Back from Antarctica...

[SoBaycruiser]

What a wonderful cruise! Azamara was terrific. They couldn´t have tried to show us a better time. Of course some will grumble about things, but 95% loved the ship, the captain, and the staff.

 

For those going to Antarctica in February... bring plenty of warm clothes and leave the fancy coutnry club casual stuff at home. After being in 32 deg weather with 40 mph winds, one doesn´t feel like dressing up much. I found people were more in the expedition mode than fancy cruise mode. Don´t get me wrong... we ate and drank like we were on one. In fact the Azamara staff brought hot cocoa out to us in the above conditions. Surprisingly, many of us stayed out on deck much more than we anticipated.

 

Hint... bring your biggest telephoto lense. The wildlife is incredible but from the upper decks they look small in a normal camera. They look great with binoculars but you cant get a picture.

 

I´ll write more when I get home. We just got off the ship today.

[Andy]

What a wonderful cruise! Azamara was terrific. They couldn´t have tried to show us a better time. Of course some will grumble about things, but 95% loved the ship, the captain, and the staff.

 

For those going to Antarctica in February... bring plenty of warm clothes and leave the fancy coutnry club casual stuff at home. After being in 32 deg weather with 40 mph winds, one doesn´t feel like dressing up much. I found people were more in the expedition mode than fancy cruise mode. Don´t get me wrong... we ate and drank like we were on one. In fact the Azamara staff brought hot cocoa out to us in the above conditions. Surprisingly, many of us stayed out on deck much more than we anticipated.

 

Hint... bring your biggest telephoto lense. The wildlife is incredible but from the upper decks they look small in a normal camera. They look great with binoculars but you cant get a picture.

 

I´ll write more when I get home. We just got off the ship today.

 

Hi Pvmeistrel !

 

Thank you for your excellent update. I am glad you had a great Cruise !

[ronbarb]

Yes, we're also back from Antarctica, and can't say enough wonderful things about the trip.

 

No need to worry about the Journey- the ship, the staterooms, the food venues, the crew, the entertainment- remember everything good you have read, and take all the bad with a grain of salt. The crew especially was outstanding. Everyone at management level was readily available for comments, suggestions, complaints, and did everything they could to make our trip as enjoyable as possible. Not a day went by that we weren't approached by someone making sure everything was to our liking - how special does that make you feel!

 

We felt that our waiter and assistant in Discoveries were the best ever. We enjoyed the food and the ambiance, but Savio and Agus made every evening so enjoyable. Even though there is open dining, if you find a table and waiters you like, everything will be done to keep that table open for you. Vlado, the assistant maitre d, works wonders.

 

The Martini Bar was a great find. Unfortunately, after the first week, too many people discovered it. My new onboard friend and I took it as a challenge to go thru the entire Martini menu! Don't be concerned about the $12 martini - the servings are very generous. And the bartenders are so friendly and entertaining.

 

Be sure to take advantage of the onboard activities. The morning cooking demonstrations in Prime C were excellent. Chef Kyle is delightful and quite talented. We plan on keeping an eye on his career- we know he'll go far.

The wine and food pairing with Stephania were fun and informatiive. She is so energetic and passionate about what she does.

 

We didn't do any ship shore excursions, but thoroughly enjoyed the ones we arranged on our own. We'll be happy to share information.

 

I agree with Rita as far as clothing. Hi Rita and Joe- hope you enjoyed the falls. My idea of country club casual was a little more formal than what we found on board. Bring your jeans and tennis shoes for everyday wear. A nice pair of pants and top are fine for dinner. Black pants, black dress shoes, and different tops will see you thru 18 dinners.

 

We had dinner in Aqualina for one meal- suffice it to say that it still need work. But Dominique and Ryszard are aware if this, and changes will be made. We really enjoyed Prime C- wonderful beef. And who would have thought that donut holes could be so yummy!

 

The soon discovered food secret on board was at the pool grill. This area is manned by Marlon. What a delight he is. In addition to the usual hamburgers and hot dogs, he grills chicken, pork, lamb, salmon, and vegetable kabobs. It is really tasty and yet healthy food- my way of balancing the evening martini. Imagine while sailing thru snow and icy cold in Antarctica, Marlon had a line at the pool grill awaiting his food!

 

Overall, this was one of our best vacations ever. How could it not be with cruising thru Antarctica for 3 days? But the crew of Azamara made it that much more special. And topping the list was Capt. Carl Smith. His enthusiasm and expertise made us feel we were experiencing a once in a lifetime journey.

[Florida1]

Ahhha, so you were the ones taking up one of the tables that Savio waits on!! (Hee hee) Isn't he just great?!? I agree with you about most of your review of the ship (including Savio). Only thing I have to put in is that we had the opposite experiences in Aqualina and Prime C. We ended up eating 5 times in Aqualina, we liked it soooooo much. Oh that Sea Bass, the Lamb Chops, the Lobster Thermador and on and on. Yummy. On the other hand, we ate at Prime C and found our steaks over cooked and "mealy" as if they had way too much tenderizer on them. The staff talked us into coming back a second time and we found the steaks still lacking. I think the steaks in Discoveries are every bit as good if not better than those in Prime C........just my opinion.

It was a wonderful cruise though and would highly recommend Antarctica to anyone going that way. Don't miss those big chucks of ice!

[Louise P]

All of the comments on this thread are true. After having taken over 30 cruises, this was really the best. We were given 2 Cruise Critic get-to-gethers. They were both well attended. By giving my list of names and cabin numbers to Ngawhira Fleet she was able to collate everything for us. Mahalia sent out invites to us all. We were especially cared for by our assistant maitre'd Marius. He even made a sugar free birthday cake for our table. We were able to have the same table every night for the entire cruise. We don't like anytime dining. Never before have we had such a wonderful cruise director, Andrea. We were very happy with most of our privately arranged land tours. I'll be happy to give info to anyone that needs it. We were happy to put faces on all of you that we met on this board.

Louise

[Andy]

All of the comments on this thread are true. After having taken over 30 cruises, this was really the best. We were given 2 Cruise Critic get-to-gethers. They were both well attended. By giving my list of names and cabin numbers to Ngawhira Fleet she was able to collate everything for us. Mahalia sent out invites to us all. We were especially cared for by our assistant maitre'd Marius. He even made a sugar free birthday cake for our table. We were able to have the same table every night for the entire cruise. We don't like anytime dining. Never before have we had such a wonderful cruise director, Andrea. We were very happy with most of our privately arranged land tours. I'll be happy to give info to anyone that needs it. We were happy to put faces on all of you that we met on this board.

Louise

 

Hi Louise !

 

It was nice of you to mention Ngawhira Fleet and Mahalia so kindly. We have sailed with both wonderful ladies several times on Century and Constellation. I am sure they are very excited to be on Journey. We sailed with Andrea on Quest, and he was outstanding as well.

 

I wish Ngawhira, Mahalia, and Andrea all the very best in their positions, and I hope we meet them again on a future sailing !

[feje]

We, too, loved the January 10 Journey cruise to Antarctica. So much so that we booked an October cruise on Quest. We especially enjoyed getting together with other CruiseCritic sailers and would like to participate again in October. How does one set up a Meet and Mingle on an Azamara cruise? Is there someone on staff who is in charge, as other cruise lines?

 

Hi Louise !

 

It was nice of you to mention Ngawhira Fleet and Mahalia so kindly. We have sailed with both wonderful ladies several times on Century and Constellation. I am sure they are very excited to be on Journey. We sailed with Andrea on Quest, and he was outstanding as well.

 

I wish Ngawhira, Mahalia, and Andrea all the very best in their positions, and I hope we meet them again on a future sailing !

[Napi's Mom]

Again we've really discussed this quite a bit in past threads...use the search feature above and type in Cruise critic meetings, or meet &mingle, but it really isn't quite like the other parties. Kind of hard to keep filling all in when with a little research you can get many answers!

[Susan-M]

We, too, loved the January 10 Journey cruise to Antarctica. So much so that we booked an October cruise on Quest. .... How does one set up a Meet and Mingle on an Azamara cruise?

 

Hi feje:

 

That's very positive feedback & nice to hear!:)

 

Re the Meet & Mingle... from what I've read here, there is no official arrangement yet (as per Celebrity with pre-registration). However, if you make a special request on the first day of the cruise at the future cruise desk in the lobby, they might arrange one. You'll need to provide them with a list of 25 or more people, along with cabin #'s.

 

Andy (CC host) mentioned in another post that there is no guarantee that Azamara will arrange a party, but odds are good ... and that the decision is up to the Captains Club Host/Hostess and the Hotel Manager.

[feje]

Thanks - I will go ahead and try to set one up. On the Antarctica cruise, Azamara hosted two Meet and Mingles, one on the first day at sea and one on the last day at sea. Both were well attended by management representatives and we gave them a lot of feedback. Mostly positive but also some constructive criticism . I think they listened to us.

 

Hi feje:

 

That's very positive feedback & nice to hear!:)

 

Re the Meet & Mingle... from what I've read here, there is no official arrangement yet (as per Celebrity with pre-registration). However, if you make a special request on the first day of the cruise at the future cruise desk in the lobby, they might arrange one. You'll need to provide them with a list of 25 or more people, along with cabin #'s.

 

Andy (CC host) mentioned in another post that there is no guarantee that Azamara will arrange a party, but odds are good ... and that the decision is up to the Captains Club Host/Hostess and the Hotel Manager.

[Susan-M]

Thanks - I will go ahead and try to set one up.

 

Great ... and by October we should have 25 members on-board.

[Louise P]

When I arranged the Meet & Greet on the Journey (Jan. !0) I had a list ready with names and cabin numbers. I gave this in as soon as I boarded. As you can tell they were very accommodating.

Louise

[Cote d'or]

Will Azamara keep sailing to Antarctica in the future ? I can't find any itineraries on their website...

[LMKohler]

I wasn't aware that you needed 25 people. That is on Celebrity. I think I have read on this board that Quest has put together a gathering with fewer people. We won't have that many on our March 1st Quest cruise, so hopefully we can still meet each other and the staff.

[Louise P]

Azamara is not doing the Antarctic next year. It's too bad because it was a super trip.

Louise

[Andy]

I wasn't aware that you needed 25 people. That is on Celebrity. I think I have read on this board that Quest has put together a gathering with fewer people. We won't have that many on our March 1st Quest cruise, so hopefully we can still meet each other and the staff.

 

Hi LMKohler !

 

At this point, there is no "official" gathering on Azamara. So, you can attempt to get one set up with less than 25 people. You are correct, that the 25 mimimum is on Celebrity. The best way, is to have someone from your roll call compile a list, and submit it to the Captains Club Host/Hostess as soon as you board the ship. There is no assurance they will do it, but recent reports have stated that Azamara has been very accomodating.

[Cote d'or]

Azamara is not doing the Antarctic next year. It's too bad because it was a super trip.

Louise

 

What a shame... Well, hopefully the next next year then. Thanks for the info !

[LMKohler]

Hi Andy:) Thanks for reconfirming Azamara's policy putting together a "gathering". I though I read that they don't do anything official, but so far I haven't heard that they haven't put one together. Our March 1st roll call is fairly small-but we have nothing to lose by trying:D We'll do what you suggest when we board.

 

Lucy

[blterman]

Hi, fellow Antarctica travelers, and those headed there. Azamara knocked themselves out to make it Special. And, they succeeded, in our opinion. Our evaluation is, the BEST cruise ever. (fellow travelers make it work. We had some great companions.) But, Azamara staff and crew get big credit for making things special, correcting any problem, and being available. One terrific experience. Go to Antarctica on Azamara.

[Louise P]

We agree! We've cruised over 30 times and this was the best!!! It's a shame that Captain Smith and the Journey won't be in Antarctica next year. Louise