cpgrneyes

First, I was wrong about the ceiling in the Drawing Room - when I actually went inside instead of just looking in, I saw the lovely ceiling!

We disembark in Barcelona tomorrow, and there were still no lounger cushions yesterday. Had a beautiful, warm day in Palma yesterday, and did lounge in the chairs which were still very comfy.

Currently onboard and no cushions evident, but we’ve JUST NOW finally sailed out of Civitivecchia. We were grounded yesterday and missed Sardinia due to really rough seas and high winds. I’ll let you know if they do come out when/if the sun does!

The Pursuit is lovely, Spirits finally feels like a real bar, both specialties look much brighter and smarter, and there are a few familiar faces with the crew. The Drawing Room, however, just has a low, boring white ceiling. I certainly understand that replicating the beautiful ceilings on the sister ships isn’t practical, but that room just isn’t the same.

I’m boarding Pursuit on October 28th, the last cruise prior to the Transatlantic, and will check in here as to the status of the cushions! That said, I’ve been in the UK for a week and now in Madrid, and there hasn’t been a day yet where I haven’t carried a jacket. I will, however, keep my fingers crossed that I’ll be relaxing on a lounge chair without a blanket!

They also moved their Amazing Evening to Valencia which delays their arrival and cuts short their next port by 3 hours. That had nothing to do with Safety and sea conditions.

I don’t know where the Azamazing Evening was previously scheduled, but we attended it in Valencia last year and it was fabulous, from the logistics, to the location, to the performers.

I didn’t think I could get more excited about our October Pursuit sailing, but this video and reading all the live blogs and posts has done it!

I haven’t seen one in a few years, but there’s now a 14 day cruise offered in July 2020. For those seasoned Azamara cruises who have been on a Black Sea itinerary, did you enjoy it? I’m sure it will be VERY different from a Med cruise, but, other than Athens, every port will be new to us and it’s intriguing.

It’s pretty expensive, but I assume that’s because the itinerary is so unusual. I’ll be onboard in October and can take advantage of the LCV savings to offset some of that.

Appreciate any comments you may have.

Cheryl

Bonnie, I hope you’re monitoring this thread and can share all the positive thoughts and well wishes with Russ!

Please remember that Belfast uses different money and they do not even use that money in England.

 

While the currency in Northern Ireland looks different than in England (as does the currency in Scotland), they are all British Pounds, just printed with their own countries on them. That said, the Republic of Ireland (Dublin), uses the Euro. so it is different in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

His new work schedule with Crystal is two months on, two months off which he said will suit him much better.

 

Phil

I’m sure it will, and while we wish Russ all the best, we’ll definitely miss him on our next Quest sailing. He is head and shoulders the best CD we’ve every sailed with.

Rick and Cheryl

Bonnie, is it possible to get more information on the Micato add-on? There is a price shown as “From $xx,xxx” but no price for individual cabin categories. Also, how many people can Micato handle from the ship? I know the Perry Golf cruises sell out the Golf packages.

I did ask for more information, but got a very thick brochure from Micato which did not include information on the cruises, nor did I find it on their website.

It looks exciting!

Thanks,

Cheryl

It’s not the process the guest is highlighting it’s the fact that the base cost is increasing so if you don’t book early you pay higher dollar cost whether by using cash or obc. The increases quoted are not insignificant so to some readers they are disgraceful

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

It’s nothing that doesn’t happen in other areas of travel - cruise prices go up, airline fares go up, hotels book up or increase in price. I don’t see the disgrace in that, it’s a fact of life.

I think we can say goodbye to our LCV benefits of free bag of laundry and internet minutes given what they quote in the email I received today.

I think it’s premature for any of us to assume AZ will make major alterations to LCV. Those of us who receive many of the new “perks” on the Plus cabins likely wouldn’t find much value in paying more for what we already get, but a first time cruiser might want a few more bells and whistles, similar to Concierge on Celebrity.

That said, the new cabin category certainly won’t find a buyer in me!

VERANDA PLUS GUESTS RECEIVE INCLUSIVE AMENITIES PLUS:

120 complimentary Internet minutes per guest • One free bag of laundry service per stateroom, each seven days • One night of complimentary specialty dining for two, each seven days • Priority embarkation and debarkation • Complimentary in-room spirits

Thanks for posting. The price difference between V and V+ will be interesting to see, but if, as I read, the Veranda Plus will be on Deck 8, that’s already a non-starter for me if I’m booking a Veranda.

Could somebody cut and paste the email? I still don’t get emails from Azamara. Thanks.

In a word, the new look is awful. Looks like Windows. Or maybe The Patio. Row upon row of little tables. No privacy. No room for servers to move. No room for everything that should be on your table. Round tables are gracious. Little square ones are hospital cafeteria.

I couldn’t agree more. Very disappointing and it appears to be quite a downgrade from the understated elegance that Aquafina once had.

Sure, Bonnie, if you will correct my typo to “buses”!

We were at Carnaval in 2013 with Azamara, and it was spectacular! The city had no rooms available, and AZ docked right in town. The excursion to the Sambadrome was flawless, easy busses, good seats, returning to the ship every 30 minutes (IIRC). Spent a day at the beach and got caught up in a parade...wonderful memories! I don’t know if I would have gone independently, but on Azamara, it was easy and Azamazing!

We loved Hotel Mimosa H10 this year. Great location, staff, and right next door to Guadi’s Casa Mila. Personally, staying on Las Ramblas is not where we want to be, but that’s just us!

Wow, I can’t believe Azamara would advertise a World Cup cruise with no options to book through Azamara. We’ve sailed to Rio for Carnival with AZ and to the British Isles for The Open at St. Andrews under the assumption it would be easy knowing AZ would handle all the bookings.

We had the June 17th cruise booked, but cancelled when the US missed the cut. Glad they did and we did. I do believe Azamara was misleading in advertising this as a World Cup cruise without the opportunity to book tickets through them.

Wonderful news! I’ve sailed with all of them, and it’s well deserved. Of course, nothing from Azamara, but that’s why I frequent CC. Seriously, how tough is to keep a mailing list current? Okay, that’s a question that has been beaten to death.

We loved our Owner’s Suite too - what a wonderful treat to upgrade. Croox was also our butler, but we honestly didn’t see him much. With only a nine day cruise, we were BUSY!

Having just disembarked Journey yesterday where I boarded with a lot of OBC, I too, do not understand all the hand wringing. All the previously designed LD credit was simply applied as standard OBC, and I had no problem using it however I wanted.

BTW, we had a fabulous cruise, the staff was as accommodating as ever, the food wonderful, and I can't wait for my next cruise!

Cheryl

We'll be staying at the Valverde next week based on the location and TripAdvisor rating. I'll try to give you an update after I've actually BEEN there!

Someone from the US posted in another thread that the double upgrade secured a balcony guarantee only. They couldn't pick a cabin. This is certainly not how the double upgrade promo has worked in the past. Wonder if that precludes it from the $398 LCV upgrade program?

 

Phil

Phil, I booked my upcoming cruise during the double upgrade offer last year, applied for the LCV upgrade, and was lucky enough to get the call to pay to upgrade to the CW Owner's Suite, so that program still applies.

Cheryl

My June 2018 cruise is listed, but the verandas are the same price they were when I booked in June, after increasing $1,000 over the summer. Oh well, still happy with the price on the LCV quarterly promotion.