Specialty dining concern with quick resolution-on board!!

[Pam]

Oh, I won't stop posting. My post count was lost several years ago when CC had a big server problem, and it wasn't important to me to have it restored. I have been around since CC first started.

 

I am so sorry for your loss, and I can also empathize; I lost my son seven years ago. I do have a daughter and three grandchildren to keep me busy. I read your report on your Keys trip, and enjoyed every word of it. We loved the Keys!

 

Back to Azamara, I have looked at the menus that are posted and found something I would enjoy on most of them, I will be fine if I can't eat at Prime C more than once or twice. But I still disagree with the whole process since a major perk of suites is that access. (And I keep drooling over that lobster salad!!!!)

[marinaro44]

Time of meeting if you don't get an invite in your cabin is shown in the Daily Pursuits paper.

As I understand it, if 25 people don't sign up for the meeting Cruise Critic does not send a list of those who do to the cruise line/ship, so the ship cannot put an invitation in your cabin. Azamara, as Phil wrote, will hold the meeting anyway, but you'll have to check the daily Pursuits to confirm when and where it will be held...usually at 6pm on embarkation day in what will now be called The Living Room.

[BBMacLaird]

Hi Pam,

Do keep posting on our Azamara forum. I have learned that for every person who actively posts here, there are many many others reading along and learning. So thank you for your questions.

 

As for tending to be too shy to go to the Solo Traveler events, I say make the effort and go! Go to every event and meet as many people as early in the cruise as you can. I can't tell you how many times I've cruised and at the very end of the vacation met people I wish I'd gotten to know on Day 1. There are plenty of opportunities to meet others, be it the CC Meet & Mingle, the solo events, the LGBT events, the LCV events, cards, bridge, lectures, etc.

And on the other side of the equation, by attending the gatherings and introducing yourself you'll give the hotel staff and cruise director insight into who may need a bit more attention (perhaps those recently widowed) and who wants to be left alone (perhaps honeymooners ;))

[Grandma Cruising]

I'd agree with this. I'm not a solo traveller, but have had a similar experience. Until we started cruising on Azamara we had always asked for a table for 2 ( or 4 if we were cruising with friends). On our first Azamara cruise 3 years ago we decided to give shared tables a try and found we really enjoyed meeting different people every night. After a few nights we found that when we walked around the ship, there were lots of people we'd met, so lots of people to stop and have a little chat with. We have found Azamara cruisers to be lovely people, genuinely friendly on the whole, so do try the solo events. You've already got over the worst bit, by booking the holiday!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Pam]

Maybe I missed something, but I didn't register for a Meet & Mingle on Cruise Critic; I registered on the Azamara site (that's where the link took me). It said that if there aren't 25 registered, I will get an email informing me of cancellation. I got the impression CC doesn't send them anything.

[Lottie A]

There is a link on CC which will take you through to the Azamara website to register for your Meet&Mingle Pam. Your details will be registered there. If you used the link I provided previously then that is it.

 

Ignore the email that says there have to be 25 people registered for the M&M to take place because AZ will hold one even if less than this number are registered. However, you may have to look in the Daily Pursuits newsletter for the time and place where it will be held. It is usually on the first day, after the muster drill and around 5 pm-6pm ish in the Looking Glass (Living Room now) but this does occasionally change, so do read your Daily Pursuits or ask at Guest Relations when you board.

You will enjoy putting names to faces from the forum and its a good icebreaker. Your friend can attend with you, even if she's not a CC member. AZ won't mind that. You can meet the Senior Officers, usually the Captain too if he's not very busy and enjoy a canapé and a glass of wine in a friendly atmosphere. It's one of the nice things that AZ does for us loyal CC posters and we do appreciate it.

[Pam]

Thank you so much, Lottie! My friend is a CC member, and has been on an Azamara cruise. She just has an awful lot going on in her life right now and hasn't been on the boards lately. I did find the right M&M registration, then, so we'll wait and see; I prodded the people on our Roll Call to go sign up. I did use your link.

[wuppis]

Pam, we will embark in about 7 weeks on the Journey and never had such a poor Roll Call on more than 30 cruises.

 

We reached the 25 members goal a few weeks ago.

 

If my memories are correct, our last CC M&M for the Journey was for about 60 to 70 people. We are now on page 7 with 120 posts. So not very busy RC.

[BillC]

I seldom have been in a suite and have never had a problem getting reservations in the restaurants. If you are somewhat flexible about times they have always accommodated me. The only "perk" aspect for suites is that there is no charge vs. the $25 per person charge for non-suite passengers.

[Host Jazzbeau]

I did find the Meet & Mingle, thank you so much! I was only person #5 to sign up for it, so hopefully 20 more people will find it.

 

I am going to try to be quieter now.

 

Celebrity has a minimum of 25 for a Meet & Mingle -- and their ships hold 2-3 thousand pax. It doesn't make sense that Azamara, with so much smaller ships, would have the same minimum! So it's good to hear that they don't enforce it. I suspect this is a "Miami Rule", and I hope that Azamara in general pays as little attention to such rules as they deserve. ;)

 

And please don't be quiet. I am particularly fond of the Azamara forum (along with my River Cruising forum) because the folks are so nice. Everyone is welcome, and no one should feel "silenced."

Edited January 23, 2016 by Host Jazzbeau

[graciekelli]

Hi Pam,

Do keep posting on our Azamara forum. I have learned that for every person who actively posts here, there are many many others reading along and learning. So thank you for your questions.

 

As for tending to be too shy to go to the Solo Traveler events, I say make the effort and go! Go to every event and meet as many people as early in the cruise as you can. I can't tell you how many times I've cruised and at the very end of the vacation met people I wish I'd gotten to know on Day 1. There are plenty of opportunities to meet others, be it the CC Meet & Mingle, the solo events, the LGBT events, the LCV events, cards, bridge, lectures, etc.

And on the other side of the equation, by attending the gatherings and introducing yourself you'll give the hotel staff and cruise director insight into who may need a bit more attention (perhaps those recently widowed) and who wants to be left alone (perhaps honeymooners ;))

 

I agree. Pam's post did provide me with information as I too, would like to book the specialty restaurants on a couple of days, but want to do it when there is a less desirable menu being offered in the main dining room. Your answers to Pam answered my questions...it is all good to know. Thank you.