cruiservirginia

On our first Oceania cruise on the Marina in 2012, we were in the penthouse category. The first night, after we returned from dinner, there was a notice on the bed offering an upgrade. Since the price was not enticing and we had already unpacked, we did not consider it.

Although it is not expected, we tip our butler and the cabin attendants. We also tip in the specialty restaurants.

All with such great input-- thanks so much! Looks like we won't have to worry about food quality on Az. Any suggestions on which excursions are musts and which are passable? Any cabins/floors to avoid on Az ship?

DH and I took the August 2016 Azamara Norwegian Fjord cruise and I have suggestions for the ports. Within several weeks, I'll post them on the forum commenting on our cruise.

At least in our case, we booked our business class air through Regent at a savings of at least $1400 per person over the same flight shown in Kayak. That is meaningful to me in any comparison analysis.

I was on the same cruise as rallydave. We booked our business class air through Azamara (Air2Sea, formerly Choice Air) and the price was 50% less than shown on Kayak. On our first two Azamara cruises, our price was the same as shown on Kayak.

I asked in previous posts for someone whose hairdryer worked to post the brand!

 

Tell!

My old Remington hairdryer (US plug, 1875 watts) worked well on the Quest. My hair is very thick and wavy and the Azamara dryer would not have been effective.

Just off the Quest. We might dine more in Discoveries if the tables for two had more spacing. There are very few two-tops where it's possible to have a private conversation. In Windows Cafe and the Patio, the tables are also on top of one another, but that is to be expect in those venues. We mostly dine in the specialty restaurants and I was dismayed to see a slight change in Aqualina. There are two-tops on top of one another in the back of the restaurant.

I just got off the Quest. I brought my own hair dryer (US 1875 watts) and was glad I did. My dryer worked well. The dryer in the room did not have the same level of heat/power.

Now I am really disappointed. We dined in the MDR the evening we sailed from Stavanger and the waiter did not say the the salmon was fresh and wild. I certainly would have ordered it had I know. We also missed out on the freshly caught cod several days earlier. The captain announced it was available in Aqualina, but there were only 10 portions.

Cabin: 8043

Ship: Quest

Date: August 2016

Choose again: I would not choose this cabin again

Noise: Noise is an issue. Between 6 and 7 a.m. each day, I was awoken by the banging of the lounge chairs on the pool deck as staff set them up.

Balcony: standard for club continent suite

Other: This cabin has a shower and a wing chair. The shelf in the bathroom was narrow. Some cabins have deeper shelves.

Just got off the Quest. We were in club continent suite 8043. It had a shower and wing chair. The shower was lovely. The shelf in the bathroom was very narrow. There was a small towel bar on the shower door for the hand towels. We used the hooks on the bathroom door for our robes, but they kept getting in the way of closing the door. There were no other hooks or towel bars. Housekeeping put the clean towels and extra tissues and toilet paper on the shelf under the sink so there was no space there for personal items. I would not book this room again since the noise from the pool deck woke me up every morning between 6 and 7 a.m. Guest Relations told me the deck is washed every morning and the chairs are set-up by 7 a.m.

What is a customary tip in Aqualina and Prime C? At the end of the meal, we are presented with a bill with a line for a tip even though there are no charges. We haven't eaten in the MDR in several years so I don't know if that is also the procedure there. When we were on Oceania, we were not presented with a bill in the specialty restaurants when there were no charges.

In August, DH and I will embark on our third Azamara cruise. Azamara passengers are interested in seeing the sights and all 3 roll calls have been very active. I have found the information sharing to be invaluable, and many tours have been arranged.

I prefer a shower, but a tub is fine. I do, however, expect a loveseat, not a wing chair. With 5 sea days on an upcoming cruise, I want to be able to lie on the loveseat and read. I booked the cruise 2 years ago and just learned on this board that I will have a wing chair, not a loveseat. Azamara put wing chairs in the rooms that have showers and loveseats in the rooms that have tubs. I think all rooms should have a loveseat.

I wasn't informed what our CC suite has for our August 2016 and February 2018 cruises. I would want a shower and a loveseat, if that combination exists. It's probably too late for 2016, but might be possible, if it exists, for 2018.

I've never had significant OBC, but will for a February 2018 cruise on Azamara. Is it possible to book the excursions online then cancel and rebook using OBC when on board? If so, will a refund be issued to the credit card used for the online payment?

My husband's favorite beer is Becks so he is happy that it's included. Don't change that!

I, too, have had problems over the past years receiving email messages from Azamara. I was on the Azamara email distribution list, dropped off, reinstated, dropped off again, and reinstated many times. Each time, it was a while before I realized I was missing emails. I sent emails to LeClub Voyage and was told that I was opted out of communications even though I never opted out. Each time it took quite a while for LeClub Voyage to get the issue resolved. I have no confidence that it is fixed this time. Bonnie, it is very frustrating. Azamara needs better technology. I want to sail with Azamara, but will not do so if I don't know the offers.

DH and I sailed on the Journey in 2014 and 2015. The included red wines were very inexpensive and not to our liking. You may, however, be able to find some that are drinkable. Once a wine is served, you can request it on subsequent nights. For example, both years, the Crusher Merlot at $13 per bottle retail was one of the better options so we had it multiple nights. In 2015, there was a Melini Laboral Chianti Classico with some age that was okay so we had it twice. We love Napa Valley cabs so the Cousino-Macul, a very inexpensive cabernet sauvignon from Chile, was not to our liking. In 2014, we enjoyed the Golden Triangle Pinotage, but did not like the Stellenzicht Pinotage which was served in 2015. The Periquita Red Blend from Portugal was okay.

The included wines are no longer listed on the website. There were 9 red and 9 white wines in the rotation, and one rose. While the wines may have changed, this gives you and idea of the wines served. The other red wines were:

Bulletin Place Shiraz (Australia)

Castle Rock Pinot Noir (California)

Cline Zinfandel (California)

Gerard Bertrand Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Speciale (France)

Bonnie,

Thanks for the clarification. I, too, thought the free bags of laundry were earned in increments of 7 days. Based on your response, are cruises between 8 and 14 days entitled to two free bags of laundry? Are cruises of 15 days entitled to three free bags of laundry?

Bonnie,

Prior to embarking I decide the venue in which we will dine each night so I can make dining reservations as soon as we embark. To assist in planning, it would be helpful to know in advance the ethnic cuisine that will be featured in Windows Cafe and Discoveries each evening. It would also be helpful to know the dates of the White Night and of the Aqualina menu change. (It changes mid-cruise on longer cruises.) Are you able to obtain this information or is there someone else I should contact?

DH and I were very happy with SPB Tours http://www.spb-tours.com. We had a private 3-day tour of St. Petersburg with a guide and driver. I slightly customized their deluxe tour. We have a friend who subsequently used them for the 3-day group mini bus tour and was very pleased.