X cruiser sails Azamara to Cuba Jan 15 to 24 2019

[lola2013]

25 minutes ago, Bimmer09 said:

Susan, we tendered into Sorrento in September 2014, got on a bus and headed to Pompeii without setting foot in the city. As we drove through waiters were setting up tables in the sun and shade and I so wanted just to sit at one of those cafes with an espresso to start my day or to have a leisurely lunch. Stolling backstreets is my middle name. The big sights have to be seen but I just love those "unseen places" for taking photos of the normal everyday Italy.

We don't need to see Pompeii nor Herculaneum again so soon. We will research excursions when they are posted...

Kotor same thing but I do want to see it from on high. Is Capri worth a visit for us?

We're not shoppers but we like lunch outdoors in a scenic setting which I imagine Capri truly has at every turn.

Which Royal ship are you sailing?

Thanks, as always for your input!

Norris

Hi Norris,

Sorrento is filled with plenty of cute outdoor cafes.  I will always choose that over an indoor restaurant.  Half the fun is people watching.  Last time was pizza found on a side street.  There is a roundabout at the entrance to town with an outdoor cafe that we plan to try this time. 

 

Capri is definitely worth the trip if you have the time.  If memory serves, it’s 20-30 minutes via hydrofoil...a bit longer by ferry.  Lots of great places with a view to have lunch.  And they are famous for limoncello 😋.  Don’t forget to visit the beautiful gardens.

 

Our upcoming May trip is family and friends on Jewel of the Seas.  Celebrity was our first choice, but only Edge does an itinerary similar  to what we are doing on Jewel; and our sunset verandas (stateroom of choice) are more than double on Edge...ouch!

 

I have a Edge trip planned for December...I’m anxious to see what the hype is all about.  May 2020 is the ABCs on Equinox.

 

Have you done any research on the new Enchanted Princess?  That’s on our radar for TA for fall, 2021.

 

Hope you and Carol have a great weekend.  

Susan

 

[perfect match]

Norris and Carol, thank you for another great review! I will be just back from a land trip when you start your next review. I won't be suffering from post cruise depression, but quite likely post land trip depression since it is a land trip we will have just returned from. In any case, I will be looking forward to your review to get me through until our next trip. 

[villauk]

6 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

 

Are you an Aston Villa supporter by any chance? (screen name)

Norris

 

 

Yes, for our sins 🙈. We will return to the premiership one day 🤞.

 

I’ve really enjoyed your review and the camaraderie it’s brought between the pax from various lines. I’m so glad you posted it on the X board as I’d have probably missed it over on the Azamara one. It’s definitely piqued our interest for sailing with them when the kids eventually decide to do their own thing regarding holidays. Being smaller ships, they are able to dock much closer to some cities which is ideal in areas such as Asia where many of X’s ships are docked quite some distance from the sights e.g. Vietnam, Bangkok etc. Coincidentally, I do remember one of their ships being docked in Kotor when we tendered on Equinox. 

 

 

[macsford]

Norris, I am adding my thanks to you and Carol for taking the time to make notes, take pictures, write up, edit and share with us.

How fortunate we are to be able to share these interesting travels.

I have enjoyed the journey and all your information.

As future cruises have been mentioned may I suggest that you research Ravello which has iconic views and especially Villa Rufolo with its Wagner associations (thought that might get your attention!) which could form part of a tour from Sorrento , a beautiful drive which can also take in Amalfi and Positano. John and I think that little Ravello is the jewel in the crown for that coast.

In the meantime, looking forward to your next GSJ.

Sandra

 

[Bimmer09]

15 hours ago, MisterMet said:

Norris,

 

 I thoroughly enjoyed "being" with you and Carol on the "Journey" through Cuba and the Bahamas.  I was especially interested in your take on Azamara itself, knowing your affections for Princess and Celebrity.  Your thoughts on the smaller ship were interesting as well, as I know how much you like the Solstice and Grand class ships.  I gather you and Carol wouldn't have booked B2B if you didn't feel comfortable or in any way felt that Azamara wasn't worth the $$. 

 

 We were looking at 10 nights on the Constellation from Rome to Venice through the Greek Islands, but somehow the itinerary got switched to the Edge at twice the price.  I've been following many reviews on the Edge on CC and just don't know if I'm sold on it yet.  I also thought the prices might have gone down a bit for the 2020 bookings, but not yet. Hopefully we can come to some consensus, but I guess that's part of the fun of being into cruising though.  Research is almost as fun as the cruising itself.

 

Thank you again for entertaining us all with your wonderful GSJ.  While I'm lucky to live in paradise and don't really need to dream of warmer climates to help me through cold winter nights, I do need to dream of when my "season" is over, I get to  relax a bit, enjoy my time on the ship and have someone pamper me for a change. 

 

Regards to Carol and Keep on Keepin' On,

 

Trip

Trip,  Azamara being so small is stripped-down at first glance yet I never had time to visit and savor (actually use) all the public rooms and resting places on this port-rich itinerary. So the ship was bigger than I thought I needed.

They trumped every line on itinerary - e.g Viking didn't stop in Havana!! We added it to our other two choices without hesitation for the longer port stays, overnights and their special events.

The daily business of living on the ship fit like a glove. Low key, relaxed, friendly, no crowds or bottlenecks. Noticeably better food than we are used to outside Specialty Restaurants.

They visit some less familiar places and do country intensive sailings e.g Spain and Portugal.

 

Like you I have read all things Edge and am in the same position- not compelled to be excited to sail on her and fight off the toss pillows every night. My favorite S Class places are the lawn and Sunset Bar. The lawn replacement-the metal flower garden area has apparently very little shade which could be brutal in the Caribbean and dining up there can get rained out as a result.

Sunset bar they moved away from the perfect solution on the Reflection to give seating without rain cover along the walls. Gone are the white sails. Magic Carpet is at the mercy of the wind as a dining venue. Martini Bar in the central atrium is very Carnival like placement and I imagine getting a drink there can take a while with seating for 200 nearby. Losing the Sky Lounge loses a relaxing spot for all passengers for looking forward at the sea, part of the magic of sailing, in favor of the suites-only retreat.

At current prices I think there are better choices to be had. Too many bells and whistles on Edge and we've just proved to ourselves we don't need that. We used to rent the Alcoves on X for the little bit of quiet and privacy offered on the lawn. The Edge ones have a walkway in front of them so there goes the privacy. Some things look good on paper and translate to rubbish ideas when placed on a ship for keeps. Did anyone at a meeting keep a straight face when Kelly Hoppen said...: "and each bed will get a dozen or so toss pillows ..." The high fares are needed to pay off the pillow purchase.

On a Med cruise like you described you are going to be off the ship so much-the ports are the star, not the ship. The Connie has all you need for a happy Med cruise.

 

I agree about the research being fun. We can't go in blind. Now that we know what to expect on Azamara we will be savoring everything more. I will read "The Insider" each day. No chocolate buffet shall escape us!

 

Meantime two other cruises need to be planned first and Azamara goes on the back burner.

Glad you enjoyed the read, Trip!

Norris

[Bimmer09]

22 hours ago, macsford said:

Norris, I am adding my thanks to you and Carol for taking the time to make notes, take pictures, write up, edit and share with us.

How fortunate we are to be able to share these interesting travels.

I have enjoyed the journey and all your information.

As future cruises have been mentioned may I suggest that you research Ravello which has iconic views and especially Villa Rufolo with its Wagner associations (thought that might get your attention!) which could form part of a tour from Sorrento , a beautiful drive which can also take in Amalfi and Positano. John and I think that little Ravello is the jewel in the crown for that coast.

In the meantime, looking forward to your next GSJ.

Sandra

 

 

Sandra, very timely of you to mention Ravello! Just the night before we had been talking about it (due to the Richard Wagner connection) and I checked our go-to guides-Rome in Limo. They have a 9 hour tour that takes in Ravello, Positano and Amalfi for E500. I think 9 hours is a bit long given that we just want to enjoy their eye candy and have a nice lunch at the Saracen Hotel in Positano. It may come down to taxis between the towns which would save a lot of money and we could pick and choose what we really want to see. I need to check distances on Google maps to get an idea of time and cost by taxi.

We have a long time to plan but yes, we would like to see Ravello.

Norris

[delphis98]

On 1/25/2019 at 4:30 PM, Bimmer09 said:

Why am I putting this on the Celebrity board?

 

I am so glad you decided to post on the X board!  I'd have never seen it on the Azzi board, because I wouldn't have thought to look there.  Not that I'd be averse... just wouldn't wander over on my own.  So all your reasons seem great to me!  🙂

[jesrestin]

Thanks Norris for making a long snowy winter much shorter.  having your journal to read each day has been wonderful.  Cuba goes on the bucket list.  In sixteen days we are off to the Solstice and New Zealand.  You have made the wait that much easier.  Thank you!

 

John

[Deck Chair Queen]

On 3/5/2019 at 1:23 PM, Groovybusybee said:

 

 

Any chance of a final photo of Snowy?

 

 

Here is Snowy this afternooon dozing in her igloo, thinking about her seafaring forefathers such as Captain Cat, who explored the Arctic and discovered the coziness of an igloo. 

 

Thanks to to you all for participating and truly making this a community effort! Happy cruising!

 

Carol

 

Edited March 10, 2019 by Deck Chair Queen

[Bimmer09]

On 3/4/2019 at 11:17 PM, ROWSE said:

Thank you again Norris and Carol for entertaining me all these many days!

Loved every moment and your amazing photography!

I look forward to reading the reviews from your exciting cruises to come!

 

Loved  your pictures of the library on the ship, in a small way it reminded me of the Ocean Princess library which felt like “one of a kind” just as your pictures made me feel that this one was.  

 

I think you have made a lot of us excited to visit Cuba!

 

Happy future sailings to you both!

ROWSE, thanks for joining us on this trip!

The ceiling/ fake skylight on all of the R ships libraries (which included Ocean and Pacific) are signature Renaissance Cruises pieces. We liked the library on Ocean which had the original R signing which would tell me that Princess didn't put their own decorator stamp on it and saved $$ but Azamara totally refurnished and signed the room with their consumate good taste decorators. The rich dark woods are common to both.

I am a big library fan where real books are versus reading on Kindles or phones.

 

If you like this size of ship then you'll find a beautiful home on Azamara!

Hope to see you in my Silhouette review!

Norris

[Bimmer09]

5 hours ago, delphis98 said:

 

I am so glad you decided to post on the X board!  I'd have never seen it on the Azzi board, because I wouldn't have thought to look there.  Not that I'd be averse... just wouldn't wander over on my own.  So all your reasons seem great to me!  🙂

Thank you delphis-it all made good sense to me and still does. Glad you agree.

You must have just started reading as your quote is from page one. Thanks for being curious!

I hope it proves an easy read that moves forward quickly. I will get around to reading it later in the week when I have a day off.

Glad to have you aboard!

Norris

[Bimmer09]

On 3/7/2019 at 12:23 PM, QueenP said:

Thanks for the links Norris! I have just finished your most recent New England one, as I was reading that as well as your Cuba one. Now I have bookmarked your Med ones to keep me going for the next while. Cheers!

Thank you for reading the New England one. We both loved that trip for keeping us closer to home and for an excuse to visit New York, a city we have spent a lot of time in over the years and never tire of. It's our favorite city in the USA. Someday we will do NY to Montreal or Quebec.

We both love our visits to Canada over the years-mainly to the eye candy province of Ontario which we can drive to. I haven't read the Cuba one yet- I always leave a breathing space after writing so my brain isn't mush. Once I have read it, it can become back burner or filed away and then can focus on the next one.

I'd be very delighted to see you pop in during our Norway review.

My attention now will be to clear a backlog of TripAdvisor reviews including the tour guides and restaurants in Cuba and Chicago and then focus 100% on planning Norway: 6 months hence.

 

Cheers!

Norris

[suzzek]

Bimmer, I have read your excellent review and enjoyed it very much, thank you fo taking the time to write it!!

Yesterday I booked the Journey for an 11 night to Cuba in November.  Now the fun begins as I start the planning.  I am wondering if you wouldn’t mind listing the various tour companies all in one spot, sort of a laundry list, so that I can reference them?  If you’ve already done this, thanks very much!  Can you refer me to the post# if you’ve already posted the info?  Thanks again!

[Bimmer09]

On 3/4/2019 at 7:48 PM, p0240 said:

Wow, Norris, I have enjoyed every photo and comment on this journey to Cuba with you and Carol.  It prompted me to watch the Cuba Libre series which I found really interesting.  Thank you so much for your time and effort to do this review, I am sure everyone appreciates your comments, and I for one, have certainly used your hints and recommendations when touring.  I don't read the X board, so can you always please put a comment on Princess so that we know a review is up on the X board from you.  We are off to Japan in a few weeks on the Diamond Princess, first time to Japan, so very much looking forward to a new destination.

Enjoy being home

Pat

Pat, thank you for once again gracing one of my reviews!

Japan-Diamond Princess....my favorite Princess ship so far. I give the reasons in my review of her and if you meet waiters by the name of Siwa and Sadudee from Thailand tell them I say hi as they are very memorable guys. Japan is one far-off place we would endure a long flight to see but someday years from now. I am sure it will be a fascinating destination!

 

Cuba Libre has some hard to watch moments but is key to understanding Cuba and what they have gone through. Cuba and the Camerman is another Netflix gem and really made us want to meet some salt of the earth Cubans, which we did.

 

We will return to Cuba in a couple of years I have no doubt and will stop and smell the roses and savor it even more. I already see me listening to a sizzling band on the patio of Hotel Inglaterra with a big glass of rum and a cigar and a ridiculously happy smile. Carol was blown away by our night in Casa de la Trova listening to a hot Cuban band. As was I.

 

Bon Voyage to Japan, Pat!!

Norris

[yoshi]

Wow!!!

Enjoyed your review so much! You have convinced me that I will probably love Azamara, may be more like Celebrity used to be 15 years ago. I have found a couple of Azamara itineraries in 2020 that look enticing; Venice to Athens or Southampton to Lisbon. I think I would be happy on either and am anxious to give her a try. We have over a dozen on Celebrity but the past few years have been a little bit disappointed in some of the special touches that they have discontinued. Azamara just might be the ticket for us.

When I finished this review I went back to your review of the ABCs, been-there-done-that but love to read about them again. If I can't be on a cruise, I like to be reading about a cruise and seeing the awesome photographs. You made my chore day much more fun (do a load of laundry-read a couple of Norris pages, clean the bathroom, read some more Bimmer09, wash my floors finish another 30++ pages.) Thank you for getting me through chore, now back to work Monday.

 

[Bimmer09]

10 hours ago, suzzek said:

Bimmer, I have read your excellent review and enjoyed it very much, thank you fo taking the time to write it!!

Yesterday I booked the Journey for an 11 night to Cuba in November.  Now the fun begins as I start the planning.  I am wondering if you wouldn’t mind listing the various tour companies all in one spot, sort of a laundry list, so that I can reference them?  If you’ve already done this, thanks very much!  Can you refer me to the post# if you’ve already posted the info?  Thanks again!

Hi suzzek. I'm glad you enjoyed the long read. Kudos for taking action and booking Az for your Cuba cruise!

All the tour companies we used are featured on TripAdvisor and I found out about the Havana one from CC and took it from there.

Havana Blexie http://havanatours.wixsite.com/blexie

Cienfuegos http://fertours2havana.com

Santiago de Cuba https://www.outofthebox.zone

 

All bookings made via email. Pay in CUC at the end of your tour.

Enjoy!

Norris

[lola2013]

23 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

 

Sandra, very timely of you to mention Ravello! Just the night before we had been talking about it (due to the Richard Wagner connection) and I checked our go-to guides-Rome in Limo. They have a 9 hour tour that takes in Ravello, Positano and Amalfi for E500. I think 9 hours is a bit long given that we just want to enjoy their eye candy and have a nice lunch at the Saracen Hotel in Positano. It may come down to taxis between the towns which would save a lot of money and we could pick and choose what we really want to see. I need to check distances on Google maps to get an idea of time and cost by taxi.

We have a long time to plan but yes, we would like to see Ravello.

Norris

Good morning Bimmer,

May I suggest Touring Italy as a source for info about a day trip from Naples.  I have been working with Roberto at touringitaly.org@gmail.com.  Our group of 12 is spending 8-1/2 hours visiting Positano and Ravello.  (A few of us are doing Sorrento pre-cruise so no need to make that stop).  He has been very responsive to my many e-mails and a pleasure to work with.  We were originally going to also make a stop in Amalfi, but decided to spend more time at just two stops, rather than less time with the additional stop.  He agreed that Ravello is a must see, and recommended making a stop at Villa Cimbrone.  He's also answered questions about a lunch stop and offered to make reservations for us at that stop.   Since we are 12 in a minivan, we will be paying 85 euros/pp (plus tip), which I believe is very reasonable for the amount of time we will spend with him.  They also offer small group/couple trips. 

I found his name and contact info here on Cruise Critic; he came highly recommended by a couple that did a Celebrity Med cruise last year.

 

Hope this helps...enjoy!

Susan

[suzzek]

Norris, 

Thanks for you quick reply to my query!  Now I am armed with great info and a starting place for planning an exciting itinerary.  

[QueenP]

19 hours ago, Bimmer09 said:

I'd be very delighted to see you pop in during our Norway review.

I certainly shall be reading! Give us a heads up on the Az board so we know when you are kicking it off😁

[Bimmer09]

On 3/11/2019 at 8:48 AM, lola2013 said:

Good morning Bimmer,

May I suggest Touring Italy as a source for info about a day trip from Naples.  I have been working with Roberto at touringitaly.org@gmail.com.  Our group of 12 is spending 8-1/2 hours visiting Positano and Ravello.  (A few of us are doing Sorrento pre-cruise so no need to make that stop).  He has been very responsive to my many e-mails and a pleasure to work with.  We were originally going to also make a stop in Amalfi, but decided to spend more time at just two stops, rather than less time with the additional stop.  He agreed that Ravello is a must see, and recommended making a stop at Villa Cimbrone.  He's also answered questions about a lunch stop and offered to make reservations for us at that stop.   Since we are 12 in a minivan, we will be paying 85 euros/pp (plus tip), which I believe is very reasonable for the amount of time we will spend with him.  They also offer small group/couple trips. 

I found his name and contact info here on Cruise Critic; he came highly recommended by a couple that did a Celebrity Med cruise last year.

 

Hope this helps...enjoy!

Susan

 

Thanks Susan, I have bookmarked the Touringitaly site for consideration next year when we are back from Sky Princess and thinking of the Pursuit cruise. I have looked at some Amalfi coast videos just to whet the appetite. I haven't found their TripAdvisor reviews yet as they don't have a live link and a search using their name hasn't borne fruit yet.

 

Cheers!

Norris

[Bimmer09]

54 minutes ago, Bimmer09 said:

I haven't found their TripAdvisor reviews yet as they don't have a live link and a search using their name hasn't borne fruit yet.

Susan-ignore this. I tried to edit it but the TA software "Save" button tied my computer up for so long it timed out the edit function.  I am reading the Touring Italy reviews just fine.

Norris

[Bimmer09]

21 hours ago, QueenP said:

I certainly shall be reading! Give us a heads up on the Az board so we know when you are kicking it off😁

Thanks-I'll do the same as this time-drop links in the Azamara and Princess boards.

Norris

[lola2013]

12 minutes ago, Bimmer09 said:

Susan-ignore this. I tried to edit it but the TA software "Save" button tied my computer up for so long it timed out the edit function.  I am reading the Touring Italy reviews just fine.

Norris

👍

[Bimmer09]

On 3/11/2019 at 12:47 AM, yoshi said:

Wow!!!

Enjoyed your review so much! You have convinced me that I will probably love Azamara, may be more like Celebrity used to be 15 years ago. I have found a couple of Azamara itineraries in 2020 that look enticing; Venice to Athens or Southampton to Lisbon. I think I would be happy on either and am anxious to give her a try. We have over a dozen on Celebrity but the past few years have been a little bit disappointed in some of the special touches that they have discontinued. Azamara just might be the ticket for us.

When I finished this review I went back to your review of the ABCs, been-there-done-that but love to read about them again. If I can't be on a cruise, I like to be reading about a cruise and seeing the awesome photographs. You made my chore day much more fun (do a load of laundry-read a couple of Norris pages, clean the bathroom, read some more Bimmer09, wash my floors finish another 30++ pages.) Thank you for getting me through chore, now back to work Monday.

 

Yoshi, I hope you do love Azamara as much as I and either of those itineraries would appeal. I am sure that Az will call on more than Lisbon on the Portugal one. Venice to Athens would be a solid gold choice for sure.

We have only two past cruises on Celebrity and loved what we experienced but a caveat is that we sailed in suites (S1 aft corner each time) and our third in September is same thing  only starboard not port deck 7 corner. We love the suite X life but it is very costly to Norway. Th itinerary appealed.

 

For the January Caribbean cruises we have X , Princess and now Azamara too so the choices keep growing but if the Edgification of the Silhouette spoils her in our opinion then X cruises may be few and far between. Edge is not a big lure for us. 

 

My head is now filled with Norway and what to do there excursion-wise and I am always thinking photo opportunities to share. We are not stay on the ship and relax by the pool people.

Fun researching, I will say.

 

Thanks for being part of the review!

Norris

[Hooked!]

Norris, 

Just found this trip report the other day and couldn’t stop reading until I finished! Your photos are stunning, as always, and it looks like you got to see a good amount of Cuba (although I’m sure not enough, as I know you plan to return). As a Spanish major, I wrote many a paper on the Cuban Revolution, so I really appreciate you sharing your time at the revolution museum with us. You’ve reminded me of just how much I want to visit that country. Thank you, good sir! 

Megan