Xport

Avoids that moment in a café or restaurant as a server stares in disbelief at the tip you leave. :)

I've had that happen! Fortunately for the server [not necessarily for me], I always erred on the high side before using the app [and still--though on a more informed basis--probably do]...

During a trip to Asia earlier this year I needed to deal with Singaporean, Cambodian, Thai, Vietnamese, Hong Kong, Chinese, Taiwanese, and Japanese currencies--we missed South Korea when Journey sustained damage in Tokyo Bay--over the course of a month all while inevitably trying to bring things back to my US Dollar reference point! I'm not one of those people who is typically glued to my phone but it was a constant companion as I toured Asia and the currency converter proved invaluable to me on countless occasions...

Now if someone would only come up with an app that helps me keep local customs/practices--like gratuities--straight in my mind... My "work" would be done while traveling!

Not sure what a meter is in walking distance but I'll figure it out.

You might want to consider getting an app that does the conversions... The values are static so it works perfectly in airplane mode/without running up roaming charges... Won't take long before some of the conversions are intuitive to you in terms of approximation...

Similarly, you might want to get an app that does currency conversions... Those are dynamic but don't tend to fluctuate wildly within a day or, for that matter, from day-to-day on consecutive days... I update the values before leaving the ship--using an internet minute or two--and then turn on airplane mode, again to avoid roaming charges, before going ashore... Close enough!

Both apps have proven to be very useful to me when traveling [and while travel planning at home]...

At Celebrity's Guest Relations desk will also punch a hole in your children's Sea Pass cards [which serves as both a stateroom key and is encoded (if pre-purchased) or otherwise stickered (if purchased aboard) to indicate eligibility for a soda package]...

Consider picking up lanyards--to wear around their necks with the card attached--before leaving home or in the ship's gift shop [which will open shortly after sail-away; I've never been on a cruise where lanyards were not available for purchase]...

The practice is the same across Celebrity's fleet...

Hmmmmm....interesting. I remember on our last ACC cruise there were some travel agents on the cruise. Same attitude you shared about the phototgraphers....."acted as if they owned the ship, had a bad attitude toward other guests" and to top it off were quite obnoxious. Some fellow pax had them pegged...they knew they were TA's. Evidently those pax had seen TA's on cruises previously.

There were also comments that those TA's either cruised free or a very reduced rates to promote ACC to their clients. Whether this is true or not, I have no idea.

Though I have no idea as to the terms under which they sailed or how far it was planned in advance, there were two relatively small groups of Australian Travel Agents [i'd guess each numbered ten or twelve] on Journey--the ship was at full capacity--during a cruise to Thailand and Vietnam back in February... One group was aboard for the first seven days and the second was aboard for the last seven days; each was hosted by an Azamara Marketing Rep... Some traveled with spouses; others doubled up cabin-wise with a fellow Travel Agent... Best I could tell, none of the agents had sailed Azamara before [though I had met one of them on Celebrity Solstice a year earlier!]...

Clearly, the goal was to introduce these agents to the Azamara brand with the hope that they, in turn, will promote/sell ACC to clients... They attended roundtables and participated in tours of the ship on sea days, they met key members of the onboard team, and--as I recall--they attended a private social event or two that did not interfere with/intrude upon other guests or their ability to access public areas... But for the most part, they were aboard to experience Azamara just as any other guest does...

The groups in this case were not obtrusive/intrusive but rather mixed easily with other guests, were engaged without a hint of sales hype, were interesting and interested so as to make for great conversation, and were tons of fun...

The practice--with the right selection of participants--is good/savvy business...

Last week there was availability in EVERY stateroom type.

This week,EVERY stateroom GONE (except suites ?)

That is the dynamics !

But--without knowing how many cabins were available in inside, oceanview and balcony categories last week--brisk sales against depleted inventory may still be attributable to the end of Azamara's last promotion on 31 July... Some--including members of this forum--remarked about their intent to book just before it ended [and some who waited may have decided to go with an inside or oceanview after balcony cabins--they have been the first to go recently--sold out]...

I have read on Cruise Critic--have never done so personally--that it is sometimes possible to determine whether/not a group has booked by searching the web by ship name and sailing date...

As the 4 October cruise is now several weeks past final payment date [some do wait in the hope of a bargain], your best hope is that there is a last minute cancellation... I'd check frequently...

With all of the promotions that Azamara has been running--especially those which provided things like an upgrade from an inside or oceanview to a verandah--I've found that many of their cruises, including some well into 2015, are already sold out or nearly sold out through the verandah cabin categories...

And then, I watch their "Savings For Singles" list carefully... Many were listed with a reduced single supplement [including Journey's 4 October cruise] way more than a year ago for 2014; very few have been listed--regretably from a personal perspective; I don't see that changing given the way Azamara has sequenced their promotions this year--for 2015...

I suppose it's possible that a group has purchased remaining cabins but, without having watched the booking dynamics for your specific cruise, I would not necessarily conclude so...

Roll Call activity is clearly not a predictable indicator... My 7 February cruise on Journey has minimal cabin availability [even though it was excluded from the cabin upgrade and singles promotions] but no one--not a soul--has posted to the Roll Call for that cruise since I started it back in April!

IMO, it's in everyone's best interests to move forward, and add new and/or increased benefits to the new levels... especially since they went to the trouble, time, and expense of creating Discoverer Plus & Platinum ! As they currently exist, why not put them to good use?

I'm not sure that Azamara had a whole lot of choice in adding the two new membership tiers as they share a loyalty accounting system with Celebrity... Based upon conversations I had with "insiders" while aboard Celebrity, they had a very clear sense--dating to at least March 2013--that the changes to Captain's Club were going to be implemented during 2013 [initially, they were expected to roll out earlier than November] and--by last July--had a very clear sense as to the addition of loyalty tiers and a fairly good sense as to what additional benefits might be added to those tiers... I can't imagine that Azamara leaders were unaware of those plans...

While aboard Journey in February, I expressed my disappointment to several members of senior staff as to Azamara's delinquency in introducing revisions to Le Club Voyage beyond adding meaningless new membership tiers applicable to some guests and implementing a reduced Cruise Point accrual for most guests [relative to the Cruise Credit to Cruise Point conversion formula]... At that time and while still aboard ship, I did get a very nice letter of apology from a senior Marketing executive in Miami which promised an "innovative" and "different" program for roll out during second quarter [likely coincident with Azamara's anniversary; not that I understood the significance of that from a guest perspective] and stating that they would be hiring someone to manage the program [apparently a consultant who posted an update here once--in a most innocuous way--under mounting pressure to do so]...

Feigned embarrassment hasn't spurred action and I'm personally weary of repeated representations and apologies which, to date, have been meaningless... The whole episode has shown indifference and disrespect--bordering upon arrogance--toward those who have shown very significant allegiance to the Azamara [and by association] to the Celebrity brands...

It's not the added perquisites that might be introduced--each of us will value those differently in any case; I would venture to say that they are not close to being a primary consideration for the vast majority when choosing a cruise--so much as it is about principle, about being credible/meeting commitments, about being anticipatory/timely/responsive, about expressing unwavering respect for and appreciation to all guests as appropriate, and--ultimately, for me--about providing a guest-focused experience every step of the way [to compliment the impeccable onboard services and very creative itinerary planning/destination concepts]...

As I've noted previously, this has gone on way too long... We'll see...

Really pleased this has started in time for my Cruise. How will I know if I get double points as not sure if I managed to get any sort of discount off the 200% price?

Are awarded after cruise completion to those who have enrolled in Captain's Club [you should do that if you have not already done so; it's not automatic] based upon the duration of your cruise, the category of your accommodation [ie; inside, oceanview, standard balcony, Concierge Class/AquaClass balcony, or suite [with multiple possibilities based upon level of suite] and the duration of your sailing... In addition, there are periodic sales promotions that award additional Cruise Points under very specific circumstances...

It is impossible for anyone here to predict your accrual--with or without the new "double up" for solos--based upon the information you have provided...

You might consider contacting either Celebrity or your Travel Agent--depending upon with whom you booked your cruise--to determine if you are paying a 100% Single Supplement [the trigger for the "double up"] or not as well as any of the other elements enumerated above that may need clarification... With that information, you can then forecast your Cruise Point accrual by acquainting yourself with Celebrity's methodology for awarding Cruise Points by visiting the Captain's Club section of their website...

We are staying in Fort Lauderdale for a couple of nights pre cruise, does anyone know of any hotels that will let us use a room for the day especially if we book it for the pre cruise stay. The idea of hanging around Miami or Fort Lauderdale before a long haul flight in the evening doesn't appeal at all.

I wish I could tell you otherwise but I sincerely doubt that you will find a hotel that will provide you with a day room post-cruise without charge on the strength of your having stayed with them pre-cruise... You might ask at the time of booking--and then, you might also ask if they would consider offering you a reduced rate for the post-cruise day as a secondary strategy--but I wouldn't count on getting an affirmative answer... Hotels are, first and foremost, a business and those in Southeast Florida surely do not lack for clientele at the height of tourist season...

As an alternative, you might consider looking at Celebrity's excursion offerings for the day you disembark... It is not uncommon for them to offer several post-cruise tours--one to the Everglades is particularly popular--that provide drop-off at both Fort Lauderdale and Miami Airports...

Under the same promotion... My experiece is the same as reported by Deidre...

Anyone know why Azamara have not published their shore excursions for Saigon for January sailings???

I can tell you that Azamara did not post excursion offerings until four or five months prior to my February 2014 sailing on Journey to Thailand and Vietnam...

There is another active thread on this forum--I've contributed to it twice [and as recently as this morning]--relative to touring in Vietnam [including Ho Chi Minh City]... You might find it to be of interest...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=43549976#post43549976

Xport,

 

Thank you so much for your report - so very helpful! Apologies for not responding earlier but I was away. I'm glad that the ship's excursions were fine as I am tempted to go for those this trip.

 

I thought Hanoi may be too much in a day but we may regret it if we don't go. At least we have 3 sea days on this cruise. Our last one Istanbul-Athens had none & I really could have done with some time by the pool!

 

The Mekong Delta trip sounds wonderful - was it Saigon River Express? If it's only 7 hours then we should get back in time for the Evening event & hopefully Azamara will run the short tour the next morning as we leave at mid-day. Otherwise we could just take the shuttle to the Rex hotel.

 

Yes we do have 2 days in Danang so will do both Hue & Hoi An trips. Did you dp "Full Day Danang and Hoi An" or "Hoi An" on your own. I think I prefer the first with more 'guiding'.

So glad that you are finding my thoughts/observations to be helpful... I was very pleased with my excursion selections during our port calls in Vietnam and, given the limited time available, thought I did justice to exploring the country's highlights while observing a whole lot more--I found the whole experience to be fascinating; the ports are very different--along my way...

I too toyed with whether or not I wanted to commit 12 hours to touring Hanoi but ultimately decided to do so given that I go "to see/to do" and recognized I might not have opportunity to return... I'm so glad that I chose to do so... I did an Azamara Tour entitled "Hanoi Past & Present" [#HJ07]--we departed at 6:30 AM--and found it to be both very interesting and very fulfilling...

While ported at Da Nang [as noted above, we were there for a single day], I did an Azamara Tour entitled "Full Day Da Nang & Hoi An" [#DE16]... Given a choice, I generally prefer a guided offering so as to stay on task/see the essentials; this one did not disappoint... In my opinion--and it is only that--there was not enough at either city to warrant a full day [we did have some free time in Hoi An to explore on our own] but the two in combination made for a very worthwhile day...

And finally, you do properly cite the name of the company we used for our private tour--all by water--to the Mekong Delta... You will readily find them if you "Google" them and recommend them highly; their's is not a boilerplate experience... Our time with them--we had a 7.5 hour tour but I suspect that it could be condensed a bit if necessary; I'd elect to start earlier or hasten stops along the way rather than to skip any of them [each was filled with new surprises]--was a clear highlight of my trip... I'll never forget it...

Though I didn't always love what I saw and/or heard in Vietnam, I'm truly pleased that I visited and am enriched for having done so... You have much to anticipate... Enjoy!!!

Are there irons in the stateroom?

If not can I pack an iron?

If not- what is the turn around time to have my clothes ironed?

Q: Is my stateroom furnished with amenities that I don’t need to pack?

A: All stateroom bathrooms are equipped with soap, shampoo, conditioner and a wall-mounted hair dryer. All ships in our fleet have at least one North American and one European outlet in every stateroom. Millennium Class and Solstice Class ships each have multiple North American and European outlets.

Steamers or irons are not allowed onboard. However, there is a full laundry and dry-cleaning service available onboard for reasonable rates.

Regular service, picked up before 9AM - returned next day. For same day service, picked up before 9AM and returned same day, add 50% express service surcharge.

All suites have a safe located in the closet. All staterooms have a safe behind the desk mirror or in the closet.

-----

If an iron or steamer is detected when luggage is scanned [same process as you would find at an airport], you will be "invited" to the "naughty room" and asked to open your luggage in the presence of a ship's representative... Prohibited items will be confiscated and most--such as irons and steamers [some prohibited items are discarded]--will be returned at cruise conclusion...

You will find a schedule of laundry, dry cleaning, and pressing fees in the FAQ section of Celebrity's website...

Just understand that the one category upgrade does not mean you can book an oceanview and get a veranda, or book a veranda and get a concierge cabin etc. It is a one category upgrade within the same category (which generally means just a slightly better location) such as booking a C2 and getting a C1.

Though you are generally correct in your description, there are exclusions... And unfortunately, your example of upgrading from a C2 to a C1 is one of them [i didn't recall that either until I tried to do it!]...

Following is a description of the upgrade benefit available to Captain's Club members as published on the Celebrity website [Captain's Club Terms And Conditions]...

-----

One-Category Upgrade

One-category upgrade requests must be made at the time of booking and apply only for upgrades within the supercategory, depending on availability. Example of a supercategory upgrade in AquaClass: A2 to A1. Category 12, FV, SV, C1 and suites are excluded. This offer cannot be used with certain restricted fares including but not limited to travel agent and employee rates. Upgrades apply for one stateroom per cruise. Stateroom assignments only. Not valid on holiday sailings or Reunion Cruises. Upgrades available from categories 11-A1 on all Celebrity ships except Celebrity Xpedition®. Offer valid for members who are Classic Level or higher at the time of booking.

French Onion Soup is available in the Main Dining Room every night and I have had success in having it served to me in Blu by prior arrangement... But to my mind, the French Onion Soup served in Tuscan Grille--it does follow a different recipe than is used in the other venues--is likely the best I've had anywhere including France!

Don't recall if it's served in Murano; I'm quite certain it's not offered in Qsine, and I strongly doubt it's served at Lawn Club Grill...

I suspect your husband will be pleased...

Again, this is all about marketing. Azamara needs to decide which customers they are going after and how best to snag and retain them. Then the market will decide if Azamara's strategies are working or not.

But to my mind, there is no single answer...

I generally travel solo; life suggests that many face that prospect some day and changing attitudes toward marriage/divorce further that demographic... I have no need for the space afforded by traveling in a suite and the other amenities associated with doing so are mostly lost on/unimportant to me... I can count on one hand--and have fingers left over--the number of times I've sailed with a reduced single supplement... I spend generously on ship-sponsored tours, specialty restaurants [in the company of prior and new cruise friends; I'm not taking up a table alone], at the spa, and in the casino... And if Azamara/Celebrity were to have awarded me the same number of Cruise Points--as Royal Caribbean does--in their loyalty programs [which to some extent have always considered level of accommodation but which now place a significant premium on suite travel] as they did to couples with equal spend, I'd be way over the minimum threshold for the highest tier of membership in Captain's Club and Le Club Voyage...

And so, I'm not sure if the demographic more worthy of target is the guest who sails within the family of brands for 50/60 days per year--year after year--or if it's the guest, who either by choice or by other commitment, sails in a suite sporadically at a few thousand dollar premium... Both may well be of relatively equal value over the long term to the cruise line but to my mind one group should not benefit, to the exclusion of the other, when it comes to access to the specialty dining venues that have historically been available to all...

Azamara's system was not broken in the past; I fail to see why it should seemingly have become broken now... And it occurs to me that Celebrity may have it right... They have long offered suite guests with one or two complimentary meals in their specialty restaurants depending upon cruise length; they now have an initiative in progress to create a more upscale dining experience for suite guests within a section of their Main Dining Rooms...

Thank for all your replies. I guess we will go with the flow and see what happens. I know last time the blu maître de seemed very upset that we had gone to the main dining room. Guess we will just talk to him on arrival and see what happens.

One things for sure.. we wont starve!

The best approach is to ask the Blu Maitre 'D to arrange for you to dine in the MDR in advance... He/she may call the Select Dining Host[ess] on your behalf or just instruct you to go to the Select Dining podium at one of the entrances to the MDR... But in either case he/she will appreciate knowing that you will not be dining in Blu that evening; it helps them to better anticipate the number of suite guests--and timing, based upon when you typically arrive for dinner--they can accommodate who have access to Blu on a space available basis...

I doubt that the Blu Maitre 'D was upset by your decision to dine in the MDR but, if there was heavy demand for Blu among suite guests on your sailing, he/she might have appreciated knowing of your plans to go to the MDR...

Hi Xport, your 30-day B2B sounds like heaven! Wish I could get away for that long. I love South America!

Maybe for the Carnival portion (2/7-2/19) if there is space available.

bb

It's a terrific itinerary and it's going to be a wonderful trip! It would be my pleasure to meet you!

--Mike

We are all still waiting for them to roll out their rewards for the new top levels. It was promised several times in the past, but to date, no news.....

I sailed Azamara for 28 nights earlier this year at Discoverer Plus level in name only [and even then and not that it mattered, they weren't equipped to print the new membership levels]...

It's gone on way too long! And thus far, a reduction in Cruise Point accrual [for most; relative to the Captain's Club Cruise Credit conversion formula used last November] is the only effect of the change at Azamara... Gee, thanks!

I think that Azamara's website does the best job of displaying loyalty reciprocity across the RCCL family of brands [RCI, Celebrity, and Azamara]... You'll find the chart [bottom of page] here...

http://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/our-ships/le-club-voyage/membership-benefits

Cruise Points cross-accumulate between Azamara's Le Club Voyage and Celebrity's Captain's Club; that is to say that points earned on either count toward improving membership tier in the other... Cruise points earned on Azamara and Celebrity do not count toward improving membership tier in RCI's Crown & Anchor Society and, similarly, Cruise Points earned on RCI do not count toward improving membership tier in Le Club Voyage and Captain's Club...

For example, I am an Elite Plus member of Captain's Club and a Discoverer Plus member in Le Club Voyage since points cross-accumulate between the two lines... When I sail Royal Caribbean, I am recognized as a Diamond member in Crown & Anchor... But in order to reach the Diamond Plus or Pinnacle tier in Crown & Anchor, I must earn the required Cruise Points only by way of sailing with Royal Caribbean [ie; I think it's 175 Points for Diamond Plus membership in Crown & Anchor]...

It's confusing; hope this helps!

I just learned that last October 2013, RCCL initiated double loyalty points for solo travelers in the Crown and Anchor Society. As a solo traveler, I want to know will Azamara also award double points for solo travelers (I am leaving next month)!

Neither Azamara nor Celebrity award double Cruise Points to solo travelers... Points earned between the two lines--but not Royal Caribbean--do however cross accumulate...

Enjoy your trip!

As far as I can see, the Celebrity website is still offering a cruise for the dates you mention (11 nights Eastern Med. 4/27/2015 - 5/18/2015). Where did you look that no cruise was listed?

But 27 April until 18 May is way more than 11 nights! I can't find anything either and suspect, as others surmise, that it's a charter or dry dock...

I planned to do three consecutive cruises with Azamara--a sister line--in Asia when the ship became disabled/needed to go to dry dock back in February... The second cruise terminated a day early and we were awarded cruise points associated with the full sailing as we were aboard and were considered to have completed it... The third sailing was cancelled in full and--while Azamara did provide full refunds, covered some transitional expenses, and provided Future Cruise Discounts for the inconvenience [some had already arrived in China/never boarded the ship!]--the cruise points associated with the lost opportunity were not, understandable given the policy, part of the compensation...

I too am sorry that you needed to cancel your cruise... But there is no doubt in my mind that Orator is correct in responding to your inquiry...

It's me again! Journey's 7 February sailing features an overnight in Buenos Aires too...

The good news is that, other than to wish that there were more of them [rest easy; I'm not going to ask that you inquire!], I have no questions about the Land Discoveries being offered in Buenos Aires, Montevideo, or Punta del Este even though I've done most of them--including the one day excursion to Iguazzu Falls--while doing a Santiago to Buenos Aires [with overnight] sailing on Celebrity Infinity in early 2012... While Rio is new/being there at Carnival is exciting, I wouldn't have booked my upcoming cruise on Journey if I hadn't so thoroughly enjoyed the other ports--and particularly Buenos Aires--enough to return... It's a great itinerary and I share your impressions as expressed in today's blog--right down to the neighborhoods--exactly; Buenos Aires is a very cosmopolitan city that provides experiences reminiscent of those found at several European destinations during a single port call...

Don't know if it's true for all sailings having on-ship overnights in Buenos Aires but our AzAmazing Evening will evidently be held at Tango Porteño... Post-cruise on Celebrity, a group of ten cruisemates attended for a very enjoyable/memorable performance staged at their impressive venue... Can't wait to return!

Thanks for posting...

So glad you are having such a good time. I will be on Quest on September 1 and am so looking forward to it.

 

Do you think you could find out if we will be sailing with Captain Jose or Captain Carl on that date? I have sailed with Captain Carl many times but not yet with Captain Jose.

Bonnie posted a complete list of the key players--for both Journey and Quest--through year-end 2014...

You'll find it here [last page/most recent post]...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1640015

If still accurate, it appears that Captain Jose will be aboard for your sailing...