excitedofharpenden

I think the moral of the story is it's your responsibility to ensure that you don't leave anything behind. If you do then best endeavours, but it may end up costing you. Might be simpler to claim on your insurance if its covered. Phil

Makes total sense. I'm pleased to hear this. Phil

My own view? The Atlas Bar will be hugely expensive to retrofit so I don't see them happening on the Azamara ships that don't have them. Unless the extra revenue generated on Onward is huge. I do like the idea of offering Atlas items in the Den, but I really hope that the faffing around to prepare them doesn't impact the service there. It will be interesting to see. . Phil

You'll enjoy the caves. They have used them as the venue of an Azamazing evening too. Phil

I can see why they did it. Not that I necessarily agree with it, but they made The Den much larger as a seating area when they removed the casinos and the piano stuck down the far end would be odd. I'll add to that by saying I'm not a fan at all of piped music and generally don't like loud. Having said this, there are venues on the ship where loud is prevalent. This is fine as long as there is somewhere you can escape to. Something that Celebrity doesn't understand and it's stopped me going on them. I hope to goodness that Azamara keep the noise levels down. They are not party ships, but I enjoy evenings in the Living Room. Phil

I decided a long time ago that this one category upgrade on Celebrity was hardly of any value. In reality the difference in the price between sub-categories was negligible and sometimes nothing at all. Azamara now play the bid for upgrade game like Celebrity and I have to say I never bother with it because I'm not willing to take a gamble with location. I used to be able to specifically book a cabin number when offered. No longer unfortunately. Phil

I think you may be disappointed, but you never know. You might see something you like. There are two shops on Azamara. Indulgencies sells watches, jewellery, sunglasses etc. A lot of the watches are what I'd call mid to high end. Tissot, Tag Heuer, with a little cheaper Citizen too. The other shop is the Onward Shop that stocks more everyday items like tee shirts, limited other clothes, caps, Azamara gifts etc. There is also suntan lotion, limited OTC medication etc. There is no alcohol or other duty free sold. The shopping as I said is limited, but you might see something you like. You can spend OBC in the spa too. They'll love to help you spend it! You can buy products there as well as treatments. Phil

I've learned over time that you cannot rely on a standard Azamara because they seem to change. Often because of where the ships are. At the moment they are all in the same continent. Just when you like some they change it for something else. Can be a good and bad thing! Look at the continuing saga of the Royal Club soda mixer that keeps rearing its ugly head! Phil

You are correct. They used to be in the corner on Journey and Quest and they moved them when they were Denified. Phil

There's no Azamazing listed at all for the Quest 7th October cruise. All four ships are in Koper from 8am-11pm on the 8th. I'm hoping something special, but a joint Azamazing isn't going to be it by the looks of it. I'm sure it will be a special day though. Phil

https://www.celebritycruises.com/gb/captains-club/exclusive-offers/loyalty-reciprocity-program Phil

They might do better on the other ships with having them available in another bar. "That looks interesting. I think I'll order one". See how it goes and what the revenue in Atlas is. That will be the test. If they get rid of the Drawing Room on the other ships I guess we have the answer! Phil

You'll enjoy it. I did that one a couple of times on a b2b. A good fun evening with a variety of entertainment. Phil

I received the Azamara email re Atlas drinks. Am I right in saying that on Onward the Atlas Bar is in effect an Ultimate Drinks Package venue only? Phil

Well done indeed Captain. This kind of thing really gets under my skin. It's hard to fathom what makes some people tick. All of us able to do so are incredibly lucky to be on a ship being looked after by a wonderful crew. One wonders what real adversity looks like in the world of those acting in this way. I'd make 'em walk the plank! Glad you enjoyed Skye. Apart from having to give up some very delicious black pudding I'd be very pleased with the change. Perhaps that's what the idiot(s) had? Black pudding deprivation fury. 😁 Phil

The reciprocal status with Celebrity contunues. They need to make sure they register their Captain's Club number against the booking. They will then be Discover Plus on Azamara and should get the benefits of that, although the website indicates they have to have at least sailed once on Azamara. I don't think that is the case and they will still get their Discoverer Plus perks when they step onboard. Perhaps someone can correct me on this if I'm wrong. Phil

The other general point I wanted to make about the Best of the Best evening. Unless you were invited you would have no idea it was happening. Azamara rightly are subtle about such events. There's no note in the daily and it's not shown anywhere else. The only clue is "Private Function" at the door to the Drawing Room on the evening. The only reason it's known about here is from posts on the board. Phil

Just to say that the Azamara Chef Experience for the Executive Chef is nothing like them preparing a Best of the Best event. I've been and also attended Best of the Best and they aren't the same at all. No comparison. Phil

The cruise up to Nordkapp is pretty special though, not least because you cross the Arctic Circle and experience the sun that never sets (if you go at the right time of year). There was one cruise that was to go to Svalbard. I can't remember what with covid if it happened, but that far north would be very special. In my view Norway is one of the prettiest places on earth. It knocks the Alaskan Fjords into a cocked hat. Phil

It's also worth mentioning that if you have an iPhone 11 or up it will give you precision finding that gives you a much more accurate locator eg walk 20 ft to your left rather than your tag is within so many yards like I had on my iPhone without Ultra Wideband technology. Phil

Just to say that a few on this forum are in touch with some of the Azamara crew. It's worth posting here just to see if anyone is able to send a message. It might result in nothing, but worth a go. Phil

What nonsense. No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. Phil

I did do a dummy booking on the app and it was €45 or thereabouts too from airport to the op's hotel. Phil

Yes, I think this is a great idea. Phil

I book with Welcome Pickups who I have found to be excellent. Try their app for a quote. My flight lands at 17.00 so I put 17.30 as the pickup time. You enter your flight number so the driver knows and it will add an extra 60 mins waiting. It will give you a price quote and you can book there and then. What you have been quoted seems about right. Phil