deposit refund for a cancelled cruise

[KevintheIrishDJ]

Our refund was finally credited to our 11/23 cruise. Our OBC was on our original Confirmation report, we made onboard, as follows: "Onboard Credit $150.00 (Guest 1) $150.00 (Guest 2) $300.00; Onboard Credit $150.00 (Guest 1) $150.00 (Guest 2) $300.00. Just got a new one due to final payment. It just says: "OBC Coupon...Add-On Codes Added 20230614". Our TA got a separate note from Azamara indicating the correct amount. No Loyalty points. 

[Mackdogmolly]

On 6/20/2023 at 11:32 AM, trk_koa said:

I just got off the phone with my travel agent. I mentioned the issue noted above about Azamara not having the credit card information. Sure enough, they did not. She gave them the information and supposedly, my refund has now been issued, “but could take out to thirty days” to post to my credit card.

 

So it worth it to contact them again and make sure they have the CC. 
 

I will let you know if I see the credit show up. 

Having read your post, I asked my TA to check with Azamara to make sure that they had my cc on file. They did not!! Now they do and are saying 7-10 business days. We’ll see.

[TeaBag]

On 6/13/2023 at 10:11 AM, M4k3MyD4y said:

I've read through this particular blog as I had placed a deposit back in 2021 for Azamara's 2023 Australia cruise during the Xmas/New Year's eve holidays.  I've received the two msgs from the company about their IT issues but at this point if Azamara and RCI have yet to sort out the data, I'm hesitant to proceed w/the cruise and it's also my first w/Azamara cruise line.  I've been on Celebrity for the past decade or more but wanted to be in Sydney for New Year's as it's been on my bucket list, and it seems only Azamara of the bigger lines is the only one for 2023/2024....looks like it won't be happening this year.  

 

While reading through the entries, it looked discouraging until I reached toward the more recent ones and a couple folks received their refunds.   The problem I'm having is that my booking doesn't even appear in my account and not sure I can even request my refund!   I do have Azamara's acknowledgement and the itinerary, etc when I first made the deposit so I'm hopeful I'll be able to push my request through.  I have made several email inquiries similar to what several have done and no reply.  Next I will send msgs to specific folks in their mgmt chain as suggested in addition to sending snail mail and attempting phone calls.   The full balance is not due until August so still have time but crossing my fingers.  

 

Thanks to this board/blog and everyone who have notated their experiences, it's much appreciated and I will try to also provide my experience as well for others.

 

- CP -

Welcome, CP, to Cruise Critic, the best site for cruising.

I could have written your first paragraph!   We are also on this cruise and the foregoing one. 

I, too, am fed up with Azamara's incompetent IT dept.  One of my "upcoming" cruises on my account is the one we sailed May 5, which is now sailing in MINUS 49 DAYS!  Do they have any idea how stupid this makes them look?  I wonder if this is why I have not received my points for the sailing.  Hope they don't subtract them instead of adding them on!

We are also waiting for Aug when final payment is due and if the situation is not resolved by then, we will be cancelling.

It was no fun flying to Singapore worrying about getting on the ship last month.  We were so tired, we didn't really enjoy the first few days of the cruise.

If we go ahead, the worry will be, will they still be in business in Dec?  This is based on all the cancellations and discontent I am reading about them on this board.

[Grandma Cruising]

30 minutes ago, TeaBag said:

Welcome, CP, to Cruise Critic, the best site for cruising.

I could have written your first paragraph!   We are also on this cruise and the foregoing one. 

I, too, am fed up with Azamara's incompetent IT dept.  One of my "upcoming" cruises on my account is the one we sailed May 5, which is now sailing in MINUS 49 DAYS!  Do they have any idea how stupid this makes them look?  I wonder if this is why I have not received my points for the sailing.  Hope they don't subtract them instead of adding them on!

We are also waiting for Aug when final payment is due and if the situation is not resolved by then, we will be cancelling.

It was no fun flying to Singapore worrying about getting on the ship last month.  We were so tired, we didn't really enjoy the first few days of the cruise.

If we go ahead, the worry will be, will they still be in business in Dec?  This is based on all the cancellations and discontent I am reading about them on this board.

Not seen any discontent with the cruises

[TeaBag]

1 hour ago, Grandma Cruising said:

Not seen any discontent with the cruises

We are talking abut the IT dept which is what is turning people off so much.

[Baynanno1]

4 hours ago, Grandma Cruising said:

Not seen any discontent with the cruises

 

Apart from the ear shattering decibel level!

 

But it is not the on board experience that people are mostly talking about - the problem is inaccuracy of documentation, the pre-cruise angst and the time spent once on board having those inaccuracies rectified, instead of enjoying a relaxing holiday.

Even then, in some cases, not all problems have been rectified on board.

[TeaBag]

1 hour ago, Baynanno1 said:

 

Apart from the ear shattering decibel level!

 

But it is not the on board experience that people are mostly talking about - the problem is inaccuracy of documentation, the pre-cruise angst and the time spent once on board having those inaccuracies rectified, instead of enjoying a relaxing holiday.

Even then, in some cases, not all problems have been rectified on board.

Very well said.  I lost count of the number of times we went down to Guest Relations and waited in the queue to resolve our OBC which they had taken away.  I think the thing that saved us was the screen capture I had taken.

[KevintheIrishDJ]

After 6 months, a portion of my 12/23 cancelled cruise refund was credited to our 11/23 cruise (Paid in Full) on Thursday. The next day I got a call from our former TA, with Azamara on hold. We will receive the remainder of our refund thru one of our credit cards. Still no OBC's or Loyalty points on the website.

[JaneStarr]

2 hours ago, KevintheIrishDJ said:

After 6 months, a portion of my 12/23 cancelled cruise refund was credited to our 11/23 cruise (Paid in Full) on Thursday. The next day I got a call from our former TA, with Azamara on hold. We will receive the remainder of our refund thru one of our credit cards. Still no OBC's or Loyalty points on the website.

What an exhausting process!  

 

I do hope that your old TA confirmed with Azamara that they have your CC # on file to apply the remaining refund. Others have reported that the pre-website migration CC info did not get transmitted to Azamara/Seaware.

 

Jane

[KevintheIrishDJ]

1 minute ago, JaneStarr said:

What an exhausting process!  

 

I do hope that your old TA confirmed with Azamara that they have your CC # on file to apply the remaining refund. Others have reported that the pre-website migration CC info did not get transmitted to Azamara/Seaware.

 

Jane

They confirmed the CC#

[Mackdogmolly]

On 6/23/2023 at 12:52 PM, Mackdogmolly said:

Having read your post, I asked my TA to check with Azamara to make sure that they had my cc on file. They did not!! Now they do and are saying 7-10 business days. We’ll see.

The credit came through on the same day!! 

[TeaBag]

Well done, Kevin!  Persistence pays off!

[Mackdogmolly]

Just now, TeaBag said:

Well done, Kevin!  Persistence pays off!

I’m Betsey! 😊

[TeaBag]

It was KevintheIrishDJ, I was responding to.  But good for you too Betsey that you had success.

[trk_koa]

On 6/20/2023 at 8:32 AM, trk_koa said:

I just got off the phone with my travel agent. I mentioned the issue noted above about Azamara not having the credit card information. Sure enough, they did not. She gave them the information and supposedly, my refund has now been issued, “but could take out to thirty days” to post to my credit card.

 

So it worth it to contact them again and make sure they have the CC. 
 

I will let you know if I see the credit show up. 

Took an additional ten days but I finally got our refund posted to the credit card this morning. 

[KevintheIrishDJ]

23 hours ago, trk_koa said:

Took an additional ten days but I finally got our refund posted to the credit card this morning. 

Our refund was finally posted.

[Haljo1935]

Encouraging to see so many people now reporting refunds coming back. I have held off booking first time as talk of withheld deposits, lack of communication and inconsistencies with bookings in the new system. 

[Cruiser6270]

16 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

Encouraging to see so many people now reporting refunds coming back. I have held off booking first time as talk of withheld deposits, lack of communication and inconsistencies with bookings in the new system. 

Yes, gives us all hope. Our refund has been showing as pending on Azamara's systems since 29 May. Payment promises of 7-10 days, then 14 bus days, now simply replaced with "soon". 

 

[JM0115]

On 5/26/2023 at 6:43 PM, Takapuna Grammer Girl said:

Well after not getting a call back for three consecutive days, after not receiving any response to my emails to Guest Relations, to the Guest Relations Manager and to the Chief Administrative and Information Officer, I decided, as a last resort, to email Carol Cabezas, the president of Azamara. That was this morning. I did not receive a reply from her but, later today, Thomas Rooney, Executive Guests Relations, contacted me to discuss my request for a refund. He said the delay was because Royal Caribbean had not transferred my credit card number. So here it is, my refund, which I had been asking for since April 15, has been processed. 
I find it interesting that, the same day as I emailed Ms. Cabezas, I was finally contacted by someone at Azamara. Coincidence? May be may be not. At any rate, I have renewed my faith in Azamara and look forward to our next cruise in the Middle East in 2024. I guess I can say my patience was rewarded.

What is the email address for Carol please?

[JM0115]

On 7/2/2023 at 1:22 AM, Cruiser6270 said:

Yes, gives us all hope. Our refund has been showing as pending on Azamara's systems since 29 May. Payment promises of 7-10 days, then 14 bus days, now simply replaced with "soon". 

 

I canceled a cruise on June 28. So I guess I need to wait at least another month to receive a refund? 

[JaneStarr]

24 minutes ago, JM0115 said:

I canceled a cruise on June 28. So I guess I need to wait at least another month to receive a refund? 

If you haven’t done this already, please confirm that Azamara has your credit card number to use for the refund. Others have reported figuring out that it had not being transferred from RCG. Azamara did not proactively ask for the info but just had the refunds in limbo.
Jane

Edited July 25, 2023 by JaneStarr

[Takapuna Grammer Girl]

For JM0115, Carol’s email address is ccabezas@azamara.com

[Cruiser6270]

On 7/25/2023 at 7:09 PM, JaneStarr said:

If you haven’t done this already, please confirm that Azamara has your credit card number to use for the refund. Others have reported figuring out that it had not being transferred from RCG. Azamara did not proactively ask for the info but just had the refunds in limbo.
Jane

Exactly what happened with us. After 3 months of banging our heads, we realised it was time to write to the Carol Cabezas Office.

 

Within 48 hours, AZ CS reached out to us with apology and explained that they needed our CC details to make payment. All now settled. 

 

Those two actions made the difference 👍.

 

Edited August 4, 2023 by Cruiser6270

[JM0115]

We also canceled a cruise and waited over a month with no refund. It turned out that since our cruise was booked with the old system they no longer had our credit card number. I used special_requests@azamara.com and got a response and was able to get them our credit card number and received it the next day. 

[maggie777]

On 7/25/2023 at 1:09 PM, JaneStarr said:

If you haven’t done this already, please confirm that Azamara has your credit card number to use for the refund. Others have reported figuring out that it had not being transferred from RCG. Azamara did not proactively ask for the info but just had the refunds in limbo.
Jane

I had this problem and it was resolved with one phone call.