DS

Just now, Host Jazzbeau said:

But this is a thread about "Port Shuttles," and Piraeus is too far from Athens for that.  Perhaps you should start a thread about "...On Your Own" excursions.  But I don't think Azamara [or any cruise line] is committed to offering them everywhere.

I asked Azamara if there was a port shuttle... not an unreasonable question, since there was no "on your own" listed, which often are in this situation on Azamara.   My main point was that the AZ answer was... not an answer

I asked the question because usually in situations like this ( far from the port to the "real" city) Azamara offered a "XXXX (read Athens) on your own" excursion  which was basically a shuttle bus that one paid for to take you to the city center.   However, this was not listed as an excursion option.... hence the question.... which was NOT answered...

Azamara's catch phrase is "destination immersion."   So, ignoring Mexican, Egyptian, Indian, Greenland, whatever, wines, one would think that cruises to New Zealand, Australia, Chile, Argentina, France, Italy, etc. could focus on those wines.

     We have been on multiple cruises over the past two years,   Before that, they had the "two reds, two whites" plan, with wines from all over.   Then they move to the Azamara label wines from a no-name bottler in France ( for the most part)... some of which were ok, some of which were... "nearly undrinkable."   Then they moved to a French "bottled for Azamara" brand -- Chateau Beauvotte -- which was marginally better.... but googling the brand only showed the Azamara wines, nothing else...

     I think they should have destination specific wines... and indeed would gladly buy a destination specific package if it had quality wines-- especially since the existing packages provide virtually nothing for the wine drinkers...

Without providing any light, but adding confusion to the issue... I asked Azamara customer support  "Will there be a shuttle from Piraeus port to Athens city on 30 August?   There does not seem to be a shore excursion “Athens on your own” that day, which leads one to believe that there will be a shuttle. "

Realizing that Athens is a bit away from Piraeus, we were not hopeful... But the response we got is ... unfathomable?

"We can't guarantee there will be free shuttles at the Ports to take you into town. The only way to know is if if you are part of an excursion that says you are being shuttled.

Well, that was basically unhelpful...

 We received an email today that said the Azamazing Evening  for Journey 10 August sailing would now be held onboard, instead  of at an onshore venue in THESSALONIKA.   Still the Opera, but on board.  

      I think the great thing about real Azamazing Evenings is three-fold:   one is the location/venue, often a magnificent concert hall or venue,  a 12th century church, or a natural venue like Wadi Rum; the second is the performance itself; the third is the "special treat" for the passengers, usually food or drink of the location, prepared and served by locals.

       By doing these onboard, the first and third are eliminated.   We do get a performance, perhaps the same as previously planned, but the spectacular  location and the local "treat" are eliminated-- get dinner in the dining room instead!

       Azamara often brings local talent onboard for special shows to emphasize their support of local  culture.   Turning Azamazing Evenings into on onboard event diminishes them to the status of the usual  "bring the locals aboard."

     WE are disappointed...

On 5/19/2024 at 2:52 AM, Grandma Cruising said:

I received it because I signed in to watch the webinar, I think.

,

On behalf of Dondra and the Azamara Cruises leadership team, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you for joining our recent CEO Q&A webinar. Your questions and insights are extremely valuable to us, and we thoroughly enjoyed the discussion.   For those who couldn’t make it to the webinar, you can catch up on all the conversation by accessing the recording at the link below.

WATCH RECORDING

There will be more updates soon, but we want to address your feedback regarding email or form inquiries that have gone unanswered. If you have an inquiry that has not received an initial reply within 24 business hours, or has not been resolved to your satisfaction, please call your local contact center so that we can make this right for you.   We love hearing from you! For any additional feedback you’d like to share with webinar participants, please contact us below:   Dondra Ritzenthaler, CEO Erin O’Donnell, Head of Loyalty Michael Stutts, Chief Marketing Officer Michael Pawlus, Head of Itinerary Planning   We’re excited to extend an exclusive invitation to all our Azamara Circle Members. Join Dondra on the CEO Loyalty Panama Canal Cruise in December for a unique opportunity to meet her in person. This cruise will not only allow you to connect with her but also enjoy exclusive onboard savings on future cruise bookings, CEO hosted shore excursion, special onboard activities, and much more.

Thanks!

1 hour ago, takemewithyou said:

I was e-mailed a link yesterday from Azamara to watch the webinar that I signed up for and forgot to watch!  
I have to say…,.Dondra, you rock!  It was everything I was hoping to hear and everything as others such as @uktog described!  
I am beyond impressed and hopeful for the future of Azamara under Dondra’s leadership.

Now, let’s get those wine selections worked out before we board for Christmas! 😀

so... what was the link ???

Totally agree.   The Personal Info ( birth date) they have, for legal and other official reasons, should NOT be utilized for their own profit... and "ask your friends and family" to contribute to Azamara is over the top !!!   Is there a legal issue here?

5 hours ago, Roel94 said:

I have people next to move inna big suite. I am sure it cost a lot. I looked into a but shower as I was hurt and mine hard to use.offer was stupid just to shower.

What ???

So,,, nothing about the Red Sea ??

On 5/2/2024 at 8:31 AM, Symmes99 said:

We’ve been on Azamara 3 times since Covid and the cruises have been great - as good as our pre-Covid cruise with them. We love their product, it suits us well. 

 

The shoreside operations and website were abysmal at the turnover from the RCL booking platform but have been improving and are maybe 75% of where they need to be. We’re booked on Journey in Feb ‘25 and it was a monumental task to get “Manage My Reservation” to align with the booking confirmation. But now all is well with that booking. 

 

Just this week I received a refund of my deposit for an October ‘25 11-night Egypt/Israel cruise on the Journey that Azamara cancelled due to “unrest in the Red Sea.” I first learned of this cancellation a month ago and thought it was odd: the cruise would be in the Med not the Red Sea (but still in an area of current unrest, maybe that’s what they meant), I could still buy the cruise on the Azamara website, and who cancels cruises 1.5 years out? The unrest could be settled by then. I was offered the option to rebook up to a 12-night cruise and keep my original fare (if it was lower), transfer all my OBC, and get another $1,000 OBC for my troubles - nice offer. But none of the published cruises in that same timeframe were of interest and our next opportunity for a future cruise would be in mid-2026, beyond the limits of the current Azamara calendar. So I asked what would be the Journey’s new itinerary, maybe that would work. Azamara didn't have that yet. And they needed my decision before that itinerary would be set. So I cancelled and am now looking elsewhere to plug that gap in my cruise calendar. My thought is: why not wait to notify on the cancellation until you know what you're doing with the ship, then reach out to the client? There’s plenty of time - no one will have purchased airfare this far out. 

 

Despite the shoreside adventures, we are still big fans of the line. 

This cancellation is a mystery.

      This Israel/Egypt cruise was the last one listed for the Journey.   It (Journey)  was not included in the recent release of winter 25 / spring 26 trips:

       The Onward to the Caribbean before its World Journey.

       The Quest to the Caribbean before doing South America.

       The Pursuit thru the Red Sea to the middle east, India, Asia and Australia.

Based on past experience, one would expect the Journey, therefore, to be doing South Africa during the Northern winter.

So... was the trip cancelled for a charter?   For a different winter schedule ( that starts a bit sooner than before)?   If it were the "Red Sea" why was not the Pursuit passage ( 10 days before this!) also cancelled?   I guess we'll find out when the future Journey schedule is published.

     Did you get something in writing from Azamara?  Can you post it?  You're absolutely right... cancelling a cruise a year and a half in advance for a "political" situation is absurd... especially when the Pursuit is scheduled to go thru the Red Sea a week before!

     We did the Amazon on the Quest in Nov 2023 (Bridgetown to Buenos Aires--we actually started in Lisbon).  We had had the cruise scheduled at least twice before and had it cancelled by Covid ( on both Azamara and Oceania).  So, finally made it last fall! 

       As some above have noted, it is a bucket list cruise for many (for us!).   It is also not a cruise on the Mediterranean Rivera in the sense that the ports you visit have not been tourist traps for hundreds of years -- so, as expected, there was not the level of tourist infrastructure that one might be used to on other cruises.   But, in some ways, that's the point! 

       One port (Boca Da Valeria) was a simple village of about 100 people, with a single dock for the tender and a dirt path.   To be sure, the villagers had become used to cruise ship stops and "hammed it up" a bit, but again, a once in a lifetime visit.   Manaus on the other hand, is a city of more than 2 million, in the middle of nowhere, with a magnificent opera house (see below) where the Azamazing evening was held.

       Sure the water was muddy-- but it ALWAYS is in the river.  We had no bug problem (and DW attracts them when they are around...), but we did have low water problems that caused one port to be skipped in the river.   We also had engine problems that limited our speed to about 3/4 normal that compounded the issues.   BUT, such adversity showed off some of Azamara's best features.   Captain Johannes kept us up-to-date with constant communications on the engine issues, the effect of the low water ( again requiring slower speeds), etc. every single day ( and sometimes more often if new info was available).  The line was also very generous with compensation on the missed port in the river and two more outside.

     So, we are very glad to have done it.   Its not something we'll probably do again and again, but as a place that very few of us ever get to experience, it was worth it to us!

32 minutes ago, aliaschief said:

Last night’s Azamazing Evening on Cochin, India truly was amazing. Palm reading, Henna Art, a beautiful decorated venue, local cuisine treats and elaborate culture dancing. More photos later the ships internet here in port has been pretty much useless.

 

 

 

That sounds like a "traditional' Azamazaming Evening.    As noted in (https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2990719-azamara-seem-to-be-scaling-back-azamazing-evenings/page/3/#comment-67194925)   I think three things are needed:   Destination, Passenger involvemnt; performance.    This seemed to have all three!

Based on past history, one would expect the Journey to do South Africa during the northern winter of 2025/26, the dates of the latest news-- you know, the one with no Journey in them.  The Quest is doing South America, Pursuit, Asia, Onward, its world voyage.   I don't know of anything about this itinerary that might be a world-trouble?  Is it the ship?   Or the individuaal ports?

We did get the email today, touting our loyality: "Because of your loyalty, we wanted to give you an exclusive sneak peek of our thrilling new itineraries"   I guess its not so exculsive, since JazzBeau reported them on the web site more than 12 hr before the email.   In the past, loyalty members were given a 24 hr head start to book desirable cruises and cabins... not so this time. Nor were we impressed with the itineraries, while a few new ports, not really new itineraries.  And wondered why no Journey itineraries ( normally our favorite ship...).   Also noted the much increased prices ...  Overall impression: underwhelmed    ( and a bit disappointed...)

58 minutes ago, JsMom2 said:

Azamara just laid off 20% of their shoreside personnel.  Hopefully that will free up revenue enhance the onboard experiences. 

Source of this info ??

              We have been on more than 30 Azamara cruises and have had the opportunity to attend many “Azamazing Evenings.”  Some have been fantastic and fascinating, some, not so much…   I’ve found that the good ones contain three ingredients. 

       The first is the Destination. We have had classical and historical opera houses and concert halls, 12^th century churches, natural sites like Wadi Rum.   We have also had a pier side, folding chairs set up, with a minimal stage so only the first three rows could see the magician (comment: not so good…).  Once, a court yard between two building of a shopping center…yuck.  In short, the Destination is important.

       The second is the involvement of the passengers – US!  The best ones have had something special for us, either activities or food or something.  We’ve had great “fair like” experiences of local activities, and others that merge with the performance (see Wadi Rum).  We’ve had many that provide local food, etc. (including the bad location of the shopping center…).  If that something is “dinner in the main dining room before/after the performance,” well…not a positive grade. Neither does a “whatever-area-buffet” in Windows or on deck.

       The third is the actual performance.  It should be over and above what is normally available.  In many ports Azamara brings on “local entertainment,” often of a folkloric nature—local songs and/or dances.   That is good and appreciated—but it is not “azamazing.”  The Azamazing Evening performance should be something that cannot be accomplished any old night in the Cabaret Theater—it should be something Azamazing.

        So… I really appreciate traditional “Azamazing Evenings” (even though we may not attend every one for any of a variety of reasons).  “Destination Celebrations,” a wholly acceptable product of the pandemic, is not a substitute for “real’ Azamazing Evenings.”  These, and “Onboard Azamazing Evenings” tend to violate all three of our essential characteristics.

3 hours ago, DGM said:

We received offical email from Azamara and the May 3 cruise is cancelled.

Which ship is the 3 May cruise on?   Can you post the email?

22 hours ago, aussie travel bird said:

Correct Phil

Thanks to you both

Does anyone know the current senior officers on the Journey?   We board in a week...

2 hours ago, aliaschief said:

Some pretty dramatic scenery as we sail along New Zealand coastline. Weather conditions looking favorable for our 3:30 PM arrival in Milford Sound today.

Ate in Aqualina last night and enjoyed the new menu. Not sure if it’s fleet wide or just here on Onward.

Lot’s of different Chefs Table themed meals along with Indonesian and Indian Rice Tables.

Culinary team has lots of freedom on this cruise and is very creative and they have such passion in their presentations.

Life on Onward is a very special experience.

 

Pray tell... new Aqualina menu?   have you a copy?

ONWARD... 3rd leg world voyage:  Papeete to Auckland NZ

Capt Gianmario

Staff Capt Daniela

Chief Engineer  Stanko Raji  (he may have gotten on at Easter Island??)

Hotel Dir Elizabeth Vogel

CD  Martin Lawson

A/CD   Roy " broken wrist" Ryan

F&B    Iwan Pennings

Exec Chief   Srinath

only changes from leg 1/2 are the Captain and the Chief Engineer, and CD/ACD new on leg two after Eric went home

Captain G stays until  Dubai, when Capt Carl will return.   Eric returns in Kong Kong    ****  all current plans, subject to change at the will of King Neptune and others...***

We ( ONWARD) made it to Easter Island and could land!  A very nice day, weather and all.   Proof:

We got today's email also.   Its an entirely different offer than the December one... not 5% discount, but 5% OBC. 

     Still, interesting... we have one cruise that will mostly be paid from existing Fut Cruise Credits, which we have not applied yet.   Maybe we will do that (apply them), pay the small balance,  and get the extra OBC ??

9 minutes ago, uktog said:

I wouldn’t ask any night other than White Night when Aqualina is closed. I have commented before it does indeed mess up the galley on nights when both restaurants are open so I’m glad it’s being discouraged. I don’t support the view you should expect to be accommodated for your preference on normal service. If you don’t eat red meat, eat in Aqualina 

Just like Robin, we have often done it  (I especially like the PC KFC appetizer, even when in AQ).   So it took me by surprise when we were sternly rejected...