Dr H

Royal, where will you be heading in March? Out of curiosity, you mention that you've been offered several deals via travel agents. May I ask how those deals compare to what Azamara posts on their web site? I'm really curious about now pricing outside of the US compares to UK and Australian prices. I just booked their 17 night Rio to Lisbon next March via my travel agent, and my final price, ultimately offered by Azamara to the TA, was significantly less than the best I could do on the Azamara web site directly. Cheers, perhaps the fates will have us meeting in several months.

I think I should report my latest experience that happened yesterday with Azamara. We are all bashing their IT. About 2 weeks ago I learned here on CC that the Quest dry docking in April was cancelled, and Aza was scrambling to add cruises to fill the downtime. I booked a 7 night cruise on the website, I didn't care where they were going, the price was rock bottom, and I grabbed it and I'd ask questions later. I had no problem making the booking, but pricing (at the time) was so low, I started searching for a B2B. I found one, a tad steep, but still doable. I slept on it for a couple of days, then decided to make the dreaded call to my travel agent and wait on interminable hold for the hour. My phone informed me that there would be at least a 15 minute wait, and the sweating started. They picked up in 2 rings. I apologized for what I was about to ask for, the TA laughed, took my info, asked me to hold while she contacted Azamara. This is at 4PM EDT mid week, I figured dinner couldn't get too cold. I think I was on hold for about 5 minutes. She got through to Azamara, switched a previous booking to cover the new one, booked the double upgrade with the $1000. OBC, and then proceeded to inform me that the price would be about $1500 LESS than the price listed on the web site. Service with the TA and Azamara was prompt, efficient, and old style. My only complaint, I like being able to choose my room, which I no longer can do, or at least directly. Otherwise, service on the ground could not have been better, or faster. I will be happy to criticize and complain, when it is appropriate. Yesterday's experience was what we were getting three or four years ago, and that's a good thing! Gary Bembridge, yes, I still love you, but you need to get your act together, you are slipping badly.

We've done the French table 2 or 3 times. Food was excellent, as were the wines, but mavins that we are, I still prefer the Italian dinner. The food is fine in both, I think the wine pairing in Italian was better, but having lived in Italy for almost 8 years, I'm prejudiced. Our Arabic table was also cancelled on Dubai to Singapore, ANGER! As for the Rijsttafel, we've done it twice. One would think that with so many Indonesian staff, they could get it right. Awful x 2, and I love Rijsttafel. Save your money, go to Amsterdam, and get a proper Rijsttaffle there!

Definitely looking forward to my cruise on this horrid cruise line in 2 weeks! So Azamara, what are you going to do to lure me back to the terrible service, the awful food, the miserable staff, and the ramshackled boats? What, you offered a cruise at below cost, and I like a fool sprang for it?! THANK YOU DOUBLE TIME! Look, there is no argument about the IT folks and the web site. But Azamara? I'm hooked for life, and I/we are NOT going anywhere.

I know the doors can open, whether or not the crew will open them for you or not, you'll have to find out on board. I don't recall seeing any hooks to keep the doors open or not. Ask...

I agree completely!

Perhaps many of us wanted to take a club to the Azamara Web site, and by removing the term, it implies less hostility now toward the Azamara IT folks?

We've done multiple B2Bs in the past, we have one coming up momentarily under the "new (?)" system. As mentioned, new keys, credit card swipes, can be done the day before following the routine B2B meeting in the Theater. We've stayed aboard on some occasions, had a full day in port on others. Bottom line, make plans, don't worry, enjoy the day. Whether or not you go through the muster drill again will depend on the phase of the moon, combined with which way the wind is blowing, north or south of the equator. Enjoy yourselves.

Dare I ask?

Folks, if you are still interested, I did broach the subject with DW again, because she is having this essential procedure done in about 2 weeks, prior to our Nov cruising. We have OBC up the wazoo on both cruises, so why not wait rather than make me pay with real money? Overall she has been very happy with the work done onboard, with the caveat that onboard pricing is roughly twice what she would pay on the ground (Atlanta area) and most importantly, the color selections on board are much more limited than you would have on the ground. What did I say last posting about the Y chromosome?

I thank god every morning I was born with a Y chromosome. (Yeah, I live with the same problem...)

As a rule, I really love the guy's YouTube videos. He raised the Azamara alarm more than a year ago, and I think that alarm was quite justified. I was very surprised to see that this current video was posted less than two weeks ago. The line also had a scathing review from two cruisers about 8 months ago. I don't think there is any question that Azamara's customer service is about as low get, and not improving at any rapid pace. This is cause for major concern. Had I not been cruising with them for 10 years, yes, I would definately have second thoughts about traveling with them. That said, we continue to hear overwhelming approval of on board service. My eyes are open. I have deposits down on two rather pricey B2Bs in Summer, 2025. That is a long time from now, and I hope I'm alive in 2025. We leave for Rome in about 4 weeks for a B2B. If things are sketchy I will be posting. If things are great I'll be posting. As for bad reviews, as our moderator can attest, all of us have an occasional bad day. And I firmly believe in an old political quote, "Trust, but verify."

Frustrating yes. When it comes to on shore IT service one hand is clueless as to what the left foot is doing. I would call back, the chance of your getting the same rep is slim, and you may get a different answer. Or a confirmation of the initial info. Best of luck, we all are going to need it! (We sail B2B first week of November.)

Excellent questions! I/we've upgraded to suite level on several occasion, and it is a very pleasant experience. First, I had no idea that the alcohol in the mini-fridge were complementary, not that there is much there. Be advised that Aza allows you to bring alcohol on board, complementary in your room, there is a minimal corkage fee if you bring your own bottle into one of the restaurants. As posted at the beginning, you have unlimited access to the specialty restaurants, you will need reservations, however. The only downside there is that the menus are limited, but on a 7 or 12 day cruise you shouldn't have any problem eating your way through both of them. Should you wish to dine in your room or on your veranda, your poor butler will have to get dressed in his tails and gloves to serve you, you have dining from the MDR, and possibly from Prime C and Aqualina too, however I may be wrong on that one. The service was so good my DW, who is happiest when complaining, begged the butler to come home with us. He declined. Back to in room alcohol. You are provided with 4, half bottles. Scotch, Rum, Vodka, Gin. They can be switched. I requested a single bottle of Tanqueray 10, I got a full bottle of Tanqueray 1. Oh, you get a bathtub. It's a very expensive bathtub, but it is a bathtub. Sadly, the suites are priced out of my budget these days, I'd rather bunk with the inside steerage folks and be able to afford a second cruise instead. However, if you've got the money, the kids have shoes, and the roof isn't leaking, what are you saving it for? Have a wonderful anniversary (we hit #48 this week), and enjoy every minute on board! (The lamb chops in Prime C are really, really good. I actually recommend an American Merlot or a Right Bank Bordeaux to go with it. This from the guy who likes to say "Life is too short for Merlot").

It's a pain in the butt rule, but it is enforced, and you can find yourself unable to even depart from your home port if you are in the 6 month limit. I turn back into a pumpkin in November, 2024. We've got a cruise booked for May. I'm not risking going without a passport during the month of September, just in case! And we have a huge passport backlog here in the US, a 3 month wait time is not unheard of, so I'm renewing in early winter. You are going to have to renew anyway, in the cosmic scheme of things, the financial loss of renewing early in minimal. Do it. It's cheaper than a doctor's visit and the cost of the anxiety meds.

NO!!! You are retired for a REASON! Scrunch your eyes shut, pull out the credit card, and JUST DO IT!!! The food goes in the freezer, the kids can figure it out for themselves. The dog wants you to go. And there are NO guarantees in life, which just happens to turn on a dime. Tomorrow is never promised.

RE The Transatlantic. Our favorites. Usually we get to the port city a few days before departure and play tourist. Once on board, the immersion is the ship, subdued luxury at every corner, figuring out the best time to go for coffee, do we want to go into the pool or hang out under a blanket and watch the world, or maybe a flying fish go by. There are no Azamazing Evenings on the transatlantics. I'm pretty certain there is a White Night - extensive buffet on the pool deck served by the crew and officers. Very nice party. It's just pure relaxation, almost no running around like a chicken without a head, worrying about getting back on time, if there's enough time to shower, get dinner, and the show. There are always lectures, some better than others. But for the most part, you get on board, and reset your adrenaline dial. Hope this helps. Oh, ultimate tip: East to West beats out West to East hands down. For your money, they give you back time zone hours rather than stealing them. It makes a difference! And since I'm babbling again, your fears about the "growing pains" Yes, it would sound ominous to a newbie, however there have been multiple postings since the insanity began regarding the quality of the cruises themselves. Apparently there is none of the on the ground grief on board the actual cruises. Service apparently is fine, the ships are beautiful, perhaps a bit scuffed here and there on some, the food is great. If you want an elegant, relaxed cruise on a small, intimate ship, don't hesitate to join us. Several of us here will be on the Nov 7 Lisbon to Ft Lauderdale if you care to join us. If you do, let us know, I've got a great little port wine shop right near the dock in Lisbon. No restrictions on bringing alcohol on board...

Of course I realize that! That's why I phrased it the way I did. It's more fun to complain than to point out the good things, and for better or worse, I/we've come to expect those incredible, small, very meaningful touches, like the local honey. Things would not be in this current state if Larry Pimentel was still the CEO, but sadly, he isn't. Still in my book, Azamara is a fantastic product. I can only hope they shoot the IT team, and start from scratch. That said, I find Azamara to be so terrible that I just booked another cruise with them, departing April 1. And I've been on the itinerary already, I want the ambiance of the ship!

Seriously, which is more fun to do, complain about how awful your experience was, or how great it was? I hate to say it, but bringing local honey on board is something I would have taken for granted on Azamara, and probably part of the reason I've found our two cruises with Celebrity to be pretty unremarkable. We were waiting to board in Rome a year ago, the Hotel Director was coming off the ship walking away from us, spotted us out of the corner of his eye, turned around, and came running. He addressed my wife by name, and asked if the 4 month old grandchild was a boy or a girl? Delivery was supposed to be when we got home from the previous cruise, it was moved up, and he never found out which. You can't make this stuff up, the warmth and the caring is genuine! As is the fresh fish or the honey. So yes, there has been a lot of negative stuff, and a lot of it justified. But in the end, Azamara is going to have to mess up pretty badly in our book before we switch away from them. Enjoy your next cruise. We are currently counting down 47 days.

Lobster tail are one of the order-able goodies not on the daily menu. I've posted elsewhere that I once asked the Maitre' if I could get a lobster tail appetizer in Aqualina. The answer was neither yes nor no. It was "How many?" When I asked for 2, the answer was NO! He came out with a pile, and insisted on my having 5. Luckily my wife relieved me of several. So the answer to your question is "Yes". (Kevin, we Long Island guys have to stick together. V.S. here.)

Not to make a MOUNTAIN out of a molehill, the wording is "can", not "should". Not to inconvenience the staff, but for my brand loyalty, I feel no sense of shame ordering Prime C's doughnuts for dessert in Aqualina. But why would I go to Aqualina to order the bone in rib-eye? (Unless one of the restaurants is shut down, as it was a year ago shortly after service resumed.)

The only way to book the restaurant tours early is to be on a B2B cruise. Basically, you have to physically be on the ship to make the advanced reservation. That said, getting reservations is not as difficult as it has been made to sound, especially if you want an early or a late seating. PS, you can order anything from the Aqua restaurant in Prime C, and visa versa, and if you give them a day or two heads up, there is a lot you can order that isn't on any menu! PPS: The Prime C Doughnuts are truly amazing, as is the Dover Sole (Sole isn't on the menu).

OUCH regarding using a CC for acquiring cash! We are looking at close to 20% surcharge for a cash advance!

The ship does, but I believe that is where they put the ship's dungeon. Deck 3 Forbidden is!

As of our Nov/Dec '22 cruises on Quest, only dollars were available via the onboard ATMs, the Euro machine was removed. That said, Euros were available for purchase for Dollars at Guest Relations, as were any of the local currencies. (Turns out that I brought Russian Rubles on our 2019 Transpacific. After returning from Petropavlovsk, where I came close to arrest by the Russian/Soviet authorities, Azamara would not exchange them. Not that I'd blame them. Turns out that my famous, greedy San Francisco based bank DID take them back, and I actually made about $1.00 on the deal!) Anyway, take dollars with you, get some Euro's on board, buy what you need with a credit card, or get cash on shore from any ATM machine. Oh, notify your bank that you are traveling and charges may come through.