Leaving for Journey

[brian_uk]

Jan

 

Jean has asked about temperature in the various Dining Rooms. Is it comfortable without a wrap ?

 

Brian

[Jancruz]

Hi all, we had a gorgeous day at sea yesterday..the sun was out most of the day I sat out on deck with a good book and really enjoyed seeing the sun!!!!!!!!!!..I played in a Blackjack tournament at 2pm and came in 4th..(LOL out of 7) after the tournament, sadly, I started packing..Last night had dinner in Prime C with 3 lovely ladies from California that Mal and I met the first day on board and once again the dinner was superb..I love the Buffalo Mozzerella, it is made with a very thin slice of green apple that gives it a very unusual crunch..I also had the Cowboy steak (rib eye) bone in, that was outstanding..I love the fact that Azamara gives 2 shows an evening..neither are really crowded and if you want to see both performances it is easy..one show is at 8pm and the other is at 10pm

Last night the 5 cast members did a little dance and singing show called Twisted TV..not my favorite show but the kids are so cute...and Dottie, the CD, is absolutely marvelous..she is all over the place all day and all night..I honestly dont know how she does it..

What our Captain ended up doing for today is wonderful..at 10:30 am we pulled into a container port in Amsterdam and at 11am the staff had about 8 busses to start transporting the guests to the center of Amsterdam (about 35 minute ride)..complimentary..then we had a choice of staying in Amsterdam while the ship moved to a downtown dock or coming back to the ship again by bus,by 4pm to ride to the new berth..(2.5 hours)

Mal and I did some shopping and then took our canal ride for an hour..by that time it was 2:30 and we went back to the shuttle to ride around to the berth on the ship..just drizzle today and dark skies but we are grateful for no downpour!!!!!!! I just love Amsterdam..people are so friendly, and the bikes ...my gosh all the bikes

I know I have said it before but I am amazed at the ease with changes in plans take place on this ship and how every passenger knows whats happening as the Captain makes constant announcements..

I will be sure and sail with Captain Smith again..

I appreciate all the kind words from you all and all the emails I have received are extremely welcome..

 

Brian..tell Jean I have worn mostly 3/4 or long sleeves and I am very comfortable..but I do suggest bringing a shawl for evening if she will be wearing short sleeves!!

 

Only 2 more days to answer questions..so please let me know if you need anything at all!!

Off for my nap..

Jancruz1

[cruiseyguy]

Hi Jan-Great reports! You were one of the earliest fans and agents for Oceania. How is Azamara comparing to Oceania at this point? Where does it excel as compared to O and where does it fall short?

[DaveFr]

Hi Jan,

 

I'm looking forward to your continuing reports. I hope you have a wonderful cruise.

 

At some time during your cruise, would you please report on the butler situation on the ship. According to the Azamara web site, suite passengers are charged an extra $4.00 per person per day for senior butler service in addition to regular butler and room attendant services. The implication is that the senior butler is not the same person as the regular room butler. Is this correct? Exactly what does a senior butler do? Thanks.

 

Dave

 

Im pretty sure I know but I will recheck with the hotel manager Phillip when I meet with him Friday..

Jancruz1

 

Only 2 more days to answer questions..so please let me know if you need anything at all!!

Off for my nap..

Jancruz1

 

Hi Jan,

 

Were you able to get the information about the butler situation in Sky Suites, Royal Suites and Penthouses? Thanks.

 

Dave

[Gitte]

Jan,

Thank you very much for your reports. Have you sailed through the locks to Amsterdam?

Who's the new Captain and Hotel Director?

We look forward to sail on the Journey.

 

Gitte

[uktog]

Jan

Thanks for your updates which I have only just been able to catch up with

If you are still on board say Hi to Philip from Ann and Charles - we are really hoping he will be on Quest in January - he is a delight and has such great attention to detail.

Sorry about the british weather, we had better weather up on our North Cape cruise last week than they have had here - Edinburgh was seriously flooded on Thursday

Sounds like the Azamara product is going to be good for us

Ann

[Jancruz]

Good afternoon everyone..I can hardly believe the 14 days is almost over..so amazing how fast time goes..

I left you all in Amsterdam after our Canal Cruise..

Mal went out in the late evening with someone she had met on the ship and she got to experience Amsterdam at night..on a scale of 1 to 10 she told me it was a 12.5 but they got lost walking back to the ship and walked in circles for about an hour..

Yesterday morning we were off the ship by 9:45am and we took a taxi (10 Euros) to the Anne Frank house..I had never been there before so it was quite the experience..When we arrived the line was about 1 block long and no surprise at all it was raining lightly..I will tell you, one of the best things I ever did was purchase tickets to AF House on the internet..all we did was pass everyone in the whole line to a door that says prepurchased tickets and walked right in..wonderful..If you have never been there it is definitely a do not miss in Amsterdam.

At about 11:30 we left the house and there was a taxi stand and the first driver told us to just get on the train for 3 Euros for us both and the Red Light District was a 10 minute ride..

Mal had seen some places in the area the evening before to shop and she remembered just where they were..

We shopped for about an hour and it really started to pour again and after a while since we were drenched (yet again) we decided to go back to the ship..

Lunch was good but yesterday for the first time I went to Windows for the tea and it was lovely..great scones and little sandwiches and I washed them down with Earl Grey Tea..

Last night we had dinner in Aqualina, with the 3 ladies we had met from California I wasnt very hungry so I ended up having 3 appetisers..

the one I ate for the dinner portion was seafood on ice (inluding 3 shrimp, 2 mussels, 2 crab claws and a small lobster tail..) just enough for dinner..BUT of course I was so good I ordered a Chocolate Souffle to end the dinner..YUM!!! ..but it was so rough on deck 10 Mal ended up going to her cabin very green..the Captain told us we had 35 mile an hour winds..and you could tell..later in the evening it did get better so we met Mal and sat on deck 5 at Cova Cafe for a time.

 

This morning we entered the Kiel Canal about 10am and the Captain came down to Celebrity Cabaret with many of the on board staff to say goodbye..he did tell us that from all the bad weather and winds we had on this trip..he did get a few gray hairs..

This afternoon on deck 9 by the pool they had a real German lunch..with several different types of sausages to try, German potato salad, cabbage and of course Apple Strudel for desert..

Since we leave in the morning..I have been wandering around to say goodbye to all and packing today..

I have loved everything about this trip..even the weather..although today it was cold, crisp and clear after this mornings rain!!

Getting to really spend time with Mal has been a joy and meeting the members of this crew and the passengers on this ship has been awesome..

 

Dave FR..The PH, Royal Suites and Sky Suites have what are called Senior Butlers and they take care of everything for you..I do have a list of what they do (packed of course) which if you are interested I can write when I return..the other cabins have a "room steward" that is called a butler..in my opinion I loved having the head butler..I really felt pampered..

 

Gitte The new Captain is Lief Carlson and the Hotel Manager is Niyazi coming back from vacation..

They are both really great!!

 

Ann and Charles..Phillip says hello back to you and he will be on Journey in January..

 

Tonight we will be eating in the main dining room (Discoveries) and tomorrow at 8:40 we are off to the airport using Azamara transfers..

I will finish this thread from home..and thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedule to read my adventures!!

Regards,

Jancruz1

[DaveFr]

Dave FR..The PH, Royal Suites and Sky Suites have what are called Senior Butlers and they take care of everything for you..I do have a list of what they do (packed of course) which if you are interested I can write when I return..the other cabins have a "room steward" that is called a butler..in my opinion I loved having the head butler..I really felt pampered..

Jancruz1

Thanks, Jan. I'm interested in seeing the list of Senior Butler duties when you get the time to put it online. I'm still not clear on whether there are two or three staff members taking care of each suite (i.e., is there a Senior Butler, a cabin attendant and an assistant cabin attendant as on Oceania or is there a Senior Butler and a cabin attendant taking care of each suite?).

 

Thanks again for your reports from the ship. I enjoyed them thoroughly.

 

Dave

[Susan-M]

Jan,

Thank you for posting your review ... it has been a pleasure reading about your experiences and how much you've enjoyed your trip. :)

[factor30]

Jan

 

I just had to add my thanks for such a great review these past couple of weeks. The weather in this part of the world has a lot to answer for at the moment. At least the grass in the garden is a beautiful shade of green with all the rain! Sounds like you had a great trip - we wish you a safe journey home to sunny CA.

We're now looking forward to the Journey in Feb.'09 even more.

 

Rita

[Andy]

Hi Jan !

 

Thanks for your wonderful updates. Have a safe trip home, and I look forward to hearing more about your trip when time permits !

[Mexfolkart]

Jan..this has been a wonderful post! Thank you so much and can't wait for our Journey trip! Any doubts I had about this line have been completely erased and we are VERY glad we chose Azamara!

Thank you so much!

Best, Sherry

[uktog]

Thanks for all your updates Jan - we will need to get Philip to hop over to Quest for us for January - nver mind!!

Would be interested in time to hear exacly what the enhanced butler did over and above the usual butler services and how it compared with a Celebrity butler. We are in a sky suite

A

[Aussieflyer]

Ditto to all those posts thanking you for the great live review of your trip. Thank you for making the time to post for us and answering all those questions, when you could have been doing something more relaxing. Even with some pretty ordinary weather, it sounded wonderful. We can't wait till our Quest trip later in September!

JJ

[oldscottie]

We were on the Journey in July for the Norwegian Fjords cruise - absolutely amazing. The library has a good selection of older books for check-out on the honor system and a bookcase filled with donated paperbacks for exchange. I am a voracious reader at home and barely had time to finish one book during our 12 night cruise with all the activities on shore and on board.

[oldscottie]

Passengers who book a spa package, such as massage or acupuncture, receive a 1 hour T-pool session immediately following their appointment.

[Jancruz]

It is really hard to believe I am home 2 days already..I would go back to Journey tomorrow if I could!!

 

Mal and I had dinner the last night in Discoveries at a table for two and it was really nice just chatting with her..she told me she did not want to get off the ship and was going to look for the Hotel Manager and tell him she wants to work on the ship..this from a girl who wasnt sure she wanted to go as she hadnt been away from home for 14 days..EVER!! Phillip being the good sport he is told her he would email the information to her..so we will see what happens..

After dinner I finished packing and also finished my goodbyes and extra tipping I wanted to do..and after a huge debate with myself decided to pack all my rain gear..BIG MISTAKE!!

I woke up at 6:30am to absolutely a downpour and huge black clouds..went to breakfast and ate with some lovely cruise critic members I had met at the party..Lou and Dianne (chachabelle) from Maryland..wonderful peopel!! I called Mal at 7:45 am and woke her..

I love the way Azamara handles the luggage when you disembark..after we put it out at night we never saw it until the aiport..how easy was that..of course I was picking the bags out in the pouring rain BUT that was not Azamaras fault~!!

Flights coming home were on Luftansa and excellent..it just always feels much longer coming home than going!!

FYI..All the tours we took were outstanding and I loved every guide..they were all terrific!!

 

In summary..I feel it was one of the nicest cruises and ships I have ever been on..I know some of you want me to compare to Oceania but I really cant do that as I take each cruise I am on for what it offers me and would I go again..and the answer is yes in a minute!!

 

OK..DaveFR here is the list of what the head butler does in the suites:

Assistance with packing/unpacking

Daily news delivery

Full breakfast

Evening hors d'oeuvres daily

Tea savouries on request

Shoeshine service

Delivery of requested board games

Fresh cut flowers

Fruit basket and one bottle of Evian water

Assistance with reservations in the specialty dining venues

Assistance with shore excursions

Assistance with reservations for AquaSpa

Delivery of room service and table setup

 

Hope this helps..

 

Until the next time regards,

 

Jancruz1

[orchestrapal]

Jan, thanks so much for your very happy and informative reports. We are now looking forward to our cruise in October '09 even more. Love Oceania but Azamara sounds like a wonderful alternative. Leaving on Journey October 11 which includes Israel. Can't wait. Why don't you join us?:D

[YoPhilly]

Thanks for your great posts. I'm a longtime Princess loyalist, but I'm considering Azamara Journey for a transatlantic. I'm just a bit reluctant to book an unknown .... can you convince me?

[Jancruz]

Thanks for your great posts. I'm a longtime Princess loyalist, but I'm considering Azamara Journey for a transatlantic. I'm just a bit reluctant to book an unknown .... can you convince me?

 

If my posts didnt convince you...maybe my grandaughter Mal can!!!

LOL

Jancruz1

[DaveFr]

OK..DaveFR here is the list of what the head butler does in the suites:

Assistance with packing/unpacking

Daily news delivery

Full breakfast

Evening hors d'oeuvres daily

Tea savouries on request

Shoeshine service

Delivery of requested board games

Fresh cut flowers

Fruit basket and one bottle of Evian water

Assistance with reservations in the specialty dining venues

Assistance with shore excursions

Assistance with reservations for AquaSpa

Delivery of room service and table setup

 

Hope this helps..

Hi Jan,

 

Thanks for the list. The duties described in the list don't look very different from the duties performed by the "butler" in a non-suite stateroom. When you get the time, I'd appreciate it if you would contrast the duties of the senior butlers in the suites and the duties of the "butlers" in the non-suite staterooms. What does a senior butler do that a non-suite butler doesn't do? I'm also still curious as to the number of staff that service the suites. Including the senior butler, are there two or three staff members servicing each suite? Finally, the list implies that each suite only gets one large bottle of Evian water per cruise. Is this correct or are sodas and bottled water provided in the suites as needed at no additional charge?

 

Thanks again.

 

Dave

[Jancruz]

Hi Jan,

 

Thanks for the list. The duties described in the list don't look very different from the duties performed by the "butler" in a non-suite stateroom. When you get the time, I'd appreciate it if you would contrast the duties of the senior butlers in the suites and the duties of the "butlers" in the non-suite staterooms. What does a senior butler do that a non-suite butler doesn't do? I'm also still curious as to the number of staff that service the suites. Including the senior butler, are there two or three staff members servicing each suite? Finally, the list implies that each suite only gets one large bottle of Evian water per cruise. Is this correct or are sodas and bottled water provided in the suites as needed at no additional charge?

 

Thanks again.

 

Dave

 

I cant answer your question off the top of my head so I have emailed someone at Azamara that can..I will post the answer as soon as I receive it..

I do know the Suites, PH, Royal and Sky all have butler, helper and head butler (3 people) and the regular cabins have butler and helper (2 people)

 

Back to you as soon as I hear

 

Jancruz1

[SkiCruiser44]

Jan,

 

What were the demographics on your cruise? A lot of Americans? Europeans? What about ages?

 

Sounds like you had a great trip and I look forward to sailing on Journey next Sept.

 

 

Kathy

[Jancruz]

Jan,

 

What were the demographics on your cruise? A lot of Americans? Europeans? What about ages?

 

Sounds like you had a great trip and I look forward to sailing on Journey next Sept.

 

 

Kathy

 

Hi Kathy,

I can only give you a guestimate as I really didnt ask while I was on board..

Mal was the youngest guest (at 19) there were a couple of little kids that belonged to some of the officers who had their wives on board you hardly saw them..I seemed to get the impressiion that the average age was between 50 and 65 years old..Mostly Americans..maybe about 10% Europeans you could tell the Europeans as they were the ones in the smoking areas..

I know you will be impressed with Azamara..as I was..I look forward to going back with Stu as soon as possible..

Maybe even with Orchestrapal..(thanks for the invite)

Have a great week all..

Jancruz1

[SkiCruiser44]

Thanks Jan - you could always look at doing the sailing we're on in 9/13/09 - 14 nights in the Med - some interesting ports.

 

It's so nice that they have limited smoking areas - I look forward to being in the casino without having to deal with the smell - a big plus!!

 

I think we've made a good choice in choosing Azamara - I just wish we could convince the other 2 couple we were going to sail with on Brilliance '09 to switch to this sailing but they are diehard Royal Caribbean fans.

 

Kathy