ECCruise

Horrible on the Oosterdam right now. On the way from the gym to the Lido at 7:30 AM and 70-80% of what they consider to be prime loungers with towels, old clothes and books resting on them. 

And knowing that the owners are likely back nestled in their beds since both the gym and the Lido are largely empty. 

10 minutes ago, gsutiger2 said:

Uggh concerning the TVs. I have a samsung tablet, perhaps I can try with that. We we're hoping to watch the shows we downloaded. 

If your tablet has Smart View to share the screen it may work if it is a Samsung TV which they usually are. 

No active zones anywhere in potential Onward/Journey itineraries prior to South Africa. 

Edit: map I  posted was a few years old so deleted, but currently guidance is similar. 

Here's our take on the YF Vax question, since we were/are on 2 sailings where it was an issue. 

For South Africa the only reason that we needed a YF Vax within the last 10 years was because we previously visited The Gambia and Senegal, considered active zones. Neither Onward nor Journey will  visit an active zone prior as far as I know. 

Azamara notified us yesterday that the requirements for Mindelo (Quest sailing 15 March) was due to the government there requiring it because the ship previously visited areas (presumably Brazil and Argentina) where YF does occur. No less than 10 year requirement and you can still board without it, just not go outside in Mindelo. 

12 hours ago, gsutiger2 said:

Can we cast from our tablet/laptop to the cabin TV on Azamara? What about using Roku or Fire TV Stick? 

 

Thank you 

We've been on Pursuit, Quest and Journey in the last year and none had the ability to cast UNLESS you have a Samsung phone, the TV is a Samsung and either the input is open (Pursuit) or you have a universal remote (Quest and Journey since input is blocked).  Even that may vary by cabin. 

Thanks for a great Live From. 

Looking down the Drake from Cape Horn (we are Oosterdam in yellow) it looks fairly decent on your way to Ushuaia. 

See you in BA  a week from today. 

19 minutes ago, uktog said:

Both and orca and others. I will photo the chart at reception tomorrow. It’s been an unbelievable experience. I do not feel “cheated” at all by not stepping on land in fact I’m glad I didn’t - this was a much more manageable experience for us and no fear of falling over! 

Yes, you must know what your cofort level is. It is a totally different experience on an expedition, but comfort should be paramount. 

51 minutes ago, shank63 said:

Never had a problem booking specialties on O, even after being on board.  Booking specialties on A has not been an issue either, although it must me done on board only.

On our 7 "O" sailings 2 were not extremely difficult (both 20+ days single sailings) the other 5 varying degrees of painful. 2 tops at 6:00 or 8:30, OK but any other time mostly "no can do." 

All 7 on R class if that makes a difference. One of the reasons we no longer sail with Oceania. 

13 minutes ago, marinaro44 said:

Please don't!  Nothing more frustrating than trying to get into the Regent system at some designated late night hour, after pricier suites have already grabbed the prime slots, to claim the one reservation you're entitled to before boarding, and then having to compete, once on board, with those who bribe the maitre'd to get additional reservations.  First come, first served.  Leave things alone.

Ditto. Same annoying process on Oceania. 

OK, all our top level people have made their choices, here's what's left for you. 

18 minutes ago, KC Cruiser 54 said:

Sorry to have to ask, but are you saying that the Azamara experience is superior? Have you sailed Azamara recently, as I've read some reviews that indicate that the experience has declined since RCCL sold them and made Silversea their premium brand.

 

Also on Azamara is there a particular cabin category you've preferred?

 

Thanks so much. 

 

Yes, for us. Azamara fits our preferences much better. We no longer sail Celebrity

5 Azamara sailings in the last 18 months (80 days+/-), 2 sailings in next month. 

No cruise line is immune from cost cutting and changes, and Azamara is no exception. 

We've sailed from Club Continent to Club World on Azamara, but frankly, insane suite prices on all lines (except maybe HAL) leave us cold. Verandas work just fine for us now, even on 30-40 day sailings. 

32 sailings on Celebrity, 20 on Azamara. The experience is night and day, for us, vs Celebrity. But that depends solely on what experiences are important to you. 

4 hours ago, The Salties said:

Just a quick one to confirm, on trip down all taken care of onboard and debited to your account whether going ashore or not. ONLY applies if your nationality requires a visa.

Correct as of November 2023 but things can change, obviously. 

2 hours ago, Grandma Cruising said:

2 hours ago, Grandma Cruising said:

 

If you look at Azamara’s visas required document it says US citizens require a Visa-on-Arrival. Further down it says Azamara will organise it & charge the $121 cost to your onboard account.

That is correct and is required, even if you don't plan on going out. 

4 hours ago, Mackdogmolly said:

It is my understanding that if the B2Bs are under the same booking number, the OBC will carry over. That’s what I was told re by B2Bs next fall.

Maybe in some cases but our B2B2B had 3 booking IDs and OBC transfered on each of the last 2 legs 

28 minutes ago, excitedofharpenden said:

I think true to say impossible in the time frame.lol  I'll stick to my previous thought. I don't believe any of the other ships will get an Atlas Bar. 

Honestly, that is my hope.  

I think that it is important to remember that having an Azamazing Evenings scheduled does not mean they will occur. We've had 4 scheduled in the last year that were ultimately changed to onboard events.  Notification of the changes occurred anywhere between 3 months and 3 weeks prior to sailing.

1 hour ago, NorbertsNiece said:

Any other Brits following here..... Ch 5 has Cruising with Susan Calman in Antarctica. Have watched the first few minutes of ep 1.... want to watch one straight after the other..... she starts in Buenos Aires then flies to Ushuaia to board an expedition ship.... haven't watched long enough to see which one.....

The Scenic Eclipse.

I think that ditching Azamazing Evenings is a casualty of many of the ships not sailing full.  Captain Antonio on Pursuit basically alluded this in the Q and A.  Our last Azamazing have been in Saigon, Colombo and Port Elizabeth, and each time we remarked at how incredibly expensive they must have been (especially Saigon). But to mount that type of event for 350 or so guests simply does not make sound economic sense.

6 hours ago, Grandma Cruising said:

Ours on our forthcoming Cape Town to Canaries cruise on Pursuit was recently changed to onboard. It’s African musicians and I’m sure it will be good, but the initially promised drive into the Namibian desert would have been better.

This is one we have experience with since we were on the Canaries to Cape Town sailing in November.  The Namibian Desert Azamazing Evening was also substituted with the onboard event. 

That was disappointing enough, but what transpired (for us) onboard was a huge disappointment.  Yes, there were some native African musicians, but the largest blocs of the event were devoted to 2 old male German "musicians" playing bad American 60s and 70s rock music (which was billed as an "oom pa pa" band) and a German female dance group dancing to the American country song "Cotton Eyed Joe."  Really.  There was an African a capella group who were great, and a drum group that played while you were filing into the Cabaret but honestly, that wasn't the focus of the evening. They kept saying "the German influence is very strong in Namibia" (it's less than 5% of the population) but it just didn't feel right.

We did complain, as did others, so hopefully they will make adjustments for your sailing.  We've had quite a few onboard substitutes for Azamazing Evenings and most have been fine, but they need to make it consistent across the board if they intend to make this the norm. And stop touting them if that is to be the case.  

We've booked six or seven excursions in the last month or so.  Looked online at to what is available, make selections, noting name and date and time, pick up the phone and call.  Tell the agent booking ID, excursion selections, book with OBC (if available).  Never took more than 5-10 minutes and shows on the website (excursion and balance of OBC) in a matter of minutes.  

Numerous interactions with customer service in the last few months. Booking excursions and dining packages, questions on visas, etc  

Smooth and seamless, a total contrast of the nightmare dealing with Celebrity in the same time frame. 

Keep checking, and ignore the "Excursions coming soon" tag that is on all sailings on the website.

We have excursions available for our mid-2025 sailings.

1 hour ago, laurieb said:

from the article:

In 2024, the drydocks will include hull cleaning and painting, underwater inspections, inspections of stabilizers, rudders, propellers and bow thrusters. We will also upgrade and renew some equipment and machinery which is approaching its reliable lifespan,” he said.

“We are also optimizing the fuel efficiency of our vessels by modernizing large energy consumers such as propulsion by applying silicone paint to the hull to reduce resistance through the water; HVAC by replacing older chiller units with more efficient ones and updating the air handling control/distribution units, and by upgrading our light and dimmer systems.”

That is basically all a dry dock of this length likely will accomplish.  Maybe some refreshing of soft goods here and there and some technical upgrading (e.g., rewiring data cables) but likely nothing earth shattering.

I would be surprised if they gutted the Drawing Room and installed the Atlas Bar in those kind of time frames, but ya never know.

7 hours ago, mahasamatman said:

I judge a churrascaria by two things - picanha and pão de queijo. Everything else is just window dressing.

Ditto, here!

Sounds like a typical Churrascaria.  Salad bar (and I guess with sides) which is fairly typical.  Waiters roving with spitted meats, generally some chicken, Brazilian sausage(s) such as Linguica and lots of beef, almost always Picanha and cuts from sirloin to filet.  And generally some lamb.

That's the way most Churrascarias do it, and the way it's been done in Moderno on NCL for probably 15 years.  Which we have enjoyed, as well as quite a few land based Churrascaria. But doesn't sound like Princess is winning fans with their take on the concept.

But generally little (or often, no) fish.