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5 hours ago, Bloodaxe said:

 

Totally agree, Many years ago he actually told us how much he had learned from Philip his mentor.

Yes, that was evident.  When I mentioned "trained by", I was thinking more along the lines of in the Azamara culture but uktog makes valid points as well.

1 hour ago, Mackdogmolly said:

Which one?

"The news you have been waiting for!" - new 2025 and 2026 itineraries. 

Yes, he's amazing. It should be noted that he was trained by the 'old guard' who unfortunately have moved on.

1 hour ago, tgg said:

Tony told us the same thing back then, and we've sailed with him for years. I hate being told something untrue to my face.

That was a long time ago and was likely true at the time, or at least what the HD was told by whoever in admin was responsible. 

It may have been the intent back then that they were temporary, but if there were supply problems and in the absence of many formal complaints, the powers that be may have decided to save money by abandoning the replacements.

Who knows, but there's no need to be so aggressive in criticism of fault when no one knows the whole story. 

The more 'official' complaints they get, perhaps they'll re-evaluate the priority. 

Wow, sure is an improvement from the former method of calculation which seldom worked out in our favour! 

Makes perfect sense - IF they would deem it a priority to rework the automated system to accommodate.  Seems like an easy enough change. Again, fingers crossed 🤞. 

1 hour ago, uktog said:

I’m hoping I can ask for clarification on the room type (not the number) before paying if I’m in luck 

I understood that one of the reasons they changed the upgrade system to a bidding system was because the prior method required extensive manual intervention.

Having said that,  it would be nice if they could allow for requests such as this in spite of automation.  🤞

15 minutes ago, Grandma Cruising said:

I agree, it’s very unclear whether they’ll give you the cabin number assigned before you ‘complete the payment’.

It says "Once payment is completed, you will receive your stateroom number."  That appears like you must first make payment i.e. accept - without knowing the allocated number.  So it seems you will continue to take your chances as to whether the subsequent allocation suits you.

And then there's the example of Oceania's "2 for 1 Cruise Fares" which have been in effect in perpetuity!  They do publish the "Full Brochure Price" in their brochures at outrageously high prices (which no one in their right mind will have ever paid) so they can reduce it in half to allow a more marketable/competitive i.e. real price.  Does anyone really believe they're getting a deal in that regard?

I have no doubt it's all legal as the outrageous price is published, but a deal as we know it - it is not. 

Yes, many people got it, many with bookings elsewhere and some with no bookings at all.  Refer the other thread about the current website problems for a discussion there.  Most people are confused as it doesn't apply to them either so you are not alone.  Strange. 

2 minutes ago, uktog said:

You are being too kind because when you click the book now tab it does not take you through to a page to book a cruise, it goes to a page that offers to help you find an existing booking and service it

Oh my goodness, that is unbelievable.  I completed a cruise on Azamara to Rio/Brazil intensive about nine years ago!

I got the email about Rio too and I have no current cruises booked.  I think it was just confusing wording of a mass market mailing to encourage booking. 

2 minutes ago, tgg said:

In the good old days of dinner with the captain, it was cocktails in Mosaic, followed by dinner in the main dining room. The wines being served with dinner were special. We still have photos of the group posed on the stairway between decks 4 and 5.

 

More recently, we were invited to the captain's quarters for cocktails before the dinner. It was a treat to see part of the ship we wouldn't have seen otherwise. Dinner conversation was interesting and lively and we met some great people. 

 

For us, it would never be too early or late for us to say yes to the captain's invitation to dinner. 

Yes, that was the procedure.  But your more recent experience also sounds amazing. 

13 minutes ago, GUSGB said:

A quote from Azamara Customer Support UK 

 

"We are aware that our guest's loyalty information is not correct. This will be rectified soon with our new Loyalty System which will be available shortly."

 

No idea how long "shortly" is, but it appears they are aware of the problem and have plans to rectify it.

Perhaps it's an all new loyalty program rather than correcting the existing one??  Just a thought.

Timing was not an issue for me.  I enjoyed the conversation and insight gained by listening to both the officers and fellow table mates.  Also the special menu was usually quite nice. 

In the very early days i.e. 2009 or 2010, they used to take a photo of the group and provide a copy.  That stopped even before the invites did.

Ah, the good old days... as someone said in a different thread!

As with Grandma Cruising, we have also had several invites in our early days of cruising with Azamara once we had completed several cruises with them.  Based on our other table mates at that time, it seemed that we were all multiple repeat cruisers. 

On more recent cruises we did not receive invites and found that many of those who did were first-time Azamara cruisers.  Perhaps this was a marketing strategy.

Having said this, it seems like there is no standard formula for selection and may vary between ships.

Regarding these spa suites, has anyone experienced noticeable movement due to its location?  I recall, prior to configuring it to suites, it was the computer room. I was in there when the ship was under way and in that location on deck 9, there was noticeable movement.  So much so that even the poor staff member was motion sick.  I have not considered these suites for that reason.  Anyone had any issues in this regard?

Does anyone know if Mustafa, one of the heads of dining venues, is still on board?

Just now, uktog said:

I wasn’t aware it was an official Azamara managed group. Azamara should have emailed customers about it. They missed a trick there. 

I hear you but regardless, people seem to think everyone participates in Facebook.  They don't realize or care that not everyone wants to join FB for various different reasons. 🙄

Thanks to those who posted these terrific photos for those of us who do not utilize Facebook.  They're so very interesting.  Is it just me or does the hull in the last pic look black rather than azure blue?  Perhaps it's just the lighting!

Tony is so multi-talented.  He is very intelligent, exceptionally educated and artistically gifted.  His many accomplishments throughout his career, whether in the cruise industry or otherwise, have proven his ability to learn, adapt and succeed.  As such he will bring much value to the table in his new roles.

I wish him all the best in this next challenge.

Yes, for sure let's look ahead and think about the great new hires and those promoted and their anticipated ongoing contributions but let's not forget the legacy of those who made such a significant impact and have moved on - no matter the reasons.

30 minutes ago, travelberlin said:

Captain Jose, Russ, Larry Pimentel, Nicole, Bonnie and now Philip...or may be it is just me missing all those people...

Ivi

Not at all; I totally agree with you.  Many of us are missing "all those people".  They, along with many of those still hanging in there, were an integral part of shaping the Azamara culture which for so many years has thrived.

Philip was absolutely a pioneer in that effort.  He, as well as the others you mention, have definitely left huge shoes to be filled.  Philip was one of a kind in the best possible way.  I send my best wishes to him in all his future endeavours; no matter what, he will be and deserves to be, successful.

Prior to COVID one of the big topics of discussion here was continually eroding loyalty benefits.  Double points without improved higher level benefits is useless.  IMHO it just shows how out of touch their marketing continues to be if they really think this offering will be enticing. 

And I won't even tackle the double upgrade situation.  For all that's changed, so much has not.  😞

A M A Z I N G ...

Thanks flyingshoes for sharing by posting this video.

And thanks Tony and Amanda for lifting our spirits.