Azamara refund problems (merged)

[Grandma Cruising]

11 hours ago, MakingUpForLostTime said:

From a shareholder perspective it would be logical to let Azamara go bankrupt. Let the old ships go and not pay the deposits back to the customers. This would conserve cash to save the parent company. This is just one of the reasons Azamara customers are not getting their refunds and select Celebrity and RCI customers are getting them. The damage to customer loyalty is beyond repair. They will let it go. The FCC’s will be worthless and not transferable. In the end we are used to save the company and shareholder value. I smell Class Action?

If you look across the roll call topics you will see that some people have already received refunds.

[sunlover33]

24 minutes ago, Host Grandma Cruising said:

If you look across the roll call topics you will see that some people have already received refunds.

Yet but it appears the same shambles that occurred when they were cancelling cruises. Some people who have self cancelled cruises for June and July have received full refunds while others whose cruises were cancelled by Azamara in March are still waiting. Where is the logic, or better still effective communication from Azamara about when they intend to repay any money owed to people? Instead all we have is a complete wall  silence. Why  anyone would voluntarily  choose to cruise with this company ever again is beyond me. 

[nokewood20]

General comments cause me some concerns. I’m a U K customer, waiting for money refund for fully paid fares for 2 cruises cancelled by Azamara with a deposit on another, final payment due late May. Bookings and payments were made through a TA. Am I ATOL protected if Azamara got into liquidation?

 

[Grandma Cruising]

I haves moved a number of posts from the ‘Larry’s Stepping Down’ topic to this one as they were about refunds etc rather than about Larry Pimental stepping down.

[MakingUpForLostTime]

Another theory on why Azamara customers are not getting their money back.

if you owed 100 people money. Who do you pay first when they are all calling and hounding you?

if you owed 50 of them $1000 and the other 50 you owed $5000, then the first 50 get paid. This decreases the call rate by 50%.

 

The first 50 are lower fare RCI and Celebrity passengers inside stateroom, short cruises most likely $99 per night.

 

This might explain why.

[MakingUpForLostTime]

3 hours ago, sunlover33 said:

Yet but it appears the same shambles that occurred when they were cancelling cruises. Some people who have self cancelled cruises for June and July have received full refunds while others whose cruises were cancelled by Azamara in March are still waiting. Where is the logic, or better still effective communication from Azamara about when they intend to repay any money owed to people? Instead all we have is a complete wall  silence. Why  anyone would voluntarily  choose to cruise with this company ever again is beyond me. 

People who who voluntarily choose to cruise in the future with Azamara are die hard loyal customers who have found their groove with a specific cruise line. Azamara is small enough with 3 ships that if you cruise enough you will see the same passengers and crew members. This creates a family feeling. Cosy and warm. A second home. I get this.

 

That being said, that feeling can also be created with other small boutique cruise lines. It just takes longer. The older demographic on Azamara does not have the time to create this feeling again. They have it and they want to keep it come hell or high water. I am 57 and have worked my way up the RCI food chain from RC to Celebrity to Azamara. The perfect customer except I am 57. I am not 77 with little time to create that feeling on other cruise lines. At 57 I can switch at the drop of a hat.

 

Oceania has the same ships plus a couple of newer ones. They have a much better dining experience and they gave me my refund within 48 hrs. I got my refund by telling them that if I did not get it, they would never see me again. They acted quickly because they wanted me back. Azamara Nothing. I have spent 30 hours on the phone and writing letters. I wrote Larry and explained and pleaded my case with him. His response: resignation. Nothing. We are being told to be patient. In the end the only customers they will have left are a small slice of older loyal die hard Azamara lovers willing to forgive this behavior. Not me. My next 10 to 20 cruises that were planned for Azamara are being switched to Oceania because they have proven they want me to come back. I just became a Discover plus member with 6 free cruise days and a 25% FCC which are worthless to me. There is only one conclusion from this experience and that is that Azamara does not care about me coming back because there will be nothing to come back to. 

[MakingUpForLostTime]

4 hours ago, Host Grandma Cruising said:

If you look across the roll call topics you will see that some people have already received refunds.

Azamara? Which cruises and are they full refunds or partial payments? I see many RCI and Celebrity payments but nothing for my March 17 cruise which was the first one to be cancelled. What ever happened to FIFO?

[Grandma Cruising]

21 minutes ago, MakingUpForLostTime said:

Azamara? Which cruises and are they full refunds or partial payments? I see many RCI and Celebrity payments but nothing for my March 17 cruise which was the first one to be cancelled. What ever happened to FIFO?

Quest March 28th, 2 people got full refunds and others have got partial refunds.

[MakingUpForLostTime]

1 minute ago, Host Grandma Cruising said:

Quest March 28th, 2 people got full refunds and others have got partial refunds.

Really? Link please. Thx

[Grandma Cruising]

1 hour ago, MakingUpForLostTime said:

Really? Link please. Thx

 

Edited April 19, 2020 by Host Grandma Cruising

[nordski]

2 hours ago, MakingUpForLostTime said:

People who who voluntarily choose to cruise in the future with Azamara are die hard loyal customers who have found their groove with a specific cruise line. Azamara is small enough with 3 ships that if you cruise enough you will see the same passengers and crew members. This creates a family feeling. Cosy and warm. A second home. I get this.

 

That being said, that feeling can also be created with other small boutique cruise lines. It just takes longer. The older demographic on Azamara does not have the time to create this feeling again. They have it and they want to keep it come hell or high water. I am 57 and have worked my way up the RCI food chain from RC to Celebrity to Azamara. The perfect customer except I am 57. I am not 77 with little time to create that feeling on other cruise lines. At 57 I can switch at the drop of a hat.

 

Oceania has the same ships plus a couple of newer ones. They have a much better dining experience and they gave me my refund within 48 hrs. I got my refund by telling them that if I did not get it, they would never see me again. They acted quickly because they wanted me back. Azamara Nothing. I have spent 30 hours on the phone and writing letters. I wrote Larry and explained and pleaded my case with him. His response: resignation. Nothing. We are being told to be patient. In the end the only customers they will have left are a small slice of older loyal die hard Azamara lovers willing to forgive this behavior. Not me. 

You have made the best decision for yourself. Your tactic for a refund from Oceania worked, congratulations, and it’s unfortunate that Larry didn’t stay on in order to process your request.

 

What doesn’t make sense, at least to me, is being dismissive of those of us who wish to see Azamara survive. It may be that all of us are rather dim-witted and blindly loyal but perhaps that’s who we are and why do you care?

 

Is it important to you that Azamara and its staff go out of business? Is that the punishment you seek? How will that help people like you receive your refund?

 

I have no personal experience of Oceania and must take your word as to how much better  it is.

However, with a quick visit to the Oceania forum I see at least three threads focussed on difficulties in dealing with that cruise line. Of course, I am in no position to judge the merits of the positions taken.

 

 

 

 

[MakingUpForLostTime]

31 minutes ago, nordski said:

You have made the best decision for yourself. Your tactic for a refund from Oceania worked, congratulations, and it’s unfortunate that Larry didn’t stay on in order to process your request.

 

What doesn’t make sense, at least to me, is being dismissive of those of us who wish to see Azamara survive. It may be that all of us are rather dim-witted and blindly loyal but perhaps that’s who we are and why do you care?

 

Is it important to you that Azamara and its staff go out of business? Is that the punishment you seek? How will that help people like you receive your refund?

 

I have no personal experience of Oceania and must take your word as to how much better  it is.

However, with a quick visit to the Oceania forum I see at least three threads focussed on difficulties in dealing with that cruise line. Of course, I am in no position to judge the merits of the positions taken.

 

 

 

 

You raise 5 good points.

Yes for the most part we make decisions in our best interest.

Never said dim-witted and I do not care.

No. Azamara was one of my favorite cruise line and the staff on the ships were some of the best. I have given up expecting my refund weeks ago after reading the financial statements.

Oceania and Azamara are very similar in regards to value for money. They were started around the same time with the same sister ships.

Yes Mostly all cruise companies are having serious issues with refunds, the difference is that my experience with both were very different. One wanted me as customer when they were ready to sail and the other...... not so much.

 

 

[MakingUpForLostTime]

2 hours ago, hrhdhd said:

MakingUp, if Azamara has angered you so badly, I don't blame you for cutting ties. But really, we have gotten your point. Please stop spamming the board with the same post over and over.

RCL has angered me not Azamara. Please check definition of Spamming.

[nordski]

40 minutes ago, MakingUpForLostTime said:

You raise 5 good points.

Yes for the most part we make decisions in our best interest.

Never said dim-witted and I do not care.

No. Azamara was one of my favorite cruise line and the staff on the ships were some of the best. I have given up expecting my refund weeks ago after reading the financial statements.

Oceania and Azamara are very similar in regards to value for money. They were started around the same time with the same sister ships.

Yes Mostly all cruise companies are having serious issues with refunds, the difference is that my experience with both were very different. One wanted me as customer when they were ready to sail and the other...... not so much.

 

 

Thanks for your response and clarification.

 

Based upon your positive experience on board, I empathize on the deep disappointment you feel concerning your refund frustrations and the resultant parting of ways.

 

You are among a number of cruisers who have told us that Azamara and Oceania are largely interchangeable, but I have to say that certainly their marketing is not directed to our interests.

 

As a result, our preferred solution in this challenging time is that Azamara survives so that we can continue to enjoy its cruises, everyone receives satisfactory recompense for cruises missed, and that the staff keep their jobs.
 

On a much lighter note, I don’t know if you were aware that TVO posted a video of a small boat cruise on the upper section of the Rideau Canal. In this past 3 months It has been the closest we’ve been to actually sailing on a body of water. It’s 4 hours of relaxation.

 

 

[chromered7]

They want your final payment as soon as possible, want you to settle your cabin bill as soon as possible however when it comes to them paying you back for the  cruise they cancelled  Azamara are purposely dragging their feet.  The passengers have to wait and wait and get treated with lies and excuses. How can some people on this thread continue to support a company that would not communicate to their passengers until the last minute and then fail to pay back the money that is owed? They could not or would not transfer your credit on to another ship in their group. I would never sail with AZ again they offer reasonable service for for a basic product and at a high price.

[ECCruise]

7 hours ago, MakingUpForLostTime said:

Azamara? Which cruises and are they full refunds or partial payments? I see many RCI and Celebrity payments but nothing for my March 17 cruise which was the first one to be cancelled. What ever happened to FIFO?

You've got to show me "many RCI and Celebrity payments." 

I am waiting for refunds there and virtually no one--not in the general threads nor our roll call threads--has received a dime of refunds.  FCCs, yes.  CC refunds, no.  Same as Azamara, where we are also waiting.

[free from work]

11 hours ago, nokewood20 said:

General comments cause me some concerns. I’m a U K customer, waiting for money refund for fully paid fares for 2 cruises cancelled by Azamara with a deposit on another, final payment due late May. Bookings and payments were made through a TA. Am I ATOL protected if Azamara got into liquidation?

 

You could be ABTA protected. Your TA should have given you a certificate when you booked. Go back to your TA and check who they are regulated by. You might find that it is easier to claim from your TA than Azamara. 

[Cahpek]

9 hours ago, MakingUpForLostTime said:

You raise 5 good points.

Yes for the most part we make decisions in our best interest.

Never said dim-witted and I do not care.

No. Azamara was one of my favorite cruise line and the staff on the ships were some of the best. I have given up expecting my refund weeks ago after reading the financial statements.

Oceania and Azamara are very similar in regards to value for money. They were started around the same time with the same sister ships.

Yes Mostly all cruise companies are having serious issues with refunds, the difference is that my experience with both were very different. One wanted me as customer when they were ready to sail and the other...... not so much.

 

 

 

If you are willing to "jump over" to Oceania from Azamara, why not also try Viking Ocean?  We have tried all three (Azamara, Oceania, and Viking) and we find we would be happy to sail with all of them as they are within our boundary of pretty good service standard. We found that Viking in some ways really  give Oceania a run for its money. The Viking cruise ships,  compared to those "R" ships which both Azamara and Oceania have, are newer with more facilities ! Oceania's "O" ships are good too with 4 speciality restaurants  .

 

Meanwhile,  for our cruise in mid-May on the Azamara Persuit which has just been cancelled, we aim to ask for a cash refund, and not the FCC. In these uncertain times, in our view, cash in hand is worth more than any credit, 125% or not.

 

To be frank, the resignation of the CEO of Azamara, that unfortunately,   does not instil much confidence in us for the future of the cruise line. Having said that, we do hope that Azamara will survive through this challenging period , if only for the reason that they still have some of the best and friendliest captains and crew of any cruise lines.

Edited April 20, 2020 by Cahpek

[MakingUpForLostTime]

20 hours ago, ECCruise said:

You've got to show me "many RCI and Celebrity payments." 

I am waiting for refunds there and virtually no one--not in the general threads nor our roll call threads--has received a dime of refunds.  FCCs, yes.  CC refunds, no.  Same as Azamara, where we are also waiting.

On the Cancelled Cruises Refund Tracker Thread EMS8 on post 525 said "We requested a refund for the March 15th Silhouette cruise that Celebrity cancelled.  So far only taxes and fees have been refunded.  Still waiting on the biggest chunk of money."

 

I have read many posts that are similar.

[ECCruise]

12 minutes ago, MakingUpForLostTime said:

On the Cancelled Cruises Refund Tracker Thread EMS8 on post 525 said "We requested a refund for the March 15th Silhouette cruise that Celebrity cancelled.  So far only taxes and fees have been refunded.  Still waiting on the biggest chunk of money."

 

I have read many posts that are similar.

Did you get your refund or are you still waiting?  For every one (and the one you cited is the only one I've seen) there are literally hundreds and hundreds that have not received anything.  And our situation is real, not apocryphal in cruise threads.  We are, along with over 3000 others in our specific cases, waiting for refunds that not one has received.

Edited April 20, 2020 by ECCruise

[MakingUpForLostTime]

1 hour ago, ECCruise said:

Did you get your refund or are you still waiting?  For every one (and the one you cited is the only one I've seen) there are literally hundreds and hundreds that have not received anything.  And our situation is real, not apocryphal in cruise threads.  We are, along with over 3000 others in our specific cases, waiting for refunds that not one has received.

Waiting for a refund for a cruise that was cancelled on us by Azamara on March 10th. The cruise was to have happened March 17. There is little to no money available to pay us. They are sending out small amounts in no particular order and they refuse to confirm methodology. There was more than enough time and money to process our refund before the staff were to not go into the office and work from home. They did not. First 30 (unspecified) days from cancellation, then 30 business days, then 30 business days from sailing of ship, then 45 days, then...... you get the point. My cruise cancellation letter never specified refund date so I assume that means "good luck".

[suzyluvs2cruise]

On 4/19/2020 at 4:32 AM, MakingUpForLostTime said:

Another theory on why Azamara customers are not getting their money back.

if you owed 100 people money. Who do you pay first when they are all calling and hounding you?

if you owed 50 of them $1000 and the other 50 you owed $5000, then the first 50 get paid. This decreases the call rate by 50%.

 

The first 50 are lower fare RCI and Celebrity passengers inside stateroom, short cruises most likely $99 per night.

 

This might explain why.

 

I respectfully disagree with this theory. From what I'm reading on both the Azamara and RCI boards and in FB posts there doesn't appear to be any rhyme or reason as to who is getting the refunds or in what order. 

Edited April 20, 2020 by suzyluvs2cruise

[sunlover33]

Has anyone successfully received a refund ( not deposit or FCC) for a cruise cancelled by Azamara. It appears on the celebrity site they are starting to trickle through very very slowly and not in any particular order. I’m not sure if it’s just people who have contacted their Credit card companies or actual refunds from celebrity but there has been nothing I can see from any Azamara sailings, which is concerning if they have combined the admin staff to process refunds? 

[nigelc]

On 4/19/2020 at 8:22 AM, Host Grandma Cruising said:

If you look across the roll call topics you will see that some people have already received refunds.

 

They have and I am one of 17th March people who have received a full refund. That said,  it was like pulling teeth and I do not know if the money has come from Azamara or has been paid in advance of the refund by them by my TA (I live in the UK and they are required to refund within 14 days).

[nigelc]

On 4/19/2020 at 6:00 PM, chromered7 said:

They want your final payment as soon as possible, want you to settle your cabin bill as soon as possible however when it comes to them paying you back for the  cruise they cancelled  Azamara are purposely dragging their feet.  The passengers have to wait and wait and get treated with lies and excuses. How can some people on this thread continue to support a company that would not communicate to their passengers until the last minute and then fail to pay back the money that is owed? They could not or would not transfer your credit on to another ship in their group. I would never sail with AZ again they offer reasonable service for for a basic product and at a high price.

 

I couldn't agree more - the poor communication prior to cancelling my cruise was bad enough, but the fight to get my money back was unbelievable - why anyone would even consider sailing with Azamara again beats me - the trust had gone.