Coronavirus

[takemewithyou]

https://www.celebritycruisespresscenter.com/press-release/1158/royal-caribbean-announces-voluntary-suspension-of-cruising/

[hrhdhd]

20 minutes ago, Spursgirl said:

While the statement is from Royal Caribbean Ltd there is no mention of either Celebrity or Azamara - maybe neither brand has American sailings.

 

RCCL (Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.) is, in fact, the parent company. RCI is Royal Caribbean International, the specific cruise line.

Edited March 13, 2020 by hrhdhd

[hiccups]

1 minute ago, excitedofharpenden said:

It states Royal Caribbean LTD and they are the parent for Celebrity and Azamara so it's safe to assume it does apply to Azamara. Currently only Pursuit is headed to the US, but seeing as Europe now appears to be a Covid-19 hotpot is also safe to assume that Journey and Quest will be affected. It would just be great if it was spelled out!  

.

Phil 

 

With so many cancellations already, that's a good bet.

[Baynanno1]

14 minutes ago, excitedofharpenden said:

It states Royal Caribbean LTD and they are the parent for Celebrity and Azamara so it's safe to assume it does apply to Azamara. Currently only Pursuit is headed to the US, but seeing as Europe now appears to be a Covid-19 hotpot is also safe to assume that Journey and Quest will be affected. It would just be great if it was spelled out!  

.

Phil 

 

 

Indeed Phil, It would just be great if it was spelled out!

 

The writing has been on the wall for some time . . . I just wish they would let us know our 28 March cruise will be cancelled and refunded, rather than (as it appears to be in the latest Travel Advisory) suggesting we cancel for a FCC.

 

"If you are unable to provide a signed letter from your doctor or if you have a severe, chronic medical condition, please contact us or your Travel Advisor immediately and we’ll provide you with a Future Cruise Credit to come back and sail with us at a later time."

 

Trish

[FlaFan]

After reading the 13 March travel advisory, I would prefer these notices state who can board instead of listing out all those exclusions.   

 

Who is still left out there allowed to board a ship departing out of one of the affected countries?

 

Currently am booked on the 14 May Pursuit Lisbon to Southampton.   Flying in from Tampa connecting thru Amsterdam staying 2 nights in Lisbon prior to sailing.   I am traveling to Portugal, an exclusion country in mainland Europe;  thus, I would be denied boarding assuming this advisory continues beyond the next 30 days to cover 14 May departures.   Also, I would come into contact with quite a lot of people within six feet when that plane touches down in Amsterdam.  

 

 

 

Edited March 13, 2020 by FlaFan

[ptrpanpens]

26 minutes ago, FlaFan said:

After reading the 13 March travel advisory, I would prefer these notices state who can board instead of listing out all those exclusions.   

 

Who is still left out there allowed to board a ship departing out of one of the affected countries?

 

Currently am booked on the 14 May Pursuit Lisbon to Southampton.   Flying in from Tampa connecting thru Amsterdam staying 2 nights in Lisbon prior to sailing.   I am traveling to Portugal, an exclusion country in mainland Europe;  thus, I would be denied boarding assuming this advisory continues beyond the next 30 days to cover 14 May departures.   Also, I would come into contact with quite a lot of people within six feet when that plane touches down in Amsterdam.  

 

 

 

 

 

I was also on that sailing. Canceled on Monday. Not willing to risk getting sick, quarantined or worse. Too bad because it was a great itinerary and very cheap. Oh well.. another time.

[garlinn]

The Journey April 11 Singapore to Dubai has been cancelled.

 

Dear Azamara Guest,

We have some urgent information to provide regarding your upcoming 15-Night Sri Lanka & India Voyage on April 11^th, 2020 aboard Azamara Journey® 

Along with the US Administration's COVID-19 Taskforce, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The World Health Organization, we've been vigilantly monitoring the developments of the coronavirus and travel restrictions around the world.

Due to the recent closure of ports in the United Arab Emirates as well as the other Asian ports on your itinerary, we have made the necessary decision to cancel your upcoming voyage, which was scheduled to depart out of Singapore. Up until today we did not intend to cancel this voyage; however, must do so due to the regional restrictions recently implemented.

In order to compensate you for this cancellation, all booked guests will have the option to receive a full refund to their original method of payment or receive a 125% Future Cruise Credit (FCC).

If you pre-booked any shore excursions through Azamara, you'll receive a full refund to the original form of payment. Guests with independent arrangements should contact their travel advisors as soon as possible. If you pre-purchased any beverage, internet or specialty dining, you will also receive a full refund to your original form of payment. Please note, guests who have purchased land packages through Azamara including, the pre-Stay Locals in Singapore, the post Taj Mahal & Tigers of India and the post Stay Local in Dubai will also receive compensation in the same form as their cruise fare.

Guests with air travel and hotel booked through ChoiceAir will be refunded automatically. Guests with independent air arrangements need to contact their air carriers directly to make all required cancellations. For any airline flight change fees incurred, you may receive up to $500 per person reimbursement. In order to receive reimbursement, you must send us a copy of the air change fees assessed. Please email to, AzamaraCustomerService@azamara.com. 

We know how important your vacation time is and we sincerely regret for the inconvenience of this cancellation. Your safety and well-being are our highest priority. We hope to welcome you in the near future for an AzAmazing vacation. 

In the meantime, should you have any questions about this voyage, please contact us at 1-855-AZAMARA (292-6272), option 3.

Sincerely, 

AZAMARA®

 

To view the affected itinerary, please click here.

 

Edited March 14, 2020 by garlinn

[BBMacLaird]

March 13, 2020

Dear Azamara Guest,

 

As you know, the President of the United States declared a national emergency today as it relates to COVID- 19. Given that declaration, the cruise industry has voluntarily agreed not to allow any departure from the United States, beginning on March 14, 2020 until April 11, 2020.

 

Given that Azamara ships are largely in global destinations, at the moment, this only impacts one of our sailings – Azamara Pursuit® out of Miami on April 5th. We are currently evaluating alternative deployment options and will have more information to share on Monday, March 16th. Guests ending their March 23rdvoyage from Lima to Miami, are allowed to disembark on April 5th as planned.

 

At this point, the President’s announcement has caused minor changes to our existing deployment schedule. We will continue to communicate directly with impacted guests and travel advisors as this progresses. Please know that we’re doing everything possible to communicate effectively given how fluid the situation is. I highly encourage you to visit our website, which is constantly being updated with the latest travel alerts and regulations at https://www.azamara.com/travel-advisory.

 

Our business and passion are to provide great vacations and create unforgettable memories. Thank you for your support as we navigate through this.

 

Sincerely,

Larry Pimentel
President and CEO, AZAMARA®

[lenoirm]

Thank you for the update Mr Pimentel!

Where have you been since the beginning of this crisis?

Seems too little and too late to this frequent Azamara cruiser.

[Baynanno1]

Probably had his hands tied and still does to a large extent.

[larhode]

1 hour ago, lenoirm said:

Thank you for the update Mr Pimentel!

Where have you been since the beginning of this crisis?

Seems too little and too late to this frequent Azamara cruiser.

I imagine cruise line officials have been pulling their hair out the last couple of weeks.  

 

I wish them well and hope the cruise business will soon recover.  

[florisdekort]

Azamara should seriously consider halting its global operations like Princess, Seabourn, Viking, others.  There is no rationale for “US departures only”.  Worse, it kind of shows they are only doing it because the US government told them to, not because they want to or believe it’s in the best interest of their passengers health and safety. 

[excitedofharpenden]

10 minutes ago, florisdekort said:

Azamara should seriously consider halting its global operations like Princess, Seabourn, Viking, others.  There is no rationale for “US departures only”.  Worse, it kind of shows they are only doing it because the US government told them to, not because they want to or believe it’s in the best interest of their passengers health and safety. 

Totally agree and without getting too political it makes them look like pawns in POTUS's self congratulatory world. A bit of honesty from Azamara about the gravity would be a good thing. 

 

Phil 

[uktog]

1 hour ago, excitedofharpenden said:

A bit of honesty from Azamara about the gravity would be a good thing. 

 

And some recognition of what it’s REALLY like in Europe. 
Azamara is coming over as stubborn, arrogant, greedy and uncaring. Not the brand values I used to associate with them. 

[QueenP]

New Zealand has closed its borders to all cruise ships till the end of June. The reality is that soon there will be nowhere for cruise ships to go. 

[florisdekort]

1 hour ago, excitedofharpenden said:

Totally agree and without getting too political it makes them look like pawns in POTUS's self congratulatory world. A bit of honesty from Azamara about the gravity would be a good thing. 

 

Phil 

 

 

I bet that the US government made any future bail outs contingent upon compliance with the shut down. 

[Bloodaxe]

22 minutes ago, uktog said:

And some recognition of what it’s REALLY like in Europe. 
Azamara is coming over as stubborn, arrogant, greedy and uncaring. Not the brand values I used to associate with them. 

 

All of the above and extremely short sighted, they will never be the same to many previously loyal people after this.

Edited March 14, 2020 by Bloodaxe

[uktog]

11 minutes ago, florisdekort said:

 

 

I bet that the US government made any future bail outs contingent upon compliance with the shut down. 

Yep money talks ahead of anything else including the requirements of other governments worldwide. 

[Janet&David]

It’s sad to see many previously loyal Azamara customers questioning whether they will travel with the cruise line in future. For us this was to be our first cruise with Azamara which we’d been intending to try for while. I’m afraid that’s not going to happen now – even if we end up with some FCC we won’t be using it. I don’t think I can remember any company I've dealt with (in travel or otherwise) behaving quite so badly with regard to its customers. It’s going to be back to Oceania and Viking for us. Both have always seemed to have genuinely put customers’ interests first and Viking in particular has led the way in this crisis. 

Edited March 14, 2020 by Janet&David

[Vgroom]

1 minute ago, Janet&David said:

It’s sad to see many previously loyal Azamara customers questioning whether they will travel with the cruise line in future. For us this was to be our first cruise with Azamara which we’d been wanting to try for while. I’m afraid that’s not going to happen now – even if we end up with some FCC we won’t be using it. I don’t think I can remember any company (in travel or otherwise) behaving quite so badly with regard to its customers. It’s going to be back to Oceania and Viking for us. Both have always seemed to have genuinely put customers’ interests first and Viking in particular has led the way in this crisis. 

This was our first cruise with Azamara and my husbands first cruise. We shall also now consider other cruise lines. I hope Azamara  recover from this and more importantly learn from it. 

[Hamwen3839]

Totally agree. This was to be our first taste of Azamara after some recommendations.The way Azamara has behaved when most other cruise companies are doing the right thing by their passengers has totally floored us.We are apparently still going on a Sydney to who knows where cruise when EVERYONE will have to scramble for accommodation and flights home from who knows where.Time will tell but back to Oceania for us.We are most likely  to give Viking a go  just to reward their ethical behaviour.

[excitedofharpenden]

1 hour ago, florisdekort said:

 

 

I bet that the US government made any future bail outs contingent upon compliance with the shut down. 

Very good point. Hadn't thought of that. 

 

Phil 

[NetwrkEng]

Azamara is not handling this well but they maybe under the “guidance” of RCL regarding this. We previously sailed Oceania and also enjoyed our voyage on Quest last year but this is really poor handling of the situation by Azamara. Even if one did venture on what type of cruise experience will this be with all of the screenings etc.

 

Below is what we received from Oceania. Draw your own conclusions:

 

Dear Valued Guests, I’d like to share an important update on Oceania Cruises’ response to COVID-19. With COVID-19 impacting communities around the globe, we have decided after collaboration with federal officials to voluntarily suspend cruise voyages across Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ three brands, effective immediately. This voluntary action covers voyages with embarkation dates from March 13 to April 11, 2020. We will plan to recommence and operate with embarkations beginning April 12, 2020.  The health, safety and well-being of our guests and crew is our highest priority. While we have not had any confirmed cases of COVID-19 across our 28-ship fleet and are taking this measure in an abundance of caution, we felt it necessary to do our part and contribute to efforts to contain the spread of the virus.  We greatly appreciate the understanding of our valued guests during these fluid, unprecedented and challenging times.  Guests on voyages that are underway will conclude and guests will be disembarked as soon as possible and assisted with travel arrangements.  Guests who are currently booked on voyages with embarkation dates from March 13 to April 11, 2020 are asked to contact their travel advisor or the cruise line for more information. All guests sailing on impacted voyages scheduled to depart in the next 7 days will receive a 150% Future Cruise Credit which can be applied toward any future cruise through December 31, 2022. All guests on impacted voyages departing 8 days or more from now will receive a 125% refund of the fare paid in the form of a future cruise credit, which can be applied toward any future cruise through December 31, 2022. Future voyage must be booked by March 31, 2021. For guests who wish to not avail themselves of the future cruise credit, a 100% refund of the fare paid will be reimbursed to the original form of payment within 90 days of guests’ request. If you prefer this option, please inform us no later than March 27, 2020. Working closely and in partnership with local, state, federal and global agencies, we are committed to taking all appropriate steps and actions to combat the spread of COVID-19.  If you have questions regarding this matter, please contact us at 855-OCEANIA (855-623-2642).  As always, your business is important to Oceania Cruises and we appreciate your trust in us. We remain dedicated to providing our guests with the best travel experiences across the globe. Sincerely, Bob Binder President & Chief Executive Officer

[lasvegaswinner1]

I would call your credit card company and ask them to reverse the charges since you are not getting the service you paid for.  I had a situation with a hotel that didn't have the room catagory I paid for, caled Master Catd and got all my money credited back.  

[Janet&David]

See new board.

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2741962-31420-due-to-global-situation-we-are-canceling-cruises-until-411/

"Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., our parent company, has decided to voluntarily suspend our fleet’s global sailings in support of the global public health circumstance"

Voluntarily?

What's the "global public health circumstance" they're talking about? Surely there isn't anything going on out there that we should be worrying about - we'd have seen something about it in the news.

But at least it will all be sorted by 11 April when everything will be back to normal and all the scheduled cruises can go ahead as planned.

#TooLittleTooLate