debcip

On 2/3/2020 at 4:20 PM, excitedofharpenden said:

In the interests of science and good service to the Azamara community I have conducted an experiment this morning. 

This is why I love this community! So funny while being completely honest and helpful! 

On 1/1/2020 at 7:30 AM, hubofhockey said:

It's late April itineraries on both lines, meaning you're still in cherry blossom season in Japan.  Oceania's cruise , as it turns out, avoids cherry blossom season as it goes from Tokyo south back to Tokyo and cherry blossom season is done in Tokyo in mid April.  I don't believe it is any accident that Azamara does a Circle and hits northern ports during peak cherry blossom in bloom season and then hits the southern ports later even in Wisteria season.  The O cruise even misses that as it ends earlier.  Maybe this is a freak thing and just "random" but I don't think so.  I do believe that Azamara put some though into all of this.  Even more, when I looked at port times for Kobe/Kyoto, the Azamara times lent itself more for us getting a full day of touring in Kyoto done and staying at a hotel in Gion.  I find a lot of value in all of this, but it did take a price drop in our Azamara booking for me to lock this one for Azamara 

Hub of Hockey, just wanted to thank you for this detailed bit of information, which has been rattling around my brain since you posted—We have decided that this trip is too special to pass up , and have decided to book! It is largely due to your enthusiasm that we tuned in to it and became convinced, so we are grateful! 

Debbie

On 1/6/2020 at 3:51 PM, uktraveller said:

We’re definitely “on trend” 😁

 

South Africa in February and Norway/ North Cape in July.... very excited for both of these!

DH Glenn and I (Debbie) will be joining you in Norway—So glad that we’re on trend!

Norris, 

We are going on the Azamara Norway intensive next year, and I’m starting to work on our activities—am looking forward to reading your take on things—Thanks!

Debbie 

(NJ via PA!)

We are hoping to purchase a dining package on our next cruise. My husband prefers to drink beer or vodka and is not much for wine.  I assume that he would be able to get a mixed drink or beer at the Chef's Table, is this a correct assumption?  Thanks!

We took our daughters, 21 and 25, on AZ last summer. They were pretty happy on board, although there were only a handful of people on the ship their age.  However, they are used to this as we have sailed on HA where there are also few young people; in addition they love being with each other.  I do think they thought it was a little “sleepy” but they didn’t seem to mind

On 9/2/2019 at 3:19 PM, uktog said:

I keep my own spreadsheets of the cruises I am thinking of booking - OCD I know!

I wish I could see your spreadsheet!  I have made many only to be unhappy with my format and have thus abandoned them.  But I know that I can do better (pricewise) if I adopt some type of tracking system!

 My husband and I are pretty easy to please and don’t find much to complain about on HAL or Celebrity, with whom we’ve cruised multiple times. However, we much prefer AZ to the mass market ships. 

The objective things to love about AZ are easy:  the small size, lack of crowds, port-intensive and interesting itineraries, and genuine friendliness of the staff. DH and I enjoy the food on AZ more than any of the other lines we sailed. We’ve taken some ship excursions and have been happy with them—they are comparable to those on other ships with the exception of the smaller group size.  

But honestly, the thing we like the most is more intangible—we just love the “vibe.”  We like the upscale but casual atmosphere; we don’t require and don’t much like being fussed over although we do like being treated well. We feel like we are very much at home there. So, for us, it is worth it. And there’s no way for you to measure this feeling without doing it yourself. I bet you won’t be sorry if you do! 

We had an AzaMazing Evening in Koper in 2016. It was incredible!

1 hour ago, grnrab said:

here's another - driver in Matera

https://en.autoconautista.com/matera/

 

Thanks!   As always, it takes Googling the correct words--I spent a couple of hours on it last night and did not hit upon any of these!  Thank you so much!!

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

  The other issue regarding renting cars in Italy (and Europe) are that many of the lower priced cars have manual (stick) shift.  For those that don't know how to drive a stick it often means paying a much higher price to rent an automatic. 

I forgot completely about the standard transmission.  Never learned.  Ok, now I am 1,000% OUT on the driving (as opposed to the previous 100%).

Hi all,

This is a bit off-topic for Azamara but I am hoping the extensive travel experience of this group can help me out!

I  will be doing a land tour and spending 3 days in Matera.  I would like to hire a car to bring me about an hour inland to a small town called Salandra (my grandmother's hometown).  I can find recommendations from the Bari airport to Matera, but it's been tough finding recommended drivers starting in Matera.  Does anyone here have any experience which you could recommend? 

I have also posted this in the Italy thread, where some have recommended doing the driving myself.  I just do not feel comfortable doing that, particularly as I will be alone and on a bit of a time restriction.  There is also fairly limited and ? reliable bus and train service, which makes me a little nervous for the same reasons.

And while I have you...any tips for finding long lost relatives in the town?  I don't even know if the folks there speak much English, as the town is not one frequented by tourists/Americans.  I did find the website Italianside.com, which runs a pretty extensive geneology search if desired, but the charge a pretty high price for their services.  

The site did provide a link to search for people with a given name in a given town.  I did find some folks with my grandmother's name--maybe will just try to find them upon my arrival that day, if I manage to make it there

Any ideas would be appreciated!

Debbie

9 hours ago, bennybear said:

We have driven around this area,  lots to see,  Matera, Altamira,   The Unesco site Caste de  monte and the best hotel I have stayed at in Italy.  We found the driving to be no problem.  

Thanks, bennybear.  I am a bit of a chicken and will not be driving myself!  Perhaps if I had more time and was not alone I would do this.

Thank you for the recommendations--I have been to Italy a number of times but never to this area.  I am so looking forward to it!

9 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Sure can't help you with finding lost relatives, but if I wanted to spend a few days (or longer) in that part of Italy I would rent a car at Bari and drive myself.  .  Your post did get my interest so I did a little browsing on the Internet and came up with a site that might be helpful:

https://www.italianside.com/basilicata/matera/salandra/genealogy/

 

 

 

 

Thanks Hank!  No way am I venturing into driving through rural Italy myself, and with a time restriction no less!  You, bennybear, and my brother-in-law are much braver than I am!  

Regarding Italianside.com:  I had found this as well and contacted them.  They have a very extensive program which seems to be legitimate, but charge a pretty high price for their services.  If I was really digging into my geneology I would use them 

The site did provide a link to search for people with a given name in a given town.  I did find some folks with my grandmother's name--maybe will just try to find them upon my arrival that day, if I manage to make it there

Debbie

I will be doing a land tour and spending 3 days in Matera.  I would like to hire a car to bring me about an hour inland to a small town called Salandra (my grandmother's hometown).  I can find recommendations from the Bari airport to Matera, but it's been tough finding recommended drivers starting in Matera.  Does anyone here have any experience which you could recommend?  

And while I have you...any tips for finding long lost relatives in the town?  I don't even know if the folks there speak much English, as the town is not one frequented by tourists/Americans

On 2/19/2019 at 2:30 AM, Host Grandma Cruising said:

Only US customers can request luggage labels to be posted.  Others only get the ones you print yourself. You can buy luggage label holders on Amazon that fit the printed ones perfectly, so no need for tape. Just buy the holders that say they fit Royal Caribbean labels.

 Why did I never think to look for this?? Thanks Host Grandma!

Lois,

Just so you’re prepared, be ready to bring your tape and paper tags. I’ve been on 2 Azamara cruises and have never received the sticky tags in the mail!  I too keep thinking I must have missed a checkbox somewhere!  One of those mysteries..

I have met many people who do not mind the inside cabins at all, and think they would rather spend their money on their experiences than on their in-room time, which others have said is somewhat limited in these port-intensive trips. Personally I feel a little closed in and, like Bayanno1, feel much better if I can see daylight. Many folks use their balconies a lot (breakfast, afternoon relaxation, etc), and it is nice to go out on them occasionally, but if you are happy enough to walk to the decks, you can certainly get by without one. 

Hello Werangels,

Our first Azamara Cruise was to Croatia on the Journey in 2017. It was similar to, but not exactly the same as your potential trip—we did Zadar, Hvar, Dubrovnik. It was really magical—such a gorgeous and relatively undiscovered part of the world. We went to Krka National Park on Zadar day; we divided Havar into two, exploring the town in the morning and getting one of the boats (see in Tiggertown’s photo) to the Pakleni islands for some beach time and lunch in the afternoon. As we were there in August, Dubrovnik was mobbed, and we used a New York Times article to lead us to some places off the beaten path. We did the same in Venice. Don’t hesitate—it will be an unforgettable trip! It is certainly the easiest way to see Croatia—I hear the driving is pretty tricky.   I thought I posted a review in Sep 2017 which you may be able to find. 

My husband and I were still learning the ropes on our first Azamara Cruise. We arrived a little too late at our “White Night” and were wandering aimlessly on the deck looking for a place to sit with our full plates, wondering if we were just going to regret the whole evening. Then suddenly a light British female voice rang out to us:  “Hello? Are you looking for a seat? Please come and sit with us!”  We sat down with two couples who had known each other for 30 years, and by the end of the night we were enfolded into their group!  We spent much of that week with them,  and that made the trip just a little more wonderful. 

“And that’s what [Azamara] is all about, Charlie Brown”

Thanks to you both!  Will get on this and commit!

My husband and I have been on 2 Azamara cruises and are Explorer level. We are fairly certain that we want to take one of the Norway cruises in 2020. But there are no advertised “deals” on these cruises as yet. For those of you with more experience, what would you advise?  Is there any predictable time when incentives begin to come out or anything specific that we should wait for?  Or should we just seize the day and book? I guess i should add that we would like an outside cabin or balcony, but are not too particular about our room location. Thanks!

We have cruised on a number of lines from 6* to 3* although I will admit never Seabourn and see Azamara as a different product. The onboard experience is Boutique Hotel rather than upmarket 5* Hotel, the ambiance is convivial with enough included to make for a relaxed atmosphere.

Thank you; this is the perfect description; I never quite know how to describe Azamara to my cruisegoing friends. I am going to lift this description and use it liberally!

I sailed on the Journey in May. There was a much larger variety of breads than you described, with 3-4 choices per night and breadsticks. However, I too love good bread and was a little disappointed with the quality. The bread is my least favorite thing about Azamara. Sorry I don’t have better news to report!

We're getting to the ship with a private water taxi. Will it be convenient to get to the ship at San Basilio or will we have to walk a distance still?

We took a private water taxi to San Basilio. We were dropped off 30 yards from the terminal building; the ship is perhaps 200 yards from the building, and as described there are shuttles if one is too hot or tired to walk it.

Of note we walked all the way from San Marco to San Basilio one day when we could not catch a vaporetto. That is pretty long but doable.