CHESHIRE CHEESE

We arrived home recently after a very enjoyable ten nights on Pursuit. We were last on  the ship in early April. Lots of good things, as ever. It is always nice to be welcomed back by so many members of the crew. All the Senior Officers were very visible and pleasant as we were leaving the ship each day. Food in general was very good, but one thing concerned me slightly. On one evening, there has always been a very good menu in Discoveries, when all the expensive meats are on the same evening; eg, Fillet Mignon, Rack of Lamb, Duck Breast. This did not happen on this cruise. Indeed, Fillet Mignon only appeared once, and that was as Surf and Turf,  on White Night, when 90% of guests were eating at the buffet upstairs. Also. I noticed that the Chefs Specials were very often Chicken (inexpensive ). Cost cutting like this is disappointing, especially as Azamara prices continue to rise steadily. We got quotes for the Black Sea 14 nights cruises in 2021; really high ! Too much for us. I also noticed little things such as having to ask for peanuts when having our pre dinner drinks, and no night time chocolates in the cabin. Incidentally, I was delighted to hear that Monica Ortiz (Executive Chef ) and Richard Whittaker (Future Cruise Consultant ) had recently married, and were on their first cruise back after their honeymoon. Richard is always extremely good company, and we wish them every happiness.

 This cruise was unique for us in that we had $1000 On Board Credit that could only be spent on excursions, so we did a lot of excursions, with mixed results. The ones in Malta , Menorca and Corsica were fine. All had interesting, female guides and good content. The ones in Amalfi, Gozo and Alghero were poor. In Gozo, we had a poor guide called Svetlana who had issues with the microphone and was boring anyway. The highlights of Gozo are limited at the best of times , and after three hours we had exhausted them. We then had a scheduled stop at a rather grubby little bar on the cliffs overlooking  the ship down below. When I suggested to the guide that many of us felt an hour was too long, she looked terrified, and said that we had to stick to the schedule. Most of us had to sit in a dull , hot little room, and were eventually offered some stodgy Maltese sausage rolls, or similar. We declined the offer. This stop meant that we got back too late for the buffet lunch, and had to have a burger outside. Two other excursions were very disappointing; one to Ravello was $149, and had I had to pay for it , I would not have been happy. Some of the excursions are marked as being 'Special Value', but others are horribly over priced, and we will avoid them in future.

Despite a few quibbles , this was a good 10 nights cruise, and we are looking forward to  returning to the ship on September 21st to do our first ever back to back cruises.

We did the 9 night Cuba cruise on Quest recently, so here is my summary of entertainment options. We only had one visiting entertainer, Patrice Covington. This was just a straightforward vocal show, not a 54 Below event. On Day 3, we had the first of the Shorts on Ships (10 minute plays ). There were not too many people present at the 9.30 show; we stayed for the first two, then left. No criticism of the actors or the professionalism, but the content just did not appeal to us. A second show was on a few days later. We called in very briefly to the later performance;not many people present .Two actresses were shouting at each other. Not my idea of entertainment ! On the final evening, I understand that another presentation of plays was scheduled, but was 'pulled' at short notice, and replaced by a concert by the Band Leader, Sacha, a pianist.

On the final day at sea, we had a Question and Answer session with Senior Officers. I asked how the Shorts on Ships had been received. The official answer from Hotel Director Phillip Herbert, was , 'Mixed '. However, talking to him later, he said that he had called in at the theatre and, 'there was no energy in the room'.

We spoke to several people about the new concept, and although one lady was enthusiastic, 'We love them !',it was very much a minority view. Speaking informally to a senior person, I got the distinct impression that they will not be around for too long, even though one of the actors told us she has a one year contract. We have a cruise booked on Pursuit at the end of September, and I was assured that the plays will definitely not be present.

I had been intending to book a further one or even two more cruises whilst on board, but I did not, as I really dislike this concept of evening entertainment, and want some assurance that we will not be subjected to it again. During our cruise, we had a show from Ernest Marchain; many of you will have seen him previously as lead singer of the team. He is now Assistant Cruise Director, and did an excellent job. I can see him as Cruise Director quite soon. His show was very good indeed; the room was full, and he got a great reception.

My wife and I left Eclipse last week after a very enjoyable two week cruise. One of the highlights for us, and a significant reason why we booked the cruise, was the presence of Perry Grant. He was back on the ship after a six week vacation, and was in splendid form. He was in Michael's Club, rather than in the Sky Lounge on Deck 14. The L- shaped nature of the room is not ideal, but it still worked, and we ended up with standing room only on every night.

I do sometimes wonder if the top management in Miami fully appreciate what a gem they have in Perry; to see a hundred or so people finally leaving the room each night at about 12.30 so happy and relaxed must be unique . No wonder Perry says,'you won't see this on any other cruise ship!'

Just a couple of other points about our cruise. This was the first time we have had an inclusive Drinks Package; we both enjoy a drink and it was great not to be signing chits on a regular basis. The only adverse point concerns the closing time of 9am for the Blu Restaurant re breakfast. Considering that we had six sea days and two days when we did not have an early arrival in port, we felt a 9 am closure was too early. We are on holiday, after all. Our only other experience of Aqua class was on Millennium in April, and I am sure the closure time was later than on that cruise.