uktog

46 minutes ago, roger b said:

   I booked an unobstructed view cat Y my invoice stated :

 

Stateroom: Y-GTY Oceanview Guarantee Stateroom

Obstructed View Percentage: 0%

 

 I now find I have been given an Obstructed View .

  I also have it in writing from my agent that I did not have an unobstructed view .

 I would not have booked if  was going to get an Obstructed View !!

  Any advise Please ??

You need to go back to your travel agent- the challenge has to come via them to the cruise line 

7 hours ago, DrKoob said:

One of the best dissertations on the subject I have read. Having lived in airports for the last three days, it wasn't more than I wanted to know. It just shows me how stupid the entire thing is. 

It is so complicated and for us in the UK post Brexit a fact of any travel we do. Unfortunately any flight I do for a nice weekend away that’s over 80 minutes involves passport stamping and immigration lines. You’re so lucky in other countries! 
 

Loved your blog. So sorry about the incident in Bergen. It’s sad but nowhere is now exempt from mindless board hoodlum violence and destruction. 
 

Thank you for taking us on your journey 

1 hour ago, PRH said:

Captain just announced we will not make it into Paamuit due to heavy fog and ice.  So no Greenland for us.

Sorry to hear this. Sadly it was inevitable these ports are typically ice impacted until mid August. It’s unfortunate the marketing didn’t highlight this risk. Some other lines (eg Azamara) don’t sail there until later August recognising this

On 6/26/2024 at 8:59 PM, trident said:

We just had to cancel back to back cruises with Azamara.  These were booked under one booking number and the invoice showed that the cancellation fee would be $75.  When we called to cancel, we were told the cancellation fee would be $300.  $75/person for both cruises.  

This was not stated on the invoice. 

We canceled this booking because when we sailed with them around South Africa, most of the ship's passengers suffered with intestinal problems and the ship lied about the cause.  The pool was closed for the entire 37 days.  The company promised a future cruise credit for the days spent in isolation because of the illness but never made good on their promise.

We do not trust this company anymore and do not plan to sail with them ever again.

In the UK you would be charged £500 (around $600) to cancel one cruise. Just saying 

37 minutes ago, LuAnn said:

Can you use OBC to pay for the transfer from the ship to MIA? Is there a transfer that doesn't include a tour as well? 

Hi LuAnn. Yes you can. It counts as an onboard charge. They send a form to you room and you just tick the box for the transfer you want and sign the form to authorise the charge

Lovely to see you’ve an Azamara cruise booked xx

25 minutes ago, KevintheIrishDJ said:

Forgot. How many days prior when they charge more?

 

Depends on what country your booking is based in - it is shown on your confirmation 

In the UK it is on the first page and ours, for example is set out as follows

91 days or more   Full deposit eg £250 per person minimum

90 - 61 days 50%

60 - 31  days 75%

30 days or less 100%

I think you booked in the US so you need to look at your confirmation or ask your travel agent

45 minutes ago, Werangels said:

we will be looking for a day room thus November in Miami.  Is there any reason why you choose the Hilton over the Pullman which also has a pool please?

I have a Hilton honours level of loyalty. That’s the only reason 

9 minutes ago, alfredo1 said:

Ref uktog reply

We have a 9pm flight and look to use Uber to a dayroom. Are there hotels directly connected to the airport or do all require transport back there.

Thanks

The Miami International Airport Hotel is situated in the airport so no transport but a long walk.  We do not go there but used the shuttles over to the Hilton and back as we want a pool for the day.

Your room type makes no difference on Azamara in terms of when you can disembark.

19 minutes ago, Bobpell54 said:

 EJ pictures show an aft infinity pool with loungers

Are the chairs open to first come?

Bob

Yes 

Unfortunately Miami is a port where immigration authorities can be a challenge. Worst case ever I saw there was disembarking not starting until 9. Even if you didn’t clear the port until 0930 or even 10 a 1325 flight should be fine 

11 minutes ago, blag said:

In the light of what you have told me, it

looks like I'll follow your advice and will be arranging my own transfer from the ship.

Good luck! 

20 minutes ago, blag said:

But, see my screenshot in post #3, above.

Furthermore, in our next cruise (not this one), there was a fee from the ship, and no fee to the ship. I cannot make sense if this.

AFAIK Azamara has no flight information whatsoever for either cruise. 

They will contact you onboard for this. Their system has to have all the flight details I suspect to “cover their backs”. That was certainly the case each time we pre booked the drop off excursion before boarding 

5 minutes ago, roberts2005 said:

For some reason, Azamara does not quote a fee until they have your flight information.

I think this is because they want to have a check your flight is after the earliest flight allowed time and they do not want to commit to a transfer if there is a risk you will not make the flight.  Typically, this is around allowing three hour check-in time at the airport, which is far more than needed.
The same applies if you book on board or book the excursion which dropped you off at the airport and they can be very strict not agreeing a transfer if you missed that cut off by five minutes.  we also discovered as you have to put your flight number in that claiming your flight left five minutes later to allow you to meet there three hour check-in room gets you caught out because it gets rejected  you must have to claim to be on a different flight to get the excursion that drops off at 1500 for the 1755 flight back to the UK

I answered because you asked for experience out of Miami.  Sorry I did not realise I had to clarify that.

Certainly in Miami last time the only free transfers where those UK guests who had used Azamara for their air.  We used Uber.  We went to the airport hotel as we had a day room.  Had we used the Azamara shuttle on that occasion we would have then used the hotels hoppa bus over to our day room.

Our previous Miami experience was when we said no more shuttle to the airport due to cost, waiting around for others and no support from onboard staff when an issue arose (we had paid but were not on the bus list, I had to eventually somehow call up our ship account on my phone to be let onboard, no tickets are issued for the buses)

You will be allocated a time to disembark by Azamara - for an 0900 shuttle that is usually around 0815.  You will have a luggage tag that aligns to that departure/bus.  They do not ask shuttle guests to meet in a given area onboard, rather they expect you to disembark on time and make your own way to the bus, collecting your luggage, clearing any customs and taking your case to the bus.  Porters may or may not be available to assist you.

Insight - once off the ship you will find very few if any shipboard staff there to help, there will be a shorex person looking out for the tour people but they will not get involved with the shuttle which is run ex Guest Relations (know this from experience)

Tip - do not expect the shuttle to depart at 0900.  The ground based staff focus on ensuring the correct number are on the bus.  So if someone is tardy leaving the ship (or worst case decide to make their own way to the airport but do not tell anyone you will sit and wait and wait...)

Personally its quite a lottery and self organised taxi is usually better.  Of course if you have air with Azamara and are on an included transfer that is very different.

You can upgrade, your wife does not need to

9 hours ago, luv2travel90266 said:

Bring your favorite mixer on board.

 

Schweppes is sold in many countries, including:

• Europe: Schweppes is a leader in the tonic category in France, Italy, Iberia, Poland, Scandinavia, and the DACH region. It is also available in Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, The Netherlands, and Norway.
• North America: Keurig Dr. Pepper distributes Schweppes in North America.
• Australia: Schweppes Australia, a subsidiary of Asahi Breweries, distributes Schweppes in Australia. 

In which case Azamara should be able to regularly source stock. I’m not schlepping round ports to find it although I do admit out of desperation to heading to Morrisons in Gibraltar but then we would only have been staying onboard all day otherwise. (Done Gib nothing more to see) 

6 hours ago, Karen Lynn said:

Looking at a South Africa sailing in January 2026 and wondering what people think of this ship? She’s an older gal 🤭and reviews suggest she’s showing her age and looking tired … 

 

Anyone have any experience on this ship recently ?

 

thanks ! 

In my view journey and quest who have both been in Azamara’s hands, the longest are in the best shape so you are lucky with journey on your cruise. They do maintain them as well as they can. You do have to recognise that some of the fixtures and fittings are an older design so do not expect to see a lot of Chrome and sparkle.  
I also prefer any ship, but onward because I like the library and it has been taken out an onward and a bar putting its place. There’s plenty other options without it.

DH always wore a jacket (we were in the Caribbean) and I wore a range of weights of evening wear and never felt uncomfortable 

34 minutes ago, Mackdogmolly said:

Is this true? That is the last reason why I would choose not to rebook!

I am aware of several instances particularly from people who were first timers. For others it was one thing that combined with a couple of other minor issues. It’s not a reason for us but it can matter a lot for others 

32 minutes ago, hamrag said:

 

 

Thanks both. I guess it needs to be my TA then, as most cruiselines only deal with the party who does the booking.

I was booked through an agent for our April cruise but could manage my excursions direct HOWEVER they would not send any confirmations direct to me and I had to chase the agent for them.  I was paying for some by my credit card so the transaction was nothing to do with the agent in terms of payment but that made no difference.

12 minutes ago, hamrag said:

I've tried booking a couple, and it appears to confirm the booking, but going back in to check there is nothing showing as booked! Any advice please, maybe not doing it properly. We have excursion credit and OBC, so there's no way I'm making a payment and perhaps that's the issue.

I think you need to phone to use OBC 

29 minutes ago, hamrag said:

Are all excursions available on a sailing listed on the 'View Excursions' section of Manage my Reservation? Or, is there generally a fuller selection once on board?

 

TIA

Our experience onboard is often less and always more expensive though there are exceptions with the occasional offering added 

10 minutes ago, Bobreg said:

I understood your comment, but mine was that they won't focus much on the included wines if their goal is to sell more expensive wines that benefit the crew who push for better job and pay.  What is the best for the company and the shareholders is more money in revenue.

I agree however there has been quite a bit of evidence of people not rebooking because the quality of included wines had dropped. There’s been a lot of negative feedback in the last year. Secondly they will look at the ultimate package wines as they can retain current upgrades and encourage others. So I think the upselling of bottles will be a lower priority