hilary732

I did some research on Roatan Zip Lines, and will be going to Pirates of the Caribbean.

Reasons:

1. Although there are some with more zip lines, and PoC has 9 on the extreme/extreme, the length and height of the zip lines seem to be the longest/tallest I could find.

2. PoC is the only place I found that the zip line 'ends' based on gravity, not the user having to wear leather gloves, in order to stop. I am sure the gloves are safe, but it turns me off that it could cause an issue.

Cabin number 6087 (V3)

Ship Quest

Month/Year sailed June 2014

Choose again yes

Balcony size Normal

Any noise? Very quiet room. We never heard noise from either side, above or below. Due to its position in the hallway, no noise from people in halls either. Some vibrations when docking, but I think this was the entire ship.

Other comments AC not working first day, quickly fixed. The ship is small and this is positioned perfectly for me, away from noise, elevators, but a quick walk to everything.

Just got back and had a very nice time on the ship. I will post a review under the review site. Overall, we had a great vacation, but there were a few things that are easy fixes that would have made our vacation better, and Azamara stand out.

1. Between the "AzAmazing" night out, and the white party, and the 3 shows of very talented singers and dancers on board, we had 5 nights of superb entertainment. And two nights of a very bad magician. So close to me being able to say that the ship had great entertainment, but it's like they gave up on the other two nights. Screen the secondary acts a bit more.

2. Internet. Sorry, it is the worst, and way overpriced. By the minute charges, and at least 5 minutes lost on every log-in. On a ship offering supposedly such a high level of service, this was a source of frustration. Barely worked. I could put up with slow, if I werent paying $.60/minute. No offer of daily unlimited or weekly. Either fix the speed, or fix the price.

3. Add some water to the pool througout the day. By 2pm the water in the pool was like a tub. Not at all refreshing. It's salt water, I'm guessing from the water we are sailing on, so what would be the cost of keeping the pool temp a bit lower than the jacuzzi?

3A. Post some warnings about bare-feet and the deck. The decking is too hot to walk on barefoot. A heads up would have been nice. I was watching people burn their feet.

4. Menu's. Discussing if the food is good or not is really subjective. I wasn't overly impressed, but I met quite a lot of people that were. However, on a Greek/Turkey cruise, I was surprised that there were no specific menu items tipped towards those countries. This seems nit-picking perhaps, but I think it would have been a nice touch. I got the feeling that the menus are recycled week after week after week.

As I said, I had a great time. There were other issues I had, but obviously there is nothing they can do about bathroom size, balcony tables, etc, etc. The above are easy fixes.

Finally, I could just as easily do a large list of all the nice little touches that make Azamara great: no constant announcements, the fellow travellers were great, the captain was everywhere, the mattresses were fantastic, greeted with cold towels at port, great stateroom attendants, etc, etc. But I feel like the cruise line should be aware of the easy fixes.

Write faster! I leave on Thursday to get to Athens for my 7 day, and though I am on the quest, I see your review as being quite helpful..... So far so good anyway!

Thanks!

I've seen where i can buy minutes for internet time. Does the cruise offer an 'unlimited' plan? My daughter is in Ethiopia, and I dont want to miss a thing, not a call, email, text, etc. Want to leave my devices on 24.7. Does this exist?

Thanks Andy:

If there was a charge, my Travel agent picked up the cost!:D

Same exact document! Except the printed one is pretty, color, hard stock, and a souvineer. (I might have spelled that wrong....)

Just a happy camper!

Save the mean complaining stuff for the other threads! I'm headed to vacation!.

:rolleyes:Long Story Short:

1. My Travel agent told me that she would excpet my docs to arrive 2 weeks prior. 2. For some reason I decide to go online and do my express check in and stuff (and sign up for the amazing evening). 3. I ask my Travel Agent where my documents are. 4. She calls to find out, and since I printed out my E-docs, they dont mail the other ones. 5. She asks them to send the printed documents anyway.

Folks, what got sent is just so pretty and awesome, and just what I needed to get even more excited about the trip. A full color brochure, with our names printed out on the front, our color/sticky luggage tags in the middle, and a beautiful keepsake from my trip. The name on the cover made me feel very special. (I know, stupid, right?)

I know the Edocs are so much easier, but the printed document is really nice to have. So happy that my Travel agent decided to order the book (even though I screwed up, and did it all online). If your travel agent gives you the choice, I strongly suggest you get paper docs.

I have three more cruises booked on Azamara and even I am rethinking the last two based on reading this

Seriously???

Best I can tell (and I have followed this thread a while, I leave next week) it is 1 person that had an issue. Then a lot of discussion.

Just one complaint about mold. I am not even questioning the OP's motives or intentions or the truthfulness of the statement, just the idea that one bad comment/review would make you re-think a vacation.

Yes, that is a great idea! ^ It's all about the memories!

My Mistake TGG. I meant those small battery powered flickering candles!

No open flames on board!:)

We don't drink, so our collection of unopened bottles of celebratory champagne is quite large! :)

My wife isn't a big fan of being pointed in a crowd, so no singing happy birthday to her in public. One of her quirks that make me love her!

I was thinking about candles on the balcony for a romantic evening, though I dont think candles can compare to the moon for romance (and I am not so sure what type of wall seperate my veranda from the neighbors, so that might put a damper on too much balcony romance......:rolleyes:) Probably we will just do something special onshore.

We just bought a library filing cabinet (Like the one attached, but not that one, and about half the size) and we are going to dedicate each drawer to a certain trip, keeping small momento's and tokens we collect on the way from each country. We already have quite a few under our belt, but we figured this is a good way to keep it all organized, and also helps us keep our pictures, souvineers, collectables, and even rocks and sand we collect along the way in the right place. This trip will be allocated 3 drawers (we think) Cruise, Greece, and Turkey. Maybe two. We already have a table where we display our larger 'trophies', and a binder with our journals and trip reviews in them, so this is the last peice of the puzzle. Wish I had started it when my daughter was a bit smaller, but better late than never!

(Plus, this gives me the chance to see if I can post pictures!)

Taking her on this cruise seems kind of 'special' ;).

You dont know my wife: The cruise is already paid for, so it doesn't count.:eek::D

About #1 - There will be someone with menus for the specialty restaurants as you board. That person would be happy to make a reservation for you. The specialty restaurants tend to be less crowded the first night.

Sub question #1: My 25th wedding anniversary is June 18, a few days prior to sailing, so I can't really say "What can azamara do for me that will make my anniversary special", Since its not actually while we are sailing. But: Any suggestions to make the first night a bit more 'special'? My wife has put up with me for a quarter of a century, I feel like I should do something nice. I plan on eating in one of the specialty restaurants, but above/beyond that?

I fly out in 1 week from tomorrow......Excited!

Hey DLN929: I just re-read your review (yup). So I have 5 questions you might answer. (if anyone else knows, that;s good too!)

1. Can you make reservations to the specialty restaurants for the 1st night as soon as you board, or in advance? (if we dont do it the first night, we never will eat there).

2. Are the hot tubs hot? (Silly right, but at least one line, they are not)

3. Do they do towel animals and turn down service at night? (Beyond silly, but they crack me up).

4. Anyone know the prices of internet in the room? Is it per device or per cabin?

5. I've seen photos of the ship all white, and other where the bottom is blue. Is the ship white or blue? (as if the answer matters.....But I wonder)

I have a never short supply of curiosity about these things, so I know what to expect when I hop on board.

Yes, that was my Quest report. ).

Yes, you set the bar on 'how to do a helpful cruise review' and I even showed my wife the photos. The way I found it was I searched my cabin (6087) and somehow found your cruise review. It really should be somehow featured, because I stumbled on it by accident. A picture is worth a thousand words, though your words were pretty dang funny too.

That was one of the reviews where I went "yes, this is how you do a review that people can use". Thank you for that!

Thanks for the positive feedback. Sometimes the message boards can be a bit daunting, especially for an 'over researcher' like me. (I take my vacations very serious! )

Din929, I will take a photo of the place settings for sure. I had read your reviews (and seen the photos), and to say 'I owe you one' is an understatement. Reviews with Photos are the best! (at least I think it was yours.....I think it was one review in 6-7 parts?)

Readingfast, yes, we are signed up for the meet and greet. See you then!

Thanks all:

I will def try the shower in the spa.

I will surely order room service at least once to enjoy on my balcony.

And I always do long reviews (and include photos when I can) after the vacation. Writing it helps me to remember it all. (and tips I provide are a way to pay it forward for all the information I got off these boards).

I gave up cruising about 5 years back (maybe more) when I decided I wanted to be in a port more than 5 hours, that I didn't want to stand in lines constantly, and didnt want to feel like I was captive on a floating mega-hotel (I run hotels for a living). So for 5 years it has been land vacations.

For Greece, I wanted to Island hop, and my TA suggested Azamara. I discussed my growing dislike of the cruising experience, how I liked to venture and explore on my own. She told me about Azamara.

I leave next week. Set sail a week from Saturday. I am so excited.

I know the ship is small, and I am so happy for that. I hate crowds.

I know the ship is old, that's ok, I get that no one makes 600person ships anymore.

I know the entertainment is not going to be "Vegas", that is ok, I am not going all the way from the US to Athens so that I can hear some lounge singer, see a magician, or watch a 'michael jackson show'.

I know the room is tiny. That's a bummer, but I have a room with a balcony. And I only sleep in my room. I shower there too, but I have mentally pre-prepared myself to be bummed out at the size of the shower.

I hear the food is good, but with my itinerary, I can also sample some great local places. And customs. If I wanted a gourmet experience, I might choose another line. Mostly, I happily eat whatever is placed by me.

Even people with gripes against the line say the staff is superb. Good service from the staff is about all I have come to expect. (i have come to expect not so great service pre-cruise though. I'm ok with that, as long as vacation time is good time!)

I get a whole day in Athens before the Cruise.

Most of the stops, we arrive early (8am) and leave late (10pm). I can actually see the area, explore.

So I am just so freaking ready. Whoever invented the idea of longer times in port, appealing to a customer that doesnt want to be one of 3000 passengers, appealing to a customer that doesnt want to worry about the cost of a soft drink on board, they created this line for people like me. Maybe I will have a great experience on the ship, maybe not. (I hope so), but in a week I get to spend about 168 hours on vacation, and if I choose, 84 of them can be spent seeing the places I have dreamed about seeing for years.

Man o man, how am I supposed to focus on work for the next 9 days!

Marty

I have bad asthma and am very mold allergic how would I handle this?

We are on Quest for the first time in Feb

Mold is not mildew. And Mold is not a problem on any cruise ship, or you would hear about it...big time! The original poster had a bad experience, it happens, but don't expect your experience to be the same. Nor should you expect one bad experience to be the "rule" (or one great experience for that matter). I've read lots of reviews, the Mold issue is a new one. Not saying it didn't happen, just saying you could worry yourself sick over it, and it will not change what happens when you hop on board.

Don't believe me? Find the ship that has been sailing over 2 years, the absolute best in the world if you can, and look at those reviews. Probably 99% will say it is the most wonderful ship in the world, and 1% might say it was absolute poison, horrible food, and the captain should be shot.

Use the boards to educate yourself about the ships, ports, and exciting things you will do! Using them to anticipate problems is a wasted emotion!

I sail a week from Saturday....PM me your cabin number and I will give the porters a heads up about your trip in February. :)

Marty

Speaking as a frequent traveller, one who uses message boards and reviews frequently, I'd like to throw my opinion out there.

Often when someone posts a negative experience (hotel, cruise ship, it doesn't matter), the first few responses are 'sorry this happened', then the next few are 'well, I stay all the time and never experienced....', and then the OP will come back around and restate the issue, adding additional feelings and perhaps issues, and then someone else seeks to invalidate those feelings.

I've been on brand new ships, and I've been on very old Carnival ships. I've come to expect m'eh service prior to boarding, and bad service after the cruise. (All the lines are bad at customer service). It's what happens in the middle that counts, and I hope I don't have the OP's experience, because despite the many ACC fans that have had problem free stays (and become ACC fans) this person didn't. It is too bad the ship board personnel are not empowered to provide better problem resolution, it would make a difference.

I leave on Quest in 11 days. I've read the reviews, know what to expect both good and bad, and cannot wait for a great vacation. No one should read the horribly bad nor perfectly growing reviews without a grain of salt.

Marty

We are on the quest June 21. Because we booked our hotel on our own, we do not have a transfer from the hotel to the peir. No worries, a cab is reasonable, and it will probably be easier and less hassle than taking the azamara bus from the hilton.

So, does anyone know how early we can board? (Check in). I know the room might not be ready. Anyone know what time the restaurant opens?

I am so grateful I found this. Was looking for cabin reviews, and since you were only a few cabins down from where we will be staying, I for some reason clicked your review. So glad I did. You nailed it for me. Answered a million questions, and I am grateful and glad you took the time to write it.

Thanks!

We are in Rhodes next month on Azamara, and I'd like to spend a few hours renting a boat on our own. I found a place very far south (1 hour) from the port, I wondered if there was any place closer to port where we can rent a motor boat a few hours and explore the coast line on our own.

Thanks for any information you can provide.