Deval

We’ve sailed a few times in CC suites our last trip in Dec was in a Verandah.  Yes we missed the CC shower the Verandah shower is smaller.  After the 1st day we ended up turning water off, putting curtain into bathroom, lathering up, then curtain back in to shower off.  It worked fine, bathroom didn’t get drenched, and no curtain cling!  Our friend went to spa bathroom and showered up there.

11 hours ago, laurieb said:

There’s no package called unlimited;   We have purchased the ultimate package several times, and everything is included.  I’ve never seen a dollar limit on drinks, ever!  There is one other drink package, the premium package, which does include far less than the ultimate.  The ultimate package includes top shelf, premium does not. The bar staff will typically mix any drink if it can be made with the included liquors.  

I thought that I recently read here somewhere that Azamara is now just charging the difference between levels of liquor.

Sorry I spaced there, I meant the Ultimate beverage package.  The bar menus have P’s next to the drinks in the Premium package and U’s next to the ones in the Ultimate.  We were just on the 12/14 5 night cruise from San Juan to Miami.  We tried ordering a few glasses of wine at $16.95/glass and a port at a similar price.  The bartender and sommelier both separately told us they were not included in the Ultimate package and would have to pay full price for them.  We asked if we could just pay the difference and we’re told no, that is not an option. 

So here’s something I don’t understand or can get over - we’ve been on 3 AZ cruises and used our OBC to upgrade to the Unlimited beverage package each time.  Drinks are included up to a given price, say $15.95.  Unlike on sister line Celebrity where you just pay the ADDITIONAL cost over that amount, on AZ you are charged the FULL price.  #1 why call it the Unlimited package, and #2 also charge the full price vs the difference?  I’ve given this feedback in each post-cruise survey but still no change.

Bonnie, HGC - I don’t recall seeing this addressed of late.  You know of any plans to align AZ policy with the other brands in the family?  As much as I love AZ for all the things mentioned, this is the one thing where I feel I’m being “nickeled and dimed.”  And not that it should matter, we’ve been traveling in CC suites. 

On 12/20/2019 at 2:33 PM, ccletzgo said:

I do believe Azamara would be a great way to see Europe on a very port intensive itinerary that has few sea days.

Definitely agree, and we experienced it this summer - we did the 10 night Italy/Croatia intensive.  We always do land in Europe but thought it would be a good way to get a taste of Sicily and Croatia.  We were so glad we did, only had 1 sea day.  We liked it so much before we got off last week we booked 11 day Greek islands for Apr 2020!  
 

The 5 days was a good sample for those wanting to try Azamara (which our friends did that joined us) but the longer cruises are overall better, food, entertainment, and service wise.  We still had a fantastic time, barring almost getting flung out of bed twice the last night with the bad storm we went through coming back to Miami!!

HGM put it into perfect context, White Night is a fun night of great food, music, and dancing on deck.  We were on the Quest 2 years ago for a similar shorter Caribbean cruise (It was 6 nights then) and we had it.  3 other couples are joining us on Dec 14th for their 1st Azamara cruise we just know they’ll get hooked too just like we did.

I checked in yesterday using the app for our 5/28 Pursuit trip.  2:30 auto filled but I was able to edit it and I changed it to 12:30, no problem it was pretty easy.

There is a vaporetto stop right next to the San Basilio pier where the ship should dock, very convenient.

I didn’t respond since I have a fantastic TA that books all my trips.  Alls well that ends well!  Enjoy your trip.

It’s time for this thread to be closed.  The chatter of late needs to be taken to another board.

On 12/5/2018 at 5:41 PM, camping mom said:

Update on AMAWATERWAYS Website:

Update (December 4th, 2018): We are very happy to report that with the recent rainfall in Europe, the water levels on the Rhine and Danube have risen dramatically over the past few days. We anticipate returning to scheduled itineraries for all cruises embarking December 7th onward*. 

Heart-felt thanks to all our travel partners and guests for their patience and understanding and our remarkable onboard crews who continued throughout this period of low water to deliver an exceptional vacation experience for our guests.

Disappointing to read this today, as it certainly hasn’t applied to us.  Today was our last day on AmaLea, we’re on the Dec 2-9 that was supposed to be Budapest to Nuremberg.  While Lea was able to get to Budapest and we were able to board last Sunday, she wasn’t able to get out - we were stuck there 3 days.  The schedule has been a hot mess all week, sometimes changing multiple times in 1 day!  

We ended up getting out Wed but sailed 24 hrs straight to get to Vienna, we basically lost a full day onboard.  Had a good day in Vienna Thursday and opted for the night visit to the markets.  We’ll that was another hot mess as we were taken back to the same market to see it lit at night, but it closed at 9:30 and we were not picked up to return to the ship until 10:30.  It started raining and it was really cold and we had to find a pub to hang out in until the pick-up time.

Friday was a full day tour to Salzburg - 3 hr ride each way!  The day was cold but sunny and we enjoyed our time there.  We had been before but got to see things we didn’t previously.  Today was a full day in Regensburg which we really enjoyed.  Lea only made it as far as Passau so we had to fully disembark there for our tour to Regensburg and then bussed to Nuremberg where we are being put up at the Hilton.  It’s basic to say the least, pretty dated.  The group that booked post tour to Prague are put up at Meridian which is a lot nicer and closer to town.  For us it’s a 15 Euro taxi each way.

The week certainly didn’t turn out as expected, and we didn’t get to towns on our itinerary.  We understand the impacts of low water, but it seemed Ama should’ve been more proactive and upfront about it with us.  I have to say though that the crew was fantastic all week.  A shout out to Milos in the dining room who served us so well, and Milana and Marina who kept our glasses full, along with so many others.  

We will now await to see what Ama’s official response to us within the next 30 days will be, and what, if any, compensation will be provided for the significant impacts to our cruise.  I’ll provide an update when I get it.

12 hours ago, PaulS said:

Deval:

The Sofitel is in a better location than the Kempinski. It is right on the river with great views of the castle. We stayed in the Intercontinental, which is next to the Sofitel, while on an Avalon cruise several weeks ago. Too bad you will only have one night in Budapest. It is a great city. Hope your cruise goes well. 

We actually have 2 nights, we arrive Saturday, staying the 1st night at Hilton.

9 hours ago, Trvlcrazy said:

Hi Deval, I am on the Iconic after yours.  I will probably hear a changed itinerary on mine any time soon.  Did the starting and ending ports remain same or have they changed ?  Nuremberg is not even on your itinerary now.  Did you buy flights from Ama or on your own ?  If on your own, how far are the changed ports to airports with your flights ?  I am following your updates really closely...  thank you for taking the time

We’re still starting in Budapest but being put up in hotel for 1 night.  Was originally Kempinski but now we’ll be in Sofitel.  We’ll still have illuminations cruise & city tour next morning, then 3 hr bus ride to board Lea in Vienna.  Cruise now ends in Vilshofen & Ama said they will transfer us to Nuremberg (2.5 hrs).  We booked our own flights, we’re flying to Zurich & staying in Lucerne for 2 nights before returning to FL.

3 hours ago, Trvlcrazy said:

 

Hi, what was your original trip called ?  original ship Ama Lea ?  The itinerary you copied in your post still shows Ama Lea.

I want to understand how much of itinerary was changed.  Mine is Ama Viola departing on Dec 7

We’re on the Iconic Christmas Markets on AmaLea.  When I first accessed the page the table had AmaViola.  They must have realized the error and corrected it by the time I went back in to copy the table.  My wife is calling AMA today just to confirm. The itinerary is pretty different than what we booked:  https://www.amawaterways.com/destination/europe-river-cruises/2018/iconic-christmas-markets

So today Ama emailed us with the changes to our 12/2-12/9 itinerary.  After a night at Kempinski Budapest we’ll be bussed to Vienna to board AmaViola instead of AmaLea.  We’re bummed, we purposely booked this Christmas Markets trip to cruise on the brand new Lea!  

The itinerary now spends 3 full days in Vienna but looks like Ama is working the revised cities and tours to make the best of a bad situation.  The cruise was supposed to end in Nuremberg but now we’ll be transferred from Vilshofen on morning of disembarkation.  We have an 11am flight to Zurich so I hope they can accommodate us and get us to the airport on time.

We are remaining optimistic, especially given a deviated itinerary is 1,000 times better than spending the time home at work!  As the saying goes, we’re making lemonade out of lemons!!

3 hours ago, FoxHallFamily said:

Greetings!  We are on the AmaCerto cruise from Nuremberg to Vienna departing on 12/1 and just received our alternate itinerary.  Now we start in Passau and cruise to Linz, Melk, Vienna and then Esztergom (with day trips to Budapest and Bratislava added to the end of the trip).  It's sounding pretty good to us but we are wondering how long the bus trips will be from Esztergom to Budapest and then I believe also from there (or maybe we cruise closer?) to Bratislava.  Thanks for any insights from the group! We have really appreciated all of the information available in this discussion!

So anxious to find out about our cruise.  We’re on AmaLea 12/2 from Budapest to Nuremberg.  As of today my TA hasn’t received anything from Ama about our itinerary changing.  She’s going to call in the morning.  I’m now wondering if our cruise will be the reverse of yours.  We have an 11am flight out of Nuremberg on 12/9, do you think will we have to arrange our own transfer or will Ama have transportation to Nuremberg?

Worked out great for me.  I’ve been booked on the May 28th Pursuit Rome to Venice since early summer and snagged the $500 OBC.  Guess I lucked out.

Fantastic pics the colors are so vivid.  What type camera?

So no app which means you need to log in thru chrome to the website? Makes no sense In the world where everything has an app, CC does away with the app?

I’m so with you about this, seems like 2 steps forward 1 step back in this regard.

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I’m starting to get nervous, we’re doing Christmas Markets 1st week of December and hoping no low water issues by then.

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Definitely not appropriate, I wear dress jeans & collared shirts a few nights which is dressing down for me.

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My travel agent hosted a Viking Travel Talk last night. We’ve cruised with Viking before but went with friends who hadn’t. Anyways the Viking rep did mention Egypt is a hot destination and the cruises ARE sold out. If you see a date available you better jump on it.

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I’m back! We chose the full day in Bologna vs. a half day in Ferrara. We were in Bologna before (3 nights) but wanted to experience the pasta making. Wow it was a hot day, it got up to 98 but with the covered porticos we mostly walked in the shade. Another good tour guide with a short walking tour of the main areas, the food market, the leaning tower, and over to the university.

There was free time to walk around on our own (we found the building where we stayed) and then met up for lunch at a restaurant. It was quite large and easily accommodated the 40+ of us. There was a demonstration of pasta making and whoever wanted to try making the different pastas was able to. We then were seated at tables where we were served mortadella and a few types of salami, then tagliatelle bolognese and ravioli. Dessert was tiramisu and espresso or cappuccino if you wanted. Wine freely flowed during lunch.

It was an hour back to the ship and since we were so full from lunch we chose to have a salad and pizza on deck in the Osteria Siena. What a great option! Giuliano made some me pretty good pies, he will customize them to your wishes. We wanted a simple margarita, and he went to the kitchen and came back with a huge bunch of basil which we wanted.

The evenings entertainment was Maria Del Rovere in the Castillo Lounge. What a fantastic performer she is, she had just about EVERYONE on the dance floor the entire performance. She played a variety of genres and was awarded a standing ovation when she finished. If you go I only hope you get to experience her talent.

The next day is Thursday and we returned to Chioggia where it was market day. It was raining lightly but we didn’t mind walking around and getting a bit wet, it was a nice reprieve from the sun and heat. We walked backed to the ship and we set sail at 2 back to Venice. Another good meal in the dining room after which there was a movie under the stars on the sun deck - The Tourist. We instead chose to walk around town and live like a local for a few hours.

The next day Friday was The Magic Islands of Venice - Torcello, Mazzorbo, and Burano. They were much smaller and more intimate than Murano (Torcello only has 14 residents), we really enjoyed our the me there. The boat stopped at Murano on the way back to drop off anyone who wanted to get off and visit and make their way back to the ship on their own. We did and spent an hour or so walking around, watched a glass blowing demo, and bought a few pieces. It was easy getting a ticket on the 4.1 water bus back to the ship.

We had a late big lunch on Burano so chose to eat pizzas again on deck in the Osteria. After dinner Damiano the program director took a bunch of us into town to experience Friday night at one of the clubs. I thought music and dancing but the club was just a small bar with a few small tables and TV’s and music on the speakers. Prices were really reasonable for drinks and we had a few rounds. The highlight of the night was a pop-up Silent Party in the piazza. There were about 150+ people who for 10 Euros each got a set of headphones to wear. There were 3 DJ’s spinning music and there were 3 channels on the headset - blue, green, red. You’d see the different colors on everyone and all of a sudden all will switch to 1 color and everyone was dancing around and singing out loud. We stayed til midnight and made our way back to the ship. We had a blast and slept great from all the jumping around we did!

Saturday was our last day. We chose to do the Palazzo Fondaco dei Tedeschi tour. It was built in the early 1500’s but is now an enclosed high end shopping mall. The highlight was the rooftop deck where we got some incredible views of the city. Afterwards instead of taking the Uniworld private water taxi back to the ship we instead chose to explore the city on our own. We made our way over to explore the Jewish Ghetto where we had a light lunch. We took the 5.1 water bus back and it dropped us right next to the ship.

We had an outstanding farewell dinner. Some others wanted to go into the city after dinner Damiano took us out again. It was quiet for a Saturday night, we had a few drinks at a few places and returned to the ship about 11:30. We finally got to sleep around 1, we stayed up chatting and saying goodbyes to some great people we met during the week. The morning came early, we had to get up at 4:45am to finish packing and be ready for our 5:30am transfer to the airport for our 8am flight. Needless to say we were exhausted and slept about 3 hrs on our way back to Miami.

All in all we had a really great time. 5 days were spent in Venice which gave us plenty of time to immerse ourselves into the Venetian culture. We got to experience it as a local with the amount of time we had there. Damiano told us the water was too low for this weeks cruise and they wouldn’t be able to cruise up the river. It makes for longer bus rides to the city visits, so we felt fortunate we had enough water to make the trip last week.

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After a 2 hour cruise yesterday we arrived in Chioggia. We chose to bike ride around the city and ended at the beach. Italy is in the middle of a heatwave and we felt every bit of the sun. A nice ride through the center of town, around the lagoon, and circled around to the beach. We had about 25 mins and a few people with their kids went in the water but we chose to cool down with some gelato. It was a 5 min bike ride to the marina and restaurant where we met up for lunch with the group that went mussel harvesting. It was anything but for them, they weren’t too happy. It was a boat ride to the area where they get the mussels but that was it. The only mussels they had were the ones served for lunch (which were very good).

Last night was the Captain’s welcome dinner which was very good. We went to the lounge afterwards for music and dancing. Mihail is the piano player and we had him playing music from rock to disco to salsa! Around 11:30pm one of the officers went over and spoke with him, and the next songs went way slower & quieter! I guess there was too much noise for cabin below and that was it for the night. The next day is Bologna and pasta making.

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It was a long hot day yesterday but we packed a lot in. The ship repositioned closer to St Marks Square (still about 3/4 miles away) where our guides met us at 8:30am and we made the walk to Doges Palace. Made it there by 9 and beat the crowds in. Susan was our guide for the day and she was absolutely fantastic. Uniworld, you did good finding her! She was so informative sharing details of all the rooms we visited, crossing the Bridge of Sighs, and into the jail sections of the building. We took a (hot) leisurely walk thru the backstreets back to the ship for lunch.

After lunch the ship took a 2 hour cruise around Venice, there was a guide on the to deck giving commentary and speaking to the sights we were seeing. Be sure to have your Vox headphones with you.

Then there was an early (buffet) dinner at 5:15 as we had to leave at 6:45 for the private after hours St Marks visit. We made it to dinner at 5:45 which was still plenty of time to eat. Who was even hungry than after just having lunch a few hours before??

There were private water taxis that transported us to St Marks Square where we again met Susan for our private behind the scenes tour. She didn’t disappoint! Another fantastic explanation of what we were seeing. We got to go behind the alter (where you WILL NOT be disappointed with what you see - I won’t spoil it) and down below the alter to see the crypt where St Mark’s remains were originally buried.

After we left the church we walked the area around the Square and made it over to Rialto Bridge. As usual LOTS of people milling around there. We grabbed a few glasses of wine and hung around the canal there before making our way back to the ship around 10.

All in all a great day. I’ll post more later about our day in Chioggia today. Time to get ready for a cocktail hour we’re invited to before dinner.

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Despite a “sauna” train ride from Milan (AC was barely working) we made it to Venice on time. A quick private shuttle to San Basilico and we were warmly welcomed onboard. After several spritz’s and the compulsory onboard drill, we had a great welcome dinner. Got to meet a number of guests which total less than 100 for this sailing. After dinner we aimlessly walked around the city and stumbled upon the Sinatra Centurion Palace hotel and had a great bottle of red while sitting overlooking the canal. An unbelievably perfect way to cap off the night. We have an early start of 8:30am for Dodge’s Palace and city walking tour. Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings. Ciao Bella!

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