seattle sojourner

Macapa is listed as a stop from 8 AM to 5 PM on our Amazon trip in February 2025 and I'm very interested in this as well.

I have reserved a Neptune Suite for my husband and I and a balcony cabin (?Vista Suite) for my daughter's family of 3 (husband and 10 yo son) on a 27 day trip to the Amazon in 2025.  I expect that we will all hang out together on the Neptune Suite's more spacious balcony sometimes, and that there will be evenings when the parents will want to be out and about the ship while my husband and I don't so will have the grandson with us.   Depending on various circumstances, the grandson will spend the night in one or the other of our cabins.  In the past we have done this in regular Veranda cabins and with the wonderful assistance of our room stewards.

I'm wondering if there are any pros/cons to having our grandson assigned to one room vs the other.  The cost for a third person is the same, regardless of the cabin/suite.  We've never stayed in a Neptune Suite before, and I wonder if having him officially in our suite with access to the Neptune Lounge snacks during the day might be a nice option.   

Any insights?

Sorry that happened!  I always request NO Upgrades if I am happy with my current cabin , but haven’t done guarantees.  I wonder if someone can comment on the difference between the VS aft cabins on deck 7 immediately above the A aft cabins on deck 6.  Why are they different classes?

Consider leaving from Vancouver in order to cruise the Inside Passage on the way north.  Seattle departures don't sail that route.

Thank you Riversedge for your report!   Sorry this happened to you and hoping it won't happen to us on our  cruise Feb 2, but I am finding your report very reassuring.  We have done a circle Hawaii trip before and while there are places we'd like to explore we are also ready to "cruise to nowhere" and enjoy the sun and seabirds from a balcony if that comes to pass.  Fingers crossed that you and your husband enjoy a full and uneventful recovery.

4 hours ago, scvgirl said:

Apologies for asking too many questions.  I was just reviewing our cruise file and there was a protocol mentioned in a HAL email dated August 5 that states that we "need to provide proof of full vaccination at least 14 days prior to embarkation."  Do we need to upload our vaccination card, or simply provide proof at embarkation? I don't recall, but perhaps it was in the check-in process.

Provide proof at embarkation.

On 10/6/2019 at 3:57 PM, chengkp75 said:

It depends on what switches are thrown on the bridge to direct the messages to various areas of the ship.  True emergency messages will be sent to all cabins.

You can also hear it on your TV if you have it on the correct channel.  Can't remember if it's the "View from the Bridge" or the one that shows the map.  Of course, if it's not already on, the announcement may be over by the time you realize one is happening and find the remote.  :-)

"People-to-people exchange" it needs to be "arranged by a U.S. sponsoring organization (including Operator guided programs and third party-sponsored programs.)" 

But   "Support for the Cuban people (31 C.F.R. § 515.574)"  only requires that you will spend time with Cuban people - guides, restaurants, coffee shops, etc. 

My only caveat is this:   Most/all? of the recent Cuba cruises originally scheduled for 3 days in Havana have changed their itinerary  to reduce it to 2 days (one overnight).  Azamara has not been consistently good at notifying passengers, and in fact we learned of our cruise change via this board.  This will impact you if you have a pre-arranged/paid private tour that goes past 4 o'clock.  They have also changed the Amazing Evening on every Cuba cruise for the past 3 months, also impacting prepaid private tours.   Our cruise departs on January 5 and we were notified December 23 that the special event would be on our only night in Havana instead of in Santiago de Cuba.  We had to make a choice between keeping our original non-refundable private arrangements or going to the ballet presentation they arranged in Havana.  We're excited to visit Cuba, but have been frustrated and disappointed in Azamara so far. 

We will be on the Journey to Cuba January 5th.   I've seen posts, primarily from other cruiselines, indicating that getting off the ship was problematic in Havana.  People report that despite early morning arrival times in port they didn't get started on scheduled morning tours until afternoon.  Anyone with recent experiences to share?  Also that Santiago de Cuba had some dock damage and tendering was required but expectation of the dock repair being completed in November.  Again - recent experience??  Thanks

We're taking our first Amazara cruise in January 2019. Our morning routine includes cappuccino or latte. Are specialty coffee drinks included? Where can they be obtained? Can you get one in the dining room or with room service? Thanks!

Thanks all for the photos, links and information. We'll hope to see some evidence of the eruption, but will settle for whatever adventure presents itself.

 

That said, I read a recent review where the cruise ship did get a nice view of the lava flow.

 

-- Kevin

Thanks Kevin. That's encouraging. I would love the once in a lifetime opportunity to see lava, but the small boat tours are scary.

Guess you missed the very recent story about the tour boat being hit by a "lava bomb" where the lava is flowing into the ocean west of Hilo.

.

Ha! Bruce I DID see that story and had actually planned on taking that tour boat because lava is one of the draws for going to Hawaii... That's why I'm hoping it may be visible from the cruise ship as we leave Hilo - it would be great to see the glow in the darkness. Fingers crossed!

I wonder if recent cruisers were ever able to see the lava flowing from the cruise ship? We are on Emerald Princess in October with first stop in Hilo and second is Maui with the itinerary showing the route around the southern end of the Big Island so theoretically the lava flow could be visible.

I always take a small table top fan. The heating/cooling in the cabins is really variable and unpredictable. I'm pretty comfortable at most temperatures as long as the air is moving. Beyond that a travel bottle for water at the pool or on shore is nice to have.

NIC6318 - Excellent explanation.

I'll be on the same cruise in a few days! Wondering about CHILDREN's books. We will be traveling with our 5 year old grandson. Thanks if anyone knows the answer to this.

I booked a 7 day Alaska cruise for 3 at an inside guarantee rate just a month out. Got the upgrade email the day after I completed on line sign in about a week later. Bid $50 for an oceanview - they charge only the first 2 passengers. Dial indicated "poor" chance of getting it, but now 10 days from departure I have been upgraded to an unobstructed oceanview with picture window.

OP, in case you ever consider going on the QM2, here's an FAQ about the onboard kennel: https://ask.cunard.com/help/fleet/kennel_info

 

I love the life jackets--LOL

 

 

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We returned to NYC from military duty in Europe in 1976 and sailed on Cunards QE2 along with our car below deck and our dog on the upper deck in the kennels. As I recall it was staffed by student veterinarians at the time. There was a lovely outdoor dog run and we visited our pet each day. And I believe they accommodated more than cats and dogs, as I recall a monkey being in one of the kennels. It was a wonderful trip and we appreciated the convenience of having our car and dog at disembarkation. But, count me as a dog lover who would not want to regularly cruise with pets in cabins.

If you're in town for more than the day,

and have the time and interest, consider the option of the Tacoma Glass Museum 30 miles south. They have an auditorium with glass blowing going on all the time. So interesting to watch.

Your estimate of 1.5 to 2 hours for the non-Diamonds at noonish is right on. Doing this with a 3 year old in tow was not an enjoyable start to the trip. Glad that I had packed toddler friendly foods and that by the time we boarded (after 2 o'clock) our cabin was ready and we picnic'd on the balcony and avoided the mess in the Windjammer.

I've taken a portable fan and a power strip on my last two cruises (Nov 2015 and May 2016) without any trouble - HAL and RCI. It makes such a difference to have moving air at night to sleep.

We are taking this cruise next October, on the Amsterdam, with some small changes/additions to the itinerary. How wonderful to read along and get excited about 2015! Thanks for including all of us readers in this trip.