Cooley Consumers

Like the port master said on "Ghostbusters" - - "Better late than never, I guess......" (Cheech Marin) - - sorry for not posting, but I have JUST found out that our ghost cruise doesn't appear on RCC's webpage. We booked 21 September 2021 with a balcony room 4D.  After reading all of these excellent comments, I am now soooo much  better informed. I KNOW that we are all in a holding pattern until RCC discloses what is going to happen, i.e., is it crew only or can a few pre-booked passengers also attend? So much for the shows unless you wanna hear me crack some really corny jokes?  We had planned to do a B2B with the Galveston sailing, which appears to still be listed as cruising. We have gone thru a TA for our reservations, but we have not heard anything. Apparently, everyone is in the same boat (no pun intended - - the jokes slowwwwwly start) as us. Has anyone heard if we can still sail on Allure? Another interesting question which has NEVER been brought up in 11 years of cruising - - since we go from one State to another, never leaving the U.S. waters, is it necessary to go thru immigration in Galveston. Finally, since this is a "non rev" cruise, I wonder how much the stateroom costs for this cruise?? THANK you for your sleuthing on this cruise!!!

Pat & Bernadette

Dallas

I have a question about the Muster Drill (the question about the MUSTARD DRILL I'll withhold until I get my hot dog) on Azamara.......

We've only sailed once on the Quest (and absolutely went CRAZY in LOVE with her!!!) and the muster drill was what we normally expected. However, we are booked for a departure from Copenhagen in July on the Quest and she leaves at 10:00 P.M. - - WHEN will the drill be held??

I'm sure that it has to be earlier in the day (hopefully the check-in desk will advise guests of the time), also the folks near the pier probably wouldn't be too keen on hearing seven blasts of a ship's horn at say 9 p.m. when they are putting their kids to sleep (but.............then again..............).

So how does Azamara handle the muster drills for ships leaving port after 8:00 P.M. ??? Many thanks.

Pat & Bernadette

Cooley Consumers -- we will take any advice you can give, we've never been to Dublin. Would enjoy seeing the city, Trinity College, Guinness Factory, other recommendations. FYI, we are neighbors, we live in Highland Village, TX.

Free advise for those arriving or departing Dublin by cruise who want to see the City Centre (downtown Dublin), ask the taxi driver "take me to the City Centre by way of Fairview and up Summerhill to O'Connell Street. I'll get off there." Otherwise, they will give you a VERY scenic tour and a high price to go a distance of about 4 to 5 miles!! I called one out the last time that I arrived Dublin. He started driving WEST (the City Centre is South) and I said, "going the scenic tour?? O'Connell Street, please, through Fairview and just up Summerhill. I know my way from THERE." He looked like a deer in the head lights or kid with his hand in the cookie jar! "Yes, sir. Been here before??" I just smiled and said, "NOT this month!" :)

Cooley Consumers -- we will take any advice you can give, we've never been to Dublin. Would enjoy seeing the city, Trinity College, Guinness Factory, other recommendations. FYI, we are neighbors, we live in Highland Village, TX.

AllisonJames - a far easier way - - email me at teeling48 at yahoo dot com. I have a patented tour of Dublin for novices. Please advise in your email if you have any problems walking. Remember that this year, this MONTH is the 100 Anniversary of the birth of the Republic of Ireland. GREAT year to visit!!!! Let me say that I am NOT a travel agent, have nothing to do with travel (except my cruising) but with family in Ireland, I am always getting hit with "WHERE do I go???"

We haven't been on the Quest for a couple of years after some six cruises on her. Phillip Herbert was the hotel director on those cruises. He is a charming and delightful asset to Azamara. We are now planning a cruise on July 11 out of Dublin and wondered if Phillip was still cruising. Anyone out there know? Thanks

Mauicruiser:

FIRST -- tell ya what..........we'll leave the balcony light on for ya. We arrive in Dublin from Copenhagen on the Quest, which I think is ship that you're sailing.

SECOND - - two years ago, I wrote a SCATHING EXPOSE about both Phillips and that "so called" master of the ship - - Capt. Smith. AND I STAND BY THOSE STATEMENTS!!! THEY'RE ALL TRUE!!!

WHAT CAN I SAY?????????

They are the very BEST officers that I have EVER seen on ANY cruise ship. I praised Phillip in a CC post that he is the first and ONLY officer that I have seen going out in a pouring rain, water literally up to your ankles, helping guests to stay safe in a port. He was EVERY WHERE!!! Always friendly, helpful and with a smile on his face. I cannot get over how he directed traffic of the buses in the pouring rain (in his dress uniform, mind you), while at the same time telling passengers to stay inside the port terminal until the storm passed. He truly impressed me!!!

SECOND - - THAT Capt. Smith - - - - - what a wonderful experience!!! He had his family with him when we went to Israel two years ago, and he made us feel completely safe and at home. He constantly kidded with us, smiling, and always had one of his children with him. While on a tour in Bethlehem, who shows up??? The Captain's wife and son!!! What well mannered children.

I cannot wait go get on the Quest again!!!

Pat & Bernadette

Dallas

Not correct. The LCV upgrade should be applied for via the website. Here is the link and good luck!:)

 

https://www.azamaraclubcruises.co.uk/le-club-voyage/le-club-voyage-programme/member-savings/stateroom-upgrade

 

Phil

Thank you for the link.............we used the US version of the website and have registered for an upgrade in July.

Pat & Bernadette

Dallas

Question for Bonnie (or anyone else who might know) -- we will be coming into Dublin on embarkation day from a hotel outside the city, would like to check our luggage that morning so we can visit some sites, then embark mid-afternoon. Can we do that?

AllisonJames-

May I ask which places that you plan to see? I may have some free "taxi advise"....

Pat & Bernadette

Dallas

THANK YOU ALL FOR THE QUICK RESPONSES!!

Bottom line - - EVERYONE enjoyed their Celebrity cruises! We've decided to book the TA in April next year while we are tooling around the Caribbean in April on Liberty OTS.

Again, many many thanks.

For the experienced Celebrity cruisers, we are contemplating booking the April 2017 cruise from Miami to Southampton. However, we have never been on this cruise line.

I have looked at youtube and the company's specs, and the veranda (balcony) rooms appear to be about 190 sq. ft. (pretty well standard size across the RCI fleet). Beds appear to be the same size and the balcony is the same size (2 chairs and a small table).

The negative comments on the web are unbelievable and harsh! I think some of this could be from folks who are not seasons cruisers, or who are a bit spoiled. One of them was kicked off of the ship for adverse comments about the Hotel Director!

Is there ANY REAL difference between Celebrity and RCC ships? We KNOW that Azamara has premium service (which you pay for). But what about Celebrity? Is there a set time dining? How is the food quality? What does Diamond Plus status get you on Celebrity? (it appears to be Elite status).

Any suggestions or hints about booking a balcony? (a basic veranda/balcony is all that w're interested).

Many thanks, and Happy Cruising!:)

We made our first Azamara cruise in October to the Med and to the Holy Lands. Having sailed almost exclusively on RCI, we were tremendously impressed with this company. I have RAVED about the fact that they have someone who READS CC; that there is a live person on the phone to answer questions; and, the officers and crew on the Quest were truly superb. Azamara actually tries to give the impression that they CARE about they customers.

NOW Azamara has gone and done it yet AGAIN! They sent us a Merry Christmas card. Now that is taking service to a new level. We LOVED the Quest and Capt. Smith (and his wife and children), our hotel director, and waiters. We LOVE the fact that Bonnie and her cohorts (or are they evil minions???) monitor CC. Finally. as I wrote in November, the price for a cruise is unfortunately almost double an RCI. I didn't think that we would be sailing on the Quest again.

THEN came the Christmas card........and what were we supposed to do???

We've booked the 2016 cruise from Copenhagen via Scotland to Dublin!!!!! and YES we're on our little Quest, on the same 6th deck, but to be different, we've booked a room on the opposite side of the ship. Humph!!! We still have our pride.

So this is yet ANOTHER CC post about what a premier cruise company that Azamara is. THANKS TO ALL.

Pat & Bernadette

Dallas

I appreciate all of the veteran cruiser info. I was wondering about your opinion on parking at the hotel vs using a parking area. Where will my car be safe? Where will be the least confusing for a first timer like me? I worry about having 4 bags and loading a trolly or something. Any thoughts?

Freezer burn

We have driven straight from Dallas to the ship terminal, used Lighthouse parking, and as said, they are great. We have also stayed on the opposite side of the island. Hilton on the sea wall offers free parking and shuttle service. The resort hotel 2 doors down does the same thing. We prefer to stay and park at a hotel, relax, and get an early shuttle to make life easy.

Pat & Bernadette

Dallas

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We NEVER take our passports off of the ship or out of our safe (except in Israel). Make a color copy and bring the copy with you.

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This post just gets me so excited for our first Azamara cruise in April. Thank you for posting such a nice and positive thread.......it sounds like your cruise exceeded your expectations in every way.

Joann:

You're absolutely right.

First, going to Israel with shooting and fighting got us a LOT anxious. Bonnie on CC calmed us down. ALL of our friends and family (as in A L L ) said that we were crazy and must have a lemming wish. Again, we were calmed down by AZ's home office.

Second, we have been on a LOT of Royal Caribbean cruises and we have asked "is the extra money REALLLY worth it?". Basically we could have 2 or 3 RCI cruises for one Azamara cruise. When we were on board, the simple answer is YES. After our cruise, the answer is YES.

I meant to take a photo because you'll never see it again.........I have mentioned SERVICE and ATTENTION TO DETAIL. I know, it sounds OLD, right? It was pouring rain, and I mean a wind driven, batten down the hatches wind storm that knocked over anything on the pier in Ashdod, Israel. The passengers returning from the tours had to walk from the terminal to the Quest. There was a "lake" in front of the gangway, and some taxi had parked in such a way as to force guests to walk ankle deep in the water (it may have only been knee deep, but it looked bad).

Out came our Cruise Director - - in uniform - - and immediately he took over. He moved the taxi and directed folks around the water as best as they could. He was getting drenched! Still, he was out there to insure that folks were getting back on the ship. One guy in a wireframe, started walking to the ship (don't ask me why he didn't ask for a wheelchair!!!!) and made it half way when another cloudburst hit, drenching everyone. He just stopped. He couldn't go forward and he couldn't go back. He had just run out of energy. The Cruise Director yelled for the crew, and out came two crew members with a wheelchair, and loaded him up and took him to the ship. Our CD himself ran and got the wireframe and brought it on board. WHEN was the last time that you saw a ship's officer offering himself to assist passengers? Yeah, they will send folks out for them, but not our man. The CD was THERE, helping, directing, and taking charge.

I am 100% sure that you will love your Azamara cruise. The food is so far superior to anything that I've had on any ship (yeah, we haven't tried Seabourn or Oceana) but be prepared to be absolutely babied. Service is unbelievable. I ordered with GREAT trepidation a whiskey sour on the rocks (I reallllly don't do this very often) and it was perfect. You may have soft drinks, mixed drinks, beer, and wine anytime of the day. Don't forget to visit the grill by the pool, the nachos were almost American, and the dogs and burgers were cute. The White Night (everyone dresses in white casual) was soooo much fun with a local band and dances in Greece providing the entertainment, while our executive chef and the ship's officers served the food. What a Hoot!!! [that's a Texas expression]

In Greece, we saw crew members pushing disabled passengers down the streets in town! Not on a tour, but Azamara did not want anyone to miss seeing at least something of the ports. How nice was that?? And it was cobblestone streets that the crew had to push. See?? Attention to Detail to provide Service.

Enjoy.

Hi Cooley Consumers,

 

Sadly we had to cancel this cruise for medical reasons. Will you be writing a review? It would be greatly appreciated as we would like to re-book a similar itinerary on Azamara in the future.

 

Incidentally, Azamara Cruise Care insurance was easy to deal with and quick to refund all our money once the paperwork was submitted.

Cruisedudes:

Yeah, It's written and submitted. CC takes a few days to review and make sure that no rules are violated.

As expected, it was all 5+.

Capt. Smith's boys are SO very well behaved. They could have been brats (I mean, their under age 10 and boys will be boys :)))))) ), but they were as good as gold. We met the oldest at the Church of the Nativity in Israel, and again he was solid gold.

The magician used him in the act, and his expression of HOW DID HE DO THAT??? was just great.

Pat & Bernadette

We just wanted to say THANK YOU to Bonnie and the Azamara Club Cruises for all of your work.

We have just returned from the cruise named the Journey of St. Paul from Rome to Athens, visiting Jerusalem, Ephesus, Patmos, Pathos and Rhodes.

Bonnie, you said that Azamara would keep us all safe - - you UNDER ESTIMATED Captain Smith and his crew. NO ONE got sick! No norovirus from stopping in any of the ports in the Eastern Med.

When I first inquired about possibly taking this cruise, Azamara's home office opened a Loyalty account for me - - waiting for the cruise. WOW.

Azamara pays attention to the details - - it's that simple.

Did you know that there is a LIVE person at Guest Services at 3 a.m.? You can get a cup of coffee at 3 a.m.? Your wake up call if by a LIVE PERSON and not a machine? The crew actually smiles? They wave at you and say "have a great day"?

Attention to detail.

THANKS for all that you folks do for us CC members.

I've always wanted to go to South Africa.

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All of us are extremely concerned about what's happening in the Middle East. We are closely monitoring the situation.

Our ships are not scheduled to visit any ports in Israel until the Quest’s October 14, 2014, Journey of St Paul.

While at this time we are not changing our ports of call to Israel, we will continue to monitor the situation and will contact guests or their travel agents a.s.a.p. should we need to make any modifications to upcoming itineraries.

The safety and security of our guests and crew members are always our highest priority.

Bonnie,

Thanks so very much with calming our concerns. I know that it seems silly to think that any cruise company would endanger their guests, but with 24/7 news, it is to be expected (especially when friends and family saying that we're crazy to go in the first place!!).

Also may I AGAIN say how much that I KEEP getting impressed with Azamara!!! I mean WHO has ANYONE who actually follows a blog?? Thank you so very very much for the reassuring words AND for following the CC boards!!

Pat and Bernadette

P.S. STILL can't wait for our first Azamara cruise.

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With the recent actions in the Gaza Strip and Israel, several questions have come up. We are booked on the October 12 cruise to the Holy Lands, and wonder what happens if there are rockets being fired into Israel? When will we know if the cruise will be cancelled or what ports will be substituted for the ports of Ashdod and Haifa?

We don't want to cancel our entire cruise due to two ports, but when will we know if there are changes to the scheduled itinerary?

Pat & Bernadette

Dallas

Well here it is: October 27, 2015 Southampton to New Jersey. 8 night TA, no ports and a ridiculous $1429 in an inside cabin. I will keep my Celebrity 15 nighter for under $900 will the one I will be on.

 

 

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agreed that the price is WAY too high, even for a new ship. We're sailing on the cruise to the sunny Canaries.

Good luck, all.

On Travelocity there is a TA on Anthem 10/31/15 to Fort Lauderdale 14 nights but that is impossible since there is a Caribbean cruise out of New Jersey on 11/10/15!

 

 

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Twin:

that was the original TA and destinations..........Southampton to the Caribbean, ending up in Florida. That was BEFORE they sent the new ship Quantum to China, and that left promises, deals, and what not for New Jersey. So RCI cancelled the original TA, and have YET to put up the new one. RCI HAS reduced the 4 day Paris + Brugge cruise from 4 nites to 3. That should mean October 24 - 27 Paris/Brussels and then Oct. 27-Nov. 4 to New York/New Jersey.

I have been MORE than patient with them for their TA. However, we have discussed it today and quoting that famous American cruiser, well known for his healthy die, Popeye- - "That's all that I cans stands, I can't stands no more.........", we regret but we're leaving this ship.

We have booked today Anthem OTS on Sept. 28 for 13 nights to the sunny Canaries (I didn't know that little yellow birds were sunny). We can see Spain, Portugal, and Madeira and the Canaries. We've been to a lot of the stops via our past TA's but, this sure beats waiting and waiting for RCI.

Sorry to leave our little group. Hope to see everyone around other RCI cruises.

Pat & Bernadette

Dallas

November 2012 I did a RCCL Rome to Galveston cruise - $509 pp for an inside for the 16 nights! That was a steal even though after day 8 the food was horrendous! Love the TA's.

By the way I have done many cruises to nowhere with Carnival in NYC - 2 nights in a balcony averaged $300-350pp - the RCCL cruises this fall are 2-3X that amount.

ahhhhhhhh, isn't is a shame! The U.S. GDP shrank in the first quarter of this year. Economic ruin on the horizon.......

AND...........

YET..............

They STILL hike the prices! Figure!

Quantum is doing a two and 3 day cruise to nowhere this year out of Bayonne. The most ridiculously overpriced short cruises I have ever seen. I am on a Celebrity October 31 Rome to Fort Lauderdale cruise but if Anthem sails to NJ I might change.

 

 

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The cruises to no where are really for travel agents and those vendors/high frequent cruisers who want to experience a new ship.

They ARE expensive! However, when the discount for Pinnacle, Diamond +, or Diamond are taken into consideration, they merely become merely expensive.

This is why we plan to take the TA. I some how feel that the pricing is going to as interesting as watching a train wreck. RCI still has not posted the Oct. 27th cruise, but all on this board (who are still left) know that they will.

I have no wait to confirm this, but is merely yet another example of speculating in public - - - the price should be pretty cheap for a TA because RCI may have problems filling a ship over the Halloween holiday. Also, it will be only for 6 to 8 days. Alternatively, since it IS their newest ship, we can expect a pricey cabin.

REMEMBER that the interior cabins on this ship are supposed to have special computerized walls, so that when you hit the button, the wall will illuminate to give the room occupants the feeling of having a balcony.

We're still excited.

For all the above reasons - I have jumped ship!

 

Sad.

 

But I will sail this lovely ship one day.

 

Raina

Raina:

We'll miss you!!!!

Consider reconsidering!!!

Pat & Bernadette

for more fun for our Group!!

Our "Stealth" cruise has been removed from the RCI website.

We KNOW from the RCI website that there is a 3 night Royal Experience cruise from Southampton to Bruges and Paris. That's from 24 Oct to 27 Oct.

We KNOW from the RCI website that there is 12 night cruise for the Southern Caribbean from Port Liberty, New Jersey. That's from 10 Nov to 22 Nov.

We KNOW from the RCI website that there is an 8 night cruise to the Bahamas from Port Liberty, New Jersey. That's from 22 Nov to 30 Nov.

Sooooooo, to briefly summarize we KNOW that the European port for Anthem is Southampton. We KNOW that the U.S. port is Port Liberty. We have nailed down all of the dates in October EXCEPT for our "Stealth" cruise. We have nailed down all of the dates in November EXCEPT for our "Stealth" cruise. There is a gap from October 27 in Southampton to November 10 in New Jersey.

RCI could make an 11 night cruise somewhere on Anthem. RCI could make a straight cruise from Southampton to New Jersey for 8 nights, then do several 3 or 4 night cruises on Anthem. Assuming that it takes 8 days (could be as few as 6 days) to cruise straight from Southampton to New Jersey, leaving England on October 27th + 8 nights could mean that Anthem would arrive on November 4.

So what does RCI do with Anthem from November 4th to November 10th? That would be 7 nights, which could be 2 cruises "to no where" for travel agents, etc. in the U.S.

Don't you just love speculating??? The tension is killing me!!!

Definitely Brumbies. !!!!!!

 

ow have you been able to book on the new trip. they still haven't given me prices! Cause I am not paying the same for an 8 night trip.

 

Raina

I've just checked this morning, and now RCI does not have this cruise listed at all!

I guess we need to change the name of our CC Board to the "Stealth Cruise". We all KNOW that it is leaving Southampton on 31 Oct, and we know where she is going, but apparently we are the ONLY ONES who know!

Re: the 45 day on Quantum from NYC to China, we have looked at that very closely, and the different segments for each leg of the cruise. We're staying with Anthem! We would want to do the entire relocation and 45 days is just too long. We have our goggie to consider, after all. THAT's why we cut our cruise from Sydney to Hawaii to Vancouver to just Sydney to Honolulu. We miss our goggie too much.

BTW, I still have an old Lions jersey for an olde Lions fan. Will that work????