Host Jazzbeau

For the Oct. 6 Journey cruise starting in Venice Ravenna, my offer was clearly for OBC on that very cruise: Keep your reservation on our new 12-Night Adriatic Wonders Voyage, still departing on October 6th and returning on October 18th. If you select this option, we will honor your original or prorated rate, whichever is lowest. Plus, you'll receive a $250 onboard credit if you have booked a standard stateroom or a $500 onboard credit if you have booked a suite. I have already received the extra OBC in my Cruise Planner for the impacted cruise.

From time to time someone asks for ideas about Barge Cruising. An article in yesterday's Wall Street Journal about interesting alternatives to the crowded hot spots includes a section on barge cruising and mentions these two companies: • BargeLadyCruises.com – eight hotel barges • LeBoat.com – pilot your own barge (no license necessary)

If anyone is flying in to Bologna [for a 'Venice' cruise now starting in Ravenna], an article in yesterday's Wall Street Journal about less-known interesting spots mentions Ferrara and Comacchio, which would fit in a 2-hour loop from Bologna airport to Ravenna. Ferrara has a Renaissance legacy from the D'Este family, a castle, and a local specialty Cappellacci di zucca (pumpkin-filled ravioli). Comacchio has a network of canals "much smaller but no less picturesque than Venice's."

The link in that post is broken. The correct link for local test sites is: https://bioiatriki.gr/en/covid-19-en/

You will probably love this new book, which is coming out on 14 July in Britain (but only on Dec. 6 in the US): Bryant & May’s Peculiar London This will be the 21st book in a series of murder mysteries [that I can highly recommend] whose plots feature the history of London and lots of local architectural and archeological details – but it is, as Monty Python used to say, 'something completely different'... and will offer hours/day/weeks of vicariously visiting interesting sights and pubs in London: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60490200-bryant-may-s-peculiar-london https://www.christopherfowler.co.uk/blog/2022/05/09/the-never-ending-story/

(1) We fly in at least one day ahead and go straight to the hotel for a nap [if the flight is arriving at the crack of dawn, we pay for a room from the night before so it will be ready] (2) Take lots of pictures – that way you will have proof to your brain that you really were there! 🤣

If you ever get to Liverpool, make time to see the Williamson Tunnels: https://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-europe/williamson-tunnels-0012517

Here's a recent example: we were on a Tulip Time cruise last month (on AmaWaterways). One of the port stops was Ghent, and the relevant tour options were: full day in Ghent, full day in Bruges, combo with Ghent and Bruges. We wanted to see the highlights of both cities if possible [and pre-registered for that one] – but our no. 1 priority was to see the Ghent Altarpiece and it wasn't possible from the pre-cruise info to tell whether this was included in either Ghent option. Once on board, the CD's explanation showed that only the full-day Ghent would include the Altarpiece, so we switched our choice to that one. Then the CD called and said that since only 4 people had signed up for that tour, it didn't qualify for group tickets to the Altarpiece and there were no individual tickets available to fit the tour's morning schedule. Problem! Then she offered to buy us regular tickets for the earliest possible time slot, which required us to stay in town for lunch. Problem solved! We ended up having a nice guided tour of Ghent, a relaxing lunch on our own, and a leisurely visit to this wonderful work of art! [Our cost: lunch and a taxi back to the ship, less than the tickets to the Altarpiece.] With a little flexibility, you can find a way.

Actually that describes what I would call a well-organized website. Life is complicated, so Azamara can't make their explanations over-simple...

This are the type of thing that can be very frustrating to nail down in advance of a river cruise, but are quite easy once on board. The cruise director on the ship will give a preview of all the excursions, and questions like these will either be covered in the talk or you will have an opportunity at the end to ask your specific questions. If your #1 priority is meeting your friend, the CD should advise you which excursion is best or whether you should bag it and get a taxi.

You mean, for ocean or river cruise on MOST cruise lines. Viking is notorious for demanding final payment far, far in advance of everybody else. Some people report being able to get Viking to give them slightly better terms, but never as good as 90 days.

Looking at the deck plans for both ships, I see the issue – but the difference between the Balcony Suite on Pearl and the Deluxe Balcony on Jade is about as minimal as you can get: exactly the same furnishings in exactly the same layout. As far as I can see, the only difference is 2 sq.m. more in Deluxe which is used to widen the space on either side of the bed by a few centimeters. If they offered me the fare difference plus a 'sweetener,' I would be happy enough...

It's probably coming too late to help this particular request – but for those who can wait a bit, there's a marvelous book about to be published (coming 14 July in Britain, but not until Dec. 6 in the US) that will offer hours/days/weeks of interesting sights and pubs in London: Bryant & May’s Peculiar London This will be the 21st book in a series of murder mysteries [that I can highly recommend] but it is, as Monty Python used to say, 'something completely different'... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60490200-bryant-may-s-peculiar-london https://www.christopherfowler.co.uk/blog/2022/05/09/the-never-ending-story/

My travel agents have always counseled against booking air through the cruise line. Even though I believe they would get some commission from it, apparently it isn't worth the hassle of dealing with these issues. [My TA just turned down a referral of a land tour because she isn't familiar with the company and the result is that she wouldn't add much value for me and it would cause too much effort for her. I respect that honesty, and it reinforces the counsel against using Choice Air.]

It has always been that way, and not just on Azamara. Different countries have different consumer protection laws and various other regulations – so cruise lines separate their offers by country. Some of the difference may be pricing in the cost of those regulations, or maybe 'marketing' judging the local culture as to what is most appealing. There doesn't always seem to be a discernible pattern...

With the latest series of reports, the title of this thread and the posts on the majority of its pages have become irrelevant if not misleading. So I am locking the thread, with thanks for those who put in the effort to track the changes in German regulations.

We were on AMA and Scenic river cruises back-to-back in April and both ships had this same mask policy (required when moving around ship and on buses, not required when sitting and eating/drinking onboard or outdoors). It didn't hurt our enjoyment, and we came home healthy. Cause/effect? Who knows, but anything that lowers the odds of being quarantined in Europe is worth a small hassle IMHO.

Here's a nice article about it from Cruise Industry News: Azamara’s Entire Fleet Returns to Service

Paul Ainsworth at Number 6 is part food and a larger part theatre. We preferred Rick Stein's down-to-earth approach at The Seafood Restaurant, which was also a nice hotel and serves a great breakfast.

Seconding @montyjam on drinks in your room. AMA includes "complimentary, unlimited wine, beer and soft drinks during lunch and dinner, as well as sparkling wine and fresh-squeezed juices during breakfast." [from their website] Based on our experience, they are happy to top up your glass as you leave the dining room after lunch or dinner [that makes the first drink in the bar free!] If you don't like the included wine, they have no problem with you bringing your own wine into the dining room [after all, you won't be drinking their free wine, so why not?'] There's also a happy hour every day in the bar, with free drinks. So AMA isn't 'all inclusive,' but it's pretty close.

AzAmazing Evenings are temporarily replaced by Destination Celebrations (basically the AzAmazing Evening entertainment brought on board and offered two times to fit around early/late dinner). But as Covid restrictions diminish, we can expect the true AzAmazing Evenings to return. The White Night party will be on a day that you are in port late, as it is so much better on the sun deck and that (I think) requires being in port to keep the wind down.

Yes it's practical: we did it last fall on Noble Caledonia, and they offer it regularly, e.g.: https://www.noble-caledonia.co.uk/tour/2499/circumnavigation-of-sicily/?search_url_id=1

No. That's one of the few ways for spend money onboard if you have a suite.

Please let us know how it goes – we have so few reports from Tauck cruises. They have a great reputation, but it would be great to have recent reports!

But the PBM computers have taken over the 'impossible-to-discern' roll! I have to watch Caremark like a hawk to keep my 'enrolled' prescriptions arriving on schedule.