Is the large Azamara "anniversary" discount offer an indication of trouble?

[Lizzy B.]

If one books on almost any 2008 Azamara European cuise by May 5, s/he will receive an "anniversary" discount of $500 per stateroom for cruises under 13 days and a discount of $750 for cruises of 14-plus days. Also included is an offer of "special air-inclusive pricing" for these trips. A quick comparison with a similar Celebrity air package in the same sample month shows that the Azamara air offer to be several hundred dollars less than the Celebrity air.

 

Is this "anniversary offer" an indication of "Trouble in Azamara City"? I have read of of unhappiness by some Azamara passengers--especially the issues of the "difficult-to-contact" butlers, the tiny bathrooms, the 18% automatic tip on alcohol vs. the 15% on Celebrity, the expensive excursions, the lukewarm food and lack of trays in the buffet areas, the lack of variety in the food offered and the general feeling, by some, that Azamara was not a step up from Celebrity; many seemed to feel that it is not as good as Celebrity--even though there is a 30% price differential between the two lines. (This figure has been used on these boards and was also quoted to me by the Future Cruises manager on my recent cruise.)

 

I am interested in the Azamara itineraries--but hesitate to book with a line that seems to have issues. I have sailed twice with Celebrity and was well-pleased both times--but it doesn't sound as though Azamara is equal to Celebrity quality.

 

Having watched the price fluctuations--on a daily basis--of my two Celebrity cruises, I know that this company can and does adjust stateroom prices based on the popularity of a cruise. I have never seen a discount offer such as this. Is Azamara experiencing trouble booking passengers but is unwilling to adjust its prices in the normal way and instead is offering a faux deal to pretend that all is well?

 

Does anyone have any thoughts on these issues?

Thanks!

[Napi's Mom]

Any of those complaints you've read, did not show up on the 12/8/07 cruise we took on Quest, in fact there is very little complaining anymore about Azamaras service in any way on this CC forum anymore. However I've been on the Celebrity forum lately as our next cruise is on Millennium next Jan. They have plenty of complaints about everything over there, they also have the "no service" head office (of misinformation), conditions of the ships are really way below what the newly refurbished Azamara ships are. So guess no matter WHERE you go it seems that people have to complain about something. On our cruise some of the people we knew...wrote totally misleading reviews, over what their opinions were onboard, and what we knew to be true. So take a great deal of these "issues" with a grain of Salt. We've done Oceania, and Azamara compares well.

I hope that there isn't trouble cause I like Azamara and would love to sail on her ships again...love those "R" ships!

[Viennese]

We just finished the Transatlantic with the Journey and like to answer a few of your raised Questions from my View of Point. I do not think that Azamara have Problems, at least not as far as we could see. The Butler is always around exept the Time from about noon to 4pm. But in this times you can order without extracosts Roomservice. A really Problem is the extra 18% on Drinks, because the Prices themself are already quite high.Furthermore the Waiter or the Barkeeper expect another Tip for his Service. There is even a extraline on your Drnkslip for add. Tip. We too were surprised about the exorbitant high Excursion Prices and made everything on our own. The Bathrooms are small but I do not expect a Swimminpool in my Cabin. The Matter of Food: It is great and first Quality!! Only in the " Special Restaurants" like Prime C and Aqualina we were disappointed with the Service and there we had lukewarm Food. But the Main Diningroom and all other Outlets were superb!

Azamara is on a very good Way to become a Premium Cruiseline.

[cruiseyguy]

Azamara is successfully addressing all the issues initially encountered when Journey was launched. In my view, the company has made a decision to become very aggressive in its pricing in order to attract Oceania's current passengers. They are now nearly equal products. Azamara wants greater market share. It's a good time to try them.

[katiebeth]

I have noticed as well that Azamara has been offering incentives and discounts to fill their ships for the European season. I am wondering if it could have as much to do with the economy as anything else. In addition, I think that Azamara is a lesser known product than RCCL, Celebrity, Holland America, etc.

 

There are still quite a few cabins open in all categories for our June 21st sailing from Athens to Rome. Still having cabins available at this late stage, does seem unusual. I know when we have sailed Celebrity in Europe, it was not unusual for the ship to be almost sold out months in advance.

 

The good news is the reviews keep getting better and better. It does seem that they are offering a true "deluxe" cruise experience.

 

Happy Sailings,

 

Nancy

[greeneg]

I don't know that I would be overly concerned at this point. If our January Quest cruise is representative, Azamara's food, service, and overall experience are certainly on a par with Celebrity or any other similar lines, particularly if you add in the smaller ship environment which is a plus for many people. I would agree that there appear to continue to be significant issues with shore excursions ( too limited in scope, and too expensive) and some of the nickle and diming that goes on with ancillary charges such as tips and bar charges, but from what I've seen here on the Boards, the company is at least aware of this, whether or not they choose to address it.

This is also not an issue which is unique to Azamara.

 

As far as the occupancy rates, you have to recognize that ships' configurations are different from many other cruise ships in that there are relatively more "expensive" staterooms on Journey and Quest than there are on some of the larger vessels. With fewer Inside and Oceanview staterooms to begin with, the overall price of an Azamara Cruise may reflect this as a factor.

 

I did some research on our upcoming September Journey Cruise to the Eastern Med and found that there were a total of 13 available Staterooms below the Suite level. In addition, there were 7 suites for a total of 20 staterooms available four months from sailing. Given the state of the US Economy and perhaps a somewhat "cloudy" short term future, I would think that that would be a fairly healthy situation for Azamara.

 

If you are inclined towards the smaller ship, with less structured activities and a more relaxed, less crowded feel, then I would certainly recommend you consider Azamara strongly.

[Susan-M]

Does anyone have any thoughts on these issues?

 

I too feel that the state of the economy and Azamara being relatively new has had an impact on sales. Reviews lately have been very positive for the most part, with some giving Az equal rating to Oceania.

 

The Anniversary Sale pricing is not much different than what the pricing has been for the past couple of months .... the OBC has gone up to $750. from $500. for some cruises, but air and cruise fares are still the same for our Oct. cruise.

 

I look at it as an opportunity to take a very nice cruise at a good price .... not sure if these deals will still be available next year as Az becomes better known. But if you aren't confident that it's a good choice for you, then you might be better off sticking with what you know and like. (I noticed that you really focussed on the negative...which makes me think that you've pretty much made up your mind anyways.:) )

[Lizzy B.]

Thanks for your replies. I am pleased to see that impressions of Azamara are improving. It does sound as though the company has been working on improving its service.

 

We were pleased with our Celebrity experiences (Concierge Class on Baltic and Panama Canal cruises) because of all of the help provided on these boards. We listened to advice and were able to craft cruise experiences that suited us. We ate at the Aquaspa Cafe almost every day for lunch; we especially liked the freshly prepared daily offerings. We ate several times in the speciality restaurant, the S.S. United States. We adored the cheese course and the way that we were offered "specials" on our third and subsequent visits. We also hung out in the Cove Cafe; the pastries, excellent coffee, and the late afternoon/early evening music and drinks had a great deal of attraction for us. We learned about tipping our stateroom attendant up front and this provided excellent service. I know that--with the help of those on Cruise Critic--our cruises were wonderful.

 

Not only are we interested in the Azamara itineraries, we would also enjoy the concept of a basically non-smoking, smaller and more intimate ship--but my question remains the same. In light of our success on Celebrity, is Azamara "worth" the higher cost? Will we be able to craft cruises that will be substantially better than what we have--with careful study--been able to experience on Celebrity?

 

Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to share your expertise.

[greeneg]

I ran some quick numbers using a search on Travelocity. Our Journey cruise in September, which has a wonderful itinerary, runs $264pppn (14n-$3699) for a verandah stateroom. A verdandah on the Summit for 14nights runs $235pppn ( $3299) for a less attractive ( to us) itinerary. Holland America has an itinerary similar to our Journey Cruise; a verandah there runs $373pppn ($4479) for the 14 nights. So Azamara doesn't seem to be too terribly out of line to me.

 

"Is it worth it?" Truly, I don't think that anyone can really answer that for you. I can tell you that we thoroughly enjoyed our Quest cruise, so much so that we went ahead and booked this coming September on the Journey. The big things for us were the small ship, much more restricted smoking, and the relaxed, more informal atmosphere.

 

Hope that helps a little.

[susiesan]

I loved my recent 14 day Quest cruise through the Panama Canal so much that I just booked 2 7 day back to backs on Journey in Europe next April with no repeating of ports over the 14 days. I got the last cat 12 inside so apparently AZ is already filling their ships a year in advance. I will monitor the prices over the next 12 months and rebook if the the prices drop. The things you mention as problems are not problems. Our butler was shared by many on these boards and must be one of the best in the company (Antonio). The 18% tip on drinks made the drinks very expensive so I just didn't drink much. We drank the wine we brought onboard. Every cruise I've been on (over 35) has overpriced shore excursions-this is not unique to AZ. You ought to see O's price's on shore excursions. Just make your own arrangements. So the bathrooms are small-did you go on a cruise to hang out in the bathroom? The food was mostly great, but all cruises have some misses. So you just ask for something else. They will bring it. The unlimited sushi everyday was a big plus for me! I can't wait until April 25 2009 to sail Azamara again.

[Queen Bear]

We are booked on the 9-13-08 Best of Italy Cruise. The price that Azamara is quoting with air and a $750 ship board credit is actually higher than the price in January which did not include air but had a ship board credit.

[Andy]

Does anyone have any thoughts on these issues?

Thanks!

 

Hi Lizzy !

 

I feel that everyone answered your questions perfectly, so I dont have much to add. I feel that most every Cruiseline is maxed out in Europe this year and next, so Azamara has a bit more competition than they would probably like. I also feel they want to go head to head with Oceania, and that may be why some very good deals are around on Azamara.

 

We were on the first Quest sailing. Yes, there were some problems, but not enough to spoil our Cruise. Also, the reviews of late have been very good. We may sail on Azamara Journey next year, when she sails the Caribbean, but I am waiting to see if any similar type of deals (as is being offered now for Europe) surface for Journey. If they do, then we will probably book.

 

Please let us know if you have any other questions !

[joandbun]

We are also on the 13sep best of Italy & looking on the Az web site it says suites are sold out. The price they are offering now is still more than we are paying so I'm happy. Personally I have found drinks & excursions to be pricey on all our cruises. We tend to mostly do our own thing & dont drink a lot:)

Either way, I am so-o-o looking forward to trying a smaller ship & am determined to have a good time.:p

 

Hey Queen bear - we have a roll call for this date - have you found us & did you sign up for the CC party yet.? We havnt quite managed the magic 25 yet

 

jo

[Queen Bear]

Hi Jo,

I did add our names to the roll call but I am not sure how to sign up for the party. This will be our 4th Mediterranean cruise.

 

Kathy

[joandbun]

Hi Kathy

Katie (katiekatie) had made up a list of who is on the cruise & I didnt see your name - sorry. I guess it needs updating. Feel free to share any ideas or tips:)

 

anyway to sign up for the party

You need to go to the Az website, click on 'before you cruise' button and 'faq's frequesntly asked questions' then cruise critic connections. then How do I register?

clcik on the link which will take you to a page to fill in your Az booking ref,name, date of travel

Last time I checked we had 16 registerd so far.

 

regards

jo

[Moeve]

Also remember that originally it was not planned to send both Azamaras to Europe that was sort of a last minute thing (in cruise planning terms) after the South American Itins were slashed.

[Jancruz]

The offer has just been extended...

Jancruz1

[tgg]

Wineart,

 

We cruise with Oceania and Azamara because we like the limited smoking and the idea that we can eat dinner when we want to and with those we want to. Although I love kids, I don't want to cruise with them, and the number of kids on Oceania and Azamara is limited.

 

The thought of sharing a ship with 2,500 people makes me cringe. But that's just me. You have to decide what's important to you. Perhaps you should try Azamara, see if it's for you, and then switch back to Celebrity if it's not.

[Wineart]

Sorry about my previous post - the comment that posted was not my opinion - I was trying to quote the original posting in order to respond to a specific question in it and I couldn't figure out how to use the quote function!

 

Anyway, I was trying to respond to Lizzy B's question "Not only are we interested in the Azamara itineraries, we would also enjoy the concept of a basically non-smoking, smaller and more intimate ship--but my question remains the same. In light of our success on Celebrity, is Azamara "worth" the higher cost? Will we be able to craft cruises that will be substantially better than what we have--with careful study--been able to experience on Celebrity?"

 

As a former Celebrity cruiser who has switched to Oceania and been very happy my Oceania cruises, I've been following comments about Azamara on both the Azamara and Oceania boards. I am considering an Azamara cruise, and the most recent postings seem to indicate that while Azamara had some problems in the beginning, they are now a very strong competitor to Oceania. In order to determine whether Azamara will be worth the extra money to Lizzy B, I think it comes down to what makes a cruise great for her because there's a world of difference between the big ship and the small ship experience. If you read through the various postings on different boards, there's a lot of discussion on the differences between the large ship (e.g. Celebrity) experience and the small ship (e.g. Oceania/Azamara) experience. I won't rehash it all here, but it really comes down to what each person wants from their cruise experience. If you like nightlife and lots of onboard activities, then the large ships are probably the way to go. If you like port intensive itineraries, open seating in the dining rooms, quick embarkation/disembarkation, then try the small ships. Having tried both, I'm definitely in the small ship camp. Lizzy B commented on the lack of trays at the Azamara buffet as being a negative. Oceania does not have trays at their buffet because a staff member takes your plate from you and carries it to your table. To me, it's the difference between fine dining and a cafeteria!

[tgg]

Last time we were on Oceania (November) there were trays. Did they get rid of them? I hope not.

[LHT28]

Last time we were on Oceania (November) there were trays. Did they get rid of them? I hope not.

:eek:

I have never seen trays on Oceania

[Jancruz]

There have never been trays on O and there NEVER will as long as FDR is running the cruise line!

Jancruz1