goat rancher

:eek:It is open to anybody....

I think it was 495, but we won it in bingo so I don't remember the exact amount.

It can also be combined with spa services (ie. get massage and then go on to the evening)

It was run on a sea day...We got to pick which one worked good for us, though we actually got rained out on our first pick

:eek:

They told us we were only the 4th couple taking advantage of this program since they had started it on the Journey, so they were very excited/nervous getting everything "just right"..

I will have to say that it WAS done "just right"...

Would we have paid for it on our own??

You know, I think we very well may have...

I mean, when you think how much a shore excursion costs, or a "date" for spa services....and you realize that this is a full night affair...well, I think, especially if we were celebrating an anniversary or just wanted to feel extra special, we'd do it again....

Liz

Yes.....we did this one while we were on the Journey in Feb-March 2015.

We actually WON this opportunity at Bingo:D

It is a very romantic PRIVATE experience.

They give you exclusive use of the lockerrooms (it is closed off as a PRIVATE FUNCTION) so you have access to lockers, showers etc etc. with no fear of anyone popping in.

You have the whole "front" of the ship, where the big whirlpool is, all to yourselves.

NO ONE can see you...all curtains of upper decks are closed ...

It is INDEED very private!!

How the evening went:

We were met by a butler/waiter.

We were given robes and slippers.

Before dinner, we were given access to the whirlpool, which was surrounded (as was the deck) by lots of candles (battery operated of course) to set the mood. He served us champagne and chocolate covered strawberries, which we enjoyed as the whirlpool relaxed us prior to dinner.

There was a nice little table set up and a grill nearby....We got our choice of what he would grill up...TONS OF FOOD....and he served us a wonderful romantic dinner....

There was food left for us, including after dinner "snacks" and he left us for the evening, where we could sit out on the deck, go back into the whirlpool or use the open air canopy bed (it has curtains around it that you can close, but the "roof" is open so you can watch the stars....

In the morning, the butler/waiter arrived to bring us breakfast (continental)...

This was such a wonderful, romantic, peaceful evening.....

Liz

p.s. bring a camera....he will take pictures for you if you want

I still am not "getting" from these pictures the idea that the room feels more spacious...I don't understand why the desk chair is now positioned to back up right into one of the two "sitting" chairs...Seems like a big cluttered mess when you'd want to go onto the balcony...

If anyone is able, what I would like to see is what is left between the entrance door and the bed: ie what DO the wardrobe areas look like if they actually REMOVED one of them...and why would they remove wardrobe space/cupboard space? What has taken the place of it? (open space?? The long and what looks to be useless low drawer space below the tv??)

I know this is difficult to speculate, and everyone has a different viewpoint/needs, BUT with the changes made: IS the club continent suite now worth the extra money?? I am asking this because we have only stayed in a club continent suite and haven't actually been IN a veranda to compare "size" and "feel".

More specifically re:

SITTING SPACE: In a veranda, with sofa, do they have another soft chair to sit in, or are quarters too tight for anything OTHER than the sofa?

WARDROBE/STORAGE SPACE: In a veranda, how much wardrobe space is there? Was it the same as in the suites, or was it smaller?

I am asking because we are currently booked for a club continent suite and, contrary to "popular" opinion, we did NOT book it because we are "affluent" and have tons of money to throw around...It is a big big investment for us, compared to our income, which is moderate to say the least...

I have a lot of thinking to do as to whether we need to cancel this booking and switch to a veranda...

Liz

p.s. on an "aside", and not wanting to switch topics....

but if they are making these changes in the suites and also putting in "spa suites", how are we to know whether we should have not even BOOKED yet and waited to see what the spa suites cost and what THEY look like?? Maybe they will have a better layout? Does anyone know??

I had a thought....maybe this is all an "April Fool's Joke".....

only thing is, it's not April, it's July:(

Please, Bonnie (and others that can speak to "the powers that be")

We have only been on Azamara ONCE, but we assumed ALL suites had a sofa (whether it made into a bed or NOT)...

Every other cruiseline we have sailed, when we booked a suite HAD a sofa...

and even though the cabin we were in last sailing wasn't specifically MARKED as having a sofa, it HAD one (which we used A LOT)

We do not understand

1) How TWO people sit comfortably when only ONE gets a comfortable chair. That OTHER chair shown in the picture is not only not attractive but looks like something we'd only use as a last resort to sit on...UNCOMFORTABLE and utilitarian

2) How we would DINE IN or enjoy our pre-dinner appetizers using the chairs provided. We used to use the sofa for one of us and the nice soft curved chair for the other...

3) Why there is so much WASTE SPACE under the TV...the counter is so low that I cannot imagine using it to put things on...I just don't "get it"....What purpose is it for?

4) How the carpet choice got past anyone with GOOD TASTE

Re: bathroom changes: not an issue with us..in fact a sizeable shower is a PLUS

I guess when I see these pictures, instead of getting excited, I am getting disappointed, as I feel like we pay a LOT of money to have a suite and we really enjoyed our last one on the Journey...We do not want to feel like we got sent down to a basic cabin that just happens to have a little more room to walk around (basic meaning NO SOFA)

Thanks for any word you can put in...We realize that changes are planned very far in advance and that you can't just alter these plans because ONE couple complains, but still....we had to say SOMETHING...

George and Liz

(currently booked in Cabin 8069 on the Quest for Jan. 2017 and hoping, beyond hope, that there will be a sofa in there ...or AT LEAST two comfortable chairs)

thanks everyone for all the information...

have lots to think about....

We had some extra time today and actually sat down and started making a list of ports

and potential money needs at each port (ie. meals/souvenirs/etc)

Once we get that totaled up, we'll have a better feel for how much cash we need total. Our biggest expenditures will actually be before we board, since we are staying in Rio for a couple of days ahead of time.

We are really leery of using ATMS if we don't have to....Even here at home we ONLY use the ATM at the bank. We don't ever use ones in other businesses. and on the trip we'd only be comfortable using ones onboard ship if the need arose.

We always call the credit card company and tell them exactly where we are going so we don't get those "surprises", but ideally we will only be using the credit card to pay for the hotel in Rio and then any onboard expenses after we are home. Everything else will be cash, either US$ or local currency depending on where we are.

The fishing jacket idea sounds interesting....will check that out....

Once we are onboard, we will feel safe...it is just those few days in Rio that have us concerned about financial security and how best to be safe...

Thanks again.

Liz

thanks so much....

that will make planning a little easier....we just didn't want to be carrying too much cash in Rio before we board....This way we can split things up a little...

Liz

I emailed Azamara but didn't get an answer back.

Does Azamara accept/cash traveler's checks?

We don't want to carry a lot of cash with us if we don't have to, especially during the time before we board in Rio de Janeiro. We were hoping to split what we bring into cash we'll need ashore before boarding, and traveler's checks that we could cash at the customer service desk as needed onboard for use at port stops.

Thanks.

Liz

thanks so much:)

Right now the regular yellow taxis seem like our best option....a reasonable price and in our "comfort zone"...

We want to just be able to walk out of the airport, get the taxi and get to our hotel..We don't want to "prepay" with credit card and risk i.d. theft issues ...We will have reals ready to pay with before we leave the U.S. so we won't be having to try to get exchange money in the airport or use an ATM there...

Thanks again!

George and Liz

I have read some of the posts about taxis but I just wanted to ask a couple more questions to hopefully clarify things in my mind.

We will be landing at GIG on the LAST day of Carnival...

With this in mind, and if we already have Brazilian reals with us,

should we expect any problems getting a reputable taxi to take us to our hotel in Ipanema? Is there a regular "taxi" line at the airport entrance, like there is at many airports in the U.S....where you just stand in line, the taxis drive up in a line and you are put on one when it is your turn...or must you flag them down or have to try to decide if they are reputable or not??

Also, seeing as this is a holiday date, should we expect delays/long wait due to a lack of available taxis secondary to a high demand for them??

Basically, we are suffering "sticker shock" looking at the price of shuttles to the hotel and, later from hotel to cruise ship, so we are trying to decide if we are safe to do a taxi...

We WOULD have gone with the hotel's shuttle, but in order to book it, we would have had to MAIL or FAX them our photo ids, and our credit card front and back, and that seemed a foolhardy thing to do...

Thanks for any wisdom you can provide

thanks SO much:)....

that is a great reference page, which I am going to study more on my days off...but the menus which I glanced at looked wonderful....and definitely would make me look more favorably about booking.

thx.....

as long as SOMEONE speaks English on our tours, that would help....

We aren't super picky on food....husband does like pasta dishes....

Will have to see how this plays out....as far as I can see, only Costa and MSC do an itinerary in Jan/Feb that goes to Israel and that is what we are trying to put together....

but having never been to Europe and never going on a ship where English isn't the primary language, I am a little more apprehensive..

thx again:)

We are looking at the wintertime Mediterranean cruises, but have never sailed with Costa before.

We speak only English....

If we book shore tours through Costa, what language/s do the guides speak??

Is it going to be a problem understanding where to meet for tours and, once we are on a tour, are we going to be in a situation where we won't understand anything going on??

Also, on a totally different subject, does anyone have a typical menu for Costa?

We've been on Carnival, Princess and HAL....How do the menu options compare??How about general quality of food??

Thanks :)

Thanks happy v,

I will put that on my list too....

Thanks so much kruzseeka...I'll keep my eyes open in April/May and go from there (though perhaps I better keep my eyes open NOW so I don't run into anything:p)....

Not wishing to horn in, but this seemed like a good thread to ask this question on...

Is it difficult to book on Thomson from the U.S.?? I emailed Thomson from their website but so far no response...We are looking far ahead (Jan 2016) but we were hoping they could give us at least SOME information....

We have been on Carnival, Princess and Holland America...We don't care how old the ship is as long as it is clean and running well, relaxing atmosphere and gets us where we want to go....and we are really liking the new itineraries Thomson is showing for the Dream out of Montego Bay....better combination of ports than we've seen on some of the other lines, which is why we are willing to experiment...

Any input on whether this would be a good move for us and how best to go about getting a booking once the Jan. 2016 cruise itineraries get posted?

Thanks...

Brother-in-law just got assigned this one (booked as a guarantee)...

It is on A deck midship port...an inside cabin.......

Any input on this one, or just on the general "area" it is in??

I guess one good thing, it is midship and as low as you can go, so seasickness should be a moot point :)