cinnamon

33 minutes ago, tfg said:

Hi

When did they let you know you were successful please.

Thanks 

60 hours before sail date. 10.25pm on a Friday when we were due to board on the Monday. A very difficult time to organise a call to the US from the U.K.  so it was done by email. 

2 minutes ago, excitedofharpenden said:

That's great. It makes such a difference if it's done properly and with care. This was not my experience on Journey recently unfortunately. Just left the folded up tablecloth on the tray and left. 

 

Phil 

That’s a shame Phil. I couldn’t fault anything on Quest except one thing. Teaser. I hope to write up a bit of a review soon. 

Just an update. My successful bid for Quest 8-15 April was the minimum, £320. The ship was not full, 608 passengers. 
My Goddaughter absolutely loved it. We had breakfast on the balcony 3 times, all beautifully laid out by the room service attendant with a tablecloth.  The extra light and fresh air made it a worthwhile treat for us. 

I think I made the bid about 3 weeks ago. I’m Discoverer level. 

I bid the minimum of £320 to upgrade from an Outside to a Verandah on Quest, sailing tomorrow. I got an email at 10.25 pm on Friday night offering me the upgrade. I asked for cabin numbers and was offered a choice of 4. I agreed on one the next day by email them received an email with a payment link. In the morning we will have our verandah……… for the minimum bid, what I don’t know is what the cost would have been had I booked it in the first place. 😏

4 hours ago, TravelTodayAC said:

I received an email to upgrade earlier this week for that cruise. 

Oh dear, I guess that probably means I’ve missed out. 😏

45 minutes ago, excitedofharpenden said:

Corinne, I think it varies depending upon the cruise and how well it's sold. I got my offer Monday and the cruise leaves Thursday. This Japan one has been sold out on travel agent websites for months, but the Azamara website showed one or two. 

 

Good luck!

 

Phil 

 

 

Thanks Phil. I’m doing a Celebrity cruise round Japan in late September. Would have loved Azamara but way beyond my budget I’m afraid…….and that if my friend Gilli who instigated it. 
 

My cruise is on 8th April. Any idea when they offer the upgrades if successful. 

That’s great to hear, thank you. Xx

I’m taking my first post Covid (and post widowhood) Azamara cruise in 5 weeks on Quest, with my Goddaughter. I booked an Ocean View for budget reasons. Just offered the chance to upgrade. Minimum bid was £160.00 pp, which is what I bid. Now wondering if I should have offered a tad more but wouldn’t have wanted to pay much more for 7 nights. 
 

However, if I’m successful, I’ve no idea how I’d phone the USA. I fell out with Skype some time ago and can never get into what was my account. How ridiculous that a Mediterranean cruise requires phoning America. 

2 hours ago, VioletView said:

I went to Japan this past spring (was supposed to be on this cruise but had to switch it up)  and we used Go With Guide for local guides.  We basically booked the time period we wanted and then customized the tour with the guide in advance - we just let them know what our priorities were and that we didn't want to feel rushed and that sometimes I had knee issues that limited my walking  - and they planned around those parameters.  So I think if you manage your expectations and theirs (like, a four hour tour with you and your group might see 3 sites, even if they can do a four hour tour with other people and see 5 sites) it will work out great.  

Thank you, very helpful. I’ll check them out. 

Just now, Miaminice said:

They customize tours, so you could let them know in advance.

However, we found tour guides in Japan to be generally fast walkers because they feel obligated to exactly stick to the times of the tour itinerary. It’s like their train system 😁

Tours involve fast walking and steps in the temples and stations.

 

Eek!

Thanks for the heads up. I guess we’ll try to work on our fitness for the next 11 months. 😉

Thanks very much for the this wonderful Live(ish) review. I’ll be on Millie next September and this is really whetting the appetite. 

My question is this. We are two friends in our early 70s and neither of us has visited Japan before. Whilst we don’t have mobility problems as such, I think the tour you described may be a bit too taxing for us. Do Tours by Locals offer something a little easier or do you think we’d miss out a lot?

I’ve booked for September next year so am following too. 

Indeed we would. 😉

I did take a cruise in the canaries in January 2021 with my Goddaughter on Marella and was pleasantly surprised by it. She will be spoilt now though, going on Azamara. 😉

20 minutes ago, excitedofharpenden said:

Corinne, I have thought of you often and wondered how you are doing. I'm very happy to read you have another cruise booked. I was on Quest in July and had an amazing time. Have fun and take care. 

 

Phil 

Thanks Phil, kind of you to have thought of me.  It's 3.5 years now since being widowed and I have settled down to my new life pretty well. I am currently trying to downsize to a flat so maybe will have a bit more spending money in future,

I'm quite happy about this dry dock cancellation. It means I can afford one of the replacement cruises, it'll be my first time back on Azamara in 4 years.

Thank you!

My last cruise on Azamara was in March 2019.  Since being widowed by Covid right at the very beginning of the Pandemic I didn't think I would be able to afford another cruise on Azamara.  However, I've found a good deal on Quest for April next year and my Goddaughter has agreed to come with me, thereby negating the large single supplement.

I can't tell you how excited I am to be booked! 

Cinnamon

From the prices I’ve seen listed, buying a large glass, which is actually 1/3 of a bottle is the best value. 
I certainly couldn’t do justice to the package on my future cruise and will happily pay as I go. 

Thank you Fionboard. I chose this board name 22 years ago when I had two cats, Nutmeg and Cinnamon. I wanted something a little anonymous as Social Media was all very new then and I had no idea how popular it would become. 

Thank you. 
When we first started cruising we always chose late sitting. Latterly we went for the equivalent of Freedom dining but the reports on P&O of frequently waiting up to an hour for a table have been off putting. 
Hopefully I’ll get late dining as I imagine there’ll be lots of families on a Christmas cruise who prefer early. 

I’ve booked as a Solo on Ventura for the Christmas cruise. I haven’t been on P&O for many years but cruised many times with my late husband. 
Due to the high cost of the single supplement I have booked a Saver fare. I gather my cabin will be Forward (eek……Bay of Biscay) but don’t know about dining. 
 

How will it be allocated and will I only know once I’m onboard?  As a Solo I think I’d prefer Club Dining, getting to know the same tablemates and perhaps avoiding the queues I’ve started to hear so much about. 
 

Thanks for any replies. 

Thank you for the replies 

I seem to have stirred up a hornets nest. Due to the vitriol in some of the posts I don’t think I want to cruise on Royal now. 😢