So Cal John

Yes, I concur with your comments about the poorly worded communication. I’m going to call them again to see if I get the same answer as before.

I received the 5% email this week for a cruise in Aug 2024. I was not sure how much the credit would be - is it 5% of the remaining balance or of the total cost of the cruise. Also was unsure if it applied to the cruise which I was being asked to pay for now. I called the Azamara Circle number. The agent said it is OBC for the cruise they are asking for payment on. And it is 5% of the "cruise fare" amount. Taxes and any other fees do not count towards the 5%. I specifically asked if I would get credit for my previously paid deposit and the answer was yes. It is 5% of the cruise fare. And she said there are no restrictions to the OBC. It is available for anything. But it won't be applied to my account until boarding.

Thanks for all of that.

Thank You. I was wondering what one got for the higher price. Not too much, I guess.

Are both trains set up to handle luggage?

I was specific. I said “between”. Thanks for your input. I’ve learned a lot.

Wow. I should have known better than to post a comment. Too many experts out there. I spoke to United, Delta and American. All three have a 330 day window. Good luck flying to Paris on Southwest. Yes, S&D are the drivers. There is far more demand for travel to/within Europe in August than there is in Feb or March. How do I know this? I priced flights from Mar out to June in August. Prices went up significantly over that time. Why? S&D. As far as seat selection goes, yes you can get bumped for odd reasons. That is the exception. It if the seat you want is already taken by someone who booked before you then you are out of luck. All I should have said was I found the train to be a great option between Paris and Bordeaux.

I used the train from Bordeaux to Paris last year. Couldn’t have been easier. No step up onto train from platform. Luggage rolls right on. 2 hours and 3 minutes, not 4 hours. Tickets are cheaper the further out you buy. I think they are available 90 or so days ahead. Prices are running between $50 and $90 one way right now. Just depends on time of day. Of course, that is into the center of Paris, not CDG. There are options to get to CDG. Airlines cannot sell tickets more than 330 days in advance. They are all the same. (At least for purchases in US). I don’t know the reason. I bought tickets for next Aug in Sept. Best way to guarantee seat selection. Prices are much more expensive the further one goes into the summer.

Traveled from California to Amsterdam in September. Purposely chose connections within the US. No problems arriving in AMS. However, those departing AMS had a completely different experience. Long lines outside the airport waiting to get in. I hear it has returned to the same chaotic experiences as over the summer. (We departed from Paris, again connecting in the US). Never had an issue with luggage. Also traveled Delta both ways and their baggage tracker on their app synced up with our Air Tags. Our connections both ways were in Salt Lake City. It was very easy.

Someone recently posted the specialty dining menus here. Thanks, since we will be on Pursuit in less than 2 weeks. I noticed markings for vegan, vegetarian and gluten free. However, no dairy free options. Do they not offer dairy free as a normal option? Hopefully they will offer up the next night’s menu and work with us to prepare a dairy free meal.

Looking forward to catching up with you on Pursuit to compare baggage stories. It sounds like arrivals in Amsterdam are getting better. And maybe by late September return trips back to the States that have connections in Europe will be better. One would think so.

It all sounds very similar to our Celebrity experiences. Regarding taxis in Amsterdam, I read an article recently about getting from the airport into town. Be sure to use the taxis at the taxi queue. Do not take a taxi ride from someone who approaches you outside asking if you want a taxi. They are not legit.

Heading to Amsterdam in a month for 11 nights on Pursuit. First time on Azamara. Just want to double check what you said about dress code. You said adhered to vice enforced. I interpret that as meaning the guests followed the dress code for the most part. Do you think anyone was asked to try again? We generally change for dinner. But with luggage concerns, we are going to try to go mostly carry-on and check one bag. So we are cutting out extra attire. (But for some reason I feel compelled to have a pair of white pants for one a single event). Thanks

I am curious about joyride’s response regarding cabin noise since I am in that very cabin in a few months. Thanks.

Thanks for the cabin comments. We have that very same cabin in September. Please take care of it for us.