uktog

1 hour ago, longboard55 said:

So if drinks are included and I do not want a 7 course meal, what do I use my OBC for.  Do they have a gift shop?

They only have very expensive specialist shops

We have a large amount of obc for the transatlantic due to Explora messing up on an itinerary change. Our hotel booked through them was to be b and b but they claimed unable to get a rate other than room only so gave us obc to cover the extras.  This was in addition to the obc (price reduction not given) when they reduced the cruise by two nights.
My agent tried very hard to argue a refund but no. It was ridiculous and Explora just said obc for 4 nights breakfast and 2 nights less or nothing 
I accepted the position because I’d identified three excursions that whilst pretty expensive would use the credit. I will be very unhappy if we do not get these now we have to wait until we board to book them. I expected Explora to be like Azamara as they use the same software and to be able to use obc to book excursions precruise. 
Having been onboard before I know there is absolutely nothing else I would want to spend this obc on. I will be very very unhappy if I can’t get the excursions I want or close alternatives 

22 minutes ago, ECCruise said:

There really is no way of knowing at which terminal you will be docked until embark/disembark day.  We've used Pireaus many times and have been to all the terminals.

 

We did the exact same once, disembark and ferry immediately to Hydra.  No way we would have walked with bags...long trek.

I couldn’t imagine dragging bags in the heat for the sake of 10 euro taxi 

4 hours ago, KevintheIrishDJ said:

On a related topic. There was a post recently, people like to eat at the Patio and then go to the DR for snacks or desert. I thought the menu doesn't change and is very limited there.

They do a special every night. Many people who go align their visit to their favourite special. There is a board advertising the special every day by the Deck 9 lifts and if the chef has fixed on the special before the Insider goes to print you will find the details there. 
 

3 minutes ago, Belfastman said:

I have watched cocktails being made in Prime C and the Den and quite often these are also free pour. But each to their own I really enjoy the Atlas bar whereas I would never wish to have dinner on the Patio which I know a lot of people like.

Agree but there they do not act all insulted if you ask for a measured drink. As you say each to their own (the Patio is a once a cruise for us on a casual night after a long day’s touring but not an absolute must by the way )

16 minutes ago, Laganlady02 said:

I think it depends on the bartender. Budi (who set up the Atlas Bar) and Mike are excellent, our drinks were always just right.

Even the bartenders can be inconsistent- our experience was with those two. I am much more a fan of cocktails precisely measured rather than free pour guessing 

Unfortunately the theatre doesn’t always deliver well prepared drinks as you get in good cocktail bars on land. Too often staff equate an overly heavy hand on the spirits bottle with a good cocktail. I know though that some guests think that is great 

1 hour ago, Mrs Miggins said:

First time on Onward in September - just wondering if a visit is actually worth $40 ($20 each if that's right )  I do drink alcohol so do not want to miss a new "experience" but wondered if there was an alternative.

Drinks would be charged at $18.95 each for a special cocktail if you do not have a package. It’s not really an experience other than rather bright video wall. I far prefer if I want a quiet drink having it in Prime C where you can get the included drinks 

14 minutes ago, Mrs Miggins said:

Just wondering what is in the Atlas Bar for those who don't drink alcohol ?

They can mix non alcoholic drinks but so can the Den and the Living Room so not worth a visit imho. 

There are no included drinks available in the Atlas bar only the ultimate package range so no package you have to pay and there’s no Gordon’s etc. 

There are now books in the Living Room but it’s only a fraction of what the library had. As before there are travel type books in the Den. 

One solo lady at our Bob turned up 40 minutes late as she only wanted the main course. To be fair she had told her butler but it messed up the table dynamics. Even if you don’t want the food you could take a morcel of each course - so rude

Great to read another of your excellent reviews. It’s so helpful you store them all together on your website so I don’t have to search here for them!  Your reviews first helped us many years ago on Celebrity cruises and it’s fantastic you’re still sailing and producing quality well selected photos (just the right amount!) with such useful hints and tips. Thank you! 

13 hours ago, lovetosew said:

Where is everyone's sense of adventure? I have been on so many cruises with side trips to dining venues to try the local cuisine and some of my best travel tales are of peoples lack palate curiosity. I will not repeat but to encourage.  As my mom would say, "Just one bite."

Whilst I agree when you are working around food allergies (nuts and chilli in our case) you want to find a menu that has least adaptations otherwise as DH found to his cost he gets lower quality substitutes at times. 

Same on Azamara. Last time on Explora either they ignored the maximum or it wasn’t applying on the excursions we did. 
Azamara are brutally strict their system flags up your age and it will not allow a booking to be made - in our case we couldn’t join a cooking class which was ridiculous. 
They said it’s the company that provides the excursions that sets the limits and they have to follow them strictly. No way round the issue - other than suggesting I being slightly younger went and DH went on a panoramic drive around - that was the ultimate slap as he’s fitter than me. 

12 minutes ago, Grandma Cruising said:

I found that exact wording on the UK site under Booking FAQs in the Pricing section.

Interesting we’ve been told sale reductions do not reduce your fare and in the UK it only relates to a wholesale reduction eg change in taxes 

1 hour ago, blag said:

Oh well, it is just so easy.

I'm astonished that you don't know. 

Go to Booked Guests > Easy Check-in > FAQ's > How do I obtain luggage tags for my Azamara cruise?

Then click on the name of your ship(s) to download the tag(s). 

 

Thank you. No need for the sarcasm 😂

3 minutes ago, riandei said:

Thanks for sharing.

 

but will still like to know how to do it myself

So would I 

6 hours ago, GregoryPaul said:

Interesting discussion, especially as the FAQ section of their website states;

 

If I book now and the fare is further reduced, will I get the discount?

We do not have a discounting strategy however should your fare be reduced for any reason, we will adjust your fare accordingly.

Not on their UK site as far as I can see

15 hours ago, joseph123 said:

 

This has always been common practice. Most cruise lines will honor cost reductions if there is a price decrease or incentives offered before you make final payment. I have personally experienced that with just about all the cruises I have taken. For Explora, I had a 7 day cruise booked on the Explora II for this Feb that I booked during the black Fri sale event last year and then noticed that there was a 9 night cruise offered a month earlier at the same price. I contacted Explora customer service and they allowed me to make the change without loosing my deposit. I was informed that their policy was such that they would allow one change only without penalty before final payment is made. So in essence, I am now booked for a 9 day cruise on Jan 5, Mia/Mia for the same price I had booked the 7 day cruise Feb 21, SJA/MIA. I also paid $1,000.00 less pp than the rate being offered today for an OT1, so that Black Fri sale was pretty awesome! I am very happy with that and the way their customer service team handled.

This business practice is not global. Cruise lines may well look after US guests this way but the cruise industry does not have as generous terms in UK, Europe and Australia. Explora appears not unsurprisingly to be follow European conventions. Those of us who have watched others benefit from price drops in the past whilst locked out prefer the Explora model. 

48 minutes ago, Mrs Miggins said:

2 days ago received an offer to upgrade our September booking - we are B2B and the offer was for the second leg of 7 days - BCN to Monaco.  Submitted offer just above minimum for CC.  Offer accepted, and if successful they would inform later.

However today had email saying the offer had ben cancelled "due to a change in your reservation".  We have not made any changes.  Just followed a link "Azamara Upgrades" and after entering surname and booking reference another list of possible upgrades were shown.  This time for the first 4 day cruise of our B2B.  The minimum price per person is listed as £385.  This is exactly the same as the previous minimum price quoted on the 7 day cruise.

I have only one booking number - so can't explain any of the above.

The process has obviously been outsourced.  Disappointed at the moment but will phone on Monday.  Not expecting anyone in the UK to be able to help.

It’s been reported on another thread you cannot bid on b2b cruises on a single reservation number. It’s a bug the outsourced provider cannot work around. Evidently the advice is to enquire once onboard. 
Personally I’ve given up on the upgrade “benefit” a long time ago when they outsourced it and weren’t transparent on whether loyalty counted or not. I book the best I can afford from the outset and leave it at that. 

2 hours ago, seatrial said:

I’m just curious, what is EJ’s official policy on price-drops after booking?

Our experience in the UK booked through one of one of their major travel agent partners is no chance. It’s a rebook and loose the initial deposit (we declined) 

Very interesting. Although a little OTT should be compulsory pre board viewing. 
One area he touched on which we have noted regularly is a problem on Azamara is some guests are monopolising the serving crew in bars and particularly in Windows café the first day and service really suffers. 
 

Our son worked in a hotel which was a high-end experience and had a lot of Asian staff who joined them. One of the training programs they had was what they called disengagement training.  Azamara needs this.
 

What this related to was explaining to staff whose cultures were to be impeccably polite that there were techniques to use to be able to get away from guests and perform their work duties as part of a team.  Indeed some of the staff reviews were marked down because they spent so long chatting to guests even though the guests reviews might name them as being wonderful.  The feedback they got from the Trainees was they were very grateful for this training because many of them found the level of questioning intrusive and awkward . Dare I say it particularly by some of the American guests who tend to be quite intrusive compared to British European guests would ask  eg asked about number of children family circumstances where they live animals they had at home etc - not realising a line was crossed. The staff found it an intrusion into their personal space unsettling but they answered the question perhaps giving the impression of wanting to share the information. Training practice answering questions like that and give a polite response close down the conversation was so appreciated. 
 

I think also Azamara could also give some of the more Junior crew guidance on how to interact with guests on social media.  Recently, I have seen one member of the staff publicly displaying on their page thank you notes including the names of the guests, their home addresses and gifts received. It’s almost like they are looking for this from others which is totally inappropriate and must annoy some of their fellow crew members.  
 

I also think Azamara should strongly discourage guests from funding crew members at home on an individual basis. It happens and I know it upsets some crew. 

We all have a lot to learn and need to me much more emotionally intelligent around staff and other guests. This video was a timely reminder. 

16 hours ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

I’m definitely passing on the shark. I’ve seen the videos.

 

They fooled me once with Vegemite. Fool me twice? No way.

 

This begs the question. What do foreigners think the weirdest thing Americans eat? And don’t say hot dogs because they are just another form of sausage.

Grits

2 hours ago, cavaaller said:

I know…

 

just don’t like to be reminded that I will have to leave this ship.

Have you any other suggestions how they could tackle this? 

Why not tell the servers your preferred tastes - they will be able to give you great advice. I love the smoked negroni but it is a matter of taste