mr_bad_example

Jimmycruiser, thank you for your response.  We will wait until we are aboard to make any decisions, if we are unable to buy what we want in Lisbon.

3 minutes ago, BBMacLaird said:

You’re welcome. 

P.s. your handle and profile picture make me smile. 😋 

Welcome to the Azamara family!

Glad I was able to make you smile!  Cruising, wine, cigars, new friends, and helping those in need do that for me; so many things in this world today try to take away our happiness!  I refuse to let that happen!

Thank you for the warm welcome.  Katherine and I look forward to our first 17 night Azamara adventure!

Thank you for the information.

Thank you!

We are frequent Celebrity cruisers taking our first Azamara cruise in November.

 

Azamara offers two wine bottle packages - one with a $50.00 per bottle limit and one with a $75.00 per bottle limit.  If we wish to purchase a bottle of wine that costs more than the package limit, let's say a $100.00 bottle, do we simply pay the difference of $25.00 or $50.00 like we do on Celebrity?

 

Thanks in advance!

How does one get invited to this? I recall going to a sushi demonstration that we held in Qsine on Silhouette last year but we were not in the galley, nor were we participating.

 

BTW we got friendly with the Qsine maitre'd on that sailing and got him to give us a "tour" one day. It was extremely small, and was shared with Tuscan.

 

Mister Bill,

 

We saw it in the dailies. It was a paid event. Ask the concierge (whichever one applies to you) or ask the Qsine representatives who are around during the day trying to get people to book dinners. If you have a big enough group, you might get them to do it just for you. It was one of my SO's best memories of the Summit.

We are on the August 30th sailing, which will be our fourth cruise on the Summit in the last three years.

 

MisterBill, the discounts we were able to obtain on the Silhouette were similar to yours and far deeper than those were have been able to obtain on the Summit. Our experience on the Summit has been with discounts in the range of 20%, although certain classes of frequent quests may have access to deeper discounts.

 

D and K

The problem we had with Qsine on Summit was two-fold. One, the service was very slow, and the time between courses was long. This was attributed to the fact that there isn't a dedicated galley for Qsine on Summit, and the food had to be brought from pretty far away. Second, we found the food to be very underwhelming in many ways. Some things were pretty good, but a vast majority of items were just OK, with some being downright bad. And because of the distance of the galley to the restaurant, most of our food came either lukewarm or cold. Personally, we find Qsine to be nothing more than a gimmick, with their iPads, decor and presentation. Gimmicks, IMHO, aren't usually indicative of fine dining, or even decent dining. It's just showboating.

 

We leave on August 30th for our fourth cruise on the Summit. Last year, the Chef de cuisine of Qsine held a cooking class in the Qsine galley, where the staff taught a select group of guests how to make the Qsine dishes at home. K. was in that class and I was in the galley when I brought K. a glass of champagne. The galley is adjacent to and immediately accessible from Qsine.

 

D and K

Excellent! My current CC status only offers a 7-day stint at Betty Ford, so definitely something to aspire to. LOL!

 

That's a pretty decent benefit, since Betty Ford is over $1,200.00 a day!

 

Of course, for $1,200.00 a day, we could enjoy a nice selection of vintage first growth Bordeaux...

My concerns with liver are related to the beverage packages

 

Once you reach the Ludicrous Club Points Level, you get access to the Double Secret Super Premium Beverage Package, which includes a free liver transplant from a teenage Mormon immediately following your cruise.

We leave on our fourth Summit cruise on August 30, 2015.

 

As long as the ship is at sea, her forward movement creates a breeze that wafts the smoke aft.

 

Once in port, the Sunset Bar is uncovered and the hot sun deters smokers, sending them to covered locations.

We are less than eight weeks away from our fourth cruise on the Summit.

 

On some cruises, the Normandie Restaurant offers a champagne afternoon tea (for an additional charge) which is a semi-proper Afternoon Tea (not to be confused with Browns Hotel in London, which sets the standard for Champagne (or not) Afternoon Tea for two, at a cost of a mere 115.00 Sterling plus 12.5%).

 

On the Bermuda run, the Summit offers the Elite Afternoon Tea by reservation, at no charge, for the Elite, on Thursday afternoon.

 

Cheers!

 

Derek and Katherine

We use our OBC to pay the difference between the included Classic beverage package and the additional ($10.00 plus tip) Premium package, which allows us the wines we prefer at Cellar Masters.

 

We choose Select dining because we want to select the time and with whom we dine, nothing more or less, and gladly pay in advance for the opportunity.

 

As to the comments about the flash mob, they were doing it last year on the Summit - the decision is that of the CD or AD.

As to your food preferences:

 

Two options:

 

Have your TA contact X now so they have time to address your concerns, and they will have them addressed prior to the cruise. No TA? Try calling during the week and seeing what X can do.

 

Or...

 

Let the Maitre d' in Blu know your requirements and they will have things sorted for your next meal.

 

As to the embarkation:

 

With the new facility, the ramps adjust based on the tide, kind of like walking to an airplane in a European airport, where the ramps are longer and adjust based on the size of the plane. I have only departed on the Quantum from Bayonne since the new facility opened, so I can't speak for the Summit.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

Derek

Jim,

 

I stand corrected. We have always upgraded to the Premium and I assumed the deal was similar. Thanks for setting me straight.

 

Derek

The Classic beverage package covers wines up to $9.00 per glass at Cellar Masters (and everywhere else). If you choose a wine that costs more, you simply pay the difference.

 

The Premium beverage package covers wines up to $13.00 per glass.

Fish Lover,

 

This is a (too) litigious world. Katherine and I are certified as mediators, and K is certified as a conciliator, as well. Mediation and conciliation permeate our view of case resolution. When dealing with children and families, we recognize that, in almost every case (with the exception of abuse by one parent of the other parent, the children, or both), everyone is best served by a negotiated solution, in which the parties make the decisions that are in the best interests of their children. After all, they have to co-parent together, even if they are divorced! Why let the man or woman in the robe, a stranger to this family, make decisions about the children? How does he or she know better? It is a sad day when lawyers use the courts for their own pecuniary interests and when parents use the courts to punish each other. We do not abide by this behavior.

 

That being said, in the event you are injured during your private car tour booked by one of the many Celebrity concierges, please allow us to refer out your case to a Bermudian firm, who will, we are sure, (threaten to) sue everyone! ;)

 

Offered for the humor of the matter!

 

Derek and Katherine

Fish Lover,

Don't you know that you can't have "relish" in Blu, even if they have relish in the MDR, and even if the Blu kitchen is right next to the MDR kitchen, due to "cross contamination." Don't they understand that this is likely to make the Blu diners "cross?"

Must be due to some lawyers! ;)

Derek

DinaS,

 

Celebrity ships have a Destination Concierge, whose function Celebrity describes as:

 

"Our Destination Concierge will help ensure a seamless, worry-free experience when you go ashore. They have an in-depth knowledge of the ports of call on every itinerary and they can also help make your experience even more exclusive by reserving a table for you at a recommended restaurant or securing hard-to-get tickets to a special show in town. They're your onboard destination experts. Be sure to ask about our Celebrity Exclusives excursions—each promises a once-in-a-lifetime experience."

 

They are located in Shore Excursions and are not the same as the Concierge, located adjacent to Guest Relations.

 

They are also not the same as the Suite and VIP Concierge who is located in Michael's Club, whose duties are described as:

 

"Michael’s Club Concierge provides a personalized guest service experience. Services include specialty dining reservations, booking shore excursions, handling inquiries about car rentals or restaurants in ports of call. Concierge Desk hours will vary by itinerary."

 

Note that the "Celebrity Exclusives" excursions, booked by the Destination Concierge, include one that is the same as that taken by the passengers on the Holland America Alaskan cruise, who recently lost their lives.

 

I can assure you, that, no matter what any contracts or releases say, in the case of any injury or loss resulting from any excursion or activity booked by a cruise line, the cruise line will be sued and their insurance company will settle the claim accordingly. Such claims may be subject to international limitations on liability based on, for example, where the ship is flagged and/or where the incident occurred. The cruise line (presumably) understands the law and accepts the potential for liability when they offer such services.

 

Derek

Fish Lover,

 

Just for clarification, the Destination Concierge, whom you should see about your private car tour, is located in the Shore Excursions area on Deck 3, directly across from the midship elevators, is NOT the same as the Concierge, who is located on Deck 3, next to Guest Relations.

 

I don't mean to be pedantic, but I'm just used to keeping lawyers headed in the right direction! ;)

 

Derek (Practice Manager)

The MDR is open from noon to 1:30 p.m.

Steve,

 

You can always get it at Cafe al Baccio on the beverage package.

Here are the most recent "dailies" posted for the Summit. Please note that this is before the current CD, Ken Mills, came aboard, but, based on our four cruises on the Summit, are reflective of the typical days aboard.

[url]http://www.the-hotline.net/Summit-Bermuda[/url]

We choose the Summit for convenience, the sea days and the relaxation. We cruise Royal with the kids (19 and 18) and Celebrity without. We love the sea days. I play ping pong, read, eat, drink and hold court over cigars and mojitos at the Sunset Bar or over wine at Cellar Masters. We get up when we want, sleep in as we choose and are blissfully apart from the quotidian BS.

As a contrast, I sailed the Quantum of the Seas in December from Cape Liberty. Thank God for the specialty restaurants, as I did not enjoy the "Dynamic Dining." Cellar Masters was awesome, however, as was the champagne bar below the North Star. Alas, the ship is now China-based and the Cellar Masters (which must have cost over a million dollars) has been ripped out to accommodate more shopping.

Note that it appears that the MDR is now open for lunch on the Summit on embarkation day.

 

Also, Bistro on 5 is also open for lunch, with an expanded menu.

 

Derek and Katherine

springfire,

 

We did a TA on the Silhouette in December 2013 and absolutely loved it! Let us know if you have questions.

 

Fish Lover - Would you please join the Roll Call and sign up for the "Connections" party for the August 30, 2015 sailing of the Summit? Thanks!

 

Derek and Katherine