ADVICES. I'm in need of your opinions!

[ItalianGuest]

Dear overseas cruisers,

 

I'm looking for a 7 night Mediterranean cruise on AZAMARA JOURNEY, from 25 Apr 2009 to 02 May 2009 and I'd like to have some opinions about Azamara Cruises in general and about some specific points...

 

I'm a X-loving and so I think to retrieve all the best of Celebrity on board Azamara... is It right ???

I love T-pool, afternoon tea and relaxing atmosphere, for ex.... can I find all this on Journey?

 

Now the fare for an ocean view stateroom is about 1.320 $ pp ... I'd like to know if according to you It's a good price or, maybe, I've still to wait for a best priece? You are the specialists...

 

What about the ship stability?

 

Thanks in advance and please, fell free to leave whichever useful comment for cruise with Azamara.

 

Regards, :) ItalianGuest

[Andy]

Hi Italian Guest !

 

We are long time Celebrity passengers, and we were on Azamara Quest last year. We thought the ship was wonderful, and the food and service were outstanding. If it is relaxataion you want, there is plenty of it on Azamara. The Loungers on the Pool Deck were heavenly. As for stability, We sailed the Caribbean, and went through a major storm. We thought the ship handled very well considering the circumstances. Regarding Price ? Well, that is hard to be certain of, as prices can change..... but if you are saying it is 1,320 PP in US Dollars, that seems to be a very fair price for a wonderful, and upscale Cruise experience.

 

I truly feel you will be very happy with Azamara. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. Enjoy your Cruise !

[ItalianGuest]

Hi Italian Guest !

 

We are long time Celebrity passengers, and we were on Azamara Quest last year. We thought the ship was wonderful, and the food and service were outstanding. If it is relaxataion you want, there is plenty of it on Azamara. The Loungers on the Pool Deck were heavenly. As for stability, We sailed the Caribbean, and went through a major storm. We thought the ship handled very well considering the circumstances. Regarding Price ? Well, that is hard to be certain of, as prices can change..... but if you are saying it is 1,320 PP in US Dollars, that seems to be a very fair price for a wonderful, and upscale Cruise experience.

 

I truly feel you will be very happy with Azamara. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. Enjoy your Cruise !

 

Good morning from Italy and thank you very much for your reply, Host Andy!:)

 

I'd have two more questions::confused:

- Being a select member of X's Captain's Club, can I switch to Azamara's Captain's Club at the same level, like between X and Rccl?

- Since in spring we usually don't have a very warm weather, is Journey anyhow a good ship? Are there indoor pool on board or Jacuzzi for free?

 

One more time many thanks, CIAO

 

ItalianGuest

[ItalianGuest]

One more question:

what kind of performance are usually sown in the main theatre?

I love both Broadway style and cabaret show but, being Italian and speaking English not very well, I usually prefer the firsts one.

I ask this because the theatre seem to be too small for an impressive musical.

So, what's the situation on Journey?

 

Thanks in advance! Have a wonderful day!!!:)

 

Ciao, ItalianGuest

[Dick in Falls Church]

We were on the Journey last spring. Didn't use pool, so can't help there.

The cabaret is quite small, and entertainment didn't have any big impressive shows. We did have solo performers who we thought were excellent. The smaller area allows much more interaction between the guest and the performers. There was one group of maybe 5 singers. I listened a few minutes, but the choice of voices and selections wasn't what I liked.

 

Azamara recognizes the same levels attained on Celebrity or Royal Caribbean. Up until a bit ago they used the Celebrity Captains Club numbers. That was changed a few months ago. However, the perks aren't great--don't even know if there are any!

 

We certainly enjoyed the ship--well enough that we are booked on a TransAtlantic in December.

[shoshona2]

Hi all,

 

Just finished reading the newest review of the Quest and the poster said that they received Captain's Club perks of free minutes on computer and free coupons for laundry service. Does anyone know anything about these perks? RCCL usually has a coupon book in the cabins of a club member on their ships?

 

Sheila

[susiesan]

ItalianGuest:

We are on that cruise and then staying on for the next one Venice to Athens, so we have a 14 day cruise. We are in an inside on deck 4. If you decide to take this cruise there is a roll call already started:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=830808

 

Susie

[ItalianGuest]

We were on the Journey last spring. Didn't use pool, so can't help there.

The cabaret is quite small, and entertainment didn't have any big impressive shows. We did have solo performers who we thought were excellent. The smaller area allows much more interaction between the guest and the performers. There was one group of maybe 5 singers. I listened a few minutes, but the choice of voices and selections wasn't what I liked.

 

Azamara recognizes the same levels attained on Celebrity or Royal Caribbean. Up until a bit ago they used the Celebrity Captains Club numbers. That was changed a few months ago. However, the perks aren't great--don't even know if there are any!

 

We certainly enjoyed the ship--well enough that we are booked on a TransAtlantic in December.

 

Thank you!:)

[ItalianGuest]

ItalianGuest:

We are on that cruise and then staying on for the next one Venice to Athens, so we have a 14 day cruise. We are in an inside on deck 4. If you decide to take this cruise there is a roll call already started:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=830808

 

Susie

 

 

Good morning Suise,

 

I'm very glad to know that someone had already book this cruise!

Many thanks for the information!

May I ask you if according to your personal opinion prieces are destine to grow up in a short time or not? Or,maybe, even come down...?

I'm new of Az and so I have no idea about their prieces policy. But, for instance, I know that Rccl usually offer very good bargain a little bit before the sailing date....:rolleyes:

 

Have a nice Sunday, arrivederci

 

ItalianGuest

[Susan-M]

Hi all,

 

Just finished reading the newest review of the Quest and the poster said that they received Captain's Club perks of free minutes on computer and free coupons for laundry service. Does anyone know anything about these perks? RCCL usually has a coupon book in the cabins of a club member on their ships?

 

Sheila

 

Hi Sheila,

We were on the same sailing as the author of the review that you read (Quest- 14 day Med cruise). We had 4 vouchers in the cabin when we arrived (not in a booklet) - 2 were for 20 minutes of free internet time each, and 2 were for $7. free laundry each. There were no conditions attached to the use of these ... i.e. no need to spend a certain amount in order to get the freebies. (Note: this was for Select Level CC).

 

Italianguest ... to answer a few of your questions:

- shows: we saw two evening performances which were very good (a singer, and a Carnegie Hall pianist). The Azamara band was quite good. The theatre is a good size and seating was never a problem.

There were solo entertainers in various places on the ship (Mosaic Cafe, and during dinner in Windows Dining Room, either inside or out on deck) ... they were very good.

 

- pool: it is quite small and got little use on our cruise (Oct) as it is outside. There 2 hot tubs in the pool area. The T-Pool which is on deck 9 & there is a separate charge for it (I didn't use it.)

 

- stability: We had calm seas most of the time, but on the two days when seas were rough (12-14 foot waves) the ship was still quite stable, although I did feel the movement.

 

- tea: afternoon tea was held in a specialty dining room only on sea days.

 

- price: if the cruise is selling well, prices won't come down, and may even go up... and if it's not selling well, prices are likely to come down as the sailing date gets nearer. If you don't have to make travel arrangements in advance, I would probably wait to see if pricing drops. But if you have your heart set on this cruise, it might be best to book now. If you do book now, ask your travel agent if you'll get a lower price if the price drops after you've booked. (Normally you have to monitor the prices yourself and call the TA if it does drop, but policies seems to vary in different countries.)

[susiesan]

Good morning Suise,

 

I'm very glad to know that someone had already book this cruise!

Many thanks for the information!

May I ask you if according to your personal opinion prieces are destine to grow up in a short time or not? Or,maybe, even come down...?

I'm new of Az and so I have no idea about their prieces policy. But, for instance, I know that Rccl usually offer very good bargain a little bit before the sailing date....:rolleyes:

 

Have a nice Sunday, arrivederci

 

ItalianGuest

 

The price has already dropped for us. About 2-3 weeks ago AZ had a special on all Europe cruises for 2009. I had our TA look into it and we saved $1000 for the 2 cruises by rebooking at the lower rate. Plus we booked when the fuel surcharge was only $5 a day. Prices on AZ website for our cabin are higher than what we paid. With the dollar getting stonger it makes travel in Europe cheaper for Americans-we get more euros for the buck. That may cause more Americans to go to Europe next year. Or the recession and higher taxes we will have to pay may cause more people to cancel their vacations. No one knows yet.

 

If you book now and the price drops you can always change it. If you live in Italy you are available to take a last minute cruise if there is a deal. Since we are using FF miles to get to Europe I had to book 11 months in advance. There are only 4 cat 12 inside cabins, the least expensive and we got one. We have the same cabin for both weeks so don't have to change.

[Andy]

One more question:

what kind of performance are usually sown in the main theatre?

I love both Broadway style and cabaret show but, being Italian and speaking English not very well, I usually prefer the firsts one.

I ask this because the theatre seem to be too small for an impressive musical.

So, what's the situation on Journey?

 

Thanks in advance! Have a wonderful day!!!:)

 

Ciao, ItalianGuest

 

Hi Italian Guest !

 

Dick in Falls Church did an excellent job of answering your entertainment questions. As he said, the lounge offers individual entertainers, and a 5 member group, which performs a few different shows. We happened to enjoy them very much. However, like the subject of food, entertainment can be subjective to your tastes. The one thing you should NOT expect, is lavish production shows like you would see on Celebrity. For us, that was not a concern, and we enjoyed the entertainment very much !

 

If you have additional questions, feel free to ask.

[ItalianGuest]

Thanks again. You are all very kind!:):):)

 

See you soon, ItalianGuest

[shoshona2]

Hi Susan-M,

 

Thanks for the info.

 

Sheila