Grandma Cruising

Tendering in Dubrovnik is wonderful, you come right into the harbour of the old town.

Only time we went to India on a cruise we were disembarking there and had to have a full visa. Several passengers had to disembark at Dubai because they didn’t have them. This included a chap who had a business visa. He was told that because he was on a cruise his business visa couldn’t be used.

Have you looked at the Cruise Critic roll call for your cruise. May be helpful information there.

Thanks Rabo. I remember it well, especially as we were around at midnight that night and it was still light!

No, it’s not, open from either 7am to 10pm I think.

Totally agree with uktog. It’s a fun night where most people make an effort to wear something with white in/on it. My husband also wears beige trousers with a white polo or long sleeved shirt ( depending on the climate). I take white trousers, a sleeveless white and a long sleeved white top, both of which also look great with black trousers for dinner another night, as do the white trousers with a different coloured top. I definitely wouldn’t call it an elegant night, though certainly some guests do look elegant!

We’re happy to use the other doors and mostly it doesn’t bother us. We quite appreciate that smokers need to have an area to ‘indulge’ and at least on Azamara it’s outdoors!

Thanks very much. Hope you enjoy your cruise.

The easiest thing is to book the package when you board. There’s a reservations desk inside the main entrance of Windows buffet on Deck 9. There will probably be at least one other desk somewhere else - Guest Relations will be able to tell you where it is. They can tell you what night White Night is, you can pay for the package (via your ship account) and you can make reservations. It’s not a bad idea to book straight away. You can always change dates later.

Congratulations on your successful bid. Thanks for posting. Just for the spreadsheet can you tell me the cruise date, length & where it’s going.

Can assure you it’s not always fake. My husband has chronic bronchitis & coughs if he goes anywhere near smoke.

Don’t know for sure but I think it’s likely you’ll need a full tourist visa.

Yes they do, but these are charged. Look for them in the shore excursions brochure.

And I got a different answer from Azamara and so did someone else on the roll-call. I’ve done Athens to Dubai with Azamara 3 times previously and have never got a visa myself. Here is what Azamara told me this time - “EgyptMost guests are provided with a Quick Trip Visa on-board the vessel which is valid for 72 hours and allows entry to Egypt. This service is available to citizens of the UK, US, Canada, European Economic Community, Scandinavian countries, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Please note this service is not available to Israeli citizens or those listed in the attachment.”

Yes you are. They charge a corkage fee. It used to be $10 a bottle, but there has been some discussion here that this has gone up, possibly to $15. There is no charge for drinking your own wine in your cabin.

But it’s not a problem as there are no limit to the number of packages sold. Not allowing you to reserve speciality restaurants beforehand is fair as then everyone has the same chance.

We did all three Azamara tours (galley, bridge, engine) when they were free, thank goodness.

There are US outlets. Have you looked at the thread ‘Tips for Azamara Newbies’ and the spreadsheet (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15Deg-GaeZYLml8NN3PVwoh_jUkQ8QmYUe1wxnVAlODE/edit) That includes information about cabins

For those who don’t get Azamara emails here are screen shots of it

I guess you just have to judge that at the time - don’t cancel unless you’re sure you can rebook.

Azamara’s T & Cs for most excursions are that you can cancel & get a refund up to 48 hours before the excursion (except for some special excursions such as overnight tours). “What if I cancel my Shore Excursion?Guests enjoy the benefits of a hassle-free 48-hour cancellation period when reserving Shore Excursions. This flexible tour cancellation policy allows guests to cancel or modify tour reservations up to 48 hours prior to the scheduled tour departure without penalty. If changing or canceling a shore excursion within the appropriate non-penalty period, our valued guests will have two options: they can either contact the Shore Excursions team to reserve another tour, or if they choose to cancel, will have their onboard account credited in the full amount of the tour cost without penalty or fee.”

Thanks.

If you have the Ultimate Beverage package, can you have drinks from it served in your stateroom? We’ve booked it for the first time for our October 22 cruise.

Is it Spirits bar which is in the room called the Den? So the opening hours shown in Insider are the hours the bar is open!

I’d also say do go along to the Azamazing evening. We decided not to do so on the Norway cruise and ate in Prime C. The food was as good as ever, but overall it was a miserable experience, no-one else in there, no atmosphere. Made worse by people coming back & telling us how wonderful the singing was in Trondheim cathedral!