Dr H

It boils down to how much credit do you already have, and what do you want to do on board? The drinks package on any cruise is a gravy train, money making deal for the cruise line. I believe you break even after 6 drinks each and every day. Remember, there is plenty of decent wine and hard liquor already included with the cruise fare. Wine packages, depend upon how much you drink. You can buy a good bottle of wine for $50-100. on board, on the approved list or off. They store any unconsumed wine very well, so you don't have to drink it all at one. WIFI Plus. I believe the Plus is Elon Musk's high speed Starlink system. Having spoken to several people on board as of last November, if you need the internet for work, splurge on the Plus. I think it runs about $10 a day, over and above the cost of the standard internet. Since this is only your second cruise, your benefits aren't up there with the big boys yet. We are each Discoverer Plus, unlimited Internet runs us under $50 for the full cruise. We are leaving next week, I'm undecided about going for the better package. (And I'm told it's a LOT better, not a little bit better, than the regular wifi). Do your homework. How much credit is already in the bank, what will the cost of excursions be over 25 days, realistically how much alcohol can you consume in 25 days (coffee, water, soft drinks, espresso/cappuccino, basic cocktails are all included, so they don't enter into your calculus). Have a great time planning. Wish I could say I'm envious.

Maybe I was on a carbonara high, but there was juice, water, and chocolate cookies at the Civitavecchia terminal last November. I know I'm special and deserving, but I can't believe they did the catering just for me...

Checking in at the port usually starts around1-1:30. Could be earlier, could be later, we are talking about Italy. Sometimes Azamara actually notifies you about your scheduled check in time, but don't hold me to it. Rules are that you must be onboard the ship at least 90 minutes prior to departure, which in your case means 4PM at the latest. Oh, Azamara usually has drinks and cookies waiting for you in the terminal following checkin and before the actual boarding. Have a great trip!

Kevin, I've got a similar story re lower price followed by credit. I suspect your TA is the same one I use here in Atlanta. And yes OJ, I've had my wrists slapped because I alluded to the name of my TA. Naturally, I won't do that again, but will say the TA I use on line no longer shows vacant rooms on Azamara as they used to. Guess I have to do some detective work.

I follow prices too, and while we are fully booked for the rest of the year, I like your logic. Could you please tell us how you know the cruise is half full? We have a lot of folks in the audience trying to figure out which rooms are free for booking on Azamara. It used to be very easy to do, now it's almost impossible with their new software system.

I'm searching for the price of the surcharge - it/they seem to have vanished. We were onboard Onward as recently as Nov '23, and we had one of the packages -$30/head. I might point out to Mom that she probably has onboard credit as part of her booking, and that credit can be applied to an individual night in Prime C or Aqualina, or to the dining packages. House cocktails are still part of the Azamara fare, and as long as you stick to the house brands, they will be happy to make them for you at no additional charge. The upper tiered drinks tend to run about $10-15. depending upon what you order, and if you wish to brink a bottle of liquor or wine on board, it is permitted. The two of us have had a bottle of wine follow us for about 3 days, no spoilage, no difficulty storing it. That special $30-40 bottle of wine lasting for days is not an expensive investment. I hope this helps.

We've been in suites on D8 on several occasions. We were not happy with the morning noise of pool chairs being scraped around in circles. That said, the room was larger, and my wife wanted a tub. Life is full of compromises. Now, being in a peasant level veranda room on D8 dealing with the noise for the sake of a few bottles of booze and I believe a single specialty dinner reservation, well, personally, I wouldn't go there. D7 is a much, much better deal. Especially if you have any status (😀) with Azamara. On board credit easily buys the alcohol and the specialty dining, you can bring your own alcohol if you so choose, and you can figure out the internet package. These are somewhat subtle complaints we have with Azamara, dirty laundry we don't want to show the public, but the company could be offering better perks to their very loyal customers. That said, we love Azamara, and have no plans to desert ship, metaphorically or otherwise. Basically, Phil said it all. Stay on Deck 7.

There is a B2B meeting the afternoon before disembarkation. You will get your new room key, as well as your pass to get back on the ship. If you are changing rooms, you need to pack up your loose items, stuff in drawers, the bathroom, etc. if it's hanging in the closet, just leave it. It magically reappears in your new room. If you want to stay on board the ship, you can. Or you can use the day like any port stop. Just be back on at the appropriate time. Early arrival at the cruise port, you show your boarding pass, and up you go. Have a great time!

In room mini-bar. Seems the booze has disappeared completely. The soft drinks are included, and you can request what you want, ie tonic water and coke, but no sprite... They are extremely accommodating. I'm not a big beer drinker, I believe it's Becks, Heineken, Bud Lite, and Millers (?). Good luck for the rest.

I am a very jaded American who is not exactly thrilled with American cities. Question. Are you willing to drive here? Personally, the thought of driving in the UK terrifies me, and I won't do it. But if you are willing and brave, you can have an amazing time. Drive into the Keys, possibly as far as Key West. That is a good 3hrs away, but you don't have to go that far. Consider driving across to the Gulf side and staying in the Naples area. The Gulf is infinitely nicer than the Atlantic side. PH mentioned South Beach in Miami. I've never been, it's on my bucket list. See the film "The Birdcage" first. Then go. Do your homework regarding restaurants and dining. Seafood is amazing in Miami. Joe's Stone Crab is probably a tad touristy and definitely not cheap, but the crab is incredible. (Stone crabs come from the Miami area, crab is caught, one hand is chopped off for you, the crab goes back into the drink to regrow the limb.) The Cuban coffee is to die for, sadly a huge number of Cubans had to die to get to our shores. Cuban food in Miami is unlike Cuban anywhere else in the country, or probably Cuba. Go into Tripadvisor.com which I believe is the parent company of cruisecritic, you should find a wealth of information there. I wouldn't stay near the airport. It's great for an overnight stay, but restaurants will be limited, and the airport itself is only about 20 minutes from just about anywhere in Miami. I recommend the beach area, but do some homework. I love using booking dot com (hope I'm not committing a mortal sin by saying such a thing) because it is free, very easy to compare places, locations, prices, and both making and cancelling reservations is very easy. Happy planning, and great to have you coming to the States.

Trust but verify. I doubt the Venetians will be allowing cruise ships back in any time soon. Those ships are tearing up the lagoon and canals.

Hamrag, if you have room in your suitcase, please pack me up and take me. Quoting my own pithy self, "Make your own decisions for your own reasons. And ask yourselves, just what is it about .... that makes it special to you? " You answered your own question, and came up with a very reasonable answer. I've heard poor things about your lines, but whether they were legitimate complaints or envy I have no idea. Perish the thought Azamara goes belly up or destroys their brand, Oceania and Windstar will probably get my business. Albeit not as often. I think your reply was certainly on par with the one EEC gave our new friends.

EEC has said it very well. We started on Azamara in 2010. We've had 2 cruises on Celebrity in the past few years - Alaska and Sydney to New Zealand intensive. Reason? We love Azamara, and I had never, ever heard a bad word about Celebrity from cruisers who had done both and were sailing with us on Azamara. I can't say it's day and night, but as I look back on it, yes, it is day and night. (NB: we just booked a Mumbai to Singapore via Sri Lanka/Thailand/Malaysia this December on Celeb.) Azamara is luxury from the moment you step aboard until you leave. You are treated that way if you are in an inside, guaranteed stateroom or the owners suite. The food is excellent throughout, and is hot. You are known by name almost from day 1. That said, there is NO nickle and diming you for a glass of water, a glass of wine, a cup of coffee in the overpriced specialty restaurants. The ships are small, intimate, and QUIET! Book a suite on Deck 8, you won't hear a band blasting music from Deck 5. (In our case, music on D3, Headache on D11). If you are eating in the MDR and forget something in your stateroom, you can leave, and return to your table in about 2 minutes. You won't experience heart failure hiking to the other end of the ship. The list goes on. As I said, we are sailing on Celebrity, noise, walking etc in December, Mumbai to Singapore. We had almost the same itinerary on Azamara a year ago, Dubai to Singapore. That would have run us about $9000 inside cabin, but we were able to knock off 6 nights because of a jump in status, plus onboard boarding, plus travel agent rebates. It was still expensive. Celebrity is hitting us up for $1000/head in December. I can swallow my pride and buy a coke or cup of coffee if I want, even with our status. Your interest in the suites - my line is if you've got the money, the mortgage is paid, the kids are off the payroll and you don't need a new car next month, spend it. After 10 years, we've discovered that our sweet spot for port intensive cruises is low category ocean view (never obstructed ocean view). Expensive cruise with an itinerary we would love but can't really afford - inside. Transatlantic with plenty of free time to use the veranda - veranda. Suites- when offered, or minimal price increase to upgrade. Make your own decisions for your own reasons. And ask yourselves, just what is it about Celebrity that makes it special to you? You may prefer it in the end, but Azamara is a joy to travel with. We are counting down the days to our B2B March 15 cruise with Azamara.

Yeah, I couldn't find it either. Aza provided a direct link to it through the email notification they sent me. Somehow I doubt that failure to fill it out will have any consequences, but, I followed the rules like a good passenger.

Hey, my wife travels with a sewing machine, as well as a tea pot and a selection of loose teas. Traveling with shampoo or soap should not be a big issue, weight or volume wise. (Coffee is quite good to excellent on board Azamara ships, but sadly, not in the MDR. Tea is tea bag tea, probably an American invention developed to insult our former English Ubermeisters, not to mention the world at large. Yes Virginia, there is excellent tea in America, that even the late Queen would approve of. My Queen schlepps hers along when we travel, to keep me sane and the staff happy. See, I do have a complaint about Azamara!

I believe it is a minimum of 90' prior to the initial departure. 30-45' when returning to the ship. Personally, I start to shake 90 minutes before sailing if I'm not back on board, unless I'm on a ship's tour.

Aza used to stock some really wonderful toiletries, alas the eco gunk they have been using for years now is not my favorite. Seriously, if there could be a problem bring your own favorites.

I'm sure the folks in the home office will be happy to let you keep the old price and credits. As I've told my TA on numerous occasions, I can buy a hell of a lot of martinis for $1000. $4200 would be a great down payment on a new liver. Carry a bottle of champagne on board to celebrate the drop in fare.

I have to stick my big nose in here. Table for two has never been an issue for us. We prefer them, and should you have a last minute change of plan and wish to dine with that new, interesting couple, that has never been a problem either. I love to say, you need to worry more about getting to the ship on time than any on board concerns. Have a great trip.

Interesting question. I/we have not gotten the booklet for the Rio crossing. However, just this past week I did get the booklet for our Iceland Intensive in late June. I just went to check it, assuming that it was for the Rio crossing, but surprise, it was not. The only thing we got was an e-mail informing us that we might be banished to St Helena Island if we failed to prove our passport information to Azamara for forwarding to the Portuguese authorities. I just entered our info. Should you see a late middle aged couple being dragged off the ship in shackles, rifles drawn, that would be us, and confirmation that the Azamara IT system still needs some work.

My two cents. It's fairly obvious for those of who who have been cruising with Azamara for years that the Azamazing Evenings are now a thing of the past. We have had about half a dozen evenings with entertainment brought on board over the past two years, it is still very enjoyable, but in no way comparable to getting off the ship, getting bused to an elegant venue, and enjoying, shall I dare say, "the local color." I understand cost cutting. I also understand honesty.

Interesting cruise! Looks like a recently added new route, and good for Azamara, transatlantic is our favorite itinerary with them. Sadly, we will be on a Greek B2B that week. That said, I'd be very wary weather wise. First, you cannot predict the weather, BUT it is hurricane season in the North Atlantic in October. Cunard touts the Queen Mary as the world's only OCEAN liner, not cruise ship, specifically designed to cross the North Atlantic year round, and they have weekly trips between New York and the UK. We have done multiple transatlantics with Azamara between Florida and Lisbon, the most recent brought us from Lisbon to Ft Lauderdale, landing on Nov 30. It was cold, chilly, rainy a little rough on this southern route; it was the first rough transatlantic we've ever had, and as I said, it was the southerly route. Finally, the pilgrims crossed from England to Boston(ish) in October. There was a reason they refused to make the return trip. I think if you anticipate crappy weather, and just go to enjoy the Azamara service and ship, you found yourself a great bargain. Go for it. If you want to lounge around the pool sipping a margarita in the warm sun, skip it and head for the Caribbean. Although it's still hurricane season down there too.

🤬Azamara's timing couldn't have been worse for us! We were on Quest in Nov '23, and she's looking a tad worn in spots. We will be on Quest from March 15 through April 8th, again Jun 22 through July 1, so we are missing the refurb. I promise, I won't write on the walls! Actually, we stole our April 1-8th cruise on Quest. The dry dock had been cancelled for that week, management scrambled to set up a cruise and fill it up, and we stole a rock bottom price. The good news is that we will be doing a B2B on Pursuit starting October 5 through the 19th - 3 weeks after coming out of dry dock.

Welcome to Azamara. We've met multiple solos (soloes?) over the years, and keep bumping into old friends, which is always a pleasure. Well, there was one instance when it wasn't a pleasure, but that's another story. There are hosted and unhosted get togethers, straight and some not so straight - the Azamara staff really goes out of its way to make their solo guests feel as comfortable as possible. No tables are set aside for solos per se, but the moment a group forms, the Maitre will be more than happy to accommodate you, and should you wish to dine alone, again, no problems. They are small ships, extremely friendly atmosphere, I don't think you will find any thing to worry about. Have a great time!

That is correct. It used to be four half bottles, I got a fifth of Tanqueray gin for our last suite stay.