Cool Fool

6 hours ago, AllisonJames said:

So disappointed because I just don’t see how this can work...a company with a very diverse retail portfolio and no hotel or cruise experience? I agree that AZ has been a “niche” cruise line that hasn’t seemed to find a larger base — most people we talked to about our AZ experiences and had never heard of it. We came to AZ because of Perry Golf and have one future Perry Golf cruise booked...wonder what will happen with the Perry Golf relationship...have to confess at this point I’d prefer they form a relationship with a luxury line such as SS or SB. We felt the cost-cutting on AZ was leading to a declining price/value ratio (the low quality of the included wines for example such as Chardonnay that retails for less than $7 a bottle) but we stayed for Perry Golf, friendly guests and crew and low-key atmosphere. Can’t see improvements in that regard as I think the great crew will go elsewhere as will the guests!

Pardon the pun but we are in the same boat.  Perry Golf is a good fit with Azamara.  Now we have a booking for 2022 with deposits on file for both companies and lots of uncertainty. 

On 11/18/2020 at 2:12 PM, Cool Fool said:

This is Guernsey. That’s Journey out in the distance

18 minutes ago, norn iron said:

 

I'm going to guess Liverpool, only because of the 0151 phone code an the advertising board. 

You got it!

ps. Sorry about posting the sideways picture. I thought I got it out of there. 

On 3/19/2020 at 2:02 PM, boblerm said:

 

Sheila, I really appreciate your sharing of your poignant memories and great photos.  Did I spy Risky between you and Herb in one of the photos?  I will make a note to toast your anniversary on March 27!

Risky saved one of our cruises!  Some in our traveling party (not me or DW, we go with the flow) were having some issues with dining. We were put in Risky’s section and all was well. She’s special. 

Quote

We used these magnetic clips. Perfect for pulling the curtain taut!
 

We just got off our first voyage on Journey on July 29. We really liked it. It’s a little old school but that made it all the more comfortable. The public areas are really nice. 

The beverage menus at the various bars, lounges, etc have the “premium” beverages in a column with a “p” and the ultimate beverages in a column with a “u.”  The beverages that are available to all without having a beverage package are on the last page of the menu.

The premium package, only $5 per day less than the ultimate package, offers very limited selections.  It is frustrating if one’s early booking benefits include the premium package as an included benefit.  In this respect, Azamara finds itself in a strange place between the luxury all-inclusive lines and the mainstream “you can have a lime in your water for an extra dollar” lines.  At Azamara’s price point, which is now closer to a luxury line, it seems petty and unproductive to have a “premium” package that is so limited compared to the “ultimate.”  It is hard to understand why Azamara would want to leave those who have the premium package as part of their booking benefits with a feeling of disappointment or a need to make another “should I or shouldn’t I” decision.

On 3/22/2013 at 5:49 AM, uktog said:

Cabin Number 6053

Ship Journey

Month/Year sailed July 2019

Would you choose this room again Y/N. Y

Is noise an issue Y/N N

Balcony size Normal/Larger/Smaller Normal

good location, near aft elevators, very quiet

Grandma, so glad you’re doing a “live from Journey”. Our first Azamara cruise begins when you get to Edinburgh but I feel like we’re already on board!

1 hour ago, Mrs.Dukes said:

I don’t see any mention of clocks on the website, however in the stateroom description (looked at an interior) under complimentary stateroom features, it says “use of umbrellas and binoculars”. This is on the US site.

I always bring binoculars to watch a golf tournament. Had I not been reading this thread I would have been out of luck for the Open Championship. 

Adventurer

cruise date 17 July 2019, 12 nights, originally OV

Minimum bid $200, actual bid $250 pp about 90 days before cruise, then increased a week later to $275.  Both bids “weak.”

upgrade confirmed 30 days before cruise to VERANDA 2

Is there actually a “turn down?”  I submitted an upgrade request, increased it slightly but have had no notification from Azamara. My cruise info still shows our original room. I guess silence means no, but it’s my understanding this could come through any time before the cruise. 

3 hours ago, uktog said:

I would book as late as you feel comfortable doing re flight prices. This year we booked all our cruises too early. 

We lost over £2k on this current cruise by booking too early. We will cancel and rebook our November cruise ok lose the deposit but the price drop across the 2 is £2.6k. FAR TOO MUCH! 

Next year nothing booked for the med / used to do 4-5 a year but too badly burned to commit now. We know the cruises we want. We can wait. 

On our upcoming cruise we booked an Oceanview, as the Veranda was a lot more expensive when we booked. Azamara recently slashed the Veranda prices to a point over $1000 less than what we paid for the Oceanview. We had put in an upgrade bid that I guess is unsuccessful now that the Verandas are sold out. 

I understand supply and demand but still feeling a little scorched. 

We’re not able to get to the ship super early.  Although the thought of immediately getting in line to book a dining package (before we even get a chance to explore the ship) is not very appealing, I’m planning on it.  If reservations are all full by the time they get to me, is there any ability to just walk up to the maitre d without a reservation and get seated?  In the alternative, can we purchase the 3 meals for $70 plan without firm reserved dates?

Because I signed up for our British Isles cruise very early, I got a bonus that included the Premium beverage package. That sounded good!  Then I discovered that there are no single malt Scotches included. That sounded bad!  OK, I said, I’ll just upgrade to the ultimate package.  That sounded good!  Then I learned on this board that such an upgrade doesn’t exist.  That sounds (and is) bad!

Yep, going to Scotland and no single malts included. As a former Regent cruiser, I think things like this are going to drive me crazy. A vacation this expensive shouldn’t involve decisions other than “what do I want.”  Yes, it’s trivial and yes I can afford to buy a drink, but at these prices Azamara should consider just going all inclusive. 

4 hours ago, BBMacLaird said:

I’m not negating that you experienced poor service Ann, for which I apologize on behalf of our staff. 

What I’m trying to convey is that we are always open to special orders, substitutions and wine requests made by guests. 

It falls on us to staff and train appropriately, not on you or any guest to feel bad about asking for what they want. 

Any restaurant manager should recognize a situation that needs more staff, and pitch in to help or reassign a waiter from a slow section to one that needs more attention. That is our responsibility.

The fact this happened to you on more than one occasion on your last cruise is unacceptable. And I am confident you brought this to the attention of management while onboard since you know the ropes.

My desire here is to communicate to all who are reading this that they should not feel guilty for ordering what they want, nor feel personally responsible for the service level taking place elsewhere in our venues.  That is our responsibility; your responsibility is to be on vacation!

This is so refreshing!

On 4/22/2019 at 12:08 AM, clarky said:

John, what you described is very similar to what I reported.  We spoke to Ricky (Food and Beverage Manager) about our experiences and whilst food delivery did become more efficient in Compass Rose nothing changed at the Veranda.  What I failed to mention was that it took us 5 tries to get into Sette Mari.  It got to the point where the staff were getting very embarrassed about not being able to accommodate us.  They kept telling us that if we came at 6.30 p:m we could get a table.  We did not want to eat at 6.30 so eventually put our name down on a wait list for 7:30.  They called the bar to let us know that a table was available and we immediately left the bar and headed to the restaurant.  When we arrived they told us they had given our table away as someone was waiting for a table of 4.  I became very annoyed (something I try to avoid on holiday) and insisted that they make a table of 4 immediately.  This they did but what a fiasco.  I understand it is first come first served but Dine anytime?  Not true on this cruise.  John, we asked to be seated at Romeo's table in Compass Rose every night as his service was amazing, never a wait for food and no mixed up orders.  We had breakfast at compass rose as we could not handle the mayhem of the Veranda and Putu really looked after us.  Like I mentioned we have never been on a luxury cruise with so many hiccups and I hope like me you mention this in your comment cards.

This is what happened to us on the Mariner 1 1/2 years ago; so sad to see that nothing has changed. I sense the problem with Setti Mari is systemic, either short staffing or not enough tables (they close 1/2 of La Veranda at night). The battle to try to get seated is exhausting and inconsistent with a luxury experience. 

1 hour ago, mchell810 said:

 

HGC: I think the ChoiceAir pin could be removed as you noted it's quite old (IMHO).

Thanks for removing the other pins.

The Choice Air pin helped me a lot, even though the info is old. I would probably not have even known about Choice Air if the pin was not there. It at least got me to initiate a search and eventually led to a booking. 

20 minutes ago, screen-gem said:

Could you tell me who notified you of the cancellation? (i.e. from which of the various Azamara email addresses). I have sent a number of emails to AZ, and received no replies.

Thanks.

 

Update - no sooner had I clicked Submit Reply on the above, my inbox dinged with an incoming message from Azamara. It was not related to the missing/canceled(?) bike tour, but rather a bug on the website I had reported.

I received an e-mail from “Shore Excursions - Azamara Cruises.”  I suggest you check your spam folder. 

Our bike tour in St. Peter Port (July 17 Journey British Isles cruise) was cancelled. We were able to book another (non-bike) excursion using our OBC as soon as we were notified of the cancellation. 

Once you get to the airport and past security in time to make your flight, you’ve done everything you can do.  From that point on, you’re on vacation!  Time to take a deep breath and a well earned feeling of relaxation. Have a great flight and looking forward to your cruise reports!

1 hour ago, didi7 said:

I wasn't clear when I said I upgraded.  Our cruise package included two Premium drink packages.  I chose to "purchase" the Ultimate Package and was able to do that.  In other words, I didn't use the Premium package that was included, choosing instead to use OBC to purchase the Ultimate.

didi7, thanks for the clarification. So even though we have the Enjoyment package that includes the premium beverage package, it appears I could separately buy an ultimate beverage package for an additional $21 per day using OBC (only one, DW is perfectly satisfied by the choices in the premium beverage package). This would cost me an additional $250 on a 12 night cruise, far different from a $72 price difference between the premium and ultimate beverage packages. 

Too much accounting for a vacation, maybe I’ll just take an analgesic instead. This makes my head hurt. 

25 minutes ago, BBMacLaird said:

 

I stand by what I posted. It is not allowed to pay the difference from what was included in the Experience More promotion (which has now expired) to a higher level of package.

It is a bit confusing because we do have Experience More add-on packages. These can be pre-purchased by calling our Customer Service, or easily purchased onboard. 

Based on when we signed up, our cruise includes the “Enjoyment” package which, in turn, contains the premium beverage package. The ultimate beverage package costs an additional $6 per day per person over the premium beverage package.  To move up to the “indulgence” package, which includes the ultimate beverage package, is an extra $400 per person. It’s not a viable alternative.