Live From Quest, 30th June

After a 3.30 alarm, 4.15 taxi and 6.15 flight from Heathrow we were happily onboard just after 11.00 am.

Having lunch outside at the Sunset Bar.

Life doesn’t get much better than this.

Corinne.

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I have just arrived home Corinne. 😥

Hope you have a lovely cruise.

After a 3.30 alarm, 4.15 taxi and 6.15 flight from Heathrow we were happily onboard just after 11.00 am.

 

Having lunch outside at the Sunset Bar.

Life doesn’t get much better than this.

Corinne.

 

 

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Gosh! That was fast!

Really trying very hard not to feel envious but if you could see a satellite view of the UK there would be a very large green area over Harrogate.

Super fast Corinne. Hope you are having a wonderful day. Are you in Ibiza today?

Lynne

Sat 30th Continued.

After a very lazy lunch the cabins were available at 1.30. A nap was required after our early start and our luggage delivered around 2.30. Unpacking complete, we headed to Mosaic for a cuppa. Thence Muster Drill at 5.00 in the Cabaret Lounge before the CC gathering at 5.45. Although plenty of Stripes were present, including Russ (CD) Phillip (HD), Ngfira (GR )and Tomasz (F&B) only 6 out of 18 of us CC members turned up! Such a shame but it was good to meet Liz and Anna whose posts I had read. We had a good chat with Russ then had a pre-dinner cocktail in the Living Room.

Our food at dinner was excellent but we learnt a lesson. Initially the hostess in Discoveries wanted to sit us at a table for two. We said we like being sociable and preferred to share. She warned we may wait a while. We were sat at a table for 8 on our own. After 15 (long) minutes an Australian couple joined us then 10 minutes later another British couple. We were about to order when finally the table was filled after half an hour. In the end we had great fun and conversation but had to give up on desert to make the show at 9.30, two hours after going to dine.

The Cabaret was not full by any means but we really enjoyed the entertainment called Live. The 4 new singers were great with music from the Beatles, Stones, Elton John, Billy Joel, Celine Dionne and others plus a short almost classical section.

There was a little movement and we were rocked to sleep around 11.00.

Sunday 1st July Ibiza

Having had a small issue on a previous cruise we were grateful to receive some OBC in recompense so booked a couple of ship’s tours. Today we took the Panoramic Island tour, leaving at 8.45 after docking at 8.00. We had our usual pleasant and peaceful breakfast in Windows beforehand. I do love the extra touches on Azamara that the mainstream lines just don’t manage any more. Tables laid, drinks service, fresh berries, proper china (tableware) plus of course in the bathroom decent soap and fluffy towels etc.

There were 17 on our bus, the third one doing the trip. I think there were 5 Nationalities amongst our small group. It was a decent enough tour to see a bit more of the island but we are docked right in the town centre and walking off is very easy.

The weather is pretty warm, 30 C, 86 F, so are enjoying a siesta after lunch onboard and will head out again later. We don’t sail till 6.00 am tomorrow so have 22 hours here.

Notes

Russ has told us there roughly 520 guests new to Azamara and only 150 repeaters. Amongst those are 35 Children. Breakdown is approximately

250 U.S.

150 U.K.

50 Australian

50 Belgian

35 Swedish

20 Canadian

Plus assorted others. I didn’t write down the info but that gives you a rough idea of the mix.

To be continued. [emoji6]

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If there are any CC members currently onboard who’d like to meet up, we’re in 4044. Feel free to call and we’ll happily have a drink or meal together.

Corinne

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Glad you’ve got the good berth in Ibiza. When we were there with Quest in August we were a fair way from town. Having withdrawal symptoms since leaving yesterday but it’s 86 degrees here in London too.

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Thank you so much for the detail Corinne. Lovely to see Philip etc in the photo and yourselves!

Have fun.

Lynne

Thank you so much for the detail Corinne. Lovely to see Philip etc in the photo and yourselves!

Have fun.

Lynne

After 15 Azamara cruises I left Azamara 5 years ago because of an issue that they did not want to solve.

Good to see Philip! He may be the nicest HD at sea.

I'm missing the CD Russ or Tony. Are they still sailing with Azamara? They were great as well.

Yes, Russ is the CD but the snap of him was unflattering and he wouldn’t thank me for posting it.

Tony Markey is CD on the new Pursuit.

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Yes, Russ is the CD but the snap of him was unflattering and he wouldn’t thank me for posting it.

Tony Markey is CD on the new Pursuit.

 

 

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Please greet Russ and Philip for me, they will remember me.

We left the Journey on Friday after a great cruise where everything ran like clockwork for us. Your posts have reminded me about what we left behind :-(

Enjoy the rest of your holiday. Wish we were there.

Sunday 1st July continued.

Following a rest we walked off and into the old town. The ramparts of the Citadel looked very attractive and we began to climb. However, the ancient stones were very slippery underfoot and rather than risk a disastrous fall we headed back down. The Spanish Team were playing their World Cup fixture and the bars were full of people enjoying the football.........for a short while anyway. [emoji45] ⚽️

Our pre-dinner drink was in the Discoveries bar. It’s noticeable how much quieter the MDR is, compared to our last time onboard Quest which was a TA. With many younger people onboard and being in port for the evening obviously makes a big difference.

Captain’s Toast was at 9.00 in the Cabaret followed by a local Flamenco show, brought on board for the evening. A guitarist, percussionist, singer and solo female dancer. They were really excellent, playing quite a few well known songs but with a very southern Spanish twist, such as My Way and Volare. This was astute as I’m sure it enhances the enjoyment to be familiar with some of the tunes.

We had a walk up to deck 11 to view the stunning scene of Ibiza town at night, it was still warm and I’m sure some passengers were ashore until the small hours. We however retired around 11.30, only to discover in the cabin an invitation to the LCV breakfast in Prime C at 8.30. We set the alarm but mercifully didn’t need it. We apparently sailed at 6.00 but that didn’t disturb us.

Monday 2nd July.

Today we will be docking in Palma, Majorca at 1.00 pm. Following a delicious breakfast in Prime C we have some chilling time, enabling blogging and book reading. At the breakfast we met Colin, the new (to Azamara) Executive chef. He is a Brit, from Wallasey, just across the river Mersey from Liverpool. It was good to have a chat with him on his first Az contract. As well as working in Michelin starred restaurants in the past he has done 1 contract with P&O and several with Holland America.

The future cruise sales presentation is at 11.00.

A free shuttle bus will run into Palma city. However, the shops will all be shut until after siesta time and the forecast is for 32C (around 90F). We are yet to decide whether or not to disembark. Over the years we have both been to Majorca many times, have seen all the main sites and with age has come an inability to cope as well with high temperatures which makes wandering around a city not quite so enjoyable.

Tonight is the Azamazing evening to hear the Vermellets choir at the Royal Convent of San Francesc. Dinner will be a buffet in Discoveries and Windows from 6-7.30 pm. For those not going ashore there is also a later a-la-carte dinner in Discoveries from 7.45-8.30. We are booked to go and that is partly our hesitation in going ashore this afternoon as we would need to back onboard around 5.00 to shower and change for dinner. The complimentary shuttle bus into the city takes 20-30 minutes each way, so there’s not a lot of time, especially as the shops won’t re-open till after siesta, around 4-5 pm.

To be continued [emoji6]

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Welcome aboard Corinne. I'll watch out for you. Sorry I didn't attend CC. It clashed with another I went to.

Different crowd on this cruise from the last two and not in a good way in many cases. Not your typical Azamara guest. However still having a great time.

Phil

Interesting comments Phil. We’ve heard from others that some behaviour has been not the best but we haven’t seen it ourselves as yet.

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Thanks Corinne for your update. Wish I was still onboard but it's back to work for me tomorrow. ☹️

Would be interested in your opinion of the new Filipino entertainment group onboard this week. They are replacing The Sparkling Trio and Russ told us they were excellent.

Interesting comments Phil. We’ve heard from others that some behaviour has been not the best but we haven’t seen it ourselves as yet.

 

 

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I think you need to be in certain areas of the ship and at certain times. DJ Marcio had to continually ask people not to take their drinks on the dance floor. Security will be busier this cruise, but to be fair I've seen no belligerence.

I'll be accused of xenophobia, but don't care. There are some extremely loud Americans who appear deaf and have one volume level regardless. Younger crowd. I've met some nice ones and some who are awful. When you always attempt to fill your ships this is what can happen to the detriment of other loyal guests. It's ok. I'll still have a good time, but am experienced enough to go to places and avoid others! Lol

See you around.

Phil

I hope not too many of that crowd are doing a B2B with the next cruise, ‘cos we’re on it. Still, as you say Phil, it’s probably easy to avoid them.

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Welcome aboard Corinne. I'll watch out for you. Sorry I didn't attend CC. It clashed with another I went to.

 

Different crowd on this cruise from the last two and not in a good way in many cases. Not your typical Azamara guest. However still having a great time.

 

Phil

I concur!

Welcome aboard Corinne. I'll watch out for you. Sorry I didn't attend CC. It clashed with another I went to.

 

 

 

Different crowd on this cruise from the last two and not in a good way in many cases. Not your typical Azamara guest. However still having a great time.

 

 

 

Phil

Is that because we are no longer on board?[emoji1] Hope you are still having fun.

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I think you need to be in certain areas of the ship and at certain times. DJ Marcio had to continually ask people not to take their drinks on the dance floor. Security will be busier this cruise, but to be fair I've seen no belligerence

 

Phil

In the past I had to go to bar staff or DJ in LR about drinks. At times at White Nights it has been bad. Not always the young ones but people who do not care.

Sorry about the louder people. is this a short 7 day cruise where younger people can get away from work?

Quick reply. Yes, it’s 7 nights. Obviously makes a difference. [emoji54]

Last night it was loud Belgians in Spirits who drove us crazy. They must have just watched their team win but poor Heather could barely be heard.

Will blog properly later.

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Monday 2nd continued

Well, we didn’t go ashore this afternoon. I did have a swim and a short sunbathe. The pool area was very quiet with most people going ashore. Apparently the shops were open during the afternoon but most people we spoke to got very hot in the city. We enjoyed relaxing, chatting to fellow cruisers and reading. We had the buffet dinner in Discoveries at 6 and met up with some new Aussie friends to keep company on the Azamazing evening.

It is a huge logistical exercise to get everyone ashore. There was a 10 minute walk from the coach drop off point into the Old Town for the Convent of San Francesc. When we arrived we were encouraged to walk around the cloister where various drinks were provided. In the open air there was a display of local dancing along with two ‘Giants’. In hindsight I would have preferred to be able to stop and watch this properly, rather than being encouraged to keep moving along as each coach arrived. Once the entire group (11 coachloads) were seated back into the church the concert began, a large children’s choir, Vermellets. They sang beautifully but it was difficult to see them from afar. Also the pews were very hard to sit on. The music lasted around half an hour but all together we sat for over an hour I think.

It would have been more enjoyable if there had been some announcements between the songs, telling us what we were hearing.

On returning to the ship we enjoyed listening to Heather, the pianist in Spirits. Whilst we had been ashore the Belgian football team had a narrow win in the World Cup. Consequently there were some very loud Belgian voices who stayed in the bar area, shouting to one another which slightly spoilt the atmosphere for a piano bar. I also don’t like the big screen above the piano showing reruns of old sport as it attracts the eye.

(PS. on Tuesday am we received the usual mid Cruise comment card. I mentioned about the screen and on returning at lunch time had messages from GR and Russ that this would be turned off after the games in future).

Our sailaway from Palma was at 11.00 pm which we watched from the Sunset Bar then headed to bed.

Tuesday 3rd July

Today we docked in Mahon, the capital of Menorca. We have not visited this island previously and it was one of the reasons we chose this itinerary. Mahon has the second largest harbour in the world (after Sydney, Australia) and has been of strategic importance for centuries.

After a bit of a lie-in (our first) we went ashore just after the crew drill began at 10.00 am. In fact we had to step aside in the stairwell to make way for the ‘charred victim’ [emoji50]on a stretcher which was being carried to the medical facility following the fictional fire.

Quest is docked right at the base of the Old Town which is up several flights of open stairs. Before going up we took one of the tourist glass bottomed Catamaran trips around the harbour. It was €11.00 pp for over 60s, €12.50 otherwise. This was an excellent way to see all round the area from the water and included a stop in a cove where we were able to go below and see jellyfish and squid below us. The trip took well over an hour and was thoroughly enjoyable.

Back at the dock we slowly made our way up all the stairs into the town. What a lovely place. Menorca has won us over and we would love to return. It was hot though and two stops for drinks were needed between visiting the shops. Incidentally leather goods seem to be very reasonably priced. I also bought a white top, ready for the party on Thursday.

We found a wonderful covered market set around a cloister with great artisan food outlets. Walking back down was easier on the lungs but harder on the knees. [emoji6].

We had a lovely light lunch on the open deck at the Sunset Bar and then a siesta. Mmm. Our accustomed pattern is emerging again.

The LCV cocktail party is at 5.00 then sailaway at 6.00.

England ⚽️ football is on at 8.00 pm. [emoji45][emoji50]. More interesting to us is an England cricket [emoji967] game but I’m not sure that will be shown anywhere.

TBC. [emoji3]

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Mahon is a gorgeous place and IMO Menorca is a beautiful island with some glorious beaches and lovely coves. Had a lovely holiday on the island and would love to return. A short visit on a cruise is not long enough.

Enjoy the LCV party. We had some wonderful food at one of ours courtesy of Chef, Colin during our recent B2B.