AZ Upgrade Program - NEW - effective 3/12/19!!

[uktog]

 Not quite. The minimum UK bid on one I was offered was £150 per person from a verandah to a suite  but I doubt many will succeed at that price. 

Even at that £300 can be spent buying onboard and keeping your location however your daughter won’t get any commission as I think she would get on an upgrade 

Edited April 6, 2019 by uktog

[Lois R]

My new cabin is 8039. I looked at the "Cabin Sticky Note" and there is one review about it but it was on Quest. Says there was a little noise but I didn't read anything that said it was terrible.   Maybe I should have stayed where I was but it is too late now.

I was on deck 6 previously.  And just adding,  I think this cabin (the new one) is quite a bit larger in size.

 

My last 2 cruises were on Silversea and their cabins and bathrooms are fabulous...…..the price I paid was quite a bit more than this one, even with extra $ for the upgrade.   Here's hoping for a nice cabin.

[Lois R]

6 minutes ago, excitedofharpenden said:

You should be fine in 8039 Lois. It's not under a busy traffic area, but rather loungers that really don't move, except on White Night and morning after (not early morning). I've been in 8035 and it was ok. 

 

Phil 

Hi Phil, thanks for the reply...glad to know you think it will be good!  I know you are the AZ expert

[uktog]

Quest and Journey are identical- think it will all depend how light a sleeper you are good luck! 

[Grandma Cruising]

3 minutes ago, uktog said:

 Not quite. The minimum UK bid on one I was offered was £150 per person from a verandah to a suite  but I doubt many will succeed at that price. 

Even at that £300 can be spent buying onboard and keeping your location however your daughter won’t get any commission as she would on an upgrade 

Ah, so the minimum is set at a lower level. That makes sense. Thanks.

I’m not worried about my daughter getting the commission on a bid - it’s peanuts compared with the commission on the overall cruise price - especially the July Norway cruise, which was pricey! I don’t need any spending money onboard as I bought the Essentials package, so I have as much OBC as I’ll need, including what I got for booking onboard.

[Bloodaxe]

29 minutes ago, Host Grandma Cruising said:

No, I hadn’t spotted that the bid is per person, rather than per stateroom! That’s why I was very puzzled when I saw that Lois R had paid $1000 for a $500 bid.

Hm, I don’t think that’s obvious in the general information about the new system, although I can now see that it is in the FAQs attached to the website page.

 

So for everyone it’s now at least double what we paid under the previous scheme and no chance to turn an offer down - they will make lots more money then, won’t they.

 

Not from me, I will not touch it at any price.

[Grandma Cruising]

56 minutes ago, uktog said:

 Not quite. The minimum UK bid on one I was offered was £150 per person from a verandah to a suite  but I doubt many will succeed at that price. 

Even at that £300 can be spent buying onboard and keeping your location however your daughter won’t get any commission as I think she would get on an upgrade 

 

29 minutes ago, Bloodaxe said:

 

Not from me, I will not touch it at any price.

If the minimum bid I’m offered is reasonable then we probably will bid for our July Norway cruise. We’re in an ocean view and the price gap up to a verandah was large when we booked and is currently £3000 per person.

I’d be happy with any verandah stateroom and this will be a ‘scenic’ cruise, so it seems to make sense on this occasion to make a reasonable bid. We probably won’t bother for our November TA - lots of sea days, so lots of days with little to see, plus the potential for bad weather.

[Bloodaxe]

6 minutes ago, Host Grandma Cruising said:

 

If the minimum bid I’m offered is reasonable then we probably will bid for our July Norway cruise. We’re in an ocean view and the price gap up to a verandah was large when we booked and is currently £3000 per person.

I’d be happy with any verandah stateroom and this will be a ‘scenic’ cruise, so it seems to make sense on this occasion to make a reasonable bid. We probably won’t bother for our November TA - lots of sea days, so lots of days with little to see, plus the potential for bad weather.

 

Good luck to you Grandma, I can see the sense in that, personally we always book a veranda in our chosen location.

Enjoy your Norway cruise, that has been on our wish list for a long time but the price point has always been to high.

We attained our current status before they started giving free nights and so even that was not a option.

 

[uktog]

22 minutes ago, Host Grandma Cruising said:

 

If the minimum bid I’m offered is reasonable then we probably will bid for our July Norway cruise. We’re in an ocean view and the price gap up to a verandah was large when we booked and is currently £3000 per person.

I’d be happy with any verandah stateroom and this will be a ‘scenic’ cruise, so it seems to make sense on this occasion to make a reasonable bid. We probably won’t bother for our November TA - lots of sea days, so lots of days with little to see, plus the potential for bad weather.

Very different ball game than the verandah to suite position. Sorry thought you were talking about the same type of bid as Lois did. Be interesting to learn how you get on

[excitedofharpenden]

2 hours ago, Lois R said:

Hi Phil, thanks for the reply...glad to know you think it will be good!  I know you are the AZ expert

Lois, to be honest with you I really don't think you have done too badly at the price. OK it's more than it used to be, but not way out there. However it would be difficult for me to bid anything on a cabin in an unknown position.   

 

Enjoy your cruise. The CC suites are a nice upgrade both internally and amenities wise over a balcony. Just spent 17 nights in 8054. Lovely!

 

Phil 

[Grandma Cruising]

1 hour ago, uktog said:

Very different ball game than the verandah to suite position. Sorry thought you were talking about the same type of bid as Lois did. Be interesting to learn how you get on

I’ll come back here and let everyone know. 

[marinaro44]

42 minutes ago, excitedofharpenden said:

Lois, to be honest with you I really don't think you have done too badly at the price. OK it's more than it used to be, but not way out there.

I agree, Phil.  Not an unfair upgrade amount at all.

 

I've said for some time the $398 upgrade price was too low, especially for a veranda-to-CC upgrade.  But going from a fixed price to a low-class bidding scheme, without clearly delineating the rules of the game,  was a step too far.

[Grandma Cruising]

I’ve just got the upgrade email, so either something’s changed, or the person at Azamara that emailed my TA(daughter) had got it wrong. Whichever way round it is, it’s good news for UK cruisers who book through travel agents (except for those TAs who opt out!)

[Ithikan]

Tired of not receiving the upgrade email, I called Azamara directly and just learned that, sadly, my TA opted not to "opt in" for this upgrade program.  There will be no opportunity to upgrade on our future booked cruises, either, unless we change agents and I'm not sure how that would play out in terms of everyone's cancellation fees.  But like so many others here on CC, we are happy with the cabins we've booked for this summer and shall somehow soldier on in the Med  : )

[Grandma Cruising]

3 minutes ago, Ithikan said:

Tired of not receiving the upgrade email, I called Azamara directly and just learned that, sadly, my TA opted not to "opt in" for this upgrade program.  There will be no opportunity to upgrade on our future booked cruises, either, unless we change agents and I'm not sure how that would play out in terms of everyone's cancellation fees.  But like so many others here on CC, we are happy with the cabins we've booked for this summer and shall somehow soldier on in the Med  : )

That’s a shame!

[lovecruzin]

When I saw that Granma got an ugrade email for her July cruise, I looked at my email, we are on Quest July 2.

Lo and behold...there was an email!

the minimum upgrade to Club Continent suite is basically what it was under the previous program and significantly less that the current cruise fare. Not having any say in the cabin is a real deterrent...decisions decisions 😊 

 

Edited April 6, 2019 by lovecruzin
..

[Rabo]

Bid ranges must be for different depending on cruise.

We’re in a V2 for the July 1 Norway and Midnight Sun.

Offers ranged per person . . .

from $4,600 (weak) to $7,100 (strong) for a Club World Owners Suite

from $3,900 (weak) to $6,600 (strong) for a Club Ocean Suite

from $3,100 (weak) to $5,100 (strong) for a Club Spa Suite

from $200 (weak) to $2,000 (strong) for a Club Continent Suite

[BBMacLaird]

4 hours ago, Rabo said:

Bid ranges must be for different depending on cruise.

We’re in a V2 for the July 1 Norway and Midnight Sun.

Offers ranged per person . . .

from $4,600 (weak) to $7,100 (strong) for a Club World Owners Suite

from $3,900 (weak) to $6,600 (strong) for a Club Ocean Suite

from $3,100 (weak) to $5,100 (strong) for a Club Spa Suite

from $200 (weak) to $2,000 (strong) for a Club Continent Suite

I’d think each cruise’s bidding range will be different and will likely change as the sailing date approaches due to supply and demand (availability vv bidding interest and prices of incoming bids).

[Grandma Cruising]

6 hours ago, BBMacLaird said:

I’d think each cruise’s bidding range will be different and will likely change as the sailing date approaches due to supply and demand (availability vv bidding interest and prices of incoming bids).

The Journey cruise is 17 days and the Quest is 10 days.  Interesting that the minimum for a CC suite is the same for both, but the other suites minimum is higher for the longer cruise.

[Grandma Cruising]

12 hours ago, lovecruzin said:

When I saw that Granma got an ugrade email for her July cruise, I looked at my email, we are on Quest July 2.

Lo and behold...there was an email!

the minimum upgrade to Club Continent suite is basically what it was under the previous program and significantly less that the current cruise fare. Not having any say in the cabin is a real deterrent...decisions decisions 😊 

 

If you do decide to bid it would be great if you could post about it in the Upgrade Bid Experiences topic. Don’t need to do it until you know the result, but would be good if you could post the date you bid, the cruise date and length, your LCV level, cabins you booked & bid for,  the minimum bid, the amount you bid, was that weak/strong, & the result. Thanks. 

[uktog]

8 hours ago, BBMacLaird said:

I’d think each cruise’s bidding range will be different and will likely change as the sailing date approaches due to supply and demand (availability vv bidding interest and prices of incoming bids).

Ouch no one has given that perspective before. 

If this is the case the offer email should include this warning that the range of acceptable offers is only valid at the time you access it. I’d be very unhappy if I bid a minimum and then found it dropped nearer the sail date.

And from another perspective will you re email those who have not bid on a particular category- they might have decided the initial offer was too high but be interested at the lower price. 

Hope you can suggest that amendment is added. (Apologies if it’s already hidden in the terms but it needs to be clearer) 

[DebbieMacG]

You can go back and modify or cancel your bid, or bid for another cabin category up to 72 hours before departure as long as your bid hasn’t been accepted.

 

Thats what it says when I log in to the upgrade programme and the system does allow me to do that. I’ve already made a bid and it shows me what I’ve bid on and how much.

[critterchick]

On 4/3/2019 at 12:02 PM, BBMacLaird said:

 

I expect this to surprise you but the program is proving very popular. We have had more bidders under the new Upgrade program, in this short time frame, than we had in the last year.  Also interesting to us is that most bidders are LCV members. 

It may be more popular because it's better publicized, as somebody already said. What gets me is how it's touted as an improvement over the old system - it is for Azamara, but it isn't for your passengers. Anyway you cut it, it's likely to cost more to get an upgrade.

 

I'm reminded of the emails we received when our disembarkation port for our upcoming Asia cruise was changed from downtown Tokyo, which would have been amazing, to Yokohama, which will be inconvenent. The "spin" was that we are now departing from and returning to the same port. I really wish that Azamara wouldn't insult our intelligence that way. Who parks at the pier in Yokohama (virtually nobody, would be my guess)???

 

On 4/6/2019 at 10:32 AM, Ithikan said:

Tired of not receiving the upgrade email, I called Azamara directly and just learned that, sadly, my TA opted not to "opt in" for this upgrade program.  There will be no opportunity to upgrade on our future booked cruises, either, unless we change agents and I'm not sure how that would play out in terms of everyone's cancellation fees.  But like so many others here on CC, we are happy with the cabins we've booked for this summer and shall somehow soldier on in the Med  : )

 

I would be surprised if TAs have to opt in to the program - what's not to like about it, since commission is paid on the upgrade? I'm one and have received no notifcation, by the way.

 

We have four Azamara cruises booked and will likely cancel all four. Although we love the crew and have always enjoyed the port-intensive itineraries, the last few years have brought nothing but a downgrade to the product (ridiculous [IMO] changes to many cabins, removing the casinos, changes to the entertainment, a mix of passable and dreadful house wines, etc.), while prices have skyrocketed. If Azamara truly want to be considered a 6-star line, they need to act like one. The upgrade program isn't a big deal to us either way, just another sign that Azamara don't value repeat customers anymore than their sister line Royal Caribbean (and, increasingly, Celebrity). All three lines are chasing the younger cruisers. I guess we'll take our ancient selves and our money somewhere else.

 

Aloha.

[LoneMoose]

23 hours ago, critterchick said:

I would be surprised if TAs have to opt in to the program - what's not to like about it, since commission is paid on the upgrade? I'm one and have received no notifcation, by the way.

I am also in the camp of having found out that our (very large) travel agent does not participate in the upgrade program.  I called them to inquire and found out that, because of their size I suppose, they do not participate in ANY upgrade/waitlist program because they have found that it is too unproductive to receive the call from a cruise line, try to call the client, and respond back to the cruise line, all within the time limit set by the cruise line.  They suggested, and I've done so, that I contact their corporate office to see if an exception can be made for this type of upgrade program, where there is no calling back and forth.

 

What isn't clear is why Azamara, who knows that the TA won't be involved in contacting, continues to use the "not eligible" excuse for not allowing our bidding.  Why is this a reason if the TA isn't involved?

 

This also explains why we never received an upgrade in the past, although we were never told by Azamara or anyone else that our TA wasn't participating in the old system.  But, as I've said, we're happy with the cabin we've booked.  And for future cruises, it will be a factor in deciding which cruise line and which TA we use, since now we will have more information in hand before booking.

[Redtravel]

I feel completely left out. I have started to get emails about new cruises and excursions for my upcoming cruise.  However, I never got any notification from either Azamara or my TA about the new bidding upgrade procedure. If I didn’t read cruisecritic boards, I would never know that they had changed the upgrade procedure. Booked a July cruise almost a year in advance, submitted the $398 upgrade request form shortly after booking, have paid in full for my cruise, and have read on this thread that people on my cruise have received the upgrade offer. Just wondering how many other people haven’t been contacted.  I was also shocked when I read the posting from the person who was told that their TA opted out of the upgrade and would not be allowed the opportunity to bid. Perhaps, my TA is also a non participant. Although I doubt it since I did get an upgrade bidding offer on my last Celebrity cruise.