nordski

As I understood it, Tony is not on board right now. Perhaps chairs have been ordered and he didn’t know if/when they will arrive. Of course, he simply could have stated that. At the beginning Tony was a bit amped up, as if he were presenting a show in the Cabaret. But I think the delay in answering questions was due to their belief that the Captain would soon be online. Lesson learned, I hope.

That’s certainly a good question and it will be interesting if we ever have an answer. I have a friend who spent a number of years teaching at a university in Qatar, and he described the decisions of the government as often seemingly “capricious”. But at the foundation of those decisions was the apparent benefit of the citizens of that nation. Concern about the welfare of non-citizens was not uppermost. Thus it will not always be transparent as to when/why decisions are made. But it is certainly possible that the port decision is an exception.

It must be very frustrating to miss a sports or similar event that one has anticipated for a long time. Advice that I read on this Board some time ago is still worth considering. If there is a site or event that is a high priority, cruising may not provide the most promising access. There have always been ports missed because of bad seas, mechanical issues, etc. Now there seem to be increasing political pressures that limit the use of certain ports, pressures that may be either short or long term, surprising or long-anticipated. I have to remind myself that changes in a ship’s itinerary, while not common, are not unheard of.

Excellent advice! It’s circumstantial evidence but I think that they may have tried the connection to Captain Carl while they were anchored in Ashdod, but the event occurred while the ship was out to sea. Apparently the ship was late to leave port so the latter test may not have been conducted. At one point they seemed to suggest that the Captain was trying to use his 4G network to join the chat. Regardless, it would have been more useful if the Captain had been available to answer the viewers’ questions. But, as I have suggested, the problem of the ships’ wifi has been clearly demonstrated.

I know I am not the market, but oddly I want to buy her book. 😄

Surely the next report will be an improvement of the wifi.

Beth Santos seems to be the personification of “ebullient”, so despite some technical glitches and limited content she had me smiling during the whole event. No small thing in these times. And the glitches revealed the inadequacy of Azamara’s wifi service, so . . . .

You will have to agree that in all of life’s most important decisions, who to propose to, where to live, he is a man of wisdom and good judgement.

This post will convince no one but I think “winter weather” is a variable concept. If one is going to experience it, certainly it is best not to live where it is damp and dark with long periods of slush. That is depressing. A better choice is where the temps are consistently below freezing, the snow remains firm and skiable, and hockey ponds remain frozen. Sure there is shovelling, but there are lots of the young and able-bodied who will take care of accumulations. And those frequent high pressure days of brilliant sun are priceless. We also love the noticeable transition of seasons. There are lots of resorts in Canada that attract visitors with a “real” winter. 😄

I am certain that when we are visiting Yorkshire that will be exactly the weather we will be enjoying. Gorgeous scenery.

The question is will he emulate Charles I, whose life ended during an appointment with the axeman, or the rather more laddish Charles Ii, who also had a Royal mistress, or three? I recall that the first time I heard of BOAC (now BA) was the flight chartered to bring the film of Elizabeth’s coronation promptly to Canada so that our neighbours could gather in our living room and watch the ceremonies on a grainy, black & white TV. As some have pointed out, during her reign Elizabeth II had to adjust to a rapidly changing media landscape, much more intrusive than in 1953, and culminating with the highly popular series on Netflix.

No doubt sharing thoughts and memories today with residents of the UK and of the Commonwealth who are experiencing the end of an era. When I was a student, she watched over us from her portrait in every classroom of this nation. What will the future bring?

I was so impressed with your recent Norway cruise report that I immediately checked out those 2024 itineraries. And yes, those elevated prices brought tears to my eyes. I actually reread the terms to confirm that the charges were per person not per stateroom. 🙀

We did not have a shuttle in St. Malo several years ago, nor was one needed.

Good for you! And I will be envious that your rates in Canada will be considerably cheaper than those offered by our two largest carriers, Bell and Rogers.

You will have to be really patient with the website. 😄 We have this itinerary booked for next fall. Thanks to Jazzbeau for posting this excellent summary.

Absolutely agree. There are a lot of moving parts to consider now.

Good for him, and good for you!

Absolutely! Our performance was at a nearby bar and it’s gardens on the water, so I imagine the size of that venue could be an issue. I don’t remember the town square as being particularly large either. But the performance was memorable and, if offered, should not be missed.

In our experience at least the verandah staterooms all have the same layout. I appreciate that Marinaro confirms that in a reply that he posted as I was typing. So, unlike on Celebrity, you don’t have to consider that factor when selecting. Certainly we have done so. The only stateroom issues that are notable are the presence of a bath/shower combo in a Club Continent Suite or the possibility of noise issues. The former is addressed on the Azamara website, and the latter on the pinned discussion about staterooms near the top of this forum. Good luck!

Keep us informed.

Even if Azamara’s price was “fair”, you clearly were committed to the price quoted by your TA. It would certainly be disappointing that this has become an issue. I hope this issue is quickly resolved and you can begin anticipating your upcoming cruise.

Indeed she does. Very enjoyable.

Thanks for mentioning this. I will be checking the 2024 cruises.

We thought that our 2016 Azamara cruise to the North Cape was the best possible Norway itinerary. As amazing as it was, clearly I was wrong. I will look for a similar cruise as yours in the future. However, I would argue that overall our weather was better and the Norwegians kept assuring us that we were very lucky in that matter. Thanks for the exceptionally impressive review.