blag

Some (many?) UK insurers will not cover you if the Foreign Office advises against travel to the country.

What time were you pre-allocated by Azamara, or, if no time was pre-allocated, what was your loyalty status/ accommodation?

The actual review was way, way too long gir me, and including photographs of the food speaks volumes. But, most notable — for me — was the following: "… became painfully obvious that the embarkation order dictated in the Azamara joining letter was being universally abused" The result is anarchy, and, ultimately, selfishness becomes self-defeating.

Our most recent embarkation in Rio could have been better, but the intervention of the Hotel Director improved things significantly. As for our embarkation at Dubai, that was by far the worst we have ever encountered. Even with priority boarding we sweltered for two hours before finally getting to the desk. Admittedly most of this was not Azamara's fault - most of the delay was a consequence of a tortuously long queue for entry formalities for India. I think you were westward-bound out of Dubai, which probably explains why your experience differed.

Well said! I have seen people advising turning up whenever it suits. Such advice leads to chaos and frustration for those who respect their allocated lots.

Well, in my experience, Azamara's boarding times have always started early afternoon. What other cruise lines offer for boarding times is, basically, irrelevant.

https://www.whatsinport.com/Porto-Santo-Stefano.htm

Forgot to mention that on the occasions we tried Aqualina for breakfast (on at least two different ships) the lamentably slow service was probably the reason the food was tepid. Complaints to senior staff produced no noticeable improvement.

This is correct, but we found it disappointing. Food arrived tepid, and our orders were frequently wrong. We stopped going after a few days.

Hear! Hear!

Which ship?

It depends on the agent. We use UK agents. One sends the Azamara paperwork as a Statement. The other does not.

Understood. I had the same problem before I found my current TA.

Not entirely true to say never! When Azamara failed to collect Yellow Fever Certificates on embarkation on a recent cruise – and then insisted that they were all presented within a window of a few hours – the queues were very, very long – up to 20 minutes! Inevitably, so early in the cruise, many people, once at the head of the queue, took the opportunity to ask questions about other matters, which slowed the whole process.

Why dump your TA? Are you sure that he/she/they have failed you? Or, are there other reasons for dissatisfaction?

This is Azamara's list of prohibited items: Prohibited Items The following are examples of items that guests are not allowed to bring onboard. These and other similar items will be confiscated. Illegal drugs, flammable liquids, explosives, and dangerous chemicals will not be returned. Firearms & ammunition, including realistic replicas Sharp objects, including knives and scissors (Personal grooming items such as safety razors and scissors with blades less than 4 inches are allowed) Illegal drugs & substances Candles & incense Coffee makers, clothes irons, & hot plates Baseball bats, hockey sticks, cricket bats, bows & arrows Skateboards & surfboards Martial arts gear Self-defense Gear, including handcuffs, pepper spray, night sticks Flammable liquids and explosives, including lighter fluid and fireworks HAM radios Dangerous chemicals, including bleach and paint Electric water kettles Extension Cords and Multi-Plug Outlets/Power Strips As you can see, electric kettles are prohibited. I suggest that on embarkation you present the kettle to Guest Relations so that there can be no 'misunderstandings'.

For us these were 'special' versions of chef's table and the venue was the large table in Prime C.

We have done this a couple of times, but on each occasion included a visit to a local winery where a lunch was provided. We got to sample and choose the ingredients and wines for every course. Compared to the pricing of other excursions on the same days we considered this to be excellent value!

We had a similar problem in Copenhagen recently. Here are answers based on our experience there: 1) If your flights, are with the same airline - yes, your checked bags will not need collection at Melbourne. 2) We did an overnighter in a hotel near the airport. 3) if you already have boarding passes you go through security only - no need to check-in at the desk, but make sure you check-in online if necessary.

Good advice! Airlines do change/cancel itineraries, and/or change times etc. In these circumstances I think that all airlines will offer a refund.

Unfortunately these are poorly attended, and Azamara are taking these much less seriously. On the last of these that I attended, only Assistant Cruise Director was present and no Officers were introduced. To the very best of my recollection on at least one recent cruise the event (to me an indication that Azamara are trying to phase these meeting out) the event partially clashed with the General Safety muster! And, in the past invites/reminders were issued: the only notification these days is in the Insider. On my most recent cruise I did not attend because it clashed with sail-away. I was told that no-one else had attended!

I got caught in the same way for exactly this reason, when, for similar reasons, Azamara withdrew from the Black Sea. The Business-Class flights, with Turkish Airlines – however – were changeable. I found an alternative cruise (not Azamara) and was able to change my flights to suit the replacement cruise. But I had booked non-refundable pre-paid hotel accommodation and lost that money! I could not claim on my insurance, because the insurers maintained that I was choosing not to go on the completely-different Azamara cruise. If that cruise had been cancelled, however, they would have compensated me.

Some hotel chains - including one that I favour - do reserve the term 'suite' for accommodation that comprises more than one room.

And, of course, according to many dictionary definitions, most of the 'suites' on Azamara's ships are not suites at all - they are merely larger staterooms. But, I think Azamara are not alone in this.

See Post #5, in this thread.