What to change in the "new" Azamara?

[excitedofharpenden]

26 minutes ago, kirtihk said:

While showering, I love to be wrapped around by dirty slimy soapy plastic substance.  Simply, divine!

You are supposed to draw it to, not dance with it!😄. I'm with marinaro. It's never been an issue, but with the bathrooms now a wet room and if it's a big deal you can actually leave the shower curtain open. I've done that before as a test and it works fine with the ample towels you have in there. 

 

Phil 

[kirtihk]

20 minutes ago, excitedofharpenden said:

You are supposed to draw it to, not dance with it!😄. I'm with marinaro. It's never been an issue, but with the bathrooms now a wet room and if it's a big deal you can actually leave the shower curtain open. I've done that before as a test and it works fine with the ample towels you have in there. 

 

Phil 

I guess, I have an unique power attracting the curtains when shower water is running. Didn’t anyone else experience it? I read so much complains about it prior to my first Azamara cruise and did not believe it (thinking a luxury cruise line would ever make such shower); next I had a cruise with Azamara and voila! Luckily, I never use the shower in my cabin on any cruise line (I always go to sauna and use the shower  there). I just purposely tried it on Azamara to see what it is about. Never again (hopefully, they will not lock me in my cabin next time I cruise with them which is in June 2022).

 

Yes, it is divine (to the other post). Why?

Edited February 25, 2021 by kirtihk

[Skicruiser55]

15 minutes ago, kirtihk said:

I guess, I have an unique power attracting the curtains when shower water is running. Didn’t anyone else experience it? I read so much complains about it prior to my first Azamara cruise and did not believe it (thinking a luxury cruise line would ever make such shower); next I had a cruise with Azamara and voila! Luckily, I never use the shower in my cabin on any cruise line (I always go to sauna and use the shower  there). I just purposely tried it on Azamara to see what it is about. Never again (hopefully, they will not lock me in my cabin next time I cruise with them which is in June 2022).

 

Yes, it is divine (to the other post). Why?

I also was accosted by the shower curtain and I found if I had the door closed it was less likely to move around me as much.  Looking forward to our Apr 22 cruise and having a Spa Suite that has a shower with a VIEW!!!  

Edited February 25, 2021 by Skicruiser55

[Bloodaxe]

The shower is probably the most discussed subject on the Azamara  board.

It is what it is and will probably remain so, not a problem for most people.

 

[kirtihk]

4 minutes ago, Skicruiser55 said:

I also was accosted by the shower curtain and I found if I had the door closed it was less likely to move around me as much.  Looking for to our Apr 22 cruise and having a Spa Suite that has a shower with a VIEW!!!  

I just cancelled (moved to June 2022) my  July 2021 cruise to Svalbard, because it’s near impossible it will occur (or if it happens, I have no intention to have a piece of close (or two as “recommended”) on my face while trying to breath the freshest healthiest air on the planet, and don’t want to look as a bandit in the bar or lounge either).

[kirtihk]

5 minutes ago, Bloodaxe said:

The shower is probably the most discussed subject on the Azamara  board.

It is what it is and will probably remain so, not a problem for most people.

 

Not a problem at all, just wierd.

[hamrag]

12 hours ago, kirtihk said:

I guess, I have an unique power attracting the curtains when shower water is running. Didn’t anyone else experience it? I read so much complains about it prior to my first Azamara cruise and did not believe it (thinking a luxury cruise line would ever make such shower); next I had a cruise with Azamara and voila!

 

I don't believe a luxury cruise line would have a shower curtain either. Both Azamara and Oceania, premium cruise lines, do in most cabins on the R class. We didn't once consider it an issue across 14 days on our Azamara cruise!

[readingfast]

I cannot understand why there is no brandy offered as standard.  It does not have to be "posh" brandy, some French and lots of Spanish & Greek brandies are very good so I would wish this to happen in the future.

After all, those who like a whisky after dinner are well catered for so why not those of us who like brandy?

 

[Tom47]

19 minutes ago, readingfast said:

I cannot understand why there is no brandy offered as standard.  It does not have to be "posh" brandy, some French and lots of Spanish & Greek brandies are very good so I would wish this to happen in the future.

After all, those who like a whisky after dinner are well catered for so why not those of us who like brandy?

 

DW ordered a Bailey's once.  It was $5.95

[uktog]

In respect of Brandy Napoleon is available for $5.95 and a Courvoisier cognac is also offered at that price.  I agree it should be within the included drinks - I am not so sure about Baileys as that then starts to add all the other liqueurs in.  It must be some time ago you ordered the Baileys Tom47 as they have been $7.95 for some time.  Here is the link to the last price points that applied pre lockdown

 

 

Edited February 27, 2021 by uktog

[excitedofharpenden]

2 hours ago, readingfast said:

I cannot understand why there is no brandy offered as standard.  It does not have to be "posh" brandy, some French and lots of Spanish & Greek brandies are very good so I would wish this to happen in the future.

After all, those who like a whisky after dinner are well catered for so why not those of us who like brandy?

 

I know this has been discussed before going quite a way back, but I can't get the Cruise Critic search function to work properly and find it. I cannot think of the reason given by the then Azamara Chief Blogging Officer Bill Leiber, but it was along the lines of it had been looked at and would be looked at again. I think I'm right in saying a whisky has since been added, but still no brandy/cognac. 

 

Phil 

[uktog]

21 minutes ago, excitedofharpenden said:

I know this has been discussed before going quite a way back, but I can't get the Cruise Critic search function to work properly and find it. I cannot think of the reason given by the then Azamara Chief Blogging Officer Bill Leiber, but it was along the lines of it had been looked at and would be looked at again. I think I'm right in saying a whisky has since been added, but still no brandy/cognac. 

 

Phil 

The whisky had Famous Grouse added - I believe Richard Twynam had a hand in that as he recognised Cutty Sark did not project the image he wanted for potential UK guests so he managed to persuade them to go up a notch.  They had two "levels" of included Gin - Gordons and Beefeater so it made sense to do likewise with the whisky.  Although I do not drink brandy or cognac, I can understand why it matters for others and I hope they see a change.

[docruth]

On 2/25/2021 at 5:05 PM, kirtihk said:

I just cancelled (moved to June 2022) my  July 2021 cruise to Svalbard, because it’s near impossible it will occur (or if it happens, I have no intention to have a piece of close (or two as “recommended”) on my face while trying to breath the freshest healthiest air on the planet, and don’t want to look as a bandit in the bar or lounge either).

 

A little OT ... not too bad ... regarding AZ cruising this summer.

 

I’m just concerned that, between the sale of the line, and whatever newly required health regimens will be required, that sailing AZ just won’t be the same experience anymore. I really don’t want to try an experiment to prove that hypothesis on a bucket list cruise. The North Cape has been on my bucket list for a long time, and I wouldn’t want to spoil it with a sub-standard experience.

 

July 28th is still a long ways away. We’ll find out if the new owners even want to make the upcoming North Cape cruise happen if there’s no significant change in the pandemic numbers by sail date - 90 days. Can’t imagine how many cruises will have to go off, and be reported back, before we can even assess “What is the new AZ”.

 

I also wonder if RCL’s “Cruise With Confidence” will apply anymore, since it seems like AZ won’t be under the RCL rubric by late summer?

Edited February 27, 2021 by docruth

[wjfan417]

On 2/25/2021 at 4:55 PM, Skicruiser55 said:

I also was accosted by the shower curtain and I found if I had the door closed it was less likely to move around me as much.  Looking forward to our Apr 22 cruise and having a Spa Suite that has a shower with a VIEW!!!  

We have no issues with the showers. Our first cruises were on Windjammer Barefoot Cruises-there was no separate shower stall-the shower head was over the toilet!

[harbourside]

Cover all basic standard spirits in the included list .  At the moment Dark Rum and Brandy is not included, 

and stop charging for movies .  Not acceptable at this level.

[jelayne]

1 hour ago, harbourside said:

Cover all basic standard spirits in the included list .  At the moment Dark Rum and Brandy is not included, 

and stop charging for movies .  Not acceptable at this level.

IMO a luxury cruise line should offer better than standard spirits.  Most of the brands in the upgraded Premium package ($15.95 pp pd)  are equivalent to those in the included Classic package on Celebrity.

[hamrag]

7 hours ago, jelayne said:

IMO a luxury cruise line should offer better than standard spirits.  Most of the brands in the upgraded Premium package ($15.95 pp pd)  are equivalent to those in the included Classic package on Celebrity.

 

Luxury lines do that, Azamara is premium. You cannot compare the standard included spirits with Celebrity as they are additional to fare, unless included as a 'free' offer.

 

We thought the drink offerings were very acceptable, and $16 pppd is a very low price to upgrade compared to any other cruiseline.

Edited March 6, 2021 by hamrag

[ChucktownSteve]

4 hours ago, hamrag said:

 

Luxury lines do that, Azamara is premium. You cannot compare the standard included spirits with Celebrity as they are additional to fare, unless included as a 'free' offer.

 

We thought the drink offerings were very acceptable, and $16 pppd is a very low price to upgrade compared to any other cruiseline.

 

Actually XX now includes the classic liquor package in the fare.  The caveat is they jacked up the cruise price to include/cover it plus they force the WiFi buy too.  They claim it's "Always Included."  Which really means, "it's always hidden charges."

 

As a side note to Jelayne, I have to upgrade the package on AZ for JW Black but it also is not included in XX's Classic package either.

Edited March 6, 2021 by ChucktownSteve

[Bloodaxe]

The in room entertainment in Azamara has always been very poor, not even a decent music channel.

It won't really bothered us on ocean crossings, on port intensive cruises it did not matter but I would hate to be confined to a cabin for any length of time.

[upwarduk]

On 2/28/2021 at 3:11 PM, wjfan417 said:

We have no issues with the showers. Our first cruises were on Windjammer Barefoot Cruises-there was no separate shower stall-the shower head was over the toilet!

Us too, on our first 3 night cruise on Louis Line out of Cyprus, to Israel and Egypt in 1995. And that was an upgraded cabin, with shower.😱

The tables in the bar area had a metal rim around them, to stop your drink falling on the deck, as the ship pitched and rolled.

Despite this, we became hooked on cruising and 2020 was the first year we didn’t cruise.

Edited March 6, 2021 by upwarduk

[Bloodaxe]

28 minutes ago, upwarduk said:

Us too, on our first 3 night cruise on Louis Line out of Cyprus, to Israel and Egypt in 1995. And that was an upgraded cabin, with shower.😱

The tables in the bar area had a metal rim around them, to stop your drink falling on the deck, as the ship pitched and rolled.

Despite this, we became hooked on cruising and 2020 was the first year we didn’t cruise.

Aww

 

31 minutes ago, Bloodaxe said:

 

 

Sorry wrong post.

Edited March 6, 2021 by Bloodaxe

[Bloodaxe]

33 minutes ago, Bloodaxe said:

The in room entertainment in Azamara has always been very poor, not even a decent music channel.

It won't really bothered us on ocean crossings, on port intensive cruises it did not matter but I would hate to be confined to a cabin for any length of time.

This should read only bothered us on Ocean crossings.

[welwyngirl]

I can't remember if they do recent (ish) movies.  HAL do and we really enjoyed them.  Was tempted to 'stay in' sometimes and order room service and drinks to watch.

 

[jelayne]

5 hours ago, hamrag said:

 

Luxury lines do that, Azamara is premium. You cannot compare the standard included spirits with Celebrity as they are additional to fare, unless included as a 'free' offer.

 

We thought the drink offerings were very acceptable, and $16 pppd is a very low price to upgrade compared to any other cruiseline.

I agree that Azamara is a premium line not a  luxury line, they however use the term luxury in their descriptions.

[ChucktownSteve]

33 minutes ago, jelayne said:

I agree that Azamara is a premium line not a  luxury line, they however use the term luxury in their descriptions.

 

XX uses the term luxury as well in their description.  Guess it has no true meaning to RCG. But they don't walk the walk...just talk the talk.