You are not going to believe this!

[dfishner]

Bill, would you mind asking Larry if he's listening (not just to us, but to many of the Cruise Critic clients he supposedly considers so important) ?

 

 

I don't think there is much point in Bill (for whom I have a great deal of respect and appreciation for his efforts) passing anything on Pimental who, in his Q&A session, basically said he was not interested in the opinions of CC posters as we constitute such a small percentage of passengers.

And this is also from Larry P thread

You're all free-agents to make decisions that are best for you and the way you live your life. I respect your decision to do so. The sheer volume of posts and views indicated to me that there was a high-level of emotion and energy driving many of you to express your disappointment, and because life is so short, I think there are too many better ways to use one's energy. The good news is that the cruise industry has many alternatives and as a consumer, if something does not work from your perspective, then it might be time to make another choice. Life and those in it are imperfect. Thankfully, not everyone will agree on all topics and I respect and encourage a diversity of opinion and choice.

 

After we had read this we took his advice our cruise next month is our last

[Jade13]

Reading all the responses to the upcoming changes on Azamara leaves me befuddled, as it's very hard for me to get to a place where I have to somehow cling to the Azamara brand out of loyalty, when the brand is letting me down.

 

Judging the changes for what they are - a reduction in value in exchange for higher fees - is not being disloyal & 'negative', but realistic as a consumer of services. It's daft to try to convince yourself that Azamara is giving the customer something better when in fact they've taken away significant benefits & provided a limp reward of an alternative, pumped up through advertising as something better than what existed before.

 

In the case of my up-coming cruise (January 6 2014, Singapore to Hong Kong) the Azamazing Evening is scheduled for a period when a significant number of customers (I refuse to call myself a 'guest' when I'm paying for my room!) will be in Angkor Wat, having paid ~$1000PP for that. So, NO Azamazing Evening for us & NO compensation for missing it.

 

In the law, they call this 'bait & switch'.

 

I spent a very long time researching flight information (entire daily schedule) for you to hopefully solve your problem, so you could go to both Angkor and to the Azamazing evening. Sorry I did not keep a copy of the information which has now disappeared. I even took the time to convert Thai Baht to give you the costs of the flights, and am sorry I did not keep a copy of the information and no time to do all the research all over again. But I think you can do both.

[bandt]

And this is also from Larry P thread

You're all free-agents to make decisions that are best for you and the way you live your life. I respect your decision to do so. The sheer volume of posts and views indicated to me that there was a high-level of emotion and energy driving many of you to express your disappointment, and because life is so short, I think there are too many better ways to use one's energy. The good news is that the cruise industry has many alternatives and as a consumer, if something does not work from your perspective, then it might be time to make another choice. Life and those in it are imperfect. Thankfully, not everyone will agree on all topics and I respect and encourage a diversity of opinion and choice.

 

After we had read this we took his advice our cruise next month is our last

 

My goodness, Dale, thank you for that reminder. How would I put it elegantly.... he is saying "Get st.....d"

 

My memory included the following quotes:

 

"It is not coincidental that Cruise Critic members voted Azamara Club Cruises “best” small ship in 5 categories in 2012, including Overall; Service; Value; Mediterranean Cruise and Fitness. I see it all over Cruise Critic that you love our onboard teams, the service and ambience they provide and itineraries we offer. Regardless of how our sales and marketing strategies are packaged, I believe you know that you will be served a product onboard by our team that is superior. This is an extraordinary value we provide - a staff that performs at consistent high levels irrespective of where guests are from. Keep in mind that our guests are coming from 40 plus countries and they have a wide pallet of varying tastes. Having stated this, we can do even better – and we will."

 

 

"Simply stated our Cruise Critic past guests are like a window into our soul and a critical component of awakening our minds to achieve the full potential from the promise of Azamara Club Cruises' deliverables."

 

So, Larry, Listen........

__________________

[shedridt]

Thanks for your input. I've passed my concerns along to my TA, as I believe that we have two voices here on Cruise Critic - we've got the amazing Bill Lieber AND we've got our own Travel Agents. Mine is a member of a large travel agency conglomerate that offers cruisers many benefits.

 

I've asked that agency to apply some pressure to Azamara to ask that they review their 'enhanced services' for upcoming cruises. That said, I trust in Bill Lieber's good work to get Azamara to offer value for money. What we need to do is remember that we are not guests on Azamara - we are CUSTOMERS!

[mafair]

I was just wondering when do the harpists stop playing on Azamara.

Is it right now, or when the European season comences?

 

 

This is Mary Amanda, harpist on the Azamara Journey. My contract will end on April 17th. Don't know about the end of the Quest harpist contract.

[mafair]

Where have the harpists slept at night?

 

Assuming the harpists each stayed in a cabin that could be sold to the public, my guess would be that was the logic. An extra $6,000 to $10,000 per cruise for both ships? Double that if they each had the stateroom to themselves. If they stayed in the crew quarters I really doesn't understand.

 

FYI, the Azamara harpists have always been in a crew cabin.

[uktog]

This is Mary Amanda, harpist on the Azamara Journey. My contract will end on April 17th. Don't know about the end of the Quest harpist contract.

 

Hello Mary Amanda

 

Thank you for coming past cc and giving us this news. I hope you can see from this thread how sad we all are at this change and how much we will miss you and Jacqueline on board

 

I do hope we can enjoy the beauty of your music again somewhere in our travels

 

Our best wishes to you and your lovely family

 

A

[Jade13]

This is Mary Amanda, harpist on the Azamara Journey. My contract will end on April 17th. Don't know about the end of the Quest harpist contract.

 

Hi Mary Amanda. Thank you for posting when your contract ends. As you can tell from these boards you will be really missed. It seems many/most of us made a mistake in not making it known on our comment cards how much we loved your music.

 

I remember you played some harp music we had at our wedding during an afternoon tea. And, I think I missed one song and you just played it again.

 

Will you be going to another ship/company, or taking a land based assignment?

[Jade13]

FYI, the Azamara harpists have always been in a crew cabin.

 

If this wasn't your decision (which apparently it was not), than this cost savings measure by Azamara Management makes no sense.

[WesW]

fyi, according to Amanda's website (pls see below) she will board the Celebrity Solstice (May 17 - Sept 17) as "Miss Amanda" as the World's

most colorful Alaskan Cultural Historian.

 

http://www.maryamandatotalmusic.com/calendar.html

[Sanatee]

This is Mary Amanda, harpist on the Azamara Journey. My contract will end on April 17th. Don't know about the end of the Quest harpist contract.

 

Hi Mary Amanda

 

I'll never forget my harp lesson on the 3 Feb Journey cruise! You gave me, a complete musical klutz, a whole new appreciation for your beautiful instrument. You have been an amazing ambassador for Azamara...too bad they don't seem to realize it. Take care and best of luck. Others will definitely benefit from Azamara's misguided decision. Mike

[tgg]

Hi Mary Amanda

 

I'll never forget my harp lesson on the 3 Feb Journey cruise! You gave me, a complete musical klutz, a whole new appreciation for your beautiful instrument. You have been an amazing ambassador for Azamara...too bad they don't seem to realize it. Take care and best of luck. Others will definitely benefit from Azamara's misguided decision. Mike

 

I'm so glad that someone else remembers the harp lesson. It was one of the highlights of the cruise. Mary Amanda offered to let people hold the harp and understand how to play it. WOW. I had no idea the strength that is needed. I think Mary Amanda was surprised at how many people showed up. Thank you again. We'll miss you.

[May B]

Mary Amanda, have a wonderful four months. Azamara's loss is Celebrity's gain. Plus I shall presume your husband will be the naturalist on board. Very neat!

 

For anybody who wants to visit Mary Amanda on the Journey, try this:

 

 

with a great big thank you to Colonel (Ret.) Wes.

[Andy]

Hi Everyone,

 

Col Wes : Thanks for the link to Mary Amanda's page. Though I've never met her, I'd like to wish her all the best of success at Celebrity.

 

I've met Jacqueline Dolan several times, both on Azamara & Celebrity. She's incredibly talented, and a wonderful person. We enjoyed Ms Dolan's performances onboard Journey in 2011.

 

Add me to the long list of Azamara guests who is sorry to hear that Azamara is ending the Harpist program. I trust that Bill will share our comments to Azamara Management, and hope they will reconsider this decision.

[lahlah57]

I think they're thought is if alcohol is included we will be too drunk to notice there is no harpist!

Maybe a Carnival booking would have been a better idea....nothing says cruise better than a plastic cup filled with mai tai and drunk sunburned passengers!

Azamara please reconsider the harpist and forget the chocolate pillowcake and the nespresso! :(

[BillC]

Glad that you posted on this thread, but we, like so many other,s have expressed the elimination of the harpists on Azamara is a BIG negative. I take the absence of any recent participation by Bill Lieber, or anyone in management, as a sign that their decision is final, and not to be revisited.

 

It's great that you will be moving to Celebrity. Cynthia and I will miss you, and your fellow harpists on Azamara.

[150edmiston]

....A slow and painful descent.

 

A brand so far out of touch with its core consumers.

 

A brand that continually fails to communicate the simplest of things.

 

This cannot last in a highly combative and volatile marketplace.

 

I stated my sadness at the direction that azamara seemed to be going in a few months ago when LP interfaced with us for a few days. Nothing i read of late allays my fear that anything has changed, and that LPs vision will come to fruition.

[shedridt]

But I found a survey he'd completed not long ago that surprised me. In it, he said that Azamara was great & we LOVED it, & Oceania was very good, & he felt on Crystal that he was the only practicing engineer without his own company :) - but when all was said & done, Seaborn did it better than anybody else as far as he was concerned. I really didn't expect that from him but am awfully glad he was out there with it & that he shared it with me.

 

Now that Azamara is all inclusive & supposedly in active competition with Crystal & Seaborn, & after the incredible confusion we've found in communications out of Azamara - & this does NOT apply to Bill Lieber, who does his level best to communicate between client & company! - we'll probably look to Seaborn when we can for future cruising.

 

That said we look forward with great enthusiasm to our January 6 cruise on Journey Singapore to Hong Kong. We may need to take a good long break from cruising as the entire industry seems to be trying to figure itself out just at a time when we are feeling an urge to fly into Italy! France! England! & tour for 3 weeks at a time in each country. What a great future we envision!

 

I do not think that Azamara is doing everything it could to treat its customers (remember me - I'm the girl who refuses to call myself a guest when I pay for my room!) with kid gloves at this point in time. In January, they will fill a niche for us, & then we will be off to do other things. Az's confusion just hastened the day for us to go on land for some future trips.

[shedridt]

...that it's Seabourn. I am all over the map with spelling it despite having sailed on it!

[Jade13]

 

I do not think that Azamara is doing everything it could to treat its customers (remember me - I'm the girl who refuses to call myself a guest when I pay for my room!) with kid gloves at this point in time. In January, they will fill a niche for us, & then we will be off to do other things. Az's confusion just hastened the day for us to go on land for some future trips.

 

Which is actually what we do when we can't find an itinerary/trip or larger cruise company (RCCL brand or Carnival brand) to fill our needs. In 2009 we went on expedition cruises to both Antarctica and to the Arctic on smaller ships, and next week we fly to Africa, both Kenya and Tanzania, traveling independently for most of the time (which does include 4 nights on a Nile river boat in Egypt).

[English Tim]

But I found a survey he'd completed not long ago that surprised me. In it, he said that Azamara was great & we LOVED it, & Oceania was very good, & he felt on Crystal that he was the only practicing engineer without his own company :) - but when all was said & done, Seaborn did it better than anybody else as far as he was concerned. I really didn't expect that from him but am awfully glad he was out there with it & that he shared it with me.

 

Now that Azamara is all inclusive & supposedly in active competition with Crystal & Seaborn, & after the incredible confusion we've found in communications out of Azamara - & this does NOT apply to Bill Lieber, who does his level best to communicate between client & company! - we'll probably look to Seaborn when we can for future cruising.

 

That said we look forward with great enthusiasm to our January 6 cruise on Journey Singapore to Hong Kong. We may need to take a good long break from cruising as the entire industry seems to be trying to figure itself out just at a time when we are feeling an urge to fly into Italy! France! England! & tour for 3 weeks at a time in each country. What a great future we envision!

 

I do not think that Azamara is doing everything it could to treat its customers (remember me - I'm the girl who refuses to call myself a guest when I pay for my room!) with kid gloves at this point in time. In January, they will fill a niche for us, & then we will be off to do other things. Az's confusion just hastened the day for us to go on land for some future trips.

 

Interestingly, we've just booked our first cruises on both Seabourn and Azamara, having previously cruised mostly with Carnival and Princess. At least with the mainstream lines, one knew pretty much what would be included, but I have found the offerings of the premium lines quite confusing.

 

A few years ago, we merely dreamed of flying first class and cruising on premium ships, but thanks to a change in circumstances and the world wide web, I've become quite 'travel-wise' and managed to try a few special experiences, without having to pay 'through the nose' to do so.

 

Travelling first class has been the experience I expected it to be, with wonderful food, service and premium spirits and champagne. The Champagne brand being a good indicator.

 

I expected everything on Regent to be included (obviously not spa and internet, etc) and found that there was only a house champagne and the wine waiters tried to upsell, when the included premium wines were said to be fine. Fortunately having read CC, I knew that I could ask for an alternative, if I didn't like what was offered. I found a favourite and asked for it for the remainder of the cruise.

 

I always thought Seabourn were about the most exclusive line on which to sail and was shocked to find that most champagnes were extra, which is not what I had understood from marketing. The website has a section for vintage wine selections, so I guess it will be pretty similar to Regent.

 

Azamara, I guess aren't on a par with the premium lines, as they purport to offer a different experience. I knew when I booked, that they didn't include champagne, so no surprises there and it gives me an idea what to expect. I may be completely wrong!

[English Tim]

Sorry I can't edit the above, but I guess I've gone off at a tangent, in commenting about the previous post!

[NC&KY]

Perhaps it's in the wrong thread (should be in New 2013 inclusive beverage program details? but the discussions in the two have ventured each into the other occasionally), but it finally hits the issue of what is all-inclusive. All the discussion so far has been over whether Azamara is all-inclusive, not what all-inclusive means.

 

Assuming for the sake of argument that the new Azamara is all-inclusive, have they delivered on that promise? I submit that they have. They said they would include alcohol and other drinks (soft drinks, speciality coffees, etc.) in the cost of the cruise and they have done so. We can argue (and we have!) about whether they included the right "mix" of drinks: Scots are disappointed in Scotch choices, beer drinkers are not happy, sparkling water fans are feeling ignored, sparkling wine people feel shut out, and this bourbon aficionado is appalled. But they have included some drinks of all types.

 

All-inclusive means lots of things. On Regent, it includes the cost of all but a few exclusive ship excursions. It also used to include a nice selection of bar food before dinner, although I understand that has now been cut to save money. On Silverseas, it includes a bigger selection of alcohol. But our Silverseas cruise was our most disappointing by far, especially the food, for which they are famed and regularly awarded. I acknowledge this could be a cultural argument. Those of us in the Western Hemisphere seem to be somewhat less bothered, so perhaps "all-inclusive" means something more precise in Europe. But nowhere does it include Château Lafite Rothschild or Dom Perignon. So at some point the argument simply drills down to have they included enough.

 

One disagreement with English Tim. I do not consider Azamara a competitor with Seabourn or Regent. Regardless of comments about rates, Azamara is generally a good bit less expensive than either of those. (No need to show me exceptions. We all find really good deals occasionally. Our one Silverseas cruise was the least expesive we've ever taken!) My wife and I were attracted to Azamara for several reasons: the small ships, the new inclusion of a selection of drinks throughout the day, the comments on this page about the ship experience, and the cheaper rates compared to Regent and Silverseas. But also, as many have already said, many of our cruise choices are location-driven. We've seen Ireland, but we have never been to the British Isles. The choices for cruises this summer were Celebrity, Princess, and Azamara, and we had not hesitation picking Azamara.

[English Tim]

NC&KY, we agree about the price, but have yet to discover whether or not we get value for money from Azamara or Seabourn. We certainly did with Regent.

 

I wonder if any cruise line includes Dom Perignon?

[excitedofharpenden]

NC&KY, we agree about the price, but have yet to discover whether or not we get value for money from Azamara or Seabourn. We certainly did with Regent.

 

I wonder if any cruise line includes Dom Perignon?

Of course we all measure value for money in different ways, but for me in the final analysis of Azamara I have found it to be less about the head and more about the heart. It's much wider than what crummy drinks are included and what aren't. The warmth and personality of the ship and crew is what count for me and that is a much more difficult thing to quantify and achieve. So far I haven't been disappointed.

 

Oh and if I really want Dom Perignon (or for that matter any premium alcohol) I will buy it myself! LOL

 

Phil