Azamara Management

[nordski]

I am not a newcomer to Azamara if fact we first cruised with them in Feb 2008 & have stuck with them ever since.

I was one of those people unhappy with the announcement of the new changes last year.

I even cancelled a open passage certificate when we were given the opportunity to do so late last year.

Now I have had second thoughts mainly because we would miss the onboard experience so much

Last week I booked a cruise on Journey in June which will be our 9th in 5 years & we will decide on the impact of the changes for ourselves.

 

 

I hope my reference to "recent arrivals on this forum" wasn't confusing. I meant those who had not yet experienced Azamara and were preparing for an initial cruise. Several, having read recent posts, had expressed misgivings.

 

Bloodaxe, we are much in the same position as you. In a few weeks we will be on the Quest and, although its early days for the new amenities, we will also assess their impact.

 

Should the ambience of the Quest have changed for the worst in our personal and unsophisticated opinions, and should the new tariffs prove too demanding relative to that experience, we will simply move on.

 

However, we will be dramatically surprised if that decision were to ensue. While other cruises have somewhat faded in our memory, our two previous Quest experiences provide many wonderful vivid memories, whether it be sites visited, activities shipboard or the wonderful crew. Obviously there is a price to pay for those memories.

 

All the best on your cruise, and I hope you needn't regret your reconsideration.

[CintiPam]

So the endless stream of negativity over the past six months now even has chased our moderator away. Very sad state of affairs. Enjoy your other boards, Host Andy.

[Andy]

So the endless stream of negativity over the past six months now even has chased our moderator away. Very sad state of affairs. Enjoy your other boards, Host Andy.

 

Hi CintiPam,

 

Just to be clear, it most certainly hasn't "chased our moderator away" as you put it. I'm here, and will continue to moderate this forum.

 

Thanks for your concern.

[CintiPam]

While I'm proud of being the sole moderator of this forum since Day 1 of Azamara's existence, I'm sensing my role is currently diminished. I feel it's Bill's role (as CBO) to be our Captain, and navigate us through the choppy waters.... In the meantime, I hope my efforts will be appreciated on Celebrity and other forums. I'm also extremely busy with my career and life's other demands. I'm currently working 18-20 hour days, as I'm sure you've noticed with many of my patented 2 am posts. Going forward, I must manage my time more efficiently. Don't worry, I will be around, and you can't keep me quiet for long ! As Arnold Schwarzenegger would say... "I'll be back" :)

 

I took the post quoted, including the AS quote, as meaning you would be focusing on Celebrity and other forums. I am glad to read that is not the case.

[BuckGood]

I have never considered cruising with Azamara, as I have stayed loyal to the other lines that I have enjoyed many cruises with. I never have a bad cruise, as I always embark with a positive attitude and will do with my first AZ cruise.

 

Last October I was spoilt by doing my first Regent cruise and the onshore and offshore experience was first class. It was abundantly clear what was and wasn't included.

 

Now, Azamara have contrived to make life thoroughly confusing - even Bill's hurried latest post is confusing.

 

Azamara, you only have one chance to satisfy new customers, I sincerely hope it gets better.

 

If you have Never cruised with Azamara then why do you Care..I too have sailed with Regent and a good friend of mine is the Cruise Director of the Navigator...Regent and Azamara are Two diffrent Beasts! I will tell you though when we sailed with Azamara after only the 1st day some on the crew Knew our names and wondered where the other was!

Thats What I call a GREAT Cruise Line!!

[BuckGood]

My gripe is that I was attracted to Azamara by extensive UK marketing of all inclusive, then after I booked there seemed no-one, even at Azamara or RCCI, who could define what AI meant, which I find quite staggering.

 

quote]

 

It would be nice if someone could post these marketing Ads, but without using the travel agents name, especially if it is from Azamara directly, such as on the UK website.

 

This is on the USA site,

 

"Welcome. Here at Azamara Club Cruises, we continue our efforts to be the world's top up-market cruise line. As such, we are committed to providing you with unparalleled service; the finest dining at sea; a glorious spa and wellness experience, and innovations such as Destination ImmersionSM. With our hallmark of longer stays, more overnights and night touring, we'll not only take you to awe-inspiring destinations, but also give you more time to fall in love with them."

 

On another page,

 

"New Inclusive Amenities

For 2013

• AzAmazing Evenings event on every voyage
  
• Select standard spirits, international beers and wines available throughout the voyage
  
• Gratuities
  
• Bottled water, soft drinks, specialty coffees and teas
  
• English-trained butlers for suite guests
  
• Self-service laundry
  
• Shuttle service to and from ports, where available
  
• Concierge services for personal guidance and reservations"
  

It says "Inclusive", not "All Inclusive".

 

EXACTALLY!!

[Bloodaxe]

I hope my reference to "recent arrivals on this forum" wasn't confusing. I meant those who had not yet experienced Azamara and were preparing for an initial cruise. Several, having read recent posts, had expressed misgivings.

 

Bloodaxe, we are much in the same position as you. In a few weeks we will be on the Quest and, although its early days for the new amenities, we will also assess their impact.

 

Should the ambience of the Quest have changed for the worst in our personal and unsophisticated opinions, and should the new tariffs prove too demanding relative to that experience, we will simply move on.

 

However, we will be dramatically surprised if that decision were to ensue. While other cruises have somewhat faded in our memory, our two previous Quest experiences provide many wonderful vivid memories, whether it be sites visited, activities shipboard or the wonderful crew. Obviously there is a price to pay for those memories.

 

All the best on your cruise, and I hope you needn't regret your reconsideration.

 

I hope so to, I am sure that we will all still enjoy it as much as ever

[Spursgirl]

If you have Never cruised with Azamara then why do you Care..I too have sailed with Regent and a good friend of mine is the Cruise Director of the Navigator...Regent and Azamara are Two diffrent Beasts! I will tell you though when we sailed with Azamara after only the 1st day some on the crew Knew our names and wondered where the other was!

Thats What I call a GREAT Cruise Line!!

 

Good morning BuckGood,

 

I agree with everything you say about Azamara. Their customer focused crew are quite exceptional.

 

However to be fair to English Tim the new enhancements are obviously being marketed differently in the UK and the US.

 

Here in the UK TA's are very aggressively marketing the brand as 'now all-inclusive' and most people infer that everything is included except top shelf drinks

 

Notwithstanding this confusion (which Azamara should have been aware of) I hope that when English Tim finally gets aboard, he enjoys the same experience as us who love the line.

[English Tim]

 

Notwithstanding this confusion (which Azamara should have been aware of) I hope that when English Tim finally gets aboard, he enjoys the same experience as us who love the line.

 

Thank you. We'll have as great a cruise, as i am having a pre-cruise. The anticipation is always good.

 

We are going to the cruise show tomorrow and hope to get some 'perks'!:)

[Spursgirl]

Thank you. We'll have as great a cruise, as i am having a pre-cruise. The anticipation is always good.

 

We are going to the cruise show tomorrow and hope to get some 'perks'!:)

 

Tim,

 

Will be very interested to hear how Azamara is marketing itself at the Cruise Show. Please post.

 

Goodness, we'll all need our (hopefully) sunshine cruises after all this cold and snow won't we?

[Mrs Miggins]

Tim,

A little off message, but I went to the Cruise Show a couple of years ago - wandered round and couldn't find anything much of interest. I am sure I was missing something ! I do have tickets but thought I couldn't be bothered to go - perhaps I was wrong as you mention perks - what sort of things do you mean ?

Looking forward to meeting you as we are on the same cruise in June.

Pam

[English Tim]

Tim,

A little off message, but I went to the Cruise Show a couple of years ago - wandered round and couldn't find anything much of interest. I am sure I was missing something ! I do have tickets but thought I couldn't be bothered to go - perhaps I was wrong as you mention perks - what sort of things do you mean ?

Looking forward to meeting you as we are on the same cruise in June.

Pam

 

I don't really know, but don't ask don't get.

 

I'm about to book another cruise for the end of April, so I'll see if I can get a 'show' discount or upgrade.

[BuckGood]

Good morning BuckGood,

 

I agree with everything you say about Azamara. Their customer focused crew are quite exceptional.

 

However to be fair to English Tim the new enhancements are obviously being marketed differently in the UK and the US.

 

Here in the UK TA's are very aggressively marketing the brand as 'now all-inclusive' and most people infer that everything is included except top shelf drinks

 

Notwithstanding this confusion (which Azamara should have been aware of) I hope that when English Tim finally gets aboard, he enjoys the same experience as us who love the line.

 

I agree! Azamara then needs to correct that. With that said, when we sailed with them After sailing on Regent and Silver Sea, we were kind of put off by the "extra " tip section on the reciept from Both the bar's And specialty Resturants! Only saying that because in the brosure it said Gratuities are included for the Bar, Resturant staff..

[Portiamac]

We are leaving to join the Azamara Quest tomorrow. We only booked this cruise because we cannot make any of the Seabourn ships (which we love) for the same period. We were apprehensive when we booked but were told by the TA that Azamara is also a luxury line and it is all inclusive. We like the idea of AI because we do not need to worry about the costs and just concentrating on enjoying ourselves. Whilst we do not really drink we are surprised as a liner purporting to be a luxary brand, it has additional charges on a number of things i.e. speciality restaurant, alcohol. We are still not clear whether it will charge for room service either. After reading about the torn curtains and broken tiles, we are beginning to worry we might have made a bad choice!

[uktog]

Portiamac

You have chosen to cruise on a journey that will also include the CEO of Azamara onboard. I've never done a Presidents Cruise, but from reports on these boards they are said to be very good.

 

As regards room service, if it is food you are talking about, that is all free of charge, alcohol though would be charged. Appreciate Azamara is not your line of choice, and if I was venturing to a new line I would be nervous, but I hope you have a wonderful trip and be assured, broken tiles etc are such an exception particularly now the pools have been redone

 

Enjoy your cruise and it would be really good if you could come back and give us a comparison after

[Portiamac]

Thx uktog. Not sure what is the big deal with the CEO on board. It appears to be a selling point on the TA website as well. Do you know what it's so special about it? Do we get better food etc? By the way, I read some people are raving about the lobsters and steaks in the speciality restaurants, do you know whether they serve lobsters and steaks in the buffet as well?

 

I will certainly be comparing it with Seabourn.. From experience, I like Seabourn better than Oceania (which I have been told is the closest competitor to Azamara), the accommodation are quite similar (I always have balcony rooms). The food is slightly better on Seabourn. Whilst we feel we were very well look after on Seabourn, Oceania lacks the personal touch. Despite this, Oceania is still very good and we had a lovely time. I can say whilst Seaborn iis a 6 stars cruise line, Oceania is about 5.5 stars. This is reflected in their price difference. Sometimes I wonder whether I should 'live dangerously' and try one of the bigger ships i.e. royal carribean etc :)

[uktog]

Certainly in the past the Presidents Cruise has included extra events, but how this will fit in with the Azamazing evening none of us know.

 

One thing if they are able to do it weather wise is the outside buffet one night, it is a lovely event with food cooked a la minute including steaks. If you are planning to eat in the buffet as opposed to the dining room at night, look each day as to the theme - I have certainly seen excellent seafood buffets (including lobsters/prawns) and a steak buffet. A big favourite of many is the Indian night. What will drive some of these buffets is what they can buy ashore as Azamara encourage their Executive Chefs to visit local markets and shop, so buffets can be very specific to a cruise

 

You are right about the various pricing differences, although we also use Celebrity based on destination (and a managing pre cruise of expectations) we have yet to live dangerously as you call it!

[Portiamac]

So the lobsters and steaks are not available every night at the buffet? If so, that is disappointing. I always thought that is standard on a luxury liner. By the way, if you ever cruise with oceania and if you like lobster and beef, you must try their lobster burger and their wagu beef burger (served at the poolside bar). They are the best food at sea I have tried so far. The french restaurant on board marina is very good too. I would give the polo grill a miss though.

[Nitemare]

We are leaving to join the Azamara Quest tomorrow. We only booked this cruise because we cannot make any of the Seabourn ships (which we love) for the same period. We were apprehensive when we booked but were told by the TA that Azamara is also a luxury line and it is all inclusive. We like the idea of AI because we do not need to worry about the costs and just concentrating on enjoying ourselves. Whilst we do not really drink we are surprised as a liner purporting to be a luxary brand, it has additional charges on a number of things i.e. speciality restaurant, alcohol. We are still not clear whether it will charge for room service either. After reading about the torn curtains and broken tiles, we are beginning to worry we might have made a bad choice!

 

I'm surprised that you're leaving tomorrow and only just now found out that Azamara is not truly All Inclusive. I'd say you've either got a problem with your Travel Agent booking you onto something that does not meet with your desires, or you didn't do proper due diligence into the product you purchased.

 

 

That being said, if you enjoy your cruise half as much as we enjoyed our Azamara cruise last summer, you'll have an awesome time. Just be prepared for specialty dining costing a few bucks (unless you are in a suite) and having to pay for some drinks.

 

The torn curtains/broken tiles are rare and you probably won't even see them.

[dabear]

We just returned from Regent Voyager. There were stains on the carpet and alot of nicks in the woods. Every older ship has aging signs, whether it's 6* or 5.5*. The cabins were bigger and most (not all ) tours were included in the "all inclusive" cruise vs A. In general, you get what you pay for. We're planning another cruise on A in 2014, which we feel is more reasonably priced. PS Regent also is cutting back on some of its "inclusives".

[nordski]

We just returned from Regent Voyager. There were stains on the carpet and alot of nicks in the woods. Every older ship has aging signs, whether it's 6* or 5.5*. The cabins were bigger and most (not all ) tours were included in the "all inclusive" cruise vs A. In general, you get what you pay for. We're planning another cruise on A in 2014, which we feel is more reasonably priced. PS Regent also is cutting back on some of its "inclusives".

 

Thanks for the update.

[marinaro44]

We just returned from Regent Voyager. There were stains on the carpet and alot of nicks in the woods. Every older ship has aging signs, whether it's 6* or 5.5*. The cabins were bigger and most (not all ) tours were included in the "all inclusive" cruise vs A. In general, you get what you pay for. We're planning another cruise on A in 2014, which we feel is more reasonably priced. PS Regent also is cutting back on some of its "inclusives".

We experienced nothing on Regent that makes it more desirable than Azamara. Senior officers nearly invisible. Headline entertainers older than the passengers. Included excursions were nice and the included spirits are much more extensive, but you pay a hefty fare to get them. No charge for specialty restaurants but, as a result, difficult to get an additional reservation to the two you can pre-book, and then pretty much only at a table for six.

[kikki21]

This is makes for interesting reading prior to our Azamara cruise.... we booked this cruise as it was far better value for money than all the other cruises we were looking at for next June.

 

As consumers, we like to look at added value for anything and especially a holiday.

We were very spoiled as we booked our last cruise on the Jade at a fairly unbeatable price for a mini suite balcony but we didn't get a drinks package as we prefer to drink as we go, certainly having a more inclusive package does make things attractive but isn't a deal breaker since we are not massive drinkers.

 

We booked Azamara as it also looks like a great holiday experience and the destinations are what we want. Things do change and people don't want them to as in if it's not broken, then don't fix it but as one poster says, cruise companies and all companies have to be profitable to remain in business, that's a fact.

 

I really appreciate having a team member on board with Bill and hopefully as Azamara is still a relatively new player, this will help them grow their brand and have more ships.

I can see there is a whole lot to like and I can't wait till next June! :)

[Jade13]

This is makes for interesting reading prior to our Azamara cruise.... we booked this cruise as it was far better value for money than all the other cruises we were looking at for next June.

 

:)

 

What itineraries and companies did you compare?

[insidecabin]

One aspect of the communication of the recent changes that I found a bit presumptuous was the we are making the product better so we expect you to pay a lot more. If fact the product is now so good we expect the people in our new target market to be considerably richer than you.

 

An azamazing evening and a few extra drinks was not that big a upgrade to what was in practice very good allready.

 

Interesting that Kevin Sheehan CEO of NCL made some comments in a similar direction, on the recent new Breakaway transatlantic, that the Haven product is aimed at the more affluent client that looks at the premium market.

(some aspects need considerable improvment especialy the food in the exclusive haven restaurant if they want to attract that market.)

 

It seems there may be some industry belief that the more wealthy may be less price sensitive, tell them you have the product they want and they will come in droves and pay whatever you ask.

 

I belief that ultimately product will drive the price, make the product good demand goes up prices rise.

 

The onboard experience on most lines is better than the land side I guess there is something about your job being 24/7(ship) against a 9-5/5(land) that impacts the ability to deliver.

 

 

On the ACC AI issue,

As a UK person I don't expect AI to include everything but the ACC version of AI did come below what would be considered minimum inclusions and they have admitted it is AI on the cheap from one supplier so is just more inclusive, not that big a deal for us other than the beer choice the rest was fine.

 

I think most UK marketing has now gone over to the More Inclusive message and the AI has been dropped.