New website.

[Nuts4pi]

So, who else got this postcard in the mail? I guess the sales are down (surprised? NOT!) so they're trying to drum up more business. Good luck to them while their website is still a mess!

 

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

53 minutes ago, Nuts4pi said:

So, who else got this postcard in the mail? I guess the sales are down (surprised? NOT!) so they're trying to drum up more business. Good luck to them while their website is still a mess!

 

 

When did you ever think that Marketing had any relation to any other part of a company?  [There's an old joke about 'Military Intelligence.'  Notice that they don't even bother using Marketing and Intelligence in the same sentence...]

[islandwoman]

Why book air through Azamara?

[Marylebone37]

I have been/am a harsh critic of management’s system transition fiasco, and have posted about it on this thread and others.

 

BUT, I boarded the Pursuit yesterday in Barcelona. As others have said here, the shipboard experience is seemingly unaffected and truly superb. Embarkation (with nothing but a passport) was seamless and very quick. The ship is in really excellent, almost pristine, condition, the food outstanding in Discoveries and Windows, and the service levels are on par with or even better than other luxury players like Regent, Seabourn etc. Internet dropped here and there for brief periods, but otherwise very speedy and easy to set up and apply your status level discount. 
 

Heads up to those boarding in Barcelona… the online FAQ did show the wrong name for the embarkation terminal. We boarded at the Marina terminal (where the ferries arrive/depart) and NOT Moll Adossat. Luckily we had a helpful taxi driver, but keep your eyes peeled for the ship and signage. 

 

Our OBC did not make it and that is being sorted out by reception and filling out the appropriate paperwork for Miami to review/confirm. However, excursion tickets (booked and paid for using OBC prior to the transition) were waiting in the stateroom and correct. Loyalty status was incorrect online but accurate on board. 
 

Happy to answer any questions as best as possible. 

Edited May 31, 2023 by Marylebone37

[terry&mike]

6 hours ago, islandwoman said:

Why book air through Azamara?

Sometimes "cruise air" can offer significant savings over air bought on the open market. In this case, the clients were able to buy round trip, multi city air from a smaller US airport to sail a Med cruise for a total of $2100 for 2 people in Economy, and select a very good route with 1 connection in each direction. At the time of purchase, that route was running about $2900 total for the 2 of them directly from the airline. 

 

Generally speaking, involving a third party in an airline purchase is not something I am a fan of, because it's just one extra level of involvement that needs to be navigated, but in some instances the savings are worth it. Also, it should be noted that some cruise lines do not allow clients to select their flight routes, you pay their air price and the cruise line selects the route, making this not a positive setup. In the case of Azamara (and Cunard, Princess, several others), the client selects the route they like, days they are arriving/returning, cities, etc, and is given a price. 

[takemewithyou]

3 hours ago, Marylebone37 said:

I have been/am a harsh critic of management’s system transition fiasco, and have posted about it on this thread and others.

 

BUT, I boarded the Pursuit yesterday in Barcelona. As others have said here, the shipboard experience is seemingly unaffected and truly superb. Embarkation (with nothing but a passport) was seamless and very quick. The ship is in really excellent, almost pristine, condition, the food outstanding in Discoveries and Windows, and the service levels are on par with or even better than other luxury players like Regent, Seabourn etc. Internet dropped here and there for brief periods, but otherwise very speedy and easy to set up and apply your status level discount. 
 

Heads up to those boarding in Barcelona… the online FAQ did show the wrong name for the embarkation terminal. We boarded at the Marina terminal (where the ferries arrive/depart) and NOT Moll Adossat. Luckily we had a helpful taxi driver, but keep your eyes peeled for the ship and signage. 

 

Our OBC did not make it and that is being sorted out by reception and filling out the appropriate paperwork for Miami to review/confirm. However, excursion tickets (booked and paid for using OBC prior to the transition) were waiting in the stateroom and correct. Loyalty status was incorrect online but accurate on board. 
 

Happy to answer any questions as best as possible. 

We are on the cruise right after you on Pursuit to Ireland.  Thank you so much for your posting!  
Is the Patio open in the evening for dinners?

Has Emily come back from her time off as CD?

How have the daily included wines been?  Wines from Europe or CA?  Or a mix?

If you have a chance, I’d love to hear about entertainment.

Thank you again and enjoy your cruise!

 

[Marylebone37]

44 minutes ago, takemewithyou said:

We are on the cruise right after you on Pursuit to Ireland.  Thank you so much for your posting!  
Is the Patio open in the evening for dinners?

Has Emily come back from her time off as CD?

How have the daily included wines been?  Wines from Europe or CA?  Or a mix?

If you have a chance, I’d love to hear about entertainment.

Thank you again and enjoy your cruise!

 

Patio: usually 6:30-8:30pm evenings. And beautiful!

 

Emily is back with Lee as assistant.

 

We are not wine connoisseurs, so they are fine for us. Looks like most are specially produced/labeled for AZ. South African Sav Blanc and Pinotages (sp?) have been the only ones tried thus far. Acceptable but nothing memorable. The Woodford Reserve on the Premium package is quite nice, though! 😉  Interestingly, only the Ultimate package affords you “better” wines. The Premium package is only for upgraded spirits (you get the same house wines). 

 

House band is very good. That’s all I’ve experienced thus far. 

[uktog]

Does Lee do a show? 

[blag]

We seem to be getting way off topic.

What has the entertainment/entertainers and/or dining venues got to do with the 'New Website'?

[takemewithyou]

10 minutes ago, blag said:

We seem to be getting way off topic.

What has the entertainment/entertainers and/or dining venues got to do with the 'New Website'?

They don’t. The commenter said she would answer questions.

now back to website complaints!

[Marylebone37]

Tough crowd here. But I commented here earlier on this thread (and others) about my frustrations so felt obliged to reassure folks that all is GREAT on board. Which I am very thankful for. Think I’ll start a new thread and post my original comment to keep this original one on topic. 
 

BTW, OBC still not sorted out with Miami after 24+ hours. But otherwise, fantastic. 

[takemewithyou]

1 hour ago, Marylebone37 said:

Tough crowd here. But I commented here earlier on this thread (and others) about my frustrations so felt obliged to reassure folks that all is GREAT on board. Which I am very thankful for. Think I’ll start a new thread and post my original comment to keep this original one on topic. 
 

BTW, OBC still not sorted out with Miami after 24+ hours. But otherwise, fantastic. 

Don’t worry @Marylebone37!  Your comments were appreciated by some of us and we appreciated you coming back to let us know how things were onboard…..now that you finally made it there.  I will gladly follow your new thread.  Thank you.

 

Edited to add:  it’s nice to finally read something other than a complaint and from someone who sees some progress being made after all the website madness.

Edited May 31, 2023 by takemewithyou

[Hula Girl67]

11 hours ago, terry&mike said:

Sometimes "cruise air" can offer significant savings over air bought on the open market. In this case, the clients were able to buy round trip, multi city air from a smaller US airport to sail a Med cruise for a total of $2100 for 2 people in Economy, and select a very good route with 1 connection in each direction. At the time of purchase, that route was running about $2900 total for the 2 of them directly from the airline. 

 

Generally speaking, involving a third party in an airline purchase is not something I am a fan of, because it's just one extra level of involvement that needs to be navigated, but in some instances the savings are worth it. Also, it should be noted that some cruise lines do not allow clients to select their flight routes, you pay their air price and the cruise line selects the route, making this not a positive setup. In the case of Azamara (and Cunard, Princess, several others), the client selects the route they like, days they are arriving/returning, cities, etc, and is given a price. 

I have been a loyal Princess passenger with Elite status recently. We have always booked air with the cruise line. The prices are competitive and the Princess flexible fare is cheaper than the non-refundable fare...not sure why but I like it. The best perk is that you do not pay for airfare until your final payment to the cruise line.I really like that!

I am a first time cruiser with Azamara in August 2023.Too bad that my first experience is a website failure. Just hope Azamara does not declare bankruptcy before my cruise!! I am looking forward to smaller ship cruising.

[Toronto Guy]

I don't use cruise line air because I usually use points, but agree with you that it is often worthwhile to book your air with the cruise line for the reasons you mention.  I share the bankruptcy concern and have been investigating options in case that scenario unfolds.  They can't be bringing in many bookings these days, and the delay in passengers making final payments until their accurate pricing appears on their website must surely be causing a cashflow problem.  If anything on the website matched either my original invoice, OBC amount, shore excursions booked or even my loyalty points/status I would feel much better....but my previous email from Azamara Loyalty stating this would all be corrected by end of May is clearly yet another fail by the Azamara management team.  I think those prominent staffers who left for other cruise lines saw all this unfolding just as it has.  Sad.

Edited May 31, 2023 by Toronto Guy
omitted a word

[Toronto Guy]

16 minutes ago, Hula Girl67 said:

I have been a loyal Princess passenger with Elite status recently. We have always booked air with the cruise line. The prices are competitive and the Princess flexible fare is cheaper than the non-refundable fare...not sure why but I like it. The best perk is that you do not pay for airfare until your final payment to the cruise line.I really like that!

I am a first time cruiser with Azamara in August 2023.Too bad that my first experience is a website failure. Just hope Azamara does not declare bankruptcy before my cruise!! I am looking forward to smaller ship cruising.

Sorry, intended to quote you in my post above. 

Edited May 31, 2023 by Toronto Guy
missed quote

[PaulS]

For those of you who can see their status and points on the website, have you kept the same loyalty number? I can see our future cruises, but they have assigned both my wife and me new numbers with zero points. For some reason I am at the adventurer level and my wife is at the preview level when we both should be discoverer plus.

[Toronto Guy]

2 hours ago, PaulS said:

For those of you who can see their status and points on the website, have you kept the same loyalty number? I can see our future cruises, but they have assigned both my wife and me new numbers with zero points. For some reason I am at the adventurer level and my wife is at the preview level when we both should be discoverer plus.

Yes I have the same number

[Nuts4pi]

4 hours ago, Toronto Guy said:

I don't use cruise line air because I usually use points, but agree with you that it is often worthwhile to book your air with the cruise line for the reasons you mention.  I share the bankruptcy concern and have been investigating options in case that scenario unfolds.  They can't be bringing in many bookings these days, and the delay in passengers making final payments until their accurate pricing appears on their website must surely be causing a cashflow problem.  If anything on the website matched either my original invoice, OBC amount, shore excursions booked or even my loyalty points/status I would feel much better....but my previous email from Azamara Loyalty stating this would all be corrected by end of May is clearly yet another fail by the Azamara management team.  I think those prominent staffers who left for other cruise lines saw all this unfolding just as it has.  Sad.

So, I guess @Blag will be happy you're back "on topic" with more negative comments. 😏

[Nuts4pi]

On 5/30/2023 at 11:20 PM, Host Jazzbeau said:

When did you ever think that Marketing had any relation to any other part of a company?  [There's an old joke about 'Military Intelligence.'  Notice that they don't even bother using Marketing and Intelligence in the same sentence...]

Ummm...marketing is related to sales, which is often generated from website traffic (along with referrals from TAs & previous customers). Current situation with the website is generating negative feedback, resulting in fewer sales. Hence, the marketing team is stepping up in hopes to get more sales.

Business 101.

[Nuts4pi]

3 hours ago, PaulS said:

For those of you who can see their status and points on the website, have you kept the same loyalty number? I can see our future cruises, but they have assigned both my wife and me new numbers with zero points. For some reason I am at the adventurer level and my wife is at the preview level when we both should be discoverer plus.

 

Both the AZ & Seaware sites now have our correct AC account number, though still missing points from our 2 most recent cruises.

Up until a few days ago, the Seaware site had us with a new loyalty number, Adventurer tier with 0 points.

Both sites have our upcoming (2/2024) cruise listed correctly (we even added the land tour a few days ago & everything updated correctly).

Bottom line: we're seeing some progress! 😁

[Host Jazzbeau]

2 hours ago, Nuts4pi said:

Ummm...marketing is related to sales, which is often generated from website traffic (along with referrals from TAs & previous customers). Current situation with the website is generating negative feedback, resulting in fewer sales. Hence, the marketing team is stepping up in hopes to get more sales.

Business 101.

2023 has been a year in which marketing has caused terrible downturns in sales for several companies (Bud Light, Target).  Hopefully Business 301 will be updated to warn advanced students that it doesn't always work as they were taught in Business 101...

 

[Grandma Cruising]

5 hours ago, PaulS said:

For those of you who can see their status and points on the website, have you kept the same loyalty number? I can see our future cruises, but they have assigned both my wife and me new numbers with zero points. For some reason I am at the adventurer level and my wife is at the preview level when we both should be discoverer plus.

Same here, new number and no points although we are actually at Discoverer level.

[islandwoman]

This post is for those of you who have upcoming Azamara cruises. I do not mean to imply that Azamara should not improve their IT and customer service; only to make you all aware of what you might find onboard so that you can be prepared.

Onboard Azamara Quest day 28:

I am sorry to report that Azamara's IT issues continue to impact life onboard. 

I agree that the cruise itself is wonderful, but ....

We were promised that our OBC for the excursion we cancelled over a month ago would be applied to our account within 2 days.  This is day 3 and now we are told that because Guest Relations has received "confusing emails" from shoreside, they have not been able to do so. They owe us $318 in OBC that we would like to use to book another excursion, but as the cruise goes on it becomes less likely that we will be able to do so.

I would like to suggest that you wait until you board before making any changes to your shore excursions, but on this cruise, at least, they have been more expensive when booked onboard.

 

Our online accounts did not reflect our correct loyalty status before we boarded.  We went to Guest Relations and thought that it was all straightened out, but not quite.  We did get our laundry and internet benefits, but missed the Loyalty Party because we never received an invitation.  We've spoken to the loyalty/future cruise rep about it and perhaps we'll get an invitation on this cruise. 

Suggestion:  If your loyalty status is not correct, talk with both Guest Relations and Loyalty when you board.

 

[JYDCruise]

8 hours ago, islandwoman said:

I agree that the cruise itself is wonderful, but ....

We were promised that our OBC for the excursion we cancelled over a month ago would be applied to our account within 2 days.  This is day 3 and now we are told that because Guest Relations has received "confusing emails" from shoreside, they have not been able to do so. They owe us $318 in OBC that we would like to use to book another excursion, but as the cruise goes on it becomes less likely that we will be able to do so.

I would like to suggest that you wait until you board before making any changes to your shore excursions, but on this cruise, at least, they have been more expensive when booked onboard.

 

 

This is one of my (few) remaining concerns as we get ready to sail next week. I was actually able to speak to someone at Azamara (!!!) who helped us to buy the package we wanted, and book most of the excursions. However, they could not see our TA OBC and we could wind up in a situation like yours - every day that passes onboard with the OBC in limbo, it turns more and more into a pumpkin.

 

For example, say on cruise day 5 we take an excursion for $200, paid for out of pocket since we've already used all the Azamara OBC. If on day 6 they are able to fix the TA OBC (call it $200), what are the odds that in such a case Azamara would allow us to retroactively use that OBC and refund the out of pocket excursion cost?

[Mackdogmolly]

6 minutes ago, JYDCruise said:

This is one of my (few) remaining concerns as we get ready to sail next week. I was actually able to speak to someone at Azamara (!!!) who helped us to buy the package we wanted, and book most of the excursions. However, they could not see our TA OBC and we could wind up in a situation like yours - every day that passes onboard with the OBC in limbo, it turns more and more into a pumpkin.

 

For example, say on cruise day 5 we take an excursion for $200, paid for out of pocket since we've already used all the Azamara OBC. If on day 6 they are able to fix the TA OBC (call it $200), what are the odds that in such a case Azamara would allow us to retroactively use that OBC and refund the out of pocket excursion cost?

You will not see your TA OBC until you are onboard. This is normal.