Anybody onboard currently?

[Mackdogmolly]

4 hours ago, norn iron said:

There is a healthy number of experienced Azamara crew on board to help guide the newer crew into the Azamara way. Familiar faces include Elro, Elij, Nelson, Kymberly and Derrick. It was most interesting watching Derrick with his cheeky laugh train one of the new bar staff.

What ship are you on? We had Kymberly on our last Quest cruise and miss her!!

[uktog]

Elsewhere it’s reported that shipwide on Onward they will only make cocktails on the published menus and won’t do “charged for cocktails with non charged for ingredients”. Anyone on Journey, Quest or Pursuit finding the same? 

[Mackdogmolly]

29 minutes ago, uktog said:

Elsewhere it’s reported that shipwide on Onward they will only make cocktails on the published menus and won’t do “charged for cocktails with non charged for ingredients”. Anyone on Journey, Quest or Pursuit finding the same? 

Haven’t heard that on Quest, but we upgraded to Ultimate. Certainly hope that’s not true!

[81Zoomie]

5 hours ago, uktog said:

Elsewhere it’s reported that shipwide on Onward they will only make cocktails on the published menus and won’t do “charged for cocktails with non charged for ingredients”. Anyone on Journey, Quest or Pursuit finding the same? 

Can anyone onboard provide the list of the included cocktails?  Are the included wines Azamara branded, or other brands? Thanks!

[Roel94]

11 hours ago, norn iron said:

One positive which I forgot, and definitely and good for us, is the in Suite drinks .

Gone are the four half bottles, and now you can choose any litre bottle from the complimentary spirits range.

 

This is a big plus for us as we don’t like Bombay Sapphire (too perfumed) and litre of Gordons plus locally sourced Schweppes is a big plus.

Not thrilled as I always got captain Morgan’s and a vodka. But always had butlers I knew.  New ship new help 

[Grandma Cruising]

13 hours ago, norn iron said:

One positive which I forgot, and definitely and good for us, is the in Suite drinks .

Gone are the four half bottles, and now you can choose any litre bottle from the complimentary spirits range.

 

This is a big plus for us as we don’t like Bombay Sapphire (too perfumed) and litre of Gordons plus locally sourced Schweppes is a big plus.

What happens if you like different spirits - I drink gin & DH drinks whisky, so this new arrangement doesn’t work so well for us.

[uktog]

2 hours ago, Grandma Cruising said:

What happens if you like different spirits - I drink gin & DH drinks whisky, so this new arrangement doesn’t work so well for us.

Same here, I suppose we can take turn about

[Roel94]

I want vodka and captain Morgan’s plus ice

[uktog]

27 minutes ago, Roel94 said:

I want vodka and captain Morgan’s plus ice

If it’s a policy change, (there are a few) you’re just going to have to choose on or the other  🧐

Edited June 27, 2022 by uktog

[lisiamc]

1 hour ago, Roel94 said:

I want vodka and captain Morgan’s plus ice

Get your vodka in Duty Free, because it’s the most likely to be a bargain, ask for the Captain Morgan’s from the butler?

[norn iron]

5 hours ago, Grandma Cruising said:

What happens if you like different spirits - I drink gin & DH drinks whisky, so this new arrangement doesn’t work so well for us.

I’ll ask Elro and report back.

[kent4489]

21 hours ago, Mackdogmolly said:

What ship are you on? We had Kymberly on our last Quest cruise and miss her!!

Kymberly is awesome. She is on the Onward right now. Until Sep. 29, but she told us she may extend a month.

[jollyjoyce]

Can anyone onboard Onward please tell me if the hairdryer is the same as on the other ships ie you have to hold down the switch when using ! I hope they bought some proper ones for the new ship & then I needn’t take my own in 2 weeks. Thank you in anticipation.

[kent4489]

2 hours ago, jollyjoyce said:

Can anyone onboard Onward please tell me if the hairdryer is the same as on the other ships ie you have to hold down the switch when using ! I hope they bought some proper ones for the new ship & then I needn’t take my own in 2 weeks. Thank you in anticipation.

I did not have to hold down a switch. Usually, I let my hair air dry, but was running late one night this week and used the dryer.

[81Zoomie]

4 hours ago, jollyjoyce said:

Can anyone onboard Onward please tell me if the hairdryer is the same as on the other ships ie you have to hold down the switch when using ! I hope they bought some proper ones for the new ship & then I needn’t take my own in 2 weeks. Thank you in anticipation.

I take a square of duct tape and 2 rubber bands to hold the button down.  Doesn’t increase the power, but does hold the button down.

[lisiamc]

4 hours ago, jollyjoyce said:

Can anyone onboard Onward please tell me if the hairdryer is the same as on the other ships ie you have to hold down the switch when using ! I hope they bought some proper ones for the new ship & then I needn’t take my own in 2 weeks. Thank you in anticipation.

I looked at the. ETLYGO-arrived dryer on the last day of our cruise, and I don’t think it had a button. I remember it having a switch, but someone else currently on board can confirm that. 

[lisiamc]

1 hour ago, lisiamc said:

I looked at the. ETLYGO-arrived dryer on the last day of our cruise, and I don’t think it had a button. I remember it having a switch, but someone else currently on board can confirm that. 

That was supposed to be “newly arrived” dryer. Something got lost between the brain and the fingers!

[Host Jazzbeau]

2 hours ago, lisiamc said:

I looked at the. ETLYGO-arrived dryer on the last day of our cruise, and I don’t think it had a button. I remember it having a switch, but someone else currently on board can confirm that. 

 

1 hour ago, lisiamc said:

That was supposed to be “newly arrived” dryer. Something got lost between the brain and the fingers!

Thought it was a new luxury brand! 🤣

[seaventuregal]

17 hours ago, norn iron said:

I’ll ask Elro and report back.

Which ship are you on?  We have had Elro 3 times on past cruises and he is the best.  We will be on Pursuit in October and Quest in late October.  Hope he is on one of those two!

[norn iron]

I did check with Elro, the one bottle rather than the four half bottles is a trial.

However it is one bottle of one type of spirit only.

[norn iron]

1 hour ago, seaventuregal said:

Which ship are you on?  We have had Elro 3 times on past cruises and he is the best.  We will be on Pursuit in October and Quest in late October.  Hope he is on one of those two!

Elro is on Onward

[Grandma Cruising]

1 hour ago, norn iron said:

I did check with Elro, the one bottle rather than the four half bottles is a trial.

However it is one bottle of one type of spirit only.

Thanks for asking. I’ve adjusted the ‘Tips’ spreadsheet accordingly.

Personally two half litres would be better!

[uktog]

2 hours ago, norn iron said:

I did check with Elro, the one bottle rather than the four half bottles is a trial.

However it is one bottle of one type of spirit only.

In the scheme of things that is one trial  can live with even though it might not be my first choice.  Not ideal for some but to be honest, what's the extra cost to me of a half litre of spirits when you are in a suite with some drink included anyway!?  I can see why logistically they would make the change, there was always so much swapping going on anyway.  We will go for DHs preference and either I pick up my own bottle ashore or I walk to the bar!!

[federalexpress]

Having read through the last 10 pages, it seems many posters on here are spirits and cocktails people but could somebody currently or recently on board help me on the wine situation?

 

First off, I cannot find anywhere a current wine list for the ship, in case I go for one of the 'by the bottle' packages. The only one on the website appears to be over 7 years old. If anyone could post a pdf on here or tell me how I might otherwise get hold of one, that would be great.

 

I read the comments and pics about the wine that is included with the fare. They certainly look pretty cheap and low end, but some of you at least seem to think they are OK. But can anyone advise, what do you get with the better packages, premier and ultimate. Are the choices available listed somewhere?

 

At the moment, I'm minded to bring a fair bit of wine onboard myself and either have pre dinner drinks on my balcony or pay the corkage (is the latter still $10?). At least I'll know what I'm drinking will be good...

[lisiamc]

2 minutes ago, federalexpress said:

Having read through the last 10 pages, it seems many posters on here are spirits and cocktails people but could somebody currently or recently on board help me on the wine situation?

 

First off, I cannot find anywhere a current wine list for the ship, in case I go for one of the 'by the bottle' packages. The only one on the website appears to be over 7 years old. If anyone could post a pdf on here or tell me how I might otherwise get hold of one, that would be great.

 

I read the comments and pics about the wine that is included with the fare. They certainly look pretty cheap and low end, but some of you at least seem to think they are OK. But can anyone advise, what do you get with the better packages, premier and ultimate. Are the choices available listed somewhere?

 

At the moment, I'm minded to bring a fair bit of wine onboard myself and either have pre dinner drinks on my balcony or pay the corkage (is the latter still $10?). At least I'll know what I'm drinking will be good...

The wine situation is in a state of flux at the moment. There are still some wines on some ships from before the change of ownership. Supply chain issues have meant that supply of many items is variable. On our Onward cruise, some Italian wines were added to the mix.
 

I have seen photos of the new Azamara branded wines, but not tried them yet. They make some sense, as the parent company also owns a winery. If they are rolled out across the fleet, it will probably take a little while. We wanted to buy a nice red for our anniversary when we were on Onward, and the sommelier had a Castello Banfi Brunello di Montalcino for us, a wine that we are familiar with and enjoy. She couldn’t refer to any wine list as Onward had been supplied with some Journey leftovers and some local acquisitions. We paid for the Ultimate package to get better wines with dinner, and we found several we liked.  That’s been true in the past as well.
 

Logistical problems, Covid restrictions, and less than optimal weather in some countries have added additional challenges in getting access to some wines. 
 

That’s the long answer. I suspect the short answer is it’s going to take a couple of seasons to sort out the new offerings, so try to be flexible!