excitedofharpenden

Johannes is THE best! Such a great character and always fun to sail with him. Wish I was going along. Enjoy. Phil

I spoke to a friend who is on the ship now and will be doing the ta too and she tells me they are hoping to do White Night on the third or fourth sea day out of Funchal when it should be warmer. Weather and progress dependent of course with final decision down to Captain Johannes 🤞 Phil

Can't use anything but a mouse. The pads just drive me nuts! Phil

I never understood the fuss surrounding the harpist. Saw her and very nice, but insignificant to me. I've always found plenty of live music to listen to around the ship. Phil

I've learned that a "best" table in the Specialties isn't necessarily so. Being at the aft is nice for the views, but I find it can get noisy and warm too when the sun is shining on the windows. I now much prefer a table down the side or toward the front of the restaurant which is cooler, quieter and gives the opportunity to people watch. Phil

I don't think it's fair to say that. If you have paid for a suite and are able to dine every night in the Specialty Restaurants why wouldn't you? I also think in reality it doesn't happen very often that suite guests are in Aqualina or Prime C every night what with White Night, Azamazing Evenings and themed buffets, not to mention more casual dining in Windows and The Patio. And I've never had an issue getting seated in the Specialties whether in a suite or not. If I'm in a suite I definitely don't dine in them every night "to get my monies worth" as you put it. Phil

Good stuff. Well done. That's a nice upgrade/price. Phil

Hey Marilyn. Don't expect to get one and you won't be disappointed! If you ring Azamara they won't give you one for free, but I'm sure they'll sell you one. I've never had a free upgrade. Phil

You on Quest? I know she missed Cartagena today because of wind and rough seas. Stay comfy! Phil

Just a couple of points. Not sure if you've seen the computer area on the Azamara ships? Good luck spreading out to do your work there. And I think it will take a lot more than this program to attract a younger demographic. Azamara has always been marketed as a destination immersion cruiseline. In general I've always found the guests to be older, but more active and well travelled. This program just doesn't seem to fit. Nice idea and I like it that faster wifi is available, but disappointed that it is now a two tier service. And this wander thing just seems to be a marketing ploy. Real world Azamara ship is different. Well that's my view at least. Phil

Perfectly stated. Phil

I have to agree and would not follow Dr H's advice to avoid it. I've been to probably half a dozen and really enjoy them to the extent I've sought them out because they aren't always well advertised (nor held on every cruise). Not to be done too often, they are set up in different venues and food is served family style (ie they don't do courses, just bring food to the table). I've always enjoyed them and learned to pace myself because the food just keeps coming! Phil

They have to keep thinking of new ideas to keep the minds of the marketing department awake. Probably a university graduate has been at that one! I don't think it will ever come to much because the demographic of Azamara is wrong. Phil

It's a complete fuss over nothing. Phil

I've not been to Venus. I hear the place has a bad atmosphere. 😜 Phil

That's why I was careful to say "all of the time" because you can't guarantee they'll be kept separate. Certainly Journey and Quest were not like Onward and that isn't enough reason for me to stick to a particular ship. Lol Phil

We have hard water where I live too and I'm very choosy about the taste so have to have a Brita water filter at home which improves the tea no end for me. I do not like the taste of ship water particularly, but seem to get on ok with the Bunn machine in Windows (which has to be the same water from elsewhere). Don't even get me on the carafs of hot water they bring to your cabin. It all smells of stale coffee that has been in the jug before. Why they don't keep separate jugs marked "water" all of the time I don't know 🤷‍♂️ Phil

The venue is amazing in itself, but it does depend on the entertainment to add to it as well. Last time we were there in July it was a group who had been heavily affected by the Turkish earthquake. Whilst my heart goes out to them and what they have achieved I thought the evening was a bit sombre. The previous couple of times it was classical orchestral and that was magical. Phil

Even better (for me at least) is the tea and coffee area at the end of Windows that's open 24hrs and has a Bunn hot water dispenser and a large selection of teas/lemon slices/honey. I've been up there in the middle of the night quite a few times to make myself a cuppa. They always leave the lights on over that area. Phil

Quest in July was a super experience. The crew were amazing and we all had a first class time. Hopefully you will too. Phil

She is a class act. Phil

The issue here and why they shouldn't be opened for guests is that once they do this there is an onus on someone to come and close them again before the ship sails. You were lucky someone agreed to do it, but it's not something that is generally done. Phil

Unlike say Celebrity which has a locking mechanism to hold them firmly open, Azamara's ships don't have any way to secure them open, so as uktog unfortunately you can't have adjoining balconies. Phil

My overall feeling is that the Azamazing Evenings will continue. I think Azamara have made such a name for themselves with them they'd be crazy to drop them. We have already been advised of one for our Japan cruise next year. This isn't to say that maybe some will evolve into onboard experiences as needs dictate. They must take an awful lot of organisation to run smoothly. I've been to a lot of Azamazing Evenings. Some are more memorable than others, but from my own perspective I'd be sorry to see them go. I always enjoy them. Phil

You aren't going to get an accurate or consistent answer from that source. Phil