was an issue and had to bring it to their attention last Thursday ... They were not even aware that the ship schedule was in conflict with shore excursions until we called and told them and even then they initially did not believe us ... We still have not seen any notification about shore excursion schedule changes or cancellations.

 

The issue is with the Kansas call center. They handle Celebrity too, although they may now have a dedicated Azamara desk. Holland America Line customer service in Seattle is so far superior. My experience (mostly with Celebrity) is that they will say anything and refuse to give full names or extensions so it is hard to track down where the information is coming from.

[57thny]

I received this email this morning from Azamara:

 

 

 

Thank you for your correspondence regarding your cruise vacation onboard the Azamara Quest. We appreciate this opportunity to respond to the concerns you have brought to our attention.

 

Please rest assured that PK16 - Phang Nga Bay has not been cancelled. Due to the change in the port arrival time, we of the Shore Excursions Department hade to work with the tour operators in obtaining new departure times. PK16 - Phang Nga Bay will now operate as a 7.5 hour tour; the tour content will remain the same.

 

All affected guests will be notified via e-mail no later than today, Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2010.

 

Please keep in mind, shore excursions are subject to cancellations or modifications. We reserve the right to withdraw any tour, to limit membership in any tour, or to make alterations in the operation of any tour, which may be deemed advisable for the safety of guests and refunds will be processed accordingly.

 

We truly apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.

 

Should you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.

 

 

Thank You and Enjoy Your Cruise

 

Melissa De La Cruz

 

 

 

 

 

Needless to say, I am relieved!!!!

[DougYWG]

We were out and came home to a voice mail from Azamara. Same message, PK16 is still on. Website will be updated. Great news, very pleased that Azamara has made new arrangements and that they have informed us.

[Jade13]

We were out and came home to a voice mail from Azamara. Same message, PK16 is still on. Website will be updated. Great news, very pleased that Azamara has made new arrangements and that they have informed us.

 

Unbelievable customer service! I was doubtful they would cancel a ShoreEx that people wanted and were willing to pay for, afterall the shore excursions are one of the few money makers for Azamara.

[DougYWG]

Unbelievable customer service! I was doubtful they would cancel a ShoreEx that people wanted and were willing to pay for, afterall the shore excursions are one of the few money makers for Azamara.

 

Yes, we agree that Azamara has responded to the customer concerns and although for a few days it didn't seem as if the outcome would be this good....we certainly have to now commend their customer service!

 

it is nice to feel listened to!

[Redtravel]

I've been on many cruises that have changed ports and times ...or just skipped a port completely. It happens frequently. be flexible and relax.

[57thny]

With only four out of 12 days off the ship, its harder to be flexible or relax, especially when taking 18 hour flights. I'm just happy Azamara found a suitable solution.