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I was booked on Journey for February 26th.  I was afraid this was coming, I'm not surprised.

But I REALLY wanted to go!

I'm booked on the February 26 Journey cruise from the Canaries to Barcelona and really can't wait.  I am spending 2 days before in Las Plamas for two reasons.  First, it extends my vacation - but it also gives me a couple days leeway in case of flight issues.   I already have tests scheduled for us before the flight to Las Palmas.  We are flying from Newark through Zurich to get there.   We just figured it was easier to get tested in case the rules change... again!   I am also bringing a few rapid tests with me, simply out of an abundance of caution.

I have my schedule cleared work-wise for two weeks before where I really don't have to see anyone in person except maybe at the post office.  I may just get all my food delivered so no one comes near who might infect me.   NOTHING is going to keep me from going on my first real vacation in over 2 years

We frequently cruise with a group of 8 to 10 people (a couple with some physical or dietary issues) so we sometimes need some extra attention when making reservations or just everyday issues.   If someone assists us above and beyond, we will often pool some cash and hand out tips to people who have assisted in making our trip easier or ore enjoyable.  On our last Azamara cruise (Cuba, before it was closed to Americans) we handed out quite a few tips.  The Journey's crew was amazing on that trip!

We have this cruise booked in January, Now I am really looking forward to it.

I have to be honest, laundry is the last thing I want to do when on vacation. I get one free bag, I will send that out and if I really need clean clothes I will either pay for another bag or buy more!

We also just signed up for our first Azamara cruise after a lot of Celebrity cruises. We have always taken the late seating at 8:30. None of the restaurants were ever busy at that time so I never thought about it for this cruise. Anyone have any comments/experience about eating late?

Bob, I wish I could say the same and you know I’ve been a big fan of Celebrity, but I’ve had this feeling on the last few Cruises on them that it just isn’t the same. As recently as Christmas on Constellation. Far too many of the crew seem dissatisfied and unhappy, something I have never encountered on Azamara. I’m willing to give it a go, keep an open mind on Celebrity Solstice in April and see. I’ll keep next year on Eclipse regardless because of the people I’m going with, but that might be it.

 

Azamara are playing the pricing game much more actively now. As a solo traveller even those deals are selective upon cabin category. Next year's Rio to Lisbon on Pursuit has 150% solo traveller supplement in suites, but not other categories. It used to be easy, but now you really have to drill down..

 

Phil

I was just on Solstice in December on a New Zealand to Australia cruise. We had a Concierge Balcony Cabin and the service was very good. The only issue I had on the entire cruise was getting decaf coffee the first two days of the cruise in the buffet. It seemed that there were more people who wanted decaf than they expected, and one coffee machine kept breaking! I saw no issues with staff at all. We are Elite Members and I have never had more cheerful wait staff and bartenders than we did at the daily Elite cocktail hour. Solstice was a lovely ship and crew.

We just booked our first Azamara cruise to Cuba in January because the cruise itinerary was the best one we found going there. We also managed to book during the semi secret Valentines promotion and got a hefty OBC as well as the buy one get one half off price and internet.

"Nestor Santorio and the Lost Boys were great. We spent most evenings listening to one or the other at the Sunset bar"

 

Love the Sunset bar, and our cabin will be right upstairs! Can you comment further on Nestor Santorino and the Lost Boys? Are these two different entertainers?

Nestor is a Latin guitarist, and very good. We even picked up one of his CD's. The Lost Boys are a guitar folk duo. One of them was on the Sunset bar every evening. Both were a great way to end the day. Nestor also plays at the Latin dance party - it was great fun.

We were just on that cruise and loved it. We were a large group and it was perfect for us. I am also sorry you had a bad server in the MDR. Our servers were wonderful and took care of lots of special requests.

I liked your comparison to Princess, we have never tried them. We were on NCL once (never again!) and HAL once. Hal was OK, great itinerary, but everything closed too early for us.

We just got home, and I wish I had another week on board. We were a group of nine celebrating my parent's 60th anniversary. This was my third trip on Summit, and it just gets better.

We ate in the MDR for dinner as there was something even for the three finicky teenagers every night. The dinner choices were varied and well prepared. The only meal that was not as successful was the "Top Chef" night. The Rack of Lamb, Prime Rib, and the Lobster Medley (lobster tail, a couple shrimp and mussels) were favorites. Our waiter and assistant waiter Raoul and Ramazan were attentive and made substitutions and adjustments for us all the time.

We always had someone asking for more veggies and they just started bringing them every meal. Personally, I am not a big dessert eater. I was brought a bowl of fresh berries every night for dessert - even though it was not on the menu. Everyone else seemed to like theirs, and frequently ordered extras!

We ate in the buffet for breakfast, which was typical but mostly well done. Lunch was also at the buffet, but we often had lunch from the Aqua Spa cafe which was also very good. The pasta bar for lunch was very good, but the lines were long and they were slow. Tea time at the Aqua Spa cafe was a treat with cookies, cakes, fruit, and some small sandwiches.

I find the song and dance shows on cruises terrible - we are from the NY area and they are just not for us. We did go to the Christmas show, which we were told the performers just threw together. It was much better than the really awful show the first night that we walked out of. I prefer the live music. Nestor Santorio and the Lost Boys were great. We spent most evenings listening to one or the other at the Sunset bar.

The Latin Dance party was the most hopping evening of the cruise. I found the DJ pretty much bar mitzvah party level and just uninteresting. But then, I am in my 50's and prefer live music to recorded music. The house band was also decent.

I don't actually care all that much which Caribbean islands we go to anymore. We choose the week we want to go, and just book a cruise. I have been to most of them several times and sometimes don't even get off the ship. We went to the beach in Grenada and St Thomas. Otherwise we just took a short walk, went to the flea markets (I love them), shopped a bit, and returned to the ship. Some of our group took a couple of excursions. I spent some time recovering from a really hectic fourth quarter by the pool with a cold drink and trashy novel!

We spent a few days in San Juan at the La Concha before the cruise. I recommend the hotel highly. It is in a nice location and a very pleasant place to stay.

It will not be my last time on Summit.