ShopperfiendTO

Hi OP, my understanding of your issue is that:

• You are hesitant to book a private tour because the price is high for two participants, your roll call is quiet and it's possible that there will not be anyone joining you via the roll call before the cruise.
  
• You are worried that you could be boarding with a tour booked at $X but without a group that would offset the cost of the tour.
  
• You are asking what other Az cruisers' experiences have been in finding others to join you when they are already on the cruise. The ship has literally sailed on the roll call option.
  
• You note that there is some time once on board, about a week, to "recruit" others to join you.
  

In my experience, I have not encountered very much on-board recruiting to join cruises. There is the Meet and Mingle, but I don't think that this will help you because presumably those in attendance would have been part of the roll call that did not bring any takers.

There is a somewhat similar recruiting situation that can occur while onboard, such as when a person who is part of a tour unexpectedly needs to drop out (e.g., gets sick or injured and can't participate as planned) and the organizer may be looking/scrambling to find a replacement. However, this situation is usually covered by an understanding that either the dropout still has to pay their share or find someone to take their place, or the remaining participants' share of the tour is adjusted for the fewer bodies to share the cost amount.

There is no bulletin board or similar type of public soliciting (nor would I think Az would allow it as it competes directly with their Shore Excursion department), so you would have to find people by just meeting them, striking up a conversation and hoping that they would be interested. This seems like work to me, and do you want to be doing this on your vacation, possibly for a week?

In my experience, I have not been broached by anyone asking if I would like join them on any of the Az cruises I have taken.

Is the cost if it were just the two of you debilitating or just high, and is the tour something that would have broad interest? If the cost is debilitating and of narrow interest, I think you are going to have a very hard time finding a match on board, in addition to the reasons already mentioned by others. If the cost is high but not debilitating, you could perhaps consider it a an ultra bespoke tour if you don't find other participants.

A final thought is that this area has been known for unrest so if you book, I would suggest that you have something in place for coverage in case the ship does not make it to the port for the excursion.

Unless the weather is bad, you are going to be on the track to be able to have an expansive view. You will figure this out naturally.:D

According to this, it's $47.50 per bottle. Selection varies quite widely by cruise however.

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/experience/value/wine-packages/

That's a very good price! I just checked Premier Inn. The price is higher on my dates but it's still way cheaper than Novotel and Holiday Inn. The only problem is we have a teenager who's just over 15 and will be treated as adult. Does it mean I'll have to book 2 rooms? It's such a waste and they don't even give me the option to pay for an extra "adult"! :(The room can actually accommodate 3 people ( 1 double bed and 1 sofa bed).

I would suggest you contact the Premier Inn.

The terms and conditions have this:

"5 Occupancy

The maximum room occupancy is two adults. Family rooms (where available) can accommodate two adults and two children (under the age of 16). You must not exceed the maximum occupancy for the room allocated to you.

Children under 16 are not permitted to stay in a Premier Inn hotel unless a parent or guardian is also staying in the hotel." (my emphasis)

And the location's landing page indicates that there may be family rooms at this location.

Your 10:15 flight is pretty early. Is it flying directly across the ocean from Nice or are you connecting to another airport for the transatlantic portion, such as through Heathrow or Paris CDG? Difference is check-in time; if it's the latter, you don't have to check in as early because the first leg is considered a "domestic" flight.

If the ship docks at the disembarkation port the night before disembarkation, you can choose to walk off with your luggage as early as you like. Walking off versus getting luggage collection outside your cabin the night before isn't that big of a deal for Monaco, unless you have to negotiate the luggage down a ramp, but I don't this would be the case for Marina/Riviera (or if it is, the ramp shouldn't be that steep).

Oceania should have transfers that you can purchase (should be able to use shipboard credits on it as well). As for all of O's "excursions", it will be fairly expensive for the 4 of you.

If you're thinking taxis, there aren't many of them in Monte Carlo, so you should consider making a reservation to pick you up to avoid having to hail or wait for one since it will be unlikely that a taxi would just happen by the cruise terminal as it is not in the "major" traffic strip. I am guessing that each of you will have at least one check-in luggage as well so a typical taxi sedan is not going to be big enough which further supports making advanced arrangements for a larger vehicle.

Is it a weekday or weekend that you disembark? You will be coming from the east but the airport is west of Nice. Traffic can be pretty bad in Nice during the morning rush hour so if it's a weekday, you might want to consider giving yourself a bit more cushion room.

Well we don't need security, especially in a place like Norway, but sometimes we're lazy and want someone else to take care of the details. Also not as mobile as when we were younger, so walking miles around ports is out of the question. Private guides are lovely, but in countries like this are not feasible.

 

In fact, I wonder how much of that stunning scenery can just be enjoyed from the ship without venturing far afield. Comments?

I think the security context here is making sure you don't get lost and get back to the ship on time?:confused: In Flam, we were on a tour that was late getting back to the ship. Luckily, there were over two dozen of us and it was a ship excursion, so the ship waited for us. :D

There is stunning scenery on the ship while sailing and venturing afield from where the ship tenders/docks. For example, you can't see the Briksdal glacier (Olden) and you can't get the classic fjord shot of Geiranger without taking some type of transport away from the dock. I think Gudvangen is more of a jump-off point for people taking an overnight shore excursion to meet up with the ship at Geiranger.

You can wander Bergen on your own. For Flam, you can take the railway up and down and wander the area but not much more. Actually, it seems you're only there from 7am to 1pm so it is a short port day in any event which limits your options for excursions afield.

Your cruise is a fair bit away. I can understand why the roll call wouldn't be very active right now. One can't even buy the airfare yet! I think it will be more active and more conducive to sharing excursions when it gets closer to the sailing date.

It may have changed, but when researching our Norway ports a few years back, we did notice that there were some ports that just did not have much in private touring services. For these, we looked at Az excursions - they may sound expensive but keep in mind that Norway is an incredibly expensive country to begin with and Az is just paying the piper, so to speak.

For others, there were more of the shared group excursions offered by private tour companies where you book for yourself and then meet at the meeting point dockside with other people who may not be on a cruise at all. If you wanted a private group, you basically had to hire a taxi for the day or rent your own car.

Thank you so much Turnip Eater and John Bull! :) Super helpful!!! (y)

If you are booking a car to get to Southampton, just ask the driver to stop at a supermarket on the way. You will get more choice for less cost. Duty free means nothing.

Hello,

Sorry for the slight diversion, but could you please advise if this is the same for Gatwick airport for duty-free store purchases upon arrival as well, and applies for spirits and champagnes as well as wines?

We are arriving into Gatwick and will not be taking a ship's transfer so have some flexibility to buy at Gatwick or in Southampton. The prices in Southampton we would be comparing against would be here (noting that some items are on sale off and on):

http://lgws.worlddutyfree.com/lgws_en/champagne.html

http://lgws.worlddutyfree.com/lgws_en/spirits-liqueurs.html

Is it better to buy spirits and champagne on arrival at Gatwick or is it better to wait until Southampton like it is for wine?

Thank you for your comments Bloodaxe. :)

We will look to book an excursion.

You appear to be on a Caribbean cruise so the nightlife may be a bit livelier than it would normally be on another cruising location such as the Mediterranean. Add the fact that it is on a larger O ship and it would surprise me if it was quiet every night.

It was my recollection that there is usually the piano player playing after dinner in the Martini bar. It's usually in 45-minute sets, but I thought I recalled at least one set after 10 p.m.

Hi

There are 9 different car hire companies available in Holyhead. Just goggle Carhire Holyhead Port and a list will appear. I do know Hertz are situated at the terminal as we met up with people who had cruised with us before and they cancelled a Hertz car.

Once you are sorted let us know what your plans are if you want any info re directions etc.

We are not off Anglesy, we live approx 40 minutes up the coast but one of our friends family still own a farm close to Holyhead so I can text them for further info if you have any problems.

 

There are so many beautiful things to see and do in North Wales.

 

Liverpool is beautiful city and we know well, about 70 minutes from us. We are there regularly. The port is directly opposite the town and shops. There are some good free museums and of course the Beatles experience. Easy to do on foot, 5 minutes maximum to the shops. Again depends on your interests.

 

Hope you have a lovely time.

Apologies for going off-topic, but would you be able to provide your views on what people who have not been to Holyhead or Wales should do at this port? Are there enough interesting things to do around Holyhead to not have to take an excursion or is an excursion the best option?

Looking at busybus that's been talked about in several threads on CC but the buses seem big and wondering if we should just walk around Anglesey...

Generally how far out should one book the National Express buses to get the best fares? I understand that they can be as low as 5 pounds per person but does this mean booking it 6 or 9 months in advance?

seriously??

I do not recall raw eggs in my carpaccio ;)

Oh, I wasn't aware that raw eggs was a component of tartare :o

How is the table-side Caesar dressing made, no raw eggs either?

We had beef Carpaccio on our Regatta cruise earlier this year.

It's not that big of a jump from Carpaccio to tartare.:confused:

We have been on both.

Physically, they are basically the same ship except maybe the suites layout on Deck 8 or 9.

It is the soft offerings and/or branding that makes them different, and this would generally apply to whichever O R-ship or Az ship you sail in (although there has been some talk in the past that the Az Quest is somehow better than the Az Journey and that O's Sirena is experiencing growing pains), so it's more a question of what's the difference between the Oceania experience and the Azamara experience (vs. a ship-by-ship comparison) and there are a lot of threads on this.

I think in general there are more organized things to do on the ship on Az than on O. O does have daily tea in the Horizons Lounge with accompanying string quartet which I count as an organized in-ship event. Az just has tea offerings in the Terrace Cafe which wasn't much and there is the occasional (there was one on our 11-night cruise) "special" afternoon tea in Aqualina. It was nice enough but felt really cramped, and I don't recall if there was a string quartet but I don't think so.

IMO food is better on O, although you have to pay for alcoholic beverages (you can opt into a beverage package but you're still paying) while Az includes an acceptable selection in the fare. Az used to have an advantage with Mosaic Cafe (24/7 coffee/tea and snacks) on Deck 5 but perhaps it's just me but it's become lacklustre as of late. O revved up its game with a grill in the Terrace Cafe (dinner buffet) where you can have lobster tails and steak any night. O is very good for having the MDR open for lunch even on port days while I think on Az it is the exception to have the MDR open on port days.

IMO Az has better port times (longer later stays). It used to be that O's excursion prices were ridiculous and Az's were reasonable. Now O's prices are still ridiculous but Az's are now on the expensive side, so that difference is sadly narrowing in a bad way (for passengers), but Az does usually have the free Azamazing evening which is usually a good time. If you have tenders on your cruise, O used to be pretty feeble with their tendering operations/frequency but it's approaching Az's level which we feel has always been great.

We were told the flights were included! It was the "O Life" offer for the price of the cruise-only fare.

I'm afraid I don't understand what you wrote.:confused:

Are you confirming that if you booked the cruise-only fare, the flights would still be included?

Your second statement just seems to state that you could book the cruise-only fare and still get the "O-Life" offers for the cruise, which does not reference the flights being included.

 

First, if we booked a cruise at the event, we would get 15% off the fare. They would also include a $250USD on-board credit, free internet and the flights included for the price of not having the flights. We figured this was a great opportunity to try out the cruise line, so we booked for a 14-night Caribbean cruise in January 2018.

 

I was just curious if anyone had ever been to anything like this before?

I've been to one and your experience and offer is about the same as the one I attended except for the flights being included for the price of not having the flights. Was this actually the offer? If so, then it would make non-North American cruises more attractive.

Here's the excerpt from O's website ("Onboard" tab):

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/faq/

Can I purchase bottles of wine at ports of call and bring them on board?

Guests wishing to purchase wine in a port of call and bring it on board with them may do so, limited to three (3) bottles per stateroom. Guests are welcome to enjoy their wine in the comfort and privacy of their stateroom or suite, or, if they prefer, may enjoy their wine in one of the ship's dining rooms. Any wine consumed in the dining room or a public area will be subject to a corkage fee of $25.00 per bottle.

So I guess it is $25 even if you brought on a Rehoboam lol:eek:

Usually transfers are not included with O cruises unless you booked a hotel through them...

When we disembarked, we heard from other cruisers waiting for their flights that the O transfer stopped at only one place and the passengers had to make their way to their respective terminal. I can't remember if it was at the last terminal or the middle terminal.

We took a semi-private transfer and were dropped off at our terminal.

Ok I am now thoroughly confused about excursion pricing. We elected the onboard credit when we booked and not the "free" excursions. Am I still entitled to a discounted price?

-------------------

Helen

No.

Basically, the lesson is that your free excursions from the O Life promotion count towards the number of excursions you need to book to get discounted Your World Collection pricing (even though you didn't pay anything for those included excursions).

The point of the thread is that you can't get the discounted pricing by booking online - you have to call in.

I'm confused by this excursion cancellation stuff. Is this problem only if you have booked some kind of excursion package? If I book and pay for an excursion with Azamara and it gets cancelled onboard, surely I get a refund?

Yes you can get a refund if you paid for the excursion.

I believe OP's issue is that they had a promotion where the "free" OBC given could only be used for shore excursions, so it was use it or lose it non-refundable ("non-paid") OBC. Nothing was paid, so nothing to refund if the excursion is cancelled.

It's unfortunate but it looks like a risk that has to be taken into consideration when booking an excursion for near the end of a cruise.

In all my years of travel, for business as well as cruising, I have tucked a paperback in my handbag or carryon. I recommend the latest best-seller, or your favorite mystery writer, or any book you have always wanted to read (or re-read).

 

You will be amazed how quickly the time will pass--and how low your blood pressure will remain!!

Not sure if this is a response to my post, but if it is, my post was to point out that one does not need to wake up at an ungodly hour to get to the airport for what one might feel is an international flight but is treated by the airline as a domestic flight.

With the lesser time requirement for a domestic flight check-in, I would rather be in bed for the extra time or have a less hurried early morning breakfast than to hurry up and wait (with a great read).:cool:

My wife and I are on the Panama Canal trip on Quest in January. In the port of Quepos, Costa Rica, we have a private guide to take us to the Manuel Antonio National Park, and she initially wanted to pick us up at 7:00 a.m. The Quest arrives at Quepos at 7:00 a.m. according to the itinerary, and a very helpful and knowledgeable person at the Azamara call center this morning told me the tenders would not begin moving until about 7:30. She also said we would be very close to the port, probably only about a 5-10 minute tender ride. I need to get back with our guide as to when we could her. I assume passengers taking ship-sponsored excursions will have priority on the first tender, but, from earlier postings on this thread, am I correct that we should not have any problem getting on that first tender as well (assuming we get our old bodies out of the bed soon enough :rolleyes:)? Do we need to speak with anyone at the Destination Desk about some sort of priority?

If you get to the lounge (this has always been the location for us when tendering) early enough you should be able to get on the first tender. They will give you tickets on a first-come first-serve basis to fill the tender if there is space, which there usually is.

For an international flight it would never occur to me to be at the airport any LESS than 3 hours before departure. The 2-hour bag check restriction isn't O's doing.

Having had a few European flights under my belt, I now always ask if it is a non-stop flight across the Atlantic that the person is catching or if it is connecting through another Shengen country's airport.

If it is a connecting flight, then the first segment is treated as a domestic flight for check-in purposes and you don't really have to be there 3 hours before the flight unless you need the extra time for mobility reasons or as an uncertainty cushion.

There's no point waking up at 6:00 to catch a 7:00 transfer only to twiddle one's thumbs for almost 3 hours waiting for the 10:30 flight to another European hub (like we have done previously). The only tricky issue is construction/rush hour delays in getting to the airport.

On our most recent cruise, every time we went to the Main Dining Room (which was most nights - we like table service and the variety offered there), the Maitre D' asked us for our room number and if we would like to share a table or dine alone. This question was asked of people in front of us as well when there was a line so I think everyone is asked the question.

If you would like to share a table, you will always be sharing a table with other diners who also wish to share a table. What is not certain is how many others you will be sharing with, and I don't think you have an option over that.