Azamara Pursuit Rio to Lisbon 3/7-23

[takemewithyou]

15 minutes ago, brazilgirl said:

Sea Day:

 

What gorgeous blue skies and sea we have had today.

We ended up leaving Salvador at around 6:20 am this morning instead of 6 pm last night, the longest delay we have had in our cruising history. There was some kind of fueling mix up, which was mysterious. But, we are on the way ( seems the Captain is putting his foot to the pedal).

 

There was a delicious brunch with live music this morning. I loved the waffles with blueberries and whipped cream. Yum.

 

Progressive trivia is very fun and I am really enjoying it. We also used the onboard laundry, which was convenient. The show in the Cabaret Lounge was two women with powerhouse voices, which we enjoyed.

 

This is our first cruise on Azamara. We have sailed Celebrity, HAL, Crystal before ( as well as a few other cruise-lines). Here are some general comments and thoughts 

 

Things I love so far;

 

Fellow passengers are by far the friendliest I have met on any cruise-line. Approachable and well traveled and eager to interact would be my description. It makes the atmosphere rather like a big house party, which is great

 

Service is attentive and professional and friendly all over the ship. It is very quick as well which is appreciated.

 

The food in the Discoveries Restaurant is lovely. The fish dishes are outstanding. 

 

I really loved the Middle Eastern dinner on the pool deck. Delicious and vibrant. A really great atmosphere.

 

Ship is extremely well maintained overall with soothing decor and nice artwork

 

Things I don’t love as much :

 

Surprisingly, the Windows Café has not been as yummy as I expected. I feel underwhelmed by the food there. However, the service is excellent. I think my biggest issue is the green salad offerings. Could be better.

 

Our ship is sailing at full capacity and it has been hard to find a place to sit at certain hours. That is understandable and it is only at certain peak times.

 

The outdoor furniture on the deck and our balcony could be touched up, lots of wear and tear apparent ( but this does not detract from the cruise at all)

 

Husband thinks the gym could be bigger

 

Overall, things have been extremely enjoyable and we are having a grand time.

 

Enjoying your reviews and comments so much!  Keep them coming!

[Mackdogmolly]

16 hours ago, brazilgirl said:

The outdoor furniture on the deck and our balcony could be touched up, lots of wear and tear apparent ( but this does not detract from the cruise at all)

We thought our balcony furniture was fine and were commenting that it was actually better than the Quest - chairs more comfortable and the table smaller, which fits the space better.

[Mackdogmolly]

Uh oh 🤨

 

[travelberlin]

8 minutes ago, Mackdogmolly said:

Uh oh 🤨

 

I was at this port with a Crystal cruise. Although basic the excursion was fine. We did also some walking on our own. Friendly, nice people the citizens from Cabo Verde. I remember dancing with them at the entrance of the tourist information center. The music of Cabo Verde is very nice. Do you know Cesaria Evoria? Maybe you can hear in internet her songs. 
If I were you, I would take the tour and just be open minded. 
Ivi

[Mackdogmolly]

6 hours ago, travelberlin said:

I was at this port with a Crystal cruise. Although basic the excursion was fine. We did also some walking on our own. Friendly, nice people the citizens from Cabo Verde. I remember dancing with them at the entrance of the tourist information center. The music of Cabo Verde is very nice. Do you know Cesaria Evoria? Maybe you can hear in internet her songs. 
If I were you, I would take the tour and just be open minded. 
Ivi

We do have some sort of ship’s tour planned. We will hope for the best!

[Norwaylady]

Don't worry, you will be fine😎 They are friendly in Cabo Verde. 

They use a lot of Toyota Hiace as transport for tourists and small buses. They are older, but you will be fine.

 

We had 14 days on the islands and had no trouble, our local guides had decent level of English skils and dive tours was safe. Remember they are old Portuguese area.

We walked alone around in the city and by the beaches. No problems at all. 

[excitedofharpenden]

6 hours ago, Mackdogmolly said:

We do have some sort of ship’s tour planned. We will hope for the best!

I really enjoyed Cape Verde.  Middle of nowhere, volcanic, a White Night under sail that turned very windy when the ship had to turn into the wind. And the crossing the equator ceremony. All good fun.  

 

Phil 

[oddjob16]

24 minutes ago, excitedofharpenden said:

I really enjoyed Cape Verde.  Middle of nowhere, volcanic, a White Night under sail that turned very windy when the ship had to turn into the wind. And the crossing the equator ceremony. All good fun.  

 

Phil 

We are having White Night in Mindelo, too. Equator tomorrow. 

[brazilgirl]

Day at sea

 

Again, blessed with balmy weather and blue skies. We are speeding along , the ocean is a warm 30 degrees celsius. Today enjoying getting into the rhythm of having nothing to do, which is such a lovely luxury.

 

Husband enjoys waking up early and going to the gym, which I think is admirable but my lazy nature prevents me from doing lol. 
 

One nice past-time is watching the seabirds dive for fish. There are many Masked Boobies and Frigates following along the ship and they are fun to watch as they dive bomb and catch flying fish, their favorite snack. My husband saw a pod of about 15 dolphins off our balcony yesterday, I missed them so having been keeping eyes peeled. 
 

We watched an outstanding lecture on the *** presence in South America post WW2 as well as Portugal’s economic ties with the Third Reich. It was a treat to learn while aboard our cruise.

 

Our team had a better day on Progressive Trivia today, it is highly entertaining and a nice way to meet people.

 

Sun, napping, reading, coffee and chats with fellow passengers filled our day. It was topped off by a scrumptious dinner at Aqualina. This our first visit and we enjoyed sharing a table with some fellow passengers we met onboard from Scotland. I had a ravioli filled with crab and lobster that was tasty. The ambience and service was top notch.

 

obs:

 

Our balcony furniture is very comfortable and I quite like it, it just is peeling and “worn” which is no problem, just an observation.

 

One top notch thing about the breakfast is the crispy bacon and scrambled eggs which are perfectly done.

 

Tomorrow we will cross the equator, it will be fun to participate in the ceremony ( we did it before on our Galapagos cruise).

[Mackdogmolly]

@nordski, don’t leave home without it!!

[Mackdogmolly]

Little rain shower this morning, but the crossing the equator ceremony is this afternoon. Should be good fun.

 

[Mackdogmolly]

Finally got to have cocktails and a meal with @Grandma Cruisingand her charming DH, Nick last night!  Nice to find fellow, convivial, late dining cruisers!

[nordski]

1 hour ago, Mackdogmolly said:

@nordski, don’t leave home without it!!

My goodness!!!!!

 

I am filled with admiration at your foresight and with envy at your experience.

[Mackdogmolly]

6 hours ago, nordski said:

My goodness!!!!!

 

I am filled with admiration at your foresight and with envy at your experience.

Just a heads up. Unlike our last cruise, no longer provide the good stuff with room service.

[nordski]

8 minutes ago, Mackdogmolly said:

Just a heads up. Unlike our last cruise, no longer provide the good stuff with room service.

And that confirms your foresight. There are some compromises that are beyond the pale.

 

Enjoy your cruise!!!!

[Mackdogmolly]

6 hours ago, nordski said:

And that confirms your foresight. There are some compromises that are beyond the pale.

 

Enjoy your cruise!!!!

Thanks. We’re having a great time!

[nordski]

10 minutes ago, Mackdogmolly said:

Thanks. We’re having a great time!

To lessen my envy I will take the opportunity to watch the Good Guys play in Spring Training this p.m. the team who, I believe, are your Good Guys.

If that game turns out badly I will again tip my hat to your choices. 😀

Edited March 13, 2023 by nordski

[Mackdogmolly]

6 hours ago, nordski said:

To lessen my envy I will take the opportunity to watch the Good Guys play in Spring Training this p.m. the team who, I believe, are your Good Guys.

If that game turns out badly I will again tip my hat to your choices. 😀

My DH is sad to be missing the rest of spring training, by will be home for opening day! 😊

[Grandma Cruising]

Last nights Destination Cuisine in Discoveries MDR was Thai and it was lovely. I had both the Tom Ka Gai (spicy chicken soup) and Shrimp Pad Thai. They were very very good. 

[Mackdogmolly]

The crossing of the equator ceremony was yesterday with a parade, a crew tug of war (engineering won - those guys are big!), and some hazing of some newly promoted officers. Captain Antonio took a dunk too, although I missed that shot.

[Mackdogmolly]

Today was a gorgeous, sunny, sea day, with plenty to do, including a crew expo this morning in the Cabaret Lounge. Interesting to see how all of the departments function. I took advantage of the good weather to spend some time on the pool deck, where there were plenty of available sun beds.

[brazilgirl]

The sea days yesterday and today were very relaxing, yesterday with a cloud cover but still quite warm and today lovely sunshine. We are going through the Sargasso Sea, so many patches of the brownish/yellow seaweed 

“The Sargasso Sea is unique in that it harbors species of sargassum that are 'holopelagic' — this means that the algae not only freely floats around the ocean, but it reproduces vegetatively on the high seas. Other seaweeds reproduce and begin life on the floor of the ocean.” Very interesting.

 

Yesterday, as mentioned by our fellow cruisers, we crossed the equator and had a ceremony for the “ploywogs”, the sailors who had never crossed and needed to be initiated. The crew did a fun job making this event fun and memorable, with Captain Antonio joining in. The crew always had an intense tug of war, which was nice to cheer for.

 

We dined at the Patio. It is almost always fairly empty and the night was balmy and pleasant. We had Chilean Sea Bass with rice which was quite delicious. Lots of options for the grill, including lamb, chicken, steaks etc.

 

During our sea days, we have been dining in the Discoveries. The menu varies daily and the service is pleasant and attentive.

 

We visited the Expo today and it was quite interesting to talk to people from all departments. We continued our Progressive Trivia and today were in an exciting first place. Hope we win a World Cruise 🤣.

 

Sunning on the deck and some reading completed the day so far. We talked about how nice it is to go back home to Portugal by ship instead of plane. Maybe a new ritual in our lives?

 

Photos from the ceremony, the expo, the Patio and lunch menus

 

 

 

 

[aliaschief]

Really enjoying following this cruise. Thanks to all who have contributed.

[tomhalv]

We are seriously considering this cruise for next year.  It would be our first on Azamara.Keep the reports coming!!

 

[brazilgirl]

Another glorious sea day today, with moderate temps and sunshine. 
 

I confess… I was a bit wary of the whole transatlantic idea ( even though it was my idea, lol). I was imaging tempests and clouds. It has been really lovely and I am not even that anxious to see land tomorrow, which is a surprise!

 

We have gotten into a nice routine and have been enjoying the shows every day at 8:15 pm after our dinner with pool, reading, trivia, sitting on balcony , repeat etc.

 

We quite enjoyed the duo Viva La Diva, very energetic and nice voices. Today there was a very charming mini Broadway show in the Den. Nicholas, the assistant cruise director almost brought me to tears with his rendition of a song from Les Mis and some of the entertainers from the ship did a great version of Swell Season’s Falling Slowly. Really nice. Tonight’s Wanderlust show was cute and contagiously happy with its costumes and dancing.

 

Last nights show by a guitarist named Nelson was not up to the Azamara standards IMHO ( trying to give my authentic opinion). It was really garish ( I love the guitar and am a huge Latin music lover) .

 

Tonight we ate at Prime C and loved it. Excellent service and my Ribeye was outstanding ( and quite big!)) Loved the goat cheese tartlet as a starter as well.

 

Really glad we chose to come back to Portugal via ship not via plane!