X cruiser sails Azamara to Cuba Jan 15 to 24 2019

[beckntom]

You know you're not in Cuba anymore.  And disappointingly so.

 

I've been following along from the beginning, ever since you posted on the Princess board.  So glad you piqued my interest from that initial point.  Now I know I would love to visit Cuba AND do so on Azamara.  BTW, simultaneously with reading this review, we were dogsitting for friends who were on an eight-day land visit to Havana.  They absolutely loved their trip.  Everything about it.  They returned Monday, and we are now the proud owners of a bottle of Havana Club Anejo Especial, which came wrapped in Havana newspaper.  I impressed them with my outcry of "Cuba Libre" when that bottle came out!  :-)

 

Thanks again for bringing us along.  I'm so sorry your Cuba adventure story is almost over. 

[Bimmer09]

Back on board we frittered away some time doing lord knows what-I'm sure for me it was drinking beer at the smoking section but by 2.28 we had reconnected and in need of lunch.

The Patio was our obvious choice but they close at 2.30 which is exactly the time we arrived.

I said let's sit down anyway and if they serve us that's great and if not we'll just live with it.

The Windows buffet would save us. Or Mosaic cafe.

 

We sat down expecting -"sorry we are closed for lunch"

Instead here's Joseph our waiter from our first night in Discoveries over a week ago now.

Big welcome and what can I get for you?

Saved!

German beer for me -Warsteiner (UBP) and a grouper panini with coleslaw and fries.

For madame? Club soda and a chicken brochette with coleslaw.

I see some black bean salsa on my grouper.

During the week  we had made two huge Patio mistakes (1) not eating there often enough and (2) not ordering more stuff at a sitting. Best deck food ever, best menu and table service.

We had 3 meals a day-but we were on a cruise ship!! Snacks and treats abounded. We missed the chocolate buffet after leaving Santiago-I mean, who does that??!!

 

Carol set up camp on Promenade deck while I went to deck 9 where a man gave up his seat at "my table" as I approached. I laughed. No-that's your spot! said he. I was a fixture. I don't sit there anymore. I worked on photos and kept looking at the Azamara 2020 brochure.

Something in it caught my eye and I made a note to discuss it with Carol.

 

The afternoon drifted lazily by and I know Carol napped on her private Promenade deck and I in our aft cabin. We would sail at 5 p.m and would be up and about in plenty of time. I spoke to her on the Prom deck and flipped the brochure open to share my idea with her. Thumbs up.

I went to the Cruise Again desk (aka Loyalty and Sales)

Closed. There was a clipboard to request a consultation and I put us down for 6.30 when they would be open again.

I love their enticing video screen

Italy at a guess....

 

I bounded up the stairs to enjoy sail away

[Bimmer09]

3 hours ago, beckntom said:

You know you're not in Cuba anymore.  And disappointingly so.

 

I've been following along from the beginning, ever since you posted on the Princess board.  So glad you piqued my interest from that initial point.  Now I know I would love to visit Cuba AND do so on Azamara.  BTW, simultaneously with reading this review, we were dogsitting for friends who were on an eight-day land visit to Havana.  They absolutely loved their trip.  Everything about it.  They returned Monday, and we are now the proud owners of a bottle of Havana Club Anejo Especial, which came wrapped in Havana newspaper.  I impressed them with my outcry of "Cuba Libre" when that bottle came out!  🙂

 

Thanks again for bringing us along.  I'm so sorry your Cuba adventure story is almost over. 

Hi and thanks for letting me know you have been reading along these past 5 weeks.

Yes Nassau and the financial riches there are in stark contrast to Cuba.

Cuba is almost frozen in time but is thawing. The people help make it worth at least one visit.

It's different and has a rollercoaster history and that music. My favorite island in the Caribbean and I need to spend more time there. I would sail there with Azamara before any other line as they have really committed to it. Neither Princess or X go there.

 

You friends return has solidified what you have been reading for these past 5 weeks and I am glad you are keen to see it for yourself and to trust Azamara to take good care of you.

We saved 25% of our originally booked fare which was $9,600 (for an aft balcony the most expensive kind) by being on their mailing list and taking advantage of a 2nd passenger half off deal. We canceled and rebooked in a matter of minutes.

 

Hopefully as tourism builds they will get the basics in order-public toilets with water, soap and toilet paper for all.

 

Enjoy your rum!

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Just before five p.m on January 23, the mooring team began letting go the lines to the Nassau dock.

Adios Señor Frog's !

 

the Hilton which has Frog's on one side and big construction on the other side. I imagine a relaxing day on the beach there is currently out of the question.

A friend back home on his Barcalounger in Marco Island said he would watch the Hilton Webcam to see us leave so we were waving at the Hilton. When we spoke to him upon returning home they apparently didn't have the webcam trained on the ships. Say what?!

 

Our dock is deserted - no one is on their knees praying for the ship to wait (a good thing)

 

the sun is low in the sky

 

the thrusters push us away from the dock

 

we do a 180 pivot in the wide basin behind .....

[Bimmer09]

 

 

 

 

Yikes! There's a Carnival ship that wasn't there when we returned from the sub! And Mariner had left and made way for Deliziosa. A busy day for the harbormaster!

 

 

I shout to the Captain on the bridge- rocks Cap'n!! He calls back "whatever, dude"

 

bye-bye Nassau!

Edited March 2, 2019 by Bimmer09
move photo

[Bimmer09]

Nassau is but a memory as we head to sea

 

We have to look forward. To a sunset for one thing

 

not enough clouds

 

It's time for our appointment at the Cruise Again desk. The lady who helped us was called Lisle and probably still is. Which itinerary were we interested in?

I got the brochure and opened it at the appropriate page.

This one.

 

Why this one you are asking? Well it will have been 6 years since we were last in Venice and 6 since we were in Sorrento and on the gorgeous Amalfi Coast, Positano in particular and 5 long years since we were in Rome. We've been to Croatia 6 years ago but not Split and have never been to Montenegro and the dramatic setting of Kotor and there is something special happening in Koper- all 3 Azamara ships are meeting there on Oct 8 2020 for an Azamazing Evening to celebrate the 10 year anniversary. I am sure Larry Pimentel will be among the guests. Larry is the head honcho, the boss, the man, the Big Kahuna. When we get to Venice we will have an overnight which saves us a hotel room charge. We join Azamara Pursuit in Civitavecchia on October 3 2020.

 

And which stateroom were you thinking of? 7116, the one we are in now. If it ain't broke....

 

We could have got $300 OBC had we booked prior to the midpoint of our cruise so we were expecting $200 but Lisle gave us $300 as she saw we had sailed with Celebrity. Winning!

The itinerary and the timing was a win for us. Only Pursuit was doing a 7 day cruise and we always want a couple of days in Rome before and one in Venice after. Our cabin will be known as Verandah Plus and include 120 minutes free internet and one bag of free laundry.

 

It's 580 days away but in between we sail to Norway September 1 on Silhouette (182 days but who's counting?) then January 18 next year Sky Princess to Western Caribbean (321 days).

We are Elite on Princess and get a whole raft of perks including our own raft. She launches October this year. So much to look forward to...

During our booking I had to run up to the cabin to get a different credit card that gets airline miles and I said "I'll be back in 4 minutes" and sure enough that's exactly how long it took-that's a great thing about a small ship. No long walks or elevator waits.

 

So with that pleasant encounter and a future booking in the bag we could now go to our Last Supper in Discoveries.

After dinner we would have to pack and get our luggage into the hallway for pickup by 11 p.m latest.

See you at dinner?

Norris

[Bimmer09]

13 minutes ago, singinalot said:

Oh wow! What a trip those will all be. So many places to see in the world and moments to soak in

Crystal, yes it's a good variety of experiences from Norway to  Roatan to Slovenia and all on ships that will fit us well.

I will be sure on the Pursuit to enjoy everything the ship has to offer instead of skimming the surface as this time-the shows, Mosaic Cafe, Living Room, Buffet and above all, the Patio. I always get up before 5 in the Med/Adriatic and will pack more in.

Cheers!

Norris

[Deck Chair Queen]

On 2/26/2019 at 11:06 AM, singinalot said:

Carol, would you say the gardens were your favorite part that day?

Hi Crystal. Sorry to be so late in responding. I’ve had a very busy week and can’t keep up with Norris’s prolific output. Yes the garden was spectacular especially the 900 bird of paradise plants. But it was being taken through it by the gardener himself that I will never forget. I’ve been to many botanical gardens bigger and better organized and labeled but never had the experience of walking through them with the guy who plants, tends, and nurtures them. We transcended language and cultural barriers and bonded. He was so shy at first and spoke only to our guide. By the end we were chatting like old friends in broken English and much worse Spanish. He had relatives in Chicago! There were only a few birds of paradise in bloom yet he cut off a bloom (with a rare blue center) to give me. He wove a little bookmark from a tough sturdy brown leaf for me. Other flowers and leaves soon joined them in my bag. The bookmark was the only thing I was able to keep as you cannot bring plant material on board. Francisco helped me up and down the steep rock steps of his hillside sanctuary (no handrails). We met another garden worker aptly named Orchid, who was the local representative in the National Assembly. Big warm smile and great people and language skills. There was, of course, a friendly dog and some chickens. It was a very special experience, a genuine one not put on for tourists. 

 

Carol

[lola2013]

Your Med cruise with stops in Sorrento and Kotor sounds amazing!  My first Celebrity cruise on Equinox took me to both places.  

Thanks to you and Carol for taking me along on your Azamara journey; looking forward to the next adventure.

Susan

[Bimmer09]

19 minutes ago, lola2013 said:

Your Med cruise with stops in Sorrento and Kotor sounds amazing!  My first Celebrity cruise on Equinox took me to both places.  

Thanks to you and Carol for taking me along on your Azamara journey; looking forward to the next adventure.

Susan

Susan again my thanks for joining us here and I hope you'll stay until the end.

We've begun looking at excursions for Norway and of course have the London hotel booking and  flights squared away already.

We haven't actually spent any time in Sorrento as we did a tour to Pompeii then to Positano for lunch. Much to see there? And Kotor? 

Cheers!

Norris

[Larabelle]

Hi Norris!  I love your writing style and sense of humor!  We are going on our first Azamara cruise in July and really looking forward to it especially after enjoying your trip report.  It is one of the first things I look for each morning with my coffee in hand!  I even check for updates before I go to bed at night.  CA time helps!  Our July cruise offers some of the same ports as the October 2020 cruise you just booked.  The AzAmazing evening in Koper, Slovenia sounds special and the sail in to Kotor, Montenegro promises to be beautiful.  We can only hope to take pictures like you!  Thank you for taking the time to write this.  I am really enjoying it and will be sure to read your other reviews!  Lara

[lola2013]

Sorrento is really all about atmosphere for me.  I love to just wander up and down the side streets.  My last visit there was part of a tour from Naples and included Pompeii and Capri (sigh).  I’ll be spending an entire day there in May (RCCL cruise), coming down from Rome via train and hydrofoil.  I believe it will be my fifth time in this beautiful city and I love it every time,

Kotor was a Celebrity ship’s excursion up a mountain that included twenty-some hairpin turns and was amazing.  I remember several stops as we climbed to the top...just gorgeous looking down at the ship!

Enjoy!

Susan

[villauk]

You willl absolutely love Kotor. Get the camera ready for the photos as you arrive along the fjord. Walk up to the top of the fort and you will further your photo collection. It’s not for the faint hearted, however, well worth the exertion. We completed it in the early morning as the sun can be fierce during the summer months. At the bottom, you will be well rewarded with a local brew and a fabulous medieval city 👍. 

 

Sorrento is also a wonderful place, but not as cute as Positano. 

[Cyber Kat]

I have been wanting to do a Med cruise for the longest time, but we keep getting tempted by other intriguing itineraries. We will be finishing up our Bergen to Barcelona cruise on the Viking Sky on September 29, 2020. If we win the lottery or some unknown relative leaves us a bundle of $$$, we could join you, but I think I will have to live vicariously by reading your Gentleman’s Seafaring Journal. 

 

We haven’t booked anything beyond the Bergen to Barcelona, so who knows. My husband keeps saying that it’s so far out. I told him that it’s only next year 😁

 

 Looking forward to to reading about your Norway cruise as well. We are starting in Bergen but going south. We do have 2 days in Oslo and the train ride from there to Bergen so I’m excited for that!  I’ve heard the train route is spectacular. 

 

I take lots of photos as well, but I can never seem to finish a trip report. I start them, but then get distracted by planning our next trip.  But the link to my photos is in my sig If you are interested. 

[Bimmer09]

 

 

Yevgen was our waiter again  on our last night on board.

 

My starter was a rich beef ravioli which sang a heavenly chorus with my glass of Malbec

 

Carol had a salad of Mesclun greens and hearts of palm

 

one last shrimp cocktail for the road

 

Carol's sweet potato soup

 

my 5 oz filet with parmesan scalloped potatoes and green beans with a Cabernet sauce

 

for Carol, chicken and shrimp Pad Thai

 

my rum raisin gelato

 

and Carol's marble creme brûlée 

 

Another fine meal! We thanked Yevgen and said our goodbyes. Now we had to pack. I gave  Carol 15 minutes in the room alone while I visited deck 9 and then came down to pack too. Even with two of us in the room and a lot of packing to do we had it all done by the 11p.m

deadline. We would be up early in the morning, wondering what shall we do with the drunken sailor? and in my case watching the ship come into Miami.

 

Meantime we shall sleep the sleep of a thousand martyrs....zzzzz

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Here is the Insider for our sea day between Santiago and Nassau

[Bimmer09]

11 hours ago, Larabelle said:

Hi Norris!  I love your writing style and sense of humor!  We are going on our first Azamara cruise in July and really looking forward to it especially after enjoying your trip report.  It is one of the first things I look for each morning with my coffee in hand!  I even check for updates before I go to bed at night.  CA time helps!  Our July cruise offers some of the same ports as the October 2020 cruise you just booked.  The AzAmazing evening in Koper, Slovenia sounds special and the sail in to Kotor, Montenegro promises to be beautiful.  We can only hope to take pictures like you!  Thank you for taking the time to write this.  I am really enjoying it and will be sure to read your other reviews!  Lara

Larabelle thank you for reading along and for the compliments!

Yes the 10 year Azamara Anniversary was a bonus in taking our cruise in 2020 and the chance to see all three ships in one port exciting, photography-wise.

I'll put the URLs to my other reviews at the end. I still have a day in Miami and lots of Journey pics to show. We watched her sail out from close up and got some nice portraits.

Hope to see you in my Norway review on September 10 on this board. The Az review will appear here too.

The Princess review in January  (26th when I get home) will be on the Princess board.

Cheers!

Norris

[Bimmer09]

The Insider from Nassau 


 

[Bimmer09]

Seas were rough during the night as we made our way to Miami. When I got up around 5 and looked out  our balcony we had a friend attached to us

 

I made my way up on deck pronto to get my coffee and some more shots

We were tying up when I arrived

 

Viking was already here and Carnival pulling in

 

Viking Star

 

 

Back where we began on the 15th of January. Today is the 24th. Terminal J

 

 

 

 

Norris

Edited March 3, 2019 by Bimmer09
spelling

[QueenP]

I am also sailing Azamara Pursuit on 3rd April 2020, so hope to meet you and Carol onboard Norris! Still waiting for your promised shots of my favourite room.....the Drawing Room. Hopefully I haven't missed them? I have devoured every post! 

Penny

[deladane]

I finally just got all caught up!  Thanks again for posting another wonderful review.  Stellar photos, as always!!  That Mediterranean itinerary looks amazing... I look forward to reading your review for that one (and of course, for your Norway and Caribbean cruises before it haha)  

[Bimmer09]

9 hours ago, QueenP said:

I am also sailing Azamara Pursuit on 3rd April 2020, so hope to meet you and Carol onboard Norris! Still waiting for your promised shots of my favourite room.....the Drawing Room. Hopefully I haven't missed them? I have devoured every post! 

Penny

Hi Penny, we are sailing October 3 2020, not April.

I always save the best to last. I would never start a meal with a Sambuca and espresso.

So the Drawing Room comes tomorrow morning.

Cheers!

Norris

[Bimmer09]

6 hours ago, deladane said:

I finally just got all caught up!  Thanks again for posting another wonderful review.  Stellar photos, as always!!  That Mediterranean itinerary looks amazing... I look forward to reading your review for that one (and of course, for your Norway and Caribbean cruises before it haha)  

 

Hi, Dana! Thanks for following and for popping back in to let me know.

I still have one day left to show you so stop back in a day or two.

Some nice ship shots and a good restaurant meal in Miami.

Yes I have 3 cruises lined up and that's a good feeling.

Cheers!

Norris

[deladane]

3 minutes ago, Bimmer09 said:

 

Hi, Dana! Thanks for following and for popping back in to let me know.

I still have one day left to show you so stop back in a day or two.

Some nice ship shots and a good restaurant meal in Miami.

Yes I have 3 cruises lined up and that's a good feeling.

Cheers!

Norris

 

Hopefully you get those last few posts done before Friday, as that's when I leave for New Orleans for our cruise!!!

[upwarduk]

Quote

 

We've been to Croatia 6 years ago but not Split and have never been to Montenegro

 

Will be interested in Split arrangements, docking or tendering? When we were there on Eclipse in 2010 we tendered and were given tender ticket #35. It took us 3 hours to get off.

Obviously Persuit is a smaller ship, but there was only a ‘jetty’ in Split, so unless it has been extended I imagine you will be tendering. However, you will have the advantage of being on a smaller ship.

I have since learnt that it is advisable to take a ship's excursion in tender ports, as they are taken off the ship first.

Edited March 4, 2019 by upwarduk