'Live From' the Quest. 30th April - 7th May.

[cinnamon]

Been ashore fora brief spell. Had a hairy trip back on the tender in the choppy seas. Not quite sure how the Amazing evening will work, 600+ people to get there and back!

 

Watch this space. ;)

[cinnamon]

Well we are sitting in a cafe in Capri town. We had booked a private tour in a mini van to the Amalfi coast. However, when our driver met us he told us that there was a big strike and the roads were blockaded. He was concerned that we would be sitting for a long time in traffic and not have time to get out anywhere, so we thanked him and changed track.

 

We bought tickets for the fast ferry over to Capri. 35.10 Euros each and it took 20 minutes. We caught the 9.40. Then queued for tickets for the Funicular up to Capri town. Fabulous views and a gorgeous day. Tickets are 3.60 return. Have correct money or be prepared to be diddled.

 

 

Last night the Azamazing evening did go ahead. The ride over was very bumpy but manageable. Some people adored the evening, others less so. One difficulty was that you have to disembark by deck order so we were not able to go with people we have made friends with. We are on deck 6. By the time we arrived many tables were occupied. There was a lack of information on what to do. If you were keen to walk round a lot it was fine. If you just sat, less so. It was also very difficult to see the entertainment. Some players came round to the tables, but not ours.

 

The wine, Prosecco and Limoncello flowed freely and quite a few people had a whale of a time. There was loads of finger food too. I did have to stand in line quite a long time for the toilet. My big disappointment was that we were told it was a recreation of Piedigrotta. A Neapolitan Song contest. Yes there was singing by the people wandering around but not an organised thing.

 

The transfers worked well though and we were back on the ship around 10.30.

Edited May 6, 2014 by cinnamon

[Literary Lynne]

Glad that you are able to make the most of the day and enjoy beautiful Capri, despite the strikers disrupting your plans.

 

Hope you are both feeling much better and that the sun shines.

 

Happy holiday and do keep posting - love reading your updates.

Lynne :)

[mzk90]

Great to see your review. I did the 11th April cruise Nice roundtrip and we had a great time. Our Azamazing evening was the same as yours and I agree it was a bit 'meh'!

 

Keep up the good work. :)

[librarylady19]

We will be following a similar itinerary on Journey next week...sure hope that strike is short lived as we had planned an Amalfi coast driving tour. Good to know there's a suitable Plan B!

Enjoy the rest of your cruise !

[cinnamon]

On board. Should have sailed 20 minutes ago but no hint yet that we are ready to go.

 

I asked Philip Herbert for a breakdown of the nationalities of the passengers.

 

US 241

UK 207

Australia 29

Russia 28

Canada22

Germany 20

Sweden 19

 

Plus 20 other countries with less than 10. 619 in total.

 

Next post may be from FCO in Rome or from home. I have packed all the Pursuits and will be happy to answer any questions.

 

Corinne. Aka Cinnamon

[cinnamon]

The reason we haven't left Sorrento is that the anchor is stuck. Captain Carl announced they are working hard on it. Also the fresh water supply is low. So. No shower before dinner tonight.

[Spursgirl]

Have enjoyed your posts.

 

Have a safe journey home.

[dln929]

The reason we haven't left Sorrento is that the anchor is stuck. Captain Carl announced they are working hard on it. Also the fresh water supply is low. So. No shower before dinner tonight.

 

It's a good thing that pre-dinner cocktails call for soda water, not fresh. Whew! Close call. ;)

[kikki21]

What a shame you couldn't do your tour of the Amalfi coast but you had a great alternative in going to Capri - you don't have to use the funicular to go up to Capri Town - you can use the little orange buses too. I hope you had an ice cream from Buonocare there - it's about the best ice cream in the world! :)

 

It's not too long a sail from Sorrento to Civitavecchia so I'm sure everything time wise will get sorted - enjoy your evening on board! :)

[TERRIER1]

The reason we haven't left Sorrento is that the anchor is stuck. Captain Carl announced they are working hard on it. Also the fresh water supply is low. So. No shower before dinner tonight.

 

I never heard of this happening. How were you made aware of this?

[cinnamon]

I never heard of this happening. How were you made aware of this?

By Captain Carl announcing it!

 

Now we are underway the ship is making water again and all is well. While at anchor, as we were since lunch yesterday, they cannot desalinate. I think. It is great that he is so honest with the passengers. I would trust him to sail me anywhere.

[christine848]

Absolutely, Corinne! Glad you got it sorted!

What time is your flight back home? Chat soon x

[Literary Lynne]

It has gone by all too quickly. Hope your next cruise is not too far away.

Thank you for posting.

Lynne:)

[cinnamon]

At Rome airport. We were brought here 3.5 hours before the flight. Check in was not open. Still 90 minutes till our flight.

[cinnamon]

Next cruise is Celebrity Eclipse on 30th August to Norwegian Fjords from Southampton.

[cinnamon]

Flight uneventful. We were due to land at 3.15 local time, in fact were a little early, luggage collected, friend met and back in our house by 4.00pm

 

Now to unpack and chill. We had a great cruise, only a little marred by the nasty cold. My apologies to anyone we met on the ship who caught it off me.

 

I am sure there are lots more observations I could have made and I will read back at some point and try to think of what they might be. Suffice to say that meeting up with CC posters really enhanced our cruise. One thing we are sure about, you meet lovely people on an Azamara cruise, guests and crew alike.

 

Corinne

[midwestchick]

On board. Should have sailed 20 minutes ago but no hint yet that we are ready to go.

 

I asked Philip Herbert for a breakdown of the nationalities of the passengers.

 

US 241

UK 207

Australia 29

Russia 28

Canada22

Germany 20

Sweden 19

 

Plus 20 other countries with less than 10. 619 in total.

 

 

Corinne. Aka Cinnamon

 

I went through my old Pursuits and could not find this breakdown. Did you see it in your's?

Edited May 7, 2014 by midwestchick

[uktog]

On our cruise it was in our Pursuits, maybe they do not give the breakdown in every cruise

[curiouscat]

One annoying thing for others. The ship heavily emphasised a lack of transport at the dockside for reaching Taormina. Not true! Certainly at 9.00 - 9.30 am there were plenty.

The ship want $49 pp. a rip off. I will post later the price we have paid for a whole day tour! Suffice to say, superhero value!

 

This was the worst communication I have ever gotten on my over 30 cruises... We took a cab from the Port to Taormina for 25 euros for our group of 4. It was a joke to put out his information to a bunch of well travelled cruisers. It certainly going into the comments.

 

CC

[cinnamon]

Yes, it was crazy to push the transfer at $49 pp.

Our van for 8 with a brilliant driver-guide was €275. With a tip making it up to €320 that was only €40 pp. around $56 for a 9 hour tour day!

[English Tim]

Yes, it was crazy to push the transfer at $49 pp.

Our van for 8 with a brilliant driver-guide was €275. With a tip making it up to €320 that was only €40 pp. around $56 for a 9 hour tour day!

 

It's 1 Euro each way on the bus, that's if you can work out the timetable and where the bus stops, but hey you're on vacation!

[workingtocruise-59]

It's 1 Euro each way on the bus, that's if you can work out the timetable and where the bus stops, but hey you're on vacation!

 

We went by bus. The fares are now 1.90 Euros single and 3 Euros return.

The bus stop is a short (10 minute) walk from the port on Via Nat(z)ionale about 50m to the north from the junction with Via Dalmazia.

While we were waiting at the bus stop two taxis stopped and offered a rate of 20 Euros for the five people waiting. We would have considered this but had already bought our bus tickets.

The bus journey took about 25 minutes and the service was quite frequent (about every 30 mins) for a Sunday.

[dln929]

Beautiful morning. Due to be a high of 19C. 67 F.

 

Tried to upload photo but slow speed has beaten me.

Hallo Lauri, please give our live to Bill

Hallo Christine. Can you put to link of this to our chat thread please.

 

The tour which was cancelled was into the mountains. Somewhere beginning with B.

Only two running are Sartene and Bonifacio.

 

Back this afternoon.

Corinne.

 

I see that you just posted a photo of Mt. Etna on Azamara's official Facebook page. Stunning!

[bobzee]

Monday 5th May, good morning.

Having a lie-in this morning after a very tiring day yesterday. I cannot praise our driver Simon highly enough. Although he was booked through an agency it is possible to book him independently.

His name is Simone Biglieri. His website is http://www.goingsicily.com

Having lived in London his English is very good and his accent very understandable. He charges 275 Euros for the day in a Mercedes van which seats up to 8. It would be a little comfier for 7 as one person in the middle of the front seat is a bit squashed but it is doable. With a tip making the fare up to 320, that was therefore only 40 Euros per person for an 8 hour tour! Around $56.

 

Last night we had dinner with a family we met on a round Britain Princess cruise in 2005. We had taken CC tours with them nine years ago and bumped into them in Mosaic a couple of days ago. It was lovely to catch up again and meet there 'children' again. They were teenagers when we last met and are young people in their twenties now who have been living abroad, one in Peru and one in Japan. A Med cruise being their reunion trip together.

We chatted so long over dinner that we missed the first 15 minutes of the show, Stage Door to Dreams. However, again we saw that on Quest last year, so although we enjoyed creeping in at the back and watching the rest, it wasn't too disappointing to miss the start.

 

So. This morning we have the Discoverer level Brunch in Aqualina at 10.30. We are due to arrive in Sorrento bay at 1.00. We will go ashore for a wander around that beautiful town. Tonight is the Azamazing evening. Apparently the plan is to have a small early dinner on the ship. There will be a Buffet in Discoveries and Windows from 5.30 to 7.00 pm. Tenders ashore start for the evening start at 7.00 for Wheelchair users and those with Mobility problems. Then we will be called by deck number, from 8 down to 3, between 7.30 and 8.10. The entertainment ashore is due to be from 8.45 to 10.00. Then we will leave in the same order between 10.00 and 10.30.

 

For those wishing to stay on the ship there is the usual A La Carte dinner in Discoveries between 7.30 and 9.00.

 

Our evening will be out of doors in the Agrumeto a Gardens of the Hilton Sorrento Palace Hotel and is a recreation of a Piedigrotta, the Neapolitan Song contest. There will be singers, actors, musicians, acrobats, cheese makers, photographers, caricature artists, and Pizza makers. The refreshments will be Cocktails and apparently generous Neapolitan appetisers. Quest did this particular evening two weeks ago and it was a success so we are looking forward to it greatly.

 

Now to get online and post this essay before a coffee and Pain au Chocolate in Mosaics.

 

 

Hi Corinne & John,

Nice blog, hope to see some pics ! I fully agree that Simone was an excellent guide, very knowledgeable and informative. The Etna tour was the highlight of our cruise It was good to meet and spend time with you and John, hope to meet again on a future cruise,

Bob & Crickette