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I was on the Sirena sailing after yours. There was one solo get together the first night. Then, nothing for a week and one more cocktail get together that was very poorly attended. That was it for 12 nights.

I just got off Sirena. Cruise Director was an amusing Brit named Peter (don't know last name). He just joined the ship on Aug 28. Maybe he is on until Nov.

I cruised Japan earlier this year on Azamara Pursuit. It was absolutely fabulous! The best cruise I ever took (out of about 50). I hope to go back again to Japan on Azamara in 2026. They brought some local Japanese culture onboard every late afternoon and the port departures were always a huge celebration. I can almost guarantee that you would love an Azamara Japan cruise.

I just spoke to Oceania who confirmed that my 3 upcoming cruises are all safely booked. Nothing has been cancelled. I told the agent that several other Oceania customers reported on Cruise Critic that they, too, received these emails. She asked me to forward the two emails I received to her, which I did as we were on the phone. She said that she hadn't heard about this before and would send the information on to her superiors. It was nice to talk with someone who was willing to take that extra step.

Just last month, a Future Cruise rep onboard told me that a price change can be done, while keeping the benefits of booking onboard, just once before final payment. After that, the cruise can be repriced but as a new booking, losing the onboard booking benefits.

I was on a cruise last year with the Azamazing event originally scheduled to be on shore and then moved onboard. When I went on an excursion that afternoon, which took the same route that was intended for the Azamazing event, it was clear why they moved it to the ship. There is a two lane road to get to the originally intended shoreside venue and the traffic on it was just awful. Bumper to bumper traffic for an hour. Obviously, it would be impossible to move 700 passengers to the shore venue in a timely manner. Kotor is a small place and there aren't multiple venues to accommodate that size group. I was very glad that they moved that event to the ship.

As far as a good priced transfer, I have used Shared Shuttle in Rome and they are very reasonable, use nice vans and provided good service. Their best prices are if you share with others, but they also offer private transfers. You might want to check them out. https://sharedshuttle.it/Transfer/67/Civitavecchia-Cruise-Port-Fiumicino-Airport I have sailed on Azamara since 2008 and have never known Azamara to include a transfer unless you also got your air through Azamara. Also, I have never seen any Azamara provided deal that included a 3 table tour. I live in the US, so there could be a difference there. But, it sounds to me like the tour operator may have assembled its own package. I would definitely rely on the tour operator to clear this up. IF the tour operator put a package together, offering amenities that they put together with an Azamara cruise, then you will only get frustrated trying to resolve this with Azamara as they won't know what you are talking about.

I just got two of the emails tonight. One said that I recently canceled a cruise and the other referred to the reservation process. I didn't click on either link. The cancellation message caused me some concern because I am leaving next week for 3 weeks on Oceania, plus I just made a final payment yesterday for a future cruise. Checking my account on the Oceania website, everything appears to be in order. I'll call Oceania in the morning to confirm. I'll tell them that there are others who reported receiving the same emails on Cruise Critic

You didn't start this discussion. I responded to the person who started this discussion. Her question was: "I am looking to book a cruise to Japan in 2025. I have narrowed my search to Oceania and Azamara. Any feedback would be helpful." My comment provided feedback she was looking for. As for the difference between Oceania and Azamara, each person values different things more than the other. I don't value "upscale" as much as "friendly and happy".

In February, I attended the best" Azamazing Evening" that I have ever seen, in Rio de Janeiro. They they took all the passengers to a historic theater where a Carnival show was performed that was written just for Azamara about 10 years ago. It was incredible fun and top quality! In response to repeated inquiries from their customers, who have made it clear that they want these special events to take place on shore, Azamara has expressed a commitment to doing Azamazing Evenings on shore where possible. Their new CEO, who just started at the company, reaffirmed this in a webinar to meet her just last week. However, they noted that sometimes, logistics just don't allow this, such as inadequate transportation resources to transfer all passengers at once.

If you are talking about the Tokyo to Singapore cruise in April (which I was on), that "4" was very clearly a typo. There were more Aussies than Americans, but USA was the second with the number of guests onboard.

I just returned from 30 days on Azamara in Asia... 18 days in Japan and the rest going south to Singapore. It was absolutely fabulous! They took "Destination Immersion" to a whole new level. The shore excursions were excellent. Then, every day at 5pm, they brought a local group onto the ship to show some aspect of the Japanese culture... geishas, how to wear a kimono, Japanese music, taekwondo, tea ceremony, calligraphy, etc. Sometimes they were local school groups. It was wonderful! And every day when we left the port (often at night because Azamara stays in port late), there was a special send off performance on the dock ( baton twirlers, drummers, dancers, fireworks, etc), followed by many locals waving us off and wishing us a good journey and thanking us for coming to their town. It as just magical! Of course, there were also food specialties and drinks for each area we visited. I would gladly do it again and I highly recommend it to you. Can't imagine how this wonderful Azamara experience could be topped. P.S. I was traveling solo. Next week, I am leaving for 21 nights on Oceania, including the Norwegian Fjords. This will be my first time on Oceania's small ships. They have a hard act to follow. Hope they live up to the challenge!

Paper towels

I cruised solo on Vista last summer. After first booking a solo cabin, I took a second look at it and decided that wouldn't work for me as it was very tight and the bed looked to sit along the side of a wall. So, I booked the French balcony for a small percentage more and was very happy with it. I usually just walk out onto my balcony, look over the side and come back in. I don't sit on the balcony anyway. In the French verandah cabin, I could open the double sliding door any time I wanted, but I could also see out to the ground without even going outside of my room. And the bathroom was delightful!! I wish more ships offered French balconies.

What a pleasant surprise to hear from you! You are kind to remember our chat. One of the many nice things about Azamara is that you get to meet interesting people from different countries. Hope to see you again on another Azamara cruise.

I have traveled solo on Azamara for several years. There are solo get togethers, but they are hit or miss as far as attendance. They do organize a table in the dining room for people who would like to sit with others. It's not restricted to solo travelers. You can just tell the maitre d' that you would like to sit with others. I often ask to be seated alone, but next to another table for two (fortunately, Azamara's dining room is set up this way) because I can often strike up a conversation with a table for two that is right next to me. People on Azamara are generally quite friendly, so it is easy to engage in conversation around the ship.

Brazil visa requirement is now postponed until April 10. Just received this in an email from the US State Dept: "On April 10, 2024, the Government of Brazil will reinstate a visa requirement for all U.S. nationals visiting Brazil, with an option for an e-visa for qualified applicants. This date reflects a three-month postponement announced on January 4, 2024. Currently, the visa fee is $80.90 with a 10-year validity. For questions about the e-visa application procedures, visit the Brazilian government-authorized website, https://brazil.vfsevisa.com/ Please share this information with family, friends, and colleagues who are planning to visit. As of April 10, 2024, they will need a visa to enter Brazil." If you already applied, you could try to request a refund from brazilevisa@vfsglobal.com. Any correspondence must include your application reference number and a clear explanation of your reason for inquiry.

You are absolutely correct, Phil. A post on a Cruise Critic board isn’t an “article”. I used that word to make it clear that I was most definitely referring to the article in the Palm Beach Post. I also didn’t say anything critical of the author of the article. I’m just saying I couldn’t find any reference anywhere else that referred to the possible transaction news the paper reported on, and people shouldn’t get excited or upset over something that may or may not be true. The article’s author didn’t even cite a source.

The only place that mentions this connection is the Palm Beach Post. Doesn't seem to be known anywhere else other than the author of this article.

Sale starts November 9. It's only Nov 7 today.

A change that was needed. Everyone could see that. But, I hope they don't come in and try to reinvent Azamara by changing Azamara's unique onboard vibe.

Thank goodness that cruise lines monitor these situations to keep us safe.

Azamara announced a new "Work & Wander" onboard service today. At this time, it is limited to certain cruises where they can support it. You may want to look into that to see if it will be on your cruise and will meet your needs. Apparently, Azamara wants to support people who have needs such as yours.

I am happy to hear that Azamara is exploring creative creative ways to attract a younger audience that can afford to travel. I, too, received a survey about the possibility of this new program in August. At first, I thought it sounded crazy, but, within 20 seconds, I realized that my thinking was restricted by the working world that I worked in, where everyone went to the office everyday and meetings were in person, even if you had to travel to get there. But, things are totally different from today. I live in SW Florida and I see many professional workers who used to work in an office up north, but are now working remotely full time. At the time I received that survey, I was on a cruise on the new Oceania ship (gorgeous, but lacking that wonderful Azamara vibe). I spoke with several people on that cruise of working age and asked if they would be interested in such a program. Every single person I asked said it sounded very interesting to them. A number of them were trying to work while onboard and they were complaining about how Oceania's internet service (free) allows access to only one device at a time per cabin. They needed to be able to be able to use two devices at the same time to be able to conduct business. Oceania couldn't provide two accounts to one cabin. They also liked the idea that there could be a space where they could spread out to do their work more than in their cabin. I, for one, have been much happier with the speed online since they to a new service. So, they may now have a capability that they didn't have before. The announcement said that Azamara would offer this service only in areas where they expect to be able to be able to fully support the technology needs. I wish them success with this new program. I would love to see a more mixed demographic onboard, as this will help to secure their future.

Has anyone had experience with this situation? I am on2 b2b cruises in April, same cabin, two bookings. I have a friend joining me in my cabin on the first cruise. She is not continuing with me on the second cruise. Will I get b2b OBC benefits, since I am staying onboard for both cruises?