ChucktownSteve

3 hours ago, SWFLAOK said:

Did you pre-order that online? We tried that on our most recent cruise, and it wasn't accepted. We even tried to pre-order a bottle of wine with 2 liquor selections, and it was not accepted by the online application.

On our previous cruise last year, our cruise companion on her first Regent cruise, and in a Concierge cabin tried to get 2 liquors and vermouth pre-ordered, which email since the online ordering won't accept it. She ended up with nothing but beer and soda when she boarded. After a few days, she had her martini makings, and an after dinner liquor, but it took a few reminders to her room steward.

I thought I may have done it pre cruise however if not I ordered two and added the third once I saw my cabin steward which was no problem the first day. It may also depend upon who you have as a steward or butler.  Some may appear more accommodating than perhaps others.

My sailing would not have been adversely affect had they said no.  I could always get the other by the glass at any lounge I visited.

On 5/2/2024 at 11:05 AM, rev29k said:

Does anyone know how many bottles you are allowed?  I'm not trying to have a fully stocked bar, but I would like a couple options, and the wife really only drinks wine.  I'm hearing 2 bottles, but hoping 3 or 4 is allowed by chance.  

I've had Grey Goose, JW Black and Seagram's VO stocked at the beginning of our Splendor cruise in a Concierge (pre ordered) a little over a year ago.

1 hour ago, takemewithyou said:

I am seeing some crazy prices on excursions for 12/2024 cruise.

Like Catamaran trip that costs $5000 pp!

And accessible tours that cost $900 pp! 
I keep checking back, but the prices have not been corrected……

Perhaps you should consider applying for a HELOC to afford those prices? 😁

We have three AZ cruises on the books. All three are on Onward.  I'm not concerned at this point. 

The only way to determine for yourself is to try it.  Just because we read negative reviews, that doesn't mean we would feel the same about the identical incident as the poster. So I would like to suggest you go with an open mind.  Hopefully you'll enjoy your sailing.

8 minutes ago, Scout16 said:

The small size does also allow the ship to get in some places such as Saint George in Bermuda, I do not think that any of the other ships could get through the passage to the port.

In May of 2022 we did an overnight in Hamilton and the third day in St. George on Navigator. 

I realize there is a very large contingent of pax who love Navigator.  I don't consider myself in that group.  The cruise sailed Miami to Montreal. Not only did we have the reported vibrations, however through the St. Lawrence we had a 30 second motor noise then 90 seconds of silence and repeat for hours on end.  They tried to tell me it was the fog horn.  But it sounded both with and between blasts so it wasn't that.

I liked the Mariner and really liked the Splendor.  Looking forward to our Grandeur sailing.

So to Vistaman, I suggest you try it to see how you personally feel about the ship, however don't expect everything that you've enjoyed on the Splendor or Grandeur. A suggestion as others have pointed out, unless you like a lot of vibration, stay away from the stern.

On 4/26/2024 at 10:15 AM, JK300 said:

We got off the Journey earlier this month in Japan.

It is just the 'cheapier' brands of spirits available for Veranda Plus guests, like beefeater gin, Johnnie Walker red label whisky, Vodka, Rum ...  You can only choose 1 bottle of 1 litre.

John

 

You forgot Bacardi Rum. 🙄

Yeah I was never impressed with the quality of the spirits.  I carried the bottles home and gave them to people who didn't know Stoli was a "cheaper" brand. lol  I had the Ultimate package so I would have to visit a bar to get what I wanted to drink.  On Regent, they gave us liters in the suite of Grey Goose, JW Black and my wife's VO without batting an eye.  Those aren't even top shelf.

56 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

but we have just too much OBC (over 3K) to give up now.

I hope you like lots of Mary Francis bags. roflmao 😁 My DW gets many on each cruise.

22 minutes ago, Emdee said:

I didn’t like the beef on Regent though. Even in Prime 7. Everything else was fine and I think that Compass Rose has an exceptional menu of always available items. 

I understand about the beef although I haven't had a bad filet cooked to temperature. But I'm a heavy seafood aficionado..

A perfunctory look at Crystal didn't appeal to attract me.  I tend to like longer cruises if I'm traveling somewhere distant.  It appeared many if not most of theirs are shorter than 14 days.

I looked at the restaurant listings. What I observed on one itinerary I might be interested in, that there are two specialty restaurants which are included. However if you desire a second reservation, there's an additional $50 pp charge. Really?  We were never charged for additional specialty reservations on Regent regardless of the number of times we could obtain a reservation.

Perhaps my thoughts are misdirected on Crystal and Silversea. Can someone show me where they outshine Regent for value and quality? I admit I haven't sailed the other two. However my exposure on Regent's cuisine is the best I've experienced in all my cruising.

I've enjoyed the variety, quality and even the special requests.  An example was on a Mariner. They had apple pie one evening. One of our table mates mentioned they like peach pie.  So I asked our server if by any chance they had peach.  He went to the kitchen, came back a few minutes late and apologized they hadn't.  But he said come back tomorrow and we will.  Sure enough the four of us showed up in the MDR the next evening and we were served the BEST peach pie I've ever eaten. Freshly made with no filler. Later in the cruise we were surprised by another peach pie unrequested. That impressed me.

When we sailed Regent, to obtain additional specialty reservations above the pre-sailing ones,we could ask for a sharing table once onboard. That enabled them to accommodate more people and make it easier to obtain additional reservations.

6 hours ago, Pies4u said:

For clarity & completeness: The former quote - “…you are disgustingly drunk…….you will still be disgustingly ugly..” was Churchill to another MP, a famous Labour MP from Liverpool, Bessie Braddock. He was paraphrasing WC Fields from some film, I can’t recall the title.
 

 

 

"In 1934 the joke was used in the W. C. Fields film titled “It’s a Gift”. Fields portrayed a character named Harold Bissonette, and the scene with the quip occurred near the end of the film when a hostile character challenges Fields:

“You’re drunk.”
“Yeah, and you’re crazy, n’ I’ll be sober tomorrow n’ you’ll be crazy for the rest of your life.”"

4 minutes ago, -Lew- said:

 

The lounges in the photo do not appear to be located in the covered, shaded area.

My comment was based on the narrative not the picture.

4 hours ago, flossie009 said:

During our present cruise a couple have taken entitled shady lounger hogging to a new bizarre level

 

On two consecutive port days they “reserved” two loungers for the whole morning; presumably while they were on an excursion.

On their return around lunchtime they returned to their spot, decided it was too hot, even in the shade, picked up their belongings & left 🤨🙄
 

On a positive note the laundry didn’t need to process two towels and lounger covers 😉
 

As you're walking by next time, why not move their "reserved" items to loungers in the sun? Then continue on. You can't be accused of stealing anything. 😁

Just wanted to let you know I really enjoyed reading about your journey on the Grandeur.  We'll be taking a Southern Caribbean Grandeur cruise in Feb '26. Your pictures and narration really made me look forward to this sailing.  Thank you.

Hope you totally recover soon.

51 minutes ago, Grandma Gilly said:

I think you must be on a different ship to me. I am on Quest now and notice considerable cutbacks. Food is OK but the choices in Compass Rose are limited. I am not a fussy eater but I think the daily choice is poor.  It takes ages for the food at Windows lunchtime buffet to be replenished. The CR ‘every day’ menu is a lot smaller than last time I cruised with Azamara. Again, the included drinks list is very reduced. I remember when the cocktail list covered 2 pages. It is down to virtually half a page. We used to love the Azamazing evenings but we too had the Flamenco show last night. However the crew are fabulous. 

I thought the MD on Quest is Discoveries while Compass Rose is the Regent MD.

9 hours ago, marinaro44 said:

 

My favorite example of a stuffy, smug Regent passenger was the response he gave when I asked why he cruises on Regent:  "I can afford Regent.  Why would I cruise with anyone else?"  That said, I'm pleased that you found Regent to your liking.

I wasn't. It was a generalized statement but if the shoe fits.... 😁

I've also encountered some of that type of person on Azamara, Oceania and in Celebrity's Retreat.  I don't stereotype all their passengers by the actions of a few.  Everyone has their own perspective of the boxes they want ticked and the reasons they prefer different cruise lines.  To me, it's about the sailing enjoyment as my preferred vacation.

7 hours ago, marinaro44 said:

Would much rather be in a "sought after" position on a corner of the stern, with a wraparound veranda and a 270 degree view.

 

Tried Regent for total of seven weeks and also Crystal.  If that's "luxury," you can have it.  Better liquor, I suppose, but cool, impersonal service, invisible officers, and too many entitled, stuffy passengers.  No thanks.  Azamara and Windstar for me.

Aft view is my first go to cabin/suite if available. 

RE: Regent

I must have been on the three wrong ships.  I didn't meet any entitled, stuffy passengers and my service was efficient and personable. Even from the Compass Rose hostess on the first sailing who I ran into on our third one after she was promoted because she was so good at service.

Sometimes people put out vibes that cause staff to be impersonal as if that's what is expected of them.

10 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

It is a truly lovely suite – wonderful for dining-in and for entertaining too, and the Butlers are very accommodating.  The first time in a CW (thanks for a very reasonable upgrade) we asked the Butler to arrange a little cocktail party for our new Roll Call shore excursion friends.  He agreed but apologized that he was only allowed to cater for 6 – but he brought enough hors d’oeuvres that the 13 of us couldn’t finish it all!  We also had room service breakfast each morning – delivered twice so DW could have it early and mine was a little later.  

 

We have done 6088 on Quest and 7114 on Journey – both cabins are identical, but the balconies are deepest on deck 6 and slightly shallower as you go up [which is really only important if you want shade, as we do]  And after all the complaints about the small bathroom in the regular cabins on Azamara, I am happy to report that the CW bathroom is just wonderful:  both a bathtub and a large shower with sink, and a connected toilet room with another small sink – with another door that opens right at the entrance [so guests can visit the 'powder room' without seeing all your stuff spread over the main bathroom!]  The layout also means there is circular access around the cabin:  entrance to living/dining area to bedroom to main bathroom to powder room back to entrance.  Two people sharing will never trap the other in a dead end!

 

We used every part of the suite [except the storage – there was so much we never used all of that!]  We're booked in a CC for our next voyage, but I'm hoping we will be able to upgrade to a CW.

 

PS - are you from Charleston SC?  [Chucktown]

TY so much for the input.  I spent 35 years in Charleston, my DW 40 years before we moved to central FL in 2018. We were married on a friend's piazza overlooking Charleston Harbor 34 years ago.  I just never changed the handle.Quite perceptive of you.

6 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

To be fairer to Silversea, I don't sail in Azamara Insides or even Verandas – so my price comparison is to a Club Continent (CC mini suite, 266sf plus 60sf veranda = 326 sf) or (in the case of the 2022 cruise) a Club World Owners Suite (CW true one-bedroom suite, 560sf plus huge 233sf veranda = 793sf).  On Silver Whisper we had a Deluxe Veranda (mini suite, 313sf plus 60sf veranda = 345 sf). 

 

The DV didn't feel any more spacious than a CC, so I think it's fair to compare Azamara CC pricing to Silversea.  Looking at the cruise you mention, a CC is 65% more than the lowest category, which would still be far below the cost of the SS comparison (enough to cover your shore excursion costs – and specialty restaurants are included for CC and above).  So all in, Azamara and Silversea would cost about the same – and based on my comparison would provide about the same experience.  Given that choice, I would book Azamara.

Thankx for that.  I don't book inside, bottom suites or cabins either.  I was just doing an entry level price comparison to show Silversea is more than Azamara but that the included items make it that way because of Luxury vs. Premium.  Your situation is more a true comparison. 

After sailing in some suites, my question is how much cabin/suite size is enough?  I like larger accommodations but at some point, we don't need more.  We are trying the AZ CWOS this December to see how it compares to Regent's Concierge and Penthouse suites. We were able to book it for $645 pp/pn which I felt was a real value considering I love the aft views. The other two bookings are an aft P1 for the same reason.I'm just glad other people aren't gobbling them up which is why we book when the itineraries are first released.

I'm hoping AZ's service level has maintained. The onboard experience is what I felt always made it a cut above for a Premium level.

It did then, it doesn't now if you were late to the (White Night) party as outlined above. Try using your Captain's Club number for the Azamara Circle number.

This thread has certainly proven Newton's laws of motion to me.  For every reaction, there is an opposite and equal reaction. 😁

When we sailed Splendor in a Deluxe E, we had no problem getting additional reservations once onboard in any of the specialty restaurants if we didn't mind sharing.  It was 16 night Panama Canal. Sometimes we didn't even have to share but we like meeting new people.  There's such a good caliber of friendly people we've found on our three Regent cruises.

I also felt the Compass Rose MDR menus, with both every day and nightly entrees, to be superior to many other line's specialty restaurants.

I received the email but since there were too many words without grabbing my attention due to using all the marketing gobbledygook, it wound up in my computer's circular file. Maybe some day they will learn that they only have three to five seconds to grab most people's attention to want to continue reading more.  Nothing in the first few lines did that for me.

I suspect interns wrote it.  They certainly can't have been creatives.

10 hours ago, Dynacruiser said:

After reading the different opinions here, I decided that paying for an upcoming cruise a couple of months ahead of time was a low risk financial move, so I took advantage of the 10% OBC offer.

 

Of course, next week we'll get an even better promotion and I'll regret having used this one. 

I rarely regret after pulling the trigger on something.  When I made the action, I was happy at the time with my decision.  I learned that in my businesses and the stock market. Selling shares is the same way. The stock could go up; it could go down afterwards. 

I've also had the opposite happen where I put in a limit buy order a little too low trying to get greedy and it didn't execute because the price kept getting better. 

Five and seven percent weren't enough for me to be happy with the lengthy prepayment time-frame.  Ten percent was.  Let them go to 20% and I'll still be happy with the 10% I received.

6 hours ago, JsMom2 said:

Azamara just laid off 20% of their shoreside personnel.  Hopefully that will free up revenue enhance the onboard experiences. 

That statement taken out of context doesn't tell me the true story.