Live from Greece and Croatia

[nordski]

1 hour ago, uktog said:

Katakolon

 

Today we shared this port with Celebrity apex. - it was really great that we docked a good 2 1/2 hours before apex. 
I had done the research and knew we wanted to go to Olympia to the ancient ruins and to see the home of the original Olympic Games. The cruise line was offering two excursions and again with credit to use we thought this was the safest way to do it although we did hear some people did the journey which is about 45 minutes each way in local taxis without issue

The two excursions had a price difference of $70 each person. One was Olympia on your own which effectively drove you up there and you made your own arrangements for entering the site whereas the other one included your admission and a guide. Having researched online that admission tickets were easily viable in advance for €12 each and recognising that sometimes going with guides can be too strenuous for me with the pace too fast we opted to go for the on your own option. Not only was that much better value it really worked out so well for us

In case there was a switch ports I did not buy the online tickets until the day beforehand and guest relations very kindly printed them out for me. Azamara really came up trumps for guests on bus tours due to our early arrival we got Olympia with virtually no tourists

however when we were leaving around 12, we were having to part the red Sea on the walkway back to the buses as 12 Celebrity buses each with over 40 guests in them arrived. 
 

The interpretive plaques beside all the monuments gave me enough information to know what each monument was about and the key features - everything was clear in English and for my level of interest in Greek things this was very sufficient. 

The entry to the site also gives you entry to the archaeological museum which contains many artefacts that have been dug up during excavation. It surprises you find you think how many hundreds of years BC these items were made for you see how complete they are today.

 

There is also a small coffee shop here if you need topping up so most people opted to use the two little cafés on the way back to the bus if they were wanting anything more than the water they had brought from the ship
 

Unless you really need extensive guiding I would say to Olympia on your own and you will not be disappointed you can even run the track at your own pace! 

 

For the sake of authenticity, as a former track coach I can give free instruction as to how to present the proper form in the starting blocks in the stadium.

But I am not such a stickler that I would insist that the demonstration be performed in the nude and with no women present since that would violate the religious rules guiding the competition. 😄

Edited October 5, 2022 by nordski

[federalexpress]

What a lovely, informative and well photographed review. Glad I found it. Might check out the itinerary, have always fancied Greece and its islands.

[Grandma Cruising]

Thanks, great review and lots of great information about the ship as well as the ports.

[LuAnn]

Thank you so much for the pictures and the commentary!! Are you on the same ship as Phil? It sounds like a fabulous grouping of ports!! 

[uktog]

7 hours ago, LuAnn said:

Thank you so much for the pictures and the commentary!! Are you on the same ship as Phil? It sounds like a fabulous grouping of ports!! 

I was LuAnn. He’s off to Quest now. 
 

Yesterday was a glorious sea day so not a lot to report - most people found loungers without too much problem and with only one group of significant chair hoggers but with 508 guests on board you can still work around that sort of situation

What an end to the cruise last night Darren the CD continues to impress beyond measure. He held a short 45 minute session in the den singing all sorts of old favourites finishing up with the inevitable Sweet Caroline. It was a lovely happy end to the cruise you did not have the flat feeling you often have the last night and there was so much fun with both staff and officers at this. 
 

 

 

People have been disembarking from early this morning we are about to go into our back-to-back procedures and look forward to another 12 nights of adventures. This is next cruise we are using quite a few more ships excursions given the impossible amount of credit we have to spend

[Prosecco girl]

Fabulous photos! Happy anniversary to you both 🥂🎊

[uktog]

It’s been turnaround day so not a lot to report. 
Got to say Quest does a much nicer back to back lunch but that’s nothing in the scheme of things!  
What a welcome aboard show an old favourite of Azamara David Righeshi together with Maria Silveni came onboard for a night at the opera. They had three standing ovations. 
We first saw David as one of the tenors at a Livorno Azamazing Evening the first year they did them. Now he comes and usually does deck based shows. Will never forget one in Monaco when posh yachts moved nearer to hear our show. 
 

Well David did not disappoint tonight what a fabulous start to cruise 2 

 

[Mrs Miggins]

We just saw David and Maria onboard Viking Sky.  They were fabulous. 

[Mackdogmolly]

I love David. He sang aboard our first Azamara Med cruise. Fantastic voice.

[uktog]

Well after a day of rest we hit another ship’s excursion. Maybe a benefit of not going to Venice which we’ve done before many times but the opportunity to go to Bologna. 

Previously we were going to do Bologna on our own but then we ended up with some late price drop OBC which is going to be a challenge to spend - follow us as we try to 😂- so we changed to Bologna Bueno Appetito which gave us an excellent guided walk around plus more food than we could eat!  
 

Bologna is a city full of history being an old University town and lots of links to 12th 13th and 14th century events in history many interesting buildings our guide was a wealth of knowledge. 

 

Part way through we headed to the market area where the smells of Parma ham and cheese permeated. And to see the pasta…..

 

 

Anyway this was our little tasting….,,

After walking past more history including these leaning towers

 

it was lunch. But before we eat the most interesting pasta demonstration by a sfogline a young girl skilled in the art of pasta making by hand. 

A three course lunch followed

 

So if you are self sufficient do Bologna on your own there are hundreds of reasonably priced local spots to eat I’m the market. 
If you have credit to use the Bueno appetito trip is really good but there is a LOT of food.

 

Tonight our dinner consisted of two starters that was it! 

[sovilav01]

1 hour ago, uktog said:

Well after a day of rest we hit another ship’s excursion. Maybe a benefit of not going to Venice which we’ve done before many times but the opportunity to go to Bologna. 

Previously we were going to do Bologna on our own but then we ended up with some late price drop OBC which is going to be a challenge to spend - follow us as we try to 😂- so we changed to Bologna Bueno Appetito which gave us an excellent guided walk around plus more food than we could eat!  
 

Bologna is a city full of history being an old University town and lots of links to 12th 13th and 14th century events in history many interesting buildings our guide was a wealth of knowledge. 

 

Part way through we headed to the market area where the smells of Parma ham and cheese permeated. And to see the pasta…..

 

 

Anyway this was our little tasting….,,

After walking past more history including these leaning towers

 

it was lunch. But before we eat the most interesting pasta demonstration by a sfogline a young girl skilled in the art of pasta making by hand. 

A three course lunch followed

 

So if you are self sufficient do Bologna on your own there are hundreds of reasonably priced local spots to eat I’m the market. 
If you have credit to use the Bueno appetito trip is really good but there is a LOT of food.

 

Tonight our dinner consisted of two starters that was it! 

We ended a cruise in Ravenna and took the train to spend three nights in Bologna and four nights in Milano, a wonderful way to end a cruise on the Onward. We loved those two cities for history and FOOD!

[takemewithyou]

Ok, @uktog, I just can’t contain myself and I have to add my praise for your review and oh…..those pictures of today!  They are so beautiful!  Making me hungry!  But I have an Irish beef stew on the stove!  

[uktog]

Good morning sorry sisters 

 

[uktog]

45 minutes ago, uktog said:

Good morning sorry sisters 

 

Oops no idea where the sorry came from 😂😂. 
Quest has now headed in first. Rumour has it us on Journey go next 

Lots of drones up so expect marketing photos soon

 

[uktog]

8 hours ago, uktog said:

Good morning sorry sisters 

 

Oops no idea where the sorry came from 😂😂. 
Quest has now headed in first. Rumour has it us on Journey go next 

Lots of drones up so expect marketing photos soon

 

[uktog]

This morning we had the excitement of the early morning start and the four ships being together. 
There is unfairly a lot of disappointment today that there is no all four ships guest event happening.

 

Having seen what we have seen today I have to disagree today was in many ways not about the guest it was about the crew who have been through so much. They have been allowed to go from ship to ship and it has been lovely to see the laughter the smiles the hugs and the general happiness that has been all around. As one officer said to us on the pier when we met up with him I have never hugged so many people as I have today and I am seeing people I have not seen for three years and it’s quite emotional

 

May the crew who have been through so much get a lot out of their time together they deserve it

Edited October 8, 2022 by uktog

[uktog]

Oh dear I have lost a post so here goes Our day in Koper. 
 

We docked right beside the elevator up to the town which made it such an easy walk in to the quaint middle square Tito square where we were able to see a lot and also visit the tourist information. 

it is a beautiful little town lots of alleys and small shops to enjoy. 

 

We have been told via another guest that there was a food festival on today however that information that had come from Azamara head office was incorrect

 

but perhaps more enjoyable for us there was an organ music festival on and we were able to hear the magnificent church organ being played in a demonstration and I could’ve stayed there all morning but we had other plans.  

when we came off the ship we found right at the port entrance the booking office for.Istranka tours whom we had looked at online.

We opted to take their hop on hop off guided panoramic tour that gave us a photo stop at Isola

for the view over the bay a drive-through portoroz and two hours free time in the beautiful little town of Piran all for €24. 
 

Piran

 

we have since discovered that the ships identical tour which is called panoramic Slovenian coastline was being sold for $89 so our advice is if you are in this part of the world look at is Stanka tourist they also do small group tours to quite a few of the places that the cruise line is going to but at a fraction of the price we found them excellent today

 

A final thought which I hope you do not find too rude things often get lost in translation when you are abroad this sign left you in no doubt where are the restrooms where and where they were not!!

 

Edited October 8, 2022 by uktog

[uktog]

Tonight we enjoyed two very different entertainment events 

Firstly Sasha from the Ukraine the band leader did a wonderful show. He is such an accomplished musician he deserves wide recognition for his skills as a concert pianist. 
 

Then a Slovenian folk band hot footed it from Onward to Journey to provide local entertainment. 

Journey was first to leave, a tight manoeuvre but all paint intact at the end of a memorable day. Farewell sisters though we will see Quest again in Dubrovnik 

 

[Lynnewob]

We're booked on Journey on 28 Sep 2023 for 9nts and see the Azamazing evening is in Koper on 5 Oct 2023 entitled "quad meet of destination immersion experiences" so looking forward to all four meeting again next year.

 

 

[Riocca]

1 hour ago, Lynnewob said:

We're booked on Journey on 28 Sep 2023 for 9nts and see the Azamazing evening is in Koper on 5 Oct 2023 entitled "quad meet of destination immersion experiences" so looking forward to all four meeting again next year.

 

 

Same for Onward, cut & paste brigade have been on duty, the description is copied from the original “3 sister meet” that was going to happen in 2020 😂

 

Embrace the musical traditions of Slovenia and make history in the process. Join us in Koper for a Grand AzAmazing Evening to celebrate our Destination Immersion® experiences. We will bring our three ships – Journey®, Quest® and PursuitSM – together in port for the first time for an unforgettable night. Available on our “Sisters Meet” voyages, we’ve pulled out all the stops for this once-in-a-lifetime event commemorating a decade of our commitment to Destination Immersion. We’ll transform Ukmar Square into an enchanting private venue, inviting guests from all three ships to an evening of fine wine, local cuisine, and live music starring Perpetuum Jazzile, an a cappella ensemble dedicated to preserving Slovenian vocal traditions. Revel in the enchanting melodies. Soak up the surrounding architecture. Savor superb cuisine and sensational sweets. As a special treat, we’ll debut an exclusive wine bottled locally for Azamara President & CEO, Larry Pimentel. On this occasion, we proudly honor our past while looking forward to a new era that will take our guests further than ever before. KRTM

[jimbri]

Your photos are beautiful.  Thank you for sharing.

[uktog]

Pula

 

Today we are back burning money on a ships excursion. Groznjan and the San Servolo brewery including lunch. 
If we thought Bologna had too much food well it was a little picnic compared to today. We would summarise it as a yes  recommend

the drive is pretty.  

Groznjan (population 80, car free little artist and craft shops is divine. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The brewery visit is interesting but the lunch was way too much.

 

Appetiser

soup

 

pasta with truffles (divine) look how much truffles each serving had

 

fillet steak (served rare a shame it might have been nice medium well but the courgettes were gorgeous) 

 

 

and a very creamy dessert I forgot to photo and did not eat (too rich for me)

Each course was served with a different glass of beer oh and we had a beer cocktail on arrival 😂

 

So you get the message if you go thinking lunch time chefs table you will be ok but don’t plan to eat again that day. And Groznjan is so beautiful and you had free time there in a non commercial setting. 
 

My biggest complaint after all that lunch my new beach outfit I got in Groznjan may not fit 😂😂😂

200 euros a bargain I’d say 😂😂😀

 

 

Unfortunately our excursion was 90 minutes late back due to the long lunch so no time to explore the Roman ruins and amphitheater in Pula walking distance to the tender drop off. It looked spectacular 

Edited October 9, 2022 by uktog

[uktog]

This is how close the tender drop off is to the amphitheatre 

[uktog]

Last night on board the ship was brilliant for two reasons. 
firstly showing that they do listen to feedback Azamara had opened the patio on a soft launch whilst they trained the chefs. They have never had this group of chefs On Journey doing patio evening service. Well they don’t need much more training because it was the best lamb tournados I have had on an Azamara patio!  One course was enough after our lunchtime eating but it was great! 
 

We then went to the show. Kristian Grey an Irish comedian magician. Unbelievable- starts tamely a few tricks you think ok but then his tricks become more and more unbelievable ending with a finish everyone is still saying how did he do that - we are talking about large items disappearing!!  Look forward to his second show tomorrow 

[Grandma Cruising]

Can you confirm the price for the speciality restaurants, please. Azamara.com states $35pp whereas Azamara.co.uk says $30!