scapel

Hating to be the one "without a clue", but what is this about and what/how will it affect our cruise? We're in 6093 for B2B.

 

Thanks-chris

Chris,

This doesn't affect the cruise. It was just a question about this old Ren ship which was built in 2000, the same year as the Millennium which had the Azipods.

Mine was May 1984---honeymoon with the love of my life. Stella Solaris (Sun Line). Mediterranean itinerary: Mykonos, Rhodes, and other islands--also included Jerusalem, Ephesus, Istanbul and Cairo. (It was 2 one-week back-to-back cruises, as I recall)

On that cruise, we daydreamed about doing a trip up the Nile on our 10th anniversary. Instead, we spent that anniversary in Galveston with our two young children.

Didn't cruise again until 2011 (Alaska-Volendam) and enjoying reconnecting with cruising!

I sailed that ship in 1984 to some of those same ports, but don't remember which month. She was put to rest around 2003. She was a wonderful comfortable ship. Many fond memories.

Hi,

I'm confused about what Choice Air is. I clicked on the link provided and it seemed to be meant for an agent.

 

If I book a cruise, can I go through Choice Air to book my airfare? i looked to the link to provide me some info, but as I said it won't let me in.

 

Thanks-chris

To me the choice is if I book a cruise with a TA for a particular cruise, I have the choice of just paying for the cruise or taking the package which may include a night before etc and the flights. I usually just book the cruise, get my hotel reservation directly with the hotel and use cabs for transportation to and from the airports. I book my own flights directly with the airline arriving 2 days ahead of departure. If you have the package and something happens then the cruise line takes care of it. If the cruise line cancels a cruise two days before sailing and I have my flights and hotel arranged already then it is up to me to fix it. The cruise line is not responsible to refund me the cost of any flights. I do buy cancellation insurance for the flights also. The hotel I can usually cancel within 24 hrs without penalty sometimes 48 hours.

The cruise line is going to make flight arrangements that are economically less expensive then you just have to take what they give you.

We did have Celebrity cancel a Hawaii cruise 2 days before departure one year so we did a Hawaii land trip using the flights that had been already arranged.

I usually expect to pay more, but have been surprised sometimes that my way was less expensive for some things.

Choice Air has great pricing for one way's for TA;s and flights to Europe. Flying within North America not so much:(

 

Scapel - Choice Air is not the old cruise air where they assign you flights. You can definitely use their website using "quick flight search" to see what they have available. If you find something you like you can book directly on the website. If you call them they can look up a flight that you have found that may not be on their website and they will see what pricing they can offer.

Once you are booked, you get the airlines locator # and you can go directly to carriers website to book your seats. It is a really good option which we have used 4 times with great savings. You can change the dates to fly in early or leave later, Fly in or out of different cities etc Check it out:)

http://www.cruisingpower.com/choiceair/protected/home.do?brand=C

 

Edited to add- last year flew one way Victoria, BC to Edinburgh for $397 CND:)

Thanks, I didn't know about this. Now are you booking directly with an airline or through a booking agency? Sometimes third parties are complicated to work with. She said, he said type of communication.

Maybe they were out of chickens? :)

I agree that it was possible to escape the chickens, but then the choice was very limited. Funny that some people don't understand this without an explanation. And yes, the beef was certainly good.

 

If all people who don't prefer Azamara should leave here, this forum would be of no value. Only a combination of both positive and negative opinions can be interesting for new guests. They will probably not have read reviews of almost 2 years ago. Apparently you don't like critics, but isn't this site named cruise-critic? So who is the one that can better leave? :)

 

Indeed, my last Azamara cruise was about 2 years ago though the overall experience on the Az Quest is almost as good as on the Marina and Riviera. (definitely not the Journey, though Eric is great)

I did not leave Az because (lack) of quality, though the food on Oceania ships is much better in every way. Indeed Az has some other nice aspects, like the way they welcome you already at the gangway. Ofcourse this is just an opinion and I would never say that people who don't agree better can leave here. So happy that different opinions are tolerated at cruise critic......

 

However, when the head office is not honest to me, I look for an alternative which I have found. If Azamara's dishonest people would be on the ships as well, Azamara would certainly not be for me. But it's just the office.

If you are curious, just ask the CD's.

For me Az is something like a last choice now, also because the prizes have been increasing too much. I'm not interested in Azamazing events and liquors that are now included.

 

But you never know... maybe some day I get an offer from my TA for the Quest which I can't refuse. Then it would be nice to meet many nice crew members (who could hardly believe what happened!) on the Quest again. The people of the head office will not be on the ship, which will be great as well.

Hey Joe-Neth- Are you from the Netherlands? You and I must have too much time on our hands as my wife says, if we continue to bat this ball back and forth.

Out of the 47 cruises I have been on I have only jumped ship once in Veracruz, Mexico. You don't get money back and you don't want any, you just want off the ship.

My friend and I were on a Silversea cruise and he jumped ship in Valdez after we had gotten off in Anchorage. He still had 9 more Silversea cruises booked. Boy, did Silversea get that problem straightened out fast. It was just a mis-communication as many things are, but he left the ship and flew home out of Valdez, Alaska, not an easy thing to do on the spur of the moment.

I don't use choice air because they can't book me far enough ahead of time and let me know what my flights are and my seat numbers are.

I just book first class tickets direct with the airline and I know my travel time and the delays in-between flights long before departure.

Of course this cost more.

Choice Air sometimes will get a much less expensive flight but no guarantee of what the seats are etc and when I had checked, the flights were routed longer and more inconvenient. I think they do a good job if you don't mine putting up with the inconvenience. I think also it sometimes makes it hard to use FF miles.

Any comments appreciated.

If you will not sail on Azamara again, why are you continuing to follow the Azamara forum? I think you have expressed your concerns enough and seem to have nothing new to offer since you have not cruised with them for 2 years.

 

QUOTE]

 

cruisemuse13

Very well said.

i did 12 Azamara cruises and the first 10 were great. At the last 2 (back to back) some crew members really were rude to say the least. Officers also less visible. The head office made me an offer which I accepted, but then they withdrawed, lied about it and got rude. So no more Azamara for me.

QUOTE]

 

May we ask what kind of offer was made? Very unusual for a loyal follower to be treated badly. I have found that when these types of things happen, it is usually some sort of mis-communication. Celebrity head office-ship communication has always been poor.

I have had personality conflicts with some ships personnel in the past, but I just go to the ones I get along with and leave the other alone. Everyone can have a bad day, even me. When I meet a ship's officer or CD that has poor communication skills, I just don't communicate. Sometimes it might be my poor communication skill.

Hope you will write a Silversea v Azamara comparison Lottie (please).

 

Lynne:)

Lynne,

Saw your post and thought I might also answer iit if it is ok with you.

I have sailed the Silver Whisper, the Silver Shadow and the Silver Cloud.

I have said that I think that Azamara is Celebrity's answer to Silver Sea. I think they have done a very good job. The service is equal but I think the friendliness seems to be a little better. Russ and Phil just cut up and entertain all the time. I had more fun on Azamara. I thought the included wine selections were better on Azamara, but I have been on only one Azamara cruise Jan 2014.

On Silversea we made a mistake and ate in what we thought was the specialty restaurant, but it was just one meal being served. You are suppose to see what is being served and then decide if you want that or not. Wasn't that good. The food and food service was very good and about the same as Azamara. I will have to wait until my next Azamara in October to evaluate again, but will be paying attention.

I liked the Prime C and the Aquilina on Quest.

Sorry the pic is so small. I can't seem to enlarge them, no matter how hard I try.

Lottie,

Go to Photo bucket and upload the picture and then copy and paste the link, and it comes up big.

This was crossing the Equator in February on Quest, perhaps someone can mention the names of the people in the pictures.

I think the picture to the right is Philip the Hotel director.

How did we get from a thread dealing with corkage fees to San Diego restaurants? It's difficult for someone doing a search to find the information they are looking for if we don't stay on topic. We always have the capability to start a new thread with a different topic.

Rabo,

I think that is my fault. I saw someone from San Diego and was looking for information. I apologize. It was off topic,.

What a brilliant idea! It is hard to think of a better dessert. Thank you for the idea.

You can also use one ounce of Crème de Noyaux one Oz White Crème de Cacao an ice cream (may be two scopes) depending on how thick or liquid you want it, and some cracked ice in the blenda and have a pink squirrel. I will print up a couple of these recipes and keep them in my wallet and just hand them to the waiter and all works ok.

Don't know if the Del still does Sunday brunch but it's very special.

Thanks for the Recommendation

Dr.Joe

neither...traditional shaft/prop and you will definitely realize that if you stay in 6088 (or any deck 6 aft rooms), but it was only noticeable when arriving/leaving dock.

Well I had the 8088 on Quest and did not notice any vibration. I sailed the Millennium on her 3nd cruise in 2000 and we notice vibration as you said above when she docked. Her first cruise cancelled, and her second had converter problems, but we had no trouble at all. The vibration can be a good thing in case you are sleeping so it wakes you up to let you know you are docking.

Does Azamara have stern thrusters also to help with docking. I never did find out when I was on the Quest. So Azamara is a standard shaft but it is an electric driven motor? I haven's seen a picture of the underside of the R ships to see how much water is presented to the props.

The Millennium class ships have had trouble particularly in the ones that had to run fast and long. ie: Infinity Valparaiso to Buenos Aires.

I had the Infinity have to cancel two days before a departure out of Ensenada for a Hawaiian cruise some time back. Celebrity really made everything OK even though we had our own flights booked.

Do the two Azamara ships use the Azipod system or similar Mermaid pods or neither?

Thanks marinaro, LuAnn, and elbon.

Would love to tour the Midway, but myself and friend's knees are too old. Plan a harbor cruise and a trip to Balboa Park and some of the seaside restaurants. I understand the "Del" has several nice restaurants inside. If the cost is proportional to the room rates, I could take a cruise for this 4 day trip.

My friend said something about going to Safari Park I think which is about 30 miles away. We have done the Zoo once, but I think that could be done again. I think the zoo has a tram if I remember correctly.

Yes. Any analysis that fails to include the free wine from Azamara is fatally flawed. If this were a ship that did not include wine, or a restaurant on shore, such an analysis would be logical. Corkage is designed to cover the restaurant's lost profit on selling a bottle. The isn't any here.Quite the opposite

Bfson,

We did a trip through the Copper Canyon by train in 1972. It was a very interesting trip and I have a trip report.

Going to meet friends in San Diego next month for 4 days and staying at the "Del". My friend says it is a nice hotel. I stayed in Mission Bay last time.

Any advice for San Diego for a third trip.

Hi all, this will be our first time cruising with Azamara Quest and we have a number of sea days.

 

Can you tell me when you can access the free drinks;

Is it only while you are in the dining room/rooms?

Can you have pre dinner, lunch or even breakfast!!! drinks in different venue?

Are certain bars open at different times?

Can you take the free drinks to your cabin etc etc etc

Anything else I should be aware of?

 

I have read the official policy re what you can take on at embarkation/corkage and have read this thread with interest

Thanks in anticipation

Cheers

On our last Azamara cruise we stopped in Mexico and I always liked drinking Tequila/Sangrita. I found a store and bought the Sangrita. Got back on board and ordered some Tequila that they had to charge me for since it wasn't on the comp. list. I couldn't drink all they brought to the cabin and set it down later, but my wife though it away. I could have gotten the tequila on shore for a $1 a shot. That plan didn't work too well. I should have bought a bottle of tequila on shore, but couldn't find a small one.

Just be sure and check that the liquor you want is complimentary since it may be complimentary if you go to the bar to get it, but not if you have your butler bring it to your cabin.

Wow the back and forth on this thread has been really eye opening. Based on this thread I don't think Azamara is for me. There seems to be a bit of nastiness running through here. Wonder if it also manifests itself when onboard. Never been on Azamara and looking at a cruise in November so I have been reading here a bit more.

Well, I can only compare Azamara to other cruise lines. I can assure you I liked he wine better on Azamara than on Silversea and of course both are all inclusive. Both give excellent service. I just fell in love with Azamara on our last cruise in 2014

Don't let this thread sway you, it is just a bunch of us old geezers shooting the bull. I would like to have a few drinks and get together with this bunch to hassle. Should be fun.

I'm a gin drinker so I would run the wine guys wild.

Then there would be a screwage fee. :D

Love it

The supposed logic in those two statements has me shaking my head in wonder. Next someone will tell me Oceania is a charitable organization.

 

Pouring a glass in your room and sneaking it into a shipboard restaurant is, well, better left unsaid. People complain on Cruise Critic about being nickled and dimed by cruise lines. Amusing to me to see people willingly boast here about how they nickle and dime their cruise line.

I started doing this on Celebrity because I sat down for dinner and asked for a Bombay Sapphire Gin on ice and 30 minutes later I still didn't have my drink.

I bring it with me and they graciously place my glass on a tray and bring it to the table with me. If you Spend $30,000 for trip, why complain about a drink.

Now Azamara service is better. For dessert I ordered a Grasshopper made with Ice cream rather than cream and ran the timer and got it back in 10 minutes. Wow, I was impressed, because the waiter probably had to grab some ice cream to take to the bar to give the bartender to put with the mixture in the blender. That's what I call service. And I didn't have to bring my own Crème-de-menthe nor my White Crème de Cacao and couldn't have brought the ice cream. HA!

We get a wine glass or four from a bar or room attendent to keep in our room, pour our wine and stroll to dinner with it. This is usually for our preferred pre-dinner/appetizer drink...I guess if you wanted a fine bottle all through dinner, it's best to pay the $10, or excuse yourself and stroll back to your room for a refill.

(I've done both :o )

Yep, we know how to work the system, but why go to the trouble.

I don't understand the corkage policy. Wine is included in the fare. If I bring my own wine, i save Azamara $ by not drinking their wine. For the act of saving them money they want to charge me $10 a bottle. Huh?

They are charging you $10 for not drinking their wine which they have gone to the trouble to have available for you.

Unfortunately the Azamara 3DI platform is built on iOS and until some funding shakes loose our plans to create an Android version are on hold :(

Here are some handy bullets regarding the Azamara 3DI iOS App. If you are an Apple user, we encourage you to download on iPhone, iPod or iPad.

 

About Azamara 3DI iOS App

 

• All you need is an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch and you can experience Destination Immersion anywhere
  

 

• Compatibility: Requires iOS 6.0 or later. This app is optimized for iPhone 5 or later
  
• A strong WI-fi connection is recommended for faster video download times
  
• Azamara released the 3DI iOS app the first week of August 2015, and is the brand’s first app. Currently, you can watch several interactive videos including:
  

1. overview of our National Parks of Panama Voyage
   
   
2. a ziplining tour through the Costa Rican Rainforest
   
   
3. a Horse and Carriage ride through Cartagena, Colombia
   
   
4. the Azamara Journey crossing the Panama Canal
   
   

• By selecting the hand icon in the menu at the bottom of the screen you can manipulate the video up, down and 360-degrees around by dragging your finger around the screen.
  
• By selecting the VR option at the bottom of the screen you can place your iPhone in a Google Cardboard headset and enjoy the virtual reality experience.
  
• Select the 'X' to return to the main menu and watch another video.
  
• We have more videos on the way, including
  

1. an Onboard Experience
   
   
2. tours of Panama, Costa Rica
   
   
3. tours of Cartagena, Colombia
   
   
4. a second time-lapse video of the Panama Canal crossing
   
   

I assume Azamara will download new videos later?