Booking Shore Excursions - timing dilemma

[uktog]

I am facing a timing dilemma booking shore excursions and am beginning to wonder what the point is of having onboard credit given by the cruiseline as a booking incentive or in our case, some relates to compensation relating to a redeployment.

 

The issue is

 

* The on board credit cannot be used in advance to book shore excursions - ok I accept that is due to systems limitations though it is frustrating. It means I have effectively to "pay" 50% more for some excursions

 

* I have however identified an excursion that is not 50% off, a special one so initially I thought as this is an expensive excursion, I will book it on board and use some OBC. But I find I run a serious risk the excursion is booked out before I get on board so I might not be able to go on it.

 

* I can find no other items to spend the OBC on. I suspect I might not be alone in this with many Azamara guests. Cruises are about destinations with Azamara, which is what I love about them. Destination means the spa, which does not hold a great attraction anyway, holds even less attraction i.e. zero. Wine and gratuities are included, so no option there. We are in a suite, so we already receive two bottles of liquor and if we want to eat in Prime C and Aqualina that is also covered. The shops are low key and do not offer what I would probably spend a significant sum on. There is also no option to remove the OBC as a casino advance (well certainly on our last cruise the letter that came to the room explaining our OBC clearly stated that given the type of OBC this was not an option).

 

I am therefore wondering, and perhaps I can get an official line on this one, can I book and pay for the expensive, non discounted excursion using my credit card before I go onboard so I guarantee I have it and then on board, have the excursions cancelled and credited back to my on board account and I rebook it again using my OBC. There is no cost difference as this is not a 50% off excursion. If I do this can I also be sure at the end of the cruise if there is a surplus balance on my account that does not exceeed the value of the excursion refund applied, will this be refunded to my credit card? I know this second question may sound pedantic but on Celebrity they were applying a rule that you spent your own money first and OBC given by the cruise line last i.e. your on board account was applied in the order

1. Any refunds for example cancelled events were used first

2. Any OBC you or your travel agent had bought yourself second

3. Any refunds of cruiseline/shareholder issued incentive based OBC last

 

So effectively what I am proposing above could be pointless.

 

I really do not think I should in any event be having to do such convoluted transactions and it is a case of give with one hand (OBC) and take away with the other (exclude you from the 50% off if you are using the gifted OBC).

 

I do hope Azamara will find a way to address this very soon, even if it means I have to call up to book these excursions thereby circumventing the systems issues which are probably at the root cause of this one.

 

In the meantime. will my solution to my dilemma work?

[deise17311]

This does not really address your post per se, but Princess let's you pre-reserve excursions and then use your OBC once onboard...it can be done as far as website go...just a thought...

[uktog]

This does not really address your post per se, but Princess let's you pre-reserve excursions and then use your OBC once onboard...it can be done as far as website go...just a thought...

 

Indeed that is my frustration if Princess can do it,why not Azamara. As a premium line I would have hoped that in the absence of technology a work around could have been offered but to date Azamara have stuck to the line that you cannot use obc ahead of the cruise and never answered the "fairness" of ruling out the 50% off benefit to many

[deise17311]

Indeed that is my frustration if Princess can do it,why not Azamara. As a premium line I would have hoped that in the absence of technology a work around could have been offered but to date Azamara have stuck to the line that you cannot use obc ahead of the cruise and never answered the "fairness" of ruling out the 50% off benefit to many

 

I agree...the system with Princess is quite nice and easy...I think lots of times, it's not really about technology not being capable, but about companies too big and bogged down with too many meetings and no action!

 

Best,

 

Dwight

[excitedofharpenden]

Ann, I have only one thing to say to you. You have to start drinking Martinis! :D Being serious this is an issue for me too on my forthcoming cruise on Quest, but you have thought it through more thoroughly than me. I was given an OBC because our original cruise was cancelled. My plan thus far is to pre-book one excursion (it is within the 50% deal) and then book others at full price on the ship using the credit I have. On my last Azamara trip I bought a new Nikon camera onboard which was great value (at least 25% less than I would have paid in the UK). Kind of wish I'd waited now and used up a bit of my OBC this trip.

 

Overall I am thinking I got a very nice deal on the cruise and an OBC I wasn't expecting and will go with the flow. I haven't really helped much, have I? Go for the advice I started this post off with. It works a treat for me. ;)

 

Phil

[uktog]

Ann, I have only one thing to say to you. You have to start drinking Martinis! :D

 

Phil

 

For the OBC in question, the medics would have to be on hand 24x7!

By the way, what do you mean start, I am the original martini girl. Nah, camera does not work for me, already got a cracker, I have already factored in an allowance for photos for our OBC. That and the Conniseur dinner is about all I can think of spending on plus a few drinks

[Jade13]

* I have however identified an excursion that is not 50% off, a special one so initially I thought as this is an expensive excursion, I will book it on board and use some OBC. But I find I run a serious risk the excursion is booked out before I get on board so I might not be able to go on it.

 

quote]

 

 

Pay upfront now, and see if you can cancel and rebook while onboard to use your OBC (Is this the overland tour in Israel?).

[Jade13]

 

In the meantime. will my solution to my dilemma work?

 

Yes. The only issue I can think of is if this is a tour on the first day and the cancelation period was 24 hours, etc.

[uktog]

* I have however identified an excursion that is not 50% off, a special one so initially I thought as this is an expensive excursion, I will book it on board and use some OBC. But I find I run a serious risk the excursion is booked out before I get on board so I might not be able to go on it.

 

quote]

 

 

Pay upfront now, and see if you can cancel and rebook while onboard to use your OBC (Is this the overland tour in Israel?).

 

No it is an evening concert in the ruins at Ephesus.

 

I cannot square the costs of the overland in Israel vs 2 x 1 day excursions even when paying full price for the 2 x 1 day, the price difference is too great for 2 pepole - others on our roll call have also tried to get an explanation from Azamara at what is driving this significant difference, so far all the explanations have just repeated the detail of the shorex on the website, so it does not feel right for us.

[MightyQuinn]

... I am therefore wondering, and perhaps I can get an official line on this one, can I book and pay for the expensive, non discounted excursion using my credit card before I go onboard so I guarantee I have it and then on board, have the excursions cancelled and credited back to my on board account and I rebook it again using my OBC...

Uktog, there may be a risk if that particular shore excursion has sold very well and already has a wait list in place by the time you board. Then once you cancel your pre-purchased excursion, there would be spaces available for the first names on the wait list, which most likely wouldn't be you! So you could be shut out. Shore excursion staff may have the ability to override the wait list and put you at the head of the line, in which case you could cancel and re-book using OBC. But I would certainly confirm that once on-board before cancelling.

[crzrr]

In the past we've seen 2 types of OBCs when on Azamara. Some are use-them-or-lose-them, which I think have been around stockholder credits. However, I think the ones we've gotten from our booking agency, however, have been tagged as a type that if not used will be credited back to the credit card on file. And... they draw down the non-refundable credits first.

 

Unfortunately... we never seem to have anything left!

[uktog]

Thanks for all the advice

 

I think I will just wait and chance on ship that this one is still available - of course it could also be cancelled if too few guests opt to take it! I have already worked out a few other ways to use the credit.

 

I will need to check in due course if any of our credit is refundable.

 

If it is cancelled and all my credit is non refundable I will be running a "sub bar" operation in the Discoveries Lounge each night as I buy others drinks on my account in return for some green notes stuffed under our door each night ;)