gnld

On 11/24/2018 at 6:16 PM, milepig said:

 

That is apparently the plan. There was a rumor that the one on the Spirit was gone, backed up by a new deck map showing a Yacht Club Cafe, but we’re on the Spirit right now and it is very much open. It seems like many cruise lines are removing the casinos. They can’t make much money, they’re always mostly empty. Perhaps you can challenge your wife to a friendly game of gin or cribbage. 

You're right. There are no casinos on Viking's ocean ships. And Azamara is experimenting with taking them out. There is not one on their new Pursuit, and they're replaced the live dealer tables with automated ones on the Journey; Quest still has a full casino (we were on her in April). When Silversea converted the Silver Cloud to an expedition ship, they replaced the casino with a photo studio.

Sometime prior to the recent lengthening announcement for the power yachts, I read some place that Windstar was going to be doing some refurbing that included taking out the small casino on each yacht and replacing it with a casual cafe. I read nothing about the casinos in the new announcements. Anybody have any info on their fate? My wife likes to dabble in the casinos (it's entertainment), so not having one on a ship is a negative for her.

Ponant is a French line, marketed to French-speaking people. I understand there usually are a few English-speaking guests aboard cruises, but how much English is spoken by the crew/staff, announcements, printed material, etc? Are there some specific bilingual cruises offered, like Hapag-Lloyd does for German/English? I'm concerned about being on a ship with primarily French spoken & written and little English.

Thank you (merci).

Glancing thru the many "doom & gloom" emails about the future of Silversea, it reminded me of similar ones a few years ago when NCL bought Regent and Oceania. Those are two of our favorite cruise lines (e.g., been on them 5 times in the last 19 months) and we've seen no "slippery slope" of degradation down to NCL standards. So I'm optimistic that Royal Caribbean will not "muck it up" with Silversea. Azamara (another one of our favorites) is definitely different and much more upscale than Royal Caribbean or Princess.

One area that an influx of $$ would help is giving Silversea a modern expedition fleet. There are many expedition vessels coming out in the next couple of years, including some luxury ones. All three in Silversea's fleet are 24 - 29 years old, albeit recently refurbished. Will they be able to compete with new luxury expedition ships?

We did Antarctica + Falklands + So. Georgia in Jan. 2016 on the Silver Explorer. 114 on board, with the same number of staff. We made 2 landings a day everywhere. Wet landings are not that difficult, and the staff will help you. And, as another poster mentioned, you can do as much or as little hiking once on shore. I'm in my 70s and did nearly everything.

Antarctica rules are if you're 200 pax or under, there's many spots they can put you ashore. 201 - 500 and landing spots are greatly restricted. Over 500 and you can only do cruise-by's, as it has been mentioned. Having done a lot of landings, I feel it's the only way to go, if you're physically able. It was a fantastic experience! And, yes, it was our 7th continent.

Ponant is doing it, r/t Dunedin over 17 days Feb/Mar 2019 on the Le Laperouse.

Curious they didn't include Regent, Seabourn or Oceania. And, on Azamara, if you're in one of the suites, then the 2 alternate dining venues are complimentary.

The Flora looked absolutely wonderful in the pictures and description, until I saw the pricing. OMG!

Yes, some will go for it, and I'm sure X did their marketing studies. But, like most of you, not for us -- I won't pay that high per diem for a luxury ship like Regent or Seabourn sails. We're looking at the Xpedition for 2019 -- much more reasonably priced.

I am so glad to hear that Azamara is updating this aspect Richard. Any more news on a date as to when we will be able to use OBC to prebook shore excursions in advance? My b2b cruises are June 6 and 16 and I would love to have all of that sorted before I fly from Australia. Fingers crossed you are able to get it up and running soon. It will be a great option for many of us.

 

Lou Kitzelman

We're on the Quest transatlantic April 7th. Early this month I asked an Azamara rep about using OBC for shorex booked prior to embarkation. I was told this will not be available in April. A big slip from the December '17 date I was told last fall!

Also remember if you take O's air, you don't find out your routing until near the departure date. If you don't like what they've planned for you, you can do a "deviation" to get something better -- for a stiff fee and a lot of $$ more!

Booking air yourself, you have control over which airline you fly, routes and layover times. Might cost more (maybe not), but you're in control! As you can guess, we rarely take a cruise line's air, regardless of the cruise line.

Hi everyone,

As a brand, we pride ourselves on spending more time in port andovernight than any other cruise line. The commercial reality of thismeans unlike many other cruise lines, the casino space is not a high revenuegenerator for the business and also has consistently been a space that has beenunderused by our guests.

The latest initiative is designed to test whether ornot the digital gaming gets a higher level of engagement.

Thank you for yourfeedback, and for your information, no decision has been taken for Quest yet.

Many thanks,

Richard

Could you define "digital gaming" as used in your response? A Google search indicates this might be computer games. But in the context of my question, are you using this as another term for computerized slot machines? Will the Pursuit have slot machines? Thx

We were on the Marina in the Baltic June 2017 and used SPG for a 3-day tour of St. Petersburg. Were VERY pleased with them!

We'll be on the Quest April 7th for her transatlantic to Lisbon.Looking forward to experiencing the new shows/format for ourselves.Initial negative reports on the short plays is disheartening.

We know when the Adonia is refurbished to become the Pursuit, Azamara will not be putting back the casino. The Adonia does not have one now (we sailed on her twice recently as a Fathom ship). But it did have one years ago when she sailed as the Royal Princess (we took her up the Amazon in '08). Pity, as my wife enjoys dabbling in the casino -- it's entertainment!

There's been some chatter on CruiseCritic that when the Journey and Quest next go in for refurbishment, that Azamara will be taking out the casinos on them, as well. At least the table games, if not everything (incl. slots). Can you comment on this?

[5 times on Azamara & booked on Quest's transatlantic in April]

I agree with the comments by rojaan and jp regarding the Silver Explorer. We were on her 2 years ago to Falkland Is, So. Georgia and Antarctica. Enjoyed the experience, but she is not our favorite ship. Silver Cloud may now be more a "luxury" expedition ship, tho larger.

Wonder how Silverseas' expedition fleet will fare in the future now that new build luxury expedition ships will be coming out in the next 2 years or so.Scenic Eclipse this summer (and a twin in 2020), Ritz Carlton in late 2019, and Crystal Endeavor in 2020. Explorer and Discoverer are pushing 30 years old now; Silver Cloud will hit 25 next year.Comments, thoughts...

And Scenic, a luxury river boat company, is going Ocean, too. Their new, luxury Scenic Eclipse (228 pax) is due to set sail August 31, 2018. I already have their catalog. Scenic reportedly has an option for a 2nd one that would debut in 2019.

Also, the Crystal Endeavor luxury expedition ship (200 pax) is due to start cruising mid 2019.

BTW, info I have on Ritz Carlton is their first yacht will begin cruising in the 4th quarter 2019, not in Spring 2019.

We took the SS charter from BA to Ushuaia and they were very picky about the luggage weight especially on the return journey.

 

 

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We were on the Explorer 2 years ago January for 18 days (Falklands, So. Georgia, Antarctica). We had the opposite experience. They take your checked bags at the hotel the night before in BA. So no comments about overweight (you don't see your bags again until Ushuaia). They didn't weigh carry-ons upon boarding. Ditto checking in on the way home at Ushuaia - didn't weigh bags. I complained to Silversea after we got home about the stingy weight limits (we were all grousing about it on the ship!) when they didn't weigh anything and it IS a full-size jet!

OMG - two bags each plus a tote bag! You sound like my daughter - when they go on a trip, she packs the whole house plus the kitchen sink! For a week-long cruise, we'll just each bring one carry-on size bag. We were in the Baltic last June. First a week between Oslo and Stockholm, then a 10-day cruise, plus one day in Denmark afterwards. We just brought our 2 carry-ons and a backpack, as we were taking a train between Oslo and Stockholm (large 50-pound bags are hard to maneuver). We did wash the afternoon we got on board in Stockholm).

3 years ago we were in Australia for a month, land-touring on our own. Just our 2 carry-ons. Did wash twice. Worked out just fine! We were in Vegas for 5+ days last month -- one carry-on, period.

We were on a Baltic cruise in late June with Oceania. Were in St. Petersburg for 3 days and used private tour company SPB-Tours. They took care of the visas. Our guide was great (a university professor, leading tours during the summer) - her English excellent. She got us in places before they were open to the public, or we went in thru a side door, avoiding the huge lines out front! Strongly recommend a private small group tour (15 of us on a van). And you do need 3 days there -- a lot to see!

My wife will not be pleased if they did away with the casino on the Journey and Quest. Not a big gambler, but she does enjoy playing the slots some in the evening and on sea days (a form of entertainment).

We'll be on the Quest transatlantic in April, so we'll assess what the situation is at that point. If they are going, that'll probably kill Azamara for us for anything but a short, 1-week, cruise. No casino is also the reason we haven't given serious thought to Viking Ocean. May be doing even more Oceania and Regent in the future (we'll be back on the Explorer in January)!

We were on the Adonia twice this past year (to Cuba and DR). My wife missed the casino, but they were only week long cruises. We'd vote to reinstall a casino on the Pursuit, just like on the Journey & Quest. Would be pretty simple!

We're in the Owners Suite in April on the Quest and I asked an Azamara rep about the BoB dinner. Yes, they are still doing it. It is only for guests in the 10 large suites fore and aft on the ship. They couldn't tell me which night it would be, tho (it's held in the Library). We went to one years ago -- it is very nice! And, actually, I would call it a perk you receive for booking one of these suites.

I've had 10:30 flights home and been OK. Request first group off the ship (usually around 8 am). Getting bags shoreside and thru customs is usually not time-consuming, and there'll be a lot of taxis outside. It's a half hour max to the airport. Should be there before 9, which is OK for a 10:30 flight.

Noon would be very conservative (and safe), but you'll probably wind up cooling your heels in the waiting lounge for a couple of hours.

My wife has a tendency to be sensitive to "motion of the ocean", so we don't book forward staterooms. Rough seas and a far forward location are a recipe for disaster for her! So we don't book "guarantee" rooms, despite a favorable price.

Totally agree Hambagahle. Looking forward to my cruise in an Oceania Suite.

We were in one of the forward Oceania Suites on deck 12 several years ago. Certainly nothing to complain about! Well, one very minor one. There is a 3D TV in the media room, but the ship did not have any 3D DVDs on board! I hope that's changed by now - we wanted to experience 3D TV.