MrMojoRisin

I am pleased to be able to report that there has been a very satisfactory outcome to my enquiry.

I should also say that before I made my original post I did raise the issue with the travel agent who claimed that "Azamara say they do not do day rooms".

I emailed Mr Twynam very much along the lines of my original post above. Within 5 minutes I had a reply from him, saying he would get his team to look into it. I should also add that I sent the email just after 6pm on May 2nd, which was a Bank Holiday - so the speed of his response was extraordinary.

I have just received an email which says:

"As you mention the majority of flights from Montreal to the UK are in the evening therefore we will be providing day rooms for fly cruise guests.

Our hotel team are currently looking into different options and once they have finalised the details you will receive an updated confirmation invoice with the hotel details, in the meantime please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions."

A most impressive response on all counts. Brilliant service from Azamara UK.

Could this not be related to Bonnies' post in another thread - a world cruise with longer time in ports that other world cruises.

Have you or your agent communicated with the U.K. Office? This is with them since they booked your air.

Thanks Bonnie. Will do.

As a former Montrealer I know the city quite well. You will dock at the old Port next to Old Montreal. If I were you, I would book a boutique hotel in Old Montreal for the day. You will be able to walk everywhere easily. It will only cost a few Canadian dollars for a taxi to the hotel and then from the hotel to the airport. The distance from this area to the airport is only about 15 kms. Just be careful not to get stuck in rush hour traffic.

 

Montreal is a lovely city and I think you will really enjoy Vieux Montreal. Please let me know if you would like anymore info.

Thank you for this suggestion - it is something well worth considering.

Still awaiting any response from Bonnie's enquiry on my behalf.

9th Sept. Canada - info on Forum regarding speakers

Thank you all for posting

Thanks. We are on that cruise. MrsMojoRisin is very pleased to hear about the art.

I have just found that on our September cruise we will have a guest speaker on water colour painting. Does anyone know if she is likely to take art lessons or speak about painting only?

Sorry, I can't help with the answer - but which cruise and how did you find out?

Thank you Bonnie - much appreciated.

Bonnie, thank you for sorting out the boarding time issue for our 4th June Journey cruise.

We will also be sailing on the 9th September 2016 Quest cruise from Southampton to Montreal - a fantastic itinerary by the way. I wonder if you could help with a question I have.

We have booked the cruise with flights and transfers. It seems that our flight home from Montreal to London will depart at 8pm. If we take the usual transfer, say at 9am, we will have an exceedingly long wait at the airport. I note that, on the excursions list there is the possibility of an airport transfer with tour. However, this is listed as a 3hour 30minute tour which, I guess, would get us to the airport by no later than 1pm, which still involves a very long wait at the airport.

Do you know if Azamara will be laying on something specifically for those of us with such later flights?

(Just over 3 years ago, we were on the Journey on a cruise which finished in Chennai. Because of the late flight, Azamara included a day room at an excellent hotel which enabled us to spend some more time in Chennai and to freshen up before our flight. I was hoping there might be something like that)

I realise this query is a few months ahead of the cruise but it would be very helpful to know the answer so that, if necessary, I can look into alternative arrangements for disembarkation day.

Many thanks in advance.

Good news, the check-in time on June 4 will be the normal times.

Here's a message I've received from the ship...

 

"Our boarding process will be from 11:15 am till 4:45 pm, more or less, in order to have all guests onboard for the guests' safety drill at 5pm. Of course we will have late comers that will be checked in onboard after that time."

 

I expect a correction will be going out to you soon.

Thank you for sorting out this confusion, Bonnie.

Our check-in time is also given as 16.30 to 20.30.

We have flights, hotel and transfers booked through Azamara. Our pick-up time from the hotel is the usual 12.00, so are we expected to hang around at the port for 3 to 4 hours?

The only thing that spoils the Azamara experience for me is the departure where, if you book flights with them you are given a late flight (even when there are earlier alternatives) and then dumped at the airport with a long wait.

To be dumped at the port with a long wait will be a new and very unwelcome experience.

I hope Bonnie is able to discover that this is a mistake.

For something a little different, take a local boat service from the Old Harbour to Cavtat (pronounced Tsavtat). Walk along the harbour and then round the peninsula. Finish off with a beer or two and lunch in one of the tavernas.

Yes, it is very easy. Hope this helps.

http://www.livornonow.com/travelling...n_from_livorno

Travelling from Livorno to Florence by Train

Travelling independently from Livorno to Florence is usually cheaper than taking an organised tour, and you get to spend a few hours in Florence. If you are on a cruise docked in the Port of Livorno, you can get to the railway station either by using local transport or by catching a taxi from the port. You may find that you end up having to get a taxi back to the ship from the station on your return, if you are running late. This obviously adds to the cost of any DIY tour.

Many cruise lines offer a "Florence on your own" excursion, which is usually just a transfer into the city and back. It may be worth considering this option which, although more expensive, may be worth it for the anxious traveller in terms of peace of mind.

But if you are an independent spirit, you will probably still want to go it alone, so here's how to 'master' using public transport from Livorno to Florence (it's really not that difficult!):

If your cruise ship docks in the industrial port of Livorno, as most of the big ships do, there will be a shuttle service which takes you into Via Cogorano (Piazza del Municipio) in the centre of Livorno. There is generally a charge for this service which in 2015 was 5 euros return.

(Please note that some ships are now offering a bus transfer directly from the ship to Livorno Centrale railway station - check with your cruise line.) It is also possible to get a taxi from the ship to the station - try sharing with other passengers to keep the cost down (about 25 euros from Livorno port to the train station). There are two local taxi companies: Consorzio Tassisti Labronici +39 0586 882020 and Consorzio Taxi Livorno +39 0586 883377 or +39 330 633474 (mobile)

To use the local bus service to get to the train station from Livorno city centre, first buy your tickets from one of the tobacconists in the vicinity ("tabacchi", displaying the big white T on a black or blue background). The nearest one is in Via Cogorano, the street where the shuttle bus will drop you. The tickets cost €1.20 and are valid for 70 minutes from the time you validate them on board the bus (by inserting into the validating machine at the front entrance of the bus). You may as well buy a couple of tickets per person in the morning so you are equipped for the journey back.

You can catch a no. 1 bus (the most direct - about 10-15 minute ride) to Livorno Centrale train station at the bus stop in Via Grande (outside the H&M store), which is the main shopping street leading off each end of Piazza Grande. If you are facing the cathedral, you need to head up Via Grande to the left. H&M and the bus stop are just a few metres along the street on the right hand side.

Don't forget to validate your ticket at the yellow machines when you get on board!

The trains to Florence (Firenze Santa Maria Novella is the name of the station) run every hour - 08.12, 09.12, 10.12 (not Sundays), 11.12 etc. and the journey from Livorno takes about 1 hour 20m. On Sundays there is no 10.12 train to Florence, so you should aim to get one of the earlier ones (there is a train at 10.00 but you have to change in Pisa, getting into Florence at 12.00). There is also a daily 'fast' regional service (no supplement) leaving Livorno at 0852, arriving Florence at 10am.

NB: Please check these train times before you travel as I cannot accept responsibility for unforeseen changes to the above timetable. Click here to go to the Trenitalia Italian railways site

The second class train fare from Livorno to Florence is 19.20 euros per person return (fare updated Jan 2016). This is the cost for the Regional trains, not the Intercity or Freccia Rossa services which have to be pre-booked and carry a supplement. In any case, the regular direct service between Livorno and Florence is operated by Regional trains only and all tickets are second class.

Again, make sure you validate your tickets BEFORE you get on the train, and before you make the return journey too. Small validating machines are located on the walls all over the stations.

The main station in Florence is called Firenze Santa Maria Novella. It's the last stop. Don't get off at the earlier suburban station of Firenze Rifredi, or you'll be faced with a long walk or bus ride into town!

RETURN: Trains from Florence to Livorno depart every hour at 28 minutes past the hour, but there is also a fast regional train at 15.00 that gets back to Livorno at 16.12. The train that leaves Florence at 15.28 (arriving Livorno 16.48) is probably the latest you can get if you have to reboard a cruise ship. There are also trains at 16.28 (arr Livorno 17.48), and at 17.28 (arr Livorno 18.48). There is a 'fast' regional train (no supplement) at 5pm, arriving in Livorno Centrale at 18.08.

On the way back you could save time by getting a taxi from Livorno Centrale station directly to the ship (make a note of the dock name). See above for local Livorno taxi company phone numbers.

If there are lots of passengers from your cruise ship doing Florence by train from Livorno, there might be a queue at the ticket office. It is also possible to buy tickets from automatic ticket machines located around the main station ticket hall, and online from the Trenitalia website. Online tickets do not need to be validated.

I am afraid this is my one and only real gripe with Azamara. We have always booked our cruises with flight included as then everything, including transfers, is sorted.

Pre-cruise is usually very good, with an overnight in a (usually) very good hotel and transfer to the ship in time for a leisurely lunch.

Post-cruise is often a different story. A few years ago we ended an Azamara cruise in Chennai. Flights back to the UK were late at night so we were given a day room in an excellent hotel. We had a chance to explore more of Chennai and feel thoroughly refreshed and relaxed before the flight home.

It is usually when the cruise ends in a European port we find the problem. I won't detail all the previous occasions where we have had to spend many hours at an airport, but our next cruise in June ends in Rome. Azamara put us on a flight leaving at 6.30pm, which would have meant spending something like 8 hours or more at the airport. As Bonnie said, there is a tour with transfer to the airport available - but this would cost £307.50 for the two of us. We have therefore paid extra (but less than £307.50) to change to an earlier flight. (Question - why could they not have put us on the earlier flight in the first place?)

Our following cruise in September ends in Montreal. Our flight home is due to depart at 8pm. I would hope that they will provide a hotel day room but we have been given no information on that as yet. There is a tour with airport drop off available at a more reasonable cost (£91 for the two of us). However, this is billed as a 3.5 hour tour (visiting places we will already have seen) so even this would still entail 6 or 7 hours at the airport. Obviously, we will have to make some other arrangement.

It is a shame that after what is always a very enjoyable cruise, the ending is a bit of a let down.

I agree with the comments about Russ, but I could not choose between him and Eric de Gray as to who is the best. I am just happy to have sailed with both of them.

Thanks for posting your review here.

 

It's interesting that there is still a vibration problem aft. We board the Journey on Tuesday and turned down an upgrade to an owner's suite because we remembered the vibration problem from a previous cruise. I wonder if it's just inherent in the ship's design and can't be fixed.

I can't say I have ever noticed any vibration problem and, until this thread, had never heard any mention of one.

This isn't Azamara's fault, e.g the airlines go out early morning from UK and return mid evening from America!

I wasn't talking about America. I was referring to returning from Europe where there are earlier flights available.

I agree with all the above. I would add also, having a very senior officer (captain, hotel director) seeing you off the ship when embarking on trips and also at the end of the cruise. Also, captains having discretion to do things a little differently. For example, Captain Carl stopping the Quest at night so we could watch the eruptions of Stromboli - but there are many other examples.

There will occasionally be niggles on the cruise but the staff always seem to get things sorted out quickly.

For me, there is only one slight downside and that is with return flights booked through Azamara. Outward, you usually get a pre-cruise hotel and a transfer that gets you to the ship in good time for lunch. It is the return flights, again in my opinion, where Azamara fails to excel. Flights are often booked for late in the day which entails a long wait at the airport. There are sometimes options available but these are invariably very expensive. It is a disappointing way to end what is always a great cruise.

However, it does not stop us return to Azamara again and again.

While you won't officially get the points until you complete the cruise on which you reach the new level, you can book another cruise while on board and then Azamara will apply the free nights and the higher LCV discount percentage after you complete the cruise that gets you to the new level.

Thanks Al. I hope you enjoyed the second leg of the cruise. It was great to meet you.

Cheers, Rod

Thank you Phil

I'm sure I should know the answer to this question but I am asking because I find that I am not sure.

We are currently at Explorer level. Our next Azamara cruise in June will take us to Discoverer level (after 2 nights). Do we get the Discoverer benefits on this cruise or does the level change take effect only on completion of the cruise?

In my opinion, the food in the speciality restaurants is as good, or better, than anything on Regent or Silversea. Main dining room food is a little below that on similar dining rooms on those lines but still very good.

We are cruising early next month. Our TA advises that Azamara customer services confirm that sticky-back labels are no longer provided on request and that paper labels are available with pre-cruise documents or at the pier. The paper labels, in our opinion are not fit for purpose and not what is expected from a premium cruise line. The TA advises that they have received complaints from Azamara clients but also suggest that it brings Azamara in line with Celebrity policy.

But it does again show that different areas get different treatment as it seems that US passengers can get the labels. At least they cannot blame different trading laws for this one!!

For our February 2016 cruise we had no labels sent. All we had was photocopiable one in the booklet with all the cruise arrangements. We made copies, cut them out and used them - quite a faff.

Speaking to some Americans on the same cruise in the pre-cruise hotel we found that they had the sticky labels sent to them with no problem.

Is this a joke thread? Well, I fell for it hook, line and sinker. Is it time to pull the plug before we all peg out?

I'm afraid we do find the trivia on Journey to be poor, it is not because of the rubbish prizes, nobody's there for the prizes. They get things wrong like:

- lack of continuity of hosts so there's no build up of jokes and banter through the trip

- bad timing of triv and held in venues without the bar being open

- lack of competitive spirit in the hosts. They are going through the motions, you feel as though they've groaned that it is their turn to be trivia host, they turn up, read out the Q and As as quickly as possible and get back to their preferred activity as quickly as possible.

 

Eric as a CD seems much more focussed on the 'cabaret' type of entertainment, & is fab at it if that's your thing.

 

We're still sailing on the Journey again (under 4 weeks to go now!), but for it to be my 'perfect ship', the trivia would be much, much better.

That is definitely not the case with Ed, the Brazilian DJ. I thought he did the trivia very well.