Live from the Quest

[ljk76]

I can't deal with this either. And my own travel hairdryer, made for European voltages, is really feeble on board all the ships we have been on. This promises to be a disaster for me, or rather for my hair, on our upcoming cruise on the Quest! Can't anything be done?

 

Funny, this was my one complaint on the Quest in August. Phillip asked if there was anything that could improve the cruise and my answer was the hair dryers. Celebrity has the exact same models...someone in purchasing made a poor choice.

[mare s.]

That is really annoying (about the hairdryers) Obviously a woman didn't order the new ones! I guess I'll be packing my own travel sized dryer.

[ellbon]

I do not even oen one. i jsut move the one on the ship out of my way. long hair makes life easy.

[midwestchick]

Oh no, guess I will have wet hair. I have arthritis in my hands and will never be able to hold the on button too long.

 

Marion

 

 

Ladies.......duct tape or black electrician tape can be your friend. I used the black tape on our last cruise...just wrap it around the button at tightly as you can and voila.......you now have a dryer that stays on.:D ;) Oh ...the black tape does tend to stretch out a little....just loosen it and re-wrap it. Works great Doesn't take up much room in the suitcase either. :p!

Edited November 5, 2013 by midwestchick

[mare s.]

Ladies.......duct tape or black electrician tape can be your friend. I used the black tape on our last cruise...just wrap it around the button at tightly as you can and voila.......you now have a dryer that stays on.:D ;) Oh ...the black tape does tend to stretch out a little....just loosen it and re-wrap it. Works great Doesn't take up much room in the suitcase either. :p!

 

terrific idea!

[Joy R]

Ladies.......duct tape or black electrician tape can be your friend. I used the black tape on our last cruise...just wrap it around the button at tightly as you can and voila.......you now have a dryer that stays on.:D ;) Oh ...the black tape does tend to stretch out a little....just loosen it and re-wrap it. Works great Doesn't take up much room in the suitcase either. :p!

 

I had also thought of that! Glad to know that it works - I assume that you have actually tried it....

[tgg]

Rough night last night; big wind and waves. there were very few people at breakfast this morning. If this were a cartoon, there would be lots of green faces. Today, about 1 1/2 hours away from Tripani, Captain Carl announced that he would be turning the ship around and heading for Barcelona instead. He said it would be hard to dock in Tripani and impossible to get out later.

 

We've heading right into the waves and wind, so the ship is pitching and creaking. Walking is not especially easy and people have been asked to stay off the outside decks (except for 9, which is protected.) the waves are 15 feet and the effective wind speed is 45 knots. Tony Markey, the Cruise Director, and his staff have scrambled to arrange a bunch of activities for this afternnon.

 

For on to more fun things. People are always curious about where the passengers are from. Here's a rundown for this cruise:

 

US - 284

UK - 134

Canada - 65

Germany - 34

Norway - 15

Australia - 11

Sweden - 4

Czech Rep. - 4

Turkey - 4

Switzerland - 3

Spain - 3

Portugal - 3

Brazil - 3

Denmark - 2

Austria - 2

Luxembourg - 2

Venezuela - 1

Ireland - 1

Iceland - 1

 

Re the suggestion about duct tape for the hair dryer. I suggested it to the butler and he said that there are serious concerns about a fire hazard if they're left on. I think that if all the women who read this start posting about it (or send a letter to Miami) something might change.

 

Tony Markey gave a nice intro on how to use an I-Pad and will do another followup tomorrow.

 

The waves are building and Captain Carl said that we'll have to deal with them until tomorrow around noon. I feel bad for the crew who are not feeling well but still have to make sure we have clean towels and food to eat.

[LOP]

Ladies.......duct tape or black electrician tape can be your friend. I used the black tape on our last cruise...just wrap it around the button at tightly as you can and voila.......you now have a dryer that stays on.:D ;) Oh ...the black tape does tend to stretch out a little....just loosen it and re-wrap it. Works great Doesn't take up much room in the suitcase either. :p!

 

so does a rubber band or hair tie according to Mrs. LOP...

[tgg]

Hi Toni,

 

We left the Quest on Oct 16. We aren't cheerleaders either but love the on board experience but also try to point out areas where they can improve further.

 

You have a lovely itinerary. If you plan on going out in the evening while you are in Barcelona, I can recommend a super paella restaurant.

 

Have a wonderful cruise. Please tell us your thoughts about the new Captain. It is difficult to imagine he could be better than the wonderful Captain Carl.

 

I'm told that Captain Jose will come aboard in Barcelona and that Captain Carl will remain onboard for the TA to Miami which follows this cruise.

[acruisergirl]

Just curious about the hair dryer problem. When we sailed in January there was an extra one in the desk drawer. You were able to sit and use the large mirror, it was perfect. Isn't the hair dryer there anymore?:(

[shoesonfire]

:confused:

Just curious about the hair dryer problem. When we sailed in January there was an extra one in the desk drawer. You were able to sit and use the large mirror, it was perfect. Isn't the hair dryer there anymore?:(

 

OK, I'm now confused after emailing Azamara about safety concerns with folks trying to modify the hair dryer with tape, etc. Which dryer are we talking about? The one in the bathroom is pretty much useless. The one in the desk drawer has always been good, similar to what we use at home, hope this is still the same and available!

[Jancruz]

Can you find out when Captain Carl is coming back from vacation?

Thanks,

Jancruz1

[Lottie A]

I think it's the one in the desk drawer that people are talking about.

 

You do have the keep pressure on the button otherwise there is an automatic cut out.....probably to stop the hair dryer overheating. I have never found it to be a problem myself but then I don't have arthritic fingers.

[marinaro44]

No need to hold a button on the hair dryer in our drawer.

[tgg]

I think it's the one in the desk drawer that people are talking about.

 

You do have the keep pressure on the button otherwise there is an automatic cut out.....probably to stop the hair dryer overheating. I have never found it to be a problem myself but then I don't have arthritic fingers.

 

It's the one in the drawer. It is different from the one we had in July on the same ship. The butler said they have all been replaced. I don't have arthritic fingers and neither does my husband. We both thought it was difficult and painful to hold the button down continuously.

[beachmudhut]

The dryer in our cabin on Journey (in the drawer) also had a hold down button. Fortunately I take my own travel dryer everywhere so I swapped the dryers over. I realise the "hold down" button is a safety feature but it's too difficult to use so people will resort to dangerous solutions to overcome the problem.

[HamburgAvonLady]

Hi Marian: Am really looking forward to your review of the upcoming cruise on the Quest. We will be doing a B2B in April --- our first with Azamara and to Italy. Husband has walking issues and so far the shore excursions offered for most ports are "strenuous" -- hope the company adds more for slow people.

 

We live south of you -- Hamburg -- small world !!

 

Any suggestions on what NOT to miss would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Joy R]

The dryer in our cabin on Journey (in the drawer) also had a hold down button. Fortunately I take my own travel dryer everywhere so I swapped the dryers over. I realise the "hold down" button is a safety feature but it's too difficult to use so people will resort to dangerous solutions to overcome the problem.

 

How does your English hair dryer work on the ship? I too always take mine, but on previous cruises I've found that it lacks the strength that it has here or in Europe. We haven't been on Azamara before, is it possible that they use a different voltage?

[Mparis184]

Hi Marian: Am really looking forward to your review of the upcoming cruise on the Quest. We will be doing a B2B in April --- our first with Azamara and to Italy. Husband has walking issues and so far the shore excursions offered for most ports are "strenuous" -- hope the company adds more for slow people.

 

We live south of you -- Hamburg -- small world !!

 

Any suggestions on what NOT to miss would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

I would suggest you put together some private tours with the cruise critic group. What are your ports of call? I might be able to giver you the names of some tour guides to contact. We had another person who had difficulty walking on several of our tours last year. It wasn't a problem with a private guide. They have the ability to give door to door service and gave special attention to the needs of woman who couldn't do a lot of walking. We always found a good spot for her to sit and wait for the group if we were going up a steep hill to check the views.

 

Please email me at cruiztime at yahoo dot com and I will get you the information.

 

We leave Saturday AM and I have a million last miunute things to do plus I will be working 14 hours today and tomorrow before we leave. So much to do, so little time!

 

Marion

[2irisheyes]

Joy R - if using a UK hairdryer you would need a dual voltage hairdryer that can be switched to the correct voltage. There are many available.

[Mrs Miggins]

My Hairdryer, in the dressing table, on Quest last week was fine. You did not have to hold the button down.

[audobon_tx]

somehow this thread has turned into a hair dryer discussion.:)

[mikechass]

Although we aren't going to Europe, we are doing the Sea of Cortez cruise in Jan/Feb.

I am wondering (since I have never done an Amamara cruise if I can bug you about a few small details )

Are the hot tubs and pool open later at night.

We loooove to soak after a long day of doing nothing and chat about how lucky we are to have these stolen moments.. We usually go around 11 or so at night??

Also, are all the soda's in cans? I know it seems silly to ask but we have only done main stream and had to deal with fountain drinks (bleck)

Lastly, what are the TV's like in the rooms. Do you get the same kinds of channels we would see on X. RCCL, NCL etc?

We like to keep up with CNN and things while we are away and have found that sometimes we fall in love with a new "network" show while lazing away on our bed relaxing.

(can you tell we are parents to two younger busy kids and rarely get an evening together to do nothing let alone 12 evenings) haha

Thanks so much

Chass

[tgg]

What amounted to two days of misery for many passengers and crew has ended. After pitching and rolling and not eating or sleeping very well, people are back to enjoying their cruise. We arrived in Barcelona this morning to bright sunshine and temperatures in the 70s. Captain Carl told us that he had sailed around the storm and ahead of it to avoid even rougher seas. For many, this was rough enough.

 

The Azamazing evening just ended with a 45 minute bus trip back from the winery where we had a film, short tour, and tapas and a flamenco show. Nicely done, although I think the 45 minute bus ride in each direction was offputting for some people. There was a guide on the trip there who explained about the city and suburbs. I'm glad we went.

 

ANOTHER GRIPE. The piano needs to be put back in the Mosaic. It's now competing with the large screen television - and losing the battle. Although Max di Faz was supposed to be playing after a recent show, he was not allowed to turn the TV off because 12 people were watching US football. Max can easily fill the room. NOT RIGHT. This needs to be fixed and Miami has to do it.

 

The contrast between Italy and Spain is amazing. The littered streets and gutters of Castelalmare and Naples have given way to a city where people don't throw their "stuff" into the streets. Same goes for the subways. I Love Barcelona. And happily we have another day here tomorrow.

[Spursgirl]

What amounted to two days of misery for many passengers and crew has ended. After pitching and rolling and not eating or sleeping very well, people are back to enjoying their cruise. We arrived in Barcelona this morning to bright sunshine and temperatures in the 70s. Captain Carl told us that he had sailed around the storm and ahead of it to avoid even rougher seas. For many, this was rough enough.

 

The Azamazing evening just ended with a 45 minute bus trip back from the winery where we had a film, short tour, and tapas and a flamenco show. Nicely done, although I think the 45 minute bus ride in each direction was offputting for some people. There was a guide on the trip there who explained about the city and suburbs. I'm glad we went.

 

ANOTHER GRIPE. The piano needs to be put back in the Mosaic. It's now competing with the large screen television - and losing the battle. Although Max di Faz was supposed to be playing after a recent show, he was not allowed to turn the TV off because 12 people were watching US football. Max can easily fill the room. NOT RIGHT. This needs to be fixed and Miami has to do it.

 

The contrast between Italy and Spain is amazing. The littered streets and gutters of Castelalmare and Naples have given way to a city where people don't throw their "stuff" into the streets. Same goes for the subways. I Love Barcelona. And happily we have another day here tomorrow.

 

Glad you have survived the storm and are now in gorgeous Barcelona.

 

Couldn't agree more about the TV situation in Club Luxe. It is beyond ridiculous. We got off the Quest 3 weeks ago and discussed it with Max. Don't know how he stays so good humoured about the noise of the TV.

 

Hope you have calm seas for the rest of your cruise