Live on Board Azamara Quest - 10/31 - 11/12

[factor30]

Thank you Cruisers1975. On this dreary foggy morning in the UK (the sun is about to make an appearance though) you really brought a smile to my face with your wonderful report. Your description of tea-time was great - I sincerely hope that we get milk and sugar - how can you make a decent cup of tea without boiling water and milk!

 

We're looking forward to your next instalment with anticipation.

 

Rita

[peterc6]

OK Mom! Peter

[houstontx]

we made an amazing discovery that perhaps is the reason this ship seems so serene: absolutely no children!

 

This is the best news I've read yet!!! :)

 

Yes, we have two girls ourselves but so many people these days allow the children to run rampant.

 

Alan & Regina

[peterc6]

Amen! No place for brats! Peter

[LMKohler]

The description of the afternoon tea had me laughing so hard, my co-workers were wondering what I was reading:D

[Napi's Mom]

The description of the afternoon tea had me laughing so hard, my co-workers were wondering what I was reading:D

My DH was sleeping down the hall, so I tried to control mine to a loud chuckle, but it's hard to choose from between the teaparty and the Cream cheese "soup" for the bagels.

The SHIP is why people are trying Azamara..it IS beautiful, as are ALL the RENN ships, and I excuse Azamara for trying to make it "Theirs" by all the modern artwork (that really doesn't work well in this elegent ship, from pictures I've seen), It's not the folderol of a so called butler (really wouldn't know what to do with one),it's the small size, the tasteful decor, like OP said, the lack of lines at elevators, (Love my Grandkids..glad they're not with us on upcoming cruise) Just a couple times were we on the larger ships, and those weren't a mega ship, Splendor of the Seas, and Hal for a couple 7 day trips. These Renn. ships quickly become "Home" for these longer voyages as those glitzy Mega ships could never be. THe OP "got this" while doing this portion of his log. Let Az. try to get the small stuff right for now...just cruising on these ships are worth the "break-in" time!:)

[Cruisers1975]

Nov 4. Santa Marta, Columbia

 

 

Awakened by native dancers, we are on the dock at Santa Marta, a port city that until recently has rarely seen a cruise ship. Dancers, drums, and an honour guard of youthful police cadets awaits our disembarking.

 

But first, it’s breakfast. The only item forgotten this morning was the hot chocolate. The delivery boy (what else do you call the fellow who brings food to your door?) told us that he can’t deliver it if it’s not on the order, and he waves my order at me. I point out the circled request - “2 hot chocolate - extra strong” - and he beats a hasty retreat. He returns with two cups of hot chocolate, into which has been dumped two packages, each, of hot chocolate mix, insoluble curds of which were still floating in them, and are now stuck between our teeth. Giving up on the hot chocolate we turned to the carafe of coffee. And what to our wondering eyes should appear? A carafe of weak cocoa, not coffee, it’s clear. Oh well, the steak (without eggs this morning) was delicious!

 

We walk ashore to meet the tour bus, passing first through the honour guard of 10-year-olds in white gloves saluting us and shaking hands in welcome. I’m not much for kids’ antics, especially when they are put up to it by adults, but I have to admit, that was kinda special. I imagine they will grow up with stories about that day, when a huge white ship pulled up to their sleepy little port and disgorged some of the oldest and fattest people they had ever seen! I hope it doesn’t scar them for life.

 

Raphael is our tour guide. He comes all the way from Cartagena, about 4 hours away, because they don’t have many English-speaking guides in Santa Marta. Raphael speaks Spanish well and hollers English poorly. But we get enough detail. Especially about Cartagena. Santa Marta is a leetle town of only 300,000 inhabitants, but Cartagena has over one millions one hundred thousands. Santa Marta has only four attractions; Cartagena has hundreds of wonderful things to see. Santa Marta is the centre of the emerald industry but don’t buy anything here because is no competencia; wait, instead, until you get to Cartagena because there we have shopping centre with over one thousand jewellery stores! For our $73 each, we learned a lot about Cartagena today. And a little bit about leetle Santa Marta.

 

At one point, finding a bit of shade in the stables of an old villa where the Liberator Simon De Bolivar died, probably from the heat, I have the chance to hear two other guides tell their respective groups the story of a carriage on display here. The first describes how this carriage was used to transport the Liberator here and there, how it was pulled by two horses and two slaves, how it is of French design but German construction. The second guide tells his group the carriage was owned by the city, for the mayor’s use, but when it was discovered that the mayor was conveying his mistress about for illicit rendezvous, he was stripped of his title and carriage privileges. Interesting, how two guides can give such different interpretations of history!

 

The tours give us a chance to meet some of the talented singers in the entertainment troupe on board, Josh and Natasha. We’re delighted to hear that they have all the privileges of guests during their six-month contract.

 

Today is a special day, the first that both Azamara ships, the Journey and the Quest, are in port together, moored in tandem, and we are invited on exchange visits, at the end of our city tour. We gather at the foot of the gangway with other guests and are allowed to board in groups, as they have prepared a champagne and chocolate truffle welcome treat for honoured guests (not to be shared with regular returning Journey passengers!). We’re given sticky patches, presumably to keep us out of the local trough, and free rein to wander the ship, noting tiny differences. We have a mantle clock between our two Shropshire dogs glued to the library mantle; they have a gaping empty space there. We have carpeted elevators; they have wood floors. Our specialty coffee shop is called Mosaic; theirs is still Cova Cafe. The differences are quite small, until we reach the pool. Their deck loungers have simple yellow beach towels; ours are the envy of the seaswith our custom-fitted blue and white towels that cover the entire pad, and have a large pocket at the top to go over the top of the pad. That’s all we heard from passengers on both ships - “Those towels!”

 

We also noticed that the more private area in front of the fitness room and spa was furnished differently - theirs with the same blue and teak loungers as the pools have on both ships; our spa retreat had nicer rattan furnishings. I made a point of visiting the casual lunch buffet line to see if they had learned how to use both burners simultaneously, but today’s offerings were cold foods only in those positions.

 

The petty jealousies of the cross-pollinating passengers were quite hilarious, As we were leaving, we enjoyed eavesdropping on a Journey passenger back from her inspection of our Quest: “They weren’t so nice on that ship! I was so embarrassed, I didn’t know if I could eat there or not! I saw other people eating and one person told me I could and another that I couldn’t. It was just awful. I had to come home to eat!”

 

Back on the Quest we, too, head for the chow lines. In queue with me at the hamburger grill is a lady fresh back from her Journey visit, proudly carrying a fresh pretzel. Apparently that was the only deficiency she discovered in her tour: we don’t have a pretzel machine. But she, too, is very proud of our towels. Journey really is an almost mirror image of Quest but 6 months older and shows a little wear but still beautiful.

 

A week of abstinence from our favourite drink, a Lemon Drop Martini the way we make them, is quite long enough and it is now time to give lessons to the bartenders on Quest. They prove to be excellent and willing students and voila! We’re happy!

 

A late dinner in the casual buffet line, and this time I strike it lucky on the stir fry line: only one person ahead of me (that is, only about 15 minutes’ wait). Verdict? Good, but not worth standing there with a plate in my hand for 15 minutes.

 

The music of Dan the Pianoman playing in the Mosaic Café tempt us to stop for an Irish Coffee before we pick up a couple of new books from the library and retreat to our cabin for an early night, too full even to order our nightly cocoa. Besides, I’m still picking chunks of this morning’s offering from my teeth.

Nov 5. Cartagena, Colombia

 

Awakened again by native drums and welcome dancing on the pier, and we realize we are in the largest and best preserved Spanish Colonial City of the Americas. We are also in the most impressive container shipping dock I’ve ever seen. Watching the ships’ cranes pick up containers the size of semi-trucks and swing them into position on dock with such precision is spellbinding.

 

Breakfast is perfect this morning. Everything in its place and on time. Disembarkation to the waiting tour buses is also equally easy. We luck out with our guide today, Monica, one very special and lovely person, and a great guide besides. We climb the Fortress, we visit a church or two, a museum, a stop for a local dance performance and a beer or soft drink (included), and a few minutes of shopping - a full four hours and we really feel like we “know” Cartagena. Thank you, Monica! You are a great ambassador for your city and your country. The tip we give her is equal to half her day’s pay, thus threatening the stability of the local currency!

 

We buy a tee-shirt from a souvenir store staffed by a lady from Indiana, and negotiate a hard deal with a street vendor for a pair of genuine Armani sunglasses ($5). The only shopping we didn’t get to was buying some Juan Valdez-branded Colombian coffee for gifts back home, from a coffee shop of that name we saw, and missed going into. But, what’s this? Meeting us at the bottom of the gangway, with cold water and colder towels, is someone with cases of Juan Valez-branded Colombian coffee, giving everyone a bag or two, free!

 

This being such a lucky omen, it just had to be time to try the casino, and as soon as the ship pulled away from the dock and the casino came to life, we bee-lined there and invested a dollar each in the slots. I hit the button twice and the bells started ringing. Knowing when to quit, we cashed out immediately, up a grand total of $3.00 on the adventure!

 

This we decided to spend on afternoon tea the expensive way, at the Mosaic coffee shop on board. Specialty teas and coffees are $3 to $4 or so, and, although we could get the same for free in the Aqualina Restaurant about now, if we felt like it, we simply didn’t feel like retuning to that ghastly experience. Mosaic is much more welcoming, friendly, less rushed, and the waiters are equipped with cake tongs. We enjoyed a pleasant hour or so there with our books, and a demonstration of the ship’s Pastry Chef’s skill in sugar art or “How to spend an hour or more making a taffy rose to decorate a cake that then has to be removed so you can cut the cake and share it around.”

 

As tea sandwiches and cakes were replaced with tapas and cakes, the nightly Trivia Contest got underway in the Mosaic lounge, and there was a good dispute over whether the unfinished skyscraper in Dubai qualified as the “tallest skyscraper in the world” or not (the games master held that it didn’t, giving the title to Taipei 101 and thus stealing the nightly championship from us!).

 

Back to the bar we head to drown our defeat in Lemon Drops, and strike up a lively conversation there with a couple of Wisconsin bed and breakfast operators, heading then for dinner at the buffet again, skipping the stir-fry line and heading straight for the pasta and roast beef, both of which were excellent. Even the carved beef is getting better on this ship. I’m sure it is just taking a little more practice, or I’m becoming more tolerant, which at my age is not all that likely. Table service seems more attentive, as well, each time we dine. I could really get used to this, after all!

 

Dinner finished just in time to catch the nightly stage show, our five singers back with “Twisted Television” - a musical putdown of bad television with really great singing. Meeting up with Dorothy’s Friends, we are invited back to a “Sunrise Suite” for size comparisons and jealousy. The suite is roughly 30% wider, the same depth, meaning that the verandah is still a bit too shallow for a chaise lounge, but the extra space inside is quite nice with superior furnishings, including frosted glass closet doors, and a bathroom twice the size of ours, with a full-sized combination tub/shower. And their rose has three dried buds on it, to our one.

 

Somewhere in the middle of this afternoon (hours blend confusingly together) we were in the cabin as the afternoon hors d’oeuvres came by, exactly the same paltry tray with four fishy toast crumbs as every day previous. Two days ago, we accepted them and left them untouched in the room; they were removed with turndown. Yesterday, we politely declined at the door. Today, we declined again and told Butler not to bother, really, we were quite fine without them in the future. Clearly embarrassed, he apologized for the fact they were identical every day, “I’m so sorry, it’s all they give me, the same thing every day, but I can make you a special tray, maybe some cheese and crackers or anything you would like?” We declined that for this evening, but you really have to give him credit for trying.

 

In fact, everyone is really trying to deliver excellence, and it’s actually beginning to come together as we watch, I think. Add to this that our increased personal interactions with other passengers, the staff, even the entertainers, has developed a friendlier, more comfortable atmosphere. I can tell now that it’s going to be hard to leave in six more days.

[joycruise]

Thanks so much for your reports. Great writing and very informative. You have assured me not to worry the small stuff and that we are going to have a good time on the Quest Nov. 12 whether or not it is perfect!

 

Joycruise ;)

[peterc6]

I'm glad to hear it's coming together! You are a very good writer! Peter

[wtrmdr]

A week of abstinence from our favourite drink, a Lemon Drop Martini the way we make them, is quite long enough and it is now time to give lessons to the bartenders on Quest. They prove to be excellent and willing students and voila! We’re happy!

 

Cruisers1975, I have been reading your posts for the laughs! We were on the 5-night cruise, and will be back for the 14-night cruise on 11/24.

 

I, too, am a big fan of the Lemon Drop Martini. Roland (in the Martini Bar) was learning to make it my way by special request and I'm sure will have many opportunites to refine that technique in a couple of weeks.

 

Yes, there were a few glitches along the way, but then - anything new has a few bumps to get past. We still enjoyed the Quest for the 5 night, and are looking forward to being back on board very soon.

 

Marti

[houstontx]

Thanks for the on-going review.

I'm real interested in how quick the disembarkation is so don't forget to finish up with that after the cruise.

Thanks again!!!

Alan & Regina

[factor30]

Once again, thank you Cruisers1975 for your very entertaining and informative log. You certainly have a way with words. Looking foward to the next instalment.

 

Rita

[LuvCeleb]

Are port lectures taking place on port. Wife and myself sailed on the 10/26, and there were none. No maps or anything to get you started. Perhaps they don't intend to conduct them. Going to say South America for the first time, we would be lost without some guidance..thxs

[SandyR5]

Hi - Please keep these reports coming. We're on the 1/4/08 Quest and we're very excited about it. I love all the detail you're providing. Hopefully, as things are starting to come together now...they'll be all in place when it's our turn. :D

[Inner Loop Cruiser]

 

Cruisers 1975: You are great reporters -- when is the book coming out? I am avidly reading your posts and feeling better and better each day about our trip through the Panama Canal on Quest in December. Thanks for such fascinating reports!

[Seahorse44]

What a great board, I second (or third or fourth) the kudos on your writing style. Kepp having a great time; I can't wait until the 24th. Speaking of lemon drop martinis, who's the bartender in the martini bar? :D

[Luckyladym]

It is so terrific to read your balanced reviews of the Quest. Hopefully some other posters will learn something from your sense of humor. Please carry on !

 

Any chance of getting your recipe for the Lemon Drop Martini. We are addicted to Lemon Drops....

 

Thanks, Marilyn

[Cruisers1975]

We have had great ones in Bellagio (Vegas) but quite complicated, and also McCormick and Shmick in San Diego.

 

Ours is the best, in our opinion!

 

1.5oz Vodka

1.5oz Lemoncello with a splash of Triple Sec in this measure

1.5oz Grapefruit Juice

.5oz Lemon Juice

 

Rim glass with crunchy sugar and a lemon wedge.

Shake vigorously in a martini shaker with ice, and serve very cold.

[Napi's Mom]

On the reporting of the tours in St. Marta and Cartegena, you mentioned the guides etc. Seemed like you had fun. We all here going on the 12/8 Canal cruise have been mentioning the lack of any tours in St. Marta that seemed at all interesting. Would you be able to tell us the names of the tours in Columbia,& if they were ships tours. We've been arranging private because of the price of the ships tours. BUT you mentioned 73$ and I don't remember any tour listed for that price.:confused:

[NotChoppedLiver]

"Raphael is our tour guide. He comes all the way from Cartagena, about 4 hours away, because they don’t have many English-speaking guides in Santa Marta. Raphael speaks Spanish well and hollers English poorly. But we get enough detail."

 

Thanks for the great report on Quest.

We're really looking fwd to our 12/8 cruise

which also takes us to Santa Marta.

How did you find Raphael?

Do you have any contact info?

 

Thanks,

 

Laura

[Napi's Mom]

"Raphael is our tour guide. He comes all the way from Cartagena, about 4 hours away, because they don’t have many English-speaking guides in Santa Marta. Raphael speaks Spanish well and hollers English poorly. But we get enough detail."

 

Thanks for the great report on Quest.

We're really looking fwd to our 12/8 cruise

which also takes us to Santa Marta.

How did you find Raphael?

Do you have any contact info?

 

Thanks,

 

Laura

Sorry Laura I just checked and this was a ships tour, for 73$, I would guess they are probably tied up in Cart. for ships tours also, since he seemed to be FROM Cart. must have used the same company both ports.

[Luckyladym]

We have had great ones in Bellagio (Vegas) but quite complicated, and also McCormick and Shmick in San Diego.

 

Ours is the best, in our opinion!

 

1.5oz Vodka

1.5oz Lemoncello with a splash of Triple Sec in this measure

1.5oz Grapefruit Juice

.5oz Lemon Juice

 

Rim glass with crunchy sugar and a lemon wedge.

Shake vigorously in a martini shaker with ice, and serve very cold.

 

And thank you.....sounds great !

[hjpurcell]

Cruisers 1975: thanks for the recipe for lemon drop maritinis. We love them too but make them slightly different. We are going on the Nov. 12th cruise on the Quest and want to know which bartenders in which bars know how to make the Lemon Drop? It is my favorite drink.

Judi

[Cruisers1975]

Hi folks,

 

All tours were with guides from the shore excursions. Luck of the draw I guess. We took the Santa Marta City Tour.

 

On with the report....

 

Our status as Captain’s Club members gave us another perq: our very generously sized laundry bag stuffed as full as we wished, wash and fold for $20. We stuffed it.

November 6. Colón, Panamá

 

Breakfast on the balcony as we pull into what surely must be the busiest harbour in the world. I was impressed with the container ships in Cartagena: they would be dwarfed beside the behemoths alongside us now. We send our busboy back for the missing breadbasket, after I peel his thumb off of the menu selection that reads “4 English Muffins” to assure him that, yes, indeed, we did order bread please. The scuffle for the muffins distracted me from the missing grapefruit, but the steak, as usual, was delicious.

Today’s tour bus was waiting for us, with seats much too small for two large persons, but I rather think that’s our fault, not the tour company. Nonetheless, we were soon off in the care of Filipe to drive through, Colón, the port city on the Atlantic side of the Canal, to the first set of locks, with perfect timing, to see a huge container ship ushered through. Of course with the incredible amount of traffic through these locks, timing probably isn’t all that important for the tourist experience. And what a fantastic experience it is! Then on to Panamá City at the Pacific side. What an incredible experience when you think about it: Atlantic Ocean in the morning, and an hour and a half later, we’re on the Pacific. We visit the Old Town (ruins from 1514), and then the Not So Old Town (the Colonial City built after pirate Henry Morgan - or possibly vengeful slaves - burned the original settlement), enjoyed lunch and a walk around the promenade with views of the incredible bustling skyline where construction is the third largest industry (after tourism first, which recently pushed the Canal to second place).

Back on ship, we decide to forego drinks entirely and head straight to dinner, this evening back in the Discoveries Restaurant, giving it a third chance to impress us. We go to our cabin to change for dinner and, noticing the television is not working, we leave it on with its Not Supported Mode screen showing so the turndown crew will notice and report it.

A quick count of glasses and flatware showed perfect consistency in both settings, so we already impressed with obvious improvements. We ordered a scallop appetizer which was pronounced excellent and also a shrimp cocktail, served classically (read: a lá circa 1973) and delicious as well. Unable to decide between entrees, I ordered two, calling the Manicotti a “primo plato” and the oso bucco a “secundo plato,” a concept that was entirely wasted on our waiter. We ordered cream of chicken soup and manicotti, but after tasting the soup the better half cancelled his main and ordered another bowl of heaven. His second bowl was served and consumed, before my manicotti arrived (with an entirely inappropriate lobster thermidor sauce that thankfully could be scraped aside leaving a delicious pair of veal and ricotta-stuffed shells), followed quickly by what was clearly the best dish ever served on any ship we have been on, the oso bucco on a bed of risotto, into which a strange fork kept appearing from across the table..

Lorenzo was making the rounds filling water glasses, and asked how everything was. We told him how great the oso bucco was, especially compared to some inconsistencies in the past. Lorenzo then ripped off his apron revealing his Super Hero costume beneath and introduced himself as the Restaurant Manager. Okay, so I exaggerated about the costume, but he was keenly interested in our experiences on board, taking notes and agreeing with every observation. This evening the Hotel Manager is also making the rounds of the restaurant seeking honest comments from passengers. Never have we met two people more eager to get, and act on, feedback.

We leave, assuring them both that the overwhelmingly positive aspects of this voyage are more than enough to compensate for some food and service inconsistencies, and return to our cabin.

Here we find:

1. No corkscrew to open the wine that had just been sent to our cabin.

2. Almost empty bath amenities not replenished.

3. Television still on but not working.

4. An empty bud vase.

5. Laundry done very nicely but no replacement laundry bag.

and, oddly, those step-out-of-bed towels in place beside each side of the bed. I say “oddly” because we’ve not seen them before!

Is there anything in that list to sabotage an otherwise wonderful day? Of course not. They are not worth even commenting on, except as an example of the inconsistencies that Azamara is going to have to work on to achieve the standard they aspire, and advertise.

November 7. Porto Limón, Costa Rica

 

An early start this morning, but thankfully the time changed again and we get an extra hour’s sleep. Breakfast at 6:30 and on the dock by 7:30 for our shore excursion, this time to the canals of Tortuguero. Breakfast, incidentally, is perfect and complete (is Restaurant Manager watching over us?). Disembarkation at first appears to be a crowded delay but then we realized the staff is simply holding us back into the stairwells because it’s pouring rain outside and they are waiting till the proper buses have maneuvered as close as possible. Very thoughtful, and efficient, and much appreciated.

The tour today was perhaps the best so far. The driving rain turned into a scant drizzle and even rare peeks of sun for the short bus ride to the historic Blue Train, now in service only for tourists, to take us to the start of the canals, where a calypso band and a buffet of local fruits and coffee samples welcome us. A few minutes later we are on covered boats and motoring up the canal as our sharp-eyed captain and our very knowledgeable tour guide pause to point out the flora and fauna along the route, including spider and howler monkeys, two- and three-toed sloths, iguanas, bats, a crocodile, herons, egrets and other birds of every description. A couple of hours later we are back to the Calypso hut for more refreshments and then the bus directly back to the ship. We take a short walk through the pedestrian mall of the harbour town of Puerto Limón, which other than a visit to an Internet café is thoroughly skippable.

Back on board we visit the Aqualina specialty restaurant to make dinner reservations there tonight and enjoy a chat with Dominique, maitre’d. We share tales of fine dining experiences around the world and even a bit about the improving but mixed level of service on the Quest. We are reminded that the staff has just completed only their fourteenth day of actual passenger services as a team and it is clear we are going to see obvious improvements along with the occasional shortfalls in this situation. For example, Dominque had just been made aware of the missing milk at Afternoon Tea and has already corrected it. He is a perfectionist, it is obvious, and determined to make it right in every aspect: when I suggest he provide his staff with tongs, he resists, insisting instead that at an English Tea, cakes are properly served with the one-handed juggling art of fork and spoon, apparently leaving tongs to the Italian-style service in Mosaic. Bravo!

Lunch today was split between the Pool Grill’s most excellent cheeseburger and an incredibly delicious, rare and tender, thick slice or two of prime roast beef from the buffet. Table service is prompt as well, with beverages served, plates cleared. While there, we see Restaurant Manager making the rounds, offering to refill my iced tea, chatting with other tables. It’s good to see such a proactive stance and things while we still point out inconsistencies, things are getting much better for the most part.

[peterc6]

Your posts are great! We are ALL so glad things have improved so much! I hope the same crew is with us on the 12th.. Peter