Xport

Thank you ...I will copy and paste...but I do not see where to post new. I can only post it as a reply to another post.

 

The format is a continuous blog among future cruse mates... Your requests will be noted; starting a new thread is unnecessary [and not possible; if you were to do so, it will be closed by a moderator with your content moved to the Roll Call that already exists]...

 

If you read through your Roll Call from start to present, you may find that some of your fellow guests have already raised the same types of requests that you have and may appreciate a response--again, on the same thread [not a new one]--from you...

 

This portion of the Cruise Critic forum is intended to address inquiries and discuss thoughts related to matters of general interest associated with cruising with Celebrity across its fleet of ships; Roll Calls are intended to discuss matters related to sailing on a specific ship on a specific date...

Thanks. Perhaps I made it sound like the Hyatt was Hobson's choice.

 

There is no lack of affluence/opulence--for some--in booming Shanghai and there are some truly magnificent hotels [some more classic/traditional, some more modern and commanding higher tariffs than The Hyatt; a few of those are also located on The Bund] dotting the city... That said, The Hyatt is located right on the bend in the river so as to provide unique panoramic views of both river banks via wall-to-wall/ceiling-to-floor windows...

 

Our private guide told us that it's the first property to book--as soon as reservations open a year in advance--for the city's [apparently] spectacular New Year's Celebration...

 

Just wanted you to know that, to my mind, you made an excellent choice... And the Royal Caribbean corporate rate--Azamara arranged for me to extend my stay on that basis--makes it particularly attractive...

 

Enjoy your stay!

Celebrity are providing transfers from the Hyatt on the Bund. However, I am not sure if it is only for those who have booked the hotel through Celebrity or if anyone can purchase a transfer. It is worth asking them but I do not know the charge because those using the service for our cruise have booked the hotel through Celebrity - the rate offered was too good for us to think about doing it any other way.

 

But if you haven't stayed at The Hyatt On The Bund, it's a terrific hotel that is contemporary [quite Western], beautifully maintained, impeccably clean, and extremely well situated... The property offers a fairly wide array of dining options and has a a strong service standard throughout...

 

While aboard Azamara Journey early this year for what was expected to be three consecutive sailings, the ship sustained propeller damage after an unfortunate encounter with debris--the ship lost--as we entered Tokyo Bay... After our planned overnight in Tokyo, we did depart for our next port--Osaka--as scheduled but limped in, on one prop, twenty hours late; that sailing was terminated two days early [it was to have ended in Shanghai] and the subsequent cruise [which was to originate in Shanghai with an onboard overnight] was fully cancelled as the ship was sent to dry dock in South Korea for repair... Azamara flew virtually all guests to Shanghai--a few chose to return home from Osaka--and provided all with one night's accommodation at The Hyatt so that most--there were only 22 of us who were scheduled for the next sailing--could pick up their return travel as originally planned... I wound up at The Hyatt for four nights after needing to reschedule my return flights [the next leg was to take me back to Hong Kong; in turn, I had plans to do a post-cruise land tour in Beijing] and must say that, despite the disappointment associated with my shortened journey on Journey, the extended stay in Shanghai--at the Hyatt--proved to be a good consolation...

 

Consider requesting a riverfront room on a relatively high floor; the views are commanding [one wing favors Pu Xi (historic Shanghai) and the other favors Pu Dong (the new business--primarily financial--district across the river)]... The architecture--while very different--is amazing from either perspective and the choreographed night time illumination of the riverfront [all the lights come on/turn off at exactly the same time] is surely memorable... And whether you are successful in getting a riverfront room of not, know that the hotel's rooftop bar provides exceptional views--particularly at night--of both...

 

Enjoy your stay and enjoy your cruise!

You have to book onboard to use the credit for excursions. I have because an excursion was likely to sell out booked before and paid, then on board they refunded that booking back to my credit card and let me then repay using the OBC but I am no sure every person on board would do that for you, some of the staff at Land Discoveries are really helpful and are still in need of a lot of customer service training though it has been getting slightly better of late

 

Land Discoveries purchased in advance of sailing and cancelled once aboard ship [even if being repurchased] are refunded via Refundable Onboard Credit... That credit will, if unused at cruise end [Non-Refundable Onboard Credit is used first], be refunded to the credit card supporting your Sea Pass account [and may not be the same credit card used for the initial Land Discovery purchase]...

 

I'm confused, isn't this a slider, and not obstructed?

 

And I suppose it's possible... But the photo that you have posted appears to be identical--right down to the last details [ie; the throw pillows and bed runner, the balcony furnishings, the bedside lighting, the stateroom layout]--to that which one would encounter in a verandah cabin on one of Celebrity's Solstice-Class ships...

We travel a LOT internationally and have been really happy with "TI world's lightest luggage". If you live near a Steinmart, you can pick up a 30" for under $100 and they weigh a little over 4 lb. I can lift one with a pinky finger!!

 

Just two more additions to my ever-growing list of your strengths, J! Last one was Hot Dog Connoisseur! :D

 

Excuse the intrusion, folks... Just needed to tease a good friend whose judgments I trust!

I have not sailed NCL before only P&O and have never had my bag checked on leaving the ship, do they check/scan bags on NCL when you disembark at a port?

 

Most notably in Australia, New Zealand, and throughout South America, one must go through an agricultural inspection upon arriving at airports [via scan first, by first-hand inspection second if they detect something suspect] and upon disembarking cruise ships--generally by visual inspection of bags carried off--even at the most secondary of ports... Such checks are conducted by local authorities--not by airline or cruise line personnel--and are taken very seriously...

 

While I don't particularly recall "hands on" inspections in the Caribbean, it seems to me that cruise line admonitions against carrying food off ship are routine there [and in other places--like Asia--that I've visited too]... One invariably needs to walk past local Immigration and Customs authorities and can be stopped for questioning and/or inspection at any time as a condition of entry...

 

The advice suggested above--to carry only prepackaged and fully sealed foods and drinks off-ship--is sound and quite universal... These forums--for just about every cruise line represented--are replete with related discussion and can be found via Cruise Critic's advanced search feature...

We have a B2B booking which is linked. When I click on the select button for the first cruise, the correct itinerary is shown. When I click on the select button for the second cruise, the itinerary for the first cruise shows again. Very frustrating if you are trying to search for/reserve shore excursions. Is there something simple that I am missing?

 

They've plagued both the Azamara and Celebrity websites for years... But the good news is that they're not constant either...

 

When it does occur--and it sometimes does even when you're working two trips that are not consecutive--try logging out of "My Azamara" after you have made your shore excursion selections for the first cruise, give it ten or fifteen minutes, and then log back in to access the itinerary/shore excursions for your second sailing...

 

Just another inexplicable idiosyncracy of poor information systems... But this solution has always worked for me... Hope it works for you too!

The UK website had the facility “to see things like bed configuration, special occasions … cabin number” etc. up to two or three weeks ago. The login to “My Azamara” was then moved – and the aforementioned facility I was subsequently unable to find on the website.

 

However, it is very easy to do - just you cannot do it by clicking on anything on the Azamara website:

1.Paste

https://secure.azamaraclubcruises.com/dc/myAccount/customizeCruise.do?cS=SIDENAV

into the browser (without quotes, of course).

2. Log in there to “My Azamara” – click nothing further after logging in (if you click on "My Reservations" you will not see any "Select" button next to them).

3.Paste (for the second time)

https://secure.azamaraclubcruises.com/dc/myAccount/customizeCruise.do?cS=SIDENAV

into the browser address bar

4. You will now see your bookings, but with a "Select" button. Choose your booking and you will see what you are looking for.

 

I am in the UK – my bookings are UK bookings, but this may work for US as well, as it’s the .com website. Hope that helps and gives you what you are looking for!

 

I'm no techie but am a pretty savvy computer user... That said, I'd have never--in a million years--come up with a workaround such as the one you outline above; it works like a charm! Sincerest thanks for sharing it; you can be sure that I've made note of it for further reference...

 

While there is nothing particularly emergent in terms of managing my Azamara reservations [beyond booking Land Discoveries; that's still a mess for my 7 February cruise], I have been interested in watching my cabin assignments as I'm doing consecutive cruises, was unable to secure the same one for each of the two sailings, and have had a standing request into Azamara since initial booking to avoid changing cabins if at all possible... Before the website changes, I'd monitor for progress on my own [still nothing as of a moment ago] without the need to ask my Travel Agent to do so or to call Azamara for an update [rather than for periodic, less frequent reminders of my continued desire to consolidate my onboard "homes"; I'm not fundamentally confident that Azamara will--or would--follow-up or, better yet, communicate outcome to me or to my Travel Agent]...

 

Though I'll likely never understand why so convoluted a reservation access process should ever be necessary, you are extremely kind for having shared this with me! My planning/monitoring is now somewhat simplified; I'm extremely grateful for your help...

Click on "Already Booked" and then on " My Azamara."

 

I stand corrected as to the first bullet point enumerated in my post above... Having accessed the "My Azamara" section of the website countless times in the past via the "Already Booked" link, I am absolutely certain that it was missing--it was the first thing I looked for--during an earlier version of the web redesign... I should not have assumed that it had not subsequently been restored...

 

While you have simplified my future access--and I do appreciate it--I'm not sure of the benefit as, just a moment ago, the information provided is still devoid of virtually all detail beyond those basics enumerated in my earlier post [surely, things so fundamental as cabin number, bed configuration, and special occasion information--and the latter two are not germaine to me personally--are still among the missing]...

 

While I am not Azamara's biggest cheerleader, I could be... They do entice me with their terrific/creative itineraries, their orientation toward Destination Immersion [which could to my mind be improved through better/more topical onboard enrichment; I'm still trying to figure out the pertinence of a single speaker whose lectures focused upon the Crown Jewels during the Asia cruise we shared (and who was also aboard--with the same talks--for the prior sailing through Thailand and Vietnam)], and otherwise impeccable onboard experience... That said, I have become weary of the pre-cruise land-side hassles [most recently, it took more than a month--and relentless work on the part of my Travel Agent--to get the billings correct for my two cruises next year in the context of application of my compensatory Future Cruise Discount Certificates; now, the Land Discoveries offerings for the same two cruises are a "hot mess" that defy logic] so as to make the leaps of faith and allegiance... It shouldn't be so difficult to create a great customer experience from start to finish; as things stand now, every pre-cruise day is a new--and often unwelcome--adventure...

All the functions are not available. On the uk site of recently you could view bed configuration, special occasions etc, this is currently not available.

 

While I appreciate your dismay, share your frustration, and am not trying to justify the inadequacy or the lack of customer focus associated with Azamara's website in any way, it appears that you have been able to access functionality recently that has been missing from the US website [and I've tried repeatedly, using four different web browsers at all hours of the day and night, to improve the experience] for several months now...

• There is no link on the US website to access one's "My Azamara" account... If I hadn't bookmarked the log-in screen prior to cruising with them earlier this year, it would be a challenge to find a link [i was able to "Google" it successfully] to do so...
  
• Once accessed, cruises that I added back in April for travel next year are totally devoid of information other than cruise name/duration, sailing date, status [ie; "confirmed"], and reservation number... Surely one hasn't been able to see things like bed configuration, special occasions, or--for that matter--as elementary as cabin number via "My Azamara" for ages...
  
• One can purchase Land Discoveries and--seemingly, it's too early for me to do so--go through the Online Check-In process... When one attempts to go through the Land Discoveries booking process, the website redirects to those pages and those pages only... When I attempted to reserve the AzAmazing Evenings for both of my 2015 cruises last week, the website kept forcing me to a payment page--when there is no advance charge for participation--and, after repeatedly bypassing those screens, I couldn't tell if my reservations were successful without a call to Guatemala City... The call was handled quickly and professionally--and in fact my reservations had been recorded--but one shouldn't have to take the time or make the effort to receive verbal and written confirmation relative to so routine a matter...
  
• And finally, one can search for future cruises but little cabin availability--beyond stateroom class--is provided for online booking... The user is invited to call for specific information or to request a call from a Service Representative to complete a booking with specific stateroom assignment...
  

 

Please be assured that the website dysfunction--and resulting personal annoyance--that you are experiencing is not unique to UK users... If you look through recent threads on this forum, you will note that I have had a continuing dialogue with Bonnie relative to the absolute mess--and it has only gotten worse--associated with Land Discovery offerings for my two South America sailings next year [some of the posted excursions make no sense in the context of the logistics of our port calls]...

 

Pre-cruise booking and tour planning is an exercise in frustration and do, unfortunately, tarnish the promise of intriguing itineraries and a wonderful onboard experience... Azamara's website is in desperate need of attention--globally...

If Exciting Deals work in Australia as they do in the US, the fares/terms apply to new bookings only...

 

Not sure if you are bound by Australian rules or US rules--if they differ--given your use of a US travel agent.

OK try this: to make sure you get the tour, pre-book it and pay for it.

 

Once on board go to the Shore Excursions desk up at Guest Relations. See if you can refund your tour that you already paid for.

 

If one books and pays for excursions online and in advance of sailing date [the corridor for doing so is three or four days], online cancellation of those tours--again, within three or four days prior to sailing--will result in a refund to the credit card used for the purchase of those tours... But excursions that are booked in advance online and cancelled while aboard ship will result in a refund via additional Onboard Credit...

 

There are two types of Onboard Credit; non-refundable and refundable...

 

Non-Refundable Onboard Credit is most commonly associated with that which is granted as a result of a promotion from the cruise line... Onboard charges are applied against the Non-Refundable Onboard Credit first but, if not fully depleted at cruise end, is lost unless one takes a cash withdrawal at the casino cage--subject to a 5% service charge--for the remainder...

 

Refund of cash pre-payments--for things such as online purchase of excursions and/or specialty dining in advance of sailing--is returned to one's onboard account as Refundable Onboard Credit with onboard charges applied to it on a secondary basis if one has both types of Onboard Credit... If all or any of the Refundable Onboard Credit account is unspent at the end of the cruise, that balance will be refunded to the credit card used when establishing one's onboard account at check-in... So the potential downside of your proposal--if it matters to the original poster--is that any refund, if due, will not be processed until after cruise conclusion...

 

Sue [Project Gal] is correct that Celebrity generally holds back about 30% [i've been told] of excursion and specialty dining capacity for sale once aboard ship... If the original poster is intent on using Non-Refundable Onboard Credit for such purchases and is not pleased by the prospect of a delayed refund of pre-payment for online purchases made prior to sailing that are subsequently cancelled while aboard, it is in his/her best interest--as Sue also notes--to handle such purchases quickly after boarding the ship as tours/specialty dining times can and do sell out...

Hello Xport and All,

 

While Bonnie is onboard her much deserved cruise holiday, let me step in and assist. Below you will find the current list of voyages offered at 125%, it is substantial. While we understand the current 50% 2nd guest does not apply to single guests traveling with us, we hope you can find a voyage to your pleasing from the extensive list below and book with us, as this list is capacity controlled - dates can be added or deleted based on demand.

 

Thank you Joel.

 

Single Supplement 125% Program

 

2014 Journey - 08/20, 09/03, 10/04, 10/11, 10/18, 11/06, 11/16, 11/27, 12/13

 

2015 Journey - 02/19, 03/21, 04/02, 11/25

 

2014 Quest - 08/20, 09/01, 10/12, 10/24, 11/01, 11/10, 12/09

 

2015 Quest - 01/05, 01/20, 02/03, 02/17, 03/05, 03/21, 04/06, 10/19

 

I appreciate your stopping by during Bonnie's well-earned getaway to set the record straight, Joel...

 

I have never taken issue with the number of cruises featuring the "Savings For Singles" reduced single supplement during 2014... And in fact, the list for this year has been extensive dating back to March 2013 when I booked three consecutive cruises [14 nights each] on Journey for February/March of this year... Journey did unfortunately become disabled in Tokyo Bay back on 25 February--I understand that things happen--so that I was able to complete the better part of the first two of those cruises before the ship was taken to dry dock in South Korea... I am grateful for the wonderful experience that I did get--and Azamara was certainly both thoughtful and generous in doing their best to ameliorate a difficult situation; I appreciate that too--but the fact remains that, after investing in round-trip Business Class air, my trip was cut short by more than three weeks as I had also planned a post-cruise trip to Beijing that--for lack of availability by the guide/driver I'd hired--could not be rescheduled... Let's just say it was disappointing...

 

Given that I'd also booked two cruises during 2013 with Celebrity for this year--Constellation in April and Summit upcoming in October--and given that I'd taken an unrecoverable "hit" on the Business Class airfare to/from Asia relative to my expectation of trip duration [which I also do understand; it was a personal decision that seemed like a good idea at the time in the context of maximizing my anticipated trip], I made a decision not to book additional travel during 2014...

 

With two compensatory Future Cruise Discount Certificates to use by year-end 2015, I began to look--searching the Savings For Singles list first [my discount certificates were based upon price paid; I understand that too]--for travel opportunities next year...

 

A total of five cruises--all of a repositioning nature--appeared on the list for 2015 [Journey on 02/19, 04/02, and 11/25; Quest on 04/06 and 10/19]... About two months ago--long after I'd made my plans with Azamara for 2015--a single cruise [Journey on 03/21; no matter/no interest, I've transited the Panama Canal several times] was added...

 

But here's what confounds me... I check the Azamara "Savings For Singles" list on the website frequently as Bonnie suggested [on advice from Miami], some months ago in a related thread to which I and interested others contributed, that the list for 2015 would be augmented... As recently as a few minutes ago [and I'd looked last week], there are six cruises on Quest during 2015 [perhaps including back-to-back opportunities; I didn't look at the itineraries and they may indeed be in Asia] that you cite above [01/05, 01/20, 02/03, 02/17, 03/05, and 03/21] that do not appear as featuring a reduced single supplement on the website!

 

I think we can both agree that--with a 50% error rate--their omission creates both a perception issue among potential guests and a marketing problem for Azamara...

 

For what it's worth, my die [including being aboard Journey on 02/19 along with the full cost sailing of 02/07 that precedes it] is likely cast for 2015...

The current offers will also generate good revenue for Azamara (not all sailings are reduced to 50% second guest) because two persons will typically generate more onboard revenue than one, however I recognise their significant limitations for singles.

 

I am not sure what % of Azamara's guest base and target guest base are singles, but I would not be surprised if in the coming months there are equally attractive offers for single guests.

 

If you are purely offer driven, then yes maybe Celebrity is currently seen as reaching out more to singles, however the onboard experience is chalk and cheese, something that does concern us about our upcoming trip on Summit which is incidentally our favourite X ship now Century is leaving

 

I am not offer driven but, like anyone else, do appreciate good value... I am--first and foremost--an avid traveler and choose Azamara for their itineraries, their extended port calls and overnight stays, and their ability to get into places that big ships can't; in Asia--despite Journey's having become disabled--they were the right comparative choice...

 

That said; Azamara's inclusions--most notably, included wine and alcohol are the big ticket items, are largely lost on me as I have no more than a single glass of wine every few days... And the food, while a bit better, is not material to me either as I find Blu absolutely satisfactory in the context of how I typically dine at home... Azamara's service is superb but, perhaps I've been lucky, I've had no lapses [and have sometimes had superior] on Celebrity... And other than gratuities--which I can easily handle--I get about equivalent, or better, perquisites [some, like Mosaic, are inclusions on Azamara] based upon my Captain's Club status when aboard Celebrity while picking up more activity and broader entertainment options should I choose to participate in them...

 

There are "high spenders" and "low spenders" aboard every cruise [for me, it's mostly about excursions; I'm about to plunk down $1800 for a single event in Rio next February] and have a long history of investing in the experiences I want that might cause others to wince... And similarly; cruise lines do realize a savings from that which they do not need to provide to the incremental guest...

 

So the difference between Azamara and Celebrity is not one of "chalk and cheese' to all... Actually, I could have booked my trips to Norway and to the British Isles next year for about equal [full] price on either of the two lines and chose Celebrity...

 

Regardless of what sort of promos that Azamara might come out with, solos like to plan ahead and enjoy the broadest cabin selections while not being regarded as an afterthought... The "snooze/lose" concept works both ways...

 

I hope that you thoroughly enjoy your time aboard Summit... I'm doing Canada and New England on Summit too this fall and am thoroughly looking forward to it...

I think this type of offer is sound sense as it locks in guests ahead of time and effectively they can spend next year not focussing of filling the ships but on promoting the brand.

 

Because they certainly have gone out of their way to alienate solo cruisers who helped to keep them afloat when the economy was poor and bookings were significantly lagging...

 

Azamara has all but abandoned their Savings For Singles program--that they still tout on their website--by offering a mere handful of sailings under that promotion during 2015... And to my mind, promotions such as this one should have also carried a reduced Single Supplement opportunity--75% would have gotten them to the same place revenue-wise as there's not a lot of discretionary spending under Azamara's "mostly inclusive" experience--to level the playing field...

 

Odd that Celebrity has recently come to understand that the single demographic is the emerging one for the 21st Century and that many current guests will inevitably face such prospect in the future... Sad that Azamara still doesn't "get it"...

 

-----

 

Hang tough, Lois!

We heard someone talking about 2 new ships they're building.

 

As Orator notes, Royal Caribbean [same parent company as Celebrity] has two new ships--Quantum Of The Seas and Anthem Of The Seas--coming into service very soon...

 

That's a somewhat plausible variation on what you heard...

But have a great trip/fun time, Bonnie!

 

I'm doing a British Isles cruise--albeit with Celebrity--that gets to some of the same ports next June/July... If you blog, you can be sure that I'll be reading it...

[quote name='dodger1964']We always have traveled as a couple and do most of the same things you do, only we pay double.[/QUOTE]

If that is your choice and life cooperates...

Some choose to travel solo [clearly, it's the emerging demographic] and, for others, circumstances inevitably change... In either case, life goes on and we ought do--or continue to do--that which fulfills us...

I could get into the debate here--with rather compelling personal examples--about relative ancillary discretionary spending but choose not to do so because there are, as you note, "high spenders" and "low spenders" [just as there are "high tippers" and "low tippers"] in both groups... And I could get into the debate here about the relative cost advantages to Celebrity of providing cruise inclusions to solos versus non-solos; I choose not to do that either... Because at the end of the day, accumulation of Captain's Club Cruise Points is--given their current loyalty program--based solely upon cruise duration and level of accommodation... Period...

Equal Cruise Point accrual for equal time and equal spend on cruise fare is--well--equitable unless X were to develop a loyalty scheme so complex that it is difficult to understand from a guest perspective and difficult to administer from a Company perspective... For now, it is what it is and I suspect that its simplicity will endure until the current design is no longer meeting Celebrity's desired outcomes in terms of helping to attract/retain customers...

The dynamic is sort of tough to understand until one lives it; many who haven't--yet--someday will...

The reason for raising again is PRECISELY because we have had NO official reply from Azamara.

 

Your rationale for posting was not lost on me after I realized that I'd seen the same topic relatively recently, found/scanned the earlier post quickly, and immediately noted that the issue was raised during the corridor between Bill's death and Bonnie's having joined us here...

 

Hopefully, and as noted in my earlier post today, this matter will be officially resolved soon... Correcting the website promptly should be easy enough once a determination has been made; correcting brochures/other print materials is a far more difficult task given their prospective nature and the lead time associated with their publication...

Xport, I'm still waiting it hear if it will be possible for the second tour to return to the pier, for the B2B guests. I've not forgotten.

 

I noted your post last week and am still extremely hopeful for an affirmative response from Shore Ex... Clearly, it's the tour I want to do on 19 February [with pier drop off] as I don't--despite significant time in Rio [start there, return for an overnight there coincident with Carnival, and turnaround there [with another overnight] for the subsequent cruise--see another reasonable opportunity to do it as scheduled...

 

I didn't acknowledge your kind promise of follow-up sooner as I noted on the website--several weeks ago--that there are significant additional issues related to the tour postings for the 7 February sailing and thought they might resolve by now... I had a call last week from a Shore Ex Rep with Celebrity in the context of my October sailing with them as they too are having some severe [but different] Shore Ex posting problems on their website... She was generally aware of them--those supporting the Azamara effort may be aware of them too--but did indicate that corrections tend to process when the information systems are backed up each weekend... Two weekends have now passed since I first saw the latest problems with the Shore Ex offerings for my 7 February Azamara trip [and I invited the Celebrity Rep to have someone from Azamara call me; that hasn't happened] but, as of yesterday afternoon, they persist...

 

As such, you may want to get these to Miami via your more direct pipeline as it is--to my mind--in the brand's interest to get these corrected sooner rather than later...

 

• RJ71 [best Of Rio With Churasscaria Lunch- Ends At Airport] is now listed as an option on both 7 and 19 February... The 7 February--that's our embarkation day--offering is likely intended as a disembarkation day offering/should be associated with the prior cruise... The 19 February offering--my turnaround day--is the one you've been working in terms of getting a secondary drop-off at the pier for consecutive cruisers...
  
• Two additional tours are now being offered on both 7 and 19 February... They include RJ92 [Panoramic Rio] and RJ93 [Rio's Favelas]... I can't imagine such scheduling is intentional as, once again, they coincide with both embarkation and disembarkation day for the 7 February sailing unless--and it would be unusual--they are intended for back-to-back cruisers...
  
• One tour--RJ94 [brazilian Cooking Class] is being offered on 19 February; again disembarkation day for the 7 February cruise...
  
• And finally--for the 7 February sailing--another night tour [RJ95 Rio By Night With Show At Plataforma Show House] has been posted as an offering on 19 February; disembarkation day for this cruise with most guests having left the ship hours before... Seemingly, it's the same dynamic as I reported to you--and you had fixed--relative to the Nights In Cool Places/Scenarium Tour that was more appropriately associated as a post-dinner option for those embarking on the 19 February cruise...
  

 

I have detected a few issues--but far less goofy--relative to tour offerings during the 19 February sailing too...

• No tours have been posted during our port call on 1 March at Devil's Island, French Guiana... Perhaps it's a new port and that postings are forthcoming but time is of the essence as we're now just shy of two months away from final payment for this cruise...
  
• And then nothing--other than the AzAmazing Evening--has been posted during our overnight [a 37 hour port call!] at Barbados on 3 and 4 March... Surprises me as I know that the RCCL family of brands calls at Bridgetown on a relatively routine basis...
  

 

And finally, there's this... I attempted to reserve the AzAmazing Evenings [which are booked like a shore excursion] during both the 7/19 February trips earlier this week... AzAmazingly--and I'm not new to the rodeo--the website kept trying to force me to a payment page requesting credit card information for events that are complimentary ["No Show" fees are added to a guest's onboard account if assessed] and there was no opportunity--as there'd been in the past--to enter an e-mail address for written confirmation of the reservation! After clicking around, I wasn't sure if my reservations were successful or not [they were, but it took a call to the Customer Service Center to get oral and written confirmation]!

 

I'm truly sorry to belabor you with this kind of stuff... I'll be returning to my Florida home--not very far from Miami Headquarters--in early November and would potentially be amenable to a [well paying] consultancy to put these things through some "logic/smell" tests before they go live! ;)

 

Thanks and regards,

--Mike

Is new again...

 

In fairness to Bonnie, she should be aware that this issue was discussed here back in January shortly after Bill's death and before she joined us...

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1973294

 

I too would hope that this will be put to rest officially and that related verbage on the website and in future brochures be updated--in very clear terms--as promptly as possible... Am personally indifferent as to the speculative or official responses on these recycled topics but it would be constructive--once and for all--to eliminate the apparent ambiguity...

Back in 2012 I was on an Asia sailing where there was a group of travel agents and their host from the Azamara Sydney office (might have been the same leader) and they too were well behaved and mixed in really well. My only complaint? They kept me up far too late in Looking Glass!

 

Phil

 

Perhaps it was the same group, back for a refresher!

And I travel a lot...

 

The views are really memorable and I didn't feel the least bit uncomfortable during the drive [if that's the kind of adventure you're after, try Corsica!]...

 

When I visited in 2009, our choices were big bus or--at an upcharge--by van [rather than minibus]...

 

Not only were the smaller vehicles more nimble but we also got to visit some of the smaller towns--like Positano; just magnificent--that the big buses couldn't get to...

 

Read the tour content on line--and better yet, in the Shore Ex brochure; it often contains a lot more specificity as to what exactly you'll do--to draw a comparison and determine what best works for you...

 

In my opinion, don't miss the Amalfi Drive! Very nice day/very worthwhile!

Just be careful with any live referencing apps on your mobile phone tarrifs as you may be incurring hefty data charges

 

That's why I was very specific in Post #12 that one needs to do any updates while aboard ship--using a minute or two of one's internet allowance--and then switch to airplane mode when going ashore...

 

The currency conversion app that I use holds the exchange rate values from the last update until the next but provides full functionality during the interim on what is--for me--a "close enough" basis... If prompted to turn off airplane mode for so-called "best performance", I merely dismiss the message and go about my way...