paf225

I'm a solo traveler and I was on an O cruise for the first time this past summer in a solo stateroom on Insignia. I usualy cruise on Azamara but at the time I booked the O cruise they didn't offer a similar itinerary. I believe the solo staterooms on Oceania R class ships are all obstructed (deck 6 tender view) oceanviews The cost was approximately 150% of the fare for one person on a double occupancy booking. The cruise was great and similar to Azamara in many ways since they only operate R class ships. The only advantage I found on O was the cuisine was generally superior to what I'm used to on Azamara. As a solo traveler I have found the fare advantage to be much better on Azamara. I have been able to book many cruises (verandah, oceanview and interior staterooms) for 125% or 150% of the one person fare for a double occupancy booking. Azamara doesn't have dedicated solo cabins and I have never been relegated to an obstructed oceanview stateroom. Regards, Paul

I received an email from Azamara this morning promoting their different beverage packages. It appears they have increased the cost of the Ultimate and Premium packages by $3.00 per day each. At least they have kept the loyalty level discount. Regards, Paul

Azamara still does this as a complimentary "Azamazing" evening. I was there this September and the classical music in the Odeon of Ephesus was magnificent. Regards, Paul

I noticed early last month the fare for a booking I had on Onward for March, 2025 had been reduced by about $3,000 CAD. I contacted my travel agent and they had the booking repriced to the lower fare for the same stateroom without having to cancel or incur any fees. I know Azamara has different terms and conditions for their different markets so this may be a case where the "best price guarantee" option was available for the Canadian/U.S. market but not the Australian one If the fare reduction occurs before final payment you should still be able to cancel for an admin fee ($75.00 USD p.p. here) and rebook at the lower price. An interesting note is the fare is now back up to the price it was at before the aforementioned reduction. Regards, Paul

I agree wholeheartedly. In 2018 I flew on a business class reward ticket on Eva from Vancouver to Taipei, spent a week there and then flew on Eva again from Taipei to Bangkok. The service was excellent as was their lie flat bed which was made up with a mattress pad when you were ready to sleep. The amenity kit was shaped like a tiny Rimowa suitcase. Regards, Paul

You could also look at breaking up your flights into 2 separate rewards each. Try looking at YOW to TPE and then TPE to SYD. I think you will be able to find routings through this method for considerably less points then booking your flights as one reward with the current point amounts required. In this scenario you would also have the option of spending some time in Taipei before continuing on to Sydney. Regards, Paul

I miss the days when you could find some reasonable business class reward fares. I traveled the itinerary below about a month before Covid shut down the world. Since the last devaluation of points by Air Canada it has become harder and harder to find reasonable point pricing for long haul business class. You used to be able to find deals as soon as reward fares became available about 356 days prior to your travel date but that doesn't seem to apply anymore. Now it appears if you wait several months from when the itineraries you want first come out you're more likely to find a points deal. I believe this has to do with AC's dynamic reward pricing. I would suggest you also look at routings through Asia and New Zealand that rely on Star Alliance partners. You could check out premium economy as well since it's a lot better then economy on lengthy flights. Good luck on your search! Regards, Paul

Hi Lynda, You can do a search on Azamara's website by clicking on the orange "Find a Cruise" tab in the upper right hand corner. Click on "Any Month" and then click on every month for 2024. Once you have done this click on "Search". A menu should appear on the left side of your screen titled "Filters". From this screen you can select individual ships to see BtoB cruises or search by Destinations, Duration or Deals. I hope this helps. Regards, Paul

Your husband should visit the National War Museum at Fort St. Elmo in Valletta. On display is the George Cross awarded to the people of Malta by King Geoge VI for their heroism during the German seige that took place in the early part of the war. There are many other interesting displays and the fortifications are impressive. You both may also want to attend the firing of the noon gun at the saluting battery located on the ramparts of the Upper Barrakka Gardens. If I remember correcty there is a small fee to go out and view the firing up close. Regards, Paul

I read a comprehensive article on this initiative on CNN Travel (link below). It appears the intention is to repurpose the World Trade Center and its wharves as "new public spaces". Regards, Paul Barcelona restricts cruise ship access, plans to increase tourist taxes | CNN

That seems very unfair to our U.K. cousins. The cancellation fee in Canada (and I believe in the U.S.) prior to final payment is $75 USD. Several days ago I noticed the price of a cruise I have booked for March 2025 had dropped by about $2,000 CAD for the same stateroom category on Azamara's website. This was an onboard booking that I had already transfered once without penalty. Today I had my TA contact Azamara to try and get the cruise repriced. The first rep she spoke to said they would have to cancel the original booking and I would lose my OBC and then the connection dropped. My TA called back and got a different rep and after a hold so the rep could confer with an Azamara supervisor the cruise was repriced at $3,000 CAD less then the original fare and I retained my OBC. I think Azamara needs to apply the same flexibility in repricing a cruise to all its markets. Regards, Paul

Hi, Due to the ongoing problems with Azamara's website online check-in is still not available. If you click on the link below it will display the following guidance for check-in at the cruise terminal. On the left side of this page are a number of tabs including one called "Port Information". This lists the locations of ports Azamara uses and supplies directions. Regards, Paul Online Check-in | Azamara Cruises

I’m going on my first Oceania cruise in a week and will probably upgrade from the basic beverage package to the prestige package once onboard. Can I do this at one of the bars or do I need to go to guest services? Thank you, Paul

I listed what worked for me to navigate to the payment screen in post #1781 in this forum. Hopefully it will work for you as well. Regards, Paul

I agree with your assessment of the new Azamara website. It is very user unfriendly. I was able to find the payment screen after booking several shore excursions (I think). After selecting an upcoming cruise, clicking on manage my reservation and booking some shore excursions the total cost of the shore excursions should show up at the top of the page under Your Reseration and assorted information regarding the reservation. In front of the amount is written To Pay and in front of that is a button marked Continue. Click on the continue button which should bring you to a listing of what you've booked. Click on Continue again and a Select Payer payment screen should appear. This should be the page where the instructions say you should click Cancel. Regards, Paul

I was on Pursuit for an Instanbul to Athens cruise at the beginning of May and we had a C.C. meet and mingle in the Drawing Room (Library). We overnighted in Istanbul on embarkation day and sailed the following day and I believe it was held about an hour after departure. It was listed in the Insider (daily event program). Regards, Paul

Hi jegoodman, I was just on Pursuit for a 12 night Istanbul to Athens cruise ending on May 14th and the internet/wifi package was $19.95 per day. I received a 75% discount for loyalty status on the full voyage package so the cost for me was $59.85. Regards, Paul

I too miss the Cream of Manchester. As you mention I haven't been able to track one down over the last 3 or 4 cruises even though it was listed as available on most of them. Lately I've taken solace in Groslch and Pilsner Urquell but I do miss the creamy shimmering curtain of Boddington's. I know this is a serious topic but all the little special treats and treatments onboard an Azamara ship have contributed to the enjoyment I've experienced on every cruise. Regards, Paul

If you haven't received your documents by now you won't be receiving them. Due to all the issues with the new Azamara website you can't check in on their website or download your documents. You probably should have received an email like the one I received for my May 2nd cruise out of Istanbul (appended below). I've also pasted the directions to the Athens (Piraeus) cruise terminal supplied by Azamara. I hope this helps. Regards, Paul

I've spoken to an Azamara rep twice in the last several weeks. On both occasions I called around the time the call centre opens (8:00 a.m. CST) or shortly thereafter and followed the prompts to request a call back. In both cases I received the call approximately 5 hours later. On the second call I booked new shore excursions and confirmed already booked shore excursions for a cruise in two weeks. Regards, Paul

It looks like Azamara is making progress. I just signed into my formerly empty account and now all 6 of my upcoming cruises are listed. My Azamara Circle number, correct loyalty tier and accurate number of points (with the exception of the points earned on a cruise last month) are now displayed. There appears to be quite a bit of work to do regarding shore excursion listings and onboard credit amounts but I'm encouraged from what I've just seen. Regards, Paul

I had asked the Cruise Again staff to look into this issue. Today I spoke with the manager and she advised me Ascension had denied Azamara landing authority. She didn’t know the specific reason but I would imagine englishlee’s assessment is spot on. The only other factor I can think of would be to avoid a Covid outbreak in such a remote location. The manager also advised all booked passengers would be receiving a communique from Azamara listing several options after the new I.T. system was up and running at the end of March. She also confirmed St. Helena is a tender port. Regards, Paul

I’m on this cruise as well and I’m currently on Onward. I asked a cruise again associate onboard to print the current itinerary for the Cape Town to Canaries cruise and I’ve attached it below. I asked if he knew why the change was made and he couldn’t find the reason. He said we should receive notification of the change in due course. Regards, Paul

Hi All, I’m currently on Onward and I’ve attached the list of discounted solo supplement cruises I obtained from the Cruise Again manager today. It covers cruises from now until the middle of November, 2023. Regards, Paul

Hi Claudia, I’m scheduled to go on an independent Machu Picchu/Sacred Valley tour prior to my Azamara cruise departing Lima on February 12, 2023. I’ve just noticed the travel.gc.ca website now warns against non-essential travel to Cusco and Machu Picchu. My emergency medical and trip interruption insurance is voided if I travel to a location subject to a GoC “Avoid all travel” or “Avoid non-essential travel” advisory. If your tour goes ahead you may want to confirm how the advisory could impact your travel insurance coverage. I’ll be monitoring the situation but may have to adjust my pre-cruise time in Peru to a 6 day stay in Lima. Regards, Paul