lisiamc

I think knowledge of musical artists and composers from decades (and especially longer) ago goes by the wayside sometimes. At a recent trivia session, the young singer who was hosting the trivia did not know how to pronounce Beethoven, or really have any idea who he was. I’m not surprised the band on your cruise were not very familiar with Bob Dylan.

Viking is our second favourite cruise line. They have a lot to like, but Azamara has my heart. I find the entertainment (yes, really!) and the food, better on Azamara. On Viking, I have a soft spot for Torshavn, which is a great night spot, and also the rum menu. If you like aquavit, they have an impressive selection of that too. I’m not a big fan of aquavit, but DH is. Crew on both lines are great, but Azamara has the edge on that too.

Great advice! And I have a photo of DH’s and my passport and driving licence on my phone and his. They wouldn’t be any good to use instead of the originals, but they will help get the ball rolling for replacements if the originals are lost or stolen.

I’m a great believer in AirTags. I’ve heard so many fairy tales over the phone from lost luggage departments through the years, that I’ve learned to never believe a word they say. With an AirTag, at least I know pretty much where my suitcase actually is if it’s not with me. I also second packing as light as possible. One of the things I’m happy to leave out is any sort of perfume. So many people have strong reactions to perfume these days that I don’t wear it, especially in areas with a lot of people, like a cruise ship.

Onward is great! We’ve taken four cruises on her, and were thinking about two more for this autumn, but went for three on Quest next summer instead.

I’m not on Onward at the moment, so I can’t update. Although we’ve taken four cruises on Onward, I’m not one for frequenting the gym, (to my shame, really.) I hope others will update, but I can’t say that it would be a deal-breaker for me. YMMV.

That is how it is/was on ONE of the four ships. It doesn’t represent all of the Azamara ships, and may possibly have been changed for Onward. I’m sure someone will give us an update. The other three have showers available to those using the gym.

Piper Heidiesck was on Pursuit in July also. I like it loads better than Nicholas Feuillatte. I am very pleased that keeping Whispering Angel in stock seems to be a priority, but I’ve never cared much for the Mondavi Pinot Noir.

Wairau River made an appearance in March on Journey, part-way through our cruise. Still nice!

Yes, we just had a week on land in Ireland, and shop chains that accept Amex in the UK (Lidl for one) and many hotels, don’t accept it in Ireland. A second credit card, either Visa or MasterCard is going to be very helpful

My favourite hotel in Florence is the funky, unique and very comfortable Garibaldi Blu. It’s very near the train station, air conditioned to American standards, and has… character. There are palm trees made of recycled tyres in the lobby, and life-size comic figures all over the place. The rooms are fairly compact, but the beds are very comfortable and the breakfasts are delicious.

With review sites like Trustpilot, it’s worth reading about the things that people didn’t like. If they all disliked something different, that sounds very subjective. If they all disliked the same things, it’s worth looking at, and deciding whether the issue is something that would affect you. If many childless people disliked a cruise line because it was full of kids, and you’re a parent of several kids, then this could be more of a plus point than a minus point for you!

We’ve been on seven Azamara cruises on three different ships since the change of ownership, and since Covid restrictions were generally lifted. We had a fabulous time on all of them, and I hope you will too. Yes, there are changes since 2020, a few not for the better, IMO, but most others very much for the better. Keep an open mind, and please report back when you get home.

I agree that you should go a bit early, spend some time in Cape Town, and try to work in a three-night safari stay somewhere. The Easter Cape has a lot of choices, and Sanbona, on the Western Cape is very good also, with a different climate/set of wildlife than the Eastern Cape, and only a few hours out of Cape Town.

I’m surprised that there was no lecturer on board. Even on port-intensive itineraries, there has been at least one on our cruises. I can sympathise with your disappointment!

I can’t decide between LOL and Ewwww! 🤣🤣

It is very possible to sit and read in the Atlas Bar in the daytime. The seats are comfortable, and there are still windows, although not as many. I took daily trawls through the Drawing Room at random times on our Pursuit cruise last month and almost never saw more than one or two people using that room unless there was a function. I went there with friends a few times very late in the evening (after midnight) and that would have also been possible if it had been the Atlas Bar, as it would have closed by then.

I thought it was a pretty good selection the last time I saw it, and it is supposed to expand further. I take my books on a kindle app, so it’s immaterial to me, but there were more new selections on Onward than the books I just saw on Pursuit.

In March on Journey, we had the full drill with all passengers attending at the same time. In July on Pursuit, we had small groups in the muster stations upon embarkation for the life jacket demonstration and the video playing in the cabin.

We are used to the showers and have no problems with them, but a while ago, someone on this forum gave the great advice that if you find the showers are too small, you can a) spring for a Club Continent suite, or b) leave the curtain open and declare that it’s a wet room. Problem solved. 😁 FWIW, we are going to cruise with MSC in October, in an ocean view cabin on one of their older ships, and the bathroom (and shower) is noticeably smaller than the Azamara bathrooms and showers. This is a fun cruise to make some friends happy, and the size of the bathroom/shower is not a dealbreaker, but it’s good to know that we will be coming back to the comparatively larger showers on Azamara!

As @Dr H says, you haven’t lost very much by not being able to use your reciprocal status. in your shoes, I’d book through a travel agent, preferably one that has experience with Azamara. The new IT system is slowly getting the kinks taken out of it, but it’s still very useful to have access to an agent’s expertise.

We’re not restricted to just one of the nice little sandwiches. I’ve seen people have three, and maybe some of the cheese that’s often there. That makes a pretty substantial lunch, and for those with a sweet tooth, there are cookies and usually cakes, or maybe little tarts. I hear the lemon tarts are delicious. It’s very difficult to go hungry on a cruise ship!

@oceanpark - great advice to double check airline bookings, no matter who made them. I’m glad all is well with your booking again! I hope you have a lovely cruise.

Next to the South Harbour is a lovely little ruined church, St Fittick’s . It has some interesting tombstones from the mid 1800s, along with some much older ones that are very difficult to read. There is also the possible remnant of a “leper’s squint”, (a window where those standing outside the church could see the altar), although that may just be folklore. There was construction work ongoing at the port facility when we were there, and getting out of the port and back in on foot took some doing. If the work is finished by the time you go, it is a very short walk, and an interesting site.

If the issues were from a few months ago, I would expect them to be fixed by now, unless it was something like a permanent stain on the carpet. Things like a broken hinge on a cupboard door or a blocked drain should certainly be fixed quickly. Also for other lunch options, the Mosaic Café has very tasty little sandwiches during the middle of the day. The Living Room has the same little sandwiches too.