TA on Quest, Southampton to Montreal.

We have just returned home. I made notes every day, but here to start is a comparison with Celebrity. Later, when I have more time I will try to figure out how to attach photos, to make the ports reviews more interesting.

Comparison to V2 balcony on Azamara to 1A balcony on Celebrity Eclipse.

Our room and balcony is small, the bathroom even smaller. I moved towels from the cupboard under the sink, so Adrian could put his shaving tackle there. It is impossible to shut the door if we had hung towels on it, so they have to be bunched on to the towel rails.

The shelves are extremely narrow, but just take my cosmetic bags.

The shower is very small and there are times when it becomes even smaller, due to the shower curtain clinging to our body. Celebrity certainly win here with their glass enclosed shower.

Hangers are plentiful, but drawers are small. There is no hanging opportunity for wet washing- apparently the retractable line was taken out at refurbishment and has not yet been replaced, although they are on board waiting to be fitted. Celebrity win here.

On our first rough night in the English Channel- St Peter Port to Cork we noticed that the cupboard doors under the desk opened and couldn't be shut. We reported this to our room attendant and he arranged for maintenance to attend. A guy came within an hour and fitted some magnets to the doors. Azamara win here due to speed that the problem was solved.

We stuffed a cloth laundry bag with 33 items, which looked impossible, due to the size of the bag. Over the cruise, we will have 2 of these, due to our Le Club Voyage status. The Azamara cloth bag wins over Celebrity's paper bag, as it doesn't break, but is smaller.

Although advertised as washed and folded, the shirts and trousers came back ironed and on hangers! Azamara win here.

The Azamara tote bag is also superior to that given by Celebrity for balcony guests, as it has a zip.

The Living Room.

We spent time here on the first sea day after lunch, it was the warmest place we could find as it was too cool to sit around the pool. Unfortunately an art auction was taking place, which meant concentration on reading was difficult.

Drinks are complimentary, also water and sodas in the room. We will save a fortune. Wine is constantly filled up at dinner, I will have to be careful.

Free Internet

Minutes are the same ( 90 ), but I can only log on to my iPad. Not sure why my phone won't accept , maybe you can only have one device on your account. The price for unrestricted internet is £338, so I won't buy, as download speed is appalling, sometimes Safari loads, sometimes Google Mail. I cannot get Twitter, but Facebook updates very quickly. Although I was supposedly sending e mails at regular intervals, Nicky didn't them until we had decent wi-fi in the terminal building in Sagunay!

Sea day entertainment.

Plenty of Trivia- which is not for us.

Lectures

Jon Malay

55 retired weather forecaster for Nola, NASA & US Navy. 6 excellent lectures.

We have since spoken to him socially.

Chuck.

Port Lecturer.

1.

The plains of Abraham 15 minute battle which gained Quebec from the French for the English for Canada.

2. Saguanay- the geology.

Adrian is missing the Celebrity choir and I am missing IT lectures.

Dining

We have been taken to a different table every meal time. This does not help with speed for ordering, as the waiter has to introduce himself.

I notice there is only one sommelier, which means that the waiter is pouring the wine and water. Slows the process down, worst night we were kept waiting 45 minutes before the first course was served. Next night we asked for a table for 2 and we were 1 hr quicker.

Celebrity defiantly win hands down here, as we were taken to a table in the same area of Select dining and had the same waiter every night, so they knew my Lactose Intolerance. I was also brought a special sweet every night, on Azamara I have to specifically ask for one, when I pre order, as all I was initially offered was Sorbet.

Mid cruise Comments sheet

I filled this in the evening of day 6 (first sea day)

Message rec'd 4am of day 8 thanking us for positive comments re-appreciation of dining staff regarding my diet and prompt attention to maintenance.

The washing lines will be fixed in the next couple of months!

Also a message on TV from Phillip thanking us for our positive comments.

A message the next day from Land Discoveries, informing us that 'walking tours are cheaper.' They obviously don't appreciate that I can't/ don't want to walk very far.

Although it is 2012 since we bought a Celebrity tour ( Waimea Canyon in Hawaii) I was stunned when I initially saw the prices of the tours, hence we have avoided paying for them.

Entertainment

2 shows by Bruce Parker, an excellent singer & entertainer, who has sung with The Drifters and Michael Jackson.

The Azamara singers and dancers sent me to sleep on the first night, but by the last night, when Russ joined them, I managed to watch the whole show.

A magician who again sent me to sleep, but I don't like magicians anyway. By his second show Friday 8th day, although I started watching, I had to leave, as the winds & 5m waves were buffeting the ship.( we were in the bow) I returned to the cabin and laid down. He put an extra show on the following day after lunch, which was a table top demo of card tricks.

Excursions

We haven't taken any, as we consider them to be excessively expensive. I picked up a leaflet from Customer Relations, when we were in Montreal, which stated we would be docked in the 'Old Town.' The old town port is being renovated and has been all summer! Mis information! I've heard from another passenger that the tour in Sagunay was worthless, taking you around showing houses and giving prices!

Overall

We have thoroughly enjoyed our cruise, especially all ports of call, which have been warm and sunny. I would not do another TA at this time of year again. This is our third and we have had hurricanes/ tropical storms on all. I did think that as we weren't going to the Caribbean we would avoid them this time.

We have disembarked with a bill of £0.00, something which has never happened before, so the cruise has been totally inclusive and for that reason alone, we would consider booking another cruise with Azamara.

Staff

Captain Jose from Portugal.

Very personable, an excellent ambassador for Azamara. He was really looking forward to re- visiting St John's as his last visit was 30 yrs ago on a fishing trawler- apparently Portugal along with UK and Spain were allowed fish the Newfoundland banks.

He did an excellent job avoiding the eye of Tropical storm Ian, taking a southerly course, sailing north of the Azores, before turning NW for Newfoundland.

We have since been told that Silver Whisper sailed between 2 storms out of Copenhagen and had 4 very bad sea days.

The Captain was even around on the final day saying goodbye to guests, when he was told that the lock on the ladies toilet near the Cabaret lounge was not unlocking. He came in, and took out his phone and immediately reported it!

Phillip- Food & Beverage Manager from England.

I spoke to him at the officers buffet when I was looking for Lactose free food. I told him that the one problem that I had was with sweets, as I couldn't pre order those the previous night. He said he would speak to the chef. That evening I was not given a sweet menu, as I was told I was having a 'special,' which was a banana pancake. I have since been made various 'Specials.'

Russ C.D from California.

Singer, had his own show on Sunday 18.09.16 ( St John's) which was excellent. We spoke to him the following evening and he appreciated our feedback.

He danced with the production show on the evening of our day in Quebec City, which was his last time with them, as he leaves the ship in a week and they will have left before he returns.

Thank you for the cruise review upwarduk.

We look forward to welcoming you and your husband aboard again soon!

The cruise.

Day 0

We left Huddersfield on the 10.30 train for Manchester Piccadilly station, where we had to change trains for the 11.27 Cross Country from platform 5. This meant we had to transfer from platform 14 via the lift and movable walkway. We had difficulty moving the cases the length of coach D to stash them in the only available area for cases. At least there was room and no one had taken our seats, when we got on the train it said these seats were available, they hadn't yet been programmed as reserved.

The journey took 4hrs 10 minutes and we arrived in Southampton on time and took a taxi to the Ibis hotel, even though we could see it( £4.20)

Check in was speedy, as I had pre checked in on line; but as there was only one lift we took a while to get to the room, which was adequate, with a shower in the bath.

Day 1

Breakfast was expensive in my opinion, especially as we had to ask for cups to make coffee and bread to toast. Certainly not worth £8.50.

We had reserved a taxi the previous evening and check out was at noon and it arrived on time which took us to Dock Gate 4 Berth 46-47.

As soon as we were on the ship we went to deck 9 and searched for a table- there were none, so we went outside and asked a couple if we could share. They came from Worcester and her father still lives in Llanelli, so plenty to talk about.

The announcement came at 1.30pm to report that rooms were ready, but unfortunately we couldn't hear the details as people were talking- by this time we had been driven in by rain.

Day 2

Honfleur

We took the free shuttle bus ( why can't Celebrity provide free shuttles) and walked for 3 hrs mainly over cobbles. There was a market in every available street and we eventually sat in the harbour area and ordered a beer, but were charged extra for sitting on the terrace - facing the inner harbour. We also went into St Catherine's ( wooden) church. The number of lit candles caused the inside to be very hot, quite a dangerous prospect for a wooden church.

Day 3

Mont St Michel

We met in the Moasic cafe and eventually left the ship about 20 minutes late as were waiting to be cleared. Sara from ACSM tours was waiting and drove us the 190km to MSM. She showed us where to catch the shuttle for the causeway and gave us 5hrs to visit, which meant we could visit at leisure, without pressure. We took the slope via the gendarmes office, which also ironically avoided the bag search and steps. We did still encounter steps though.

Amazing that I reached the top to visit the abbey and see the views across the bay.

Day 4 St Peter Port

Tender port, but amazingly there were no queues! We were actually last on and the tender set off immediately. The ride across to St Peter port was bumpy, but the sea looked calm. I cannot understand why we had to be tendered, as there were no large ferries in port, but maybe the ferries between the islands need the berths during the day.

First we did some shopping, we found both M&S and Boots. Then we took the 'Petit Train' which went around St Peter Port. We saw Cornet Fort, which I had intended visiting, but after the mammoth climb at Mont St Michel the previous day, we both felt we had had enough of visiting museums ( there are 4 in Castle Cornet) We then went into the church, which has a blue double Post box outside. Later, we went into a cafe which had a raised terrace, which overlooked the harbour, where we could see our ship.

We also saw a Condor catamaran leaving the harbour. Again I wondered why cruise ships are not allowed in to the harbour to berth. As we were unable to get any internet here, even though we were given a password, we left and made our way to the tender station, where there was free wi- fi. At least it brought in emails, which I promptly got rid of- nothing of note that needed any attention.

We also saw a Condor catamaran leaving the harbour. Again I wondered why cruise ships are not allowed in to the harbour to berth. As we were unable to get any internet here, even though we were given a password, we left and made our way to the tender station, where there was free wi- fi. At least it brought in emails, which I promptly got rid of- nothing of note or importance.

Day 5 Cork.

This is the only port that we have been to before.

We went on a private tour to Lismore Castle gardens. Lismore is the Irish private home of the Duke of Devonshire ( Chatsworth) The gardens are more in the ' natural ' state than the 'formal' of C

hatsworth- there is no water feature for example. Our 90 minute tour was carried out in warm sunshine- it would have been horrendous in rain.

We then returned via the church yard where Lusitania victims are buried. A new plaque was erected in 2015 which was the centenary of the sinking. We were then taken to the Cork Cathedral which took 47 years to build.

This has a prominent place overlooking the harbour and had dedications to the Titanic, as Cork was the last harbour visited before its fatal journey across the Atlantic.

We set sail across the Atlantic at 6 pm on Tuesday 13.09.26 for St John's Newfoundland, where we should arrive at noon on Sunday 18.09.16. We are taking a southerly route, rather than westerly, to avoid tropical storm Ian. So far, so good!

Day 6

To start the day, we stuffed a cloth laundry bag with 33 items, which looked impossible, due to the size of the bag. All completed before 9am, which should mean it will be returned washed and folded in 24 hrs.

We decided to visit the dining room for breakfast, which was open 8-9.30. We both ordered oatmeal. About 20 mins after we ordered, we were told that it was 'off' and would take too long to make more, so Adrian choose muesli and I was brought frosted flakes. I had ordered a salmon omelet and Adrian a full breakfast, but he couldn't eat the bacon as it was too crisp, so I had bacon as well.

At 11am we attended the first of 6 lectures by Jon Malay, who was a naval man and then worked in the space industry. Rather too involved for me, but we will pick up some information hopefully.

We went straight to lunch which was a blessing, as we found a table quickly. These soon became a premium, as it was too cold to eat outside and we decided we had had enough of the slow service in the dining room. I am also able to pick up Lactose free jelly and sorbets in Windows!

Later we went to the Living Room, which was set up for an Art auction. We had a sleep while this was taking place and then I attended a Chinese medicine seminar, while Adrian went to the gym. Unfortunately, I was the only person who turned up, so the Dr, explained that acupuncture cures all ills and was ready to give me a treatment, even though he said a course was required possibly at monthly intervals.

At 5.30 we want to a Le Club Voyage event, to which 500 repeat cruisers had been invited, probably more passengers than the Le Club cruise later in October! Many passengers were mentioned who had cruised 25+ times, but a presentation was made to 2 male passengers, Scott & ? from Las Vagas, who have cruised 81 times on Azamara! A celebration cake was cut and was going to be shared, but we left by then to go to the dining room, as we felt that too many people would all end there at once and as my meal is pre ordered, there is no way we can go to Windows in the evening.

Day 7

Breakfast in Main dining room, waiter offered coffee, but didn't bring it twice! Also delivered my lactose free milk to another table. I had drunk the coffee by the time I eventually got some! I must sat that this level of service was very unusual.

Special Interest Lecture- Wind in the Rigging by Jon Malay.

Let's talk about the weather- weather forecasting is an educated guess!

Discoveries Presentation

St John's 18.09.16 at 1 pm- 10pm ( maybe? due to altering the course to the south, because of Tropical storm Ian)

16c fishing village destroyed by fire & re built.

Cabot tower- 1901 first radio signal arrived here from the UK. We were advised take a bus or taxi there.

Road tram when ships are in port- not sure about this, as we never found it.

Saguenay (Sag -an-ay)

21.09.16

12-7 pm

Suggestions

Popular with nature lovers

Canadian dollar or credit card.

Cape Trinity ( cliff) explore by sea & land.

Natural beauty of fjords.

Panoramic boat ride.

Sat outside for 2 hrs, until the sun went behind the mast.

Adrian went to the gym & I went to the Living Room, where I had a cup of tea.

Met in Cabaret lounge for the Future cruise promotion, (cheese & )wine available. Only feasible possibility would be the Norwegian Fjords, starting in Stockholm, June 23rd '17 & finishes in Southampton. Pie in the sky option, Sydney to Singapore( which I would love) or 8 B2b cruises, Sydney to London ( Tilbury) Air fare included if all 8 cruises booked.

Captain then presented his favourite cruise, Panama Canal to San Diego- including many Central American countries. He is certainly an ambassador for the company.

Day 8

Today was the worst weather wise. We spent 21/2 hrs at dinner, which was the slowest we have encountered, our order wasn't taken for 45 minutes! I think time is used up by the waiters introducing themselves and also having to pour the wine- I have only seen 1 sommelier. We ate with an Australian couple + Jane & Ian, who have cruised with Azamara 47 times. We were so late completing our meal that we missed the show. We went to the late one by the magician, but I left early, due to the banging of the ship. On my way out, two crew members were trying to restrain a door, which although locked kept opening. On Adrian's way back, a ceiling tile had fallen into our corridor (6)

Day 9

Sea Day

Seas are not as choppy, looks as though we have successfully passed through the southern tip of tropical storm Ian ( the Captain avoided the eye, by taking a southerly route, which took us just north of the Azores)

Jon Malay

Lecture 4

'The Sun is Shining down.'

Afterwards we sat outside until lunch time and again after lunch, but the high wind drove us inside. Still painting the pool, it has now been roped off since Thursday 15.09.16.

Adrian went to the gym, I went to the Living room, but unfortunately I fell asleep, but kept waking up due to my snoring, so I left and returned to the cabin, where I got changed in preparation for the 'Top Tier Cocktail Party.' Drinks/ nibbles & yet another update from the Captain, who apologised for being unable to avoid the 5m/16 ft waves, but he couldn't go any further south due to time restrictions- apparently there was a time during the night when he had veered south, but then had to take a NW course.

Day 10

St John's Newfoundland

As we are not due in until 1pm, the morning was treated as a sea day. We went to Jon Manley's lecture about the planets, then returned to the room to watch our sail in. We saw the pilot boat arrive, then watched from our balcony as we sailed past Signal Hill. Amazingly there was a small boat playing a highland reel and people were lining the cliffs, waving us in. We watched our docking and an announcement told us that it would be half an hour before we could leave the ship, so we went for lunch.

We walked off the ship just after 1pm with jackets and rain macs, as it started raining as we were having lunch, but thankfully when we set foot on land it was dry and stayed until we returned 4 hrs later.

Firstly, as we climbed the hill we were stopped by a local and his wife who asked where our ship had come from. He then told us he had been on a football tour of UK last year! Next as we climbed the hill we were given a map of the town by a woman from the ship- she had 2. Think we need to go to Guest Services before we get off the ship!

We visited :

1. St John's Church of England, which was open and there were also guided tours.

2. Catholic Church ( at the top of the hill, hoping to see 'The Rooms' which were shut, as it was a Sunday!

3. The Memorial park, down by the shoreline.

We then found a bar, where we were able to get internet, Adrian got a better signal than me, but at least we saw photos that Janie had put on FB of her room in Liverpool. Tried to send emails, not sure if they went, but certainly wouldn't post to FB.

We then returned to the ship,

I went to see the IT guy, as I was unable to log on, only to be told I had run out of minutes and had to be on line to able to change the password for Gmail. Also I have to be on line to read my emails via the gmail app!

The show in evening, were 2 St John's locals who had been invited on to the ship, who played a guitar and accordion, sang and told jokes. One was defiantly Irish. Unfortunately, I fell asleep . We were then invited outside to listen to the 'Symphony.' This was a cacophony of ships horns and hooters! Apparently the locals hate it!

Ross' musical production show, which was truly excellent. He sang popular, mainly American songs of 60 & 70's.

Finished with songs from Mama Mia, which he had starred in for 7 years.

As we left St John's at 10 pm, we departed to car horns from the locals, who were lined up along the coast. Apparently they don't get many cruise ships in as the entrance is not easy.

Day 11 -19.09.16

The Captain

Question & answer session preceded by a visual tour of the ship, narrated by Captain Jose.

He oversaw the building of the R ships in France at St Nazaire.

He was recalled to be Captain by Azamara without applying for the job.

Jon Manley's last lecture

The Red Planet next door (Mars)

Buffet in the dining room, served by officers. I spoke to Phillip ( food & beverage manager) re Lactose free deserts, as I am unable to pre order, and am limited to Sorbet. He who said he would speak to the chef.

Magician

Card tricks

Adrian to gym,

Jackie to Living Room for cup of tea.

Waiter remembered that I had English breakfast tea with Lactose free milk!

Evening entertainment

1. Big band 8.15pm Glenn Miller

2. Teacake from Texas 9.30 pm. Singer from production show- tribute to Aretha Franklin and Witney Houston.

Day 12

Tuesday 20.09.16

Last sea day

The Iron Chef - Philip against Russ

The Captain again attended for a short while, taking pictures, which I've no doubt will soon be on FB & Twitter.

After cooking 40 minutes, Russ was declared the winner.

Didn't do anything in the afternoon, nothing suited us on the programme and it was too foggy to sit outside. I went again to the 'Living Room' for my cup of tea and Adrian went to the gym.

I spoke to the Head waiter re pre ordering my meal for 'White night.' He said that it was now too cold to hold 'White Night' outside, so it would be brought inside, so I pre - ordered my meal for the next night.

Russ said it would start early and the parade would be outside, but be brought inside later, but wear your bath robe, as it will be cool. As it appears that the food is served on the 'Patio,' I am glad I have pre ordered, as we have always avoided that area as it seems to be in a 'wind funnel.'

Day 13

Saguenay ( Chicoutimi) Wednesday 21.09.16

Pilot boat, Tutunam, arrived approx 30 minutes late, but took a beautiful picture of the ship, which has appeared on Twitter.

6 hr journey through the fjord

As we entered the Saguenay river, the Captain announced that beluga whales could be seen. I managed to take 2 decent images.

The Captain stopped the vessel so we could view 'Our Lady of Saguenay' built on Cap Trinite.

The Notre Dame statue was erected as a memorial by a grateful merchant who almost lost his life twice, once because his sleigh fell through the ice that he was travelling on was too thin. Later due to sickness, he was again very ill. The Captain stopped the ship and Ava Maria was played ( tradition)

We attended a lecture on the geology of Sagunay and then went back to our room to await our arrival. I knew I was in Canada again when I saw a sea plane taking off.

12 noon arrival and what a greeting was waiting for us on the pier!

We were served blueberry pie and juice.

We then walked around and our overall impression was that everything was so clean ( pristine)

We went into the terminal building, where I downloaded 308 emails.I cannot believe that although my e mails to home had said 'sent' that Our daughter only got them yesterday!

White night, Ross suggests we all wear our bath robes, to keep us warm.

We went to the dining room first, as I had pre ordered my food, so lost out on the ambiance ! We did go upstairs to deck 9 ready for the parade of flags, but found it very cold. We ordered a coffee, but left at 9.15pm

Day 14

Thursday 22.09.16

Quebec City

Quebec - founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain ( who set off from Honfleur)

We walked outside and were asked by a taxi driver if we wanted a city tour and a visit to the Montmorency falls, so we took up his offer.

We were also shown the house built by Edward, Queen Victoria's father, near the top of the falls, which are higher than Niagara, but not as wide.

Some trees were also changing colour., the only ones that saw.

The tour then went back to the town and we got off at the Funicular upper stop, where we had a very expensive drink, in the red roofed restaurant.

We decided not to eat as the food looked expensive. It was a good decision, as the wasps were out in force.

Day 15

Montreal

Friday 23.09.16arrived at 8 am. Unfortunately it was raining hard, so we didn't rush outside. I picked up a leaflet from Customer Relations, which stated we would be docked in the 'Old Town.'

Free shuttle bus to old town, as the ship couldn't dock in the cruise ship terminal, as it is being renovated for 375 th celebrations next year. The old port looks like a building site. I wondered where on earth we had been taken. I was not impressed. We were told to make for the twin towers of the Basilica.

First we got on the Hop-on Hop off bus, but at $55( £32.28) we quickly got off.

We then walked up to the Notre Dame Basilica.

We wandered along the Rue de St Paul, which was difficult as there were so many road works.

and eventually found what we thought used to be a church- it was actually an artisan market. We found an excellent cafe, which had great internet, so sat in there for at least an hour.

We then walked along the front, looking at ships, there weren't too many!

Day 16

Disembark in Montreal 24.09.16 at 8.45am to get on bus to take us to the Marriott hotel, just inside the airport.

We were formed into an orderly queue, and were called when the bus arrived. We were on the bus for at least 45 mins, before being dropped at the Marriott hotel, which was just at one end of the Air Canada check in. The room we were assigned was huge, the shower was at least 4 times bigger than that on the ship. It took us a while to rearrange the cases, so that the weight was 23kg for each case and 10kg for the hand luggage. We then went for a few drinks and lunch- we both had a 1/2 club sandwich, which came with a bowl of soup and chips. I also had coffee and the coffee pot was left on the table!

Adrian then walked to the airport, the ground floor of the hotel formed part of the concourse!, so when we left all we did was pick up a trolley and walk to the check in desk.

We left the hotel at 16.30, but check in was rapid, giving us plenty of time for a meal, as we were told only a continental breakfast would be served.

Once we were on the plane, we were served with a chicken dinner!! I ate the vegetables, having also taken a Lactase tablet. Next morning we were served with cake and a drink.

Thanks so much for this detailed review. Very helpful for those of us who haven't been on a TA.

And the first time Azamara has visited some of those ports.

It was unfortunate you were initially not able to pre-order sweets from the menu to satisfy your "sweet" tooth.

A question. Did this issue come up when you were invited to meet with the Maitre D or a Head Waiter, upon embarkation, to discuss your lactose intolerance? If not, It's probably instructive to others to make certain that topic is covered at that meeting.

We confess that, because of dietary issues, we always arrive early for dinner and thus are able to sit in the same area and experience the same serving team. We do feel a bit guilty doing this. Perhaps others might find early arrival helpful as well.

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A question. Did this issue come up when you were invited to meet with the Maitre D or a Head Waiter, upon embarkation, to discuss your lactose intolerance? If not, It's probably instructive to others to make certain that topic is covered at that meeting.

Answer

I visited the main dining room just after the staterooms became available and spoke to the Maitre'D who checked that my information was on the computer. I was told that I would pre order every evening. What I hadn't realised was that there wasn't a sweet menu provided ' for tomorrow.'

We confess that, because of dietary issues, we always arrive early for dinner and thus are able to sit in the same area and experience the same serving team. We do feel a bit guilty doing this. Perhaps others might find early arrival helpful as well.

Answer

We arrived at the dining room most days at 6pm, but never sat in the same area with the same wait staff.

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answer

i visited the main dining room just after the staterooms became available and spoke to the maitre'd who checked that my information was on the computer. I was told that i would pre order every evening. What i hadn't realised was that there wasn't a sweet menu provided ' for tomorrow.'

 

thanks for clarifying. We had not thought of recommending that step to others when posting on this forum.

 

Answer

we arrived at the dining room most days at 6pm, but never sat in the same area with the same wait staff.

 

ahhh! This is a bit of a conundrum for us.

On our last few cruises we have initially requested the same wait staff and been accomodated for the remainder of the cruise.

 

The positive is that that particular team anticipates very well the issues that need to be addressed.

 

The negatives are 1/we are already receiving special attention from the kitchen 2/ we don't get to meet other mdr staff members 3/ those other staff members don't experience dealing with this process and 4/ this would not be practical if all cruisers expected the same treatment.

 

On our last cruise monico and harry, two of the head waiters who were also on board for your cruise, assured us that this request was fine. However, we wouldn't be surprised/upset if this policy changed.

 

Lactose intolerance can be a difficult problem as the consequences are terribly inconvenient. We are impressed with how dealing with it has become easier in the last few years .

 

Thanks again for your posts.

 

 

 

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We came across Daniel more often than not.

I am impressed - 33 items in a laundry bag! How did you manage it???? Anyway it is lovely to get the laundry back beautifully laundered and ironed, better than I could ever do. I hope you enjoyed your cruise.:)

I am impressed - 33 items in a laundry bag! How did you manage it???? Anyway it is lovely to get the laundry back beautifully laundered and ironed, better than I could ever do. I hope you enjoyed your cruise.:)

I have a determined husband, he managed 32 items the second time, so I never visited the laundry room!

We also disembarked Saturday.

Agree with your comments, save one. Never had any problem at all in Discoveries Main Dining Room...dinner never took over an hour (usually less) and we had a 2-top every night at around 7:15-7:30.

It was a good cruise all around.

I apparently only 'shared' Honfleur, so here goes again- wish I could delete the previous post!

Around Quest

https://goo.gl/photos/SbxHkjE4xaCmGnxf7

Ports

Honfleur

https://goo.gl/photos/fvHUVdr3PKAy3xRe6

Mont St Michel

https://goo.gl/photos/aTPVipLXMpbnNUmH9

St Peter Port

https://goo.gl/photos/ceYoDepW1bmK8DuU9

Cork

https://goo.gl/photos/4fFQMoNYMAm51KMJ8

Saguenay

https://goo.gl/photos/6oPp7V8hdAkh3bXe8

Quebec City

https://goo.gl/photos/keUVr9j8vXTfAdT5A

Montreal

https://goo.gl/photos/s87iqKnYxWq1LL6u8

White Night

https://goo.gl/photos/yqx3fbwFFfT7E4iq8

St John's Newfoundland is missing, I have to sort the photos on my camera for those, the above are taken from my phone, in an effort to create more memory!

St John's Newfoundland

https://goo.gl/photos/7VdMDgaPrgjzdqBL7

St John's Newfoundland

https://goo.gl/photos/7VdMDgaPrgjzdqBL7

Thanks for posting these pictures of "The Rock".

Perhaps it and other ports in Newfoundland will attract more interest from major cruising lines.

A long time ago someone suggested that the archetypal eastern Canadian joke would be this breaking announcement on one of our National tv and radio broadcasters (CBC):

"The world will end at 8:00 p.m. tonight, 8:30 in Newfoundland"

I apparently only 'shared' Honfleur, so here goes again- wish I could delete the previous post!

 

Around Quest

https://goo.gl/photos/SbxHkjE4xaCmGnxf7

 

Ports

 

Honfleur

https://goo.gl/photos/fvHUVdr3PKAy3xRe6

 

Mont St Michel

https://goo.gl/photos/aTPVipLXMpbnNUmH9

 

St Peter Port

https://goo.gl/photos/ceYoDepW1bmK8DuU9

 

Cork

https://goo.gl/photos/4fFQMoNYMAm51KMJ8

 

Saguenay

https://goo.gl/photos/6oPp7V8hdAkh3bXe8

 

Quebec City

https://goo.gl/photos/keUVr9j8vXTfAdT5A

 

Montreal

https://goo.gl/photos/s87iqKnYxWq1LL6u8

 

White Night

https://goo.gl/photos/yqx3fbwFFfT7E4iq8

 

St John's Newfoundland is missing, I have to sort the photos on my camera for those, the above are taken from my phone, in an effort to create more memory!

Great pics Jackie. Thanks for posting. I haven't got mine off the camera yet!!! Happy memories.

Met some wonderful folks and had a great cruise.

Hi - how was your experience with ACSM Tours to MSM? We will be on the Journey next year and have a stop in Cherbourg and would love to visit MSM. Any information would be appreciated.

Hi - how was your experience with ACSM Tours to MSM? We will be on the Journey next year and have a stop in Cherbourg and would love to visit MSM. Any information would be appreciated.

Very good.

We had 2 vans, 6 passengers in each, although we could have had 7. The vans were waiting for us at the port at 8am, but we were unable to disembark until 8.15- port clearance.

I was surprised how far MSM was from Cherbourg (190 km 2 hrs?) but we had a 'comfort stop' on the way.

The vans were parked in a car park and then we were escorted to the ' free transfer bus' ( shuttle)which takes everyone across the Causeway to MSM. I think you had to pay extra if you decided to use the horse drawn vehicle.

We were given detailed instructions to avoid the crowds, by entering via the gendarmes arch on the left. We were given 5 hrs to explore by ourselves, which was plenty. I have walking difficulties and didn't feel under pressure.

We were returned to the ship by about 5.30 pm, which gave us plenty of time before sail away.

All in all a very good visit.

Hi - how was your experience with ACSM Tours to MSM? We will be on the Journey next year and have a stop in Cherbourg and would love to visit MSM. Any information would be appreciated.

I actually set up this tour through ACSM. I would reiterate all Jackie (upwarduk) said in her post.

I dealt with a lady called Enora. She was a lovely person and extremely easy to work with. She sent us all lots of useful info and shortcuts to make life easier, including a list of restaurants that were not rip offs! MSM is very touristy with prices to match!

I can thoroughly recommend ACSM from my experience of dealing with them.

There was nothing to pay until 1 month before the tour. Everyone was contacted personally by the company and paid separately....which was great as it meant I did not have to handle the money!!

They also had, on the buses, on the day, tickets for the Abbey which meant we didn't need to queue, we just went in.

My husband and I ordered a picnic box on the ship and took that with us. It was ample until we got back for dinner. There were reasonably priced sandwiches etc to buy at the "comfort stop" though.

It was a long journey but it was a wonderful day out....and a fraction of the cost of the ship's tour.

Thanks for the information that I had forgotten Joyce.

"My husband and I ordered a picnic box on the ship and took that with us. It was ample until we got back for dinner."

 

This is slightly off-topic, but I'm curious about ordering a lunch to take off the ship. How did you do this? I have always heard/been told that this is not possible. We will be on Journey in June, and plan to go to MSM from Cherbourg.

"My husband and I ordered a picnic box on the ship and took that with us. It was ample until we got back for dinner."

 

This is slightly off-topic, but I'm curious about ordering a lunch to take off the ship. How did you do this? I have always heard/been told that this is not possible. We will be on Journey in June, and plan to go to MSM from Cherbourg.

 

I went to Guest Services and ordered 2 lunch boxes for whatever time/date. The night before, I rang room service and ordered early morning coffee to be delivered and they asked if we wanted them to bring the picnic boxes at the same time ! All arrived together. We took the food out of the boxes (too bulky to travel with) into a travel coolbox we had kept in the fridge.... a carrier bag would do!

You get....a sandwich, fruit, cookies, sometimes we have had crisps ( but not this time!!). Not exciting but enough! Remember to take water or soft drinks from the fridge with you as they are not included in the lunch boxes.

We have done this on other occasions too so it is definitely a service that is available.

Enjoy MSM.....it was fab!!!

 

I went to Guest Services and ordered 2 lunch boxes for whatever time/date. The night before, I rang room service and ordered early morning coffee to be delivered and they asked if we wanted them to bring the picnic boxes at the same time ! All arrived together. We took the food out of the boxes (too bulky to travel with) into a travel coolbox we had kept in the fridge.... a carrier bag would do!

You get....a sandwich, fruit, cookies, sometimes we have had crisps ( but not this time!!). Not exciting but enough! Remember to take water or soft drinks from the fridge with you as they are not included in the lunch boxes.

We have done this on other occasions too so it is definitely a service that is available.

Enjoy MSM.....it was fab!!!

 

Thank you for the information!

 

 

 

Thank you for the information!

 

 

It's a service that is available in countries where it is allowed. There are plenty of counties however where you could get a severe fine or even jail time. Never try to carry food through Australian customs for example.

Now - a large part of the enjoyment of travel for me is sampling local things and specifically local food, so why anyone would carry a lunch box off the ship is beyond me, but that's a different subject [emoji846]

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

It's a service that is available in countries where it is allowed. There are plenty of counties however where you could get a severe fine or even jail time. Never try to carry food through Australian customs for example.

Now - a large part of the enjoyment of travel for me is sampling local things and specifically local food, so why anyone would carry a lunch box off the ship is beyond me, but that's a different subject [emoji846]

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

It certainly would work better for us where taking items off is permitted some days where dealing with DHs allergies ashore are a potential challenge. It might take the stress out of some lunch stops. Sometimes the lovely local food just does not work! I never want to raid the buffet so an official box woukd be just great