debcip

Nicole was the LCV manager in Miami.. She was exceptional, she always knew who to ask if your query was “different”.

Hi uktog, am wondering if you know of someone I could contact—trying to sort out a refund which I thought I was to receive (for a cruise last month) and am not sure if I misunderstood the whole situation. Have been bounced around both via email and telephone with no answers thus far. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Debbie

We just used Blacklane in multiple cities. They were reliable and used very nice Mercedes vans

Thanks all for the info. Interesting that the only included beers are Bud and Beck. I'm not a beer drinker, but someone in my group is. I know he wouldn't touch either of those.

 

Sorry, I was confusing Azamara with Viking Ocean re the excursions. What are people's takes on the quality of the excursions? Worthwhile, or should we try to find our own?

We've done a mix. We did 2 ship excursions on our most recent trip, one to the beach in Mykonos and one to a natural park in Turkey--they were efficient and the guides in Turkey were very good. They are small and personal, and as usual, a little more expensive than you would pay yourself. I thought they were a good value. I don't think they are always necessary but many feel more comfortable being under the auspices of the ship. We did a private guide in Santorini--these can be less expensive if you find someone to split the cost with, and my experience has been good here as well. And for the remainder of the ports we wandered with the help of a map and Trip Advisor

So....maybe this new scheme is an opportunity to create new loyalists without reducing current loyalty benefits. I am trying to think positive......but I am also hoping it does not work. Azamara’s ships are too small to create a new segment.

I think this is exactly it--I am a new loyalist (2 cruises in)--we took our first cruise with Azamara due to a unique itinerary and subsequently fell in love. However, it was tough to pay almost double the first time, without an understanding of all of the advantages of cruising on a small ship with a devoted and incredible staff. So, now, we are willing to pay a premium in order to get these "soft" advantages but perhaps they need a carrot to get people in the door, particularly with a new ship to fill.

I, too, remember the survey, and was not interested in these incentives. However, when this was presented along with the 2020 itinerary (on the Greek Islands to Italy Cruise), it was presented as being instituted due to popular request.

I guess we are a bit younger (mid-thirties and early forties) than average Azamara customers. We tried Oceania for our honeymoon and felt it was very (!) sedate. I somehow hope Azamara is a bit more lively. I think it could be because of drinks are included (they weren’t at the time on Oceania). Everyone was sleeping at 10 pm.

My husband and I are 59, in good shape and pretty active. We love the fellow passengers on Azamara because they are smart, interesting, and share with us a love of travel. However, I would not consider the ships to be “lively”— they are stimulating in a low key, fairly intellectual way— but there is not a lot going on late in the night—there is one bar open late where 10-30 people are dancing, and White Night is pretty lively. I don’t know what you are hoping for but feel that I have to be honest here!

I am a new loyalist (just took my second Azamara’s cruise—DH wants to sign on for life)— wondering what role Nicole held and why she was so valuable to all of you?

I was advised by Azamara not to access shore excursions through that route... the escalations people in Miami advised that I should always call up the Voyage Planner from the left hand menu...reservation number and other details on the right hand side. It is a pain having to re enter data but at least what it pulls up is accurate. )

Thanks uktog! At least I know that I am not crazy, and I’ll just do this directly next time!

No matter what information I put in , it comes back with a message that nothing is available. I’ve tried Philadelphia to London, Newark to London, one-way, round trip, multi destination etc etc!

I have ultimately been able to find flights using Choice Air, but the available flights seem to change — I spent a weekend doing this and was provided with different results every day.

Re: Beverage Packages. The complimentary beverages and details of beverage packages can be found on the Azamara website:

Booked>Onboard packages> Experience More Packages > (Link) Premium beverage package > Complimentary Packages (Link Learn More)

I am a relatively computer savvy person. But I am booked for my second Azamara cruise, and once again I find the website baffling. Seems that I always have to sign in twice, (on the main page and on My Azamara), I can't recreate my way to finding and booking excursions and when I do I have to sign in again. I don't really have a question--just looking for confirmation that I am actually clever enough to sail with this company!:):)

I'll be honest. I had a treatment in May on Journey and the member of the spa staff was able to prepare the treatment at the same time as giving the sales pitch so it didn't waste any treatment time. However it was really annoying and hard sell of after care treatment before I'd even had the treatment done! It was almost embarrassingly pushy. I let it go and said a firm "no" after it was explained to me. I should have just said at the start "don't bother with trying to sell me anything extra because I'm not interested", but she caught me on a benevolent evening, maybe after a couple of Moscow Mules. Lol. Lesson learned. I know the Spa Manager on Journey very well and always get great service from the team so perhaps I just balanced it out a bit.

 

Phil

I actually had the exact opposite experience in the spa--had my massage, the woman wrote down some items she suggested, and she never asked about it again! Sometimes I wonder if I even want a massage given how much I dislike the hard core sales at the end and was relieved I didn't have to deal with it this time.

I love this thread. Thank you to all who have contributed. My husband and I leave on our first cruise EVER, which is Azamara, next month! I thought I was excited before but now I am definitely excited. My husband isn't a join in kinda guy either, really, but now I think I will have to insist on the White Night.

Wow--your first cruise ever on Azamara!! Good for you! Be prepared to fall in love!!

Good luck! Hope they help! I'm sure you'll be pleased with Azamara!

Oy. I too have an all-purpose list that I work from. I rarely start early and am almost always packing until 1 am. It's partially because I hate it and allow myself to get distracted. Jewelry takes me forever. I wish I had a better system and packed less.

Oh yes Bonnie--we booked on board for Greece and Italy next year with our adult daughters!! Can't wait to be back!

I just arrived back in the US after an unbelievably wonderful cruise with Azamara on the Adriatic. Our expectations were exceeded! I thought I'd note a few not immediately obvious things which I discovered (some of these are also noted in other threads on this board)

• Embarkation, the muster drill, and disembarkation are as brief and painless as possible
  
• This was the first cruise we had taken with open dining and I was slightly worried that there would be less comraderie in the dining room between us and the waitstaff. No worries!!!! The waiters were all wonderful and treated us as favorite relatives!
  
• The room was not nearly as small as it appears on the website! There were a couple of spaces that were a bit tight but we were not at all uncomfortable. There is plenty of storage space. The bathroom, however, was pretty tiny and the shower the smallest I've seen. Shaved my legs out of the shower
  
• There are tapas served in The Living Room every night before dinner -- we often went there for the beautiful view and a pre-dinner drink
  
• Maps of the ports do not come to your room every night as they do on many ships. They are available at the Guest Services desk, and recommended shopping/dining sites can be found as you exit the ship in the security area. Also, there is a "local representative" who comes on deck and is stationed in the Guest Services area who can answer questions and help you with arrangements.
  
• The small ship advantage of docking close to the town and the Azamara principle of staying late in port make an enormous difference in your day! There are fewer lines, time in port when the crowds clear out, and times when you go back and forth from the ship to town multiple times per day. It makes for a much more relaxing experience
  
• Eating on the back deck, especially during sunset, is beautiful
  
• There is table service for dinner at the grill on the Pool Deck
  
• There is breakfast in the dining room with different items than appear in the buffet
  
• Do not, under any circumstances, miss the White Night Party or the Azamazing Evening! They are truly magical experiences and so much more fun than you can imagine. Even my husband, who is not necessarily a "joiner" or a fan of organized group activities, loved both of them
  

Hope these help!! We loved every second on this cruise!!

Thank you Steve! As I type, I am on a plane to Venice to embark on our first Azamara vacation! I really cannot wait now!

Hello! We are cruising with Azamara for the first time this summer and I've been combing the boards for a good idea of what to expect --so happy I found your review! Looking forward to settling in and reading!! Thanks in advance!

Hi Kennicott, know this is a bit off topic but since you have taken this ride many times: Do you have an opinion as to whether it is better to take this ride in the morning (about 8:30) or afternoon (12:30)?

Lynn,

I am so happy that you like Lisa Scottoline! She is a Philly girl (my hometown) and I just love the Philadelphia references in her books. She is the author with whom I began my attempt at audio books. I must say that I have enjoyed her last few books less than I did at first; I guess I'm getting used to her formula. I saw her in person at a book festival and I cannot tell you what a scream she is. You just want her to be your next door neighbor. She writes a Sunday column in the Philadelphia Inquirer which is also a riot.

I tried one Janet Evanovich book and had to stop. I did not find the character appealing at all. But now I'm wondering if it could have been the narrator and not the character who turned me off. Maybe I should try again?...

One book that I read which has recently undergone a comeback was Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett. That was one of the best books that I read in my life (but a real tome, about 1000 pages in paperback!). If you have never read that, and it is available on audio, get it. Tomorrow!

My husband likes pulling into the Caribbean ports, which are always a combination of beautiful and functional, and finding the perfect camera shot of the container ships juxtaposed against the natural beauty. Odd. There is not a person alive more fascinated by container ships than this man.

Just found this thread and am so happy! I am always looking for the next best Audio Book or paper book.

Regarding Audio Books: I agree that Jim Dale is by far the best reader around. I have listened to all of the HP books and never tire of his narration. I find that, for me, memoir type books are easier to listen to. I get somewhat distracted and books that are too plot-driven lose me a bit. And when the memoirs are read by the writer, they are even better I believe. Here are some recommendations:

David Sedaris, Augustin Burroughs are two of my favorite authors but I am not sure they are everyone's taste. (essays about their lives, funny, a little cynical)

Kitchen Confidential, by Tony Bourdain, about life in a restaurant is fabulous.

Andrea Mitchell's memoir about covering politics for 30 years

The Devil Wears Prada

Barack Obama's memoir, Dreams of My Father, is amazingly good no matter what your politics. His story reads like a novel.

I Feel Bad About My Neck, Nora Ephron. Great book about getting older

Books read in the past year which I've loved:

Stones in the River (about a little person living in Germany during WWII.)

The Memory Keeper's Daughter

Ghost Light (by Frank Rich, NYTimes Columnist, about his childhood in New York where he developed his love for the theatre)

That's my first pass. I'm sure I'll think of other things!

Debbie

Looking forward to hearing further suggestions