Melissaghoti

1 hour ago, hubofhockey said:

Coronavirus is 40 times deadlier than the flu, but they're saying they are three months away from a vaccine.  

Can you share a source for this? It’s very scary, but not the information I’ve read or can extrapolate from numbers I’ve seen regarding either mortality or a vaccine. If either are accurate, it’s a different picture than I’ve had.

Thanks, 

Melissa

I’ve done a good number of Azamara tours and they’ve varied in quality, but most have been more than acceptable.  The numbers have varied from a dozen to maybe, 30. On a couple of the larger tours there’ve been two guides, so the groups at the destination weren’t unwieldy. The buses have been just fine, never ‘ratty’ in my experience. 
I travel solo, so private tours can be discouragingly expensive. When I’ve been able to join a group private tour, I often do, but when that doesn’t happen, I usually have plenty of OBC to use for ship’s tours and haven’t had much to complain about.

Melissa

Since Azamara didn’t specify a time frame for refunds, I don’t imagine the fact that the booking was only a week old will change their policy. That would open the door to people requesting refunds after 6 days and, then 8 days and on. If you aren’t interested in transferring your deposit to a different cruise, perhaps the appeals process will work in your favor, if you were very, very nice when you explained your situation. 

It could be worse.

I failed to read the fine print on a contract with a large, online cruise agency. When I wanted to cancel a cruise because I’d changed my mind about both date and itinerary, I discovered that I had a specific time period to do that, or face not only the Azamara cancellation fee (which I was aware of) but also the agency’s own cancellation fee of 15% of the total cruise price! I had never heard of such a thing, couldn’t even believe it was legal, but yep, there it was in the fine print, page 3. That was after 4 previous bookings with these people!  I found another cruise, of course, as well as new travel agent. I ended up happy not to have had my fine print reading failure cost me anything but embarrassment at not knowing what I should have. 
 

FYI - All my cruises have been on Azamara and I have two coming up. If you can get past your current disenchantment, you might love them. I certainly do.

Good luck,

Melissa

I’ve used magnets,  more to keep the floor dry than because of the shower curtain. I don’t find it a problem. It’s a small shower, but if mobility problems can be dealt with, it should be perfectly adequate. 
 

Hope you’re able to get all the info you need to say yes to an Azamara cruise. 
 

M.

There’s far less live music on the Azamara sister ships than there was just a year or so ago when some major entertainment changes took place. I miss it too. That’s probably not something that can change quickly, but a dimmer switch shouldn’t be hard and would be a hug improvement!

Melissa

‘My cabin’s right below the Kid’s Club. It’s impossible to take a nap.’

Melissa

A couple of years ago, there were lots of complaints here about how difficult the clocks were to set.  Because they were so ‘user unfriendly’, clocks may have had a slow, uneven attrition as they quit working.  If that’s the case, removing them all when some still worked wouldn’t make sense. Apparently, having a supply of better clocks to transition with didn’t make sense either. At least, that’s my late-night hypothesis.
My usual experience with clocks when traveling is to forget to check what time the previous user had set the alarm, thus often waking up earlier than I’d wanted. I wear a watch, use my phone or iPad for alarm, so I’ve never missed the clock.
Melissa

Do use a travel agent, but don’t assume bigger is better. In my experience, service is better with a smaller agency where you’re a name more than a number. Whatever you choose, read the fine print carefully. The agency can charge their own cancellation fee and again, in my experience, it can be extortionate!

Melissa

Koper looks lovely. I’m sure it will be a delightful place to explore while waiting for the three sisters’ meetup and Azamazing Evening in Oct. 2020. Wish it were a shorter countdown, but it’ll be worth the wait.

- Melissa

Thanks for an excellent review and wonderful pictures. If I wasn’t already an Azamara addict, this would’ve sold me. It’s a shame you had to miss Barcelona and Tarragona, but it looks like your positive attitudes (and a little extra OBC) saw you through.  

Where will your next Azamara cruise be? I’m already looking forward to the review!  

-Melissa

It would make packing so much easier.

Interesting discussion.

The take-away seems to be that it’s well worthwhile to look closely before choosing a TA. I was an absolute novice cruiser when I booked my first Journey cruise three years ago. I’ve gone on to regret that I assumed all cruise agents were the same and chose the one that came up first on a Google search. For me, final payment has always been 120 days out, which is not of much consequence, but when I wanted to cancel a B2B over a year out, I learned that I’d be charged a hefty fee. To avoid it, I needed to make bookings of equal value within a year of the original cruise. It didn’t break my heart to do that, and to their credit, the company and TA have been very generous with OBC, but I can see the cancellation penalty could be a huge problem for some people.

Caveat Emptor,

Melissa

I’ve done it and agree that it was very enjoyable. Lucca deserves more time, but I considered it a quick introduction to a place I’ll visit again. I don’t know if Lottie went to the same winery, but it sounds like she might’ve. It was old, set in a very scenic grounds and I enjoyed that too. 

I’d probably do it or something similar again, rather than going to Florence during hot weather. 

Melissa

Tring - Lucca, is a good choice. Delightful city and now I’ll be pronouncing it correctly! Thanks, Lottie.

I have a Cardigan (the one with a tail) Welsh corgi and wanted to give her a Welsh name. That didn’t work out at all!

Melissa

I’ve yet to be on deck for a sail-away!

I  know that the first night is always busy, but it seems it should be possible to schedule the M&G for a different time. For my August Pursuit cruise, only 3 people from our quiet roll call have signed up, so maybe I won’t even have to choose. Definitely no one banging on or even encouraging it. I’ve met great people at them, so I’d hate for it not to happen, but they seem to be getting smaller and smaller, so we’ll see.

Melissa

My August Pursuit cruise will share Mykonos with Celebrity Edge, which is a skimpy group compared to 10 days later when it looks like there’ll be close to 10,000 passengers from six ships in Santorini. Sigh....

I may pretend that’s a Sea Day.

Melissa

I’ve done three solo Azamara cruises and have paid 125% once, 150% once, and almost double the per person rate once. That one was a couple of hundred dollars less than double, which I’m guessing resulted from lower port fees.  I have two more booked at the double rate. It hurts, but I haven’t found any solo discount itineraries that interested me.

I just did a test booking on the Azamara site to see if the solo structure had changed drastically and came up with slightly less than two times the per person rate in several cabin categories. I’d encourage you to check again to be sure you aren’t comparing prices for two different cabin categories, then talk to a TA if you aren’t. I don’t think Azamara is intentionally discouraging solos by pricing us out. We’re only eating and drinking for one, so we’re actually a savings for them 😉 

If you come up with a price you’re comfortable with, book it! Cruising alone isn’t cheap, by any means, but Azamara makes it worth doing! 

Best of luck, 

Melissa

I appreciate Bonnie’s very timely response and the good news that machines are being replaced. Now, I have absolutely no excuse not to make an appearance in the fitness center!

My experience has been that Azamara makes every effort to ensure guests’ satisfaction and I’m reassured that hasn’t changed.

Melissa

Gives new meaning to the term ‘shipshape’.

I too, use the rowing machine and hearing that Azamara won’t be replacing it because it’s too expensive strains credulity. It’s insulting to pay premium prices and be offered second rate, non-working or poorly working fitness equipment. Leaving the broken machine in place is tacky as well. Please, Pursuit, get your act together. I’ll be on board in a couple of months and expect more than this.

Glad you had a great time otherwise, Phil, and sorry you have to do a fitness catch-up at home now!

Melissa

I’m going to play the devil’s advocate and suggest that you experience all that Azamara offers, re: food, because you are on a short cruise. How else will you know if it’s something you want to repeat? 

Your description of your dining preferences makes me think that a Chef’s Table might be a highlight. I’m also a one or two glasses of wine with dinner person, so the Chef’s Table probably wasn’t a winner financially, but that wasn’t the point. The food and service were exquisite and I’ll continue to do it every cruise.

Do give the buffet and White Night a chance, too. Food is excellent at both and if you enjoy international cuisine, I’m sure you’ll be pleased with Windows.

My experience is that food at every venue is very good. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. Just plan to enjoy your cruise!

Melissa

Best wishes for your trip home and adjustment back to the real world.

We’re going to miss you and your wonderful pictures.Thanks for all you’ve shared.

-Melissa

So glad you’re having such a great anniversary trip! Thanks for sharing with us.

Melissa

Thanks, Phil. That’s good to know. I’ll be on Pursuit this summer, though I’m sure any of the 3 ships would take the same fine care of passengers. Also, makes me feel better about the money I spend on travel insurance that I’ve fortunately not had to use. 

Im glad you were looking out for your friend and hope he has a successful procedure and a smooth recovery.

Melissa

Seems lots of us got no further than the income question. Maybe, Miami will feel inspired to add a new, low-cost ‘steerage’ class for us!

M.