Ithikan

Thank you to the several above posters who reminded me of the additional Azamara birthday treats: signed card! towel elephant! (Well done on the Towel B'Day Cake, fruitmachine!). Corinna121, I was mistaken when I said to use 'Addon.' I used the Special Requests icon to report my birthday - this selection incurs no cost. And we just used it again for my husband's upcoming birthday on Journey : )

I celebrated my birthday during our Journey cruise in January of this year. We were in a CC suite and so were able to breakfast in Aqualina, where Ruby and her staff sang "Happy Birthday" to me. I loved it. And when we returned to our stateroom there was a birthday banner and balloons. I felt special! And yes, there was the offer of a discounted bottle of beverage - the day before, we'd encountered a couple roaming the ship with their anniversary coupon, seeking the sommelier so they could select something special for their occasion. (I was grateful, but we didn't take advantage of this offer.) And finally, the White Night deck party happened to occur that evening. Seriously, one of my best-ever birthdays! I highly recommend checking the Addon box and letting the Azamara staff and crew help you celebrate your husband's birthday!

We didn't have an Indian Chef's Table during our January cruise on Journey. Not even a Rice Table. Waaah! This menu looks wonderful!

When we sailed on Journey in February, there was no Rice Table. I asked about it twice, on the first day and mid-cruise, and was simply told that we would not be having one.

This is an overwhelming display of food! The fruits! The variety of dishes with the flags of origin - an altogether wonderful and Azamara-specific experience. Enjoy!

Uktog, are you seeing Humpbacks or Minke whales? Or both, perhaps?

Lots to do, indeed! I think I'd head to the Sunset Bar at 5:00 PM for the Wildlife Watching with Caroline Still. Enjoy your cruise!

We have enjoyed 3 cruises with Azamara to New Zealand & Australia. Each offered an Azamazing Evening off the ship, and we loved them all. (The event in Bali was beyond spectacular - I do hope you select an AZ cruise, and that your Azamazing event occurs offshore.) Happy Planning!

Thank you, IslandThyme, for your blog. It's a pleasure to read, and the photos are quite wonderful. As an aside, the Ladies of Picton, New Zealand, prepared lovely little nosegay corsages for those of us going ashore from Journey last month. We, too, were asked to toss these flowers before reboarding. I was sad, but not to the degree that you must have been when losing that gorgeous, bespoke lei!

It was a "special," sorry to report -

During our recent cruise when dining in Aqualina, we enjoyed the dover sole entree. Both of us ordered it, and the plates were prepared tableside by two servers - a bit of a gentle competition, as the deboning was slightly varied. It was absolutely delicious, and other diners also appeared to enjoy "the show." FYI, the sailing was on Journey this past month, disembarking in Auckland on Jan. 21.

Betsey, no. From the stationery stash in Guest Folder, I'm guessing - that's where I pulled mine.

With apologies to Host JazzBeau (who closed the tipping topic last February) I am here to note that tipping at voyage end was alive and well on Journey's Melbourne-Auckland cruise, which ended on Sunday. By Saturday afternoon the envelopes were flying - passengers stopping the servers in Windows for a word and an unsubtle tucking of envelope into pockets. The Living Room also saw a lot of action, numerous guests arrived with fists full of white envelopes like happily perched, New Zealand Fan Tails, distributing to favorite servers and bartenders. I also noted other passengers with envelopes, like myself, at Guest Relations with contributions for the Crew Fund. Let each of us do what feels right and good. This post is simply an observation of another change in the Azamara culture: overt tipping is happening onboard.

We received an offer to upgrade our cruise (Jan. 4, 2024-Jan. 21, 2024; Journey) via email. We were invited to bid; did so; our bid was accepted and final confirmation was via a telephone conversation between 3 parties - myself, and two Azamara people. It was a tiny bit fraught as we were enroute internationally during the call and had the missing day & New Year's holiday to contend with, but all's well that ends well... And yes, we are in a Club Continental Suite, nicely placed midship. With a tub. Which, happily, is not an issue for us. The suite number was discussed during the final, confirmation call so we would have been able to sail without accepting the upgrade. I do understand that accessing the tub (there is a solid handrail, BTW) is not feasible for some. We are very happy with our placement and are enjoying the Aquilina breakfast option as well as the other suite amenities.

If you're interested in current staff & crew on Journey, here's the list for Melbourne-Auckland: Master - Captain Kresimir Korona Staff Captain - Dario Guerrieri Hotel Director - Tatiana Morello Cruise Director - Darren Lynton Food & Beverage Mgr. - Ertan Karasakal Executive Chef - Dhani Limboo Asst. Cruise Director - Grace O'Donnell-Clancy. (A gem, IMO.)