Dr H

WOW. We have been sailing with Azamara since 2010. We've been in suites on several occasions, verandas most of the time, and I was totally, and I mean TOTALLY, unaware of this! And this OCD crazy person actually travels/flies with a tape measure! I never knew. Okay, I prefer the gestalt of Deck 7, rooms surrounded on all sides by quiet passengers. I do not like Deck 8, there is always something going on over my head, and I've just paid a couple of thousand more than I had to for a more comfy, larger, noisier room. Six is okay, and they can never put you next to the laundry. I will be pulling out the tape measure in November. I don't know if I should thank you Phil, or put an evil curse on you for sharing that sacred information. David

A VERY wise man once said, "Trust, but verify." I've heard similar horror stories on board, pre shake up (or is it "shake down"?), of flights disappearing into the ethereal ether. If YOU made the air reservations, you are probably fine, BUT! If someone other than you made the reservations, it really behooves YOU to confirm, and then reconfirm, that those flights really do exist!

Mosaic was mentioned for light bites. I wouldn't call it "lunch", but it can suffice in a bind. I don't think you realize just how small the ships are! We got an el-cheapo Alaska cruise a year and a half ago on Celebrity Millennium, and for what I paid, I was content to share a bathroom in the boiler room with a guy who shoveled the coal. Millennium is just under 1000 feet long, and sleeps 2200 plus a crew of 1000 - it's big, but they build 'em a LOT bigger. We were in the rear. My wife has been developing walking issues, surgery is currently pending on her back, and let me tell you, getting from our room to the nearest elevator was NO joy, for either of us and especially her. It was a LONG walk, back and forth, and everywhere in between. Bad back and getting worse, we were on Azamara Quest for 5 weeks this past winter, 590 feet long, with two sets of elevators, each about 1/3 the way down the corridors. Sandie had no walking issues, and perish the thought there were, there are wheel chairs available if needed. She needed them only to get on and off the ship and out of the port. I don't think you are going to that difficult a time getting around. Acqualina is lovely for breakfast, it is at the back of the ship, one deck above you. (I think the variety in the buffet, which is not the size of a small football stadium, is better, but that's my opinion.) Your outdoor dining locations at lunch are pool "side" and the Sunset Bar area behind the buffet, and indoors in Windows Cafe, which is the buffet. Honestly, I think you are better off worrying about how you will be getting to the ship, and not where you can eat. And don't worry about worrying the poor Butler, I don't think they serve very many dinners, and it is a lovely option on your veranda, and do a wonderful, very personal job. Have a great trip, and make the rest of us jealous of your suite accommodations.

Lunch is only served in the MDR on sea days. Breakfast is daily, as is dinner. If I'm not mistaken, full main dining room service is available in your room, served by your esteemed butler, if you are in a suite. Regardless, walking from point A to point B anywhere on the ship is not a big task, the ships are wonderfully small. Have a great vacation!

From personal experience, it isn't a scam, BUT. Two years ago we bopped from Discoverer to Discoverer Plus level, which "gave" us 6 free nights. We were onboard, and booked Dubai to Singapore, a long and very expensive cruise. Canadian Matt on board Quest worked some magic, and poof! Six free nights! The caveat was that the never paid, full price per person for. the cruise was the starting price, not the onboard discounted prices. We still saved a bucket of money, but the only OBC we got was because we were on a B2B trip. It looks good on paper, and it might be a great deal in specific instances as it was for us, but do the math before handing them your credit card. Best of luck. Oh, Dubai to Singapore was an amazing trip! Great people, very enjoyable ports, and of course the wonderful ON BOARD service.

I would unquestionably recommend Azamara. There is no way in hell I would recommend their IT company, nor would I hire the Azamara employee who recommended that company to the Azamara board. But from what I've been reading on CC by people who were currently on Azamara cruises, nothing has changed regarding the quality of the cruise, the staff, the food, or the ambiance.

Certified mail, return receipt requested, label the envelope personal and confidential. Keep a copy of everything you send in the envelope. If you have a friend who is a lawyer, have him or her include a secondary letter to the CEO. Legal letters are intimidating. I have to say, I'm surprised at the run around you are getting. We've had some relatively minor issues, all was corrected rather quickly. Good luck.

I booked a week ago. I had to sell one of my grandchildren into slavery to pay for it, but we still have another one, so it's good. Anyway, we are doing Montreal to Reykjavik, then B2B on to Copenhagen. With luck, we will get to meet well before these cruises. David

Good hearing from you Bill! Enjoy, and best from S and me to Diana. David

Having gotten back to Atlanta in mid January after 12 days Sydney to Auckland on the competition, I am more that a tad jealous of you guys. Bay of Islands might not be ideal for hiking - it's a lot of islands - but the country is magnificent, and the scenery is something out of Jurassic Park. We were in Australia for about 2 weeks before NZ, and I left calling Australia "awesome" in the original sense of the word, not the Millenium's concept. I left NZ, basically speechless. Wish we could join you.

RE Diabetes, possibly, I would love to take credit, but honestly, I don't remember. I'm one of the few guys who loves cruising because I lose weight. If you watch the carbs, and WALK, you lose weight, fat, and sugars go down. There are a number of new(er) meds out there that work magic in keeping numbers down AND lead to weight loss. I'd love to put myself on one of them, but the price of losing 60lbs is about the same as an Azamara cruise so...

Glad you decided, and you probably made the right choice. For YEARS Azamara has had a post Labor Day sale of double upgrade, Inside to Veranda for the inside price. I would not be at all surprised if you never get to see that inside cabin. Keep us posted, and have a fantastic trip! 18 days, it doesn't get much better than that.

Alas. Wasn't planning on going anywhere with RC anyway, but thanks for the heads up.

DW and I were living out of the country in the '70d, and we didn't grow up with SNL. Seeing those faces, and they were young is kind of incredible! Amazing that '78 was 45 years ago. Anyway, that's Carnival service, not Azamara.

And buried in the fine print it says the credit expires at the end of the cruise. Can't take it with you for next time.

I just found the Viking vs Azamara posts. I will have to take a peek, but we are Azamara loyalists to the end. Here is a small point to consider. Quest will be making these sailings, and will be undergoing dry dock refurb in March or April, 2024. We were advised of this last winter while we were on board, and there are scattered references to the refurb in several scattered posts. It's going to be a new(ish) ship. (Hope they would get rid of that hideous chandelier in the MDR.)

Works for us. We're on Onward in November, out of Rome with a diabetic friend, and she was curious. Thank you, I shall pass on this vital info!

The Alzheimer's is setting in, I don't remember coke or pepsi (I don't drink the stuff), but I do remember Schwepps tonic water in our little fridge, and Coca Cola owns the company. I don't gamble, but I'd put $5 down on Coke. Oh, asking for a friend, does Azamara sail with diet tonic water?

I would call Azamara directly. The divorce became official several months ago, and it is my belief, and I could be wrong, that you would not be able to transfer over your status to Azamara at this time. They are now two different corporations, it sound to me that it would be like requesting Discoverer+ status to a Cunard cruise. We were luck with Celebrity, and had an unexpected 1 week Alaska cruise with Celebrity in May, 2022. There was no issue booking our Discoverer+ Azamara number onto that cruise without a problem. We booked Celebrity From Sydney to Auckland in January 2023, post divorce, our fancy status remained. I need to find out how long we can retain it before we need to cruise again with Celebrity. Similarly, while I have no RC plans, I am guessing that I can no transfer my Celebrity status to RC, but again, I don't know. Call Azamara! In the end, status buys you a bag of laundry, and some complementary minutes of slow Internet service.

I shall run this past DW. I know she took a price list with her last December, whether or not we still have it, I don't know. For what it's worth, gratuities are included when they hand you the bill, you are not "required" to tip a second time. I haven't succeeded it teaching my DW that little factoid yet.

Joe, they do have 2 Macallans on board and a third single malt (don't remember which). One of the Macallans is "Quest". Which I first had ON Quest. Runs just under $10 for a single, under $20 for a double. Wasser mit Gas is always available, it's called "club soda", no charge. Wine is good, nothing exceptional, and in times past, they have sailed with a nondescript but drinkable German reisling. If you've seen my postings on on booze, the wine list for purchase is very nice, reasonably priced, and if DW wants her decent German wines, they are available, and you don't have to finish a bottle at one sitting. Oh, if you find a particular wine that you really do enjoy and it isn't on the menu the next day, just ask for it. They will find you a bottle. And yes, we will be leaving out of Lisbon back to Ft Lauderdale. I don't know if our beloved moderator will allow this, but as one wine lover to another, or at least his wife, in Lisbon, there is an amazing, small Wine/Port store with an unimaginable selection and even more unimaginably inexpensive. Actually, you can spend as much as you like, but the ports are, my guestimate, a quarter of the price you would pay here in the states, and as I said, Azamara lets you carry them on board. Garrafeire Nacional, Rua de Santa Justa 18, 1100-485. They are about two or three blocks in from the main square where the ship docks, easily found on any tourist map of Lisbon. If the name is censored out, I shall commune with the spirits to discover your email address. Chat with you guys soon. David

I usually purchase about 5 non complementary drinks per cruise. Gin tends to run just under $10 for say, Tanqueray 10, single malt scotches (singles) a tad more than $10. You have to do an awful lot of heavy drinking to breakeven with the package, and individual drinks off the ultimate are not expensive. Similarly, there is wine by the glass (VERY hard to find a menu), and I've just discovered that with a modicum of planning, you can buy a bottle of wine for $35-$50, and have it served over several days without its going bad. And finally, you are allowed to bring liquor aboard for in cabin enjoyment, no need to smuggle it. Just make sure it's packed in a suitcase, it won't be seized. Enjoy, Azamara is famous for not nickel and diming you to death!

Who was it who suggested starting a Montreal to Copenhagen thread 2025? I figured out the finances, I won't have to rob a bank or start a "Go fund me" campaign. I just put down deposits for Montreal to Reykjavik, back to back with Reykjavik to Copenhagen. I can't say I haven't been there, but this is still a trip of a lifetime, at least for us. I had a conference in Montreal many years ago, and we had a very nice weekend there. Always said we have to go back, now we can. Never been to Quebec City, where my parents spent their honeymoon. Never been down the St Lawrence or Newfoundland (although I've got a friend who did his first year medical residency in Newfoundland...). Never been to Greenland. Hope to see it before it becomes American territory. Spent a great Azamara cruise to Iceland, where I tore my Achilles tendon in Akureyri. That was the trip Capt. Carl sailed us into the hurricane off Norway. I now know what I want to see in Norway. And we've got dear friends in Copenhagen, whom we haven't seen in much too long. So Luann, Grandma, and ECC, thank you so much for pointing out the cruises to me, and getting me to do this bit of insanity.

Happy to say I'm about to pull the trigger. (With a second bullet, if I get second thoughts...) DW has been informed I'm going to be on that cruise, come hell or high water. And for reasons I cannot fathom (mixed metaphors) she isn't fighting me!

Been on an inside, while not my preferred location, leave a light on and bring a clock that mimics sunrise, you will survive. You will probably spend less time in the room than if you had booked a veranda, but not a whole lot. We love the veranda cabins, but V-Plus is a rip off, IMHO. The room and bathroom are the same size as the basic veranda, and the amenities can easily be purchased for a fraction of the price of the price differential between the two rooms. And if you book Deck 8, there is a good chance you get to enjoy the pool lounge chairs being moved from stem to stern and back at o'clock in the morning. For future reference, if you are traveling solo, we (plural) did a transatlantic in a D6 obstructed OV once. Never again, the rooms are very small for two people, but I think for a solo traveler, they would be a great size. Good luck booking! You might want to consider their India/Sri Lanka, (Dubai to Singapore) cruise if all else fails. We were on it in 2022, one absolutely fabulous trip.