Azamara Quest/Park West

[2irisheyes]

On our recent cruise on Quest we were disappointed that the Living Room (deck 10 forward, looking out to sea) was quite often out of bounds to non Park West passengers. The cruise was to the Baltics and Russia and there were some days when outside areas were not accessible because of weather conditions. The best alternative was the Living Room but, no, this was not accessible either. There were quite a few moans about this. We will just have to ensure that there isn't a Park West contingent on any future cruise we may take with Azamara. Does anyone know if the Park West set up also happens on Journey or is it just on Quest.

[uktog]

Was this officially out of bounds or was it just the behaviour of the onboard auctioneer and their assistant that led you to believe it was out of bounds.

On Journey in April they did give the impression they had taken over the Living Room on day but whilst there was the auction on, there was no reason other people could not sit in the room. A set of headphones works wonders in these situations.

 

Personally I wish they were not even on the ship, they do not fit in my mind but it must bring money to Azamara and they get to stay.

 

I hope it can be confirmed they do not have exclusive rights to one of the few areas to sit in if the weather is less than ideal

[2irisheyes]

The notice at the door stated "Closed for Private Function". There were also a few evenings when the same notice appeared stating it would be closed to us mere mortals from 7 to 10 pm. Not only did Park West have sole use of the Living Room from 7 to 10 pm on those occasions but around 6 pm a screen was set up right in the middle of the forward facing window complete with surrounding blackout material blocking the view of those having a drink and admiring the view. I wish they hadn't been on board but, as you say, they obviously mean megabucks to Azamara and money obviously talks.

[MNgardens]

I think having them on board cheapens the experience. I was very disappointed in Azamara. In my opinion the art was cringe worthy and took up good space.

[uktog]

The notice at the door stated "Closed for Private Function". There were also a few evenings when the same notice appeared stating it would be closed to us mere mortals from 7 to 10 pm. Not only did Park West have sole use of the Living Room from 7 to 10 pm on those occasions but around 6 pm a screen was set up right in the middle of the forward facing window complete with surrounding blackout material blocking the view of those having a drink and admiring the view. I wish they hadn't been on board but, as you say, they obviously mean megabucks to Azamara and money obviously talks.

 

Ah that is different and as you say very disappointing particularly where so much is being made of the Living Room as the place to be 5-8pm

[Riocca]

Not sure how important Park West are for Azamara but I expect this could be part of a wider contract with RC and Celebrity. On large ships it's comparatively easy to avoid art auctions but that's never going to be the case on small ships.

Really don't think tacky art auctions have any place on any cruise line promoting themselves in the luxury sector. Only way to get these people off of ships would be if nobody attended the auctions or purchased art so they are not cost effective.

 

 

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[DiamondDiva]

Two Irisheyes,

 

A question about this experience from you may be appropriate for the upcoming Larry Pimental Q and A session listed here on CC that is coming up soon. It is so true that the impact of these closings on the smaller Azamara ships is much different than on the larger Celebrity and RC ships.

[MNgardens]

I think that a company such as Azamara that prides itself on immersive experiences should showcase art by local artists. In Australia, lets see Aboriginal art. For New Zealand how about some stunning photography? Those things I might have ended up purchasing. If they can bring in Australian opal jewelry, they can make an effort and provide local art (and local wines at dinner!) The Park West choices onboard that cruise had nothing to do with our location. We took a special Azamara excursion to an Aboriginal art gallery. He could have sold many pieces if he had been onboard.Not all were as expensive as the ones on the webpages. http://www.artyarramunua.com

[nordski]

Unfortunately, judging by the number of Park West letters I see placed in the holders outside stateroom doors, the art auction experience still attracts some interest.

 

I can accept that it generates revenue for the cruise line; however that should not mean interference with accessibility to public areas.

Edited June 30, 2016 by nordski

[BBMacLaird]

Hello 2irisheyes,

What you experienced is NOT a normal occurrence! Park West was holding special events for their own VIPs on this sailing, in other words it was a large affinity group organized by Park West (rather than the normal open-to-all art auctions.)

Any large group can negotiate in advance for use of private space for their planned functions. I believe what you experienced was confusing since Park West is also an onboard concessionaire.

And unfortunately they needed the Living Room for their private event.

I do apologize on behalf of all of us for this inconvenience. As I said at the beginning, this is not normal. I can't say it will never happen again, but if it does it will be very rare.

Bonnie

[tgg]

Azamara passengers have been complaining about Park West Galleries for ages. Do a search on Cruise Critic and you'll see these complaints go back many years.

 

If you want to know more about their history of lawsuits by unhappy customers, just google them. There was a particularly interesting article in the New York Times in 2008.

 

If having Park West Galleries onboard weren't profitable for the cruise line, they would be gone.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

...

Really don't think tacky art auctions have any place on any cruise line promoting themselves in the luxury sector. Only way to get these people off of ships would be if nobody attended the auctions or purchased art so they are not cost effective.

...

 

Hear, hear! Regent and I believe Oceania got rid of these "sharp businessmen" some years ago. The art auctions were always just a nuisance to us when we encountered them.

[johnnycruise]

ParkWest art auctions have a gimmick of offering free sparkling wine to drum up interest (yes, I've attended to get my free glass when sailing on Celebrity and RCCL:o). A good conspiracy theory ... ParkWest is the reason there is no sparking wine on Azamara's included (complimentary) wine list!:eek:

[2irisheyes]

Hello 2irisheyes,

What you experienced is NOT a normal occurrence! Park West was holding special events for their own VIPs on this sailing, in other words it was a large affinity group organized by Park West (rather than the normal open-to-all art auctions.)

Any large group can negotiate in advance for use of private space for their planned functions. I believe what you experienced was confusing since Park West is also an onboard concessionaire.

And unfortunately they needed the Living Room for their private event.

I do apologize on behalf of all of us for this inconvenience. As I said at the beginning, this is not normal. I can't say it will never happen again, but if it does it will be very rare.

Bonnie

Bonnie - thank you for your reply and apology.

 

Rare though it may be, when it happens on our cruise the frequency of this type of event is of no consolation to us.

 

Passengers were aware that the events were for Park West VIPs (people who spend many dollars with them in the past). Passengers were also aware that for these VIPs the cost of their cruise was paid for courtesy of Park West.

 

As others have said, it cheapens a cruiseline advertising itself as "luxury".

 

There were also antiquities for sale taking up a corner space in the Mosaic Café. I hadn't noticed this on our previous Azamara cruises but I might not have noticed.

 

There was also a group of golfers (Perry Golf) on the cruise but they didn't present any problem. They had the Living Room for a cocktail party on one evening but other than that I wasn't aware of anything that would impact other passengers.

 

Although we enjoyed our cruise, particularly the ports of call, our shipboard experience was not as enjoyable as our previous Azamara cruises.

[Leo_On_Geo]

There were also antiquities for sale taking up a corner space in the Mosaic Café. I hadn't noticed this on our previous Azamara cruises but I might not have noticed.

 

 

The antiques and antiquities sales are new. I did not notice them for sale in Mosaic, but I saw items for sale displayed in the cases in the new Living Room that used to hold artwork, including some Dale Chihuly glass. I understood this was an expansion of onboard sales as a new venture by jewelry designer Masha of Sweden. There were also some antiques lectures similar to the jewelry "trunk shows". If these sales (including Park West) help with revenue then so be it. They can be avoided, I enjoyed the LR while the "art" auction was ongoing. However, buyers should beware that Park West "art" is not worth the paper it is printed on.

[MNgardens]

For those people who want to know why there is so much scorn towards PW:

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2008/07/16/arts/design/16crui.html a 2008 New York Times article about their business practices

[2irisheyes]

The antiques and antiquities sales are new. I did not notice them for sale in Mosaic, but I saw items for sale displayed in the cases in the new Living Room that used to hold artwork, including some Dale Chihuly glass. I understood this was an expansion of onboard sales as a new venture by jewelry designer Masha of Sweden. There were also some antiques lectures similar to the jewelry "trunk shows". If these sales (including Park West) help with revenue then so be it. They can be avoided, I enjoyed the LR while the "art" auction was ongoing. However, buyers should beware that Park West "art" is not worth the paper it is printed on.[/quoteLeo178

 

From earlier posts on this thread you will realise this was not an auction as often occurs on some cruiselines with free bubbly thrown in. The LR was out of bounds for non Park West VIPs on several occasions. My objection is to the use of one of the best places to sit when outside areas are closed. Whether or not Park West art offerings are value for money or not is of little interest to me. I am not one of those people who has more money than sense. As you say, if these sales help with revenue then so be it. It is a shame that Azamara is having to go in this direction. Not being familiar with the term "trunk shows" I am guessing they are something along the lines of boot fairs in the UK (boot as in car).

[MNgardens]

In American English a trunk show is:

 

A trunk show is an event in which vendors present merchandise directly to store personnel or customers at a retail location or another venue such as a hotel room. In many cases it allows store personnel to preview and/or purchase merchandise before it is made available to the public. Typically, clients view the merchandise, place orders, and then wait for the vendor to manufacture and deliver the goods. If the merchandise has a designer, the vendor may choose to have the designer present at the event to add to the customers' experience...

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trunk_show

[tgg]

As you say, if these sales help with revenue then so be it. It is a shame that Azamara is having to go in this direction. Not being familiar with the term "trunk shows" I am guessing they are something along the lines of boot fairs in the UK (boot as in car).

 

Trunk as in suitcase/luggage/steamer trunk(if you're old enough to remember them), not trunk as in rear of car.:)

[2irisheyes]

Trunk as in suitcase/luggage/steamer trunk(if you're old enough to remember them), not trunk as in rear of car.:)

 

Thanks for the explanation. We had a trunk at home when I was growing up. It was dark blue and quite hefty. I have no idea where it came from. In our house it was used for extra storage. So you see I am old enough to remember trunks.

[Host Jazzbeau]

This is very disappointing. First the issue of cruises getting chartered after bookings were taken, not to mention the huge whole in the schedule from a lengthy charter season. Now sailings that are supposedly public turning out to have one of the advertised selling points (the newly reimagined Living Room!) off-limits for large parts of the cruise. This has also made me aware of how much of the ships' space is taken up by things I would rather not have on board at all (casino, art auctions). So I am switching what would have been my second Azamara cruise to Viking -- which proudly proclaims that they deliberately omitted casinos, art auctions and photographers from their ships to attract people like me. It will be interesting to see whether they can equal Azamara on the things they do provide; if so, Azamara will have missed more than the window to build new ships.

[BBMacLaird]

This is very disappointing. First the issue of cruises getting chartered after bookings were taken, not to mention the huge whole in the schedule from a lengthy charter season. Now sailings that are supposedly public turning out to have one of the advertised selling points (the newly reimagined Living Room!) off-limits for large parts of the cruise. This has also made me aware of how much of the ships' space is taken up by things I would rather not have on board at all (casino, art auctions). So I am switching what would have been my second Azamara cruise to Viking -- which proudly proclaims that they deliberately omitted casinos, art auctions and photographers from their ships to attract people like me. It will be interesting to see whether they can equal Azamara on the things they do provide; if so, Azamara will have missed more than the window to build new ships.

 

I'm sorry to read this Host Jazzbeau. I remember when you first started on our forum. I will miss your participation on the forum, and all of us at Azamara Club Cruises will miss you aboard. Please know that the private use of the LR by Park West was a one-off occurrence.

Whenever you want to try Azamara again we will be here waiting for you. I hope you do come back.

Happy sailing,

Bonnie

[Globehoppers]

Hello 2irisheyes,

What you experienced is NOT a normal occurrence! Park West was holding special events for their own VIPs on this sailing, in other words it was a large affinity group organized by Park West (rather than the normal open-to-all art auctions.)

Any large group can negotiate in advance for use of private space for their planned functions. I believe what you experienced was confusing since Park West is also an onboard concessionaire.

And unfortunately they needed the Living Room for their private event.

I do apologize on behalf of all of us for this inconvenience. As I said at the beginning, this is not normal. I can't say it will never happen again, but if it does it will be very rare.

Bonnie

 

Get them off the ships! I agree with most posters that it really cheapens the Azamara experience. Most guests do not cruise Azamara to buy "art." A local show once in a while - maybe.

[aquidneck1]

We have been taken by them in the past - luckily not a huge amount. It is a shame that the cruise line chooses to subject their passengers to a potential scam. People are on vacation, enjoying themselves and sipping Champagne. Easy to get taken at times like this especially when the passengers assume that if the company is allowed to do business on board, they are supported by an honest cruise company.

 

Its time to stop supporting the company. Not because they are taking up space although I would hate that on a small ship but because the cruise line passengers are getting ripped off.

 

Hopefully Azamara will listen. Celebrity has not.