nordski

With that pairing, as a couple you are setting the standard for sophisticated cruising. And inducing a sense of remorse for my cursing the bumper crop of maple keys that are presently flooding our gardens, walkways, and gutters. Perhaps in Honfleur you will be able to enjoy some local Calvados. If, on your walks, you see an Azamara sea pass card lying on the ground, please return it to the ship. After sampling sone calvados I managed to lose my pass and provided considerable amusement to the security staff on shore and on the ship. Do you stop at Rouen? It is a wonderful port to wander and enjoy on your own.

I can only guess that this is a policy set by Azamara’s insurance company to cover liability issues and the litigation that might ensue if a medical event occurred on a physically demanding tour. In that context, the companies with whom I might want to access added travel/health insurance are very clear that they discriminate based upon age.or underlying health concerns. In fact I wouldn’t invest in one that didn’t. Of course there are always examples of those whose fitness level is outside the norms of their age cohort.

When there, didn’t notice the Petit Train Guernsey. I wonder if it is a new addition to tourist services on the island. Or perhaps I was just distracted and overcome by patriotic thoughts of Sir Isaac. 😄 I may have mentioned before that I was raised in the house built by his doctor, the doctor who failed to save Brock’s life at the Battle of Queenston Heights. Thanks so much for these pictures which remind me of the island’s other attractions and we look forward to more news about your cruise.

From Canada yesterday morning was in contact with an Azamara agent within 5 minutes.

I hope that you have an opportunity to visit the Town Church in St. Peter Port whose beautiful interior contains a large and decorative wood screen dedicated to local boy Sir Isaac Brock, the British General appointed to defend British North America in the War of 1812. He, of course, died at the Battle of Queenston Heights and his monument there is passed by all the tourists headed to the region's wineries. It is the highlight of any visit to St. Peter Port! OK. Maybe I am the only person on social media who actually believes that. The night light is indeed a useful addition to the bathroom.

Right!… Sergeant Major!…Marching up and down the square! (Monty Python)

A change concerning Canada’s regulations will be announced today so there may be some loosening. As an aside, for those cruises using Vancouver as an embarkation port for Alaska some itineraries will require an increased level of masking including on board the ships. The issue isn’t Canadian policy but apparently concerns about the increased number of Covid cases in Alaska. Flexibility as to one’s expectations remains the order of day.

I haven’t seen such scientific evidence about the Azamara breakfast or lunch buffet either, nor, for that matter, the White Night buffet. But they weren’t the events that were being discussed. The comments referred specifically to the themed buffets held each evening in Windows. No scientific evidence there either, just what we observed. Perhaps you have seen more participants than we have. But. I am certain that management has the numbers to help carry out a rational analysis of any of the buffet experiences.

I think this is a crucial point. While it is nice to anticipate or demand the “status quo ante” on board, I think it would be poor post-Covid executive leadership that did not take this opportunity to reconsider sustainability and the inevitable Green Agenda. There seemed to be considerable waste from the evening buffets in Windows, buffets that were often sparsely attended. Cruising must change and we can all hope that is for the better.

Thanks for that reminder. Shows what we forget during our Covid Hiatus From Cruising. Although I find ITA Matrix rather clunky I do consult it to see if there are choices that I am missing.

It may well do so, but traditionally if ChoiceAir was involved one would purchase the upgrade to PE through that service. In our experience, the seat selection could then be done separately through the air line’s website, but we have also done that through ChoiceAir. Maybe ChoiceAir’s services are changing and Mackdogmolly has suggested in post #36 that there may be issues with communications and dealing with flight alterations in the present environment, But that is the minimum I would expect, that at the least ChoiceAir would clearly communicate with joyride as to why they could not intervene. It will bear monitoring if services that used to be commonplace are no longer in place.

Thanks very much for the clarification. If I understand, your TA contacted ChoiceAir and they would not intervene on your behalf. Even if, for some reason, they couldn’t then you should have received an explanation as to the policy involved. This does not match our experience with ChoiceAir which has always seemed to be helpful, and is indeed a major concern that their policies may have changed.Perhaps the difference is that we have always booked directly with ChoiceAir but it is hard to see why that would be an issue. I hope your flight goes well and you have an amazing cruise. I am certain that you are tired of thinking of and explaining this situation. All the best!

I always believed that there was a difference between buying what was sometimes called CruiseAir from various cruise lines and ChoiceAir from RCI. In fact there was quite a discussion about this some years ago. For example, ChoiceAir never seems to be “included” as sometimes happens with CruiseAir. And there were never “deviation” fees to allow you more selection. The ChoiceAir site just seemed to be a handy place to discover all the possible flights available from various airlines and also various seat categories available. Have I been wrong about this?

One of our dream itineraries would involve the venerable old port of St. John’s, Newfoundland, and then up the coast to visit some colourful fishing outports as well as L’Anse Aux Meadows, one of the earliest Viking settlements in North America. The cruise could end by visiting Greenland or Iceland, or better by sailing along the coast of Labrador to finish in Quebec City or Montreal. Perhaps sailing along the St. Lawrence there also could be some access to Saguenay Fjords National Park.

Absolutely! You will receive a nice card from Customer Relations thanking you!