Just a THANK YOU to Azamara Club Cruises

[Cooley Consumers]

We just wanted to say THANK YOU to Bonnie and the Azamara Club Cruises for all of your work.

We have just returned from the cruise named the Journey of St. Paul from Rome to Athens, visiting Jerusalem, Ephesus, Patmos, Pathos and Rhodes.

Bonnie, you said that Azamara would keep us all safe - - you UNDER ESTIMATED Captain Smith and his crew. NO ONE got sick! No norovirus from stopping in any of the ports in the Eastern Med.

When I first inquired about possibly taking this cruise, Azamara's home office opened a Loyalty account for me - - waiting for the cruise. WOW.

Azamara pays attention to the details - - it's that simple.

Did you know that there is a LIVE person at Guest Services at 3 a.m.? You can get a cup of coffee at 3 a.m.? Your wake up call if by a LIVE PERSON and not a machine? The crew actually smiles? They wave at you and say "have a great day"?

Attention to detail.

THANKS for all that you folks do for us CC members.

[midwestchick]

Cruise critic needs a "Like" button.

What a nice post and it's all true...every word. Almost every morning we had a wake up call from a real "live person".

Thank you for posting. Definitely a rah, rah and deservedly so. :D

[excitedofharpenden]

Cruise critic needs a "Like" button.

What a nice post and it's all true...every word. Almost every morning we had a wake up call from a real "live person".

Thank you for posting. Definitely a rah, rah and deservedly so. :D

 

I agree and those night shifts at Guest Relations must be a killer!

 

Phil

Edited November 1, 2014 by excitedofharpenden

[dln929]

Thanks Cooley for such a nice post. Most times people write only when they've experienced an issue so it's so refreshing to read something on the other end of the scale. Makes for good weekend reading! (and I agree with what you and the others have said) :)

[ellbon]

We just wanted to say THANK YOU to Bonnie and the Azamara Club Cruises for all of your work.

We have just returned from the cruise named the Journey of St. Paul from Rome to Athens, visiting Jerusalem, Ephesus, Patmos, Pathos and Rhodes.

Bonnie, you said that Azamara would keep us all safe - - you UNDER ESTIMATED Captain Smith and his crew. NO ONE got sick! No norovirus from stopping in any of the ports in the Eastern Med.

When I first inquired about possibly taking this cruise, Azamara's home office opened a Loyalty account for me - - waiting for the cruise. WOW.

Azamara pays attention to the details - - it's that simple.

Did you know that there is a LIVE person at Guest Services at 3 a.m.? You can get a cup of coffee at 3 a.m.? Your wake up call if by a LIVE PERSON and not a machine? The crew actually smiles? They wave at you and say "have a great day"?

Attention to detail.

THANKS for all that you folks do for us CC members.

 

When I can i have brought little snacks or coffee or soda to that person but closer to 12 am...Some of those front desk persons like that shift because they get to really enjoy a port then sleep.

 

carl is a wonderful man and i am looking forward to seeing him this winter. never been o na sick Azaamra ship but have on a big one. really happy you liked the cruise.

[Andy]

We just wanted to say THANK YOU to Bonnie and the Azamara Club Cruises for all of your work.

We have just returned from the cruise named the Journey of St. Paul from Rome to Athens, visiting Jerusalem, Ephesus, Patmos, Pathos and Rhodes.

Bonnie, you said that Azamara would keep us all safe - - you UNDER ESTIMATED Captain Smith and his crew. NO ONE got sick! No norovirus from stopping in any of the ports in the Eastern Med.

When I first inquired about possibly taking this cruise, Azamara's home office opened a Loyalty account for me - - waiting for the cruise. WOW.

Azamara pays attention to the details - - it's that simple.

Did you know that there is a LIVE person at Guest Services at 3 a.m.? You can get a cup of coffee at 3 a.m.? Your wake up call if by a LIVE PERSON and not a machine? The crew actually smiles? They wave at you and say "have a great day"?

Attention to detail.

THANKS for all that you folks do for us CC members.

 

Hi Cooley Consumers,

 

Thanks for sharing your experiences with us, and I'm glad you had a great time onboard Quest. As myself and many other Cruise Critic members have been saying for years... it's the onboard officers and crew that make Azamara an outstanding cruise experience.

 

Hopefully someday, I will have the opportunity to meet Captain Carl Smith. He sounds like another gem in Azamara's treasure chest.

 

Welcome Home !

Edited November 2, 2014 by Host Andy

[Texed]

Consumers,

 

Thanks for posting. :)

[Spursgirl]

You are absolutely right Cooley Consumers. It is the little things that make an Azamara cruise so special.

 

I particularly like receiving the call telling me that room service breakfast is on the way.

 

And Captain Carl is terrific.

[cruisedudes]

Hi Cooley Consumers,

 

Sadly we had to cancel this cruise for medical reasons. Will you be writing a review? It would be greatly appreciated as we would like to re-book a similar itinerary on Azamara in the future.

 

Incidentally, Azamara Cruise Care insurance was easy to deal with and quick to refund all our money once the paperwork was submitted.

[excitedofharpenden]

I think it is worth pointing out that Carl Smith makes a point about hygiene at the beginning of every cruise, something which I have heard no other captain do. I also remember on one cruise in the Med he made an announcement to the effect that another ship in the same port had had some cases of norovirus and he politely reminded us that we had been ashore with people from the ship and to be extra vigilant.

 

That is the reason why the statement by the OP was made.

I would have to say that Captain Johannes does the same thing and rather than let the CD cover off the announcement at muster he incorporates it into his own welcome aboard words. Cruising back from Mumbai to Europe and the job was not an easy one, but the message from Johannes got through eventually and we were clear by the time we went through the Suez Canal.

 

Phil

[crzrr]

Hi Cooley Consumers,

 

Sadly we had to cancel this cruise for medical reasons. Will you be writing a review? It would be greatly appreciated as we would like to re-book a similar itinerary on Azamara in the future.

 

Incidentally, Azamara Cruise Care insurance was easy to deal with and quick to refund all our money once the paperwork was submitted.

 

We were on the same cruise - it was a fabulous itinerary and I would highly recommend it. It was our 8th AZ cruise and equaled and, in some instances, exceeded the high level of service that we have come to expect. I fully agree with Cooley Consumers sentiments.

As to the norovirus statement - it pertained most to the fact that we were spending 3 days in Israel. The Captain asked that we be extra vigilant - refrain from kissing the Wailing Wall, be sure to wash hands often, and be careful what and where we ate. Everybody seemed to listen and be very respectful of their fellow passengers. It's always stressed on the cruises but there were added reminders due to the situation. Kudos to Azamara and our fellow passengers!

[Robb]

OP, that is the way we felt after our first cruise with Azamara. We leave in week for another great cruise with Captain Carl. The crew were just the greatest. Cannot wait.............

[ridolphi]

This post just gets me so excited for our first Azamara cruise in April. Thank you for posting such a nice and positive thread.......it sounds like your cruise exceeded your expectations in every way.

[Cooley Consumers]

Hi Cooley Consumers,

 

Sadly we had to cancel this cruise for medical reasons. Will you be writing a review? It would be greatly appreciated as we would like to re-book a similar itinerary on Azamara in the future.

 

Incidentally, Azamara Cruise Care insurance was easy to deal with and quick to refund all our money once the paperwork was submitted.

Cruisedudes:

Yeah, It's written and submitted. CC takes a few days to review and make sure that no rules are violated.

As expected, it was all 5+.

Capt. Smith's boys are SO very well behaved. They could have been brats (I mean, their under age 10 and boys will be boys :)))))) ), but they were as good as gold. We met the oldest at the Church of the Nativity in Israel, and again he was solid gold.

The magician used him in the act, and his expression of HOW DID HE DO THAT??? was just great.

 

Pat & Bernadette

[Cooley Consumers]

This post just gets me so excited for our first Azamara cruise in April. Thank you for posting such a nice and positive thread.......it sounds like your cruise exceeded your expectations in every way.

Joann:

You're absolutely right.

 

First, going to Israel with shooting and fighting got us a LOT anxious. Bonnie on CC calmed us down. ALL of our friends and family (as in A L L ) said that we were crazy and must have a lemming wish. Again, we were calmed down by AZ's home office.

Second, we have been on a LOT of Royal Caribbean cruises and we have asked "is the extra money REALLLY worth it?". Basically we could have 2 or 3 RCI cruises for one Azamara cruise. When we were on board, the simple answer is YES. After our cruise, the answer is YES.

I meant to take a photo because you'll never see it again.........I have mentioned SERVICE and ATTENTION TO DETAIL. I know, it sounds OLD, right? It was pouring rain, and I mean a wind driven, batten down the hatches wind storm that knocked over anything on the pier in Ashdod, Israel. The passengers returning from the tours had to walk from the terminal to the Quest. There was a "lake" in front of the gangway, and some taxi had parked in such a way as to force guests to walk ankle deep in the water (it may have only been knee deep, but it looked bad).

Out came our Cruise Director - - in uniform - - and immediately he took over. He moved the taxi and directed folks around the water as best as they could. He was getting drenched! Still, he was out there to insure that folks were getting back on the ship. One guy in a wireframe, started walking to the ship (don't ask me why he didn't ask for a wheelchair!!!!) and made it half way when another cloudburst hit, drenching everyone. He just stopped. He couldn't go forward and he couldn't go back. He had just run out of energy. The Cruise Director yelled for the crew, and out came two crew members with a wheelchair, and loaded him up and took him to the ship. Our CD himself ran and got the wireframe and brought it on board. WHEN was the last time that you saw a ship's officer offering himself to assist passengers? Yeah, they will send folks out for them, but not our man. The CD was THERE, helping, directing, and taking charge.

 

I am 100% sure that you will love your Azamara cruise. The food is so far superior to anything that I've had on any ship (yeah, we haven't tried Seabourn or Oceana) but be prepared to be absolutely babied. Service is unbelievable. I ordered with GREAT trepidation a whiskey sour on the rocks (I reallllly don't do this very often) and it was perfect. You may have soft drinks, mixed drinks, beer, and wine anytime of the day. Don't forget to visit the grill by the pool, the nachos were almost American, and the dogs and burgers were cute. The White Night (everyone dresses in white casual) was soooo much fun with a local band and dances in Greece providing the entertainment, while our executive chef and the ship's officers served the food. What a Hoot!!! [that's a Texas expression]

 

In Greece, we saw crew members pushing disabled passengers down the streets in town! Not on a tour, but Azamara did not want anyone to miss seeing at least something of the ports. How nice was that?? And it was cobblestone streets that the crew had to push. See?? Attention to Detail to provide Service.

 

Enjoy.

Edited November 3, 2014 by Cooley Consumers

[BBMacLaird]

We just wanted to say THANK YOU to Bonnie and the Azamara Club Cruises for all of your work.

We have just returned from the cruise named the Journey of St. Paul from Rome to Athens, visiting Jerusalem, Ephesus, Patmos, Pathos and Rhodes.

Bonnie, you said that Azamara would keep us all safe - - you UNDER ESTIMATED Captain Smith and his crew. NO ONE got sick! No norovirus from stopping in any of the ports in the Eastern Med.

When I first inquired about possibly taking this cruise, Azamara's home office opened a Loyalty account for me - - waiting for the cruise. WOW.

Azamara pays attention to the details - - it's that simple.

Did you know that there is a LIVE person at Guest Services at 3 a.m.? You can get a cup of coffee at 3 a.m.? Your wake up call if by a LIVE PERSON and not a machine? The crew actually smiles? They wave at you and say "have a great day"?

Attention to detail.

THANKS for all that you folks do for us CC members.

 

Hello Cooley Consumers, thank you so much for the 5-star review. I'll pass it along to the ship and office. I'm glad your first cruise was everything you hoped for. Welcome to Le Club!

Bonnie

[ridolphi]

Cooley Consumers -

 

WOW, very amazing and impressive. We are long time Regent cruisers, as are several of the group we are cruising with, and Regent is very very good and we are very very spoiled......but now and then its time to just try something else and Regent has gotten to the top end of our budget, so this upcoming cruise was the perfect chance to try something new and with a very good deal thrown in, plus some fun friends to sail with.

 

I am truly excited about this and again I say your post has just added to that. We have done pretty much every line out there over many years of cruising, and in general we can have a good time on any line, but now its more about the service, food, drinks and friends we sail with. We do prefer the smaller ships that are more inclusive and make one feel special, where it is easier to meet other passengers and get to know new friends, and everyone loves when the crew takes time to get to know the passengers and their preferences. :D

 

By the time we go it will have been a year since our last cruise, so we are definitely ready.