Azamara changes pricing policy

The revised business plan for Azamara Club Cruises includes some aggressive targeting of the UK market. The line is hoping to increase its UK bookings by 10% and the way it intends to do this is to change its pricing to be much more inclusive.

At present UK travellers make up around 14% of the line’s passengers, so they are hoping to get this up to a quarter of their overall passenger base by making their cruises ‘all-in’ and focusing more on destinations. This means that cruise prices will rise by up to a third from April to include all the costs that are currently optional, such as drinks at mealtimes, port transport etc. What will become ‘all-inclusive’ with the new pricing structure is: house wine at lunch and dinner, bottled water, specialist coffees and teas, housekeeping and dining tips, shuttle bus service to and from ports, entertainment and enrichment programmes, all meals and room service. And for those booking suites, the extra-cover cost dining venues such as Prime C steakhouse and Aqualina will become complimentary, while other passengers will pay the $15 supplement currently paid by all. And it’s also been revealed that passengers staying in suites or any class of accommodation above suite will receive English butler service – good news for the butler schools of the UK!