X cruiser sails Azamara to Cuba Jan 15 to 24 2019

[Bimmer09]

2 hours ago, Groovybusybee said:

Norris, 

 

You have another North Yorkshire based fan following along. Cuba has never been on my bucket list, well it is now. You have certainly whetted my appetite to see and experience more.

 

Just love your writing and humour. 

 

Regards Debbie

 

Debbie, thanks for letting me know you are reading along and more importantly that you are enjoying it! 

I know it is a big ask to expect people to read this far as everyone is rushed for time these days- I say that mainly based on me and Carol-but we are all trying to pack so much into life. I'm a reader of long reviews and long books and go out to see operas that last up to 5 1/2 hours and don't mind being in a restaurant for more than 2 hours.

I just hope people get something impactful or persuasive from putting the effort in and it seems you have, now that Cuba is more on your radar.

It's very gratifying to me.

I was involved in booking another cruise just yesterday- in the Caribbean for next January and Carol was willing to visit Cuba again so I found myself on many sites, including Oceania, NLC, RCI, Holland America and even MSC but in the end I talked us out of Cuba next year. 2021 will do as I want to let some time pass between visits. Azamara aren't going there until April next year but Az definitely has the most intensive itinerary. Viking skips Havana! 

 

We booked Princess to not-Cuba instead.

Norris

 

[Bimmer09]

29 minutes ago, villauk said:

 

 

 

Wow! What an excellent prompt response and it’s so refreshing to see issues being acted upon so efficiently.

 

We could do with a ‘Bonnie’ here on the X board 👏.

Indeed.

Bonnie is a true resource for the Az board readers and is kept busy as a liaison.

Everybody wants you to "take a short survey" these days and for a cruise line to be aware of customers opinions and needs via CC is a good thing. Bonnie gets answers quickly by having a direct link to Azamara and the fact that Az cares shows that they really want to tailor the business and the experience to the customer and get repeat business. They have a lot of competition when it comes to filling berths and will have more when Virgin sets sail.

 

Bonnie also has a sense of humor and with me around that is a good thing.

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Following a belly-bustin German Brunch it was back to deck 9 for me while Carol napped on the Promenade deck. I ordered a Malibu, something I hadn't tasted in over 20 years.

 

In the elevators and on handrails in hallways sick bags had been placed for those feeling queasy from the rolling of the ship in the predicted 6 to 9 foot swells.

 

I fitted in a nice baby's-cradle nap taking advantage of the motion of the ocean and was up and about again by 5 p.m when I sauntered by the Windows buffet where they were set up for the evening dinner service.

Such an inviting room with the tablecloths and glasses waiting

Head-scratching other than for the financial reasons, Carnival has omitted the tablecloths

from the dinner tables. Is the Motorway Cafe looking coming back? At home we don't use a tablecloth but we aren't "having dinner" as a highlight of our day we are just filling our stomachs

while watching TV. We both cook. I cook the basic cave-man dishes (meat and potatoes) while Carol can put together a restaurant-quality meal using things like recipes, herbs and something called measurements.

Just checking our cruise bookings for the next couple of years I see we have none on Carnival.

 

Anything I ate in the buffet was top notch buffet food and on a par with Oceanview Cafe on X for flavor.

and we both liked dining out here at the Sunset Bar

 

Not a bar hangout in the way the Sunset is on the X S-Class. I live there and get my mail delivery there when cruising. The Reflection one -perfection-hasn't been carried over in the Edge design which is one of those "don't mess with what works" and "what were they thinking?" moves.

The Kelly Hoppen interior design will ensure that as well as a life jacket each passenger will have half a dozen toss pillows as floatation devices. I'm sure the room stewards just love picking those up from the floor each morning. I'm big on function over form and less is more.

seas are a bit calmer now but who knows what's ahead?

 

Oh, now I know what's up ahead

 

 

[british lady]

Jethro Tull, now you are talking.

"I'll go to the foot of our stairs"

Sir Norris enjoying your review so much.

We are now looking at booking Azamara for a cruise to Cuba. 

Thank you to yourself and Carol.

Sara

[Bimmer09]

A windy, wavy day on the Caribbean is not ideal but still much warmer than Chicago was.

I wore my leather jacket while taking this selfie in the mirrored elevator.

 

Up on deck it's a bit miserable. Conditions only someone who needs to smoke would endure

 

Back inside with the camera and down to deck 5

The casino is mobbed

 

I walk past the photo gallery which is ultra low-key

 

and aft towards the shops. A rack of dresses for sale. Again low-key

 

The shop lady has put out some cool Cuba tee shirts made for Azamara. I had bought 4 earlier -two each. I checked out a bottle of Listerine inside and it was the same price I paid in Walgreens in Miami so they are not using the "Airport" model to fleece customers who forgot toiletries.

Kudos Azamara!

 

The lovely Mosaic Cafe where I never sat and ordered anything-not even espresso.

When people first meet me they think "this guy needs an espresso" as I am very quiet (but not shy).

Once I start talking they think "how many espressos has this guy had?"

Carol loved Mosaic and snacked there a couple of times.

 

The art desk where I often saw people sitting talking to the salesman/advisor

 

I did like that the art was representative of the cruise we were taking and lacked the usual Tiger heads and velvet Elvises.

 

Back up to deck 9 as I am close to the elevator...

[perfect match]

I'm all caught up again, and still enjoying your Seafaring Gentleman's Journal! 

 

Yes, please do tell what Princess cruise you've booked!

[Bimmer09]

8 hours ago, singinalot said:

You gotta tell us! What Princess Cruise did you book? 

Crystal (and Nancy) as I was on the computer looking for Cuba options for Carol and once done with that, I went looking for non-Cuba 7 day trips avoiding anything that went to St Thomas and St Maarten. I even looked at Seabourn, Viking, Holland America and Silversea just out of curiosity. Oceania too. Oceania's 10 days are too long for us.

 

In the end and with the fact that 4 months prior to sailing we come off a 5 figure Celebrity cruise I wanted to keep the cost down and get the most bang for the buck where both of us can travel for the price of one on Seabourn and Silversea. Holland America itineraries were few and dull. I looked at Cunard too but they are not in the Caribbean in January.

We are sailing the new Sky Princess (hitting the water in October) and I got the last aft balcony cabin. The price was right and it goes to Cayman, Roatan, Belize and Cozumel. We haven't been to Roatan and Belize since 2014-so a 6 year break. Cayman and Coz we visited last in 2017 on Reflection. Excursions will save both of those from being  a bore.

By far the easiest web site to use was Princess. Just a great design and ease of use. $400 OBC

and we are Elite on Princess which gives us perks (internet, laundry and one free specialty)

The Sky will have a French Bistro specialty with outdoor dining. "French Bistro" is my middle name. $100 deposit each which we bought on last year's Crown Princess ABC cruise.

 

We are all set.

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Back up on deck 9 the water was trying to leap out of the pool and was succeeding.

 

 

The crew emptied it

 

and cleaned it

 

before going to dinner I passed through The Patio to take pictures 

 

looks inviting

 

smells amazing-8 oz strip steaks by the pool. Beat that, hotdogs!

 

all the fixin's

 

fun staff

 

off to dinner as it's 8.45

[Bimmer09]

Tonight's menu is posted in the vestibule

 

some art out here too

 

 

we are greeted each time by these two fun guys-Lexe and Amit. They can take a joke

 

 

 

More....

[Cyber Kat]

Still following along here and loving your Gentleman’s Seafaring Journal!  I’ve also started reading your GSJ on your first Celebrity cruise. I’m like a sponge when it comes to information, I just absorb it all. My main goal in life is to know everything 😝

 

Azamara Journey is up next on our list.  We are going to Charleston, SC and Hamilton, Bermuda in April from NYC in April.  We booked it because sailing from NYC means no flights for us and the itinerary is intriguing. We have never been to Charleston and the Journey can fit through the narrow Two Rock passage and sail into Hamilton Harbor. This is a spectacular sail in that’s rather rare in this age of the mega ships that are relagated to the far out Dockyard. 

 

If you have never been to Bermuda, I highly recommend a voyage there on a small ship that can dock in Hamilton or St George. Bermuda is a wondrous place and our favorite of all the places we have been. 

 

We will be there for our usual 2 weeks in July. We can’t get enough. 

 

Another thing I want to recommend to you is to try Viking. We love the Viking experience, having done both river and ocean cruises with them. The ships are absolutely gorgeous - classic lines mixed with modern Scandinavian decor. They have managed to make them warm and comfortable - something that doesn’t seem to go with modern design, yet they have achieved it. Their cruises are pricey but everything other than some optional excursions are included - wine and beer with lunch and dinner (very reasonable beverage package if you want to upgrade), internet, specialty restaurants, 1 shore excursion in every port, and full use of their wonderful spa facilities. 

 

I keep telling people that we love Viking, but we’re not going steady - thus the Azamara and Celebrity Cruises we have booked. We are equal opportunity cruisers who like variety. 

 

We are doing a Viking Eastern Seaboard cruise In the fall sailing from Montreal to NYC. Looking forward to cruising the St Lawrence Seaway. 

 

BTW we also did the St Kitts Railway and loved it. In addition to being ship nerds we are also train nerds aka rail fans. Loved your San Juan pics!  We were there last year just a few months after the hurricanes and it was sad, although Old San Juan did fairly well. 

 

I’m going to make some comments over there. Give that GSJ a bump up for others to enjoy!  

[Bimmer09]

A table at the stern which we like and have been offered, if available, by Amit 

 

we are in good hands with Yevgen but other waiters like Joseph and Fernando will stop to say hi!

 

a relaxed atmosphere as it is now 9 p.m

 

frisee salad with roasted beets and goat cheese, both of which we love

 

Carol's shrimp with tomato and avocado and crostini with black olive tapenade

 

Tuscany beef broth with cheese tortellini for Norris

 

this is be a chilled fennel veloute for Carol

 

we both had tamarind vegetable curry with raita, Basmati rice and poppadum

 

Another fine meal from a  kitchen that delivers, night after night. Attentive, unfussy waiters who enjoy laughing at my schtick and who are definitely not going through the motions, hour after hour. There's a good, no, genuine is a better word, "service culture" on board.

 

Carol goes to bed and I follow a few minutes later as Alicia Hill is performing in the Cabaret room and this is my chance to hear her.

 

She's got a good voice. Plenty of power and pizazz (not pizzas)

Singing contemporary songs backed by the superb Ozzie band (not Osborne)

Here she is singing Rolling in the Deep by the wondrous Adele, England's finest

 

 

The theater is from a bygone age, without tiered seating but the talent is good from what we have briefly seen this week and it gets packed. This is a little ship that punches above its weight.

 

Alas I had a numbing headache during dinner but managed to make it through, though my appetite was less than usual. A couple of Advil from Carol's stash and a deep cavernous, spelunking sleep did the trick and I awoke in Nassau in good shape.

 

That's where you'll find us next...

 

[Bimmer09]

4 hours ago, Cyber Kat said:

Still following along here and loving your Gentleman’s Seafaring Journal!  I’ve also started reading your GSJ on your first Celebrity cruise. I’m like a sponge when it comes to information, I just absorb it all. My main goal in life is to know everything 😝

 

Azamara Journey is up next on our list.  We are going to Charleston, SC and Hamilton, Bermuda in April from NYC in April.  We booked it because sailing from NYC means no flights for us and the itinerary is intriguing. We have never been to Charleston and the Journey can fit through the narrow Two Rock passage and sail into Hamilton Harbor. This is a spectacular sail in that’s rather rare in this age of the mega ships that are relagated to the far out Dockyard. 

 

If you have never been to Bermuda, I highly recommend a voyage there on a small ship that can dock in Hamilton or St George. Bermuda is a wondrous place and our favorite of all the places we have been. 

 

We will be there for our usual 2 weeks in July. We can’t get enough. 

 

Another thing I want to recommend to you is to try Viking. We love the Viking experience, having done both river and ocean cruises with them. The ships are absolutely gorgeous - classic lines mixed with modern Scandinavian decor. They have managed to make them warm and comfortable - something that doesn’t seem to go with modern design, yet they have achieved it. Their cruises are pricey but everything other than some optional excursions are included - wine and beer with lunch and dinner (very reasonable beverage package if you want to upgrade), internet, specialty restaurants, 1 shore excursion in every port, and full use of their wonderful spa facilities. 

 

I keep telling people that we love Viking, but we’re not going steady - thus the Azamara and Celebrity Cruises we have booked. We are equal opportunity cruisers who like variety. 

 

We are doing a Viking Eastern Seaboard cruise In the fall sailing from Montreal to NYC. Looking forward to cruising the St Lawrence Seaway. 

 

BTW we also did the St Kitts Railway and loved it. In addition to being ship nerds we are also train nerds aka rail fans. Loved your San Juan pics!  We were there last year just a few months after the hurricanes and it was sad, although Old San Juan did fairly well. 

 

I’m going to make some comments over there. Give that GSJ a bump up for others to enjoy!  

 

I have looked at your itinerary and I like it. Sailing from NYC is one of the highlights of our 7 year cruising career (13 cruises) and NYC is our favorite city in the USA. We go to the Opera there.

We have friends who rave about Charleston have have seen a Top Chef from there and it is very appealing. Bermuda I have seen in several CC reviews. Good choice!

 

I checked out Viking during my search a couple of days ago. I like the No Kids idea and avoid ships that would cater to families with young kids so anything without theme park apparatus on the top deck is of interest to me. No kids on our sailing, just a family with two daughters who would have been 13 I guess. There's never many on Princess or X when we sail either which is why I like those lines so much. Plus no top deck plumbing and shopping malls. The only RCI ships I could see myself sailing on are the Radiance class, although I marvel at the Oasis class as a design and engineering feat. Too many people for us.

 

Montreal to NYC is on our bucket list. We did a fall tour on Regal Princess (in my signature until I replace it with this one) but there wasn't enough time to get further into Canada. My super bucket list item-when retired only, is Buenos Aires to Valparaiso. We have no interest in Rio but BA looks gorgeous and has two of my favorite things in abundance- steaks and Malbec.

 

The world is our playground and we are fortunate.

 

St Kitts railway was fantastic but we are train lovers, steam trains especially and take those from New Mexico up into Colorado. We always do the White Pass railroad when in Skagway and have booked the Flam train in Norway. I even watch photography videos on trains in England which birthed the trains during the Industrial Revolution. 

 

Yes, bump me up on the Az board before I finish this so those interested in Az can get a flavor of what may be ahead for them. The reason I put this on the X board is that so many more people/page reads (so far 59,000 vs 2,000) will see Cuba and Azamara.  A very good pairing.

 

Cheers and thank you for the response!

Norris

Edited March 1, 2019 by Bimmer09
background color

[Bimmer09]

Insider from Santiago day 2

 

Norris, bummed at missing that chocolate buffet!

[Bimmer09]

Before I get to Nassau I have another shopping pic left over from last night's deck walk just to show you it wasn't just tee shirts and dresses

 

Next morning I was up on deck around 6 a.m 

 

We were due to dock at 8 a.m. Much better weather with much less wind.

Nassau

 

Wow! A whole lotta building going on here, which was the reason I gave up on a day pass at the Hilton, to use their beach and eat their lunch (literally)

 

No tenders today

 

lots of birds in the air

 

and my kind of eye candy

 

 

 

Mariner of the Seas

 

More.....

[Bimmer09]

No Señor Frogs in Cuba as yet

 

 

Enchantment of the Seas arrives

 

After a buffet breakfast in Discoveries to save time, we were off the ship for an early excursion

 

the Captain (L) talks to other officers

 

We are going on a tour called See and Sea which includes a catamaran ride out to a semi-submersible and upon returning, a bus tour of the streets of Nassau. 3 hours total I think.

We are on the dock at 8 for our muster. Now we are being led to our boat by a lady so I have to stop typing and join the group. See you on the water!

[Bimmer09]

It will be 78 F today

 

 

and we're off!

 

familiar landmarks

 

The Lost Hotel of Atlantis

 

If we should find ourselves in Nassau again I'd pay a visit to the hotel out of curiosity.

Maybe buy a day package and relax there. 

 

cargo ships as we are on an island

 

Nice

 

 

breezy now and a chop on the sea 

 

More...

 

[rsdmom]

I have enjoyed your trip. We saw you in Cienfuegos as we were on the Viking Star that week.  We did a private tour to Trinidad which was the prettiest city we saw in Cuba but still no working bathrooms. Everything was brightly painted and it really looked the most Caribbean.  As the seas decided not to cooperate that week we were unable to stop in Santiago de Cuba so I really enjoyed seeing your pictures.

[Bimmer09]

55 minutes ago, rsdmom said:

I have enjoyed your trip. We saw you in Cienfuegos as we were on the Viking Star that week.  We did a private tour to Trinidad which was the prettiest city we saw in Cuba but still no working bathrooms. Everything was brightly painted and it really looked the most Caribbean.  As the seas decided not to cooperate that week we were unable to stop in Santiago de Cuba so I really enjoyed seeing your pictures.

So sorry you missed the opportunity to see Santiago de Cuba!

Glad however that you caught glimpses of it through reading this review.

Thanks for letting me know you have been reading along. Much appreciated!

Norris

[Bimmer09]

The driver had to slow his speed as we were banging into the waves and splashing water

 

all the while we were being told how much properties to port sold for. I checked my bag of rat's asses and found that I didn't have one to give.  Water views and the climate can't be bad though.

 

I just love the old style boat

 

 

both of these homes are owned by Oprah Winfrey we were told

 

 

Next up, 20,000 leagues under the sea. Um, miscalculation-make that 8 feet.

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Fish silhouettes

There's our semi-sub!

 

 

one by one we cross from the catamaran to the sub and climb down the stairs to the viewing room

you'll notice the design has everyone facing away from the windows...genius!

 

I twist around in my seat as I haven't practiced taking pics over my shoulder yet (but I will)

and manage to squeeze my feet into the small gap below the window to see better (or at all)

The windows are very scratched and have algae growing on their frames which hangs down like one of those bead curtains that were popular in the '60s.   

Everything looks blue, unless like Jacques Cousteau you take lights down with you and I recommend that to the owners of this sub. I am sure some of these fish are garishly colorful, like Elton John in the 1970s but here they are just silhouettes and I won't ruin your day and mine by showing an excess of photos.

 

 

 

 

Let's face it-the best place to see fish is in a cast iron skillet with some butter and olive oil. Add some capers and a squeeze of lemon. Now I'm hungry!

 

Toward the end of this undersea ordeal a gentleman vomited by the foot of the stairs and as the crewman was in no hurry to clean it up, or at least open a window, our egress was slow and  unpleasant. The poor man. I didn't see any sick bags around when we entered. Now I am not hungry anymore.

 

The catamaran comes to pick us up and return us to the port...

[reallyhooked]

Awesome review. Thank you for this.pictues are wonderful. Will be looking for your reviews.

[Bimmer09]

Back in Nassau we switch over to a mini-bus for the city part of the tour. Our driver is a very passionate and well spoken gentleman who unfortunately begins every sentence with "welcome to Nassau ladies and gentlemen"....for the 40 minutes total that he's driving.

20 there and 20 back as there's traffic and streets are narrow and winding. It's not open air so I am reduced to shooting through a window which is tinted and when the sun hits it, which it surely will as it's sunny, it will throw out some odd colors. Acid flashbacks from the 60s may occur.

 

The grandstand is still up from their New Year celebrations 

 

the British influence

 

 

Oprah owns both these houses

 

the bus will park by this old fort for 20 minutes so we can shop for tourist trinkets and visit something worth looking at- the Queens Staircase

 

rather than walk down the stairs I decide to walk down the hill by the fort to the bottom of the stairs and walk up them

 

More....

[Bimmer09]

 

 

the waterfall part has a very calming sound

 

 

I climb to the top and look back

 

was this a lighthouse once? maybe a watertower with a spiral staircase within (hence the slit windows). There is a big water pipe at the bottom of it. Talk amongst yourselves.

 

back in the bus for the drive back to the dock

 

 

 

 

[Bimmer09]

7 hours ago, reallyhooked said:

Awesome review. Thank you for this.pictues are wonderful. Will be looking for your reviews.

 

Thank you for the kind comment and welcome!

I already have 13 reviews on CC over the past 7 years. Collect the set!

I'll include links to each of them at the end of this one.

Norris

[Bimmer09]

There are already 4 ships in port today so there is a swarm of people dockside when we get off the bus. We are going to go right back to the ship. Did I say 4?

Eek!!

 

Not a moment to lose! We thread our way through the crowds and there are plenty of kids not paying attention to where they are walking. Must_ reach_ the_ (gasp)_Journey! Through security and to the serenity of the Journey's dock. No crowds. No noise.

 

isn't she pretty?

 

Costa Deliziosa is backing in towards her berth

 

I came to the end of the dock to get a pic of the Journey's aft where we dwell.

We are 2nd passenger deck up, 3rd balcony from the left. The Owner's suite

which we had on the Ocean Princess has the first two balcony openings. I never saw them use their balcony during our cruise.

 

Registered in Valletta, Malta. One of our favorite ports ever. We are going back on board and won't get off again until Miami. Oh that sucks!