UPDATE: Azamara Journey October 2018 sailings

[rabin1]

Although this issue does not affect me I would like to say a few things & ask a question.

 

First off ALL a lot of you told me when I was whigging about the wrong time of the ship arrival and leaving time of a tour I had been talking to Azamara since February was to wait and give them a chance. ALL of you who said that to me were right as it now has been corrected.

 

If what happened to all of you happened to me I am afraid my friends would need some bail money as I would be in my car and off to Miami until I saw the powers that be. Now having said that you guys don;t have that ability but you do have the ability to do something else. I am sure it is too late for your particular cruise but you might get something more than the pittance they are offering if you tried one of these.. Businesses respond to an influx of many people complaining or negative attention in the media.

Here are my two suggestions:

1. I would go to the media. Most have investigative reporters that would love a story like this. I am talking TV not print

2. One person volunteer and everyone on this cruise not happy write a letter directed to Azamara and send the letters quickly to the designated person. That person would then put them in a box or whatever depending on the number of letters and have them sent by messenger to Larry Pimental (if I am spelling it correcting) He would have no option but to read them.

 

I don;t know if any of you saw my post about what I thought was going to happen at Azamara before it was removed but more than ever I think I am correct.

 

One factor that no one is considering is how many people does this really affect? Only Azamara knows that for sure. If the percentrage of lost revenue and aggravated passengers is less than what they think they can sell to make up for the lost passengers and include the charter then they might be thinking it doesn;t matter. One of you said somethng about the bean counters and it is all about the bottom line.

 

When I sell my coupon magzines I know I am always going to lose some advertisers but I also know I will be able to replace them. That is just business. Azamara could be thinking the same way.

 

All I care about at this point is that the cruise I am booked on goes as scheduled and then I will never put up with the kind of things Azamara does to their customers again................no matter how great the on board experience is. You make your own fun anyway on any ship with the other people and the different ports.

 

Lastly I do not think Bonnie should be blamed or berated for any of this. The decisions made here were way above her pay grade.

 

My one question is this. I am on part of what I think is the world cruise. Is there ANY chance this could happen to my cruise as I have been watching and I don;t think it is selling well?

 

I cannot tell you how badly I feel for all of you. You make plans and are excited and then the bubble is burst. Not fair or right to any human being. I hope one day the people of Azamara never have this happen to them or any family members then they would probably realize how terrible what they did was.

 

Good Luck to All of YOU

Kathy

Edited August 12, 2017 by rabin1

[Leo_On_Geo]

This issue does imact me directly. I spent some time speaking with Azamara this morning. I was booked on the original B-2-B Oct 31 and November 7 TA. Azamara's offer was switch to the Oct. 15 and 23 cruises as a B-2-B with the same OBC and the $500 OBC. The 17-night (now 13 night) TA was reduced by $143! There was also the offer to switch to the Journey on Sept 21, 29 or Oct 6 for the same $500 OBC and no additional costs. All transfers to any other cruises gave me the prevailing rate, with the transfer of my previous OBC ($600), my LCV 7% discount, and a new $250 OBC.

 

In my case there was a bit of a dilemma as the Oct 31 cruise used my 6 free LCV night which made for a nice B-2-B, but the free cruise could not be changed or it is forfeited. In my case I somewhat regretted the selection of the Oct 31 cruise but went with the B-2-B. Now the problem is I do not like the new TA ports. The new TA basically repeats the Spring 2018 TA that I also have booked. The new Spain intensive looks great, but the TA is a deal breaker. Lose 4 nights and get $143 reduction???? That’s insulting.

 

So I will make lemonade. I can move my free nights to the cruise I really wanted (Venice to Venice/Croatian coast), get my LCV discount, transfer my OBC, get more OBC. Sure I do pay a bit more (2 days as opposed to the one day I was paying before). Then do a land tour in Italy for the money I save from the TA. I could even take the Venice Simplon to London with the savings! This vacation is still over a year away, so I have plenty of time to work on the logistics. Just to screw Azamara I may wait and cancel the TA at final payment:evilsmile:. Most likely I will book something when I am on the Quest next February and transfer the deposit then.

 

Of course I am upset at the changes, but I will have a wonderful vacation (s). Unfortuntely for Azamara they are becoming shorter cruises with land based extensions instead of B-2-B.

[mugggs]

I have B2B booked 31st Oct then 7th Nov.

Why is the company not offering the 15th Oct in the select voyages we may choose ?

I believe that is only fair when one had originally booked the 31st as a B2B with the TA.

When discussing this with the redeployment department they were asking me to pay $1,206 AUD extra to keep the B2B.

 

 

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[rallydave]

Unfortunately if you've read all the problems and screw ups by Azamara. Nothing the are doing is fair.

 

 

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[uktog]

I have B2B booked 31st Oct then 7th Nov.

Why is the company not offering the 15th Oct in the select voyages we may choose ?

I believe that is only fair when one had originally booked the 31st as a B2B with the TA.

When discussing this with the redeployment department they were asking me to pay $1,206 AUD extra to keep the B2B.

 

 

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Ouch

So I understand you were booked on the pre transatlantic and the transatlantic, you want to continue to do the pre transatlantic and the transatlantic making yourself available two weeks earlier, you are cruising two nights less than before and you are expected to pay over $1000 to do that.

Have I got that right?

[tazza_0712]

Ouch

 

So I understand you were booked on the pre transatlantic and the transatlantic, you want to continue to do the pre transatlantic and the transatlantic making yourself available two weeks earlier, you are cruising two nights less than before and you are expected to pay over $1000 to do that.

 

Have I got that right?

 

 

 

Wow. No hashtag is going to make up for that.

 

 

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[Leo_On_Geo]

I have B2B booked 31st Oct then 7th Nov.

Why is the company not offering the 15th Oct in the select voyages we may choose ?

I believe that is only fair when one had originally booked the 31st as a B2B with the TA.

When discussing this with the redeployment department they were asking me to pay $1,206 AUD extra to keep the B2B.

 

 

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I was in the same boat. I was offered to keep the same (now Oct 15 and 23) cruises with a reduction of $143. No way should they make you pay more for the same cruise combination.

[rallydave]

"I have B2B booked 31st Oct then 7th Nov.

Why is the company not offering the 15th Oct in the select voyages we may choose ?

I believe that is only fair when one had originally booked the 31st as a B2B with the TA.

When discussing this with the redeployment department they were asking me to pay $1,206 AUD extra to keep the B2B."

 

I was in the same boat. I was offered to keep the same (now Oct 15 and IMHO, ) cruises with a reduction of $143. No way should they make you pay more for the same cruise combination.

 

 

So, based on these last two reports, Azamara appears to as the saying goes, have their cake and eat it too. IMHO, not enough that they will have a very profitable charter (no problem with them making more money with a charter) plus they want customers who have had their cruises/vacations cancelled, pay more for their cruises in certain circumstances than new bookers. And, on top of that, appears depending on where one lives, the increased costs vary significantly.

 

Does anybody, anybody think that is fair?? Yes, there are some lucky people who are getting more days for their original price and great for them but, almost certainly the people paying more for less outnumbers the lucky few greatly. Almost certainly this entire debacle is a win/lose scenario.

[Leo_On_Geo]

"

they want customers who have had their cruises/vacations cancelled, pay more for their cruises in certain circumstances than new bookers. And, on top of that, appears depending on where one lives, the increased costs vary significantly.

.

 

It all depends on what the original boking, perhaps my booking was more expensive, but under NO CIRCUMSTANCE sould a passanger have to pay over 1K to keep the same (approximately) B-2-B especially when losing days. Azamara???

[rallydave]

It all depends on what the original boking, perhaps my booking was more expensive, but under NO CIRCUMSTANCE sould a passanger have to pay over 1K to keep the same (approximately) B-2-B especially when losing days. Azamara???

 

While that might very well be the case, the problem is that at least the letter our TA got was completely generic and not personalized at all for their clients so these increased costs are not covered in the offer. That makes it impossible for the customer or TA to know how these increased costs are determined. Without any guidelines and no way to verify the reasonableness or accuracy of these prices Azamara can put whatever price on their aggrieved customers cruise.

 

And, why should anyone need to pay more for fewer days and cruises that aren't what they original wanted and signed up for. All goes back to is it fair and reasonable to both Azamara and the customer. Based on all the comments here, and the offer letter, it sure looks like a one sided situation in most cases.

[Leo_On_Geo]

While that might very well be the case, the problem is that at least the letter our TA got was completely generic and not personalized at all for their clients so these increased costs are not covered in the offer. That makes it impossible for the customer or TA to know how these increased costs are determined. Without any guidelines and no way to verify the reasonableness or accuracy of these prices Azamara can put whatever price on their aggrieved customers cruise.

 

And, why should anyone need to pay more for fewer days and cruises that aren't what they original wanted and signed up for. All goes back to is it fair and reasonable to both Azamara and the customer. Based on all the comments here, and the offer letter, it sure looks like a one sided situation in most cases.

 

I agree completely, but my TA or I have not gotten any letter. WE had to call to get offers or info from poorly-informed staff. I had to press repeatedly to learn other options (eg the other Journey cruises with more OBC). This charter has major ramifications for many passengers, and Azamara had not taken those impacts into their plans very well. I agree that Azamara is playing unfairly, that is why I stated what I was offered so others could compare. I was hoping to hear more of other offers so we, as consumers, could understand our rights and options.

[rallydave]

We are in complete agreement Leo and have not heard of any customers who disagree. It's now time for Azamara to put on their big boy or girl pants admit their error and make amends. If not appears from many of the comments here there will be quite a few people moving on.

 

Don't forget there are many many more people being affected who don't have a clue this is occurring. Would not be surprised at all if someone didn't initiate a class action suit.

 

Hopefully the fact that TAs have not received notification means Azamara understands the have messed up and are working a solution.

 

Need everyone to ask your TA to express their displeasure direct to Azamara. Know ours has contacted them without a response so far and has provided information from this thread as well as their displeasure from their point of view as an unhappy TA and Azamara partner.

 

 

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[uktog]

As my situation involved the transatlantic followed by a Cuba cruise I've no offer to report as Azamara cannot recover the situation. My 2nd cruise still exists but it's now 18 days after the cruise I was offered to transfer to arrives in Miami.

 

IF I was able to go in October the new arrangement would be 19 nights rather than 27 with significant overlap between cruise 1 and 2. I'm not remotely interested in that.

 

I am also not interested at booking a new cruise at another date at Aug 2017 prices.

[Snow day]

I too was booked on the b2b and was not offered the Oct 15 sailing which really irks me. My TA will take this up with them tomorrow. I am not interested in the new crossing as am doing the exact trip with Viking this fall (at a much better price!). Azamara needs to make all of us a much better offer as this is not an itinerary change by my definition but a repeal and replace.

[goofysmom99]

I agree completely, but my TA or I have not gotten any letter. WE had to call to get offers or info from poorly-informed staff. I had to press repeatedly to learn other options (eg the other Journey cruises with more OBC). This charter has major ramifications for many passengers, and Azamara had not taken those impacts into their plans very well. I agree that Azamara is playing unfairly, that is why I stated what I was offered so others could compare. I was hoping to hear more of other offers so we, as consumers, could understand our rights and options.

 

Thank you for posting your offer. My TA is on a cruise so she won't be able to haggle with Azamara until she returns. I may have cooled off by then. I want and expect a reduction in fare for the shortened Transatlantic. Like you, I don't actually know if I'll take it. BTW, there's a $10 increase in tax plus a $75 visa required; they should absorb both but won't.

 

Today I've been exploring options on Prinsendam and Oosterdam as well as Oceania and Seabourn. There is a US website where I can put in Transatlantic, Oct-Nov 2018, single traveler (or couple), and everything available will show up on a very long list, with prices, departure/arrival cities, # days, ship rating. Helps significantly for zeroing-in on what's out there. A lot of them end in South America so I'm skipping over those. Much to study.

Edited August 13, 2017 by goofysmom99

[rallydave]

Thank you for posting your offer. My TA is on a cruise so she won't be able to haggle with Azamara until she returns. I may have cooled off by then. I want and expect a reduction in fare for the shortened Transatlantic. Like you, I don't actually know if I'll take it. BTW, there's a $10 increase in tax plus a $75 visa required; they should absorb both but won't.

 

Today I've been exploring options on Prinsendam and Oosterdam as well as Oceania and Seabourn. There is a US website where I can put in Transatlantic, Oct-Nov 2018, single traveler (or couple), and everything available will show up on a very long list, with prices, departure/arrival cities, # days, ship rating. Helps significantly for zeroing-in on what's out there. A lot of them end in South America so I'm skipping over those. Much to study.

 

Good luck with the haggling. Doubt much in the way of negotiations until Azamara revises the offers to be reasonable for everyone and releases a modified letter without all the error in the original one.

 

Also know the website you are looking at and we did exactly the same once this issue became real. Found that the cruise on Seabourn we are seriously contemplating booking was NOT on the list using Transatlantic but, found it by searching for Repositioning. There may be more than the one we are looking at so suggest you search using the Repositioning in the search box and for sure you will find on more and possibly more.

 

Happy exploring and good luck wherever you end up traveling.

[mike chestney]

Hi

Anyone doing a private tour in Egypt?

Being Aussie, we will need Egyptian visa, will the ship organise if we are on private tour?

 

 

 

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[rallydave]

Hi

Anyone doing a private tour in Egypt?

Being Aussie, we will need Egyptian visa, will the ship organise if we are on private tour?

 

 

 

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Believe you are posting on the wrong thread. This thread has nothing to do with anything involving Egypt. As far as Visas in general best to look this up on your Aussie/Egypt website or contact Azamara.to get the correct answer as things like this can change from in the past. Will say that what type of tour you are on has noting to do about if Azamara will organize the Visa as Visas if Visas are required for a particular country, doesn't matter if you never leave the ship, if the ship goes to a port where you need a Visa you have to have the Visa..

[rabin1]

Hi

Anyone doing a private tour in Egypt?

Being Aussie, we will need Egyptian visa, will the ship organise if we are on private tour?

 

 

 

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Hello

Welcome to the thread and your first post.

 

Your question should be posted on the roll call thread of the cruise you are going on. Go to the roll call thread and find your cruise date and post there.

 

Also if a Visa is needed in a particular country you can do one of two things ask your TA or call Azamara. Most ports where a Visa is needed the cruise line in this case Azamara will provide them to you on board. I know they do for us Americans. I have no clue for other countries. One of the veterans should be able to answer that.

 

Good Luck

Kathy

[sabbo55]

My TA just told me I have until Aug. 25th to make our decision, but that could be extended by Azamara.

[BBMacLaird]

My TA just told me I have until Aug. 25th to make our decision, but that could be extended by Azamara.

 

To the best of my knowledge our deadline is 8/31/17.

Perhaps your TA would like you to make a decision by Friday the 25th so that they have a few days to work on it?

[rallydave]

To the best of my knowledge our deadline is 8/31/17.

Perhaps your TA would like you to make a decision by Friday the 25th so that they have a few days to work on it?

 

For the record Bonnie, our letter from Azamara and assume others has absolutely no decision date. And, another post on this thread from a person talking to Azamara Customer Service was told deadline was Aug. 28.

 

Makes it extremely difficult without a specific commitment date in Azamara communication to know when Azamara requires a response especially with so many different dates floating around and your message indicates "to the best of my knowledge" which is good but, not really definitive. This is just one of the many issues identified in this thread with the letters sent our so far. As I said, our TA has no clue about a commitment date as Azamara has not yet replied to the TA's detailed letter.

[laurieb]

Dave, I wonder if maybe your TA got the letter before it was completed, since your TA insisted it be sent out early. It would be wonderful if Mr. Pimentel addressed the concerns that are being discussed here.

[LuAnn]

To the best of my knowledge our deadline is 8/31/17.

Perhaps your TA would like you to make a decision by Friday the 25th so that they have a few days to work on it?

 

Bonnie...I was told by a rep - Marianna- on 8/12 that the deadline was August 28th. Which is correct? And BTW...as of noon today (8/14/) my TA has received no notice from Azamara. Without CC I would have no knowledge of these major changes! Can you please explain why and how this notification process has gone so badly? As I sure you have realized many of your loyal customers certainly don't feel they have been treated well or fairly by Azamara. I"m afraid that Azamara has created a scenario that is forcing your loyal customers to look elsewhere. I hope you "have the ear" of the upper management and can alert them to the debacle that has been created by these multiple changes. LuAnn

[rallydave]

Dave, I wonder if maybe your TA got the letter before it was completed, since your TA insisted it be sent out early. It would be wonderful if Mr. Pimentel addressed the concerns that are being discussed here.

 

My TA did not do any insisting. What happened is that on Wednesday a poster who contacted Mr.. Pimentel got a response from that office that letters would be out on Thursday and that the website would be updated on Friday. I simply informed my TA that this letter was promised by Mr. Pimentel's office on Thursday and since they didn't have any notification and were upset that Azamara had not contacted them as a partner and that they had to hear this from a customer. No demand or insistence and Azamara sent the almost completely incorrect letter. Why oh why would a company ever send out a letter like this no matter if the TA insisted or not that was not vetted?? And, since I posted that letter, there have been several people who got that letter and none of them noted that theirs was any different.

 

And, in now appears that even within Azamara, this unknown decision date is not being constantly being provided. Quite obvious one hand doesn't know what the other hand is doing. And, LuAnn who is in the US says her TA has not yet received any letter.

 

Absolutely Mr. Pimentel needs to address these issues as it was his office that gave out the Thursday/Friday promises. And, LuAnn just replied that her TA is talking to Azamara about her "offer" but, the TA has not yet received any notification in writing. Perhaps Azamara is now working specific offers that are hopefully fair and the "letter" was being superseded?? The sounds of silence are voluminous!