mwf7501

On 11/28/2023 at 12:00 PM, Sthrngary said:

@MEFIowa All great points, I will include below the NEW version #2 with pages #s.  That was 100% my mistake.  Your comments are excellent and those reading this stream will see your comments and make necessary's adjustment.  Thank you for taking the time to comment.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

The Secrets of Elevating your Cruise Experience with Oceania Cruises_VER2.pdf 664.72 kB · 136 downloads

Thank you very much for putting this together.   Very useful for this Oceania newbie.

Mark

20 hours ago, DS said:

1.   it was onboard... a Destination Celebration

2.   Every venue has been TOO loud... Cabaret, Living Room, Den.    I also thought that maybe all those "youngsters" had hearing loss so they turned everything up.   Yesterday Roy, the Assit  CD did a set of Jazz numbers in the Living Room before dinner... the canned sound track was too loud.   Today, the Band Saxophonist did a set and the same thing.... the canned track blocks out the soloist.   Both those sets were wonderful... orders of magnitude better than the usual LR band...

Totally agree.  The live talent has been very good, except they’ve had to compete with over-amp’ed background tracks. 
We left the destination event after 3 songs.   In pain.   I believe that environment was literally dangerous, damaging to human hearing.   No doubt it would have violated OSHA regs.

15 hours ago, Jerry987654321 said:

hey mwf7501 a few people including us have been curious about the condition and refurbishment of the owners suites on onward.  There are currently no videos of that cabin category and we have not seen any comments about the cabin.  If you have a moment could you describe what was refurbished and what was not?  We are really also hoping someone has time to post a video of an owners suite.  We have an owners suite booked for April, so curiosity abounds.  Thx.

9 hours ago, Jerry987654321 said:

hey mwf7501 a few people including us have been curious about the condition and refurbishment of the owners suites on onward.  There are currently no videos of that cabin category and we have not seen any comments about the cabin.  If you have a moment could you describe what was refurbished and what was not?  We are really also hoping someone has time to post a video of an owners suite.  We have an owners suite booked for April, so curiosity abounds.  Thx.

Hello Jerry -- I'm not sure I have the technical skills or bandwidth to upload a video, but I will try a few pics later today.

Bottom line though is the Onward owners suite is virtually identical to the Pursuit.  If you look at Cruise Critic photos of the Pursuit suite, that is pretty much it, even down to the artwork in some cases.  The bathrooms and dressing area seem identical.  The cabinetry throughout seems identical. The only differences I see are:

-- Different furniture, although similar styles and very comfortable.  The veranda table and chairs are the same as the deck furniture in Windows, the loungers are the same as on the pool deck.

-- The headboard is different.

-- The veranda deck surface on Pursuit appears to be some kind of wood, or wood-appearing surface.   Onward has some sort of solid surface material, very plain but easy on the feet and quiet.

-- The carpeting has the same color tones as Pursuit, but different pattern.

Everything (furniture and surfaces) seem virtually all new.  I don't think they replaced the ceiling panels and the crown mold, but they're in very good shape. The windows and slider do not seem new but in good shape.

And of course all the above comments are based only on our suite; I assume the others on Onward are the same, but I don't know.

Attached is a link to the Cruise Critic Pursuit photos I looked at.   Also you can see a 45 second video by googling "Azamara Pursuit club world owners suite video". 

https://www.cruisecritic.com/photos/ships/azamara-pursuit-1288/club-world-owners-suite-416885/club-world-owners-suite--v18584087/

3 minutes ago, paf225 said:

Hi Mark, I too am currently onboard Onward and have developed a taste for the Atlas Bar.  Great staff, service and drinks.  There are about 15 guests here right now for a pre-dinner drink.

 

With regards to the electrical receptacles next to the bed; I’m not in a suite but like the other Azamara ships my stateroom has a receptacle on either side of the bed that accepts my Canadian/U..S. plug and it looks like it can also accept another type as well.  The light fixtures on either side of the bed also have a USB port on the underside.

 

I also don’t appreciate the occasional waft of smoke that drifts over from the smoking area to the pool bar but in my experience it doesn’t happen often.  I think it’s a little harsh suggesting moving the smoking area to deck 12 on a ship that only has 11 decks 😁.

 

All in all my first experience on Onward has been as wonderful as all my previous Azamara cruises have been.

 

Regards,  Paul

Hi Paul, I suspect we’ll see you after dinner.   I admit my wife and I are both somewhat irrationally aggravated by smoke.  But I really think moving it to the back of the pool deck would be a reasonable compromise.  
 

We’re in an owners suite, courtesy of COVID and the fire sale AZ was running last year on our final lift and shift.   Our lights are mounted on the wall, no usb.  
 

Other thoughts — there has been no piped music on the pool deck, which we think is good.   Also, the internet speed has been mostly good, not fast but much better than no internet. 
 

Happy travels to all. 

23 hours ago, tgg said:

 

Many of us with upcoming sailings on Onward are concerned with whether issues raised by earlier passengers  have been addressed.

 

So if you've sailed on Onward in the last few month, could you comment on whether you feel things have been taken care of - or if we should be concerned.  It would be great if you can be as specific as possible. Thanks.

Currently on board; fortunate to have a suite.   All surfaces, cabinets, and furniture seem brand new.  Air conditioning is fine, both heating and cooling to desired temp.  First day or so it made a loud thrumming noise on heat, called guest relations and it was fixed within a few hours.

As Belfast man mentioned the railings need refinished on the balconies; they're quite serviceable, just showing wear.  It appears they have been refinished in public areas (eg deck 10).   I don't think the balcony sliding doors have been replaced, but they are in very good shape and work well.  

Minor quibble -- we only have European outlets next to the bed, and there are no USB ports either.   If you like to keep your phone by your bed, bring a couple of adaptors.   There are plenty of US outlets elsewhere in the cabin (no USB ports though).

To our eye all the public areas seem new -- furniture, flooring, etc.   It certainly does not feel like an "old" ship.  Some of the deck doors in public areas are showing wear and should be refinished or replaced, but they get hard duty in a salty environment.

All service has been excellent.  We have encountered zero staff who are not cheerful, responsive, and helpful in the extreme.  And staff seems plentiful in all public venues as well as for our cabin.  We are infrequent cruisers, our last ones being Viking river in 2015 and Windstar (Star Pride) in 2017.     My wife feels the service level is similar to Viking and Windstar; I feel Azamara may be a slight step ahead.  One anecdote:  on arrival we had a loose toilet seat; meant to mention it but never did.  Yesterday I noticed it was magically fixed, no doubt on initiative of cabin staff.

We have eaten in every venue, all have been excellent (and my wife is a picky cook).  We prefer the specialty venues, primarily because they are quieter.   We are both on the ultimate bev package, and we go to Atlas every evening.   It is excellent; the staff (usually Budi and Mike) are outstanding.  Design comment -- the gold upholstered sofas at each end of Atlas are very pretty, but way, way, too narrow; anyone over the age of about 10 could not sit comfortably.   Poor choice for a bar, but there is plenty of other seating.

Binoculars are not available.  Pack some compact ones if you want a better look at the neighborhood.

Only one really significant complaint, and we have not yet made the effort to bring it up to senior staff.   The designated smoking area is immediately adjacent to the pool bar.  Depending on wind the pool bar can really stink, especially with one or two cigar smokers.   If I had my druthers I would move the smoking area to deck 12.   But at the very least it should be moved to the other end of the pool deck (opposite of where the patio is).    People routinely visit the pool bar,  there would be no similar impact at the other end of pool deck.  If I had a spa suite I would be particularly unhappy with the smoking proximity. 

That's my 2 cents for now.   Now off to the pool bar to get my daily dose of nicotine.

Mark

We just completed a fleeting two days in Venice, and are now onboard Onward in Ravenna.   Just a few follow up thoughts, please bearing in mind this is our first time in Italy.

1. Thank you to all who replied to my original post, encouraging a visit.   We now understand that you cannot appreciate Venice from photos, documentaries, or books.   It struck us as a somewhat magical place, and completely improbable -- an ancient city built on a marsh, at sea level, with no roads.  No offense to Venetians, but it sometimes felt like a Disney park, except real.  The evenings especially brought a wonderful atmosphere -- emphasizing that not a single car, truck, or motorcycle was to be heard.

2.  I originally interpreted the "no cruiser" uprising as "anti-tourist," and this was completely wrong.  Every single Italian we encountered was delightful, kind, eager to share their city, and totally nonjudgmental regarding our ignorance of all things Italian.   Having been there, we fully agree with the no-cruise ship policy.  Ships disgorging thousands of day trippers would have made it feel like Duval street in Key West. 

3.  I will watch with interest how the cruise industry adapts, there seems no easy solutions.  Venice is clearly a draw, as either a stop or embark/debark.   But a bus ride to Trieste or Ravenna is quite a negative.  We went near Marghera on the way out of town, and even that seems a bit removed.  Perhaps requiring some greater effort or inconvenience for a visit will simply become the new normal.

Now looking forward to dinner, and making every effort to make AZ regret selling me that beverage package.

Mark and Diane

If a generalization is possible for Italy -- Is tipping in US dollars disliked / acceptable / preferred?   I'm thinking here in particular for tour operators, bus drivers, hotel staff.   And I suppose even ship staff, even though most ship gratuities are included.

Thank you for any advice.

Sounds kind of like the start of a dystopian novel.

Except my cable tv is still working and I see no glowing auras on the horizon.

I would suggest they should at least put up a message banner on Azamara.com, but if they could do that they could probably also answer the phones faster.  

36 minutes ago, Baynanno1 said:

If you go to the Azamara website and bring up your cruise (as if you were contemplating a new cruise) then scroll about two thirds of the way down the screen, you will find a link to VIEW  ALL  SHORE  EXCURSIONS  FOR  THIS  VOYAGE

Click on the link and you will then find an option to VIEW  PRINTER  FRIENDLY  E-BROCHURE  OF  ALL  SHORE  EXCURSIONS

 

Click on that link and you will come to a brochure listing all times and other relevant information for your cruise.

You can change the currency at the bottom of the page, but there have been some glitches with that recently.

Anyway, once you have checked times etc, your voyage planner will have prices in your currency.

Enjoy your cruise!

Thank you Baynanno1, that is very useful.   Great summary info of all excursions including times.   Hope you're having a lovely morning in NSW.   One of our favorite memories is taking the Indian Pacific train from Sydney to Adelaide and then driving the coast road to Melbourne (a mere 20+ years ago).

6 minutes ago, suec12 said:

I think there is a box to click if you want to book - that will give you more info but there would still be another step before commitment / payment. I'll go to the webpage and make sure.

 

Assuming you are signed in on your account, pick an excursion, then click "add to cart", then click numeber of guests and the time should appear. There is still another step before payment.

Thank you Sue -- I see the times now.   Just a couple of extra clicks, but I don't have to commit to purchase so no worries.    Thanks again.

Azamara newbie here, and pretty much cruising newbie for that matter.

For our Oct 10 cruise we have studied the excursions on the Voyage Planner.   We see durations, but not start times.   We have not yet booked any.   At what point would we learn when an excursion will actually depart and return?   Eg, AM or PM?    This would be useful when planning specialty restaurant reservations for example.

Thank you for any info/advice.    

11 hours ago, curmudgeon98 said:

The pick up (at least when we did it in May, would be further up and to the left of your rectangle, at the far "People Mover" stop (the little bus circle right at the end of the glass-roofed people mover station).  If you are starting from Piazalle Roma, it's easiest to pay the euro or so to use the people mover to go there (don't get off at the intermediate station for the old cruise terminal).  If you are coming from in the city, the vaporetto #2 line stops at "Tronchetto" and "Tronchetto Mercato", with the pick up halfway between the two.

Thank you very much for that explanation!  With your description (the little bus circle right at the end of the glass-roofed people mover station) I think I now see where this is located, I've circled it in the attached pic.    I think I also now understand "Tronchetto" -- I kept googling its Italian translation (boot?) which was not that helpful.   Wikipedia explained it perfectly ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tronchetto  )

Thanks again. 

Thank you very much for that info.   May I ask for a clarification please -- On Google Maps I see "Piazzale Roma" denoted, but I'm not sure about "Tronchetto."   In the attached screenshot Piazzale Roma is in the red oval, and something Google calls "Tronchetto Transportation in Jesolo" is in the red rectangle.   Is the Trumpy Tours pick up location near the red rectangle?

Thanks again and have a great cruise.

Mark

Thank you all for sharing your experiences and advice.

Will get the Rick Steves book today, should have already done so.

Mark and Diane

The last full day on the Onward Oct 10 cruise is in La Spezia (0730--1700).  It looks like the port is a short taxi ride to the La Spezia central train station, which is the hub for the Cinque Terre regional trains (a day pass covering the various Cinque Terre stops is only about $20pp).

AZ is offering a few different excursions, generally involving bus(es) and/or a ferry ride from Portovenere to Monterosso.

I am seeking advice, pros/cons, for taking the day by ourselves via the trains, versus an AZ excursion.   I think I understand the generic pros/cons (eg the ship will not wait if we're delayed), but was wondering about Cinque Terre in particular.  We're generally skeptical of tours with significant bus time.    For any who've taken it, is the Portovenere ferry ride notable?   In October I'm hoping the Cinque Terre crowds will be reduced, is this likely true?   From what I read on the google machine, the trains are pretty clean,  reliable, and frequent.

We are in our mid-60s and reasonably healthy/fit.   This will be our first trip to Italy, and first to the Med for that matter.

Any thoughts appreciated, thank you in advance.

Mark and Diane

19 minutes ago, blobby113 said:

I would like to know where Onward will be on October 13. The Azamara website says Ancona, which was the port when the voyage started in Venice. Emails from Azamara state that Dubrovnik is the port on October 13. The map on the Azamara website implies that Dubrovnik is the port. Various travel agent websites have Ancona, and also a map with Ancona. I emailed Azamara, and received an email from them stating Ancona, but without answering my query. I’m asking the question here as the roll-call is pretty empty, and maybe Azamara staff on board have an idea!

I'm booked on this cruise and have the same question.   Been wondering for a month (since the Venice/Ravenna change) what the itinerary will actually be given the contradictory website info.   But not wondering enough to call Az, slog through the wait time, and get connected with a very earnest person who knows nothing more than I do.  Perfectly exemplifies the niggling uncertainties and inconsistencies that gives one pause about Az.  

14 hours ago, Cruise Critic Chris said:

 

I talked with the current CMO about the role that Bonnie had. Unfortunately they probably will not replace until things normalize a bit more. 

Thank you for asking.   I hope they recognize there are customer service and customer relationship deficiencies, at least on the back office (pre-cruise) side of things.   I realize Sycamore wants to become the next Blackstone, not the next Viking;  but from my worms-eye view maximizing their Az investment will require more than appealing itineraries and excellent on-board service.   That's the limit of my high finance expertise for today;  now back to the spelling bee.  

Not specific to Onward, but assuming Az leaders will be aboard — how about asking why they don’t reinstate a chief blogging officer role?   Seemed to be a very useful conduit between the Cruise Critic community and the company, perhaps even more important now with folks mentioning conflicting info, excessive hold times, and emails not answered.

Thanks

Thank you for the replies.

Sounds like "in writing" would indeed be important in light of the conflicting verbal information from AZ being noted on other threads.   It's still 5 months away, we'll keep examining options.

We are on the Oct 10 Onward, previously scheduled for Venice, now changed to Ravenna as discussed on other threads.   The cruise was to start with an overnight in Venice, now it shows an overnight in Ravenna.    Nothing against Ravenna, but we've never been to Venice before and I am wondering about staying in Venice an extra night, and then joining the cruise in Ravenna on Day 2, prior to departure.

Historically has Azamara been amenable to arriving on Day 2?    I suppose Covid protocols may complicate things nowadays, and protocols may change by October (for good or ill).

Other than forgoing a day of lodging and food on the ship, are there other ramifications to a late arrival?

Thank you in advance for any advice or suggestions.

Mark   

1 hour ago, Jim in OR said:

It was a feeble attempt at a joke Denise. It’s a paraphrase of an old Yogi Berra quote. 

Jim, that is so funny.  I included that Yogi malaprop in my original post and then cut it.   It did seem perfect for the Venice conventional wisdom in the media these days.
 

Again we appreciate the suggestions; we were getting a bit bummed but are now reinvigorated.   One of the best things about travel is the anticipation.   Even 12 months out. 
 

Mark

Thank you for the comments and suggestions.  Five of five say Go.  It sounds like Venice is crowded for a reason.   And I should use the year I've got for research and planning.

Mark

We're booked on an Oct 2022 Venice--Rome cruise that starts with an overnight "in" Venice.    We ended up with it as a result of a lift & shift for a cancelled Athens--Rome booking.   This will be our first Mediterranean cruise, and first time to Italy, so everything and anywhere will be a new experience. 

However, if we knew then what we know now, we would not have taken this itinerary.

A question please to those of you who've seen Venice -- particularly in the past five or ten years -- is it worth seeing now on a cruise?

With more than a year to adjust itineraries I wish AZ would change this route.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/04/world/europe/venice-tourism-surveillance.html

"The city’s leaders are acquiring the cellphone data of unwitting tourists and using hundreds of surveillance cameras to monitor visitors and prevent crowding. Next summer, they plan to install long-debated gates at key entry points; visitors coming only for the day will have to book ahead and pay a fee to enter. If too many people want to come, some will be turned away."

The story's reader comments brutalize cruisers and cruising, fwiw.

Mark 

On 8/25/2021 at 4:34 PM, laurieb said:

For those of you going to Venice in 2022 and beyond

https://www.travelawaits.com/2691876/venice-italy-entry-fee-reservations-summer-2022/

 

Thank you for posting.    We've never been to Venice, or anywhere in Italy for that matter, but after reading the article and some of the comments in this thread I have no desire to see a city-turned-theme-park.  Sounds like Epcot or Vegas, no thanks.

We're not scheduled until Oct 2022, and now I'm really hoping AZ changes the itinerary.   Venice no longer fits the kind of destination on which AZ claims to focus -- the endless-loop recording that I hear when on hold with them does not mention "...and we sometimes go to places where visitors are not welcome and yet the crowds are still suffocating...".

We're booked (technically) via a TA, and she does very little AZ business.   Is there an avenue to communicate these concerns directly to AZ?    Perhaps a Chief Blogging Officer would be helpful...

Mark