Finally - CC Trendwatch - Azamara is NOT a 'cruise line'

[woodofpine]

After touting Azamara as a 'genuine' independent cruise line, a twisted X marketing effort that CC initially conformed to with a laboriously pained 'straight face', I couldn't help but note the rejection of that pitch in describing Azamara in the present Trendwatch article where its called a "small ship offshoot" of Celebrity. The entire thrust of that article jettisoned the notion of independent 'cruise line' - a term pointedly abandonned in describing it.

 

It was a refreshing acknowledgment, part of the 'GET REAL' catagory hat has a vaporous life in the schitzo world of an industry mouth piece cum consumer reporting medium like CC.

 

Do any postesr here still nurture the illusion of this business being an independent 'cruise line'?

[DaveFr]

After touting Azamara as a 'genuine' independent cruise line, a twisted X marketing effort that CC initially conformed to with a laboriously pained 'straight face', I couldn't help but note the rejection of that pitch in describing Azamara in the present Trendwatch article where its called a "small ship offshoot" of Celebrity. The entire thrust of that article jettisoned the notion of independent 'cruise line' - a term pointedly abandonned in describing it.

 

It was a refreshing acknowledgment, part of the 'GET REAL' catagory hat has a vaporous life in the schitzo world of an industry mouth piece cum consumer reporting medium like CC.

 

Do any postesr here still nurture the illusion of this business being an independent 'cruise line'?

 

Feel better? :D Frankly, I think you're reading too much into that one sentence of a larger article that is not specifically about Celebrity or Azamara. In the grand scheme of things though, who cares if Azamara is independent or not? If Azamara delivers their promised cruising experience, their independence or lack thereof from Celebrity is unimportant to me.:)

 

Dave

[Susan-M]

 

Do any postesr here still nurture the illusion of this business being an independent 'cruise line'?

 

We booked our upcoming cruise on Quest before Azamara branched out on their own, and agree with Dave..."independent" or "offshoot" doesn't matter to me.

 

I know that Celebrity has been attempting to develop and define this segment since it was first conceived, and I'm happy to know that they are focussing so much attention on it. I'm looking forward to a small-ship, upscale cruising experience on Quest, whether it's an "offshoot, sprout, tendril or branch.":)

[gosport11]

does it matter as long as you enjoy yourselves ,graham:cool: :)

[Andy]

After touting Azamara as a 'genuine' independent cruise line, a twisted X marketing effort that CC initially conformed to with a laboriously pained 'straight face', I couldn't help but note the rejection of that pitch in describing Azamara in the present Trendwatch article where its called a "small ship offshoot" of Celebrity. The entire thrust of that article jettisoned the notion of independent 'cruise line' - a term pointedly abandonned in describing it.

 

It was a refreshing acknowledgment, part of the 'GET REAL' catagory hat has a vaporous life in the schitzo world of an industry mouth piece cum consumer reporting medium like CC.

 

Do any postesr here still nurture the illusion of this business being an independent 'cruise line'?

 

Hi Woodofpine !

 

It's hard to imagine Azamara being independent, as long as most all of Azamara's Management is the same as Celebrity. I am sure there are many of us who continue to wonder why they needed a separate Cruise line. However, the decision is made, and its a done deal. With that said..... IMHO, I could care less who Azamara is related to, as long as I have a good Cruise experience. At the end of the day, that's all that matters.

 

Happy Holidays !

[woodofpine]

I don't even know why it bugged me then (or now)! It just seemed so contrary to other industry examples. Carnival acquiring separate lines - keeping them separate - but eventually pulling in so much stuff as to (eventually or now?) have something like GM (only profitable... for now). RCI and Pullmantour is similar.

 

Then along comes a deal where they claim some sort of 'spin off' that is more hype and projection than real separation.

 

The reasons for separate identity of some sort is quite reasonable: different size ships, more adventure-exotic itinerary. If you don't call it a different 'line' than what do you call it?

 

I guess it bother me because I've got no reasonable expectation of being given an Azamara Cruise for Christmas... :( :D :(

[Susan-M]

I guess it bother me because I've got no reasonable expectation of being given an Azamara Cruise for Christmas... :( :D :(

 

It's early...don't give up yet..still 3 days to go!:)

[houstontx]

I don't even know why it bugged me then (or now)! It just seemed so contrary to other industry examples. Carnival acquiring separate lines - keeping them separate - but eventually pulling in so much stuff as to (eventually or now?) have something like GM (only profitable... for now). RCI and Pullmantour is similar.

 

Then along comes a deal where they claim some sort of 'spin off' that is more hype and projection than real separation.

 

The reasons for separate identity of some sort is quite reasonable: different size ships, more adventure-exotic itinerary. If you don't call it a different 'line' than what do you call it?

 

I guess it bother me because I've got no reasonable expectation of being given an Azamara Cruise for Christmas... :( :D :(

 

Well, Mr Woodofpine, I don't think there is any "right" or "wrong" here. BUT, it's nice to see you say "ah, maybe I was in a bad mood" or something similar. Anyway, at least instead of what could have become a nasty argument, you nipped that in the bud, so to speak, and that speaks volumes about you as a person.

While I've wondered the same thing myself, regarding why or how Celebrity could call Azamara a different cruise line (since they have most of the same management) it doesn't really matter I guess.

I haven't understood how they could call the stateroom attendant a "butler" either. Ours on the Quest was great, actually both of them were fabulous people, but neither was a butler.

I think it's all in the marketing department :)

Alan & Regina

[Hlitner]

Geez, Everyone needs to lighten-up and give Mr. Hanrahan some time to find the niche for this off-shoot. I can understand not wanting to make these two ships Celebrity products, because many Celebrity customers who think of the larger ships and amenities might be upset if they booked one of these smaller ships. We have seen this "big ship" attitude on several recent cruises where it seems that many cruisers want no part of smaller ships (we remember when 13,000 tons was considered large). The recent change of not charging for the alternative restaurants seems to lend support to the idean that Mr. Hanrahan is trying to make a small ship deluxe line. We loved these old "R" ships when they were Renaissance and look forward to our upcoming cruise on the Journey.

 

Hank

[Susan-M]

We have seen this "big ship" attitude on several recent cruises where it seems that many cruisers want no part of smaller ships (we remember when 13,000 tons was considered large).

 

Hi Hank,

Do you find that a "big ship" attitude comes mostly from those who have never cruised on a smaller ship...or from those who have tried it and didn't like it?

Our first cruise was on Cunard's Caronia... less than 700 people, and I thought it was the perfect size. Looking forward to going back to a small ship again.:)

[lonestarsteve]

We have just completed b2b on the Quest and love the size,itenerary and had a great time ......so we do not really care who owns Azamara as long as it continues to get even better.

 

Steve

[Playful Mermaid]

After touting Azamara as a 'genuine' independent cruise line, a twisted X marketing effort that CC initially conformed to with a laboriously pained 'straight face', I couldn't help but note the rejection of that pitch in describing Azamara in the present Trendwatch article where its called a "small ship offshoot" of Celebrity. The entire thrust of that article jettisoned the notion of independent 'cruise line' - a term pointedly abandonned in describing it.

 

It was a refreshing acknowledgment, part of the 'GET REAL' catagory hat has a vaporous life in the schitzo world of an industry mouth piece cum consumer reporting medium like CC.

 

Do any postesr here still nurture the illusion of this business being an independent 'cruise line'?

 

Hello woodofpine:

 

It is very strange how this whole thing developed!

I hope the new mega ship's Solstice class will not also be spun off into another "new" cruise line by Celebrity.

 

One reason for the Azamara "spin off" may be that there are too many Celebrity future cruise credit coupons floating around out there and Celebrity wants to restrict passengers who are holding these coupons from using these Celebrity coupons for a cruise on Azamara. As far as the two being "independent", I think that was a bean counter decision, all the way.

They are about as independent as the Mercury and Constellation are.

[Hlitner]

Hi Hank,

Do you find that a "big ship" attitude comes mostly from those who have never cruised on a smaller ship...or from those who have tried it and didn't like it?

Our first cruise was on Cunard's Caronia... less than 700 people, and I thought it was the perfect size. Looking forward to going back to a small ship again.:)

 

On our most recent cruise (2 weeks ago on the Brilliance of the Seas 15 day transatlantic) this subject was mentioned a few times in the Concierge Lounge. These were all Diamond or Diamond Plus folks so we are talking major cruisers. We were surprised to find some frequent cruisers only like huge ships (some complained that the Brilliance was too small). The two couples we questioned had never been on anything smaller than 50,000 tons. As to us, we have cruised on every thing from 20 passenger to over 3000 and feel that the smaller the better. It is interesting to note that the top cruise lines in the world (Silverseas, Seabourn, SeaDream, Windstar, etc) are all small ship lines. In the larger ship lines we have found both Crystal and Radisson to be excellent, but even these lines are only using medium sized ships by today's standards. Its hard to imagine a large ship that can prepare more than 12,000 top quality meals per day. I guess size does matter! ......but not in the way some folks think.

 

Hank

[woodofpine]

But - hey - the ships are well liked - the itineraries are nice, the goal of 'deluxe' suits smaller ships well...

 

Since we're talking about a 'new line' created within rather than acquired by conglomerate RCI, I think the announcement and spin would've been more persuasive from a marketing standpoint if is had come mainly from RCI rather than mainly X. I can't think of another example of this 'line created from within' - not at Carnival or Superstat/NCL or ??

 

I think the 'new line' theme would've had more cred if Celeb Xpeditions had also been spun into Azamara, but it wasn't... That sort of muddies the "we're doing this division according to ship size" idea...

 

Ultimately, time will be the test of whether a separate identity really gels; it'll be based on whether the experience is distinct.

 

That's an evaluation that's probably 5 years out.

[C 2 C]

It has been suggested that I post my Who is Where list separately from Celebrity. I think if it has the same management and interchangeable staff, it is not a separate cruise line.

 

Here is the list. I would like your opinion if there are only Azamara cruisers who need a separate thread for these two ships. Any updates of staff changes would be appreciated.

 

[gkm]

Arlo, there will be a new CD on the Quest in February or March according to 'worries gone' who just returned from a Quest sailing.

 

You asked about the Quest's new CD. Paul Grant will be assuming the post in February or March when Becky Field goes on vacation after which she returns to Celebrity. He was on the 12/8 Canal transit and will be on several others - observing, having meetings, getting to know the staff and vice versa, learning the administrative/paperwork aspects, and making creative plans for his tenure. We met him on a ship-sponsored excursion in Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica; he is also familiarizing himself with the ports and the excursions offered. He is a warm, bright and friendly fellow, perhaps 40-ish, and is enthusiatic about the Quest, Azamara in general, and his role. He has had cruise experience although I can't recall where or in what capacity, and has many years of experience as a singer-actor as well as holding a degree in organizational management. His enthuisiasm plus our positive onboard experience have prompted us to look seriously into future Quest/Azamara cruises!

 

Garry

[C 2 C]

Arno, there will be a new CD on the Quest in February or March according to 'worries gone' who just returned from a Quest sailing.

 

Paul Grant will be assuming the post in February or March when Becky Field goes on vacation after which she returns to Celebrity. He has had cruise experience although I can't recall where or in what capacity, and has many years of experience as a singer-actor as well as holding a degree in organizational management.

 

Garry

 

Hi Garry:

 

Thanks for the post on Paul Grant.

 

I like it when the CD has had "stage" experience. I find that the promotion of some activities staff up the ladder to CD without ever having to entertain the audience is a big weakness in their training.