federalexpress

That was a nice review of your cruise, enjoyed reading it. Last time I was in Norway, I found it eye wateringly expensive and I guess a cruise is a pretty cost effective way of doing it.

On 8/7/2022 at 6:30 PM, Mackdogmolly said:

That sounds like a much better itinerary than the Canary Islands intensive that my sister and her partner booked as first time Azamarians. Wouldn’t have been my choice, but I might join them as a solo. Haven’t made up my mind.

If you call at La Gomera, this is a beautiful island, been twice and I don't usually repeat visit places. I don't know how long you stay but the Garonjay National Park is very lovely, some fantastic trails if you like walking and superb scenery.

3 hours ago, Beamafar said:

You may be pleased to hear that Oremus (dessert wine) is also included.  I had it in Windows at lunch.   I very much enjoyed it.  Nicer than the SB, but still not as sickly sweet as Sauternes. Even DH enjoyed a glass (and he’d never normally touch the stuff). 
 

I had the Wairau River SB (I’m assuming - I didn’t see the bottle;  just asked for an SB) today, also.  I found it better than the Chardonnay.  I’ll try the Pino Grigio next.  

Yes that is very good to know, it is a pretty decent quality dessert wine. The lists you kindly post are interesting. I doubt I'll need to indulge if I'm already on a package (unless there is a deep discount) but it's quite eclectic. As far as I can tell, with a few exceptions, they seem to apply roughly a flat £20 mark up on retail making the more expensive wines very fair value. The Caymus wines for example. Or at the ultra high end, the Ornellaia and Inglenook wines are actually not far above retail, if indeed at all above it, as are the two flagship champagnes, Dom P and Cristal. The problem is, you need to find 200 bucks plus to access this value! It also means at the cheaper end, say around $30-40, you are basically paying the normal 2.5 to 3 times mark up.

Still, if all stays the same, it looks like I'll have some decent reds and dessert wines to choose from. The whites, a little less so, The Wairau River SB being the best of the bunch. And I guess there is always the champagne...

8 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

Our friend ordered the Pinot Noir that was listed on the menu but was told it wasn’t available, so it was substituted with another.  I wasn’t paying too much attention as we stuck with the champagne last night., so didn’t see what it was.  (This was in Prime C). I want to try the PN so I’ll report back when I do. 
 

The following is the Merlot I had yesterday in The Patio:

 

Here’s a photo of the wines by the glass, but it would seem that some of the brands are being switched (the Merlot and PN, anyway, so far, according to our experience)

 

 

Whispering Angel is available (for those who wish to know). 

Thanks, very helpful. That Merlot is decent enough but it is a definite step down in quality- or price at least- from the Matanzas Creek. But then the Patio is more informal I think? So maybe the MC wine is offered in the other restaurants.

If you can bear all the posting, I'd be interested in any other comments and feedback on the wines provided during your cruise partly because I'm weighing up whether to bring my own stuff onboard and how much of it. So if they have a dessert wine on the package, at least I won't need to bring much if any of that on with me.

1 hour ago, Grandma Cruising said:

Yes according to Beamafar on the Topic ‘Photos of Wine & Champagne …”

Thanks, yes I saw that. A bit strange as it isn't on the Ultimate drinks lists people have so helpfully posted. Maybe it's a case of asking! 

2 hours ago, Beamafar said:

I had a dessert wine - it was a Sauvignon blanc.  It was quite nice (notice I’m not exactly raving about the wines.  Had 3!!! favourite reds on MSC).   It wasn’t as sweet as Sauternes.  It’s the first on the list in the photo.  The Sauternes isn’t included and I don’t think any of the others are, either;  just the SB. 
 

So you got the SB dessert wine with the Ultimate package? That's good to hear. I know that wine, it's not bad, as you say a little less sweet than Sauternes ( probably because it lacks the Semillon in it).

Sad to hear none of the reds are taking your fancy. Without wishing you to disturb your holiday too much, I'd appreciate it if you can advise if the 3 wines I've seen on the website for the Ultimate package are still offered. They are Matanzas Creek Merlot, Penley Phoenix Cab Sauv and Sokol Blosser Pinot Noir. They're decent enough wines I'd be happy enough with.

Hope you're enjoying your cruise.

3 hours ago, govanguy said:

Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc Errazuriz Casablanca is a dessert wine. That one is one the Beverage Package flyer.

Is that available on the Ultimate package, do you know?

13 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

So far, I’ve only tried 3.  The merlot (can’t remember the brand - will get more info tonight now that we’re settling in) was good.  I didn’t care for the chianti but DH liked it (the only wine he drinks - and very seldom).  Had The Seekers Chardonnay today.  It was reasonable, but I don’t drink much white wine.  If it gives you an idea of my taste, I very much like Woodbridge Chardonnay. 

Thanks for that be interested in any further feedback you have.

Can I also ask, do they have a dessert wine (other than port) on the ultimate package? I think not so I'm considering bringing my own.

54 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

I’ll see if I can get a list.  You have to request menus on Journey and, last night, I was only concerned with the included wines on the Ultimate package (which we upgraded to).  I’ll have a look through the menu tonight when I get it. 

What do you think of the quality of the wines on the Ultimate package? What were your favourites?

6 minutes ago, lisiamc said:

I think there may be two ideas going on here. I have bought an Essentials package prior to the cruise, but I was not able to use onboard credit for it. Maybe that has changed recently?
 

When I am onboard, I have been able to use onboard credit to buy dining packages. They like to sell those to people already onboard, because they normally book our three dinners at the time of buying the package.

Interesting. My TA was clear in her email to me that I could use my OBC against the Indulgence package but she might have got it wrong. Will find out soon enough! Is it also possible that some OBC is different? I recall reading somewhere that TA supplied OBC can be used slightly differently to Azamara supplied OBC. But not totally sure about that. I'm in a suite so maybe that changes things? For example, I would not need to buy speciality dining (other than chef's table). Given the uncertainty, I'll report back when I try to buy my Indulgence package and let people know if it proved possible.

5 hours ago, Port Power said:

I don't mean to be rude to anyone, but I am astonished at people wanting to know, down to the nitty-gritty, every little thing on the ship before boarding.  What happened to being surprised?  Or finding out new things as you make your way around the ship?  Cabin views I can certainly understand, but drinks?  On the Azamara website the included spirits are well laid out.  Also the included brands in the Ultimate package.  Does it matter finding out if a favourite soft drink, for example, is not available?  Will it make you cancel your booking?  Will you cancel because waffles are not available for breakfast?

 

Relax and enjoy the anticipation.

 

(I really, really am not having a go at anyone.  This is just an observation from someone who likes a few surprises when going somewhere new.)

Everyone's different. Some like to plan, some go with the flow. I tend to be in the former camp. Nice surprises are good, bad surprises not so much.

Soft drinks/mixers bother me not one iota but wine very much does. Hence I have elsewhere enquired about the provenance and quality of the complimentary wine onboard because this is not detailed on the website. Since they appear to be pretty mediocre, it means I can take action ahead, for example buying a package and/or bringing some of my own wine onboard. I'd personally sooner do that than discover on the first night that the house red is lousy!

5 hours ago, jwilcox said:

Our upcoming trip will be our first on Azamara. So I am as far from an expert as possible. However I tried to book one of these packages using OBC and they (Azamara phone rep) told I could not do that prior to boarding and I would have to do it on board. 

FYI my TA claims you can indeed buy the packages up front, and actually suggested doing so. I haven't actually bought it yet so she may have been wrong. I was using $1000 of my OBC to buy a $1499 Indulgence package. It appears I just pay the $499 difference in cash (or more specifically, card).

Possibly Azamara don't sell them direct but TA's can get them on your behalf? Or maybe someone is incorrect in what they are claiming..

39 minutes ago, blag said:

Could you please explain why this is a good deal for those guests in suites, when many of the perks are already included?

It seems to me, that, in effect, one is paying twice for some of the same benefits. 

I'm also in a suite (CC) but the complicating factor might be that I am a first time cruiser with Azamara and I think (but I'm not sure) that some of the above you can either get heavily discounted or maybe even free if you have cruised a lot with them.

So I'm not so experienced but I think with a suite I get speciality dining free but not the chef's table. I believe I get 240mins internet but that won't last long on a 17 day cruise and I think the 240 mins is maybe for only one of you, this is for 2, unlimited. I think I also get at least one free bag of laundry but this is many more and I gather the laundry bags are not very big at all, so it would be nice to have stuff clean. Finally I just have the basic wine, like everyone, but I've read they are pretty mediocre. The Ultimate package gives me wines like Whispering Angel and Matanzas Creek- decent quality stuff. I'm not a spirit or cocktail drinker but I love my wine. This costs me an extra $550 over what I already have and I could roughly divide that up as $10 per person per day for the drinks, $4 per person per day for the internet, $5 per laundry bag and $20 each for the chef's table. Looks fair to me! Hope I've explained that ok....

Post edit: I should point out I had $1000 of OBC anyway but this package includes $700 for excursions and $250 for spa. That is pretty much how I'd have split it anyway, outside the package- we're buying some tours direct. Hence you can see where I got the $550 extra from for the additional items. Actually I'll only be paying $500 extra (or the sterling equivalent)

31 minutes ago, Desert Cruisers said:

 

So, you can use OBC to pay for these packages prior to sailing?  Or, must it be done on board?

My TA says they can be bought beforehand and yes, using OBC, the balance in cash if it's more than your OBC.

5 minutes ago, Port Power said:

I was thinking along the lines of the local pub having “Thursday steak night $20” advertised. Then at the end of winter they no longer advertise that, or have it printed on their menu.  Can I show their advert from last month and demand my $20 steak because it’s Thursday night tonight?

 

The scenarios you give could definitely be challenged as they are part of the cruise fare or a matter of choice.

I think if you booked the steak night and they took the booking as such, then withdrew it when you got there a week or two later, you might well be within your rights to ask for the $20 steak, albeit they might refuse it.

To be fair, I think a premium cruise is a bit more considered purchase than a night in the pub and will be booked with much longer notice (at least for many people) and of course requires a deposit to be paid. As I say, it really shouldn't be a matter for m'learned friends but one might argue that at the point that deposit is paid, a contract exists. Now I suspect that contract allows them to change pretty much anything, not least your itinerary, but regardless of the small print, it's not good for brand image to change content after contract, if it's just to extract more money from you.

I'd also agree with the earlier poster, if you are buying their ultimate package, that should surely include corkage not least because you are effectively saving them money by drinking your own purchase in the restaurant, rather than the Whispering Angel or Matanzas Creek they are buying at a not insubstantial price. In my case, it won't matter that much, just means I'll not take any to the restaurant and drink their wines instead.

11 hours ago, blag said:

But no discount. I feel that if specialty dining is included with your suite, the 'value' of this perk ought to be deducted from the price of chef's table. But it isn't. 

On that basis, chef's table is more expensive for suite-occupants!

The package I have my eye on is the Indulgence package, at $1499. I already have $1000 of OBC so for a small extra sum, that delivers a lot, close to the original $1k of OBC for tours (700) and spa(250) which I will use, then on top for your extra 500 bucks, you get Ultimate drinks for two for the whole 17 days, chef's table(once), internet for 2 for the duration and free laundry. Not bad!

2 hours ago, Port Power said:

This would only apply if $10 is still the published policy at the time you are on the ship.  If the website shows $15 corkage when you are actually aboard, that charge would apply. If $10 is still on the website and you are charged $15 or more, then you can argue against the higher charge.

Actually I wonder if that would be the case, it might depend on the extent of the increase. Put it another way, if you booked a cruise and they then decided your food was not free, would that be challengeable? Or introduced other conditions such as requiring only Azamara tours to be taken. I think it might come down to defining what is a price increase and what is a policy change that changes the basis on which you have bought the product/service. Not that lawyers should be anywhere near this but Azamara need to tread carefully, the ill will created will be greater than the small revenue gained, if indeed there is any net gain, as per my previous post.

2 hours ago, laurieb said:

It’s still very reasonable!

That is moot but whatever else, I don't think whacking on a 50% increase is reasonable. Worse still, some have claimed that it is, in fact, now $25. That is not even gouging, that is a change of policy and I question the ethics of doing that, after people have already booked. Even more so when I will in any case be buying their ultimate package at a substantial daily cost. That should really accommodate any corkage fees. In fact, if it did, I would imagine they would still make more net profit that way than opening relatively expensive bottles of wine they have bought for my consumption, rather than ones I've bought onboard with my own money.

3 hours ago, jwilcox said:

Even if it is only a mild impact on you it could be much worse for others. For our part we are equally worried about getting it, and about unknowingly passing it on to others who might end up with a bad case.

Yes, that is what I mentioned about others feeling differently about their health risk, I realise others will fear the virus more than I. For example, a very close relative of mine is at much greater risk due to a serious medical condition, hence I have to be more circumspect than I otherwise would be about my own contact and behaviour.

But on top of that, even those who face no serious medical risk like me face the risk of having their holiday not just spoiled, but potentially turned into a horror story. I base this on the harrowing account of a poster on here who was taken from the accommodation they had booked, seperated from her disabled partner and made to stay in an airless room for the best part of two weeks, with a somewhat mentally deranged fellow passenger housed next door, banging on the walls. The poster may have been exaggerating for effect, but I somehow doubt it. That scenario, albeit sounding somewhat less likely at the moment, made me question whether to cancel, especially if the safeguards that might reduce the risk, like pre cruise testing, are abandoned.

19 hours ago, the mice said:

 

 

We made our final payment on a B2B prior to the testing requirement being dropped.  Now my DH is extremely concerned, and we know we cannot just cancel (no CFAR insurance, since we only took our policy from our TA at final payment, a policy which still covers pre-existing conditions).  So we intend to be masked up wherever we go.   We've been fortunate that our vigilance has let us avoid Covid so far, but most of our friends who have begun socializing have contracted it, despite being double vaxed and double boosted, as we are.

 

We have some land travel prior to our cruise and have booked, at some expense, a private tour pre-cruise.   We have booked some ship excursions and I am hoping Azamara does not pack the buses.   In a couple of ports we are paying $$$ for private tours, rather than sharing the costs with others (doing this instead of bidding for a cabin upgrade).  We've been told that all the guides booked are vaccinated (whatever that means with Omicron) and will wear masks at our request.   When we DIY, we will do our utmost to maintain social distancing.    If we have to eat breakfast in our cabin, so be it.    We'll figure out dinner as we go.  Our main concern is to see the places on our itinerary.   If that means foregoing some of the onboard camaraderie and events, well, that's just the "price" of travel in time of Covid.    If testing is reinstituted, we are Ok with that, too   We accept that this is not travel like it was in 2019, and we will do everything we possibly can to remain healthy and keep our fellow guests safe as well.

 

 

I'd very much agree with that. I'm not personally concerned about the medical effect of Omicron, having had it recently only mildly ( I realise others have health conditions that make them feel differently) but the fear of isolation and a ruined cruise costing £10k plus is enough. I said previously, I feel the cruise lines are outsourcing the risk to us here....

26 minutes ago, jwilcox said:

The version of Covid going around now is highly contageous. I was looking forward as much as anyone to not having to test before boarding and not needing masks. But right now ships full of unmasked people are just a  super-spreader event waiting to happen. If it were my call I'd resume testing before boarding to at least try to keep infected people from coming on board and starting an epidemic. Sure people could catch it on day trips, but unless it happened really early in the cruise hopefully that would not spread as fast as something that started spreading on embarcation day. Any way this kind of post has us thinking once again about what kind of precautions to take.

I'd agree with you. It's a pain to organise testing and it costs money but if it plays a part in keeping you from catching it and away from isolation, it's a price worth paying.

2 hours ago, PAtravelbug said:

I don't know the specifics. Nothing was said.  There are too many at this point to move them all to the rooms by medical.  I do know of a couple who are both isolated in their original rooms - both positive.     There are 3 crew as of two days ago too.     One crew member who appeared a few days after the left Dublin, was just out of isolation because she had covid and she was isolated for 6 days.      I"ll keep my ear out for more information (and hopefully not find out for myself!).

Thanks for that. I'm somewhat re-assured that they are not simply removing people from their booked room to what, based on account from another poster on here, sounded like imprisonment. If I had Covid with symptoms, I'd be OK staying in the cabin I booked until they cleared and I'd be careful on interaction for a few days after (e.g. wearing a mask) but I suspect people may have been spooked by extreme isolation policies and so, if you are not actually so unwell as to have to stay in bed, I can see why people might cheat, even if I disagree with that course of action. It doesn't help they seem to have stopped the pre cruise testing in most places, that might have at least kept the base case level lower.

Anyway enjoy your cruise!

16 minutes ago, PAtravelbug said:

Hi all. I'm aboard Quest too on the Norway intensive.  It's incredible. Of course, the crew is great and I never know how they recognize us from cruise to cruise- one even remembered our names! (It's been 7 months)   Finally have some internet from the Hotel Victoria next to the ship here in Stavanger,.  I am sitting on the balcony making use of it.  Hi Uktog!

 

Much more mask wearing now that we are a week in. The captain has kept us posted on the covid cases.  We were at double digits on Sunday, and at the Azamara cruise circle event he said that the doctor would like it if we wore masks indoors and not to mix outside of our travel parties at meals.   That day, there had been a spike in cases.  And he said that he would not be around quite as much.   They were also working on getting more tour buses so that people can spread out.   He didn't want to risk us getting turned away from ports.     LOTS of masks that night and on the tenders the next day.  The next day, were 2 additional cases and the captain was relieved and said that was normal and hoped that it would stay that way but appreciated all of mask wearing.   He did make a point that he thought that he scared us all off of the evening entertainment of the singers and dancers due to the empty seats.    The next day - he made of point of saying that he would be at  the special classical concert.

 

Norway is wonderful.  Even had some sun. Though making up for that today.  The entertainment has been good.  Last night we had another local group - a piano and violin classical concert.  They came from Bergan and came aboard in Rosendal for the evening. They added a 2nd concert to spread us out a bit.       The concert four our Destination Celebration that UKtog mentioned, was very good. The best of all the Azamazing evenings as far as the performance goes that I have experienced.   

 

This cruise is very casual as we are adventuring outdoors a lot - hiking and long long tours.  We notice that a lot more people take the stairs that we have seen before and people are very sporty. 🙂

 

Because this is a Norway intensive - they have brought aboard local strawberries and cooked a Norwegian dessert with it - Alex and Rizhard (sp?) did,  The captain was very excited. Also fresh caught fish one night,  Mussels coming tonight, and yesterday Jule - one of the head waiters bought 24 kilos of cheese in Rosendal for White night.  

 

We find that there are subtle changes to the food - for the better in my opinion.  Different bread baskets to go with the themed nights, different welcome drinks at the gangway each day (One day it was "warm beer with cognac" - THAT was different)          Enjoying it all.

 

-Allison

 

 

Do you happen to know if they are still removing those Covid infected from their booked rooms and sent to small isolation rooms, or just leaving them where they are? Also do you know if the isolation policy is still no release until a negative test?

Actually I suppose the first question is whether there is still an isolation policy...

15 hours ago, Baynanno1 said:

 

Further on in that thread, pre-cruise paperwork included the corkage fee of $25! 😲

I saw that. I hope that doesn't apply to my forthcoming cruise. I chose Azamara precisely because it claimed not to nickel and dime you but to go from $10 corkage to $25 is gouging, not nickel and diming and leaves a very nasty taste. It is even more unacceptable if you are already buying their ultimate package. I'm checking this with my TA and maybe this forum's posters might also find a way to complain, otherwise they'll hope we don't notice.

If they have jacked it up to $15 from $10, I think that is somewhat out of order. Low corkage was only a small reason I booked but it was a factor I was aware of, given other lines charge rather more. I'm buying the ultimate package anyway so I regard it as a bit unsporting to be whacking $15 on a bottle I take to the restaurant. It means I drink less of their more 'expensive' wine.