linda47

Hi!

I've done several Transatlantic crossings, the most recent one on Azamara Onward, last November. The cruise was from Lisbon to Miami with a stop in Bermuda. However, the predicted weather for the "north Atlantic" was for swells 3-5 meters! We didn't take that route, but instead took a Southern Atlantic route an wound up with a stop in Nassau. That was the worst part of the trip! Even taking the southern route, it was rockier than normal. Fortunately, I don't get sea sick. Not many others did get sick. 

I wouldn't hesitate to do another crossing with Azamara. They take precautions. There isn't really  any excuse for that Carnival cruise ship going through that horrific storm a couple of weeks ago. 

This is off topic, but maybe someone knows the answer to this. I'm booking an Azamara cruise from Rome to Lisbon. We overnight in Lisbon at the end, but it says our  departure time ia 10 a.m.  That seems strange, since I would think they would want us off the ship a lot earlier than that. A flight home leaves at 1105, so I need to know whether I can leave the ship at 0730, or do I need to book a hotel room for one night. I hate to ask my TA to find out, since even she gets stuck on line for 2-3 hours everytime she calls.

Linda

On 11/17/2021 at 4:47 PM, GerryL13 said:

Yes. The changes were discouraging enough. (The original trip was already a bit overpriced, but the replacement trip was way too expensive.) And the wordplay, "postponed not canceled," was ridiculous. But the worst was the almost total lack of communication. 

I have had the same experience. I was scheduled to be on the "Jewels of Scandinavia +" in July, 2021. That was postponed to August of this year on the newer ship. Two weeks ago, I was notified that this cruise was "postponed" until June, 2024!! I asked for a refund, knowing it was unlikely to happen, and was told no refund because the trip was 'postponed, not cancelled." I disagreed about the terminology, and then was told I could schedule another trip. I accepted that, and am going to do the Great Lakes in September, I hope. But I certainly didn't get a bargain! I am highly unlikely to travel with them in the future. Their lure for me was the fact that they had 'solo' cabins. I hope they are nice! (And, yes, I have been on over 40 cruises.)

Amazing Tours in the Azores is amazingly good. Do not miss seeing these beautiful islands!

I can also recommend Amazing Tours. I organized tours with them twice, and they are excellent. Enjoy!

Many thanks to both of you! I just booked a transatlantic cruise on Azamara Journey that leaves from Lisbon. Since I have never been to Lisbon (Changing planes at the airport doesn't count.), I will plan on spending a day or two before departure.

Do you have any recommendations for a hotel or what neighborhood would be best to stay in. I am a solo senior woman, so safety is important.

Thanks!

I just read through all the posts and only a few people mentioned Azamara which surprises me. I've been on Carnival, RCL, HAL, Celebrity & Azamara. Although I would go on Carnival if it was free, I wouldn't pay for one. Did not have a great experience on HAL, especially with the food, but that was a long time ago. RCL is good but is geared more to families. Celebrity was my favorite and I would gladly sail on them again. I did love Aqua Class & the Blue restaurant.

But Azamara is, by far, my favorite. I've done 5 cruises on them, all on Quest. The crew is OUTSTANDING!!! From the Captain right down to the guys swabbing the deck. Very friendly and accessible. You are 'family' from the moment you step on board. You are remembered by the staff from cruise to cruise. It's never 'welcome aboard' but 'welcome home'. Food is excellent. Entertainment is good, but because of the small size of the ship, the theater area is small & big production shows really can't be done. That being said, they do a great job with what they have to work with and one of their shows "Voices" is excellent. Very different. They bring in a variety of entertainers who are also very good. Smoking is limited to a small area on the pool deck. And they do have a self service laundry which is free, including the soap.

I've looked at Oceana, but I find their prices to be much higher than Azamara. And Azamara includes gratuities and most beverages including bottled water, specialty coffees/teas and alcoholic drinks. So it may cost more, but it includes more. Their single supplement on most cruises is 125% which is much better than 200%. (And no, I don't work for Azamara.)

After being on the smaller ships, I can't see myself on one of the 5000 passenger ones.

How sad I was to hear of Bill's passing. Others here have said it far better than I can. He was a great asset to Azamara and will be greatly missed.

My condolences to his family as well as his numerous colleagues.

Rest in Peace, Bill.

Sue, after you got off, I got on. :D I have to agree with you 100% about Capt. Jose. I was disappointed when I found out that Capt. Carl wouldn't be the captain on this cruise and was concerned about what Capt. Jose would be like. He was wonderful!!! Very friendly and eager to meet everyone, which I think he succeeded in doing. I would be very happy to sail with him again.

That would be great, but very doubtful. At least I get another chance for Capt. Carl in March! (Fingers are crossed.) :)

Any word yet on who will be the Captain for the Dec. 8th sailing on Quest from Miami?

Thanks for the information. I never considered a drink package until reading this forum. Now I'm disappointed. Oh well.

I just looked for a drink package for an upcoming Royal Caribbean cruise and only found soda or wine packages. I know Celebrity has drink packages, so I'm surprised RCI doesn't.

Our tour with Rudy was wonderful. He took us to the places we wanted to see and others we had no idea that we should see. Our main interest was a turtle release that was about 45 min. south of Acapulco. Rudy got us there before the ship's buses, which was great. Instead of 30 + people there, there were only 6 of us. As we were leaving, the buses were arriving.

He wanted to give us a 'well rounded' tour of Acapulco and he did, showing us the rich, middle class, and poorer areas of the city. His knowledge of the history of not only Mexico, but the US and Canada was admirable.

The restaurant he recommended for lunch was great. Watch out for the Margaritas! Don't have more than one! ;)

I'm not sure if anyone mentioned this, but Rudy also supplies water and soft drinks for his passengers. He also took a lot of pictures of us, which was totally unexpected. I've never had a tour operator take pics with his own camera and then email the photos to us.

He was a pleasure to work with, responding to my emails promptly, answering all questions. And his payment policy can't be beat. He refuses money until the end of the tour and only if you're satisfied with his service. I'm sure no one has refused to pay him!

You cannot go wrong using Tours by Van.

I'm another 55+ cruiser. Actually, I'll be 58 next week. That means "only" 8 more years of work before retirement. Nasty of them to raise the age on me to 66!

I have no idea where I got the travel bug, but I've been traveling as much as I can since 1970. I didn't do any cruising until 1985 and that was on a Windjammer. Lots of fun, but definitely nothing luxurious about it. I've just finished my 12th cruise and have 13 and 14 booked. I've become more hooked on cruising the last few years. My prefered line is Celebrity. It really is a step above.

I think this is going to be a great forum! Lots of fun!