Jay19

Perhaps so, but I still feel an 11pm close when in port during warm itineraries would be far better

I tend to agree but then it's not me right below! :)

I do hope they extend the opening hours of the back bar. On our just finished cruise, two overnights docked in town where the bar had a fab view, both nights bar closed before we got back from an evening stroll in town - it closes at 10 :(

Perhaps they close at 10 so as to not incur the wrath of the people in the back suites on deck 8. :)

This is wonderful news!! We so enjoyed sitting at the Sunset Bar on our recent Quest cruises and to know that we can continue to do this is just great. We have several cruises before the refurbishments but are really looking forward to all the other planned changes, especially the Pool Grill area. Thanks so much Azamara for listening and responding to our concerns.

I doubt there would be any shuttle on the 13th since that is embarkation day.

I should also have mentioned that we were docked very close to the town centre and not in the industrial area so it was only a short walk to the bus stop. I don't know if this is always the case but it was an excellent location.

bumping this to top...anyone been to livorno on azamara?

We were on Azamara in Livorno last spring. There were no shuttles to the station that I know of. On our first day we were going to Siena so we got off the ship early and got one of the taxis that were waiting by the gate. From memory it was a flat rate to and from the station and we felt it was quite expensive but we wanted to get an early train and didn't want to wait for a bus. We did however get the bus back from the station and then walked back to the ship. On the second day we walked to the bus stop that Spursgirl mentions and bought our tickets to and from the station from a shop that was just close by. The buses were regular and easy to use, you just need to remember to validate the tickets. Hope this helps.

Thanks too to beachmudhut and roaming_kiwi58 for your comments. It is good to get a perspective from people who enjoy Azamara but have also tried Oceania. I have looked at quite a few other possibilities but came to the conclusion that Oceania would offer the closest I could come to the Azamara experience. Having said that, I am certain that Azamara will remain our very favourite! :)

I've sailed several times on Azamara but only once on Oceania (Riviera).

We were in a penthouse suite and it was fabulous. Great bathroom and space.

 

We enjoyed our cruise however there were some definite buts.

We didn't like the food in the main dining room (GDR) however we did enjoy the food in the speciality restaurants and buffet (which turns into a grill at night) particularly the lobster.

 

The ship was very quiet at night compared to Azamara. I think the complimentary alcohol on Aamara makes the ship much more sociable even if one is not a drinker. We enjoy the Casino bar and always find someone to chat to.

Crew on Azamara are far better.

 

We would sail Oceania again if the itinerary and price were right but would put Azamara first.

Thanks very much for this info, it is very helpful. We were actually looking at Oceania many years ago but were on a Celebrity cruise when we saw some information about Azamara, loved the itineraries and booked our very first b2b while we were on board. Since then we have sailed almost exclusively with Azamara and have quite a few more bookings to come. We normally like to cruise in the spring and autumn so the charters have been causing us some problems (although I do understand they are a great revenue source for Azamara). This year we managed to come up with alternatives on Azamara but not for next autumn. I have actually held off doing anything about other bookings because there have been so many hints and comments about the possibility of another ship coming that I really hoped that could be an alternative. Unfortunately though I feel I'm running out of time to choose something else and get the cabins we like, hence the decision to try Oceania. Anyway I really appreciate your help and comments, thank you!

Hello Hazel

 

We are also missing Quest and trying Oceania in two weeks. Let us know how the lines compare. regards Diane

I would also be very interested to hear a comparison with your Oceania cruise. We were looking at b2b cruises on Quest for late August/early September next year but with the changes to itinerary because of the charter we have now had to look elsewhere and are just getting ready to book our first Oceania cruises. I have been reading the Oceania vs Azamara thread on the O board but would like to get another viewpoint from an Azamara cruiser. I'd especially be interested in how their Windows equivalent works in the evening. If you get time to post your thoughts when you get home it would be much appreciated. Hope you have a great cruise!

There is no way this could have happened had your travel agent not said YES to the change. If, however, you booked directly you should have told them to begin with no upgrades....which of course this move was actually not. Our TA who is an Azamara specialist said they always ask him before any moves are made. Sorry you had this experience.

Unfortunately this is not necessarily the case. It happened to us and our TA was not told, neither were we asked if we wanted the move (we didn't). When I asked on boarding I was told that the change had been made just a few days before we boarded so perhaps there were time constraints in letting us know, but it was still not appreciated. We now always have a note on our booking saying that we do not want any upgrades.

I do think it is silly of any cruise line to change cabins without getting consent. While many people will be thrilled with an "upgrade", there are just as many that won't. Since none of the cruise lines know why people choose the cabins they do - is it for noise related issues, size of cabin, closeness to stairs or elevators, mobility issues, motion sickness etc - to make these changes arbitrarily is surely asking to have upset guests. I would have thought it would be easy to have a question asked at the time of booking - "are you prepared to have an upgrade at our discretion", yes or no.

It was part six shown last night, Journey in Antarctica. Spectacular scenery and some excellent trips out. It focussed quite a lot on the crew, including an impromptu snowball fight on the Pool Deck. Great fun. I have really enjoyed this series. Hopefully it will have a wider release so others in different countries can see it. I checked YouTube and only clips so far.

 

Phil

We were on that cruise and it was fantastic, we had the most amazing time and were so lucky that two of our days in Antarctica were incredible weather. The scenery was so beautiful and I think the thing that struck us most was the silence. We were lucky to see a lot of wildlife and Nigel gave some really interesting and well attended talks during the cruise. I am really hoping that at some point the series will either be on TV here or that I can buy the DVDs. I will keep watching out for them!

Well said you two................I was wanting to bat an anti Asian food line but then I realised we all have personal likes and dislikes and I am sure Azamara should be given a chance to change my view on that one as I doubt they will be sourcing sea slug or bullfrog any time soon :D

In fairness though, I don't think any of us have said they shouldn't have the new restaurant, it is only where it is situated that is the issue. :)

That's definitely significant. I have only been on Carnival (when kids were little), Royal Caribbean, and Princess and the lion's share of people are in one of the main dining rooms with smaller percentages in specialty restaurants and buffets at dinner time.

 

Do more people use the buffets because of the later port times? If it's as good as all of you are saying, maybe I missed the boat on this one.

I think the later port times are part of the appeal of the buffet, quite a few people have told us that when they come back to the ship after a long day it is nice to just be able to wander up to the Sunset Bar for a drink and a leisurely meal. The atmosphere and ambiance are also really good, largely because of the ability to go outside and also because there are plenty of people around. When you go to one of the Azamara buffets you will find a different choice of food every evening, a station for food cooked while you wait (varies between stir fries, pasta, seafood, paella etc), a carvery and plenty of other choices as well as sushi, salads and of course desserts and ice cream! With a different country theme every evening there really is something for everyone. We have sailed with HAL, RCL and Celebrity and never ate at the buffets on those ships. On Azamara we seldom eat anywhere else.

The buffet food costs very little to produce and even less in terms of service than the costs to prepare food to order and serve. It's not as if they will be charging full city prices for the upcharge. They are probably lucky to break even on the additional costs of high quality ingredients, chef and staff, and additional servers needed.

 

You have much more experience with Azamara than I do, but it's hard to believe that a significant percentage eat in the buffet for dinner on any given cruise.

It depends on what you call a "significant percentage". Obviously some of the buffets are more popular than others, but from our experience I would estimate that somewhere between a quarter to a third of passengers would eat there on most nights. I know on some ships the evening buffet is not popular - on our last Celebrity cruise we went up to the buffet one evening and it was practically deserted. On Azamara it is very different!

I have also voted to keep the Sunset Bar for the use of everyone. This area is one of the most popular on the ship, with a unique ambience not available anywhere else on board. On a nice night the tables all fill very early and stay that way all evening. With the wonderful themed buffets at Windows there is something different to choose from every night and something for all tastes. I'm another who doesn't like Asian food and wouldn't eat at this restaurant and it is very hard to imagine cruising for our usual 3 or 4 weeks and not being able to enjoy this special place. Please Azamara, consider moving your new restaurant to one of the areas suggested by other posters and keep the Sunset Bar for the use and enjoyment of all.

Bonnie, In your last post you say:

"This all means more seating, an expanded outdoor space, and a new Asian dining experience for those wanting to enjoy a full meal or just a snack and drinks."

Could you please clarify whether or not the Asian dining will be an additional cost? I can't imagine that people would pay a full extra charge just for a snack so will this in fact be complimentary?

The renderings of the refit are definitely beautiful! I'm sure we will enjoy everything Azamara is doing to upgrade the ship overall, BUT to see the changes in the Sunset Bar area that will benefit only some passengers, and actually be a detriment to so many others, is really a disappointment! :(I love cruising and I love the Azamara"experience" and I will continue to enjoy it, but it's sad to lose this important aspect.

Like I(and many others)have previously posted, why take such a special place on the ship where all could enjoy and reduce the access to only a few guests?The reduction in seating is also an issue for the time it is open(hopefully it is open to everyone outside of the dinner hours?); plus the loss of sunset dinners for the majority of us who look forward to this experience.(we used it 75% of the time, but now probably only one time as a specialty restaurant) This ship is just not large enough to remove such a special place, since there is no place else to accommodate the majority in that way.

QUOTE]

 

Totally agree! I love the new look of the cabins and think the upgrades to other areas will be lovely, but am so disappointed with what is happening to the Sunset Bar. For us, one of the highlights of the day is being able to sit outside and have a leisurely drink and meal, in fact we probably eat out there about 80% of the time. To not be able to enjoy that area for dinner any longer is a huge loss for us.

 

If you read back through the Azamara reviews it is clear that many people enjoy the Sunset Bar immensely and I think there will be a lot of others who are disappointed with this decision.

"The other thing is that (technically speaking), this cabin is an upgraded category, but there's no way for any of us to protect ourselves from upgrades that are anything but. When we sail on Royal Caribbean, for example, I can put in my profile whether I will accept upgrades or not. There's no place on the Azamara profile to a notation like this."

Deirdre, I am so sorry this cruise did not work out for you. Just for future reference though, when we make a booking we always have our TA tell Azamara that we do not want an upgrade. We are extremely specific as to which cabin we want as we do not like any kind of noise issues, nor do I like being too near the front of the ship. Our TA makes sure she has Azamara put a no upgrade note into the booking and then she double checks it is still there when we make final payment. Obviously this is more time consuming than being able to put it in a profile since it has to be done for each booking, but hopefully if you did the same it would stop this from happening to you again. I know there are loads of people who love to get upgrades and I'm happy for them for when it happens, but for us it is the last thing we want.

So there you go. I said it in post #1 and I'll say it again. It was a good cruise. A very, very, good cruise: the kind that brings one of the those goofy smiles to your face when you think about it after, the kind upon which you measure all others against. Would we book another? Yes of course. I'm not any happier than most with the new and dubious LCV benefits--though the optimist in me says I will be mollified with the announcement of tweaks to the program. And even if I'm not (and I feel like a complete turncoat for saying this!) not to book a stellar cruise experience as only Azamara can offer, and that Rob and I thoroughly enjoy, just because I'm miffed at the loyalty benefits, is dumb. Like cutting off my nose to spite my face. And that we won't do. See you soon, wonderful Journey! Til we meet again.

Thank you Deirdre for your wonderful review. You have a great style of writing and sense of humour and I thoroughly enjoyed reading every bit of your adventures. We have visited most of the places on your itinerary but you have certainly made me want to go back again (although not to climb up all those stairs! :) ) We are really looking forward to our next cruise on Journey and to catching up with all the wonderful officers and crew. I do hope we get chance to meet on a future cruise and thank you again for taking the time and effort to do all these posts.

"Some of your comments are valid and will be taken into consideration"

AzamaraJoel - could you perhaps elaborate further on which comments you are referring to when you say that some are valid.

We are Discoverer Plus, but with such a large number of points required to get to the top tier it is unlikely the complimentary nights will be of any use to us. We have no interest in the upgrades either. The only things of real value to us were the free internet and free laundry. In fact it was our hope that these might be increased in the new programme rather than being removed altogether.

Thumbs down from us.