rubyclaret

2 hours ago, hawkesbaynz said:

I used a TA who is on that list and got a Much better cooool price than the Azamara website price. When I sail with Celebrity I go direct as receive a decent military discount. However the TAs discount was much better than the usual 10% discount.

 

As for Azamara advisors. Our South Africa cruise had the itinerary changed. I had an email advising me but no updated itinerary (why do that?). I called the office as advised but they knew nothing. Promised to call me back. Am still waiting.

Thanks for that hawksbaynz, South Africa is also the Cruise we are looking at for Jan 2025. We nearly went this January gone, but chose a Marella cruise from Jamaica to Central America.....which we thoroughly enjoyed BTW !...plus you only need to go into a Tui ship and everything is done for you !

As I say in the OP, our only other Azamara Cruise when we went Auckland to Sydney, we booked it via their website, booking flights, transfers and hotels ourselves.

The website doesn't seem as good as it was to me, will probably book with a TA who can factor in the flights and hotels etc...

Thanks again.

2 hours ago, Harters said:

Although it has no such qualms mentioning names itself. As in this article about the various UK travel agencies which are cruise specialists. I found it very helpful for picking one.

 

https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/articles.cfm?ID=3850

That's great, thanks Harters, you can't beat face to face contact when booking a holiday and there are 1 or 2 options there.

Thanks for that Riocca. Just seems a little more complicated booking on the website than previously......when you say you have received very good service, I presume that means Azamara are replying to your emails and calls ?

Regards Mr & Mrs Rubyclaret 

3 minutes ago, Grandma Cruising said:

Cruise Critic won’t let us mention TAs by name. 
We use our daughter who is a self-employed TA who is a consultant  with a national travel company. 

They won't ?....Thanks anyway Grandma.

I've heard a few people going down the route of Independent TAs, perhaps that's the way........are you allowed to give the initials of National TAs 🤔

It's been a good 8 years since we booked our last Azamara Cruise,  we live in the UK and remember booking on the Azamara website whilst exchanging emails quite regularly with Richard Twynam ?  a UK based director i think of Azamara,who was a great help with our booking.

I think he's now long since moved on and looking at the booking process  on the Azamara website now seems more complicated....or perhaps its me !

I suppose my question is to UK Cruisers, is there any particular national TA that you book with or a local TA or do you book direct on the Website ?

Sorry for the long question, not sure about the best way to book.

Thanks.

26 minutes ago, dronnygirl said:

We were on Explorer 2 in September and were told she was going in for refurb in October.  We asked what was going to be done and it was mainly work on the engines and underneath. Some of the staff were staying onboard to help with painting and cleaning.  

Most of the ship looked to be in good condition and so was our cabin but, as you say, the bathroom let it down. The grouting in the shower was in desperate need of attention, it's a pity as it's such a quick and easy fix

Indeed dronnygirl the Ship itself looks in decent nik, just the Cabins that need a little TLC.

Hi

Just recently returned from 2 weeks on Explorer 2. 

Whilst we enjoyed most aspects of the ship ( the Showcast in the theatre  were amazing by the way ) we thought our Balcony Cabin, the Bathroom in particular were looking a little tired.

Does anyone know if any refurbishment is planned this year, we fancy doing another Winter Cruise in 2025 and would love it to be with Marella Explorer 2.

Thank You.

That's great Princeton 123211, thank you very much for that......we had gave up hope of any replies 😀 

From what we have been told our excursion is to a Hotel for Cocktails at a Rooftop Bar but does not include the Swimming Pool, as it is only open for Hotel Guests. It could well be the Kempinski that you mention.

We are in Havana overnight 11th & 12th Jan, really looking forward to it.

Really appreciate the reply, thanks again 👍  

Hello TWW98.

We are on this Cruise, but on the 9th January, flying from Manchester.

I'm sure there are better informed Cruisers on here than ourselves to answer all your questions. This will only be our 3rd Cruise, our others were Singapore to Hong Kong  & Auckland to Sydney with Azamara Cruises....they were great Cruises, here's hoping this one is too !

Once you have made your booking you can google Marella Cruise Control, put in your details I.e. booking reference then all the excursions & Restaurants will come up to book. We have booked and paid for 4 trips, I think you can cancel them any time and get a refund.  We have also booked Surf & Turf Restaurant for 1 night.

Our trips out are :

Cocktails on a roof top bar. Cuba £76

Rays, Reefs & Stingray cruise & swim. Cayman Islands £104

Aerial tram & Ecological Encounter Panama £172.

Costa Rica by Rail and Canal Cruise £164

and the Surf & Turf Restaurant £66

All sounds a bit pricey but we're trying to justify it by saying its a Special birthday treat 😁.....you can probably do them cheaper by doing private tours.

Not so sure on the Yellow Fever Vaccinations, when we booked in the Tui shop it wasnt mentioned, perhaps its a personal thing if you want the Vaccination or not,  I know the Mozzie season is the Wet Season -April to November. I did notice on the Tui Website in the FAQ that you DO NOT need to present a certificate in Jamaica.

One other thing...you now need to Download a entry form before you can gain entry into Jamaica.

Hope this is a little help to you, i feel part of the enjoyment of a Cruise is doing lots of homework and planning for your ports of call.

If and when you book your 1st Cruise have a great time....I'm sure you will. 👍

Regards Mr & Mrs Rubyclaret.

...that's the name of a Cruise Excursion in Havana with Marella Cruises.

A visit to a Hotel for a few hours with Rooftop Swimming Pool and Cocktails.

Bit of a longshot...but which Hotel will it be, any ideas ?

As this will be our 1st visit to Havana and Cuba what can we expect of the City.

.....and what Cocktail & Cigar do you recommend.....not experts on either.

Any input very much appreciated, thank you.

1 minute ago, Liverbird 6 said:

We are on Explorer in March and have already booked 2 speciality restaurants using cruise control dashboard but Dining Club restaurant does not appear as an option.Can this only be booked onboard or will it appear on dashboard at a later date?

Same with ours in January, only 2 restaurants showing at the moment.

We are on Explorer 2 in January, our 1st sea day is day 2 out of Jamaica.

I'm hoping that's when I bring my jacket out 😁

47 minutes ago, c-leg5 said:

Cozumel regularly has that many ships. The main tourist areas will be busy but there are definitely options. Some people never leave Melgar, or the big beach bars south of town. 
 

If it is your one and only trip to Cozumel I would consider the Cozumel Bar Hop to get out of town (despite its name - not generally party bus but of course that always is dependent on who is in the group) or a private customized tour, we use ToursPlaza.

Just looked at Tours Plaza.....that's give us something to think about.

Thank you, much appreciated.

25 minutes ago, c-leg5 said:

Not 100% sure but you will most likely dock in town at Punta Langosta. There, you will have your pick of many restaurants but some of the better ones only open for dinner, or some from 2pm.

 

As usual food is very subjective - type, budget, how far you can walk etc. I suggest you google “Cozumel lunch restaurants” and you will find many recommendations. You can ask about specific places when you have narrowed it down.

 

For lunch we tend to go for places with a view and like Aqui y Ahora  rooftop (if you are mobile), museum and museum rooftop restaurant ( not sure if it has reopened), La Monina + Hemingway’s (fairly long walk along seafront). Many good local restaurants a few streets back and round the plaza depending on how comfortable you are away from main tourist street. Many recommend Panchos Backyard behind Los Cinco Soles ( we have never been).

 

Be forewarned, Melgar, the main oceanfront road is a tourist trap with many vendors hustling to get you in their shops. If you are uncomfortable with that go inland a street or two or walk on the opposite side of the street to the shops and admire the waterfront statues.

 

If you decide to go out of town lots of taxis available in main tourist areas - prices should be posted at pier, agree price before you get in. 

Some great information there c-leg5, thank you.

19 minutes ago, crewsweeper said:

Which Marella ship and when?  Not seeing any marella ships on Western Caribbean cruises in 2023 or 2024.  But my guess would be the ship would dock at Punta Langosta, the downtown pier.  Not near Paprika.  I would recommend La Mission on Calle 5 Nord or Colores Y Sabores on Calle 5Sur. Both are just off the street running by the water (Rafael Melgar).  Easy walk from the pier.

Just googled the Cruise Schedule for Cozumel on 11Jan 2024  we are on Marella Exporer 2.......and wow, 7 ships are scheduled for that day, over 20,000 passengers ! Some big ships are in.

Lunch could be difficult 😄

Thanks for the reply and recommendations 👍

9 hours ago, 1Texansgo said:

Paprika is pretty good and close to Carnival and RCL piers

Thank you.

13 hours ago, c-leg5 said:

Which port?

Having never been to Cozumel before we didn't realise there is more than 1 !

We are on Marella, not a big ship, around 1800 passengers.....not sure if that is relevant to where it docks.

Thanks for the reply.

Can anyone recommend anywhere for a nice Lunch not too far walking distance from the Port.

Thank you.

On 6/14/2023 at 7:25 AM, Grandma Cruising said:

Can’t remember ever seeing Dilmah.
Good idea to pack your own anyway. We always take our Yorkshire tea bags wherever we go! 

Same here....wherever we go, so do our Yorkshire tea bags !

Thank you Mdeegooden for taking the time to reply and in much detail

it's much appreciated. As our feedback is indicating, we think perhaps it is best to use Ship excursions whilst in Port, apart from Cape Town in the V&A district which seems quite safe to walk around.

Regards Rubyclaret.

Stunning Photographs.

We are due to be in Cape Town for 3 or 4 nts in Jan 2024....nothing booked as yet.

Something that caught our eye was a Hot Ballooning trip over the Winelands, anybody done this ? Any thoughts ? Thanks.

Thanks Trend for the reply. Just as we thought, we will stick with the excursions I think, rather than venturing out on our own. 

1 minute ago, exiledowl said:

I'm looking for a similar answer too, we're visiting all those ports , except Mossel Bay!

Fingers crossed exiledowl we get some positive answers.

Thanks for your reply Loerie, our other Ports are Port Elizabeth, East London, Richards Bay, Durban and Mossel Bay.

Would you say these are " Safe" places to walk around on our own ?

Yes, very much looking forward to Cape Town.

Regards Rubyclaret