avw

The cruise is in February 2024. Final payment has been made. The OBC used is provided by Azamara, not as part of a package. My agent is also giving me credit, but I don't expect to see it or be able to use it until after the ship has sailed.

I just called Azamara to book excursions with my Azamara provided OBC. The phone was answered immediately after I selected the correct options to get to the proper representative. I wasn't put on hold at all. I already had one excursion booked on the system, but it was not yet paid as I couldn't figure out how to use my OBC to pay for it. . The representative booked all the excursions I wanted, including the one already on the system, applying all to my OBC. I checked my phone after I hung up to see how long the entire call took...only 5 minutes!! Yes, it would be nice to be able to do it online, but this very quick & easy phone call took care of it!

Never heard of the guy. I looked up his web site. He seems to be quite full of himself with very extensive details of his entire personal life. His opinion is simply one man's opinion. And, in my personal opinion, his overall assessment is WRONG. I can't wait to get on Azamara again. I currently have 5 future cruises coming up on Azamara, all booked as a result of my wonderful recent onboard experiences. I hope he doesn't deny some people the opportunity to have a wonderful cruise experience because of his incorrect classification of Azamara.

Step 1 says to "select “Book” on the $0 Onboard Credit item"? I don't see anything like that when I am in the excursions section. I just have a list of excursions with prices. I can't find a word about OBC under the excursions section of my booking. I am paid in full and have OBC to use. Thanks.

So nice to hear this report of good phone service from both of you!

Why would your agent transfer money to Azamara months and years in advance of sailing? Think about it. You could cancel the cruise. You could have an travel problem and miss the boat. The rate could change (down) and you wouldn't get the same amount of credit from the agent. It would be foolish of an agent to transfer money to Azamara that far in advance. That is why agency credits don't appear until you are actually onboard.

They know how many Chef's Tables were pre-sold before boarding begins and hold seats for them. But, you still want to go to make your reservation as soon as you board so you can get the date and cuisine you prefer.

For people who have never been to Canaval, I suggest that they look up videos of various street parties on You Tube so they have a better idea of what they are like and can make an informed decision on whether they want to go to one. The videos also give an idea of what steps they should take to try to be as safe and secure as possible.

I just concluded 24 nights on Oceania's new Vista. It's a gorgeous ship (incredible bathrooms!) with delicious food, but the "vibe" didn't begin to approach Azamara's. Everything had a corporate feel to it. The captain didn't even show up to several parties allegedly hosted by him. I believe that the person at the top sets the tone for the rest of the staff, no matter what the industry. There were 1200 passengers, which seems to be too big for me. Passengers were not as friendly as Azamara's passengers. They seemed to be trying to impress each other. I can't wait to be on Azamara again for my trip to Japan in April.

Most of the cruises that I looked at are almost full, with only inside and ocean view cabins available.

It has gotten much easier to use your own phone while traveling than it was years ago. I have T-Mobile, which I use very freely for internet and texting while in port. I turn my phone to airplane mode when we leave the port. When I can easily see the dock at the next port, I turn airplane mode off and go back my regular T-Mobile service. I rarely need to talk with anyone while I'm traveling, but, while in port, I can always use my $.25 a minute T-Mobile cell service or make a call using an internet phone service like WhatsApp. Many people in the travel industry ( car services, tour guides, etc) use WhatsApp for business calls. As for calls at sea, I never needed to do that, but I others have said that the internet phone services work using internet on board. If I want internet access at sea, I use my Azamara free internet minutes. Most times, I don't use all of them. I have never had a European sim card. I believe that only gives you free calls/internet etc in Europe. If you aren't calling anyone in Europe, you wouldn't need that card.

I'm wondering how passengers on this cruise are dealing with the very oppressive heat wave in southern Europe, including Italy. I'm flying to Rome in 8 days and it looks like I may be dealing with the same thing.

Hope all goes well on your cruise, ghstudio. Two very good friends are on your cruise and it's their first time on Azamara. I don't want them to come back thinking I am nuts when I tell everyone how much I love Azamara. Too bad they didn't tell me they booked the cruise until it was too late for me to get them some additional OBC.

Such gobbledygook!!! Says all the right words and then acts in total contravention to those exact words. Oh, Azamara, please don't become just another cruise line! 😢

Are you talking about taking a public bus? While a bus trip to Venice will certainly be cheaper, it may actually take longer in total time and it will certainly be more confusing with less interesting scenery. I just checked on the Rome2Rio website and found that getting from the port where the ship docks in Chioggia to Piazza San Marco in Venice takes 1hr42 minutes, but that doesn't include time to buy your ticket in a tobacco shop, find the bus stop, and wait for a bus (they run every 30 minutes). After you get off the bus in Venice, it is a 26 minute walk to Piazza San Marco. Venice is VERY confusing with all its twists and turns through narrow passageways. I, personally, would stick to the shore excursion as that makes for a much easier, more pleasant trip to Venice and back. Here is the Rome2 Rio link for getting to Venice via bus from the dock: https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Cruises-Terminal-Chioggia-Isola-Cartieri-Chioggia-Metropolitan-City-of-Venice-Italy/Piazza-San-Marco#r/Bus P.S. I am normally an independent traveler who loves to wander the local streets and take public transportation, but I wouldn't do it in this case.

I did Azamara's Venice on Your Own excursion in May. I don't recall it being described as "motorboat coach style", but I think it may be the same excursion. It takes over 2 hours each way on a very slow boat between Chioggia and Venice, so that is about 5 hours just getting to and from Venice. The boat is pretty large with 2 decks, one inside and the top deck is covered. The ride was pleasant, but long. It has to go slow because it travels close to sea walls and must avoid creating wake. We only had about 3 hours on our own in Venice. You really can't spend less time than that in Venice. There was a huge full moon rising over Venice as we left to return to the ship and I got this incredible picture to remember this quick visit to Venice..

My apologies. I missed that. I read "I am on an Azamara cruise" and assumed that meant now.

If you are onboard, you should check with the shore excursions desk to book advance excursions with the discount. (Why are you asking on Cruise Critic instead of the shore excursion desk?)This deal was offered on my cruise in May, but it was not available for my cruise in April 2024 because they couldn't print the excursions list for a cruise that far out. It works well if you have OBC for your future cruise.

I was on the cruise where it was held on board. I didn't see the whole show as I arrived late, but I wasn't impressed. I visited Porto Montenegro on a shore excursion to visit the Lady of the Rocks (that is a very nice shore excursion which I recommend). It was interesting to see the new marina development, but I wouldn't go out of my way to visit Porto Montenegro again. It was about 30 minutes driving distance from the port on a busy local road. If you are anxious about being able to return to the ship when you want, I would advise you to skip it.

The agent bought the wine from the cruise line. The cruise line wouldn't charge a corkage fee for a wine purchased on the ship, whether it was purchased by you or anyone else..

Typically, between 7 to 10% OBC, refundable type, so, if I don't spend it, I get credit on my credit card from the cruise line at the end of the cruise. I book through online agencies, after picking my own cruise. I prefer to be in charge of my own travel plans, so I don't need or ask for traditional services that travel agents provide, although cruise lines will often require the agent to be the contact for any adjustments. If you require travel agent "services", then you should expect that they will be compensated for them, which would affect any OBC they would offer. .

It isn't Azamara's choice to dock outside Venice. It is Venice that doesn't allow cruise ships in their city. Chioggia is actually a much better option compared to other cruise lines that dock much further from the city of Venice. On the immediately preceding cruise, Azamara offered a "Venice "on your own" excursion that takes you to Venice via a double decker boat that picks up and returns right next to the ship. It drops off right in Venice, about 5 minutes walk from St Mark's Square. The boat ride takes around 1 1/2 hours each way (because it must go very slow) and you have approx 4 hours on your own in Venice. There was a cost, of course. Unfortunately, but understandably, the distance and time required to travel to Venice is much more than a free port transfer can provide.

Actually, it was the Grand Italia hotel that told me that there are only 3 taxis in town and that they always book them in advance for their guests. It is a small town, so taxis MAY be free at certain times because residents can walk wherever they want to go, but it wouldn't be wise to count on that, especially if you want to get somewhere out of Chioggia, like to an airport or another town.

For some reason, everything is straight when you get on board...OBC''s and excursions. I just got back from 2 b2b's and the ship had all the correct info.

Transportation in Chioggia must be arranged in advance. There are NOT taxis waiting around to be hired. According to the largest hotel in town, the entire town has only 3 taxis. It's important to make your arrangements before you go. Azamara offers bus transfers to and from the airport, train, etc at a decent price.