Dr H

Smart guy that I am, I never even though of milk spoilage as the reason for this quirk. Thank you for that brilliant bit of trivia!

Okay, I just opened my AOV flyer this evening, and I've never heard of these folks. My first thought was, if it sounds too good to be true, it is. My second thought was to see if these folks are even legitimate. Anyone (except me) can put up a web site, send out a few thousand fliers, take the money and run. Okay again, they are real, confirmed on multiple website, CC included. Third, just what are the prices? The pricing is much too good to be true given what this company is offering, and it's VERY confusing. Open the brochure, 12N London to Lisbon, Oct 2, 2024. "Second guest always sails free. Per guest fares starting from: Before Promo price $13.5K. AFTER promos are applied: $6,200." Okay (x3), $13.5 is a bogus fare. Per person starts at $6200. The MILLION $$$ Question: How much goes onto my credit card if I'm traveling with my wife? $6.2K? 12.4K ? If it's $12.4, what happened to our free sailing guest, or is she in one of the life boats? This is unquestionably bait and switch, which all the cruise lines engage in to some degree (Celebrity being the worst). From what I'm seeing on line and in the brochure, I really am interested in sailing with them. But not if a $1,600 fare per person/$6200 cabin balloons up to a 5 figure price I don't. In fact, they will never see my business in the future if that's the case. Anyone?

You have hurt my feelings, which is an assault on his royalty, and I'm heading to my safe space! No, I am a converted Italian, and part of the religion only permits the consumption of cappuccino before 11:30 in the morning. Brand of coffee doesn't matter, timing does. After 11:30AM, it's espresso ONLY. What the Americans or Brits choose to drink is their problem. My wife and her Mah Jong meyechele (it's a tribal word some may understand, and translates poorly into English and Italian is impossible) is strictly her business. Although it doesn't sound bad. UK: I read you loud and clearly. The only place I go out of my way to put sugar and cream in my coffee is in Holland. I don't know how they do it, but that is truly a treat. Anywhere else, BLACK is beautiful, but you cannot make a black cappuccino.

AH! I've finally got a reason to bash the horrible service you get on Azamara. Don't order the coffee in the MDR, at least on Quest and Journey. Slop water and invariably tepid. Terrible cruise line, just terrible. I'd spoken to Heike when she still graced us about this, and she confirmed that the same coffee is used throughout the ship - MDR, Mosaic, and Windows. Seriously, MDR coffee is not good, Mosaic is excellent. As for Mosaic, I've seen Illy in the past, and it's hard getting a bad cup there. Currently, honestly I don't know what brand they are using. (We are purists, cappuccino or espresso before 11:30 in the morning, espresso only after 11:30AM. DW has become somewhat more adventurous in recent cruises, cappucci in a tall glass after adding their hot chocolate mix, then add either ice or ice cream. Enjoy your next cruise, and may the coffee brand they use be you biggest problem.

Regarding price drops, your crystal ball is just as good as mine. Prices on all cruise line seem to be going through the roof - part of it is to make up for losses during the pandemic, and then there is world wide inflation. That said, we are Azamara lovers, and have been on two Celebrity cruises in the past year and a half. Consider this, however. Azamara IS all inclusive. They won't be asking you for $17 per person, per day for gratuities. Alcohol is included, that's wine, beer, hard stuff lunch, dinner, probably breakfast. We were in the Italian specialty restaurant on Celebrity - and hit with a $60 pp surcharge, and dinner did NOT include wine, and more insulting, a cup of coffee was an additional $5 pp. Ice cream - there is a surcharge. Cake and pastry - a surcharge. Self service laundry - not available; free (including soap) on Azamara. If you wish to carry alcohol on board Azamara for consumption in your room, no charge. When we did the Celebrity arithmetic, our cruises were less expensive than Azamara, but not by much. As for upgrades/price drops, that has been the rule for us here in the US. Prices have dropped, the new price has been honored. We are on a 12D Med cruise this November. I booked an inside room, and within a month or so, Aza announced a sale, I upgraded to an unobstructed Ocean View, and still had about $1000 come off my final price. Will it happen again? The crystal is murky, but I doubt it. One last note re Ocean View - I strongly advise AGAINST the obstructed view cabins, regardless of the price. The rooms are glorified closets. They are great for a single traveler, not a couple. We did it once, never again. Final point, since price is an issue. We prefer Veranda cabins, but for port intensive cruises, you will not get the opportunity to use the veranda very much. There is a huge savings booking OV over Veranda. And the OV room is modestly larger than the living space in the Veranda cabin. Final final point: The only difference between a V1/V2/V3 cabin is the physical location on these relatively small ships. No difference in amenities/service/size. That can also be a huge financial savings. We once had a Veranda V3 cabin two doors down from the Owner's Suite at the back of the ship. Same minimal rocking, but the owner shelled out about $12,000 more than we did. Have a great trip, whatever you decide.

Commodore, I am in total agreement with you. Just keep in mind that it is always more fun, and invariably more profitable, to write about an individual's problem than something boring like a great cruise product. There is no question about the communications mess Azamara has dug itself into. However, it's much easier to get through to them now than it was 3 months ago. I had a major problem with them pre-fiasco. It took weeks of not hearing from them before it was corrected. But it was corrected completely in my favor. Last year I seem to have stowed away on one of my B2B cruises. No joke, I never paid for one of my cruises. They found me out, asked me to come down to Guest Relations which I did. They denied they would have me walk the plank, gave me plenty of time to contact my bank(s) and credit cards to show them proof of payment, and when I couldn't they very graciously took my credit card payment. The issue was handled with aplomb, and very professionally. So yes, I'm an Azamara cheerleader. I know they are shooting themselves in the foot. They gave me time, I'm giving them time to fix all of their issues. And I'm optimistic. In the end, Sycamore wants to make money, not lose it.

Personally, I'm very patient. I've had some minor issues with them. Haven't sailed with Az since last Nov/December, and both B2Bs were the standard, Azamara excellence. Cruises coming up in November, I can't wait to get on board. And I've got deposits down for August, 2025. Plenty of time to cancel, in the very unlikely event that things actually do go bad. 2 customers screaming about poor service is less than credible, considering the number of silent folks, like me, who aren't complaining, and are coming back for more. Time will tell, but I'm not abandoning ship for Oceania just yet.

If you didn't get one in your room, ask for one at guest relations. We got ours last December that way, along with an apology for one not being left in the room.

If it's any help, last year we were on a series of 5, B2B journeys with Azamara. True, it before this IT xxx whatever you want to call it. Somehow, I wound up not paying for one of the cruises. The deposit had been paid, all the other cruises were fine. I got an invoice from Guest Relations for several thousand dollars. Yes, I had had a premium single malt in Prime C the night before, but seriously? I went down, they explained the situation, I told them I was certain I paid that bill months ago, and how was I allowed onboard if I hadn't? They couldn't answer, and suggested I contact my credit card company. Which I did. Turns out my ... travel agency was not managing the reservation, so I never got a final bill, and Azamara never contacted me with the charges. Luckily the reservation was NOT cancelled for non payment, and everything was handled very diplomatically. No problem paying the bill with my credit card, I can't say I was embarrassed, but I still wonder how I got on as a stowaway. I would guess that if you have your papers, all will settle itself out. You might want to get copies of your credit card invoices to take with you before you leave - showing your deposit and payment. Good luck.

I can't specifically answer your question, BUT the "quality" of the rooms is absolutely the same whether you book a V1, V2, or V3, as is the on board service. The only difference is the physical location on the small ship, V1 in the center, V3 forward bow or rear stern, and V2 sort of wedged between the 1 and 3. I'm guessing XP is a guaranteed Veranda Plus, which gives you a few of the VP perks (which IMHO are much less expensive to purchase than to buy as the Veranda Plus Package.) I have cruised "guaranteed" on several occasions, and it was a brilliant, money saving move. The worst we ever settled for was a rear cabin, 2 doors down from one of the Owner's Suites. If Inside Room is your thing (and it probably should be) for a) short i.e. 7 nights and b) port intensive i.e. "If it's Tuesday, this must be Belgium", look at the difference in price between choosing your room and their choosing the room. If you save $75 by going Guaranteed, personally, I'd shell out the big bucks. If it's $1000 difference, it really is a no brainer. Remember, all the rooms, all the services are the same! In your case, $3000 is almost an entire 2nd cruise. Go Guarantee Veranda. You will probably get a V3 category room, but then again, you just might get a 2 or a 1. Have a great trip!

Fair enough, MJ. I would point out that Aza allows you to bring your own alcohol on board for consumption in your room. Excursions not included, again truly fair enough, but I'm sure the 6* lines pad their prices to cover all the extras. I hate being nickeled and dimed to death, but the bar gratuities are included, even if the bar tab asks for one. I hate tipping, we chose our first cruise ever in 1984 with Holland America because of their tipping policy. (Haven't been back with them since 1984, but that's another story.)To me, your most valid point is the MDR. The two of us usually dine together. Meeting people makes for a great table for 4, but beyond that, who can hear what Ms X is saying at the other end? This is a very real problem as far as I'm concerned with the Chef's Tables. 8 couples are fascinating, but who can hear them? So yes, you are right on that point. No enrichment lectures? You had to be on a transatlantic or a fluke. I always miss the ones I want to go to, and invariably, they are recorded and can be watched in your cabin. As for the daily news letter, Die Furher in unser family makes certain that the social director has Mah Jong sets on board, and that quilters and sewers are proved with space to do their thing. Me? I head over to the Thallasso deck. I truly hope you cruise with them again. They are fabulous people and the warmth they offer is truly genuine. And as I like to say, no, I'm not a paid cheerleader for them, but if they offer tips or gratuities, of course I'll take them! The only reason I don't work for them or seek work with them is because I won't leave my family for extended periods of time. Best wishes, hope to meet you sometime in the cruising future. David

MJ, without sounding facetious, just what is it about Azamara you don't care about? We've never sailed with Regent, and would like to know, I guess for a more balanced opinion of the line. Thanx. David

I knew it was one of you! Still remember the last time I saw you. Prime C the night before disembarkation. We had been planning on staying in Italy for the week prior to the cruise, but with Sandie's pending surgery and not really knowing how she would be doing by november, I opted to cut short. We are leaving Atlanta on Sunday, getting into Rome Monday AM. Hopefully dinner at Hostaria Romana or Dino e Tony's, and heading out to the pier on Tuesday. Do you still have the same email address? I can let you know the rest of the plans. David

My complaint with Celebrity is the physical size of the ships. DW has had some serious back issues for the past year and a half, and walking has been very difficult, to put it mildly. Going from room to MDR or Buffet was a MAJOR issue. You don't have that on Azamara. The mobs and noise on Celebrity have not been our cup of tea. There was just no escape from the decibel level on D3 up the elevator shaft to the Library area on D7 (or was it D9?) Huge ship, huge crowds, more than our fair share of screaming, running, splashing kids, not to mention young "adults". Food was very good on Celebrity, surprisingly so at times. Alas it arrived cold more often than not, and I heard that complaint from several Celebrity addicted passengers too. Never happened to me on Azamara. Service on Celebrity, two cruises, and truly excellent both times. We got off our most recent Sydney to Auckland cruise and both of us came to the conclusion that if the itinerary was really to our liking AND the pricing was exceptional, we wouldn't hesitate to book. Otherwise, we would rather cruise less, and pay more to travel with Azamara. My 2 cents, and highly subjective of course. Oh, regarding price points, no question that Celebrity is cheaper, BUT once you add in the inflated costs of shore excursions, the nickel and diming over coffee, tea, ice cream, a glass of wine, and evening martini, or their upgraded packages, price difference becomes minimal between the two. Celebrity rooms are also larger than Azamara, especially the inside rooms. As I said, I'll travel with Celebrity again, but I will go out of my way to travel with Azamara.

Diana, is that you? It's going to be fantastic seeing you again.

Honestly, there is no real comparison between Celebrity and Azamara. If your wife doesn't want to join you in October, I'll be happy to volunteer. Seriously, we've been on 2 Celebrity cruises in recent years, I've never heard a bad word about Celebrity from Azamara guests, and there just is no comparison between the two. Azamara is light years ahead of Celebrity.

I've been wracking my brains trying to remember your names. Yep. Memorable trips, I'll try to remember to bring our pix with us. For the record, Sandie just had back surgery. She developed sciatica symptoms about a year and a half ago (while cruising), and has been getting progressively worse. She's had severe, intractable leg pain for about 6 months now, and had 2 discs removed this past week some lower back remodeling. I'm happy to report her back pain was cured, she's now recovering for surgery doing extremely well. Got bitten by the new covid bug this week, again mild cold symptoms only, no fever or any of the other good stuff, and is in full recovery mode. Surgery was timed for the recovery period to get on board the ship. Personally, I'm counting the seconds to get on board that ship! (We were in Bali in December, unfortunately (and very luckily I have to say), we didn't get back to John Hardy. Magnificent jewelry, very expensive) G2G, good hearing from you, great hearing that you are still with us. Any chance of your joining us? We are starting on the Rome to Lisbon run Nov 7, then going onto Florida. Great hearing from EVERYONE. David

Gymfreak, I don't recall the nom-d'plume "gymfreak", but I definitely remember the two of you on the Indonesia cruise. If I'm not mistaken, I caught up with you at a bar in Ubud, you ordered me a beer, and I was 90% dead from the heat. Mrs. G has blond hair. And I believe Mr G has a very broad "yes" when he speaks. That or I've got you confused with the weird guy who sold electric chairs. Wow! Looking forward to seeing you again. David

And Los Angeles is about to get a hurricane! I had no idea that Edinburgh could have such rough weather in the middle of the summer. Having had the pleasure of a North Sea gale on Azamara once, I'm happy to pass.

Honestly, I don't think you can. HOWEVER, shortly after boarding we head to the restaurant reservation area. When my wife remembers, we request the theme night listing, and they usually have them. Then you coordinate themes, your schedule, White Nights, shore excursions, and hope there isn't a last second change. Good luck. Bottom line, ask someone who will have the answer for you as soon as you get on board. And invariably, within the first hours, you can change reservations as needed. Happy travels. David

No, it isn't difficult if you are flexible. About a year and a half ago, we were on multiple B2Bs just after Azamara started sailing again. Aqualina was closed, due to low census on board, and the two restaurants were combined. At that time, yes, we were turned away several times. Back to the future, we were B2B from Dubai to Singapore and on to Perth Australia. Both restaurants were open, no issues at all getting reservations. Word of caution, there are themed nights in the buffet, with some spillover of menu items in the MDR. Some are better than others. Try to check the themes before you reserve the specialty restaurants. Menus don't change in the specialties, and you might miss that special German dinner in the buffet because you insisted on going for the Steak Diane or the Veal Chop upstairs. These are good problems to have. Enjoy!

Hello Joe and Doris. I'll be very happy to visit in your basic suite in November - you guys order the shrimp, I'll bring the champagne. We're on a B2B, Wonders of the Med or some such title, Rome to Lisbon, then on to FLL (or is it Miami?). We are ocean view on the Med cruise, almost daily ports, we won't need the larger space or bath tub, which would be nice, but not for that amount of $$$. Veranda across the pond. We've done the basic suites a few time, dyed in the wool, fanatic Azamara customers, they just aren't worth the thousands of dollars more, in our humble opinion. If you've got the money to blow, the kids are working, and the IRS isn't after you, blow the money. Wish I could, I can't, and frankly, don't miss it. I can buy a LOT of ultimate end single malts and still save over a suite. Can't buy the packages beforehand? Yeah, it would be nice, you will have no trouble at any time on board buying them. It's a long, quiet boat ride, with only 1 stop. As for your "Can't do..." list, everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, here on CC hears you, understands the frustrations, is as PO'd about it as you are. That said, I haven't read a single posting on CC complaining of poor service or any degradation of service on board the ships. You have booked passage on a very high quality product, from amenities, to ship size, to food, and most importantly, from the on board staff, from housekeeping to cruise director to captain. Please, with your posted schedule, you need to be worried more about getting to the airport, catching your Uber, than worrying about purchasing an ultimate liquor package! Sailing with Aza since 2010, please trust me when I say we've never had a bad cruise with them. We've sailed with Celebrity twice now, good, but most definitely NOT Azamara by a long shot. Looking forward to meeting you on November 20th. By the way, there is a fantastic little Port wine shop in Lisbon near the pier called Garrafeira Nacional. If you like port, take a peak, you can bring it on board without a problem. (No, I don't work for them, and any kick backs or bribes will be graciously accepted, though not expected.) David

EEC, I was not aware of the internet upgrade. Thank you, it is something we use.

Sadly, since the divorce your RC status is now gone with Azamara. You gave up a free bag of laundry every week of cruising, along with a significant percentage off the cost of their slow internet. You abandoned one or two cocktail parties. You lost about 10-20% discount on spa treatments. You lost a low percentage off the price of a future cruise booked on board. My guestimate, you lost between $50-75. worth of on board credits. Actually, the loyalty program is nice, BUT the overall level of everything on Azamara, service, food, alcohol is so excellent that loss of status doesn't mean very much in the end. As for bookings, you probably know that currently Azamara is extremely difficult to work with because of IT problems. On board service has not been affected, but reservations/stuff than needs to be done on the ground is not what it should be. Normally we book through our Big Box Store travel agent, it can still be done, but it's tough. However, most recently I've booked on line on the Azamara web site, no issues at all. You have several weeks to contact the travel agent of your choice, and switch over to whoever you choose. MAKING a reservation is easy. Followup can be a bit problematic, but hardly impossible. At the moment, cruises are offering a $300 OBC, the "free nights" or $$$ off for the next person is really smoke and mirrors. My bottom line, we've been sailing with Azamara since 2010, and have been on several Celebrity cruises since then. We have NO plans on abandoning Azamara anytime soon. Their current problems will be worked out, eventually. The quality of their product does not have to change. Read the fine print at the bottom of their web site, and have a wonderful time.

$95 pp per table is probably correct. If you go into the Azamara web site under deals, there is a dining package available for the three chef's tables listed at $250. per person. That would translate to $84 per meal, per person, which makes the individual $95 price look pretty accurate. For the record, we've been on many Aza cruises, with a significant number of C.T.s on board, and they are not equal. The French and Italian are pretty standard, both excellent, personally I prefer the Italian to the French. I have found on several occasions, the Italian wines selected were far superior to the French. We have had a "California" experience (I could have stayed home for that), and a nouveau-Japanese on a sailing to Japan. It was nouveau as advertised. It was not Japanese, nor were the wines, etc. Hey, even I make mistakes sometimes. Bottom line, the dining packages will save a few dollars, not a great deal, but there is the psychological satisfaction of saving some money, and the Chef's Table is actually superior dining to either Prime C or Acqualina, and both Prime and Acqua are tough acts to follow. Hope this helps you, start dieting now, and put the food money towards the cruise, and just have a wonderful time. (And ignore the IT grief the company is giving you, everything is going to be wonderful on board.)