beachseeker

18 hours ago, kywildcatfanone said:

We are booked for this cruise in March.  Do you know how full your sailing is?

The shipped had around 1600 booked but we sailed at a little less than 1200.  Some due to weather in the NW and some to last minute cancellations.

On 11/17/2021 at 9:34 AM, puggymom said:

I hope you are enjoying the Emerald as much as I did

 

When I took the tender at Panama Canal they packed us in to shuttle us over to the buses. 

Did you take the Monkey and Wildlife Cruise on Gatun Lake” tour?  If so, did you go through the locks before your tour started?  The description is unclear to us.  We are sailing in late December.

We used Airport Express.  They picked us up at our hotel, made a stop at Stonehenge, and dropped us at the port.  Professional, on time, with plenty of time at Stonehenge.

We have done several Azamara cruises and one Viking.  No doubt Viking wins if considering the ship itself.  We think it was one of the best ships in terms of layout and design.   The shore excursions on Viking Ocean were a huge disappointment, especially in comparison to their River cruise excursions. 
It was hard to put our finger on why we prefer Azamara but we always feel we have come home when we step on the ship.  Everything is easy when sailing with Azamara.  Looking forward to our cruise in May on the Quest!

2 minutes ago, Homosassa said:

 

Word of advice - make sure that you never travel to non- English speaking countries. You will have the same problem.

We have travelled to lots of non English speaking countries, but thank you for your advice.  One of the things we enjoy about cruising is interacting with passengers and we were not able to do so on this cruise.  

Just off Preziosa yesterday, sailing in the Yacht Club.  It was everything we had read and more. If you are cruising with MSC, the Yacht Club is definitely worth the money. This was my 2nd MSC cruise and DH’s first.  Our 30th cruise on lots of different cruise lines.  We had no problems with drinks outside of Yacht Club, thought the theater shows were well done, ship was beautiful and service was excellent. Food was hit and miss.  Shore excursions were disappointing. Lots of music all over the ship but it was all blaring. I had the same complaint on the Armonia.  It was too loud to stay and enjoy.  Will we sail again?  Probably not.  We knew most of the passengers would not be Americans but was not prepared to have no one to talk to on the whole cruise except the staff.  We enjoy meeting new people in the dining rooms, lounges, excursions, etc.  There was no one to have a friendly conversation with on the entire cruise. The cruise started and ended in Martinique and most passengers spoke French, Italian or German.  Again our problem but it affected the enjoyment of our cruise.  

Sitting in the airport in London waiting for our flight home and missing the Journey.  It was a wonderful cruise, the ports were all new and we fell in love with Brugges, St Petersburg and Tallin.  We took the ship’s excursion in Stockholm to the airport with a stop at the Vasa Museum and then a flight to London. We did get a slight smile on our last morning going through immigration in St Petersburg but we ended a toss of the passport as we came back that afternoon.

A few final thoughts. The service overall was exceptional, wonderful food in all the restaurants, great ports with 3 full days in St Petersburg, which was the reason we chose this cruise.  We lucked out and had excellent weather and going home to heat advisories is going to be hard.  I do think the included wines have declined in quality.  We had premium beverage package provided by our travel agent but upgraded to Ultimate because Jameson and Pyrat Rum were not on the Premium package but had been on our last cruise.  We had a large amount of OBC, again provided by our travel agent, so we used several Azamara excursions.  We usually book privately.  The guides were all pleasant and knowledgeable.  Our complaint was way too much time given to lunch on several tours and not enough free time provided. Everyone on our tour wanted some time to explore Brugges on their own. DH did the Arnhem excursion which was 8 hours, 1 hour each in 2 different museums, a 2 hour lunch and travel time back and forth but no seeing the sites where the action occurred. For the price, he was disappointed. We sorely missed Ed and Max on the piano in Spirits.  The piano player was good on the keys but not easy to listen to and no interaction with the passengers. Spirits did not have the vibe as it had on past cruises.  However, the Fancy Triplets were a highlight and we really enjoyed them.  Danny was a surprise for our CD and is a perfect fit for Azamara.  We hope to cruise with him again. He is very friendly and has a great voice. The singers and dancers were excellent as always and we enjoyed every performance.

Azamara is our favorite cruise line and I think Azamara may have 3 new couples that will look at Azamara again. One couple is booked to join us next May for Portugal and Bordeaux.  So until May we will have pleasant memories of a wonderful cruise.

Uktog and Phil, your comments did not bother me at all.  I admit I may have been a bit defensive on a couple of other posts.  I have learned so much from your posts through the years and hope to cruise on Azamara with both of you some day.  

Day 1 and 2 of St Petersburg have been beyond expectations.  We used a 3 day tour with a private company and so far we are extremely pleased.  And pooped!!  I don’t think we are the only ones.  The ship is pretty quiet tonight.  

We missed White Night last night.  We booked Faberge at night and did not return to the ship until after 8.  I was surprised White Night was while we were in St Petersburg.  

Going through immigration has been very smooth.  We met in Spirits at 8 yesterday and Concierge sent us down immediately and we were meeting our guide by 8:15. Coming and going has been smooth but we have yet to get a smile and our passports are tossed back to us when returning at night.  Maybe a smile tomorrow!

We had a wonderful experience in Aqualina tonight and we made the show in Caberat.  DH and I usually travel alone on Azamara but have travelled with a group on other cruise lines and have completed over 30 cruises. We are not new to cruising nor to Azamara.  We certainly know that it takes longer with a group, we tell the waiter when we want to make the late show, and we would never make a reservation and then not show up.  On our first experience on this cruise, we had a reservation for 8 pm and at 9:45 we had only been served our first course.  The other two tables that were seated after us were eating dessert when we were served our second course.  When we left the restaurant, it was empty and after 10:30 pm. I really don’t like defending myself here but it was poor service.  There have  been numerous apologies on board and we are fine.  I was upset mostly because we are with three couples that are new to Azamara and I had convinced them to choose Azamara over Regent and Viking Ocean.  I wanted our first dinner together to be a good experience.  We have had several excellent dinners since, so all is good. 

We are a group of 8 every night and yes it is slower with a large group but there is a difference between slow and ignored.  We were ignored the first night in Aqualina.  It has been much better service since the Aqualina with excellent service and food in Prime C.  We are back in Aqualina tomorrow and I am sure we will have a wonderful experience. 

Currently on the Journey.  Overall impression is that the ship still looks very nice.  We last sailed on Journey right after her drydock.  If you look closely, you see the blemishes, wallpaper in our stateroom and dings on the furniture.  We are traveling with 3 couples new to Azamara.  One said their room looked tired but the linens and bedding are luxurious.  The towels do seem of higher quality from our last cruise 2 years ago.  It’s time for a refresh but still a lovely ship.

In the Kiel Canal today for a nice restful day.  We had our first negative experience last night in Aqualina.  Dinner last 2.5 hours and we missed the evening show.  Two tables were seated after us and they were eating their desserts before we were served our 2nd course.  DH spoke to manager and things moved along but negative experience could not be taken back. Lots of excuses but the fact is the waiter ignored us in favor of smaller tables with guests that he had served on previous nights. Food was very good.  Frustrating on our part as we are traveling with 3 couples that are new to Azamara based on our recommendation (bragging).  Fingers crossed this is our only disappointment.  

 Azamazing evening was last night at the Maritime Museum in Amsterdam with a choir and a very talented string orchestra.  Nicely done. We arrived and left by canal boats.  Definitely the quickest arrival and departure for an Azamazing evening. 

It’s slow on Journey right now but not horrible.  It no longer tells you when you login or off how many minutes you have left.

First port was a hit today.  3 couples did the walking tour with the Diamond Museum.  Brugge was a delightful surprise.  All ports on this cruise are new for us.  We could have skipped the Diamond Museum and replace it with free time in the quaint medieval town, but overall a good excursion.  Dinner tonight in Discoveries did not disappoint and currently in the Living Room listening to the Fancy Triplets.  Love their music!  

The white night is the first night in St Petersburg and we have a night visit to the Faberge Museum previously booked with a private tour guide.  I really wish we could find out ahead of time when white night is going to be held.  I had my newbies all excited about white night and they are disappointed that we are going to miss a lot of the festivities.  

Amsterdam tomorrow!

Sad to say my lemon martini  last night was not up to Marino’s standard!  But no worries, I will keep trying.  

Our butler is Ronald who was our butler on a previous cruise.  Nice to see a familiar face!

We last sailed on Azamara 2 years ago and it’s been over 3 since we have sailed on the Journey.  Ship is just as we remembered, everything looking very nice.  The embarkation was super easy.  The entertainment last night was really good with some very talented musicians on board. However, we are going to miss Max and Ed on the piano.  The piano player is not as entertaining.  Cruise Director is Danny and he seems personable.  Only disappointment was the meet and greet.  Officers were introduced and dismissed.  Cruise Director had us introduce ourselves and then he left.  Not the usual interaction between officers and passengers that we are used to seeing.  We are traveling with 6 people new to Azamara and I encouraged them to attend because in the past we have enjoyed getting to visit with some of the officers. Other than the captain, all the officers are names I do not recognize.  Not bad, just a lot of new names and faces. We were disappointed to hear that Mariano is no longer with Azamara.  Our all time bartender will be missed!

All in all, a nice start to our Baltic cruise.  

I went to Cuba this year on MSC with a group of ladies.  Thought DH would enjoy Havana so we booked a 4 night cruise in November with Azamara in a suite with a BOGOHO offer.  We are disappointed but so pleased with the very generous offer from Azamara.  Moved our cruise to a 12 night British Isle cruise in 2021at the Cuba cruise price along with $1000 OBC.  Thank you Azamara!  

On 4/15/2019 at 7:29 PM, BBMacLaird said:

Hi Doc2725, welcome to the Azamara forum! And thank you for considering Azamara. The 4-Night cruise to Havana would be a great, albeit short, introduction to our style of cruising. 

On this cruise you’ll have two nights on board and, should you wish, two nights on the town in Havana. 

https://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/int/voyage/jr4cu007/4-night-havana-weekend-voyage

We are booked on this cruise.  Looks like there is only one night in Havana.  We arrive at 8 am and leave the next day at 1 am followed by a sea day. I wish we had 2 nights in Havana!

Room was not assigned but when we booked we didn’t have many choices.  We were in 9148. We had friends in other CC rooms that had no noise concerns and others that had some noise.  No one had neighbors as loud as we did but I wouldn’t take the chance again.

We are just off the Infinity in a Concierge Room. Never again.  The room had connecting doors.  We could hear every word the couple next door said to each other and every word from their TV.  The canapés were a joke.  2 tostados with half a scoop of guacamole, food that needed utensils to eat but never given a fork or spoon.  Not impressed.  We were on a charter, but did not see nor hear from the Concierge the whole trip. Did not even know who he/she was.

On 3/20/2019 at 11:39 AM, Lottie A said:

 

I know if bartenders Mariano or Aldin makes me a Mango Vodka then it will be just perfect....but other times I'm not quite so sure. 

Which ship is Mariano now?  Hoping he will be on the Journey this summer!

There was a wide range from mid 50’s to early 80’s all from Texas except for 1.  This was our first cruise together but some of the ladies had traveled together at an all inclusive in Mexico. Personally, I have over 30 cruises but it was my first on MSC.

A group of 26 ladies from our hometown sailed on the Armonia for 7 days.  Port stop of Cuba, price, and recommendation from one of the cruisers brought us to the Armonia.  My roommate and I booked a suite for a nice price.  With a suite you get Anytime dining, room service without a charge, but mostly a larger room. 

Room 1057.  The room was nicely laid out, plenty of closet space, and room steward was good.  There was not a table on the balcony so we couldn’t eat outside.  There was a strong paint smell at times, we heard scraping of chairs above us at 6 am and late at night.  When we were sailing in strong winds, a loud whistling sound came through the sliding glass door (most nights).  We stuffed tissues along the door and mostly stopped it.  Room service was advertised as free in a suite.  That merely meant the service charge was waived but if you wanted eggs and meat, you had to pay $8.  False advertisement in my opinion. Beds were very comfortable but towels were thin and not plush like we find in many suites.

The ship was clean and the service in the restaurants and bars was excellent.  The crew truly seemed happy to be there and wanted us to be happy.  In terms of service, I would compare it to Azamara. We were able to go between the suite restaurant (Le Pergola) and the MDR (Marco Polo) due to our large group.  The menu was the same so the only difference was in atmosphere.  Much quieter and quicker in Pergola but we wanted to eat with our group at night so we ate in Marco Polo most nights.  Food was better than I was expecting so I was pleased.  Was it as good as Azamara and Celebrity? No, but it was good and I did not go hungry.  We had $125 OBC from our travel agent but it was lost.  MSC doesn’t split it between the 2 passengers.  They put it on my roommate’s card and she did not spend $125.  Silly us, we thought the credit card would be credited and then she was going to settle up with me when we got home.  As we were exiting, my roommate was pulled over and told that OBC not used is lost.  On other cruise lines, OBC from travel agents is credited back if not used.  I spent money but because it wasn’t credited to me, I also lost my half.  They would not move the OBC to me.  Every announcement in 5 languages did get annoying but I was prepared for it.  The production shows were excellent and the singers were very talented. Lots of music in several venues at night but it was all very, very loud.  So loud, we ended up leaving the bars. We attended the Cruise Critic party on the sea day.  Nicely done with several officers attending.  Unfortunately, not many cruisers attended.  We each received 12 drink vouchers.  A premium drink package was offered when we booked but by the time we made final payment, the price had jumped significantly and no longer included the mini bar.  We decided it would be cheaper to pay for individual drinks. Most of our group bought the package so we had lots of vouchers given to us and we did not pay for a single drink.  Not a smart move on MSC’s part.  I did take advantage of the Status Match and was awarded Gold level due to my status with Azamara and Celebrity.  Not sure that did much for me, but a nice gesture.

Itinerary. was Montego Bay, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Cuba.  In our documents, it said to check in at 3:00 but we went about 12:30 and walked right on the boat.  Sail away was always listed as 7 pm but at check in we were given a new itinerary which had sail away at 6 pm, Costa Maya instead of Cozumel, and arriving in Cuba at 2 pm instead of 1 pm.  In Montego Bay, we booked an excursion with the ship for rafting down the Martha Brae River.  It was a bit of a drive but the floating down the river on the bamboo rafts was cool however, the excursion made a stop for shopping at a shop with no other choices around.  We wasted an hour and returned at 7 which was the scheduled departure time.  Bad way to end a nice trip. Grand Cayman was tendered and we arrived early at 7:30.  We had been advised to wait until 9 to get off, letting the shore excursions to clear out.  We went off at 9 and were at 7 mile beach at 10.  Taxi took us to Calico Jacks and it was packed.  Beautiful beach but way too many people.  We had to be back on board at 2:30 so we left around 12:30 and back on the ship around 1:15.  Would have been nicer to have a later departure.  We were able to cancel our private reservation in Cozumel and planned to go to the fishing village in Costa Mayo.  We were scheduled for 9:30 arrival but docked late due to high winds.  We didn’t get off the boat until 11 so the group decided to just stay in the manmade port.  I have not been to this port in several years.  It has turned into a tourist trip.  Cuba, the reason we took the cruise.  Guest Services contacted us and advised us that we needed to make a choice between our afternoon excursion and The Tropicana as there wasn’t enough time to do both.  Disappointing.  We cancelled the afternoon excursion and just walked about the old town.  Going through the Visa process and exchanging money was very easy.  Excursion to the Tropicana did not disappoint. Next morning, we did the Vintage Car tour and it too was an excellent excursion. 

Departure was organized and I was off the ship and in my car quickly. 

Overall, I had a great cruise because I was a part of a fun loving group of ladies.  MSC was better than I was expecting and might cruise with them again but it would probably be in the Yacht Club.

We have used SAS several times and they were always prompt.