sabbo55

As always..thank you!

On 10/27/2019 at 7:51 AM, cruisestitch said:

Long time Celebrity cruiser on my first Azamara cruise.  Have questions?  I will try to answer.

 

first observations...

 

1. could they have made the shower any smaller?  I had heard it was small but until you experience it, it’s hard to imagine

 

2. the ship has a better library than Reflection, which I was just on

 

3. The ambience is quiet and peaceful, no blaring music poolside or in the coffee shop as I experienced on edge

Thanks for all the information.  Would you be able to post a few of "The Insiders", the daily planner?  Would like to see some of the daily activities.

Thanks for all the help.

I think I settled in on a location.  I am looking at Dorsoduro.  It is close to the cruise terminal and still walkable to the San Marco area. Plus the location has attractions in its own right.

The hotel I'm looking at will assist in transfer from the airport and to the cruise ship.

18 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

Location is the trickiest decision for Venice, and opinions vary based on your preferences, travel style and budget. 

 

I generally prefer to be in the "center" of whatever area I'm visiting rather than staying on the periphery. I like being able to step outside my door and "be there", not have to commute there. For me, that means I'd never consider staying in Mestre, on the mainland, which is a more budget-friendly option -- but it isn't Venice.

 

As already mentioned, Piazzale Roma is an area much frequented by those who are going to be embarking on a cruise, and it is the major tranportation hub -- buses arrive and depart from here, most vaporetti have a stop here, the People Mover is here. Because of that, it is often very crowded.  It's better than Mestre, but still is not what I would call the most charming or typical part of Venice. Still, Venice is small and it's relatively easy to get around, so it's not a bad option to consider.

 

When I was last there, I stayed in a hotel well located between two of the most iconic areas: San Marco and Rialto (named from the famous Rialto bridge).  The hotel I chose has a vaporetto stop AND an Alilaguna stop just feet away from the entrance, so you don't have to a) pay for an expensive private water taxi when arriving/departing and b) don't have to cross any bridges with your luggage.  These are all things you should think about -- not promoting my particular hotel, just giving you an idea of my decision process...  The website given in post #2 gives invaluable info on locations, such as the number of bridges that have to be crossed to particular hotels, etc. I strongly encourage you to study it!

 

One other tip:  Canal view rooms are always, always more expensive. Just know that going in. 

I am not unlike you in that I want to stay in the "center" and "be there".  My only concern is getting from the airport to the hotel and then the hotel to the cruise port.  We have no problem with walking, bridges, stairs or luggage. I will study the website, but would welcome your specific hotel recommendation between San Marco and Rialto.

Thanks!

6 minutes ago, mapleleaves said:

Can you easily manage your luggage ?  That's usually the deciding factor for a hotel location.  As well as budget. Venice is very pricey.

If you can easily manage your luggage you can stay anywhere. 

IF you can't, most people tend to stay around the Piazzale Roma area which is the last point of land travel in Venice (where taxis, cars, buses drop off their airport passengers).  There are a few hotels right on the plaza, and if you can manage a small bridge and 2 blocks several more hotels to choose from. If you need an elevator, be sure to inquire as they're not everywhere.

OR, pay for a water taxi , around 110E to take you from the airport to your hotel. 

 

I travel light so I take the ATVO express bus, nonstop from airport to Piazzale Roma ( around 8E, 20 minutes), then I walk a couple of blocks to the Grand Canal and hop on a vaporetto to take me within a few blocks of my apt or hotel. 

If I was boarding a ship, I'd go back to Piazzale Roma, walk 2 blocks to the People Mover entrance and ride the monorail to the pier ( 3 minutes, 1.2E ), then walk a few blocks to whichever berth.  If you can't manage your luggage a cab can take you from P Roma to the pier, for a 5 minute ride. I've heard it can cost 20/25E tho.

 

As for sights to see,  you'll need to do some research and determine YOUR priorities.  What I choose to see won't necessarily interest you.  PLUS, my favorite activities are riding the vaporetto and wandering around the lesser canals to see daily life.  Churches, not.   I'd suggest getting a Venice travel book from your library to figure out your priorities.

 

This web site has lots of useful info:

https://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/vi-index.htm

 

Have fun with your research !

 

 

We are very mobile and can manage our luggage!

Thanks for all the information

I am starting early for my pre-cruise stay ( 2-nights) in Venice for Aug.2020.

I have all the basic questions.

1. How do we get from the airport to the hotel?

2.  At what hotel should we stay?  We would put importance on location, being it's our first trip to Venice.

3.  What are the must sees?

4.  How do we get from the hotel to the cruise port?

I have spent time online looking this all up, but Venice seems particularly  tricky.  Also as I have found with past cruises, the CC members are much more knowledgeable!

Thanks for help and suggestions.

On 9/16/2019 at 7:50 AM, MrFunInTheSun said:

Day Two Compass 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for posting the Compass.  Looks like the format has changed.  We will be on in two weeks.

We did!

It was worth it and a lot of fun.

More than half had some sort of  theme dress items on.

21 hours ago, MonikaJ42 said:

Hi all

1st time cruiser.  Going on the October 6th sailing on the Harmony.  We have not yet booked our flights and am seeking some advice.  We want to take a flight home (international) the same day we disembark.  The two flights we are interested are leaving Orlando at either 11:30am or at noon.  Is that cutting it close? How quickly once the ship docks can you get off? 

 

Thanks in advance!

 

We are also on the Oct. 6th cruise.  We booked our flight out of MCO at 11:30, but we are domestic.  I guess we will see you in the 6:30 line!

 

 

 

My wife and I have taken several of the bike excursions, the most recent was “Elba by Bike”. This was offered by Azamara but through a local company, but we have also done others with the Azamara bikes.

If you know Elba, the tour we did last year was quite strenuous, several had to drop out.

On that cruise, our Naples by bike tour was cancelled.  I’m glad to see the bike tours are back on the rotation.

As to the 65 age limit, I will be just turning 65 by our next cruise.  I was planning on doing one or more bike tours.  My wife and I are avid cyclists. I teach indoor spin classes.

If those who are requesting an age wavier can post how that went, it would be greatly appreciated. ( Okay..now I’m feeling old- I need a wavier and my wife won’t)

17 hours ago, wrtmlt said:

No you can not pay the difference to upgrade the drink packages.

Thanks.  I figured as much.  I guess I'll skip the package and go  à la carte.

 I have a different but related question.  The Essentials -"Experience More Package"   comes with the Premium beverage package.  For many of the reasons stated above we usually go with the Ultimate.  Could we pay the difference in this case?

2 hours ago, BBMacLaird said:

 

Hi Kojak68,

The Casino area is replaced with The Den. This is a lovely space with comfortable seating, a piano and the same bar as was in the Casino. Along the forward wall there is a Shore Excursion counter, and the Cruise Again office.

You can get a feel for it on our Deck Plans: https://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/our-ships/azamara-quest/azamara-quest-deck-plans-2020

Thanks for the update.  I looked over the write up on The Den. It mentions Destination Immersion and tools for travel.  Will it still have nightly entertainment?  I really hope so.  That was a favorite venue of mine.

17 minutes ago, BigBee51 said:

We were on the original TA cruise from Miami to Southampton departing May 9. Not that it matters but there wasn't anything in the Pursuit's schedule prior to the current Cuba shakeup between March 23 and May 9. I assumed it was a planned maintenance during the gap in the schedule

It's all in the past now, but a few months ago the website had Caribbean cruises on 

April 5-- 5 nights
April 21- 4 nights

April 25—5 nights

I had bookmarked them for future consideration.  "poof"
 

51 minutes ago, BBMacLaird said:

It is news to me. I will find out from our itinerary department by tomorrow, and from marketing to see if letters have been sent/are in the works.

I'm looking at the website now (Monday evening).  Pursuit sails from Lima to Miami on March 23rd, after that there are no listings for Pursuit.  It appears again in Southampton on May 24th.  I have nothing booked so I won't get a letter.  I was just interested in a spring 2020 Caribbean cruise.

27 minutes ago, hrhdhd said:

 

According to the info from my TA, the Pursuit's eastbound TA (from Miami to Lisbon) departs April 5 and arrives in Lisbon on April 18. Presumably the last Caribbean itinerary departs from Miami in March.

Thanks that makes sense.  I guess the website has to catch up.  It shows Pursuit arriving in Miami on 3/23 from Lima.  Nothing is posted between 3/23 and April.  Maybe they will be squeezing a Caribbean cruise or 2 in between.

I have been following this thread but may have missed something.

I can’t find anything on the Azamara website for Pursuit’s itinerary for the month of April 2020.  It jumps from the end of March to May.  I presume this has to do with the Cuba situation 

I don’t having anything booked so I would not be getting a letter from Azamara, but I was interested in an April ’20 Caribbean cruise.
 

Thank you all so much.  We will walk off on our own between 6:30 and 7:00.  I feel better about making our flight.

Thank you.  Yes we always carry off.  I'm hoping the escorted walk off (Grand Suite) will help too.

Harmony is scheduled to arrive at 6 am on a Sunday at Port Canaveral.  I have priority disembarking.  Can I reasonably make a 11:45 a flight out of Orlando.  The next flight is 3 hours later.

Thanks for your advice.
 

Having done several bike tours with Azamara, I find it hard to believe you couldn't use the bikes the ship provides.

However on our last cruise, we used "real" mountain bikes provided by the tour company.  This may be another story.

Having commented before on this topic and having recently completed a cruise on Journey, I can say there is nothing but room service available late in the evening.

My wife and I , along with others,  enjoy late night entertainment  and cocktails at the Living Room and/or Spirits.  We are usually looking for a small snack before turning in.  I have indulged in the nuts at the bar!

It would be great if the Mosaic had small snacks available at that time.  Room service at that time seems so inconvenient
 

We also had a problem and received a similar response to our e mail.

Hopefully it will be resolved to our satisfaction.

We just got the same response today.

If you can, please keep posting. I'd love to hear updates.

Embarkation was a breeze! On the ship and checked in within 15 minutes of getting on the tender.

Dinner in Prime C was great. Entertainment in the living room is the worst we have encountered. I hope it improves soon. Love the ship and crew.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

What type of entertainment was it? We are on Journey in less than a month.