Aardvaark

4 hours ago, Mapu said:

The BOGO60% off second person really boarders on fraud since the cost for the first person is not disclosed until after you have worked through the booking process. I have never seen this happen on other cruise lines. There have been many BOGO offers where the first person’s fare is higher with the second person’s fare considerably less. The current promotion is not really transparent or a bargain.

 

I don't think you can say "fraud" because you can either buy it or not.  It's no worse than the BOGO offers at Publix where the price of the first item is elevated. 

We just booked a 2022 leg - I think the first person fare was a bit elevated, but the second person fare was quite a bit lower than I would expect.  Perhaps it evened out, but who can say what a fair price is, when restarting?

Great news!!!  It makes our 2022 trips look more viable.  And there's even a chance at something late this year (don't need Greece, tho).

Both Amsterdam and Rotterdam are interesting cities well worth viewing.

From AMS we've used transfers and we've used the trains.  If using the train and hiking your luggage, note that there are commuter trains with very little luggage space, and ordinary trains with more space.  Select accordingly.  Remember, AMS is a an intermediate stop between the two cities, and you are encouraged to board swiftly.

1 hour ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

Ifit was early enough to enjoy a full meal before boarding and sail away wouldn’t that simply be called lunch?  Lol 😂

It could have been that early but I seem to recall it being around 1500.  We were with friends of 45 years and enjoying everything - the beautiful day, good friends, good food, good wine.  And looking forward to a nice cruise.

Marine Traffic shows Pacific Princess southwest of Rome, south of Civitivecchia.  Her AIS beacon has been off for the last several hours, so we can't tell where she's headed.  Marine Traffic says Gulf Aranci, which is in the NE corner of Sardinia.

Sea Trials?

We've done both recently.  The Verandah cabins are about the same.  I give the main dining room about equal marks.  But we do prefer HA, perhaps because we love the Crow's Nest with its views and varied activities.

In 2017 we had an excellent early dinner at Anthony's, then walked to Rotterdam VI, and boarded for a PC cruise to Fort Lauderdale.  Great experience.

Always remember you are sharing the link to the satellite with the other passengers.  If some world event blows up and everyone wants to get the details, service per user will be slowed. 

I've clipped the following from the Azamara web site for you:

Tips for Connectivity at Sea

The Internet service you’ll find on board via Wi-Fi and at eConnections is provided by a satellite connection. This connection can be affected by several factors that can interrupt or slow down Internet service on the ship. While natural features like Icelandic fjords are breathtaking to view, the high rock walls can block the satellite signal. This signal can also be blocked by large buildings when in port. Changing the ship’s course at sea can also cause temporary connection issues. The following tips will help you make the most of your time (and money) while online.

Connect at off-peak times: Increased users will limit bandwidth available on board. Try connecting to the Internet in the evening when fewer users will be online, or in port when most travelers are off ship.

Avoid bandwidth-heavy services: Using social media to stay in touch doesn’t take up much bandwidth, but video streaming services can be a drain on the ship’s available bandwidth and cause connectivity issues for all on board.

Compose messages offline: Write emails or social media posts in a word processing or notepad application before going online. Once you’re connected, copy and paste the message to send quickly and easily.

Be patient: Our ships can only connect to one dedicated satellite to provide Internet service onboard. Because we don’t have the ability to hop to another satellite, any slow downs or disruptions in service won’t be remedied until the ship moves.

On 4/4/2021 at 6:57 PM, ECCruise said:

Dunno.

All 3 of our bookings would be considerably higher with this promotion. 

The list we keep of potential future cruises saw good-sized increases in price.  We've deleted several from the list.

We're doing well, have had our vaccinations for a little over a month.  The state is open except for a few jurisdictions that feel a need to do something.  Into the 70's today and higher tomorrow.  Next cruise purchased is in May 2022 - we've about given up on this year, since the CDC refuses to let cruises begin and if we did start, many countries will not receive us.  Time to take an auto trip.

On 4/1/2021 at 3:07 PM, ECCruise said:

Here is an article that describes how V.Ships works. 

Tx, Ed/Kathy

20 hours ago, Mackdogmolly said:

Does anyone know if Azamara will continue with ChoiceAir? It’s still on their website with the ability to book, but don’t know if this is in error. Wish we had an active Blogging Officer!

Betsey

I certainly hope they do continue the relationship, or an equivalent.  ChoiceAir changed our reservations homeward several times as our virus-cruise found one port after another closed to us.  We had a great trip home, while those who had done their own arrangements were scrambling to find new bookings.

I have a penicillin allergy, so I'll have to double up on the Riesling.  Thanks for the Daily.

I never refer to an Azamara ship name without prefacing it with the Azamara so it will be Azamara Onward for me.

On 3/15/2021 at 8:36 AM, ECCruise said:

Maybe a final test drive before turnover?

Back behind the sea wall now.

Today is the anniversary of our departure from Quest at Muscat, Oman, where our Cape Town to Dubai cruise terminated early when Dubai wouldn't have us.  Azamara arranged our repatriation admirably, but we did feel a little odd being the only two passengers in business class FRA-JFK.

17 hours ago, Cruise NH said:

Got my 2nd Moderna shot today, so glad it's done.  We were about 40 min in total here in Concord NH!  

 

I think it's already been said on this thread that you shouldn't laminate your vaccination card... we were told in case there is a booster shot sometime in the future.  At any rate we wanted to protect our cards so we ordered these:

 

https://www.amazon.com/KEYLION-Horizontal-Waterproof-Resealable-Multiple/dp/B06XVN1HDR/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1LTLG0C7T8CNZ&dchild=1&keywords=keylion+10+pack+large&qid=1614891934&sprefix=zealion+10+pack%2Caps%2C166&sr=8-1

 

They fit perfectly and even can be used as a lanyard if need be.

 

We also looked on the CDC site for our 'certificate of vaccination'.  It has the same info as the card; dates, type of vaccine and lot number.  I suppose this information could be linked up to a database (with an individual's permission) to make something like an electronic vaccine passport, I don't know.

Good idea.  One can also keep the card in your passport and use a seal-able passport holder.

12 hours ago, wolfie11 said:

I'm not a fan of the land tours offered by the cruise lines.  I prefer to rent a car and do it myself (which I'm actually planning to do this summer if I have any free time).  Of course I've been isolated for so long now, I'm pretty sure I can't integrate back into polite society, so I'd be quite happy to run wild in the Alaska wilderness rather than be crowded onto a bus with 50 other people.

We concur.  It's much more fun to interact with local businesses on a personal basis as you travel.  Our last Aussie trip was plane_in, rental, train, rental, plane_out.  Great little hotels & inns, loveley pubs, and people.  But cruises have their place - driving up the Norwegian coast just doesn't work.

7 hours ago, rafinmd said:

Obit for my brother:

 

https://spacecoastdaily.com/2021/02/d-roger-ferguson-79-passes-away-february-14-burial-will-take-place-march-12-at-cape-canaveral-national-cemetery/

 

Roy

I rode Haddo on TAD a couple of times.  Perhaps I met him.  RIP, sir.

Last year with the virus ramping up, we toured and then departed Mauritius.  Little did we know that the stops in Colombo, Cochin, Mumbai, and Dubai would never happen because the countries barred us from entry.  We finally ended the cruise early in Moscat, Oman, and flew home from there. 

It's been two weeks since our second Pfizer shot, so we're supposedly "immune".   So now we feel as the old saying, "all dressed up and no place to go".  But we'll all get back aboard someday.

It's been two weeks since our second Pfizer shot, so we're supposedly "immune".   So now we feel as the old saying, "all dressed up and no place to go".  But we'll get back aboard someday.

Picture is Nordkapp at the northern tip of Norway.

Looks like we'll refund and start over.

Captain Davidson was in charge aboard Quest leaving Cape Town 2/20/2020 when the virus really struck.  He and his team were really challenged as various countries closed their ports to us.  They stood up to it extremely well, to the point we enjoyed the cruise and the trip home. 

Smooth sailing in your future, Captain.

20 hours ago, fsdj1097 said:

I have two bookings aboard the Koningsdam for Alaska in June.  Today I received emails for both bookings announcing that the final payment date had changed from 90 days to 60 days before sailing.

 

Just curious if anyone else had received these emails?

We received the same thing for our May 29 sailing on Koningsdam.  But the losses if WE cancel dates did not change.