Would you recommend Azamara right now?

[scottmcelmeel]

Well, I have yet to step foot on an Azamara ship but I am so frustrated with their dismal website and slow customer service that I can confidently say that I will not be going on another cruise with this cruise line. There are too many cruise lines with excellent onboard experiences AND an excellent website. What is a consumer to do if their website doesn't allow you to book an excursion and customer service simply ignores your emails?  I have sent a 5th request to purchase an excursion with zero response. There are too many good options out there...I would skip Azamara if you are thinking of booking a cruise with them.

[beatnix]

22 minutes ago, scottmcelmeel said:

Well, I have yet to step foot on an Azamara ship but I am so frustrated with their dismal website and slow customer service that I can confidently say that I will not be going on another cruise with this cruise line. There are too many cruise lines with excellent onboard experiences AND an excellent website. What is a consumer to do if their website doesn't allow you to book an excursion and customer service simply ignores your emails?  I have sent a 5th request to purchase an excursion with zero response. There are too many good options out there...I would skip Azamara if you are thinking of booking a cruise with them.

Booking excursions works on the website in your account if you do not want to pay with OBC.

[Grandma Cruising]

1 hour ago, scottmcelmeel said:

Well, I have yet to step foot on an Azamara ship but I am so frustrated with their dismal website and slow customer service that I can confidently say that I will not be going on another cruise with this cruise line. There are too many cruise lines with excellent onboard experiences AND an excellent website. What is a consumer to do if their website doesn't allow you to book an excursion and customer service simply ignores your emails?  I have sent a 5th request to purchase an excursion with zero response. There are too many good options out there...I would skip Azamara if you are thinking of booking a cruise with them.

It is perfectly possible to purchase an excursion online, I have done it for my upcoming cruise. Login to your account, go to upcoming cruises, click on manage my reservation for the cruise you want to book excursions for, scroll down to excursions - click on the paper/pencil icon on the right and you will see the available excursions. For each one click on details. If you want to book click on book. Once you have finished you’ll see how much you need to pay & you can click to pay now. If you have OBC you want to use, leave the excursions there ignoring the pay now amount. Make sure you store before coming out of the booking.

Alternatively you can ring up and book excursions - I got through to the UK number very quickly.

[kent4489]

It is not a one size fits all….many people have no problems with the “new” Azamara website. Many people do. Seriously.

In the meantime, we had very bad health news today and it looks like we are going to have to cancel. I hope I can do it direct with Azamara and then deal with our insurance as I have absolutely no interest (or energy) to ever speak to our TA.

 

[maggie777]

8 hours ago, scottmcelmeel said:

Well, I have yet to step foot on an Azamara ship but I am so frustrated with their dismal website and slow customer service that I can confidently say that I will not be going on another cruise with this cruise line. There are too many cruise lines with excellent onboard experiences AND an excellent website. What is a consumer to do if their website doesn't allow you to book an excursion and customer service simply ignores your emails?  I have sent a 5th request to purchase an excursion with zero response. There are too many good options out there...I would skip Azamara if you are thinking of booking a cruise with them.

Recently phoned and booked excursion that I wanted. Disputed the orc amount quoted and within several days a credit appeared on my cc. I guess it was my lucky day!

[Host Jazzbeau]

The question of this thread title doesn't have a single answer.  I would recommend Azamara to a friend who would appreciate the itineraries and onboard experience and plans to book with a TA (who I can also recommend) who will deal with the pre-cruise issues.  I would also recommend Azamara to a friend who has never sailed with Azamara because their account will be brand new under the new system.  [The only people who I might not recommend it to at the moment are those who have sailed before – but they wouldn't be asking for a recommendation...]

[uktog]

5 hours ago, kent4489 said:

It is not a one size fits all….many people have no problems with the “new” Azamara website. Many people do. Seriously.

In the meantime, we had very bad health news today and it looks like we are going to have to cancel. I hope I can do it direct with Azamara and then deal with our insurance as I have absolutely no interest (or energy) to ever speak to our TA.

 

So sorry to hear you are having to cancel. I hope the process can be smooth and straightforward for you and that the healing hands are with you and your loved ones 

[hubofhockey]

Haven’t been on any ship since Covid (first Covid and then a couple of moves).  Even though Azamara had the ownership change, overnights and itineraries are still on point.  The back office, pre-cruise experience, even before the sale, was awful.  At that, with all of their online problems, it probably doesn’t phase me too much.  I am hoping to bid for an upgrade, but we’re more than a year away.

[Killin Time]

Azamara is going through some challenges right now. I still love it but things are not what they used to be.

On the Journey in July the food was lackluster. The buffet scrambled eggs were inedible.  Very liquid and obviously made with dried eggs. No one could eat them. 
There used to always be a picture gallery by guest relations with the senior staff posted. Not on our Iceland trip. 
I’m concerned that Sycamore will just sell off Azamara and that the line as we know it will be gone….

[norn iron]

1 hour ago, Killin Time said:

 I’m concerned that Sycamore will just sell off Azamara and that the line as we know it will be gone….

Sycamore have invested a lot of money in Az, I would suspect they will sell Az when they have overcome their IT issues and are in a profitable position. Otherwise there is nothing to sell off.

[Host Jazzbeau]

1 hour ago, Killin Time said:

There used to always be a picture gallery by guest relations with the senior staff posted. Not on our Iceland trip.

We've been seeing these pictures posted again in the Officers thread, so either they changed the policy back again or yours was a one-off (I hope).

 

 

[hubofhockey]

6 hours ago, Killin Time said:

Azamara is going through some challenges right now. I still love it but things are not what they used to be.

On the Journey in July the food was lackluster. The buffet scrambled eggs were inedible.  Very liquid and obviously made with dried eggs. No one could eat them. 
There used to always be a picture gallery by guest relations with the senior staff posted. Not on our Iceland trip. 
I’m concerned that Sycamore will just sell off Azamara and that the line as we know it will be gone….

 

This isn’t great to see.  I got a great deal on the Journey for Panama Canal full transit late 2024.  It’s far enough away that I could look for alternatives.  For now, we have some time to wait for the to figure it out.  I could probably find something similar on Oceania.

 

As to Sycamore, at $200 million, that was pretty much an asset sale.  If things go bad, they could sell off the ships and not lose too much.

[hubofhockey]

My choice for Panama Canal was/is between Viking and Azamara, similar Verandah cabins for 10-days.  Azamara begins in Miami and Viking begins in Fort Lauderdale.  Both end in Panama after a full transit through.  Azamara was $5600 for two with $1075 onboard credits through online TA, premium drinks.  Viking was $6600.  If price point was similar, would have given Viking a shot. $2K still matters to me, but if people feel that Azamara is in trouble or that product is much inferior, I would consider switching (eating the $150 forfeit fee).  

[crzrr]

20 hours ago, Killin Time said:

Azamara is going through some challenges right now. I still love it but things are not what they used to be.

On the Journey in July the food was lackluster. The buffet scrambled eggs were inedible.  Very liquid and obviously made with dried eggs. No one could eat them. 
There used to always be a picture gallery by guest relations with the senior staff posted. Not on our Iceland trip. 
I’m concerned that Sycamore will just sell off Azamara and that the line as we know it will be gone….

If you didn't like the buffet eggs, why didn't you asked to have fresh eggs made for you at the egg station?  Personally, I find the scrambled eggs to be fine.  However, if I want something extra in them, I have them made at the egg station.  

[crzrr]

1 hour ago, hubofhockey said:

My choice for Panama Canal was/is between Viking and Azamara, similar Verandah cabins for 10-days.  Azamara begins in Miami and Viking begins in Fort Lauderdale.  Both end in Panama after a full transit through.  Azamara was $5600 for two with $1075 onboard credits through online TA, premium drinks.  Viking was $6600.  If price point was similar, would have given Viking a shot. $2K still matters to me, but if people feel that Azamara is in trouble or that product is much inferior, I would consider switching (eating the $150 forfeit fee).  

I can't comment on what Viking does but, having done the Panama Canal twice with Azamara, can say that one of the highlights is having an expert on board who explains the canal as you are traversing it.  You learn so much.  

[hubofhockey]

1 hour ago, crzrr said:

I can't comment on what Viking does but, having done the Panama Canal twice with Azamara, can say that one of the highlights is having an expert on board who explains the canal as you are traversing it.  You learn so much.  

 

Thanks.  That’s reassuring and I figured that Azamara would do the Panama Canal justice.  We actually believe that we’ll be doing more, not less, with Azamara as the mass market lines continue to water down (pardon the pun) their product.  We do have a Celebrity M class to Japan plan, but only because time worked better for us.   

[uktog]

1 hour ago, crzrr said:

I can't comment on what Viking does but, having done the Panama Canal twice with Azamara, can say that one of the highlights is having an expert on board who explains the canal as you are traversing it.  You learn so much.  

Viking also have experts onboard, often real specialists.   My last canal transit (Pursuit 2019) there was no "expert" - just the gentleman who often talks about ports all round the world did something in the Caberet - very generic - the day before the transit and the Cruise Director talked from the bridge but he was just reading from Wikipedia if you looked it up there on the day.   Our transit in 2012 was excellent - that time they had an engineer on board who was very good.

I hope in future you get the engineer and not the generic supplemented by Wikipedia

[Host Jazzbeau]

2 hours ago, crzrr said:

If you didn't like the buffet eggs, why didn't you asked to have fresh eggs made for you at the egg station?  Personally, I find the scrambled eggs to be fine.  However, if I want something extra in them, I have them made at the egg station.  

I never get scrambled eggs on a buffet, because you can't cook 12 dozen eggs and have any part of the batch come out right.  I always order poached eggs – so far as I know, there's no way to 'cheat' with those: they have to start by cracking the shells of fresh eggs.

[hamrag]

2 hours ago, crzrr said:

I can't comment on what Viking does but, having done the Panama Canal twice with Azamara, can say that one of the highlights is having an expert on board who explains the canal as you are traversing it.  You learn so much.  

Most cruiselines do that through the PC transit, including NCL.

[crzrr]

1 hour ago, uktog said:

Viking also have experts onboard, often real specialists.   My last canal transit (Pursuit 2019) there was no "expert" - just the gentleman who often talks about ports all round the world did something in the Caberet - very generic - the day before the transit and the Cruise Director talked from the bridge but he was just reading from Wikipedia if you looked it up there on the day.   Our transit in 2012 was excellent - that time they had an engineer on board who was very good.

I hope in future you get the engineer and not the generic supplemented by Wikipedia

Our last Panama Canal transit with Azamara was in January 2023 on Onward.  We had a gentleman who was an expert on the Canal who spoke over the loudspeaker throughout the entire transit pointing out various points of interest as we were approaching them.  All very interesting.

[Killin Time]

5 hours ago, crzrr said:

If you didn't like the buffet eggs, why didn't you asked to have fresh eggs made for you at the egg station?  Personally, I find the scrambled eggs to be fine.  However, if I want something extra in them, I have them made at the egg station.  

I did one time and they were good. But I don’t always feel like waiting especially if I want to get ashore. I’ve been on many, many cruises including about 15 on Azamara, and I’ve always found the buffet scrambled eggs to be fine. The ones on the journey were terrible. They looked awful and tasted worse.