uktog

4 minutes ago, susiesan said:

Boarded Pursuit yesterday in Venice. My invoice shows I should have $ 250 OBC and the premier beverage package from my TA. There is no record of this on my booking. Reception is contacting HQ to straighten it out.

 

How long is it likely to take to see these amenities on my account? I'd like to start spending the OBC on speciality dining and other things. Knowing the tech problems Azamara has will I see my amenities before the end of the cruise?

I would just start spending and argue later even if it has to be when you get home 

9 hours ago, wjfan417 said:

We were on Onward for 2 cruises this summer. It was in the Living Room both times with very unclear details as to exactly where. People were walking around asking where it was.

36 minutes ago, Grandma Cruising said:

On our last cruise it was held in the Living Room in the open area on the port side.

What are we talking about - my answer was about the VIP event which I highlighted also has the potential to clash with cruise critic in terms of timing and to an extent venue. 
I think for the majority of cruises now the cruise critic event is in a section of the living room with few if any senior officers attending.  The timing is not ideal for most guests but on port intensive cruises that’s something that’s hard to work around. There will always be exceptions! 

If meeting  up with others to finalise private tour arrangements are important then I would suggest it’s no longer sensible to rely on a Cruise Critic social but to set up on the rollcall an alternative place and time/method to communicate. 

Its not like the ships are large and to be honest we have met more Cruise Critic posters in casual conversation in the bars and dining room than we have at the socials which now frankly are hardly well attended at all on many cruises - yes there will be exceptions. It’s not about how active roll calls are but a large number of other reasons not least nowadays people are interacting by name not handles in other places and forming connections that way. 

52 minutes ago, takemewithyou said:

Where is that held?

Usually the Library except on Onward where it was in Atlas

Looks like it might also clash in part with the top suites drinks which are often just after sail away on a port intensive cruise 

They do provide water in the cabin as well. As you’re in a suite just let your butler know you want it and the ice kept topped up

Norway is one of my favourite places to cruise to. Because one ship has a Norwegian captain he has shared his knowledge with all the captains so regardless of the ship you go on with Azamara it’s an experience with surprises and little (food) extras - I won’t spoil the surprises- you get with no one else. 
I have done four variations of the itinerary and as regards weather in July and August it’s always been very good. Indeed pack sun cream - as several stops are on the Gulf Stream it can be warmer and sunnier there than parts of Scotland and Northern Europe. 
I hope you can persuade your husband to go, it’s beautiful with lovely people and whilst there are some ports people rightly say you must do x or y most ports are also places for delightful walk arounds yourself and as below finding tiny villages

unique micro breweries,

flowers everywhere

shops, nature walks and little museums 

and who can forget Trollfjord

9 hours ago, fruitmachine said:

There is an (imperfect) work around:

 

Go to the summary page on Seaware, and change the word "summary" in the URL to "invoice".

The great news is I can see the booking and the figures

The bad news - this was a single booking moving to a b2b booking and the figures are all wrong by several thousand £££  Maybe it wasnt a good idea to go and look!  I have asked the agent to push for the new invoices asap.  

Dynamic pricing based on supply and demand - just like Oasis tickets!

I loved the memory of the eclipse in Scotland in 1999.  We had an amazing boss then and he insisted everyone from the office went into the garden where we worked - all 40 of us - a team photo was taken just before the eclipse and then we stayed outside for the duration.  It was about 11 in the morning.  We remember most that suddenly about 2 minutes before it, all the birds when quiet and flew back into the trees and went to sleep  It was so still and quiet.  Two minutes after the eclipse it was like the dawn chorus.

Given that memory we have decided we cannot better our memory of 1999 so will skip these cruises

1 hour ago, hamrag said:

First world problems, tbf they are irresistible....just bring your own! 🤣

The first world problem is I eat some even more naughty bread product instead 😂

51 minutes ago, fruitmachine said:

There is an (imperfect) work around:

 

Go to the summary page on Seaware, and change the word "summary" in the URL to "invoice".

Thanks that’s really helpful 

36 minutes ago, blag said:

Therefore is it not reasonable to conclude that the problem of consistency (the most important thing) may not be caused by Azamara, but by third parties.

Some of the requirements are cruise line driven and I’ve first hand experience of my agency being given inconsistent or different process requirements across calls. There is also inconsistent requirements between countries not all are down to legal frameworks. 
I apologise my posts are not detailed and precise enough for your liking. 
I will not answer any more questions from you on this topic 

Just now, blag said:

Forgive me for being a bit dense.

Am I right in thinking that you are saying that not all UK TA's are using the same booking system or means of making the booking with Azamara, and that this has an impact on invoice delivery?

They all use the system but have different payment relationships (which affects how the system appears to the guest) and different company policies on how reservations are handled. There is also the issue of different levels of awareness these days. When Azamara was part of Royal agents had plenty exposure to the system through also doing bookings for Royal and Celebrity but now they are working with one they don’t know as well. 

7 hours ago, laurieb said:

are things different there?  Do TA's not have access to online bookings?  Here, TA's can forward the confirmations from the online booking engine; my TA does very quickly

I think there a variety of structures for interaction with Azamara here

You can ask Azamara for the same staff member each night and they will try and accommodate you but sometimes it is not possible for example having to allocate the waiter to a different restaurant.  Its difficult to tell who will be onboard as staff change all the time and the best ones from the MDR today might be moved up to a speciality by the time you board.

All the experienced staff are very good - my advice would be to ask the host at the podium if you can be seated with one of their most experienced waiters.  

To be honest for me, location of my table can be more important - it can be noisy in some parts of the restaurant if the ship is pulling out of port or travelling at speed.  Some tables are also more cramped in than others so you might want to choose a location first night eg some like the middle section or by the windows nearer midships rather than a waiter

I’m glad some people are getting their invoices quickly but it’s not consistent and that’s what needs looking at most - consistency

5 hours ago, Grandma Cruising said:

On my last few cruises I have rarely taken any bread rolls, even in the MDR - fills me up too much (although I sometimes can’t resist a bread stick!).

Unfortunately our last two cruises no breadsticks were offered in the MDR - we commented on our cards about that.  Hope they have listened and brought them back

I did a booking three weeks ago and my travel agent tells me she is still waiting an invoice to share with me. Used to have it instantly 

You can enjoy breakfast in the MDR. Unfortunately unlike other lines the buffet is self service. Not only does this increase the risk of virus transmission it also means dishes can look “trashed” very quickly as guests “dive in”. You can end up with a dish full of sauce only as some guests focus on picking out the best bits 

3 hours ago, Zoey123 said:

I will have to respectfully disagree with you. And, regardless of the configuration, those two ships are incredibly dated in those cabins. I watched the videos and I wonder how badly that carpet smells. It’s ancient. Itappears that I will be finding out as I think we are going to book it anyway. But for three people…

 

And Azamara’s newest sales videos are definitely selling those as accommodating three to four people and are insinuating that all ships are like the Onward.. So there’s that…

Carpets are regularly replaced on all Azamara ships even when they are in port they will do a section. The only smell  I have ever encountered is a new carpet smell when a change has been made say in a corridor while we’ve been ashore 

4 hours ago, Toronto Guy said:

Does anyone really think that Prime C or Aqualina is that much better then the MDR?  I have never experienced that.  I've usually been underwhelmed and a bit disappointed with a few exceptions. I still go for a change of venue, but I don't get why some people rave about it and others are more "meh".

I think I would call it inconsistent.  Both certainly have had its issues over the last two or three year in terms of consistency not helped by the removal of popular items that they did well from the menu.  I believe they are working on a new offering for Aqualina in particular and I hear from those who have been onboard recently that the quality of cuisine and service has gone back to how it used to be which is great to hear.

14 minutes ago, villauk said:

Thank you @ghstudio. We’ve not been on an E class ship as the fake balcony cabins haven’t been interesting enough to us. We tend to like the more relaxed feel and don’t hang around the Martini Bar etc; we much prefer sitting at the coffee bar. I’m a little confused about the casino comment as it does state on the deck plan there is one on Journey. Is this not the case? Are the balcony cabins exactly the same on deck 6 and 7, and it’s just the case that deck 7 have cabins below and above that warrant the extra cost? Is the WiFi expensive on Azamara as we obviously won’t get any free minutes like we do on X. TIA.

The difference between Decks 6 and 7 are purely location. I think you are looking at an old plan, all the casinos were removed several years ago

All the wifi costs and packages are on this page of the website.

https://www.azamara.com/gb/booked-guests/before-you-board/stay-connected

4 hours ago, villauk said:

We’re seriously thinking of booking a cruise on Journey for next year. Previously, we had considered Azamara but our travelling companions couldn’t get the dates, so we never booked. Would you say that this Azamara experience is similar to Celebrity but on a smaller scale? I’ve also been reading the reviews on CC and Journey isn’t painted in a very good light regarding cabins, furnishing etc. We want to try something new, however, we also don’t want to be disappointed that our expectations of a notch above Celebrity are ill-founded.

If you are ok on a cruise where you are just a number and staff very much are handcuffed by rules then Celebrity is fine, if you want to be someone who is recognised and looked out for by many staff as an individual this is where Azamara really comes into play. There is only limited upselling onboard and no one hassling you as you walk past the two very small shops on Azamara. 
That said you have to realise it’s not glass and chrome and unless you are in a suite recognise you have a tiny but very serviceable shower 

Head to Vigiland Park in Oslo. The statues are so interesting and it’s a lovely setting

Make sure you take time in smaller places eg Olden to go a walk to a village to see typical life

In Olden whilst the glacier is interesting the Skylift is amazing - the only place you will see a view like this

You get a Birds Eye view of your home away from home. 

It all depends when the evening starts and how long any transport took back from the venue. There’s actually less people go to Windows than at the normal lunch time peak because

a. The buses come back over a 30 minute span typically- if it’s people walking back the span is longer

b.  Not everyone is wanting more to eat

c.  Some go for a drink first some go to eat first

We usually enjoy some sandwiches (there is often a favourite cheese and pickle on) out on the veranda watching the returners and usually the ship getting ready to go