Pre- & Post- Cruise Experience Failing for UK Pax

[Joecors]

[quote=pmymmw;30848141]I can confirm that this is not possible for most flights out of the UK that are arranged by Azamara. The attached image shows what I get when I try to manage the booking for the flight for our November Quest cruise:

I find this extremely annoying as I am lucky enough to be a Silver member with BA (due to business travel) so should be able to select my seat at no extra at time of booking.

 

I truely believe that Azamara out of the UK is a 5* cruise line offering a 2* land and air service.

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You've proved to me that I'm not going mental and I agree whole-heartedly with your rating!

[excitedofharpenden]

I can confirm that this is not possible for most flights out of the UK that are arranged by Azamara. The attached image shows what I get when I try to manage the booking for the flight for our November Quest cruise:

I'm not sure if it is true to say "most flights". I was able to check in for my flights on BA last month for my first Azamara cruise.

 

Phil

[Balloon Man]

I can't see any flight details on-line with Azamara but this is probably because I booked through a TA. However with less than three weeks to departure I still don't actually have any airline tickets (though seats have been allocated) or baggage tags. And Bill L still hasn't confirmed my upgrade. Should I be worried? Alan.

[nuneham]

I'm delighted that the thread I started is so lively - it reassures me that I'm not baying to the moon. Well, not on this issue at least. The examples given perhaps add grist to the mill but I shall keep drawing us back to the contention of my original posting - that for UK pax ACC is a 5* cruise line offering an inferior land and air experience. I know that Bill has commented on this before but I think this thread and 2 others running at the moment argue very strongly for a positive and speedy response.

[Joecors]

Well said! Couldn't agree more!

[Joecors]

[quote=Balloon Man;30848373]I can't see any flight details on-line with Azamara but this is probably because I booked through a TA. However with less than three weeks to departure I still don't actually have any airline tickets (though seats have been allocated) or baggage tags. And Bill L still hasn't confirmed my upgrade. Should I be worried? Alan.

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I believe Larry Pimental is due to do a Presidential Cruise in the next few weeks. If you're on that one maybe you could take your problem up with him; if so, please do me a favour and mention the problem of "block bookings"

Thanks

[zennor]

I can't see any flight details on-line with Azamara but this is probably because I booked through a TA.

 

We booked through a TA for our cruise last week & was sent an Azamara invoice as soon as we booked in Jan with BA flight details and the confirmation code that we could check on checkmytrip.com & later on BA.com Although there were a few others on our flight from LHR to Venice I think we were the only ones flying back in the evening from Rome so it wasn't a block booking.

 

Whilst we were at the Venice hotel, we heard of another guest who had flights via ACC with KLM and could not check-in online. She was assured that she could check-in at the airport & was charged £30 for the pleasure!

[uktog]

I can't see any flight details on-line with Azamara but this is probably because I booked through a TA. However with less than three weeks to departure I still don't actually have any airline tickets (though seats have been allocated) or baggage tags. And Bill L still hasn't confirmed my upgrade. Should I be worried? Alan.

 

The fact that you are booked through an agent will be why you can see less on line, though flight details are never visible on line as far as I recall even for direct bookings

Be aware though it is highly unlikely you will get airline tickets as these have been phased out in recent years. All you need is a reference number.

Baggage tags will come direct from Azamara if you have ordered them on line, or your travel agent may already have them

 

I would not be worried at all, as you can see seats have been allocated all is well

 

Flight upgrades are at the discretion of the airline

[excitedofharpenden]

I can't see any flight details on-line with Azamara but this is probably because I booked through a TA. However with less than three weeks to departure I still don't actually have any airline tickets (though seats have been allocated) or baggage tags. And Bill L still hasn't confirmed my upgrade. Should I be worried? Alan.

Your ta should be able to give you your airline Record Locator which is the reference number you need. I pick that up from the email Azamara/Celebrity sends me. That won't appear online anywhere. As uktog says you won't get airline tickets. They rarely issue them any more. I haven't had airline tickets issued in ages.

 

Phil

[Balloon Man]

I understand about the airline tickets but I can't find anywhere to order baggage tags on-line. Can somebody please point me in the correct direction? Alan.

[Grandma Gilly]

I understand about the airline tickets but I can't find anywhere to order baggage tags on-line. Can somebody please point me in the correct direction? Alan.

 

From memory, once you have completed your online check in you will be sent your edocs. You will then see another tab on the online check-in page saying luggage tags and you click on that.

 

If they don't arrive in the post (ours came within a few days), the porters dockside always have spares.

[uktog]

Have you completed your on line express pass? If you go back into that section of my reservations, you will find a button you click on to order luggage tags. If that is not available, it is because of how your travel agent has set up the booking and you will need to speak to them - they should know how to resolve it

 

This thread from last month should also help you and if you search you may find other guidance on the boards - suggest you put in "tags" in the search box

 

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1461769&highlight=luggage

[Balloon Man]

Thank you Grandma and uktog. I completed all details weeks ago and have my express pass, but there is no button to order bag tags. Just some small facsimiles I can print. Have passed the problem to my TA.

[Andy]

Thank you Grandma and uktog. I completed all details weeks ago and have my express pass, but there is no button to order bag tags. Just some small facsimiles I can print. Have passed the problem to my TA.

 

Hi Balloon Man,

 

From past experience, the window for ordering luggage tags is small. It generally opens a few days after you have completed your express pass, up until 15 days before your sailing. As you have completed the express pass, it should be available soon.

 

In case it does not happen, I'm sure your TA can order the luggage tags for you. I hope this helps. Enjoy your Cruise !

[Lottie A]

I have been able to book my airline seats online at British Airways website yesterday......but had to pay £10 each way for the priviledge.

 

You can reserve you seat for free 24 hours before your flight departs. You must have your airline code. It's on your flight details section of your cruise documents. If you want a particular seat or to be sure of sitting together then I would pay the £10....as the seats go quickly.

 

You still have to check in at the airport automatic machines though.....but this only takes 2 minutes so no big deal really.

[nuneham]

Bill, Please read this thread alongside two others which are currently attracting interest - Love AZ BUT Bill can you help? & Pre-cruise hotel Issues in Venice. I think together they give a clear view of pax from the UK who are enthusiastic about AZ, delighted with the onboard service but sorely let down by air and land arrangements. The answer this time really isn't in the detail of how we choose to pay or whether we book fly/cruise. Simply stated, a superb cruise line offering us fly/cruise should be delivering a land/air experience which fits. It's clear that often you're not. What are you going to do about it and how quickly?

[Bill Leiber]

Bill, Please read this thread alongside two others which are currently attracting interest - Love AZ BUT Bill can you help? & Pre-cruise hotel Issues in Venice. I think together they give a clear view of pax from the UK who are enthusiastic about AZ, delighted with the onboard service but sorely let down by air and land arrangements. The answer this time really isn't in the detail of how we choose to pay or whether we book fly/cruise. Simply stated, a superb cruise line offering us fly/cruise should be delivering a land/air experience which fits. It's clear that often you're not. What are you going to do about it and how quickly?

Hello Nuneham and other UK Azamara Followers,

 

I think I understand you’re conflicted feelings about dealing with Azamara Club Cruises: the onboard experience excels while the pre-cruise operation fails. I’m sorry for your frustration and I realize that we’ve been discussing this issue since November 2010.

 

I will present your challenge -What are you going to do about it and how quickly? – to the executive management team in the US and UK. I will prepare a summary of your issues for them to review so that they are able to understand that you’re almost out of patience and that you do not know how much longer you will be able to continue accepting the negative UK shoreside experiences that you’ve reported.

 

Last November, I mentioned that Azamara operates through “Shared Services” for our “Tri-Branded” Products.

 

All of our offices, including the US and UK, are responsible to provide services for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd’s three brands: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises. It is this concept of “shared services” for the three brands that provides the corporation with cost advantages and marketing economies of scale but at the same time - operating challenges.

 

Therein lays the issue – shore excursions and pre-cruise hotel blocked inventory are planned and managed in Miami, I believe. I’m not sure whether the UK or Miami operation put together the hotel package that Zennor experienced with the “Complimentary Hotel Offer” in Venice in which the Venice hotel was far from the city.

 

I will need more time to work with those concerned in Miami and the UK so that they can find the breakdowns in the process and then begin to reformulate their respective operations to function in unison. Only then can we improve the services for our valued UK guests.

 

I will keep all of you up to date on the progress of this initiative.

 

I’m very grateful for your dedication to Azamara Club Cruises and I’m hopeful that very soon you’ll be able to notice a discernable improvement.

 

As I’ve said before, we want to deliver a seamless satisfying experience for our guests on land and sea when they plan and vacation with Azamara Club Cruises.

 

Regards,

 

Bill Leiber

_____________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

(*CBO is an authorized and compensated representative of ACC)

[pmymmw]

I have been able to book my airline seats online at British Airways website yesterday......but had to pay £10 each way for the priviledge.

 

You can reserve you seat for free 24 hours before your flight departs. You must have your airline code. It's on your flight details section of your cruise documents. If you want a particular seat or to be sure of sitting together then I would pay the £10....as the seats go quickly.

 

You still have to check in at the airport automatic machines though.....but this only takes 2 minutes so no big deal really.

 

Hi Lottie,

Unfortunately this is not possible if the cruise line has blocked booked the flights with the airline, as is the case for our Novemebr Quest cruise. We will not even be able to reserve our seats 24 hours in advance but will instead have to wait until we check in at the airport 2 hours before the flight, by which time the chances of my wife and I getting 2 seats together are slim to none.

 

I find this level of service unacceptable from a 5* cruise line. I hope Azamara can fix this, and quickly, as so far the stress of getting to and from the ship detracts massively from the cruise experience and to be honest I'm not convinced it's worth it.

[zennor]

 

Last November, I mentioned that Azamara operates through “Shared Services” for our “Tri-Branded” Products.

 

All of our offices, including the US and UK, are responsible to provide services for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd’s three brands: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises. It is this concept of “shared services” for the three brands that provides the corporation with cost advantages and marketing economies of scale but at the same time - operating challenges.

 

Therein lays the issue – shore excursions and pre-cruise hotel blocked inventory are planned and managed in Miami, I believe. I’m not sure whether the UK or Miami operation put together the hotel package that Zennor experienced with the “Complimentary Hotel Offer” in Venice in which the Venice hotel was far from the city.

 

I will need more time to work with those concerned in Miami and the UK so that they can find the breakdowns in the process and then begin to reformulate their respective operations to function in unison. Only then can we improve the services for our valued UK guests.

 

Thank you Bill. I do believe that you understand the issues. I also think that most of us NOW appreciate that we have been purchasing is 'packaged air' (!!) including hotels & transfers that for economies of scale is created for all RCCL customers and that this may, or may not, include block booked tickets with no online check-in, direct or indirect flights and inexpensive, inconvenient hotels.

 

For myself, this would have been acceptable IF I had been made aware of this BEFORE I purchased the cruise and had been either given the option to upgrade and pay a higher price or make my own arrangements - we need the UK equivalent of CHOICE air. Therefore I do think that ACC could provide an initial resolution with better communication about what is being purchased. I also think that something needs to be done to assist those people who have unwittingly bought indirect or block booked flights.

[Joecors]

I have been able to book my airline seats online at British Airways website yesterday......but had to pay £10 each way for the priviledge.

 

You can reserve you seat for free 24 hours before your flight departs. You must have your airline code. It's on your flight details section of your cruise documents. If you want a particular seat or to be sure of sitting together then I would pay the £10....as the seats go quickly.

 

You still have to check in at the airport automatic machines though.....but this only takes 2 minutes so no big deal really.

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Congratulation to you and other contributors in being able to check in and reserve seats in advance and I would certainly have no problem in paying £10 to be able to do so, realising only to well that "the seats go quickly". However there is no consistency from Azamara in respect of doing so. For the cruise just six weeks ago I was granted the luxury of booking seats in advance but for our cruise in 3 weeks time response from Azamara to be able to do is a raspberry: despite some desperate pleading from our TA that healthwise I have a genuine need to be sitting with my daughter.

Thanks to those who explained how to do it on line but this I already know and the problem is "block booking" so please would they use their energy in convincing Azamara to eradicate their system of block booking.

Please please explain Bill why block booking is NOT used for some cruises but is on others.

Unless Azamara get rid of block booking and soon, the only option I have is to vote with my feet and cruise with someone else!

[uktog]

Thank you Bill for the measured approach you are taking. I know you will probably be keeping it in mind but the lack of a fully functioning website must be compounding the issue as call handlers work load us also being increased as a result. The solution is no doubt a combination of actions the complexities of which and internal ramifications of we on the other side probably seriously underestimate!

Here's hoping you are able to cut through some of it to bring the total experience of all your customers to a level commensurate with the brand

 

In the meantime maybe we should all try and hold off making this valuable thread into War and Peace hard though that understandably may be for some travelling in the near future

[Lottie A]

Joecors - I am sorry for your airline seating problems and I do agree that Azamara should be able to find a way around this block booking issue and give everyone the ability to book seats together.

 

Just a thought though.....have you tried booking wheelchair assistance at the airport? If you have medical problems that require your daughter to be sat next to you, then if you book wheelchair assistance you will automatically be given preference for seating together on the flight - obviously because of your medical requirements. The airline provides the wheelchair and someone to push you to the Gate.

 

Just telephone customer services at your airline and they will organise this for you - remember to book assistance for the return flight too! And emphasise you need to be seated next to your daughter for health reasons.

 

If you are flying with British Airways you can book this assistance online - just go to the "Manage My Booking" section on the website. You will need your flight booking ref though. When you get to check in, just inform them that you have booked assistance and they will sort it out for you.

 

And I truly don't want to upset those of you who were told you could not pre choose your seats because Azamara had block booked seats.....but I was on a "block booking" too.....and I had absolutely no problem choosing my seats as long as I had my 8 digit flight code.....which was on the airline details in my Guest Ticket Booklet. As I said before - this only cost £10, so well worth it.

 

On a brighter note.....I board the wonderful Quest on Saturday. I can't wait because I know that the onboard experience will make all the admin issues that UK passengers have with Azamara UK just fade into the mist! :D

[nuneham]

Thank you, Bill, I relied on your response being direct and positive. That we have been discussing this since November 2010 is, I think, testament to the patience of UK pax and the quality of the onboard service. It's so good when we get there that we keep coming back for more. But that's not the case for everyone and I know several who would not return to AZ before the issue is sorted. Furthermore, I truly believe that that is not the way in which AZ would like to be regarded. So again we wait. The last suggestion was, I think, a 6-month investigation followed by a 6-month trial with telephone bookings only?? I hope the whole process can be expedited.

To make a more positive contribution myself, I believe that part of the problem is that direct flights are not available from all UK airports to your ports other than on economy flights which you do not use. In that case indirect flights will be inevitable - and that will apply to both out and return flights since the same carrier is used. I think the inclusive overnight in a hotel and late debarks do help to mitigate the effects of indirect flights - thank you. But, and I make the suggestion with goodwill, could pax not be offered some choice with the times of flights? It's not so bad knowing that your time in the air has been extended if you're not having to get up in the middle of the night to begin your journey.

Once again, my thanks for your contribution.

[Balloon Man]

Thanks Andy but this is something else that doesn't appear to work in the UK. I completed and printed my e-pass three months ago and we have 19 days to boarding Journey but there is no button to press. Az in the UK pointed me toward my TA and then my TA said that Azamara hasn't been able to supply tags because they are having system problems. I know I can get them at the pier, but I like to have everything neat and sorted before leaving home. Alan.

[uktog]

If they have a system problem, then many other will be in the same boat if you pardon the pun so I am sure they will be fully geared up at the pier to help everyone

As you are flying, it is probably a good idea to leave the Azamara tags (if you do get them in time) off your cases until you reach your final destinations, airlines have a habit of removing or destroying tags!!!