Live from Azamara Journey thru Nov 15th

[California Native]

Kalimera Cindi and everyone else

no self promoting...but I;ll share this with you..when we were heading into Chania today.. I saw 2 different sets of people with a print out of my sights to see list that I had posted on our website for each of the ports!!!!!

it appears a few people out there have found our research to be helpful with their trip planning....

which of course is why we did the website, blog, and as my DH says...spend waaaaayyyy too much time on CruiseCritic

because I honestly like helping others.

i took some great videos of a mass in Rome, the tender coming back to the ship in Amalfi port with waves across the bow...and i will be doing more along the way!!!!!

On Amalfi day, we headed to Paestum we were the only ones there

and for lunch we picked up prosciutto and buffalo mozzarella paninis from the buffalo mozzarella farm that the cheesewas made that morning. Couldnt get any fresher than that and we saw the buffalo that made our cheese!!!!

Lots of gems on the road south of Amalfi at the end of the day we stopped into Amalfi wandered the town and then brought back to the ship

the limoncello infused lemon cream lemon cake from the town bakery!!!!

I have absolutely no complaints about AZ, the only thing that I think needs improvement is the merchandising of the gift shops..painfully understocked...Also, the photo department needs to sell CDs of stock photos...lots of money making ideas floating in my brain.

Bill, tell the powers that be I want to spend money onboard!!!!!

You dont even have a AZ keychain or magnet...sad, sad, sad

Bodrum in the morning..the 1st stop of the 5 out of 7 Ancient Wonders of World sites we will be visiting!

 

Paul..just mixing things up...its also the background on our brand new youtube channel...which is still in the infancy stages

Ciao Ciao

 

K

[Jade13]

 

I have absolutely no complaints about AZ, the only thing that I think needs improvement is the merchandising of the gift shops..painfully understocked...Also, the photo department needs to sell CDs of stock photos...lots of money making ideas floating in my brain.

Bill, tell the powers that be I want to spend money onboard!!!!!

 

You dont even have a AZ keychain or magnet...sad, sad, sad

 

Bodrum in the morning..the 1st stop of the 5 out of 7 Ancient Wonders of World sites we will be visiting!

 

Ciao Ciao

 

K

 

Where2Next - You are finally there after all of this planning! It sounds like you are having a wonderful time.

 

Btw, I felt the same while onboard Quest. Azamara is missing lots of money making opportunities as there was nothing to purchase in the shops. I would volunteer to help them merchandise.

 

To Bill - This particular 12 night cruise, as well as the next, is the itinerary we are looking for in 2012 (August ideally) and is gone from the 2011 line-up. Ideal would be a holy land cruise starting in Civitavecchia that is at least 12 nights long including 2 days Egypt, 2 days Israel, and an overnight in Istanbul. It's a real shame.

[California Native]

Where2Next - You are finally there after all of this planning! It sounds like you are having a wonderful time.

 

Btw, I felt the same while onboard Quest. Azamara is missing lots of money making opportunities as there was nothing to purchase in the shops. I would volunteer to help them merchandise.

 

To Bill - This particular 12 night cruise, as well as the next, is the itinerary we are looking for in 2012 (August ideally) and is gone from the 2011 line-up. Ideal would be a holy land cruise starting in Civitavecchia that is at least 12 nights long including 2 days Egypt, 2 days Israel, and an overnight in Istanbul. It's a real shame.

 

Bill...I;ll take the Journey and Jade can have the Quest...

I guarantee with all of our cruise experience we can raise your gift shop sales by 300% AT LEAST!

 

 

Jade today was day 4 we;ve got 20 more days to go onboard AZ

It has been a long time of planning!!!

the service has been top notch...

AZ is definately wooing me away from my beloved Pacific Princess I love the Discover benefits

Now if they just gave me UNLIMITED laundry like I have with my Elite benefits....final negotiations could begin..

Hear that Bill i want a bottomless laundry AND drycleaning bag....

ok it took me about 10 minutes to get through to just post this...ugh....it;s 10:43pm so good night all from the middle of the ocean...the Captain is very nicely rocking me to sleep

Bill, Jade13 is right this itinerary is phenomenal and should be an option for the next couple of years we are doing the Oct 22nd andNov 3rd Ive never seen such extensive port times for the majority of the ports we are going to. As Jade said this is a perfect itinerary for those wanting longer options including a B2B like we are doing..

[crzrr]

Karen - happy to hear that you are having a wonderful time! All of that planning is paying off.

 

If you are speaking with Heike, would you ask her if she will be on the Journey in April? We enjoy her so much, have sailed with her 3 times and hope to again.

 

I will have your lists in hand when we (finally) get to go on our cruise!

 

Sue

[Paulchili]

 

the limoncello infused lemon cream lemon cake from the town bakery!!!!

 

 

K

 

We were just in Amalfi (from Sorrento) and we brought back white anchovies (not salty at all, marinated in lemon juice) - I guess different strokes....Had them on my pizza on the ship.

 

Paul..just mixing things up...its also the background on our brand new youtube channel...which is still in the infancy stages

K

 

I am not getting this message

 

K,

Thanks for posting.

Have a great cruise and keep us up to date (internet time allowing :D)

Paul

[cindilouwho]

Just kiddin' wit'cha....you KNOW I love your stories......

 

Enjoy my friend....

[Andy]

Hi Karen !

 

Have a wonderful Cruise. I look forward to your updates !

[Project_gal]

Btw, I felt the same while onboard Quest. Azamara is missing lots of money making opportunities as there was nothing to purchase in the shops. I would volunteer to help them merchandise.

 

I cannot believe that Azamara are still missing this opportunity to make a little money. At least they did have keyfobs when we were on Quest. I had to buy one as a Christmas Tree decoration as they had none of those. It is really sad if you can no longer even buy a keyfob. People want little souvenirs of their time on board - keyfobs, fridge magnets, Christmas Tree decorations all take up little space.

 

Sue

[California Native]

Greetings from Bodrum Turkey

My intent is to do a big update tommorow when we have a day at sea.

Provided of course they dont pack the daily pursuits with must do activities.

Our day in Bodrum was just perfect

Need to rest before our Turkish buffet by the patio grill and then we are actually going to stay up tonight for a show...

Ciao for now!!!!

K

[Jade13]

Greetings from Bodrum Turkey

 

My intent is to do a big update tommorow when we have a day at sea.

 

Provided of course they dont pack the daily pursuits with must do activities.

 

Our day in Bodrum was just perfect

 

Need to rest before our Turkish buffet by the patio grill and then we are actually going to stay up tonight for a show...

 

Ciao for now!!!!

 

K

 

I am looking forward to hearing about what there is to see and do in Bodrum, having not been there. We have only been to Ephesus, Turkey.

[prodjvt]

Karen - we are on the Journey soon. What are they using for gin as their house liquor? Beefeater? Wondering if we should bring our own!

 

Sounds like you're having a great time!

[Albert Ross]

I have absolutely no complaints about AZ, the only thing that I think needs improvement is the merchandising of the gift shops..painfully understocked...Also, the photo department needs to sell CDs of stock photos...lots of money making ideas floating in my brain.

 

Bill, tell the powers that be I want to spend money onboard!!!!!

 

You dont even have a AZ keychain or magnet...sad, sad, sad

 

What can people spend their $1000 on board credit on ? I was hoping that the jewelery shop was well stocked with trinkets?! :rolleyes:

[California Native]

Hi EVeryone...

I thought i would have more time to post, but this is DH;s 2nd cruise

the 1st one 3 years ago was a disaster on the Star Princess

So, we have to do EVERYTHING...Im use to cruising with my mom where over the course of 38 years Ive pretty much done it all so i always have time to blog...

we are having a WONDERFUL time I honestly cant find anything that does require complaining

i can give tips or suggestions to make thinks more profitable but honestly

the food, service, unique experiences I would give them an A

I will check on the booze...

btw wine is going to a 8 day rotation and then maybe longer later

I have taken massive amounts of pictures and notes and will do a VERY full and detailed report on AZ, the ship, and the ports when we return home...

for those that remember I was working on AZ switching our IST departure time from 6pm to 9pm so we could view the Repbulic Day Fireworks over the Bosphorous Bridge...

I want you to know that AZ came through with my request with flying colors and it was one of those lifetime experiences that no one will ever forget....this is exactly what Larry and team have been talking about wanting us to have..and it truly was SPECTACULAR..I have 13 minutes of video i will upload when we return.

gift shops...they have been pulling inventory out each day...I didnt complain to anyone, but i politely asked if they had shipments they hadnt put out yet...they said no, but it looks like theyve been digging through

stock rooms and adding more

im a yellow gold setting type of girl when it comes to baubles which is limited onboard

lots of platinum and silver settings...they did have watches out today.

i dont want the bijoux terner crap...just some souvenir logo stuff and maybe port t shirts

well its bed time...ephesus in the morning, we have a full day private tour just the 2 of us booked

jade13....i promise a full bodrum report when i return...we had a very special thing happen to us....the mosque in town was having prayer time

and us and another couple were waiting outside respectfully to visit the mosque when they were done...we were invited inside to watch the prayers in the back area and then afterwards the iman sat down with us for about 15 minutes speaking to us about the similarities of christianity and islam ...we felt very honored to be invited in and witness the iman chanting/singing.

by the way ive posted on AZ facebook page under ourpassportstamps travel page

ciao ciao

K

 

 

[California Native]

Karen - happy to hear that you are having a wonderful time! All of that planning is paying off.

 

If you are speaking with Heike, would you ask her if she will be on the Journey in April? We enjoy her so much, have sailed with her 3 times and hope to again.

 

I will have your lists in hand when we (finally) get to go on our cruise!

 

Sue

 

 

Hi

send me you and your dh full name for her..she asked me for it

she is currently scheduled to be off in march and back on in may

sorry!!!!

[crzrr]

Karen - Sue & Darren Leeman. Tell Heike we'll miss her. Bummer!

 

Continue to have a great trip. Sounds wonderful. Your trip to the mosque sounds fabulous. What an opportunity.

 

Keep posting.

 

Sue

[uktog]

ooh tell Heike (if we read right and she will be on the 31 Jan trans canal) Ann and Charles from Edinburgh are looking forward to being with her again and I will probably have another Jackie Collins for her to read

[California Native]

Sunset in Santorini….

Live from the Journey!

A beautiful day here on the gorgeous island of Santorini

We were joined today by the Star Princess.

J has been on 2 cruises and both ships crossed paths today

He loves all the options that the big ship offered, but has enjoyed

his time on AZ immensely!!!!

We decided to wander Fira while all of the shorex tours were out

doing their thing for both ships. We ended up having a very peaceful

stroll around town with only a few people…you would never know that

there were 3,000 passengers plus crew from both ships in town

We had lunch in the main square with several locals…I had a souvalki pita

and J. indulged in his favorite Greek meatballs..

We then walked to the bus station to catch the bus to Oia, which is 1.40 euro

per person one way. Side note, don’t use the public WC nearby the bus

station and taxi stand..they are squat pots.

When we reached Oia, all the Princess passengers were gone as they had

an early departure, AZ shorex passengers had left..so there was about 20

of us that were spread out for the entire village.

VERY PEACEFUL and romantic with the most stunning views…

We hiked to the windmills and then the old castle. As we wandered

the streets we were looking up, down and around each corner…the views

of the sea, the churches, the windmills, the cats and dogs, blue doors and gates

had each of us saying to each other…”hey honey, look at this”.

After a couple of hours up there, we then headed back down to catch

the sunset taking the advice of the ships photographer that in his opinion

the sunset was even better there!!!!!

Once the sun worked its magic we heading down to the tender and back

to the ship!

Tonight was the Indian buffet, J. is well versed in this cuisine since

he has many Indian collegues. However, this was the perfect opportunity

for me to learn more under his guidance…

Since J and I like to travel off the beaten path on land vacations

We were speaking with a wonderful head waiter named Alex who

stopped by our table tonight to follow up on a conversation we had with

him about our future plans to travel to Ukraine. He had thoughtfully written

down all of hidden gems of his homeland that we should make it a point

to visit!!! I know how hard the crew works and we are so appreciative of

him taking time out of his day to do this for us!!!!

5 gold stars to Alex, Head waiter from Ukraine!!!!

Well, folks we arrive in Athens in the morning. In light of the bombings

the last 2 days in Athens and Istanbul..We will be on full alert.

Passports on our bodies, embassy info and telephone in our daypack.

As I was typing the last sentence John Lennons Imagine

started playing in my head.

After we leave Athens we move deeper into the Holy Land.

We left a prayer for safe travels at Marys House in Ephesus and at the

Bodrum Mosque the Iman said to us …may your travels be full of peace.

I leave you with that…

May all of your travels be filled with peace.

K.

[lkwill]

I have been following your posts and I am looking forward to hearing about the second half of your trip to the Holy Land.

Isn't Santorini beautiful (with the exceptions of the public restrooms)? We took a tour of the Island last year while on the Ruby Princess and hope to return someday.

Safe travels. Lynda (Alaska 2009 on Pacific Princess)

[California Native]

please excuse the spacing its a c and p from word

Kalimera Everyone

This is live from Athens Greece

Yesterday we arrived at 8am and today is turn around day for us

Nov 3rd sailing to the Holy Land has officially begun

So, let me catch you up to speed on our adventures

We were Athens last year for 1 week on one of our DIY land

vacations (this also included Meteora, Delphi, Turkey and Bulgaria)

Last year the NEW Acropolis Museum had one too many delays in opening

and we missed it by one month!! That was the number 1 priority for day,

along with a few more items

We walked to the Metro stop of Piraeus, directions are all over Cruise Critic

But basically when you exit the terminal and reach the main road you walk

to the left and wait until you see an overhead bridge..this overhead bridge

is new in the past 6 years (if it was there before that, bummer for me

as my mom and I took our chances playing dodge ball with greek drivers back then)

Now depending on your physical abilities this walk could take you -

15-30 minutes..I might add its then stairs up and down to go over the bridge

Just because you see and elevator and escalator doesn’t mean they actually

wrk. They didn’t yesterday.

So, if you decide to cheap out and begin and end your cruise WITH LUGGAGE

By metro ..more power to you…but this would not be an option we would do or recommend for others.

There is no complimentary shuttle I checked and verified why not..

Because I was about ready to start another letter campaign on this one

BUT it’s not AZ’s choice…local issues wont allow it.

I want to add this, as we left the port we encountered some of the MOST aggressive

Taxi drivers I have ever witnessed in all of my travels throughout the world

EVER and John said the same thing (keep in mind we’ve both been all over before

we met, not just what’s on the website..thats “our” travels. )

I actually pulled someone my moms age out of pack of them and yelled

at them to back off because they were scaring her and her friend. John

then pretended like he would negotiate so they could have a bit of breathing room

before they got back into the terminal and ask for assistance from the cruise line

they were on.

Anyway purchased the tickets and read the sign…the metro is closed between

Monstraki,..Syntagma…Attiki….oh crap!!! Plan B we are now getting off

at Monstraki…Well, my DH knows how to keep me happy anytime he his telling

me we will be walking an extra 5 miles in the day…

He says to me, would you like to go see Melissimo first???

Sandal shopping at Melissimo’s, take the time to google Melissimo

poet sandal maker he’s a must stop anytime you travel Athens. He fits

all of his sandals to your exact foot. and then hand finishes them in front of you

I purchased a pair last year and again this year..we will be collaborating on a

purse prior to my next visit! As soon as we walked in door..he says Your Back!

I couldn’t believe he remembered us, He also gave us a minature sandal last year that we

hung on our Christmas tree…after I had my couture sandals for 20 euros,

We continued on…next stop lunch…just across from Monstraki Square

Metro stop is our favorite restaurant. They also have take away Gyros

for 1.80 euro…a delicious meal on a budget, in the same square is

a fruit cart so you can pick up some fresh fruit to compliment your meal!!!!

We’ve shopped and are now fortified, now it’s time to begin the cultural aspect of the day

We are hiking to the NEW Acropolis Museum!!!! We’ve wandered all of these

streets last year so we felt pretty safe with knowledge we knew where we going

and most importantly not going (as by any embassies- I’m referencing all of the

bombs going off the last 2 days in ATH)

BTW, we are registered with the state dept and I just got my ATH warning

3 minutes ago…a little late on the draw, you think???

We make it to the museum. What a modern masterpiece and so user friendly

as we wandered the 1st floor we were unsure of an item we were looking at

while most of the English translations are very thorough this was a bit vague

I greeted the security guard for the section and asked if he knew. He says one

Moment madam I will call the archeologist…I said oh, that’s not necessary

We will look it up later and he said madam they are here for you.

That’s right..there’s an archeologist on call to assist visitors with specific questions

Not a tour, but just if you want deep knowledge on a item…VERY COOL!!

So, don’t hestitate asking to speak with one.

They’ve done a wonderful job with this museum and its interesting how they’ve

Left room for all that the UK has that Greece wants back. This can be one

Of those interesting topics to debate with MANY facets to it. So, I will leave

it at that.

Regarding the Museum store..way overpriced. I know museums

are high, but these prices just weren’t inline with leading museums of the world.

Just a fyi, if you were thinking about buying items..they did have a pencil, pen

Postcards for under 3 euros but everything was limited and pricey.

We spent about 2.5 hours really taking our time, upon leaving we began our walk back

to the Monstraki Square taking the route that has the most shops…the route we took

to the museum had no shops, apparently…this was done so I wouldn’t be distracted

by cute sandals, purses, scarves, bracelets etc etc …when we were taking the no shop route, I said to DH are you sure this is the way, I remember

more shops..he shows me on the map and it seems right…I think to myself

my memory must be going…sneaky little bugger he is…(I mean that most affectionately)

basically he knows me too well!!!! hahahahahahahahahhaa

As we were wandering the Plaka we came across the Olive Wood store

Which I will provide a link for when we return…

Last year we purchased a beautiful olive wood box there. He has soooo many

Items in his shop to choose from!!!! He remembered us and greeted us like

Old friends, it was nice to chit chat…He told us not to worry about the bombs

This past summer was tough for the Plaka shops and they are even more

Concerned with latest.

So, after another sandal purchase, and pondering 3 purses, but passing on them

We hopped the metro back to Piraeus and made it back to the ship by 5pm

We rested for a bit and then had dinner in the dining room.

Both of use were interested in the beef option ..so we ordered the

Steak Florentine..this portion was so HUMONGOUS we could have easily

shared and then made large steak sandwhiches for lunch today.

I think AZ should be a bit more cognizant on that…no one likes to

toss delicious food…I felt like I should of walked around the dining room

sharing with others. The complimentary red wine was a Cab from Chile..

we enjoyed it….but we were happy to see the white wine was from Crete which

we had just visited earlier in the cruise….

Here’s my thoughts on these wines…

The Crete wine might not have been to our taste buds, but the fact of the

matter is if I was buying wine I wouldn’t have chosen it, because who wants to spend

Money on something you might toss when you can get something you know you

Love. This gives all of us a chance to try wine that we might never do or have access to.

It’s all part of the cultural immersion.

So, we crashed by 8:30pm last night…

This brings up to today…

Nov 3rd..

You can check the itin our our website, go into 2010 adventure and scroll down

Or if AZ still has it up on their site you can check it there

Today, I decided to stay on the ship and just rest and be lazy..our next itinerary is bit insane…John wanted

to go into town to go climb some hills for great views..He should be back about 3pm

So, this post has been a simple what we did and live from post

I will continue with those ports, as time allows and will eventually do a full AZ review

I have so many positive things to say about this line.

They have exceeded all of my expectations (they were set high)

They have gone out of their way to accommodate my health issues

so I can enjoy dinner in the dining room and specialty restaurants.

(many of you know about my severe endometriosis..but basically

I can’t sit upright (no slouch) for more than hour without pain levels

rising significantly. There is a request in my profile that dinner is done

with that timeframe in mind and they have always managed to be

45 min-1 hour timeframe. I think this says a lot about the crew

as most of us know how difficult that is to do.

I’m unable to drink bottled water with Magnesium. Most water in Europe

has that, except Evian..and Evian has been provided for me free of charge

The brand that everyone else has is San Benedetto.

Le Club Discovery Benefits have been delivered flawlessly

Sure there’s things all of us can improve on, and I mean each of us personally

and the businesses we interact with each day. It’s all a life process

but I would have to really get nitpicky to find any kind of fault with

the last 12 days…

Time for lunch.

K.

[California Native]

I have been following your posts and I am looking forward to hearing about the second half of your trip to the Holy Land.

Isn't Santorini beautiful (with the exceptions of the public restrooms)? We took a tour of the Island last year while on the Ruby Princess and hope to return someday.

Safe travels. Lynda (Alaska 2009 on Pacific Princess)

 

 

Hi Lynda!

 

I know we all loved the Pacific Princess

 

I promise you will love AZ

[crzrr]

Karen - wonderful narratives. Keep posting - we are all enjoying it.

 

Sue

[Susan-M]

Karen ... I'm really enjoying your reports..thank you! All the best with the rest of your trip.:)

[150edmiston]

Quote - "....this was done so I wouldn’t be distracted by cute sandals, purses, scarves, bracelets etc etc …when we were taking the no shop route, I said to DH are you sure this is the way, I remember more shops..he shows me on the map and it seems right…I think to myself

my memory must be going…sneaky little bugger he is…"

 

Karen, sounds a bit like my good self!!

Keep posting please. I have been to your Webpage many times to trawl over your Far East adventure with Azamara (we go Singapore to Dubai in April). Your writing is not only informative but your style is very natural and easy to read. Thank you so much and I look forward to your next post.

David

[cindilouwho]

Hey Karen - glad to hear you are having fun and that AZ is taking good care of you. I know that you will not indulge in "nitpicking" because I truly respect your inate love for the travel narrative. You write a review as it should be written, fair and balanced.......

 

Enjoy, my friend!!!!

 

Tell the staff on the Quest I will be there in 8 weeks and they had better prepare themselves!!!!!!!! :D

[Andy]

Hi Karen !

 

Thank You for your posts. I look forward to your next update. Have a wonderful time !