Azamazing evening question for Bill

[Jade13]

 

For all cruises, the team might also like to tidy up the instructions on screen about the Azamazing evening. Guests who do not know otherwise might try to follow through the booking screens and seek to book two spaces at no cost. Of course, when you come to the final page, it wants a credit card. It is great that the evening is detailed on the page for the say, but just as you have the message that will pop up from time to time that says "this excursion is no longer available for booking" it would be a good idea to have a message along the lines of " there is no need to pre book this excursion, full details will be given onboard"

 

I think they prefer/want people to pre-book so they know the number to expect.

 

I saw the credit card screen and assumed it was wanted so they had the information in case you canceled (which they will have anyway), but I was able to pre-book without entering the information. So, think there should be instructions on how to book without having to enter your credit card information.

[Jade13]

I can see the changes in focus on Land Discoveries and I am quite excited by some of the more unusual offerings that are in place.

 

Which do you consider the more unusual offerings? Just curious. My comment was specifically about the lack of evening touring, and no full day tours in Mumbai.

 

I do, however, agree with you that Azamara does a good job on the land excursions, and we will take some of their excursions, especially when we only have a short day in port. We would be unlikely to take a 3-4 hour excursion in someplace like Mumbai when they ship is there for two days including an overnight.

[Jade13]

Thanks for pointing out the Taj Mahal excursion Jade, that was part of the reasoning for my question to Bill, sorry I was not specific. However, I have now been advised it is a morning flight back from Dehli so should be fine.

 

We will be using ships tours throughout, thanks for the offer but for this cruise we are very happy with what the ship offers

 

Hi UKtog, I thought you always did cruiseship excursions so was surprised you mentioned trying to organize a private tour in Cochin. That was the reason that I mentioned putting together private excursions in a few ports.

 

But I agree with you that most of the excursions with Azamara are good. I can recommend the guides/group they use in Singapore. We have only had one really bad Azamara excursion experience and would not use their guides in Turkey ever again.

 

The biggest issue I have with Azamara shore excursions is the concern that they will be canceled. On our Holyland cruise 6 out of 9 of our excursions were in danger of being canceled just weeks before departure because they did not have enough passengers. They ended up running them with small numbers under 20. I found a couple of private guides in Israel before departure, and it was fortunate that I did because both tours that we had previously booked were indeed canceled. I think on one we were the only ones who had signed up.

[uktog]

I do not wish to take this thread further off its subject Jade as it is about the Azamazing evenings, however as regards excursions we have had no issue with Azamara cancellations on our three cruises in 2012. As regards my own arrangements, perhaps if you join the roll call you will be able to find those who will want private excursions.

 

Am not sure why I'm justifying previous posts but for the record, the reason I mentioned in my query to Bill timings in Kochin private trips was we were reluctantly investigating setting up our own Taj Mahal visit, that is thank you Azamara no longer needed

 

Andy feel free to move this and other posts to a separate thread about Land Discoveries or the roll call for the 9th Nov so issues re Azamazing evenings are in one place

[Jade13]

Originally Posted by Bill Leiber

 

As I mentioned, there were several errors made when the shore excursions were loaded into the system to ensure that they could be presented in advance of the previous four month availability. There is an audit of each voyage underway which I believe is being conducted in chronological order by a separate Shore Excursion Specialist who is assigned on a geographical basis. Also, the pricing accuracy will be checked for pricing inconsistencies.

 

 

Thank you.

 

Sincerely,

 

Bill Leiber

_____________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

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

 

 

Bill,

 

Here is one that needs to be corrected for Singapore on November 24. Journey is scheduled to dock at 12:00PM, yet the excursion is scheduled to depart at 8:45AM.

 

There is also another excursion listed at 2:00PM on disembarkation day on November 25, but perhaps it is there for btb guests.

 

I actually mentioned this previously.

 

"Glimpse of Contemporary Singapore Architecture - SP43"

 

24-Nov-2013 08:45 AM 59.25 USD 45.00 USD 0.00 USD

 

 

Hi Bill,

 

Thank you for bringing this up to Managements attention. It was finally corrected yesterday, the same day that I posted, and the excursion now departs at 12:30PM after the ship is scheduled to arrive in port.

 

Note that I only posted on this thread in response to your post regarding errors in shore excursions when they were loaded into the system. I debated starting a new thread but did not think it was necessary.

[Bill Leiber]

Hello Marinaro44 -

 

.... I will return to you with the outcome of the shore excursions planned for the Transatlantic and will provide you with an update on Monday. I'm determined to get this situation resolved.

 

Hello Marinaro44 -

 

Yesterday the corrections were made to online shore excursion booking engine for November 13, 2013 Azamara Quest Transatlantic voyage. On embarkation day, November 13, only one shore excursion, A Flamenco Evening with dinner, will be offered.

 

I know that adding language about the AzAmazing Evening exception will be forthcoming on the website.

 

I'm confident that this audit of our shore excursion information on our website will improve information accuracy going forward and remove those frustrating "speed bumps" as you plan your Azamara vacation.

 

Thank you for your input.

 

Sincerely,

 

Bill Leiber

_____________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

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

[dfishner]

Thanks Bill and Le Club voyage was very helpful and once I explained what the issue was she agreed that earlier tour time should of been offered. I do appreciate the assistance and the steps she took to resolve it.

 

Bill, I looked over the weekend and Azamara added a morning tour in Gilbrator. I am very pleased and will be booking it shortly

[marinaro44]

Hello Marinaro44 -

 

I'm in the unenviable position to inform you that the shore excursion team has not completed their re-work of the shore excursions that will be offered in Seville on embarkation day, November 13, which is not a time when shore excursions are normally offered. Also, on November 14 the departure time is correct at 3:30 AM. We begin cruising on the Guadalquivir River which means that there will be no excursion tours offered.

 

Thank you for getting this straightened out.

 

As I mentioned, there were several errors made when the shore excursions were loaded into the system to ensure that they could be presented in advance of the previous four month availability.

Doesn't it strike Azamara management that it makes no sense to post excursions for a port before knowing the ship's arrival and departure times?

 

There is an audit of each voyage underway which I believe is being conducted in chronological order by a separate Shore Excursion Specialist who is assigned on a geographical basis. I've requested that the specific Specialist "jump ahead" in time to decide how to handle the shore excursions that will be made available on that embarkation day, Nov 13. My goal is to have a response to you early next week. Also, the pricing accuracy will be checked for pricing inconsistencies.

The dates and times now appear to be correct but there are still the same inconsistencies in pricing--even within the same page. See Bermuda, for example.

 

Also, the prices for excursions in Sorrento on Quest's preceding cruise are simply preposterous, ranging from $220 to $399. This is taking the word "upmarket" more than a little too seriously for this passenger. If those are the correct prices I'll be organizing a private tour on the roll call.

 

With respect to not offering an AzAmazing Evening on the Transatlantic, the reason was driven by a lack of viable options. It was not a cost issue. The only reasonable choice was Bermuda, however, our Bermuda contractors were unable to develop a meaningful program that would deliver a satisfying experience for our guests. We also had considered Seville as the alternate choice, which meant that we would have had to operate the program on the evening of embarkation, which is something we determined would not be well attended. I understand that this situation was discussed among Azamara's senior management team who agreed that this voyage would become our only exception.

I understand this and it's a perfectly understandable decision. My gripe is that that "senior management team" then made the really stupid decision to bury the news in an obscure web page and not make it clear to their onboard sales people that this was the case. They had three choices: (1) offer passengers something (free excursion, onboard credit, etc.) instead of the much-hyped-everywhere Azamazing evening; (2) making it clear to anyone considering booking the cruise that there would be no Azamazing evening, and explaining why, so passengers wouldn't later find out and be disappointed--or worse, angry; (3) burying it where no one would find it. They made the worst posssible decision. My major gripe is that we booked this cruise while onboard Quest, asked about the Azamazing evening, and were told it would be in Bermuda. Why wasn't the onboard consultant told to make clear that there would be none, and to make certain that anyone booking would know that upfront?

 

As a result, the voyage was priced accordingly in consideration that it is a Transatlantic and did not include an AzAmazing Evening. The per diem in a Club Veranda on this voyage is $199.92 compared to the following voyages, prior and post:

§ Nov 2 -13/ Quest-11 night, Club Veranda, round trip Civitavecchia (Rome) - Seville @ $363.55

§ Nov 26 -Dec 8/ Quest-12 night, Club Veranda, round trip Miami @ $324.92.[/unquote]

 

You should know better than to make a comparison of per diem costs between port-intensive cruises and a trans-Atlantic that offers only two short days in port. Trans-Atlantics always have a low per diem, by their very nature.

 

Better to compare with Quest's trans-Atlantic this past December, where the per diem we paid for a V2 was $138, and that cruise had eight days in port, including an overnight in fabulous Rio.

 

[quote]Our marketing department is underway in adding this exception disclaimer wherever the Azamazing Evening program is mentioned on our website and in future printed collateral. [/unquote]

 

Better late than never, I suppose. Thank you.

[shedridt]

I would not worry a bit about getting in some good touring in Gibralter. Walk into town & you will find any number of people advertising tours up to the top of the rock - & they are good value & lots of fun! We also went to the Museum there which was well worthwhile. Gibralter is loads of fun so don't wait for Az to show you how to enjoy it!

[marinaro44]

 

I know that adding language about the AzAmazing Evening exception will be forthcoming on the website.

 

It is now January 28 and there is still no mention of the Amazing Evening "exception" other than on the obscure "Terms and Conditions" page linked from "2013 Europe Program" which is on the drop menu under "Special Offers." There is even no mention on the specific page where one goes to book Quest's November 13 cruise. Also worth noting is that the headline on the web page for that cruise reads "13 Night Madiera & Bermuda Voyage." Two problems with that: (1) Madeira is spelled incorrectly; and, (2) the cruise goes nowhere near Madeira, but to Tenerife in the Canaries instead.

 

Something tells me your marketing department is too busy looking for new ways to incorporate "bespoke" and "upmarket" and "upscale" into its PR blurbs to add the exception notice where it should be on your website and marketing materials. I suspect passengers are still booking this cruise with expectation of a big deal event on the overnight in Bermuda, and that's just wrong.

[Bill Leiber]

It is now January 28 and there is still no mention of the Amazing Evening "exception" other than on the obscure "Terms and Conditions" page linked from "2013 Europe Program" which is on the drop menu under "Special Offers." ....

 

 

Hello Marinaro44 -

 

Thank you for pointing out the inconsistencies on our website with respect to the title and its spelling of the 13-night Azamara Quest Transatlantic voyage from Seville to Miami. In our 2013 Destination Guide this voyage is titled, "Voyage from the Old World to the New."

 

I've noticed that we have expanded the placement that there will not be an AzAmazing Evening on the November 13, 2013 Transatlantic voyage from the 2013 Europe Program tab to the "Plan Your Voyage" Tab on the homepage of our website: > Book Land Discoveries and AzAmazing Evenings:

 

Introducing Azamazing EveningsSM—

A Destination Affair To Remember.............

§ An AzAmazing Evening event will not be available on the Azamara Quest® November 13, 2013, sailing.

More details for AzAmazing Evenings

§ An AzAmazing Evening event will not be available on the Azamara Quest® November 13, 2013, sailing. .....

 

I'll suggest that we note on our website for this specific voyage that an AzAmazing Evening event will not be available for the sake of good order.

 

Best regards,

 

Bill Leiber

_____________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

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

[marinaro44]

 

I'll suggest that we note on our website for this specific voyage that an AzAmazing Evening event will not be available for the sake of good order.

 

I can't think of a more logical--and important--place to make this exception clear than on the page where one goes to book that cruise.

 

Prices for land discoveries are still out of whack for the November 13 cruise. When you go to book a Bermuda excursion it says "Starting at $NN" but on the detail page the quoted price is higher. Why is it so hard to get this fixed? It should take an hour, not weeks. One of the responsibilities of management is to check employees' work. Suggest more time be spent on this and less on making gushy destination videos with Claudio.

[nordski]

As a couple looking at this cruise, thanks Bill for helping to clear up the information posted.

[marinaro44]

Hooray!! At long last Azamara HQ has placed a notice on the web page for Quest's November 13 cruise that there will be no Azamazing Evening. About time. The page still says the cruise is going to Madiera [sic] when it's really going to Tenerife, but I suppose it was too much trouble to fix that at the same time.

[Dididi]

Bill,

 

Not only does the onshore excursions and special evening pages need to be rechecked by Azamara Headquarters, but the pre and post hotel page as well. For example, one of the Mumbai hotels listed on the site -- the "Intercontinental Thelalit" -- does not exist. There's a LaLit hotel near the airport that used to be an Intercontinental, but is now part of an Indian luxury chain. That's where some of the folks from the UK on our cruise stayed prior to embarkation, so the hotel's name needs to be corrected. The only Intercontinental Hotel in Mumbai is on Marine Drive, close to the pier and most sights in the city, and quite far from the airport. Moreover, the map link to the "Thelalit" takes one to the LaLit Hotel in New Delhi.

 

We always appreciate your diligence and professionalism. Thanks!

[Bill Leiber]

Hooray!! At long last Azamara HQ has placed a notice on the web page for Quest's November 13 cruise that there will be no Azamazing Evening. About time. The page still says the cruise is going to Madiera [sic] when it's really going to Tenerife, but I suppose it was too much trouble to fix that at the same time.

 

Hello Marinaro44 -

 

I think I've mentioned that our behind-the-scenes operation (made visible by the transparency of the internet) is accomplished by sharing the centralized services provided by the Royal Caribbean corporation.

 

Although we've added the disclaimer that there will be no AzAmazing Evening on this Transatlantic voyage, it seems that there is another "unit" that will be responsible for changing the title of the voyage that is shown on our booking engine! Very soon, it will read, "Voyage from the Old World to the New" which will then coincide with the title shown in our 2013 Destination Guide.

 

With respect to the dual pricing problem with the Bermuda tours differing in the browse window (PDF download) when compared to the price shown when one goes to actually book the reservations system, it is being repaired by the IT department. Also, the remainder of the shore excursion in the system is being cross-checked to determine if the same snafu exists on other offerings.

 

I'm informing you with this detail about our shared services three-brand operation to illustrate the challenge that the Azamara executive team is tackling to bring continuity to our global tour operation. An important first step was taken with an organizational change that will combine the "Guest Port Experience" and "Royal Celebrity Tours" functions into a new "Global Tour Operations." Specifically for Azamara, Emilio Freeman, who initially focused on designing Azamara's Land Discoveries and AzAmazing Evenings, has become the Director, Brand Operations & Destination Delivery for the three brands, to bring continuity in design and execution (both shoreside and onboard) to the global operation.

 

I appreciate your continued interest and involvement with our shoreside operation. The more I learn about our behind-the-scenes operation I realize that it's not like flipping on or off a light switch. It can be frustrating for all concerned but I hope I'm adding to your understanding.

 

Sincerely,

 

Bill Leiber

__________________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

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

[Bill Leiber]

Bill,

 

Not only does the onshore excursions and special evening pages need to be rechecked by Azamara Headquarters, but the pre and post hotel page as well. For example, one of the Mumbai hotels listed on the site -- the "Intercontinental Thelalit" -- does not exist. There's a LaLit hotel near the airport that used to be an Intercontinental, but is now part of an Indian luxury chain. That's where some of the folks from the UK on our cruise stayed prior to embarkation, so the hotel's name needs to be corrected. The only Intercontinental Hotel in Mumbai is on Marine Drive, close to the pier and most sights in the city, and quite far from the airport. Moreover, the map link to the "Thelalit" takes one to the LaLit Hotel in New Delhi.

 

We always appreciate your diligence and professionalism. Thanks!

 

Hello Dididi -

 

Thank you for your kind comments and for taking your time to inform us about the inconsistencies in the information that exists within the pre- and post-cruise hotel program shown on our website.

 

I'm passing on your message to our new "Global Tour Operations" team and to our new Director of Brand Operations and Destination Delivery to sort through this general area as well as to specifically address the Mumbai situation which you've comprehensively described. I'll follow-up with a message when I receive an acknowledgment that this specific Mumbai shortfall has been addressed.

 

In the meantime, thanks again for your time and effort along with your dedication to building a better Azamara.

 

Best regards,

 

Bill Leiber

__________________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

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

[uktog]

Hello Bill

It is good to see the accuracy of information on our next trip has changed and we will not be at sea before the end of our Azamazing evening!

 

Is the land discoveres info now 100% checked?

 

I ask because There is no deduction appearing on the costs for Taj Mahal excursion (Journey 6 Nov) though all others have a reduction when you push through to booking. Is ths one of the very few that no discount apples or is it an IT issue?

[marinaro44]

 

I appreciate your continued interest and involvement with our shoreside operation. The more I learn about our behind-the-scenes operation I realize that it's not like flipping on or off a light switch. It can be frustrating for all concerned but I hope I'm adding to your understanding.

I appreciate your giving us the "behind-the-scenes" insights, Bill, but I just scratch my head at the corporate organizational issues. Having one organization responsible for adding a sentence here to a web page and another responsible for changing a sentence there is just...well...umm...rather unusual. And seemingly not very efficient.

 

Thanks, anyway. Looking forward to seeing what it will really cost to take excursions in our only two ports.

[Jade13]

 

Is the land discoveres info now 100% checked?

 

I ask because There is no deduction appearing on the costs for Taj Mahal excursion (Journey 6 Nov) though all others have a reduction when you push through to booking. Is ths one of the very few that no discount apples or is it an IT issue?

 

I don't think they typically have a discount on special tours including pre-booked overnight tours, although when we were scheduled on a cruise a couple of years ago that started in Dubai (which we later canceled when the itinerary changed), we had been booked on an overflight tour of Dubai at 50% off.

[uktog]

I don't think they typically have a discount on special tours including pre-booked overnight tours, although when we were scheduled on a cruise a couple of years ago that started in Dubai (which we later canceled when the itinerary changed), we had been booked on an overflight tour of Dubai at 50% off.

 

Jade

 

Historically you are correct but the position altered for 2013 ref Larry Pimentils extensive post in October 2012 which inter alia states

 

The terms and conditions of the program, which will be named, "Land Discoveries Early Booking Savings (LDEBS)" will be as per below, but I wanted to highlight the 1st two points, as that is quite an enhancement to the program:

• NEW: LDEBS can now be used against many Land Discoveries that include a flight and/or hotel such as the overland to Angkor Wat, etc.
  

It was for this reason I posted my query- if Angkor Watt is subject to the savings, Taj Mahal would most likely be a similar situation.

[Bill Leiber]

Hello Bill

 

Is the land discoveres info now 100% checked?

 

I ask because There is no deduction appearing on the costs for Taj Mahal excursion (Journey 6 Nov) though all others have a reduction when you push through to booking. Is ths one of the very few that no discount apples or is it an IT issue?

 

Hello Ann -

 

Thank you for your question and I've passed on your inquiry to our Global Tour Operation for an update on its status.

 

I'll get back to you and others when I have the response.

 

In the meantime, it's Super Bowl Sunday and time for you to cheer on the San Francisco '49ers!

 

Best regards,

 

Bill Leiber

__________________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

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

[Jade13]

Jade

 

Historically you are correct but the position altered for 2013 ref Larry Pimentils extensive post in October 2012 which inter alia states

 

The terms and conditions of the program, which will be named, "Land Discoveries Early Booking Savings (LDEBS)" will be as per below, but I wanted to highlight the 1st two points, as that is quite an enhancement to the program:

• NEW: LDEBS can now be used against many Land Discoveries that include a flight and/or hotel such as the overland to Angkor Wat, etc.
  

It was for this reason I posted my query- if Angkor Watt is subject to the savings, Taj Mahal would most likely be a similar situation.

 

Ok, good point. That would be great and smart business to get customers to book early.

 

Just fyi only. Larry also said that new promos would be available to those already booked (at prevailing rates), and we have already run into a situation where this was not honored.

 

Also, I loved your idea to allow those coming into a city early pre-cruise to be able to join ships tours, although not sure about the logistics. We had been booked on an overflight of Dubai a couple of years ago at 50% off before we canceled that cruise when the itinerary was changed. In that case the cruise started off with an overnight in Dubai, but we had tours booked the first day when we boarded (at least they were excepted into the system), including the HOHO bus at 50% off.

[Jade13]

 

In the meantime, it's Super Bowl Sunday and time for you to cheer on the San Francisco '49ers!

 

Best regards,

 

Bill Leiber

__________________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

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

 

OT - My father (Ravens season ticket holder) is on a charter right now to New Orleans. I'm happy for him to finally have a chance to go to the SuperBowl, but I don't think my DH is rooting for my fathers team.

[uktog]

In the meantime, it's Super Bowl Sunday and time for you to cheer on the San Francisco '49ers!

 

 

Thanks Bill, it was not to be :( Saw a little especially the prematch which I loved. Congrats to all Baltimore fans - one of my most memorable meals ever was crab cakes by the water there so I do leave my heart in many places!