Riocca

Information on the South African government website regarding YF vaccination states that if you travel to SA via a country on their YF list you must have a valid YF certificate issued within the last 10 years. This is at odds with the WHO guidelines that all YF certificates now have lifetime validity. So flying directly to South Africa from Europe & America isn’t a problem, but if you are on a cruise itinerary that transits a country on their YF list, even if you don’t go ashore, you won’t be allowed entry if your last vacation is over 10 years ago. This creates a problem for us as our last vacation is 13 years ago and in the U.K. we would be unable to get another one as others have already said.

Probably the reason Royal Caribbean put the options to the vote so that the World cruise passengers would buy into the change and the potential problems it would create. On the yellow fever topic, we are on Quest Rio to Lisbon in two weeks time and receive an email yesterday saying that Cape Verde is now requesting valid yellow fever vaccination certificates if guests want to go ashore in Mindelo. We have received two vaccinations in the past 22 years so according to WHO have lifetime coverage, it’s perplexing that South Africa wouldn’t accept this and something we will have to think about when choosing future itineraries.

I was basing information on this article https://www.cruisehive.com/the-impact-of-red-sea-tensions-on-cruising/120792 That being the case Azamara appears to be on their own on this one, hopefully they will announce something soon.

Royal Caribbean’s World cruise has rerouted via Africa after putting it to a vote with their passengers and are now trying to organise the necessary vaccinations and any visas required for their passengers. It looks like it’s now only Azamara and HAL with their 2024 World cruise who are prevaricating about transiting the Red Sea. Our cruise that transit the Red Sea is not until October so we have plenty of time to replan but I feel for those with cruises starting in April & May. Could it be that now independent Azamara lack the resources to quickly replan the effected itineraries?

If you select “Manage My Reservation” and enter the booking then scroll down to Excursions you will see a pencil and paper icon on the left hand side. When you click on that Excursions will open up, there are two tabs “Booked” and “Available” as you have a booking it will open on booked then just select the available tab to see the excursions available.

As regards Pursuit in October I fear the easiest decision is to cancel our 18 night Athens to Dubai cruise and the following Dubai R/T and running empty from Athens to Dubai around the Cape to pick up the following itinerary. There bigger problem is Onward with 200 World cruise passengers onboard expecting a reasonable alternative itinerary.

Now being reported as Gastroenteritis but it’s still another worry for we could all do without. We are booked on Pursuit for the October Red Sea transit so we are watching to see what happens with Onward & Journey with interest.

More complications for cruise lines trying to re-route ships away from the Red Sea as a stop in Cape Town would probably be required for re provisioning. https://news.sky.com/story/norwegian-cruise-ship-blocked-from-docking-in-mauritius-over-health-risks-13081514 Reports elsewhere are saying it’s suspected as being cholera. There were reports on CC of passengers on Pursuit suffering stomach problems during its South African season as well.

Because of the extra CC suites on Onward 8041 is in the location of 8045 on the other ships, we had 8045 on Quest a couple of years ago and didn’t have any serious issues with noise. It appears to be well forward of the Patio and only suffered noise from the moving of sun beds for White Night in common with most N1 suites.

Your welcome, if you’re showing multiple accounts I found the easiest way was to ask them to delete the incorrect accounts which apparently were place holders during the changeover.

Returning to the original post the important question is had you completed an Azamara cruise prior to 1st February 2023 as that was the cut off date for points from Celebrity cruises to count towards Azamara loyalty level. If you haven’t completed an Azamara cruise before that date then you start at zero points with Azamara. There were anomalies with March 2023 cruises in that as the transfer of data from RC to Azamara didn’t go at all well Azamara were still relying on information from the RC/Celebrity system. As they had no knowledge of whether customers had travelled with Azamara previously or not the loyalty level from the old system was honoured if correct or not. It took a long while for the data to be sorted out but the correct loyalty level is now showing for the majority of Azamara customers. To check you need to access your account on the Seaware system not the potted version that appears when logged into your Azamara account. Fairly easy to do this, go onto the Azamara website but do not sign in then select a cruise and press Book Now, once the booking opens then sign in and you will see a line called Club Program appear if you click on the icon you will see your loyalty account. If you have multiple loyalty accounts then you need to contact Azamara to get the incorrect one(s) removed. Apparently Azamara had to manually correct all the data supplied by RC but as always some were missed.

But you can still find any previous Azamara cruises on your Celebrity account, although they are now listed as Celebrity cruises.

With Azamara’s new system points are now added to your account at the start of your cruise, would be interesting to know if that allows you to use the free nights to make a booking on that cruise.

I see from uktog’s above post that there’s been no increase in the beverage package prices on Quest either. At the risk of being shot down in flames I was wondering if the increase on Journey is anything to do with Australian regulations akin to EU vat rules? As Journey is soon to be leaving Australasian waters it will be interesting to see what happens, hopefully someone will be able to report on that soon.

Did cross my mind but it would be unusual for Azamara to price things onboard in anything other than US$. However as Azamara does seem to be changing things it could be a possibility.

No you’re not missing anything, if you ask Azamara for the ticket booklet the boarding information is still generic and refers you to the FAQ pages. It will have all your personalised cruise information such as booked tours OBC etc.

It’s on the website menu under Booked Guests - Easy check in, here’s a link https://www.azamara.com/gb/booked-guests/before-you-board/online-checkin There should also be a link on your booking in your account.

I think you will find that was Pursuit from the 19th to 26th October 2024, but a quick Google search confirms it’s the same travel company and they are marketing Onward for October 2025. Given that it’s a specialist company who do whole ship charters you would expect to find all the existing Azamara customers on that sailing to have their cruises cancelled. However I think there have been instances in the past where the companies chartering the ship have been marketing the cruise before the charter is finalised and cruise companies won’t cancel their passengers until it actually is finalised. Given how far in the future this cruise is maybe it’s an ongoing situation.

If it was the same as for the Christmas/New Year menus then you could mix and match with the normal menu, I’m allergic to fresh pears and blue cheese but that’s just me others may enjoy the combination.

Just received this email relating to our October Athens to Dubai cruise on Pursuit, it’s only one port change so the plan is still to transit the Red Sea. Dear Azamara Guest, We hope this message finds you well and eagerly anticipating your upcoming voyage aboard Azamara Pursuit®. As we prepare for your journey scheduled for October 26, 2024, we wanted to share an important update regarding your itinerary. Due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East, we have made the decision to adjust your itinerary for the safety and well-being of both our guests and crew. As a result, we will be removing the port of Elait from your itinerary and replacing it with the stunning destination of Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. While we understand that changes to travel plans can sometimes be inconvenient, please know that your safety remains our top priority. We apologize for any disruption this adjustment may cause to your travel arrangements. Sharm El Sheikh is a breathtaking coastal city renowned for its crystal-clear waters, vibrant coral reefs, and stunning beaches. Additionally, the city offers opportunities for cultural exploration, with historic sites such as the Old Market and the Al Mustafa Mosque waiting to be discovered. If you have already booked shore excursions through Azamara to the port of Elait, rest assured that any payments made will be refunded to the original form of payment. We sincerely appreciate your understanding and flexibility as we navigate these changes. Our team is committed to ensuring that your experience aboard the Azamara Pursuit is nothing short of exceptional, and we look forward to welcoming you on board for a memorable journey. Should you have any questions or need guidance of what you can explore in any destination please contact your Travel Advisor or click here for your local Azamara call center number. Sincerely, AZAMARA® The revised Itinerary can be viewed below.

Sorry to say no best price guarantee for the UK market, only way to take advantage of a price drop is to cancel lose the deposit and rebook on the new deal, so the price drop has to be substantial. You also lose any booking benefits from the original deal and there’s no guarantee you can rebook in the same cabin.

You can request the cruise ticket booklet any time after final payment, we are on the same cruise as you and received ours last November, I was talking to Azamara about another cruise and the agent offered to send the booklet then. You are correct Azamara now has the easy check in system and having done it a few times since its introduction can confirm it does actually work. All you need is your passport and cabin number, check on their website under Booked Passengers and you will see all the information including boarding times which is now by cabin category, loyalty level and deck.

Yes customer service has improved greatly over the last few months, website does take a bit of getting used to and it’s much easier to phone Azamara on the UK number. Recently waiting times on the phone lines have reduced to just a few minutes.

No if you even hint at the name of a travel agent the post will be deleted. However it is possible to use the “Find a Cruise “ feature on Cruise Critic to look for your selected cruise and you will see prices from CC”s selected travel partners, but this of course is no real recommendation for a travel agency. On a personal note we used to always use a travel agent but had several bad experiences during the dark days of COVID and now book directly with Azamara, to date we have received very good service even during the troubled times of the introduction of the new system.

Azamara is now independent so could set whatever payment terms it chooses, Viking in the North American market asks for full payment 1 year ahead this was always thought to be to help fund its ship building program. Currently Azamara’s final payment in the North American market is 120 days out but only 90 days in the U.K. market, possibly because most travel agents add 30 days to allow them to process the payment. So Azamara’s offer is quite reasonable as at least it gives something back for early payment. There was a lot of talk amongst the staff onboard Onward at Christmas about the imminent announcement of a new ship, could this be to do with the financing of that?