Host Andy - Live From Azamara Journey !

[excitedofharpenden]

A big shout out to Katy Monroe, the Journey band, and the entertainment team, all of which made for a fantastic evening, and everlasting memories.

 

Katy, Marcos and Daniel all have great voices, don't they? If you get a chance go to the main LCV party. Sasha and Dima do a beautiful ballroom dance there.

 

Phil

[fb0075]

Hi Everyone,

 

A member asked if Azamara is offering Unlimited Internet. The answer is yes. The price works out to $35.00 per day. On this 11 night sailing, the price was $385.00. The package can only be purchased during the first 2 days of the Cruise, then it's gone. You must also purchase it for the entire cruise.

 

As best as I can tell, there is no additional discount for Le Club Voyage members. If I hear anything further on this, I will post again.

 

Hope this helps !

 

Thanks ANDY

Can you apply your Dis Plus frre internet min to the package?

[fb0075]

Hi Fb0075,

 

Here's the channel list :

 

Bridge View Channel

 

MSNBC

 

Sea TV

 

Azamara TV

 

Land Discoveries TV

 

TNT

 

ESPN2

 

BBC

 

ESPN

 

CNBC

 

Fox News

 

Sky News

 

As for Movies, there about 20-25 options, but all have a fee (11.99).

 

Regarding the jacks - I think it's not going to be good news. All of them appear to be at the back of the TV, with no access to them. I will inquire further on this, to see if there's any workaround.

 

Hope this helps !

 

THANKS

 

Just wondering how the DVDs are connected in the suites??

[ChucktownSteve]

" ... have you seen Eric on roller skates yet? :D"

 

A definite "Do Not Miss" ... highlight of the show! :D

 

" ... how is it that every time ... always when we return the room has been cleaned and beds made? Even when we left late in the morning, there was never ever any knock on the door to see if we were there. Is there a secret light or something that tells the steward the room is empty?"

Don't tell me that you haven't heard about Azamara's little, green elf that watches the halls to see when passengers go to breakfast ... and then lets your stateroom attendant know??? ;)

 

I don't want to steal your mystique. However on another line I once observed my steward placing a small piece of paper in the door crack up and down the hallway that nobody noticed. But when the door was opened, it fell to the deck which signaled him to make up the cabin.

 

I'm sure that on AZ they use a more upscale method. Perhaps Andy knows.

[Andy]

Thanks for the update, Andy. White night is a favorite of our's as well.

Can you tell me if they were serving the wonderful escargot they used to serve. I do miss that on white night. I did mention it Larry Pimental on Twitter, so here's hoping they bring it back.

 

Hi Midwestchick,

 

Good news. The escargot is back on the Discoveries menu, and it's highly recommended.

 

Hope this helps !

[Andy]

Thanks ANDY

Can you apply your Dis Plus frre internet min to the package?

 

I don't think so, but will ask again in the morning.

[Andy]

THANKS

 

Just wondering how the DVDs are connected in the suites??

 

At this point, there aren't any DVD players in the Club Continent Suites... At least, there isn't in our suite.

Edited February 2, 2016 by Host Andy

[Familygoboston]

Hi Fb0075,

 

Here's the channel list :

 

Bridge View Channel

 

MSNBC

 

Sea TV

 

Azamara TV

 

Land Discoveries TV

 

TNT

 

ESPN2

 

BBC

 

ESPN

 

CNBC

 

Fox News

 

Sky News

 

As for Movies, there about 20-25 options, but all have a fee (11.99).

 

Regarding the jacks - I think it's not going to be good news. All of them appear to be at the back of the TV, with no access to them. I will inquire further on this, to see if there's any workaround.

 

Hope this helps !

Andy,

As long as we are talking tv...Could you ask the powers that be if they have a super bowl party planned? You might even notice them prepping when you leave the ship Sunday. If you don't have time (busy enjoying your vacation) totally understand, but based on this list I don't see CBS, which is the Super Bowl station, but others have reported that they have had viewing parties in the past, so I'm left to wonder:confused:

Edited February 2, 2016 by Familygoboston

[bbqoug]

I don't want to steal your mystique. However on another line I once observed my steward placing a small piece of paper in the door crack up and down the hallway that nobody noticed. But when the door was opened, it fell to the deck which signaled him to make up the cabin.

 

I'm sure that on AZ they use a more upscale method. Perhaps Andy knows.

 

Our room steward on the Celebrity Eclipse did the same thing.

That was the first time we had seen this done.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Our room steward on the Celebrity Eclipse did the same thing.

That was the first time we had seen this done.

 

Sean Connery did it with a hair laid across a drawer (early James Bond movie). If the room stewards did that, they'd all be bald!

[Andy]

Hi Everyone,

 

Azamara's President & CEO, Larry Pimentel, shared the following letter in our cabins tonight :

 

February 1, 2016

 

Dear Guest,

 

Sometimes, the best intentions go awry. For the Azamara Journey's Drydock it was a number of things. Containers were late up to 8 days and one container never arrived, and the winds and rains in the Bahamas were so bad that the cranes did not operate for safety reasons for two days, so the outside work on the open decks had to be delayed. All of which resulted in the delays we have had.

 

Our team worked around the clock to get everything finished. Even so, we were not able to put in place all of the final touches to the usual Azamara standard in time for your arrival. We are truly sorry about that.

 

I wanted to take this opportunity to once again thank you for your patience and understanding over the last few days. As a token of our appreciation, we would like to offer you the below compensation :

 

30% Future Cruise Credit (FCC). Approximately 2-4 weeks following disembarkation, our Customer Services team will send you the certificate, so you can use it on any future booking. If you already have a future booking, you will be able to use the FCC towards that booking as well.

 

25% savings on a future voyage if you book while onboard your current voyage. If you already made a booking on this voyage, we will retroactive the savings. These savings will be combinable with the 30% Future Cruise Credit.

 

Again, we truly regret that you had to experience this unfortunate situation. All of the officers, staff and crew will continue to do our very best to make the rest of your sailing as enjoyable as possible. Please let us know if we can help in any other way.

 

Sincerely,

Larry Pimentel

President Azamara Club Cruises

Edited February 2, 2016 by Host Andy

[Andy]

Hi Everyone,

 

Just wanted to say that I feel that Azamara's offer is extremely generous. Of course, perhaps we were luckier than others, in that our cruise has been near perfect... but I still think that everything considered, it's an extremely generous offer.

 

Kudos to Larry Pimentel, and his Management team for this consideration, and, for once again showing how much they care about their Guest onboard experience.

Edited February 2, 2016 by Host Andy

[tv24]

IMHO the compensation package offered is very, very generous. This in respect to the fact that the problems have not been huge, and many were corrected quickly. Well done Azamara.

[Andy]

Hi Everyone,

 

Another great evening onboard Azamara Journey. Tonight, we dined at Discoveries, and were very pleased with the new menus, and the cuisine. I've tried to obtain the new menus.... but I've been met with silence. I think this might be due to the new menus being very new, and a work in progress. Hopefully, I will have copies soon. When I have them, I will create a new "Sticky" thread. I'm taking many photos along the way. Unfortunately, I'm having all sorts of problems sizing the photos to fit on the boards, and it's taking a great deal of time to resize each photo, so it may have to wait until I return home.

 

BTW, I'm sure that some of our community members are waiting with baited breath, for me to mention something I'm not pleased with. Well, here goes... I'm not liking the new Dining Room barrel chairs. They LOOK very nice, but that's where it ends. These are the same chairs that are featured on Celebrity's Solstice Class. Had I known that Azamara was even considering them, I would have begged them to look elsewhere. At first, they appear relatively comfortable - but the barrel design has a backwards slant to them - so you feel like you are far away from the table. Most everyone was either leaning forward, or pushed themselves forward in the seat. In Celebrity's case, if anyone complains, they offer pillows for the chairs. I asked about pillows tonight, and it does not appear to be an option. I hope that Azamara will consider ordering pillows to push you forward in the chairs. It will make for a much better dining experience.

 

Tonight's show featured singer Lou Gazzara, who was one of the finalists in American Idol. We enjoyed his performance very much. After the show, we spent about 90 minutes at the Casino, and made our usual donations :). About the Casino.... I realize it's not typically very busy, but outside of some new signage and a few new slots, I wish that Azamara had shown the Casino some love, especially since they were pretty much bypassed on the last Drydock. I believe the Bar area was upgraded, but the Casino was pretty much untouched. The Casino team is very friendly, led by Casino Manager Alan, and Jacqui - who was onboard Journey when we sailed 4 years ago. She's a delight, with a great sense of humor !

 

More to come, please stay tuned !

Edited February 2, 2016 by Host Andy

[bigmjh]

... Just wanted to say that I feel that Azamara's offer is extremely generous. ... Once again showing how much they care about their Guest onboard experience.

While I'm not experiencing the cruise you are on, from everything that I have read here ... I TOTALLY agree. Kudos to Azamara for their excellent care and concern for their guests!

[marymar]

Hi Everyone,

 

Just wanted to say that I feel that Azamara's offer is extremely generous. Of course, perhaps we were luckier than others, in that our cruise has been near perfect... but I still think that everything considered, it's an extremely generous offer.

 

Kudos to Larry Pimentel, and his Management team for this consideration, and, for once again showing how much they care about their Guest onboard experience.

 

and that's why we love Azamara!!! :)

[Lottie A]

Very generous offer indeed. Well Done Azamara.

 

I do wish they had upgraded the casino more though....some of the slots are so old fashioned now. However it's probably not a priority as the casino is not open that often due to the long port stays.

[excitedofharpenden]

I'm sure that on AZ they use a more upscale method. Perhaps Andy knows.

 

Up to now on Azamara the folded piece of paper in the door isn't needed as there is a card you display outside your cabin which indicates to make up the room (or turned over for do not disturb). Hopefully they have kept those.

 

Phil

[upwarduk]

:p

IMHO the compensation package offered is very, very generous. This in respect to the fact that the problems have not been huge, and many were corrected quickly. Well done Azamara.

 

A win win situation- the passenger gets another cruise, Azamara gets the revenue!:)

 

 

BTW, I'm sure that some of our community members are waiting with baited breath, for me to mention something I'm not pleased with. Well, here goes... I'm not liking the new Dining Room barrel chairs. They LOOK very nice, but that's where it ends. These are the same chairs that are featured on Celebrity's Solstice Class. Had I known that Azamara was even considering them, I would have begged them to look elsewhere. At first, they appear relatively comfortable - but the barrel design has a backwards slant to them - so you feel like you are far away from the table. Most everyone was either leaning forward, or pushed themselves forward in the seat. In Celebrity's case, if anyone complains, they offer pillows for the chairs. I asked about pillows tonight, and it does not appear to be an option. I hope that Azamara will consider ordering pillows to push you forward in the chairs. It will make for a much better dining experience.

 

I found those chairs (on Eclipse) were too heavy to pull forward, if the waiter hadn't quite positioned it correctly when you sat down!

 

BTW Andy,

Will you be having an Amazing Evening?

Edited February 2, 2016 by upwarduk

[Grandma Cruising]

Hey Lottie, for some reason I want to call you the shoe queen! Is it really only $20 for a bag, thats £14 in our money. Do they fold the items when they return them? How much do they charge to wash and clean a pair of women's linen trousers? Or can you just send for pressing? SO many choices. I am soooooooooo looking forward to my cruise.

 

 

 

And they even make the beds - WOW - I so love returning to my room to see the bed made.

 

 

 

Having said that, how is it that every time we left our stateroom on the two previous cruises, it could be in a morning at no particular time or very early, we may have just popped upstairs for brekkie but always when we return the room has been cleaned and beds made? Even when we left late in the morning, there was never ever any knock on the door to see if we were there. Is there a secret light or something that tells the steward the room is empty?

 

When we were on the Quest in December there was a special offer for a day or two of a bag for $30. It's amazing how much you can get in a bag. They come back beautifully pressed and folded or hung on hangers, depending on the item. I can't remember the price for individual items. I think you can have things just pressed, but the self-service laundry room has two irons and ironing boards and it's easy to press things yourself for nothing.

There's a card in your cabin which you can put in a slot outside your cabin. On one side it says please make up my cabin, to put in the slot when you go out, and on the other it says do not disturb. Having said that the cabin stewards are usually somewhere about in the corridor and keep an eye on who is in and who is out.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[oliveau]

The compensation offer is more than generous IMHO, but its the sort of gesture that seasoned AZ travellers have come to accept as being the norm.

 

Re the chairs in Discoveries:

Andy you have confirmed my worst fears when I saw the pictures in the Reimagination mock-up. The old chairs were beautifully comfortable and the new ones looked awful!

[pvkatmom]

I agree, when I saw those chairs for Discoveries-- big, bulky and very low-backed. Maybe the tables will turn over faster? ;) Overall, Azamara is doing an Azamazing job-- I thought the offer to those on the dry-dock cruise was very generous, as well. Excited for our cruise on Az Journey in Dec 2016!!!

[Andy]

:

 

BTW Andy,

Will you be having an Amazing Evening?

 

Yes, but they are bringing it onboard. It's the St Barts night.

[Andy]

Up to now on Azamara the folded piece of paper in the door isn't needed as there is a card you display outside your cabin which indicates to make up the room (or turned over for do not disturb). Hopefully they have kept those.

 

Phil

 

Hi Phil,

 

They are still using the cards. Nothing has changed in that respect, and it works perfectly.

[Spursgirl]

I echo everyone else who thinks that Azamara's compensation offer is very generous and the sort of thing that Larry and his team excel at.

 

Hope those who have not yet sailed with Azamara and who seemed to be complaining the most are now thoroughly embarrassed.

 

Thanks so much for all your updates Andy. So when's your next Azamara cruise?:D:D:D